Chapter 91

Chapter 16. The One-Horned Tribe (1)

Just as Pante and Edora's absence was becoming a concern, the mention of the One-Horned Tribe came as a surprise.

Then, Yeonwoo noticed the letter clutched tightly in the hand of the One-Horned Tribe man.

'A messenger.'

Could he have come to deliver a message?

Yeonwoo looked up at the sky and said, "Could you please open the path?"

Phoenix had not allowed anyone into her territory since giving birth to her chicks.

'If it's your request.'

Soon, the phantoms blocking the One-Horned Tribe man's path moved aside.

Yeonwoo quietly observed the scene.

* * *

The One-Horned Tribe man was led to a pond some distance from Phoenix's nest.

"Hehe. Nice to meet you. My name is Yanu."

His demeanor was much friendlier than what Phoenix had seen.

Certainly, he had a sharp look when facing the phantoms.

Is he hiding a knife in his smile?

Indeed, even with his gentle smile, he didn't seem like someone to be underestimated.

Surprisingly, he might even hold his own against Pante.

However, 'It doesn't seem like he's forcing a smile.'

Yeonwoo felt he could understand the emotion Yanu was expressing.

'Affection.'

But why does he have affection for me, someone he's just met?

Yanu spent some time silently smiling and scrutinizing Yeonwoo.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh! If it made you uncomfortable, I apologize. Lord Cain seemed so familiar to me that I made a mistake."

Yanu scratched his cheek as if truly apologetic.

"I'm not uncomfortable, but there's no reason for me to feel familiar with you, right?"

"Hehe. Of course, Lord Cain would think so. However, I've heard so many stories about Lord Cain. It's just amazing to meet you in person."

It was an unexpected response.

It doesn't seem to be related to the story of the lone eater.

"Stories about me? Where?"

"Well, everyone in our tribe is very interested in Lord Cain... Oh, my loose tongue. Hehe. Just forget what I said. You'll find out eventually."

"..."

Yeonwoo felt something was off.

But he accepted that Pante and Edora must have talked about him and shifted his attention elsewhere.

"More importantly, what you're holding. It looks like a letter you want to deliver to me. Is that right?"

"Yes. Pante and Edora asked me to deliver it safely. They also wanted to apologize for being away for almost a month without any word. You'll understand the details when you read the letter."

Yeonwoo nodded and took the letter from Yanu.

The letter was sealed with wax to prevent others from reading it.

When he opened it, the inside was filled with indecipherable characters.

Not the common script used in the tower, but the unique script of the One-Horned Tribe.

Just as he was about to ask Yanu to read it for him, the characters suddenly emitted a pale light and floated into the air.

They mixed together and approached Yeonwoo as a single voice.

『I couldn't explain properly in person, so I had to write a letter... Hey! What's that? A letter? Just sending a person would have been enough, what era is this... Shut up, a bit! ...Ugh. Anyway, I'm so eager to look good... I get it, so go. Can't you see I'm writing a letter? ...Hey, you're recording my voice... Ah!』

The mixed voices of Edora and Pante.

Yeonwoo couldn't help but chuckle.

'Sure enough, they're siblings.'

After bickering, it seemed Edora had won, and only her voice remained.

『...Ugh. Anyway, that enemy. They're no help at all, really. Hmm! Big Brother, the reason we didn't communicate properly for a month and just sent a person is... Hey, can't I send a letter too?... Get out of the way!』

The structure of the letter seemed similar to the way Phoenix conveyed thoughts.

The difference was like live streaming versus a recorded tape.

Thanks to Edora's calm explanation, Yeonwoo understood why the two hadn't appeared on the 11th floor for a while.

The content wasn't much.

Or rather, it was something Yeonwoo had already guessed.

An urgent matter had arisen within the One-Horned Tribe, and Pante and Edora, as royals, had received an emergency call.

However, the reason for the call was confidential and not disclosed.

Yeonwoo thought it was understandable.

No matter how close they had become, he was still an outsider to the One-Horned Tribe.

Still, he felt a bit disappointed that they had parted without a proper farewell.

'I, am feeling disappointed.'

Yeonwoo felt a strange sensation again.

Edora added that she would follow as soon as the matter was resolved and urged him not to worry and to proceed to the next floor.

Yeonwoo neatly folded the letter and looked at Yanu again.

Yanu was still smiling and looking at him.

"Is Pante and Edora doing well?"

"Yes, they're doing very well, even more energetic. Especially our Pante... Ugh. That temper."

Still the same.

Yeonwoo chuckled and nodded.

"Alright then."

Yanu had a peculiar expression.

"Why?"

"Are you not curious?"

"About what?"

"The reason Pante and Edora can't come."

"Would you tell me if I asked?"

Yanu returned to his smiling face and said bluntly, "No way."

"I didn't ask because I knew you wouldn't tell. I'll find out when we meet later."

Yanu seemed to understand, scratching his cheek. "Hmm. You're quite a mysterious person, as I've heard."

"What have you heard about me?"

"Hehe. I can't tell you, of course. I want to live long."

Yeonwoo lightly clicked his tongue and thought.

It's quite strange that such a peculiar person came as a messenger.

Then he had a thought.

Perhaps Yanu felt something similar when he saw him, just as he did.

'Mutual admiration.'

Yeonwoo chuckled lightly.

* * *

"Wow. So this is how the territory of a divine beast is formed."

