Rin stared blankly at the already cold body in her arms. The girl's eyes had peacefully closed and would never open again.
Rin picked up Modica's deceased body and sighed softly in the wind and snow.
"There are no burial grounds for the weak in the Balutes Tribe. There's no need to take me back, Rin. Leave me here. Let the wind and snow bury my body after death. If other hungry Danger Beasts happen to find me as food, it's also a weakling's contribution to these snowy mountains…"
The philosophy of the strong preying on the weak truly permeated every cell of the Balutes Tribe people. This idea had long been ingrained in their bones and even their souls. If one was weak, even if it was their own death, they would not feel regret; becoming food for a powerful Danger Beast was only natural.
"Well, even if you say that, I still plan to take you back to the tribal land. There's nothing to be done, the weak can only obey the will of the strong. You are weaker than me, both in life and after death, there's no doubt about that."
Since arriving in this world five years ago, Rin had not deliberately recalled the memories of the Rin from this world within the Balutes Tribe. Even so, she could deeply feel the desolate past this body experienced in childhood. In that tribe governed by the cruel law of the strong preying on the weak, how a five-year-old girl, orphaned and helpless, dried her tears and survived those weak ten years.
If it weren't for her, perhaps this body would never have had the chance to grow up, having long since frozen or starved to death in the dilapidated tent left by her parents.
Rin looked at the pale face of the young girl amidst the swirling snow and cold wind, a slight bitter smile on her face as she looked at her.
"If none of you had cared about this body's life or death, and had kept stealing roasted meat from home for me, I might have arrived in this world a few years earlier."
Rin's method of transmigration was that when her counterpart in this world was on the verge of death and her body's consciousness had completely dissipated, at the exact moment her inherent existence vanished, Rin's own existence would be poured into the body at the moment it transitioned between life and death. In a sense, it was a form of 'borrowing a corpse to return a soul.'
"No matter what, I owe you this favor."
Rin carried Modica's body in her arms and walked towards the secluded tribal land. The location of the tribal land had been relocated after Rin left due to an avalanche—the same avalanche that buried Modica's ex-husband. Facts proved that staying with the group ensured safety, while leaving the group meant a quick death… But I'm getting off-topic. Because they didn't tell Rin the new address after moving, and the new tribal land was chosen in a hidden spot shielded from aerial view, Rin couldn't find it from the air and had to land to search.
Modica had told Rin the address before her death, and Rin was now heading in that direction."Zach, you really don't look handsome with that beard."
In front of the settlement of over a thousand tents, somewhat similar in style to those of the Northern Nomads, Lin, holding Modica's corpse, confronted a hundred Balutes Tribe youths dressed in animal skins.
Theoretically, these people were also Lin's tribesmen, but only theoretically.
The leader standing before Lin, a twenty-five-year-old man with a weathered face, was Zach, Modica's prospective second husband and the current chief of the Balutes Tribe.
Though only twenty-five, he looked thirty-five. When Lin, shaking off the memory of his clean-shaven, youthful face, saw him again, she instantly superimposed the face that appeared in Esdeath's memories in her previous life's anime onto him. It was truly identical.
She remembered that in the original work/canon plot, it was mentioned in Esdeath's memories that she was raised as the chief's daughter. If she were his biological daughter, why would she be 'raised'? Now, the facts proved... I knew Esdeath couldn't be the daughter of someone like him!
Speaking of which, Esdeath's biological father, that fellow Nessus, didn't resemble Esdeath much either... Sure enough, daughters take after their mothers in appearance.
Compared to Lin's calm demeanor facing a hundred of them alone, Zach, as the chief of the Balutes Tribe, looked at Lin with much more complex emotions, his gaze finally settling on Modica in Lin's arms.
"Modica, she..."
"She died. She encountered an avalanche ape in the snowy mountains. By the time I found her, it was too late."
Lin said calmly.
"If you follow the direction I came from for five kilometers, you'll find it. Consider it my return gift for coming home."
Zach took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh and said:
"Come in."
Lin then followed Chief Zach's footsteps, entering her birthplace for the first time. It was still as she remembered: tents everywhere, Danger Beasts being dissected and butchered throughout the settlement, and the pelts and meat of frozen Danger Beasts drying.
Many people they passed along the way, upon seeing Lin, couldn't help but whisper. No one here would fail to recognize the Little Girl who used to pick up Danger Beast remains around the tribal land. Upon seeing Lin's Imperial Army uniform, Lin could clearly see looks of disdain and disgust in their eyes.
In the eyes of the Balutes Tribe, the Imperial people beyond the snowy mountains were a group of cowardly, weaklings, merely weaklings living in peace. Associating with outsiders would only weaken their strength and erode their courage.
To this, Lin could only describe them with one word: frogs in a well!
Because Zach was leading the way, and as the strongest in the tribe, the chief held absolute authority, everyone continued with their own tasks. Lin followed Zach all the way to the largest tent in the center of the tribal land. Clearly, this was the chief's dwelling.
Stepping inside, a rush of heat immediately differentiated the inside and outside of the tent into two distinct worlds. If there was one major difference between the Balutes Tribe and the Northern Nomads, it was their abundant living resources. The Balutes Tribe, capable of trading Danger Beasts with Imperial villages and towns, completely lacked the poverty of the Northern Nomads.
Just like the roaring stove in the chief's tent now, it was a treasure coveted by the Northern Nomads. For such a stove, countless Native would turn green with envy and fight desperately.
Lin placed Modica's body to one side and sat cross-legged opposite Zach on the animal skin covering the tent's wooden floor. Zach's gaze fell upon the deceased Modica beside them, and he frowned slightly, saying:
"You should have let her return to the snowy mountains."
"But I think she should return to her homeland."
Lin retorted directly, then smiled slightly at her old friend before her and said:
"You've grown stronger, Zach. You, who were the weakest and most timid among us back then, actually became the chief."
"In the years since you left, many of those people from back then have died. Pena and Schudrain were the first to return to the snowy mountains, leaving no trace. After that... now Modica has also returned as a corpse. Of the few of us from back then, only you and I remain."
As a child in the Balutes Tribe, Lin's resilient way of life, scavenging Danger Beast remains, unknowingly attracted the attention of several children her age. In this place that greatly admired strength, the young Lin undoubtedly became the strong one among the children, and as a child, Lin also survived the most difficult ten years with their secret help.
Now, after everyone had reached adulthood, most were no longer among the living.
"Although it's very regrettable, there's nothing that can be done, after all..."
"They were too weak, right? That truly is an undeniable truth."
Lin took a sip of the strong liquor from her animal skin flask. The spicy taste and fumes made her want to sweat all over. For the Balutes Tribe, living deep in the freezing, snowy mountains, this was an indispensable good thing.
"Before Modica died, she entrusted me with the care of her daughter. Can you give me the girl named Esdeath?"
Zach's brows furrowed even tighter, and he said:
"You want to take her away?"
"Yes."
"She is a member of the Balutes Tribe."
"I was too, back then."
"I will raise her."
"But I promised Modica."
"Then..."
"Let's decide according to the Balutes' rules."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.