Volume 5, Chapter 37 – A Long-Awaited Peace

Evening.

The open-air square was filled with bonfires made of stacked firewood. Although the bleak winter wind scraped at people’s faces like knives, the Snake-folk weaving through the square were full of fiery enthusiasm. Women carried ceramic wine jars through the crowd, while men dressed as soldiers carried long-handled axes, hammers, and chisels as tall as a person.

In addition, the other civilian Snake-folk were not idle. The tables, low stools, bowls, and large pots in the square were all set up with the help of the civilians from the nearby streets. Paired with the male noble servants who were arranging lanterns on a high wooden platform, the fiery atmosphere made it clear to anyone that a celebration was about to begin.

For one person to force an army of thirty thousand to surrender was a feat that, even if not accomplished by the Snake-folk themselves, was enough to make the victorious side extremely excited. On the one hand, it was a celebration of their victory over a strong enemy; on the other, it was a relief of having escaped death.

If not for the help of this Witch of Calamity Flame, their Snake-folk tribe could never have defended the city against an army of thirty thousand. The final result would have been their women being defiled and their men being taken away as slaves for life. There would no longer be a large city dominated by the Snake-folk in the Cold Night.

But the reality was that the Witch of Calamity Flame had helped them and had turned the tide of the battle with her own power, even permanently changing the landscape outside the city—the deep canyon, three or four kilometers long and fifty meters wide, like an abyss, was proof. No one could be sure if they could have survived such an attack. In fact, not only were the Snake-folk relieved to be alive, but the thirty thousand soldiers sent by Chazo also felt they had survived a disaster. Anyone with a bit of a brain could see that if the Witch of Calamity Flame had shifted that landscape-altering power a little, their army of thirty thousand would have been decimated.

No mature and rational person would want to go to war. The battlefield meant lifelong disability and death. With Fia’s help, the soldiers on both sides had not engaged in close combat from beginning to end, and the number of casualties was shockingly low. Thus, the Snake-folk had this celebratory banquet.

It was worth noting that the thirty thousand soldiers sent by Chazo were not qualified to participate in the bonfire party. Under the leadership of the Lionfolk warrior captain, they were stationed in the suburbs three kilometers from the city, awaiting their fate.

As for whether they would run away, Fia was not worried at all. First, thirty thousand soldiers could not escape without being noticed. Second, even if they all ran away, it would be no loss to her side. Having witnessed [Spatial Rift], they had lost their courage and would never dare to be an enemy of this land again. Most importantly, their defeat and flight would instead spread the name of the Cold Night’s Queen Tilulu to Chazo’s side. So, it didn’t matter whether they ran or not.

Interestingly, the most anxious person right now was not the Lionfolk warrior captain, but the acting chieftain of the Snake-folk, Woz. He and the other leaders were standing outside the city wall, pacing back and forth in front of a dead War Behemoth.

Suddenly stopping, Woz pointed at the corpse behind him and roared.

“Isn’t this thing dead? Can’t you skin it yet? If we don’t start soon, what will the people in the city eat later?”

“Lord Priest, it’s not that our warriors don’t want to skin it, but the skin and meat of a War Behemoth are too tough. Our tools get dull after cutting for a while. At this rate, we’ll only have less than two or three hundred kilograms by nightfall.”

As the lower noble had said, what was currently underway was the dissection of the War Behemoth to be served at the table. Right now, the corpse was covered with Snake-folk soldiers. They worked in groups of three, one holding an iron chisel as thick as a forearm, while another raised a hammer the size of a bucket and slammed it down. Only in this way could they barely break through the thick and tough gray skin of the behemoth. Besides them, there were also soldiers with long-handled axes, waiting to cut the meat.

The bustling atmosphere, for those who didn’t know, would have made them think these soldiers were building a city wall.

If Woz hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, that these soldiers were indeed sweating profusely, he, who had just arrived, would have thought they were slacking off.

But even so, Woz still didn’t believe it. The War Behemoth was indeed a renowned war fortress of the Cold Night, but it was one thing that he couldn’t break through its defenses when it was alive. Now that it was a powerless corpse, lying there for him to hit, and he still couldn’t do anything about it, what kind of joke was this? The Witch of Calamity Flame had pierced it with a wave of her hand.

He snatched a long-handled axe from a soldier beside him, signaled the surrounding nobles to move aside, then took two steps back and, with the force of a running start, swung the axe in a wide arc and chopped heavily at the behemoth’s thick, pillar-like leg.

“Hah!”

Clang!

The iron axe slammed heavily on the War Behemoth, but the expected scene of blood spurting did not appear. Instead, what shot out was the axe head, which couldn’t withstand the immense force and flew into the sky from the handle. The axe head, the size of a human head, spun several times in the air and finally, with a clanging sound, rolled randomly on the ground.

The scene instantly fell silent.

