Chapter 116: 116 Magical Beast Cubs (Requesting First Subscription!)

Chapter 116: 116. The Magical Beast Cub (Seeking First Subscription!)

The next day, shortly after noon, Ronin finally arrived at Timber Town with his retinue after a long and arduous journey.

Beside the stone milestone, the craftsmen raised a weary cheer, relieved to have finally reached their destination alive.

Along the way, many had harbored deep regrets, thinking that had they known Timber Town was so distant and the road so treacherous, they might never have left their ancestral homes.

Yet, the moment they arrived safe and sound, all the stray anxieties and doubts born of the road vanished into thin air.

Henceforth, they would settle here in peace, serving their lord well, striving to carve out a career, and hoping to bring their families from Crow Mountain City to join them soon.

"We are finally here!"

Ronin stretched lazily upon his saddle. "Wharton, George, take the craftsmen into the town. I will not accompany you further."

He struck his mount, the Cloud-Treading Charger, firmly; already well-accustomed to its master, the noble steed neighed loudly and bounded away along the mountain path.

At this moment, the beast finally displayed the true prowess of its rank-three magical beast lineage, traversing a dozen meters almost in the blink of an eye.

Its pace was not merely swift, but remarkably steady.

Galloping all the way, enjoying the cheers of the subjects he encountered along the route, Ronin soon arrived at the castle.

Yet, compared to his usual homecomings, the place felt considerably deserted this time.

"Brother Ronin, you are finally back!"

A nimble figure came sprinting out from the inner keep, throwing herself directly into Ronin’s embrace, and he instinctively caught her as she collided with him.

Catching the faint, delicate scent of her skin, Ronin could not help but tease, "Ah, Irene. It has been quite a while. Compared to last time, you seem to have grown rather heavy, haven't you?"

"Ah! Have I grown fat?"

Irene hastily stepped back from his embrace, looking down to inspect herself anxiously, feeling quite certain she had not gained weight.

Having not seen each other for nearly a month, Irene had naturally not grown fat; on the contrary, perhaps because she had left her parents and lacked Ronin’s familiar presence, she had actually grown a bit thinner.

"You have grown taller, how could you be fat?"

Ronin looked at Galen and Bella, who came running out behind her, yet he saw no sign of Chahar, nor did he spot Elrond.

"Why are only you three at the castle?"

Ronin asked suspiciously, "Where are Elrond and Chahar and the others?"

At the mention of those two, a look of dread crossed Irene’s face, and she spoke in a tense, hushed voice, "Brother, a magical beast has appeared in our town. David was grievously wounded and knocked unconscious by it; he has not yet awakened!"

What?

Ronin’s expression altered drastically. "David was injured by a magical beast? How did this happen?"

"It happened at the northwestern pasture. For the past few days, two sheep went missing every day, so Master had David and the guards go look for the thief, only to discover it was a magical beast!"

From Irene, Ronin gathered the general sequence of events.

For a magical beast to knock David unconscious and grievously wound him in a single blow, its strength was absolutely formidable. Furthermore, it remained lingering within Timber Town instead of fleeing, showing that it held very little fear of humans.

It was imperative for Elrond to eliminate or drive it away, yet the beast's true strength remained unknown, and they might well suffer a devastating loss.

To prevent anyone else in his domain from being harmed, Ronin, who had just dismounted, swung himself back into the saddle, determined to go and see for himself.

"Brother Ronin, may I come along to watch?"

Seeing him about to leave again, Irene asked in a soft, tentative whisper, "I can fluently cast the Water Gathering Art now!"

The Water Gathering Art...

Ronin initially intended to refuse, but seeing her sweet, expectant expression, he extended his hand after all. "Come then. It is good to see the world; after all, you too shall hunt magical beasts in the future."

"Wonderful! Once I am like my mother, I will surely use the Water Arrow Art to help you hunt them!"

Irene reached out excitedly and was hoisted onto the saddle in a swift motion, settling into Ronin’s arms.

Just as the two departed the castle, they encountered Maken riding toward them, a testament to the sheer velocity of the Cloud-Treading Charger.

"My Lord, where are you bound?" Maken inquired in surprise.

"Come along, Captain. Our domain is in trouble."

Meanwhile, within the brushwoods north of Crow Mountain Lake, Elrond and his companions had just survived a harrowing ordeal.

They had spent a considerable time driving the sheep through the woods before finally locating the magical beast; perhaps intimidated by their numbers, the creature merely lunged out to roar and threaten them rather than initiating an assault.

The men finally seized this opportunity to clearly discern the appearance of the magical beast.

It was a canine magical beast, resembling a wolf, yet its dimensions far exceeded those of any ordinary wolf.

The creature measured a full three meters in length and over a meter and a half at the shoulder, its musculature starkly defined beneath its hide, each muscle rippling with immense power!

Its tail was long and bushy, sweeping through the air like a sharp, curved blade.

