Chapter 17: The Ling Tribe, The Kagard’s Bandit Believers 

“Demon folk?”

Hearing these three words, Yang Hao was momentarily stunned. Then, he realized that they had somehow ended up in a tent made of animal skins, leaves, clay, mud bricks, and some wood.

It radiated a primitive atmosphere. 

But judging from the unknown furry cushion he was lying on and the entire bear hide spread on the ground of the tent, Yang Hao guessed that this should be a gathering place for some relatively primitive tribes in the Monster Forest.

In the Roman Empire, all non-human races were referred to as demon folk. Even the primitive tribal forms in the Monster Forest—if they were not human, the people of the Roman Empire would not recognize them.

So, which group of demon folk had rescued them?

Yang Hao felt a bit of a headache. There were simply too many kinds of demon folk in the Monster Forest—but Teresa’s next words brought him back to reality.

“They are a group of women with deer antlers.”

“Then they are not ones I know.”

Women with deer antlers? Yang Hao didn’t know any demon folk with deer antlers… but since they had saved Teresa and himself, he should treat them with respect.

Yang Hao was already planning how to express his gratitude to them—when he suddenly realized a problem.

“How do you understand their language?”

There was almost no common language among different demon folk. Even tribal groups living in the same area could develop dozens of completely different languages.

So, Teresa, how do you understand what they are saying?

Yang Hao’s confusion didn’t prompt any silence from Sister Teresa.

She simply scooped a spoonful of meat soup, made with bread and some unknown meat, blew on it slightly, and then put it into her mouth. While chewing the meat, she scooped a spoonful for Yang Hao as well:

“Although the power of my Lord is waning and could fade away any day now, I can still borrow His great power to cast a Linguistic Spell that allows us to speak normally.”

“What do you think of them?”

“Not bad. Originally, they captured us for revenge. I heard that the farmers in Count Kagad’s territory captured their tribesmen under the pretext of heresy and were preparing to burn them at the stake, so these demon folk hurriedly prepared to rescue their people. When we were found huddled together for warmth like a couple in the freezing cold, they saved us.”

“Then why didn’t they harm us?”

“Oh, that? After discovering that we had nothing to do with Count Kagad’s territory and were just poor souls trekking through the Monster Forest, these demon folk treated us with their hospitality. If they hadn’t brought us warm clothes and vacated the chieftain’s residence for us to use, we would have died in that cave. By the way, the meat in this soup was also given to us by them.”

“Then we must thank them.”

“The chieftain said to meet her once you’ve rested and dressed properly. Although she initially harbored ill intentions, she hopes that in exchange for her hospitality, you can help answer a few questions—probably related to Count Kagad’s territory. Why the rush? Here, let me feed you.”

“But I can eat by myself—whoa?!”

Sister Teresa forcibly spooned the cooled meat soup into Yang Hao’s mouth. Facing Yang Hao’s reproachful gaze, she squinted her eyes and chuckled gleefully.

***

After getting dressed and giving Teresa a routine hug, along with checking that she had no injuries, Yang Hao stepped out of the tent under Teresa’s guidance.

The snow on the ground hadn’t started to melt yet, and the surrounding temperature was still very cold. However, the boots Teresa had bought for him and the warmth of her hand comforted Yang Hao, giving him the motivation to keep moving forward. This also allowed him to take the opportunity to observe the demon folk around them.

As Teresa had said, all the people here were women with deer antlers.

But calling them deer antlers wasn’t quite accurate. These antlers weren’t as hard as the ones Yang Hao had seen before. They looked more like ears rather than horns.

Moreover, their antlers would occasionally emit a faint green glow.

Could this be some unknown magical ability?

Before Yang Hao could figure out an answer, the sight of a stone giant working nearby almost made his jaw drop.

“What is that?”

Yang Hao stared in astonishment at the nearly seven-meter-tall stone giant. The giant was covered in green moss, had no eyes, but possessed human-like limbs and very thick, flexible joints.

It was unclear whether it had self-awareness or was being controlled. In any case, it was using its rough hands to push the soil on the ground, constructing a simple structure in a certain direction.

Teresa glanced at the giant and shrugged. “The chieftain said that’s a golem, a creation of the Ling tribe, passed down through generations. Only they know how to make them. These golems are practically invincible monster warriors. Without the help of mages or priests, the Roman Empire’s army would only be able to threaten them with siege weapons. But the problem is, this is the vicinity of Count Kagad’s territory. Although Count Kagad’s territory isn’t considered part of the diocese, there are many believers here, so there are quite a few priests who know how to deal with these creations. Ah—the chieftain is over there. Let’s go.”

Being led to the demon tribe’s chieftain, Yang Hao observed the demon woman in front of him, who seemed to be communicating with her kin using the antlers on her head. He decided to wait until she finished her matters.

Soon, after a series of nods, some women with antlers left with young children, and the chieftain finally turned her attention to Yang Hao and Teresa.

“Thank you for waiting while I handled these affairs.” 

Under the influence of the Linguistic Spell Teresa had previously cast, the chieftain’s words were translated into a language Yang Hao could understand.

“I am Narujia, the chieftain of the Ling tribe. We have lived here for generations. We had no connections with humans. But something terrible happened a few days ago, causing me to mistakenly track you, thinking you were from Kagad.”

Though she was clearly a demon with tea-colored hair and purple eyes, her words were filled with politeness and reason.

Yang Hao felt somewhat overwhelmed. This seemed to be the first polite person he had encountered, aside from Teresa, in over a year.

