Chapter 34: The Situation

“Why?” Leo was somewhat puzzled. “Wouldn’t eliminating this threat together and expanding your territory be better for your tribe?”

“Child, the enemies of the wilderness can never be fully vanquished.” Zulvan spoke with heavy sincerity. “Drive away this tribe of Boarfolk, and another, perhaps stronger, enemy will fix its gaze upon these lands. It could be Boarfolk again, or Gnollfolk, or perhaps... Imperial men.”

“To force a war would only leave both sides battered, allowing a third party to profit.”

“What we can do is reduce their numbers, balance their strength, and maintain equilibrium.”

Leo fell silent; Zulvan’s words were not without reason.

The Wolf-Driving Plain was home to more than just Boarfolk; even among them, there were several tribes. Any conflict would bring casualties, and the wildfolk’s numbers were limited. For all their prowess, each hunter lost meant one less defender.

If they fought the Boarfolk, what would happen when the Gnollfolk came next?

Even if they did manage to cleanse the wilderness of all the nonhuman tribes, whose would this wildland become?

Inevitably, it would be claimed by the Imperial pioneers rushing in.

No wildfolk or nonhuman tribe that grew strong and dominated the wilderness ever escaped the fate of being purged by Imperial armies.

In contrast, Zulvan’s small wildfolk tribe, remote and hidden, offered nothing worth pillaging; not even the slavers or mercenaries found them worthwhile, much less an army.

By hunting the surrounding nonhuman tribes, they intentionally controlled enemy numbers, even allowing some smaller tribes to survive, thus creating a buffer zone at the edge of their territory to ward off distant threats.

They used their enemies as a shield.

The wildfolk had survived here for centuries and had developed their own way of life.

“Elder, the times have changed.”

Just as Zulvan thought Leo was about to give up, Leo spoke again.

He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the low table before him, scattering them across its surface. “These are the Basakar people.”

He took a handful of almonds, dropping them beside the seeds. “These are the nonhumans.”

Then, grabbing a handful of dried dates, he scattered them next to the almonds.

“These are the beastfolk.”

He extended his palm and swept the dates forward. As the dates pressed onward, the sunflower seeds and almonds were all mixed together.

“The beastfolk have already marched southward in force. The Empire may one day drive them back north of the Ice River, but it won’t be accomplished in a day or two. Perhaps a year? Three, five, ten years?”

“The beastfolk don’t just plunder humans; the nonhumans of the Wolf-Driving Plain, even magical beasts and wild animals, will be displaced as well, migrating southward just as humans do.”

“As long as the Empire cannot expel the beastfolk, the nonhumans of the Wolf-Driving Plain will continuously move south. Survival of the strong, elimination of the weak—the whole balance of power in the wilderness will be reshuffled.”

“In half a year, the Boarfolk tribe to the north may grow from two hundred to a thousand, or perhaps be conquered overnight by a more formidable tribe.”

“Elder, are you prepared to face them?”

Zulvan looked at the dried fruit on the table and pointed out the flaw in Leo’s analogy. “These sunflower seeds should not represent the Basakar people, but you, shouldn’t they?”

If the beastfolk truly marched south and the nonhumans swept through the Wolf-Driving Plain, the first to bear the brunt would not be the wildfolk hiding beneath the great waterfall, but the Riverbend Domain, with its fertile lands and vast forests.

“Does it matter? Before the nonhumans, we are all human. If Riverbend falls, the Basakar people will be isolated and their fate will be the same.”

After all this groundwork, Leo finally revealed his true purpose.

“My request is not excessive. Riverbend will continue to absorb refugees, strengthen its forces, and will certainly withstand the southern onslaught of the nonhumans. Moreover, we have support from Isenpol.”

“All I hope is that when Riverbend’s warriors meet the enemy head-on, the Basakar people will shoot their arrows from the flanks, rather than stand by indifferently.”

“In the end, the Basakar will remain Basakar, Riverbend will remain Riverbend, and both will survive.”

Zulvan looked at the dried fruit, unmoved.

Half a century of survival wisdom had taught him not to be swayed by the words of a strange youth, no matter how reasonable. The conditions had to be verified before they counted.

The news of the beastfolk’s march south had not been confirmed, and the wilderness showed no clear signs of unrest, so Leo’s words, no matter how sincere, would remain open to debate.

Seeing this, Leo was not anxious; he had never expected to persuade the other side in a few words.

To establish contact, communicate rationally, and lay out the greater picture before the wildfolk—that alone would fulfill his purpose.

By now, dusk was settling in, and in the early spring valleys of the northern lands, night fell swiftly.

After enjoying a campfire dinner rich with the flavors of the nonhuman tribes, Leo stayed the night at the wildfolk’s arrangement.

That night, two wildfolk maidens climbed into Leo’s bed, one of whom seemed quite experienced.

In these wildfolk tribes, secluded in the mountains and cut off from the outside world, there were no laws or morals to hinder the continuation of their bloodline.

Those tribes near Imperial villages might risk abducting women for breeding, but remote tribes like the one beneath the great waterfall could only exchange brides among nearby wildfolk tribes or practice walking marriages—sometimes even intermarriage among kin.

Leo, being such a prime candidate presented willingly, was not to be missed.

For safety, they even paired him with a maiden who had already borne children.

Leo could only politely refuse.

Though he was tempted, he did not have the thick skin to indulge himself in the presence of Freya and Faisa’s curious gazes.

Indeed, the three of them slept by the hearth in the main hall of the chieftain’s house, on a thick layer of pelts.

It was the best accommodation the tribe could offer, reserved only for distinguished guests.

After spending a night among the wildfolk, Leo departed the next morning.

Before he left, Elder Zulvan presented him with a yew longbow and a bag of heavy arrows as a parting gift.

Faisa, the kobold who had been idly tagging along, received a bearskin blanket.

Freya, meanwhile, was showered with endless invitations and wildfolk food.

Though deeply moved, Freya chose to decline.

She missed Olivia’s flatbread!

Upon reaching the dwarf peak, Freya stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing across the vast Wolf-Driving Plain below, where the Anzeno River wound like a silver ribbon. She glanced back at the majestic barrier lost in the clouds and said to Leo and Faisa, “Stand further away.”

“Farther still!”

Once Leo and Faisa had retreated ten meters, they saw Freya take a deep breath and then let out a piercing scream.

“Ah!”

The shrill dolphin-like cry was almost magical in its intensity; even at ten meters behind, Leo and Faisa couldn’t help but cover their ears.

After two shouts, Freya beamed with satisfaction. “My teacher’s ears are sharp—she can hear my voice from a hundred miles away!”