"When we fought those people," Draven said, his voice steady, "they showed no fear at all. Tell your friend to see if he can find anything related to that." It was a subtle nudge, a way to guide the investigation without revealing his source.
Theron nodded immediately and pulled out a small, glowing communication stone. The stones were imbued with powerful magic, but could only be used for short-distance messaging within the academy grounds. He quickly tapped out a message to his friend.
While everyone at the academy was preoccupied with the black-cloaked attackers, far from the Imperium's borders, a different scene was unfolding.
In a small, damp room, the walls crudely lined with planks of wood, cold air seeped in through the gaps. Lying on a simple bed, covered in clean cloths and fresh bandages, was a handsome man. He was Aleric, the Margrave of the Valerius Archduchy.
Aleric had been fighting the Beast Empire on their bordering territory when a new force appeared. People clothed in black had attacked them without warning. They weren't reinforcements for the enemy; they struck at everyone indiscriminately.
Aleric was powerful. He fought against fifteen of them and killed them all. But then their reinforcements arrived, and he found himself fighting five opponents of the same realm at once. In the end, he killed them, too but his warriors, his soldiers, and even the mages in his team had all lost their lives in the chaos.
After the battle, Aleric was the only one left alive. Dazed and unable to feel his surroundings properly, he walked and walked until he stumbled into a village and lost consciousness.
He woke with a jolt. A sharp pang of pain lanced through his body, and he winced. He could feel that he was almost naked beneath the clean bandages, with a strange, mushy paste applied to his wounds.
He tried to sit up to leave when the door creaked open.
"So, you're awake?" a gentle voice asked.
Aleric tensed immediately, his hand instinctively searching for his sword, which was not there. The person stepped fully into the room.
Aleric could see him clearly now. He was a young man, perhaps twenty or twenty-two years old. But when Aleric saw his face, he became even more alert. The young man had two tiger ears on his head, and a tail swished behind him as he moved. He was a tigerman, a beastman who had gained the power to take a humanoid form.
The young man sighed, seeing Aleric's reaction, and gently but firmly pushed him back down onto the bed. "Don't get up yet! Your wounds are not simple. I've put herbs on them and managed to wrap you in fresh cloths. You will need at least a week to fully recover."
Aleric hesitated, then asked, "Did you save me?"
The tigerman nodded and sat down on the floor beside the bed, leaning his back against it. "I found you unconscious outside our village, so I brought you here."
Aleric asked, "Do you know…"
The young man looked at him, his ears twitching. "That you're a human?"
Aleric was confused. "If you knew that already, why did you save me?"
The tigerman smiled sadly and handed Aleric a bowl of soup he had been preparing. "Drink this. You'll feel more energetic." He continued, his voice soft, "Actually, we commoners never wanted this war to begin with. It's the nobility who want it, and we commoners are the ones who suffer because of it." His eyes grew teary for a moment as he remembered how his own parents had died in the war.
Aleric took the bowl and drank the soup in one gulp. "I will compensate you after I recover."
The young man took the empty bowl and nodded. "Rest now. I need to go hunt for a few hours."
Aleric nodded, and the tigerman left the room. Once he was alone, Aleric checked for his space pouch and weapon. He found them neatly placed on a small table nearby. He sighed in relief, took out his spirit pouch, and retrieved some high-grade healing medicine. With this, he would be back on his feet in a few hours at most.
Just as he predicted, the potent medicine worked wonders. Within two hours, Aleric felt completely healthy. His realm was restored, his mana flowed normally again, and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. He rose from the bed, his movements now fluid and strong. He retrieved a fresh set of clothes from his spirit pouch and pulled them on over the bandages, which he would remove later.
He stepped out of the small hut into the cool night air. The village was small and quiet. With his restored power, he could sense the presence of the villagers, mostly elderly people and children, with a few young adults the same age as the tigerman who had saved him. He scanned the area but saw no one middle-aged. He remembered the boy's sad face and knew in his heart that they had likely been lost to the war, conscripted by the royal family.
He was about to return to his room when a familiar screech echoed from above. His head snapped up, and a wide grin spread across his face. The beautiful red bird was circling directly over him. He whistled, and the bird swooped down, landing gracefully on the ground before him.