It seemed that this chieftain had also taken good care of them. So Yang Hao bowed his head first:

“Thank you for your previous help. I am… please consider me and her as people from outside the Roman Empire. My name is Yang Hao, a simple woodcutter. She is Teresa, a nun who believes in the Light.”

“Light…”

A look of disgust suddenly appeared on the Ling tribe chieftain’s face. Yang Hao quickly explained that “Light” and the “God of Light” were completely different things, which finally improved the chieftain’s expression a bit.

The Ling tribe chieftain then invited them to sit in a large animal skin tent that looked like a longhouse in the village.

The Ling tribe chieftain got straight to the point, stating that although she had initially pursued them with malicious intent for several days, now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up and they had been hospitably received, she hoped that the misunderstanding between them could be put to rest.

Yang Hao and Teresa exchanged a somewhat awkward glance.

“Chieftain, there was never any misunderstanding between us. We actually want to thank you for saving our lives. More importantly, could you tell us what misunderstanding the Ling tribe has with Count Kagad’s territory?” he asked.

“This is not a misunderstanding. It’s plunder! It’s hatred!”

The Ling tribe chieftain became agitated once again. The antlers on her head flashed with a dangerous red light, but soon, the red light turned to a safe green.

She took a deep breath, somehow forced herself to calm down, and then explained the “misunderstanding” between the Ling tribe and Count Kagad’s territory.

This was not a so-called misunderstanding, but an outright act of plunder and slaughter.

According to Narujia, the humans on the barren plains of Kagad went mad, shouting “God of Light above” as they crazily charged into the Monster Forest.

Initially, the Ling tribe thought their neighbors might have encountered some trouble. The chieftain happened to be out hunting and stockpiling food, so the dozen young girls and children left in the village prepared a small amount of meat to treat these guests according to Ling tribe traditions.

The result…

They were taken away.

Those crazed humans captured any Ling tribespeople they saw. Those who resisted were hooked by scythes and dragged away amid cries.

The survivors at the time hid in the trees, trembling, and could only hear them shouting phrases like “sacrificing to the gods at the festival for a bountiful harvest.”

At this point, the Ling tribe chieftain could no longer suppress her anger.

“We have lived in this forest for generations. We have never gone to the plains, never harmed any human groups, and even helped lost people, using golems to escort them out of the forest. We did nothing! Why did they have to treat my children, my family, like this? They just wanted to treat those far-off guests with our hospitality. They had no hostility at all.”

The Ling tribe—during emotional agitation, their antlers seemed to emit strange lights.

But these lights were not just warnings, they seemed to be organs that helped the Ling tribe regain calm.

After another flash of red turning to green, Narujia calmed down again.

She apologized to Yang Hao and Teresa for her emotional outburst. 

At this moment, Teresa asked, “We are also humans. Why… don’t you hold a grudge against us?”

“You are not from Kagad, and you don’t have the foul smell of the nearby humans. You have nothing to do with the kidnapping of my kin. You should be guests, not blood enemies, so why should I resent you?”

Instead, it was Narujia who felt puzzled, tilting her head and looking at Teresa with her purple eyes, confused by Teresa’s shame for what her kind had done.

Yang Hao watched their interaction in silence for a long time.

He pondered over their journey. Even though the Ling tribe had kept most of their belongings safe, they certainly wouldn’t be able to reach the Elven Kingdom’s border with their current food supplies.

Moreover, he felt he owed the Ling tribe for saving their lives. And… Kagad?

The Kagad Massacre, the “Smog Incident” caused by illegal experiments with weapons of mass destruction in residential areas, sheltering elves…

A year ago, the trial, the mention of Kagad, pricked Yang Hao’s mind. He felt a surge of anger and injustice well up from the bottom of his heart. The people who framed him included those from Kagad.

***

This was not just about revenge.

It was also about repaying the Ling tribe for saving their lives.

And it was about acquiring enough resources to reach the Elven Kingdom.

Although he had completely lost any sense of belonging to the Roman Empire and had long severed all ties with it, Yang Hao still remembered every injustice he had suffered.

He didn’t want to be a saint, nor did he want to be a great man. Since there were excuses in the world to silence victims, this time, it was time for the Roman Empire’s “victims” to be silenced.

Thinking of this, Yang Hao smiled, a vengeful satisfaction rising in his heart.

He slowly raised his hand, and as the attention of both the Ling tribe chieftain and Teresa focused on him, he said, “Chieftain Narujia, I am willing to help you rescue your people. But Teresa and I need to go to the Elven Kingdom to start a new life. Once I have rescued your people, please exchange some of your food with us. How about it?”

Teresa hesitated, her eyes full of worry as she looked at Yang Hao. Finally, whether she saw the burning flame in his eyes or remembered the injustices he had suffered back then, she sighed, moved next to him, and firmly grasped his raised wrist. 

She said, “My foolish man has spoken, so I agree as well. Chieftain Narujia, please believe that he also has a blood feud with Kagad.”

After a long silence, the Ling tribe chieftain looked into Yang Hao’s eyes and nodded.

“I can see it. Your eyes do not lie. The fire burning within them is even more intense than my own desire to set that plain ablaze. I promise you, as long as you help me bring back my children and kin, I will ensure they prepare everything you need, provided it is within the capabilities of the Ling tribe.”

“That would be best—”

Yang Hao smiled, but before he could finish his sentence, a deep horn sounded in the distance, and the chieftain’s expression changed dramatically.

Yang Hao and Teresa heard the familiar yet crazed call of the priest.

“God of Light above! Sacrifice these heretics and return to me the rich and fertile land!!”