"Did you hear about the sves who escaped during the war between Baron Capet and Baron Gregor Duvain of Yvarmyr Kingdom?"

  "Yeah, it's been the hottest topic tely."

  "How could they let the sves escape? That had to be pnned—how did they not see it coming?"

  "Those sves belonged to our lord, Viscount Beaufort. And yet, Baron Capet, despite only being a baron, managed to mess up something as simple as keeping them in check. The Viscount entrusted him with those sves, and he failed so miserably."

  The kingdom of Umbrania soon caught wind of the news about Baron Capet. Word spread swiftly among the sves, while the nobles, fearing that others might follow suit, tightened their security. The incident had left a sting impression, and rumors pointed to none other than Lakan’s group as the masterminds.

  "To think the very sves we nurtured would slip through our fingers like this," Viscount Beaufort said, his voice ced with disappointment. "We trained them, fed them, gave them a pce to belong, and this is how they repay us? What a disgrace."

  "Didn't you want the sves dead anyway? You always said they were just an unnecessary expense. And to think—you even sent Panday yourself" Knight Commander Darius said, his tone edged with amusement.

  Viscount Beaufort let out a hearty ugh. "Hahaha! Did I really say that? Well, let bygones be bygones. Besides, that Panday was quite rude, you know?"

  Svery had long since become the natural order of this world. It was so deeply ingrained in society that both masters and sves alike accepted it as common sense—the strong ruled, and the weak obeyed.

  "But to think that Panday died during their escape... And his son actually made it out alive, I’ve seen that child excel when we are training sves to be a hunter for monster." amused Knight Commander Darius Helmraven.

  He turned to the Viscount. "What are your orders regarding the escape, my lord?"

  Viscount Beaufort scoffed. "His son? He had a son? Ah... you mean his stepson—the offspring of a human and a beastman." He let out a dry chuckle. "What an unfortunate wretch. A half-breed like him has no pce in this continent. It’s only a matter of time before he meets his end."

  He waved a dismissive hand. "As for the escape, Baron Capet will compensate for the loss. It’s all in the contract. Let him deal with his own mess."

  "But Viscount, the son of Panday is exceptionally skilled," Knight Darius pressed. "And there are a few sves among them who could be valuable to us."

  Viscount Beaufort leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "Well, there’s nothing we can do now. We’d be lucky to find them first, but actively hunting those down would be a waste of resources." He smirked. "Instead, we’ll just buy new sves—the ones who are actually worth something. And with the compensation we’re receiving, we can afford the best."

  A ugh rumbled from his chest, low and amused. "Hah! That baron… What a pitiful fool. Drowning in debt, scrambling to fix his failure—how utterly unfortunate."

  “That child is terrifying. I just know that if he ever leads those sves, he will become a menace to this continent," Knight Darius whispered. A middle-aged man with a physique befitting a seasoned knight, he had overseen the training of sves for more than twenty years and had personally witnessed Lakan's growth. "I still remember the day that child defeated 10 goblins in combat using nothing but strategy. I can’t forget it.”

  Lakan stood amidst the corpses of ten goblins, his cold gaze filled with resentment as he looked at him. It was during the time when he was training the sve children.

  Viscount Beaufort, however, remained indifferent. As long as he received his compensation, he cared little for the sves—after all, the gold he would gain far outweighed the worth of those who had escaped.

  **********************************

  The escaped sves headed northwest, deeper into Gregor Duvain’s territory, following Lakan’s pn.

  “Leader Orrin, let’s find some wild boars to tame as mounts. It’ll make our travel faster,” Lakan suggested.

  Lakan and Orrin soon discovered a pack of eight wild boar monsters. These creatures were highly aggressive and had formed a pack under a single leader. When provoked, they would charge relentlessly at their target.

  “Lakan, wait here. I’ll talk to them and see if any are willing to come with us,” Orrin said.