He saw a small pouch tied to its leg. He took out a piece of beef jerky from his own spirit pouch, offered it to the bird, and then carefully untied the delivery.
Inside was a small, beautifully crafted box engraved with the insignia of another great archduchy , Sylveria Archduchy. A silver star intertwined with a serpent. He smiled; his mother was from that great mage family. He gave the red bird an appreciative nod, and after devouring the jerky, it took to the sky once more, vanishing into the darkness.
"Silas," Aleric murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice. "So, you contacted her."
He opened the box. Nestled inside on a bed of velvet were three beautiful, glowing pills. They were specially crafted magic pills from the Sylveria Archduchy, personally made by his cousin sister, Seraphina Sylveria.
He knew that only Silas could move her. Aleric had even asked her for these exact pills before, but she had flatly denied him. Now, thanks to his little brother, she had sent three of them.
Aleric stored the precious pills in his spirit pouch. He didn't need them now, as he was completely healed, but he knew their value. Those pills were legendary, capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death. Even the mighty Luminus Imperium had tried to acquire the recipe, only to be flatly rejected by the Sylveria Archduchy.
He was about to re-enter the hut when Torin returned from his hunt. The tigerman spotted Aleric standing outside, and his eyes went wide with panic.
He lunged forward, grabbed Aleric's arm, and hauled him back inside, slamming the wooden door shut and barring it. Torin's breathing was ragged as he peeked through a crack in the wall. Aleric, sensing the disturbance, also felt the presence of the newcomers . A patrol of soldiers, all level 30 or slightly above, passing by the very spot where he had just been standing.
Torin rounded on him, his voice a harsh whisper. "Are you crazy? Why did you leave the hut? And how…" It was only then that he truly saw him. He noticed Aleric was standing tall and steady, completely fine. His wounds were still covered by the bandages, but he was clearly walking normally.
Torin's eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you get well so fast?"
Aleric chuckled, pointing to the pouch at his waist. "I took some medicine from my spirit pouch."
A flush of embarrassment crept up Torin's neck. "Oh. About that... you were covered in blood, so I took off your clothes and weapons, wiped them clean, and put them over there," he explained, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry if I overstepped..."
"No, no! It's okay," Aleric cut him off gently. "Actually, thank you so much for saving my life." He stood straight and gave the young man a formal, respectful bow. "I am Aleric. Aleric Valerius."
Torin's jaw dropped. "You! You're a noble?" He began to shake his head frantically, trying to explain himself. "I-I'm so sorry, I touched your body..."
In this world, nobles were held as almost sacred by commoners. Aleric quickly put his hands on Torin's shoulders to steady him. "Stop! Stop shaking. Didn't I just say it was okay? If you hadn't touched me, how could you have treated me?"
The tigerman stopped, considered his words, and let out a relieved breath. He smiled, scratching his head again. "My name is Torin. I'm just a commoner warrior."
Aleric nodded in acknowledgment. "Torin, tell me, are those soldiers from your empire?"
Torin's expression turned grim again. "Yes. I don't know why, but the soldiers are searching for people all over the empire right now. If they saw you, a human, in this village, they would kill every last one of us. That's why I pulled you inside."
Aleric nodded, understanding the danger. "What happened to the young and middle-aged people of this village?" he asked, recalling the emptiness he'd sensed.
Torin's face fell. "They all died in the war," he said quietly. "Now, only the old and the young are left. A few of us youngsters who can fight ferocious beasts were allowed to stay. The government let us off the hook to protect the children, so they can grow up and fight against the other races again."
Later that evening, Torin prepared a simple meal for them both. As they ate, he explained that this place was called the 'Tiger Village,' and that everyone who lived here was a tigerman or tigerwoman, part of his clan. He reassured Aleric that the other villagers knew he had taken in a human and that his secret was safe with them. They wouldn't tell anyone.
The more Aleric heard the young tigerman talk, the more intrigued he became. He had fought against beastmen for his entire life, viewing them as nothing more than enemies on the battlefield. And now, a young one had saved his life without a second thought. The irony was not lost on him.
He let out a quiet sigh and focused on the rustic but hearty food, sharing a peaceful meal with Torin while waiting for the next day, when he could finally leave this small village and begin the journey home.