The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 88

Though they hadn't known Sei for long, everyone had grown fond of him. His neat appearance was likable, and his composure, beyond his years, suggested he had endured considerable hardship, making him even more endearing.

Despite choosing the seemingly safest option to save him, they couldn't shake the fear that they might have sent him into greater danger. Was there a better alternative? For a time, the guilt and powerlessness kept them awake at night. The despair of failing to protect one of their own weighed heavier than the humiliation of being captured by the Demonic Beasts.

Sobs slowly spread through the room, affecting all but the three Knights.

“He’ll be okay.”

Kalph’s words drew tearful eyes toward him.

“If he had been captured, he’d be here with us. If he had perished, they would’ve taunted us with it. No news is a hopeful sign. Don’t dwell on the worst.”

“But what if he’s had a growth spurt? The third sprout stage often leaves them unconscious for days. What if he collapsed on the road…”

“Let’s hope that didn’t happen.”

“Sir Kalph…”

“I told you, don’t indulge in dark thoughts. He’s incredibly resilient. He grew up well without a guardian, didn’t he? Meeting us just when he needed it most— it was almost miraculous. He’s alive.”

“…”

“Even if the worst had happened, I don’t regret sending Sei away.”

For now, they were only being bled, but there was no guarantee it would remain that way. The Demonic Beasts, which had likely planned this long in advance, had reasons for keeping the King’s son alive and capturing them. There were fates worse than death.

Those who surmised the unspoken truth in Kalph’s words fell silent. The room grew heavy with gloom, and Kalph, sighing deeply, ran a hand through his hair.

“…And there’s another critical reason we had to send Sei away.”

“Another reason…?”

Serige, who had silently wept, looked up with a puzzled expression. Everyone else turned their bewildered gazes toward Kalph, while the three Knights exchanged knowing glances. With Aska’s nod of approval, Kalph continued.

“As you know, the King’s son is nineteen. Coincidentally, Sei is the same age.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Think back to what they said. They mentioned that the King’s son doesn’t even know his own identity. He grew up believing his human foster father was his real father. That’s the same for Sei.”

“Wait….”

“Two young lads growing up without knowing their fathers, both of them the same age? What are the odds of such a coincidence?”

The ripples from Kalph's calmly delivered question were profound. Everyone held their breath at the sudden realization.

“This is crazy.”

“Could it be… that Sei is the King’s son?”

The implication was earth-shattering. Even as Talis spoke the words, he rubbed his trembling mouth, struggling with the weight of the possibility.

“We’re not certain yet. But we need to consider all possibilities.”

“That…”

“It’s Semeion we’re talking about. The strongest among the Lilac clan , which has historically held the position of the First Knight. Even in a weakened state, could he really fail to recognize Sei? Isn’t it more reasonable to assume that Sei’s power surpassed his?”

“…”

“And as everyone knows, the only tree stronger than Lilac is Acacia.”

Everyone let out a collective sigh, their faces blank with disbelief. No one dared to speak, and they simply wiped their faces dry.

Creeeak—

Suddenly, the sound of something heavy scraping echoed. The door from the outside had opened. Everyone, still dazed, immediately shifted into a defensive stance and turned their heads. The sound of footsteps grew closer. Someone was approaching.

“They drew our blood yesterday. It’s not meal time either.”

"Looks like they have a different agenda this time."

As if to confirm this suspicion, the current visitors included non-human entities. Among them were the Demonic Beasts they hadn't seen since their capture. One of them was particularly powerful, making their skin crawl just from the overwhelming aura.

“Damn, I’ve got chills,” Serige muttered, rubbing his arms and forcing a smile.

The door opened, and a group entered the room. Leading them was a burly man with long, slate-blue hair. Even at a glance, he was clearly not an ordinary being.

The moment their eyes met, the man's aura spread throughout the room, making it clear who had been unsettling everyone from the start.

Possibly the mastermind behind all of this.

Kalph’s eyes turned icy.

"You all seem to be adapting better than expected."

The man glanced around at the Clonne warriors who glared at him, introducing himself with a calm demeanor.

"Nice to meet you, I suppose? My name is Eliha."

"Where’s the King’s son?"

Talies shot back sharply, as if he had no interest in the introduction. Eliha shrugged.

"No time for pleasantries? Impatient, aren’t we?"

"We don’t exchange pleasantries with Demonic Beast. And we’ve been patiently stuck in a place like this for over a week now. It’s hard to be called impatient when we’ve endured this much, don’t you think?”