  As the leader of the Terrakin, Orrin had a unique ability to communicate with animals. He approached the wild boars and began speaking to them, offering food as a gesture of goodwill to ease the taming process. After a while the group of boars have tame and follow Lakan and Orrin to the group.

  "Woah! What did you say to the boars to make them follow us?" Lakan asked.

  Orrin, amused by Lakan's excitement, chuckled. "I simply told them that if they follow us, their offspring will be safe and they'll have plenty of food. I noticed that they have only a small number of children, even though there are two pairs of mated wild boars. I assume many of their young have perished, which made it easier to convince them."

  “Let’s go back and show them the boars! I know they’ll be surprised. Hahaha!” Lakan said excitedly.

  Orrin and Lakan began their journey back to the group. When they arrived, everyone was stunned at the sight of the massive boars.

  “Wow! This will make our travels much faster. The kids and elders can ride them, and we can use them to carry our supplies,” one of the group members said in amazement.

  The monster boars, now serving as pack animals, made the journey much easier. As they traveled, they hunted monsters, fought off threats, or avoided human settlements when necessary.

  With the beastmen’s tracking skills and heightened senses—including night vision—combined with the demonkins knowledge of pnts and their ability to communicate with animals and monsters, the orcs’ physical strength, the dwarves’ expertise in geography and weapon-making, the group’s survival became far more manageable.

  “We’re already deep in the forest. If my estimation is correct, we should reach the mountain range in about four days. Just how big is this forest?” Lakan mused, scanning their surroundings.

  Elder Ulganar gnced at him thoughtfully. “Lakan, are you really sure about competing with Mogdar? With authority, your dream would be much easier to achieve.”

  Lakan blinked in surprise. “You know about my dream?”

  The elder chuckled. “I was friends with your father. We talked about many things. He used to brag about you—how, even when other sves had given up hope, you still held onto your ambition. The dream of freedom.”

  Lakan took a deep breath, his gaze steady. “Well… if it’s a straight-up brawl, I might not stand a chance. But if it turns into a real fight, I’ll have no choice but to go all out.” His fists clenched at his sides. “The others might resent me for it… and I hope you won’t either, Elder Ulganar, if it comes to that.”

  Elder Ulganar sighed, his expression filled with concern. "I truly want you to win, Lakan. A commanding position shouldn’t be decided by brute strength alone. Mogdar may be strong, but he cks the mind for leadership."

  The fight between Mogdar and Lakan was set to take pce when Lakan turned thirteen. With only one day remaining, excitement buzzed through the group. The title of commander was at stake. Even in their diverse society, the old ways remained—positions of power were still decided through combat, a tradition deeply ingrained in their culture.

  A day had passed, and the fight was set to take pce in the afternoon. That morning, both participants focused on their preparations, anticipation building among the group.

  At st, the awaited fight began.

  "Are you ready, Lakan? This will be an easy win for me! Imagine—just proposing a challenge is all it took for me to cim the commanding title. Hahaha!" Mogdar sneered, his confidence unwavering.

  Lakan let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head. "Mogdar… do you really think that's all it takes to lead?" His voice held no arrogance, only disappointment. "Strength alone isn’t enough. A leader needs to think, to understand, to guide. But all you rely on is brute force."

  Mogdar’s expression darkened. "You—! I’ll make sure to humiliate you in front of everyone!"

  From the sidelines, the orcs’ greatest warrior, Drogath, stood beside Elder Ulganar, watching intently.

  "Elder, why did you approve this fight? Are you really willing to hand over authority to children?" Drogath asked, his deep voice ced with concern.

  Elder Ulganar let out a weary sigh, his gaze fixed on the two combatants. "They say the youth are our future. If that’s true, then we must nurture them while they’re young. You great warriors… you are already past your prime. If we don’t train the next generation now, who will lead when your time is done?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Besides, we are not handing over full authority. I will remain as elder, and the great warriors will share the final say."

  He folded his arms and leaned forward slightly. "Now, let’s just watch and see who will emerge victorious."