Yanu explored every corner of Phoenix's territory.

Not wanting to just send him back after receiving the letter, Yeonwoo asked Phoenix for permission to let Yanu explore the territory, except for the nest.

Yanu was really like a 'dog.' Not in a bad sense, but in the sense that he was very curious about new places.

Thanks to him, Yeonwoo discovered places he hadn't known about even after staying for over a month.

'Is Phoenix's territory this vast?'

If Yeonwoo thought so, how vast must it be for Phoenix?

『Send him back when he's done. He's driving me crazy. I'm a bit afraid he might influence the children. Most of the One-Horned Tribe children I've seen are quiet or serious. How did such a kid come about?』

Yeonwoo could almost see Phoenix shaking her head.

Then, as Yanu was about to move to the next place, saying there was still much to see, Yeonwoo asked, "Didn't you say you've already passed the 11th floor?"

Yanu scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"I did come out a long time ago. But the divine beast's territory is not usually open to regular players, so it's quite amazing. In our tribe, only the chief and a few elders might have seen it."

"I see."

"Actually, when I first found the mark indicating Lord Cain was here, I doubted it several times. I thought it might be a mistake. The divine beast is truly, truly amazing."

Yeonwoo thought it made sense.

Since the divine beast was an existence even the rankers were wary of, it would be a new and exciting experience for Yanu, who aspired to be a ranker.

『...Hmm. No, looking at him, he seems like a good kid. Let him stay for a few days and rest well.』

Yeonwoo smiled, seeing Phoenix's quickly softened heart.

Though she didn't show it outwardly.

After that, Yeonwoo quietly followed Yanu, ensuring he didn't approach the nest, and explored various parts of the territory.

At the same time, several thoughts came to mind.

First, he was relieved to hear that nothing serious had happened to Pante and Edora.

Even if he wasn't worried, knowing their well-being made a big difference.

On the other hand, he wondered what to do about the phantom's egg.

'With the situation in the One-Horned Tribe, it will take a long time for Edora to return.'

The black bracelet could be investigated later, but the phantom's egg needed to be addressed to clear the stage.

He needed to find another method as soon as possible.

Blindly infusing the power of other divine beasts felt a bit off.

'What other methods are there?'

As if his deep thoughts were conveyed, Yanu suddenly stopped his busy exploration and stared at Yeonwoo.

Yeonwoo, reading his gaze, snapped out of his thoughts.

"Why are you doing that again?"

"Umm. Do you have any worries or something?"

"Why?"

"Actually, Princess repeatedly instructed me."

'Princess? Oh, Edora.'

For the first time, Yeonwoo deeply felt the status of Pante and Edora.

"‘Even though you're perfect, if something isn't going well or you have worries, actively help and come back! If you can't help, serve as a servant and come back!’ That's what she said. And it was written in the letter, right?"

Yeonwoo vaguely remembered the last part of the letter.

'She said, ‘Even though he looks like an idiot, he's quite capable, so use him as much as you want...’'

At the time, he thought it was just talk and didn't take it seriously.

But it seemed Yanu's mission was more serious than he thought.

Yeonwoo pondered for a moment.

Should he really tell him about the crisis he faced?

If it were someone else, he would have ignored it. But since Pante and Edora had sent him, he thought it might be okay to trust him.

"Uh? You look hesitant. I'm a medium's successor! You can trust me!"

Suddenly, Yeonwoo's eyes glinted.

'Medium? The seer?'

He had heard about it before.

The medium of the One-Horned Tribe.

The One-Horned Tribe had been the dominant species since the tower opened, always ruling at the top. They maintained their position not only because of their strength and insistence on neutrality but also for another significant reason.

The medium.

They were known as 'seers' or 'prophets,' the only ones who could communicate with the god the One-Horned Tribe worshipped. Their occasional advice, delivered through the medium, had often determined the tribe's fate.

The medium of the One-Horned Tribe was said to receive messages from their nameless god and convey them to the tribe.

The accuracy and mysticism of these messages had often decided the tribe's fate.

However, the medium's existence was kept secret due to other forces coveting their power.

Yanu, a medium's successor?

Seeing Yeonwoo's gaze, Yanu chuckled and waved his hand.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm not as great as you might think, so it's okay to know this much. Don't worry. And there are several successors, so the next medium will be someone else. But my skills are still good, so trust me and let me help. Okay?"

Yanu's eyes sparkled.

Phoenix added her opinion.

'I don't think it's bad to seek advice. The medium of the One-Horned Tribe is more like a transmitter of 'records' they are allowed to study and pass down, rather than someone who communicates with the god.'

Yeonwoo was curious about the 'transmitter' but put it aside. Seeing Phoenix's encouragement, he felt it was safe to trust and ask for help.

So, Yeonwoo detailed his current situation.

Yanu listened with great interest, gasping in shock several times as the story progressed.

Once when he mentioned the number of divine beasts he had faced, and again when he mentioned the egg was now about three meters in size.

When he mentioned he was considering visiting other divine beasts, Yanu almost dropped his jaw.

After a while, he shook his head.

"Really, I heard it would be beyond imagination, but I didn't expect this much."

Yanu now looked at Yeonwoo as if he were a monster. Then, he asked based on his thoughts.

"So, Lord Cain, you're in dire need of Edora's insight, right?"

"For now."

"Ah. Then what's the problem?"

Yanu sighed in relief. Then, he laughed, as if