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Woz was at a loss for words. With a complicated expression, he glanced at the long-handled axe in his hand, which was now just a stick, and couldn’t utter a single word for a long time.

“To think that such a thing exists…”

“My lord, you’re using the wrong method. The meat of a War Behemoth is firm and its skin is tough. It’s not suitable for chopping with an axe.”

A noble quickly stepped forward to save Woz from his embarrassment. His flushed old face gradually returned to its original color.

“That’s right. If I had used magic, I could have definitely cut through its skin.”

“But at this rate, what about tonight’s banquet? Just eating gruel, even with wine, is too inappropriate.”

Unlike the elves, who preferred rice and bread, the beastfolk preferred to have meat at every meal. It was just that their living conditions did not allow them to have meat as a staple, so most families only bought meat during festivals. Now that they were the hosts of a celebration, if they couldn’t provide meat for every resident in the city, they would lose all face. They would be laughed at for trying to bite off more than they could chew.

Woz crossed his arms—in reality, to hide his numb hands—and said with a solemn expression.

“Have you tried using magic? Call the people in the clan who know magic. First, use magic to corrode the skin, then cut off the layer of meat that has been soaked in poison, and only send the rest into the city.”

“That’s not much faster than just having the warriors slowly chip away at it.”

“How about we ask the Lady Witch for help?”

“If you want to ask, you go. I can’t afford to lose this much face. Someone killed the behemoth for you to eat, and you’re going to ask them to cut the meat and deliver it to your door? You shameless old thing.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“Well…”

The nobles were quickly caught in a dilemma. They frowned, and no one could come up with an idea.

Suddenly, a young noble said tentatively.

“How about we go and ask the two old men who follow the Lady Witch? They are her attendants and must be easier to talk to than her. She hasn’t taken the magic core from the corpse yet. We can use that as an excuse to ask the two lords to come and get it. The core is hidden in the behemoth’s stomach, so they will have to help us cut the body open. We can then skip the skinning part and just take the meat from the inside. The meat on the stomach is always easier to cut than the meat on the legs and buttocks.”

“Ooh! That makes sense! I saw those two attendants subdue a War Behemoth this morning. Their tier must not be low!”

“What a good excuse!”

For a moment, the nobles’ eyes all lit up, and even Woz’s face showed a look of joy. He waved his hands, had the soldiers get off the behemoth, and then ordered the young noble who had made the suggestion.

“You, take some men and go and invite the two lords right away. Use the excuse you just mentioned. If you do it quickly, you’ll be heavily rewarded. If you’re slow, I’ll hold you responsible!”

The young noble’s face instantly fell, the smile on his face uglier than a cry.

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“I… I was just making a suggestion. I didn’t say I could guarantee it would work…”

“Just do as you’re told! Don’t dawdle! Go now!”

“That’s right, that’s right! The Lord Priest has spoken. Do you want to disobey his orders?”

“You made the suggestion, so of course you should be the one to do it.”

The old nobles at the side gathered together and chimed in.

“You… you just can’t bring yourselves to do it and want me to be the one to lose face!”

Though he said this, the young noble’s body had already started to move—he slowly backed away under the sharp gazes of the numerous nobles, and finally, with a mournful face, took a team of soldiers and ran into the city. He was the junior with the least seniority in this group. Even if he didn’t want to, he had to.

◇

At the same time, Fia was also busy.

Although she was the hero who had stopped this war, she did not choose to appear in public to be praised. It wasn’t that she had social anxiety, but that she preferred to enjoy life with everyone rather than be praised. After all, if she really wanted praise, she could just use a teleportation crystal to go back to Blossom, and countless praises would be sent her way.

She was preparing dinner with Liti and the young Snake-folk girls.

Though it was called dinner, it was not very exquisite. Exquisite meant spending more time and materials. And tonight was a celebration for more than half the city’s people. If too much time was spent on cooking, not everyone would be able to eat hot food. So, the process was very simple.

Generally, it involved setting up dozens of large pots that could fit a person, then adding water and oil, throwing in all the spices that could be collected, and finally, putting in the processed and chopped large pieces of meat. This procedure required more than a hundred people to work together.

Unlike the humans and elves, who were picky about their food, the beastfolk were not very particular. As long as it was meat and was seasoned properly, it was an absolute delicacy. If they had to say, they preferred chewy meat. Meat like a War Behemoth’s, which was comparable to wood, was a supreme delicacy to them.

“Wow, even the knife is broken. Is this thing really edible?”

Facing the kitchen knife in her hand, which had a deep notch, Liti’s face was filled with speechlessness. Originally, she had just wanted to sleep soundly in Fia’s bed—the reason being that it had a heated blanket. But because Fia said she wanted to help in the back kitchen, she had come along. Besides the three magic casters from the Elf Tower and Radric, Fia’s entire group, including Claire and Tilulu, were all helping in this open-air back kitchen.

