Cale’s pointer finger tapped against the armrest as he thought of what he’d gleaned from Birth of a Hero.
The Bear Tribe is shrewd, according to the novel. How annoying.
It was finally starting to sink in for Cale that the fifth volume of Birth of a Hero was over. From this point forward, Cale was stumbling blind. He massaged his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Raon hovered around Cale with a look of concern. As only the members of their group were inside the tent, he was no longer invisible. “Does your head hurt, human? Are you sick?”
Gashan observed the situation in silence, then said slowly, “The Flame Dwarves… I’ve never heard of them.”
Cale had never heard of them either—in fact, he’d never even met a dwarf other than Müller. This was partly why his thoughts were a convoluted mess. The reason for his consternation leaked out of his mouth. “There’s more.”
“Excuse me?” Gashan said.
At last, Cale felt his mind clearing. Dwarves were known for making things. The wyvern knight brigade… Dozens of ships… If dwarves were added to the mix, the north’s invasion via sky and sea would change drastically.
There had to be more.
Cale was certain that there was another factor at play here. He had no choice but to think that way—after all, he knew the truth about Faern’s Guardian Knight bloodline, as well as the real story behind the Lake of God’s Tears. The ungrateful people of Faern had dammed the flowing river into a lake in order to monopolize it.
Faern isn’t a fair and open kingdom.
Cale’s lips parted, and he announced, “We’ll return immediately.”
“Yes, Mr. Cale. Understood,” Choi Han said, unconcerned. He was the calmest person in the room, but his eyebrow twitched at Cale’s next words.
“Lark, have you given it some thought?”
Lark? What’s he supposed to think about? Not knowing what Cale meant, Choi Han looked at Lark. For a while now, the young boy had seemed more uncertain than anyone else present.
Lark flinched as all eyes fell upon him, then hung his head. He knew exactly what Cale was asking; Cale had mentioned it when the others jumped off the cliff yesterday.
“I need someone to protect Death Canyon until I return.”
The stupid Death Canyon didn’t scare Lark. He’d grown stronger so he could protect others, and he was still progressing. But even so, he didn’t want to be by himself. Lark had never been alone. He needed someone to spark his courage, like his family or his siblings.
Lark kept his head bowed as thoughts flew through his head. I want to go back with you. He didn’t want to be left behind, but the admission wouldn’t come out so easily. What was going on?
“Spit it out.”
Lark’s head snapped up. “Sorry?”
He’d heard this phrase before: after his first berserk transformation, when he went to thank Cale and ask the young noble to take care of his younger siblings. While Lark fidgeted nervously, unable to speak, Cale had said the same thing to him.
“Spit it out.”
And then he’d said something else—exactly what he was saying now.
“When you talk to someone, you should make direct eye contact like this. Did you forget?”
The last three words pounded in Lark’s ears, and he was flung back to that pivotal moment. He had stuttered as he answered Cale back then.
“I-I’m the oldest. I need to take care of my younger siblings. I was also a younger sibling myself. And a nephew. That’s why I have to get revenge.”
Confronted with those statements, Cale had responded, “You’re a wolf.”
A wolf, Lark thought to himself now.
“Mr. Cale?” It wasn’t like Choi Han to interrupt Cale’s conversations, but Lark was like a younger brother to him.
“What?”
“Could you please tell me what you asked Lark to do?”
“I asked him to watch over Death Canyon and protect it until I come back.”
“Alone?”
Cale didn’t so much as spare Choi Han a glance. “Some of Brek’s mages will stay behind for emergency contact, but yes, he’ll be the only one from our group staying here.”
Choi Han looked back and forth between Cale and the quiet Lark. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “He’s a lonely child.”
Lark had experienced traumatic events at a young age. His family, his neighbors, and his entire village were all massacred in front of him. After enduring so much hardship, this boy was only now starting to relax. While Lark did need to get stronger, Choi Han didn’t want his heart to grow hollow or for Lark to go down the same path he had.
Choi Han knew the pain of a shriveled, empty heart. Each and every drop of water that fell on his heart’s parched soil was precious. He didn’t want Lark to be lonely like he was.
Abruptly, Cale looked at Choi Han. “Is Lark really alone?”
“Pardon?”
Cale turned back to Lark and addressed the fifteen-year-old wolf. “You have a family. You have a home to return to and a new hometown. Are you lonely?”
The Wolf Tribe cherished family, but all wolves needed to realize something: They had to determine and shape who they were solo—without a pack or tribe behind them. The Wolf King was one who understood that.
“Well, are you?”
To Lark, that question contained so many others: Are you still scared? Do you want to relax in a peaceful dream forever? You said you wanted to get stronger, so why are you still so timid and indecisive?
Lark looked Cale straight in the eye. “I’ll stay here.”
For the first time today, Lark saw a gentle smile on Cale’s face. “You’ve grown up.”
The wolf boy couldn’t find the words to respond.
“I trust you,” Cale told him.
At that, Lark simply bowed to Cale. When he raised his head, Cale was offering him an old, bloodied leather notebook.
“It’s the last Wolf King’s diary.”
The Wolf King?! Lark’s heart hammered in his chest. His uncle, chief of the Blue Wolf Tribe, had died just before becoming the Wolf King. The diary brought back memories of his uncle, but it confused him at the same time. Why is he giving this to me?
Like magic, Cale answered his question before he could even ask. “I believe in you.”
The statement was simple, yet it left Lark in a daze. He accepted the diary, feeling the old leather in his hands, then clutched it tightly in his arms.
Cale watched Lark for a moment before giving an order to the rest of the group. “Let’s go back.”
It was high time to return to Rowoon.