During their confrontation, Elrond had successfully invoked the Light Binding Art, casting four tendrils of light to shackle the leviathan’s limbs, pinning it to the spot.

Yet just as they prepared to combine their strength to slay the great beast, it let loose a tremendous roar, and the raw power it unleashed instantly shattered Elrond's magic to pieces; with a sudden blur, it vanished into the woods and escaped.

"Just now, I thought my heart had stopped beating entirely!"

Dandy spoke with the profound relief of one who had narrowly cheated death; heaven only knew by what stroke of fortune he had survived the previous day.

If such a colossal monstrosity had truly intended to kill, he and David would likely have been devoured until not even their bones remained.

The others were likewise drenched in cold sweat, gripped by an overriding panic.

Elrond too felt a lingering dread, coupled with an intense anxiety.

This beast had been discovered yesterday, yet it refused to leave today, evidently intending to stay.

Its refusal to depart directly threatened the safety of the citizens of Timber Town.

Today he could sacrifice a few sheep to sate its hunger, but the day they stopped providing sheep, the creature would undoubtedly turn to preying upon humans.

Just across Crow Mountain Lake lay the Ironwood Workshop, where twenty slaves were currently felling trees within the Black Iron Forest; with such a beast lurking here, it not only threatened the safety of the personnel but also severely hindered the progress of the workshop.

"The Lord must have been delayed by some matter and has not yet returned; if we wish to deal with this creature, we must go to Ashen Dirt Village and request the Commander's return."

The beast had shattered the Light Binding Art in a single breath, possessing a strength that was utterly overwhelming; Elrond had no other means of countering it.

Rydal was currently the strongest extraordinary being within the territory, and only by fetching him back would they stand a chance against this creature.

"Jisli and I are relatively familiar with the northern woods of Crow Mountain; let one of us go to notify the Commander."

Tomas from Ashen Dirt Village volunteered himself for the task.

Beside him, the tall, gaunt knight, Jisli, nodded in agreement. "It would be best to take two more men along. I fear running into that creature halfway, which would be our utter undoing!"

Just then, Elrond’s ears twitched slightly. "What is that sound?"

Stunned, the men instantly ceased their conversation and listened intently.

Before long, they heard a faint whimpering sound emanating from the nearby thicket, resembling the cries of a newborn puppy.

"A magical beast cub?"

The realization flashed through Elrond’s mind instantly, and he immediately led his men cautiously toward the source.

Using their spears, they carefully parted the brush, only to find a small beast covered in black fur huddled there, letting out plaintive whimpers.

This small magical beast appeared to have been born only recently, for its eyes had not yet even opened.

“It’s truly a young beast!”

The crowd was stunned by this sight—no wonder the beast had refused to leave the Forest Town; it had given birth here.

“What do we do? Kill it?” someone asked.

Elrond had no idea how to decide.

At that moment, hoofbeats drew near, and all eyes turned toward the sound.

“Is it Elin?”

Elrond, sharp-eyed, exclaimed excitedly: “No—it’s the Lord returning!”

Ronin arrived with Elin at the edge of the woods; seeing everyone unharmed, he exhaled a sigh of relief.

“My Lord, you’ve finally come back!”

Elrond stepped forward, voice trembling with emotion: “If you hadn’t returned, I was going to ride to Ash Soil Village to fetch Riedal and bring him back to help us.”

Ronin’s heart stirred. “Did you find the beast?”

“Yes, my Lord!”

Elrond described the creature’s appearance, and Ronin scoured his memory for its classification—but found no answer.

His former self had learned little about beasts, and he’d had no time to catch up.

“My Lord, though the beast fled, it left behind a cub here.”

Ronin froze, certain he’d misheard. But then, a soft, whimpering cry reached his ears—confirming Elrond’s words.

He dismounted at once and strode toward the sound.

“It really is a beast cub!”

A delighted smile spread across Ronin’s face.

A beast cub—this was an extraordinary find.

Everyone knew beasts were nearly impossible to tame—but beast cubs were different. Their minds were undeveloped; their wildness faded gradually with human companionship.

Many noble families had successfully tamed beast cubs.

The Audin royal house, for instance, was said to possess a griffin squadron capable of carrying riders through the skies.

If Ronin could tame this cub, its future power would surely rival its mother’s.

To ride it? Far more magnificent than a Cloud-Treader.

“So adorable!”

Elin’s large eyes sparkled. Had it been a puppy instead of a beast cub, she would have already scooped it into her arms.

Elrond asked, “My Lord, what will you do with it?”

“Of course, take it home and raise it myself.”

Ronin smiled. “Look—it hasn’t even opened its eyes yet. Probably born less than ten days ago.”

He bent down to gather the whimpering little creature into his arms—when suddenly, a sharp, icy dread surged through his chest.

Sorry—I spent most of today at the hospital and got back very late.

(End of Chapter)