They hadn’t come because of the Cold Night’s tradition that only women and unmarried men could cook in the kitchen. A married man who entered the kitchen would be seen as a weak person with no dignity.

Hearing Liti’s whisper, a young Snake-folk girl of fourteen or fifteen, dressed in simple cloth strips, answered.

“Can eat~”

Since the girl still had a strip of red raw meat in her mouth, Liti’s expression became extremely complicated.

“…I’ve underestimated the beastfolk.”

“Hey, this thing isn’t cooked yet. Is it okay to eat?”

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Not only Liti, but Fia was also amazed. The meat of a War Behemoth was so tough that even when cooked, it was comparable to wood. At first, when this girl had asked Fia to help her cut the meat into strips, Fia had thought she wanted to make a special dish. She hadn’t expected her to eat it raw like a snack.

It should be known that large creatures often had many parasites inside them.

“No problem~ It’s very tasty.”

As she spoke, the girl even handed the slices of meat on the cutting board to Fia and Liti.

The two, of course, awkwardly refused. They didn’t have such good teeth as the Snake-folk.

On the other side, Milu was also doing her own thing. She tilted her head curiously and looked at a frail Snake-folk girl. As a Stellacryst Beast, as long as she was close enough, she could feel the other person’s body temperature even without touching them.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Ah, are you talking to me? We Snake-folk aren’t very afraid of the cold. A cold environment just makes us move a little slower.”

“Your clothes are very simple.”

Milu continued to look at the girl from side to side, her burning gaze making the girl, who was only wearing cloth strips, blush. She turned slightly, making a shy gesture to avoid Milu’s gaze.

“Everyone in the city dresses like this…”

“A custom?”

“Good clothes are too expensive. We can live just fine without them.”

The girl’s gaze lingered on Milu’s thick winter clothes for a moment. The beautiful attire, which covered her from head to toe, including a scarf, made her eyes fill with deep envy.

“Only a noble like the priest’s daughter has the money to buy a luxurious outfit like yours in the capital. For people like us, just being able to eat our fill is enough. May I ask if you are a friend of the Lady Witch of Calamity Flame? You are not of the same race.”

“I’m a slave.”

“A sl… slave?” The girl put down the kitchen knife she was using to cut seasonings and gave a wry smile. “You must be joking. How can a slave wear such luxurious clothes? Your complexion looks very healthy. A slave should be weak and not dare to talk to outsiders casually.”

“I am a slave.”

Milu emphasized stubbornly.

However, the girl didn’t believe her. She picked up the kitchen knife again and started cutting vegetables.

“If you are a slave, then I want to be your master’s slave too. To be able to live the life of a noble, it’s worth being a slave—” As if she had thought of something, the girl’s face changed, and her hands stiffened. “Wait, your master… is it the Lady Witch of Calamity Flame?”

“That’s right.”

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Seeing that the girl had finally gotten it, a hint of pride appeared on Milu’s face. She first extended her hand and compared her height with the girl’s. After confirming that they were not that different, she took a winter coat from her storage item and handed it to her. The thick fur and bright color looked expensive.

“It’s for you.”

“No, no, how can I accept such a valuable gift? And you are a slave. If you just give away such a gift, you’ll be punished by the Lady Witch, right?”

“Don’t worry. This is my own money.”

“What are you talking about? Everything a slave has belongs to their master. Your money is of course the Lady Witch’s money. You should put it away quickly before anyone else sees it.”

The girl smiled and pushed the coat back. However, she had underestimated Milu’s stubbornness. Milu chose to ask Fia for help directly. After hearing her explanation, Fia waved her hand seriously.

“Just take it if Milu gives it to you. That’s her own pocket money. She can do whatever she wants with it—wait, Anastasia, this heating device is not to be heated by fire!”

Because Fia had run off to stop Anastasia from heating her Heater with fire, only Milu and the Snake-folk girl were left.

“Here.”

Milu handed the coat back to the frail girl. She accepted it with a complicated expression.

“Pocket money… a slave can actually have pocket money… if it were me…”

“No. Master already has me.”

Catching the girl’s dangerous words, Milu immediately pouted and raised her eyebrows. The girl then came back to her senses. She washed her hands in the nearby water basin before putting on the coat Milu had given her, stroking the thick, warm fabric with great care.

“That’s true. How could someone like me… it’s so warm.”

With those words, the girl carefully took off the coat and folded it.

Milu tilted her head.

“You don’t like it?”

“How could I not like it? It’s just that wearing such clothes while cooking will get them dirty. It’s better to take them out on important holidays. Thank you, kind Miss Slave.”

“My name is Euphimilu. You can call me Milu.”

“Thank you, Miss Milu.”

Receiving the girl’s sincere thanks, Milu nodded happily and returned to the work of cutting meat. But unlike before, she seemed exceptionally happy and satisfied afterwards.