"True, you have a point."

“Yeah, you bastard! We’ve put up with enough! Just tell us the truth! You’ve been lying to us, haven’t you?”

“Lied? What do you mean by that?”

"Don’t play dumb! You lied about having the King’s son!"

“Oh, I see. Is that what you’ve concluded?”

Eliha clicked his tongue softly. The Clones, who were already furious, flared up upon seeing his dismissive attitude.

“What’s with that look of sympathy!”

“That’s making us even angrier!”

“Try to put yourself in our shoes, you heartless bastards! Wouldn’t you think the same if you were us?”

"If you’re telling the truth, show us the King’s son right now! Let us confirm it with our own eyes!"

As their accusations flew, Eliha shrugged again, his calm demeanor only further irritating the Clonnes.

"That’s actually why I came here."

"...What?"

Their rapid-fire barrage of demands momentarily faltered. Eliha glanced around at their shocked faces and let out a small chuckle.

“I figured your patience would be running thin by now. I’ll prove it to you, just as you’ve asked. It’s a sad thing to be suspected of lying.”

“That means…”

“Bring him in. They’ve been waiting long enough, we can’t make them wait any longer.”

"Yes, Lord Eliha."

A polite reply came from the group standing behind. It was the Clones who were more stunned by this situation. Wait, are they really going to show us the king’s son? Does this mean it wasn’t a lie after all? They all exchanged confused glances.

Soon, a person was shoved awkwardly into the room. The Clones, who had been watching intently, widened their eyes.

It was a young man with striking black hair and blue eyes. He had a fairly large build, but his youthful face made him look like he had just reached adulthood. Whether he hadn’t been briefed or not, he looked confused and, upon seeing the people in the room, his expression became even more flustered.

"Um, Lord Eliha, what’s going on here…?"

"Introduce yourself. These people came a long way to see you."

"Me?"

The surprised man turned back to look at the Clonnes. He tilted his head, as if he had no idea who they were, and the Clonnes also swallowed their disbelief

"I don’t know where you’re from, but, greetings. I am Dewey Lavant, the eldest son of the Lavant Count family."

"...Ha."

Kalph lowered his head with a hollow laugh. His expression was almost one of tears.

"I was right."

He was not Clonne.

* * *

"Hurry!"

I was pulled forward with such force that I couldn’t resist, being dragged along rapidly. The surroundings blurred past me, moving so fast that I didn’t know how I managed to keep pace. I tried to ask him to slow down, but the overly excited man seemed not to hear me at all.

"Here it is!"

We arrived at a small shack at a dead end. Before I could process the surprise of staying in such a place, the person holding my wrist swung open the old door and stepped inside confidently.

"Semeion! Semeion! He’s here! The person we've been waiting for has finally arrived!"

Waiting for me? They must have heard the news from the village.

While catching my breath, which had been laboring from the hurried pace, the guardian of Semeion, who had introduced himself as Khan, ran into one of the rooms. From the movement within, it seemed like Semeion was inside.

I adjusted my appearance lightly as I waited for the imminent reunion. It still seemed unbelievable that the man who had picked a fight earlier was actually Semeion’s guardian. Thinking back on it, it was truly absurd.

"We will meet again someday."

The words I had heard before flashed in my mind. Could he have guessed that our fleeting connection back then would lead us to this point now? I felt the tension in the air all over again.

And then, the moment arrived. It wasn’t exactly as I had expected, though.

"Sei?"

"...!"

At the sound of the voice, I reflexively lifted my head, only to immediately choke back a breath. My mind went completely blank. I couldn’t even remember what thoughts I had been holding onto before—everything had just disappeared.

"Ah, it really is you, Sei."

"...."

Slowly walking out, Semeion looked so different from the person I remembered that I doubted whether it was really him. His face was as pale as a ghost, and his cheeks were so sunken that it seemed like he had lost all his weight. He looked unmistakably like someone gravely ill.

"Why..."

Why had you become like this? What on earth had happened to you during this time? Before I could even ask, he slowly knelt in front of me. I blinked, stunned by the incomprehensible sight. Things that should never have happened were unfolding one after another.

"What is this...?"

As I tried to step back, he stretched out his arm and grabbed my hand. Still looking up at me, he pressed his lips to the back of my hand. His words immediately caused me to freeze.

"Noble heir of Acacia. I greet the King’s son."

—

(T/N): Finally!!!!!!