269 Nero sky wing
His name was Nero Sky Wing, the leader of the Sky Wing clan. He personally came to receive the young tributes from the different clans he was due to arrive the next day, but he knew that the competitive master of the Black Feather clan would not accept that the other clans arrived before him and would make everyone run desperately to get to the front.
“Is everyone here, Kilian?” Nero asked the master of the dark feather clan, realizing that the small number of beastmen was not even a tenth of that agreed between the clans.
“No sir, those are just the best who were able to withstand the journey and keep up with my speed, those unable to withstand the journey stayed behind along with clan guards and will arrive later after they have had enough rest.” Kilian responded helpfully and in a polite tone, though his look was anything but polite.
He noticed that Nero continued to stare at Ash while the latter was still recovering from the trip and he didn’t like it at all.
“Those who give up, on the other hand, will be sent back to the clan and will have a hard time. I hate those who give up easily and I made sure they would have a hard time rethinking their actions in the future.” Kilian spoke to try to get Nero’s attention, but it was in vain.
“So this is your son, the grayman with the faulty flames?” Nero looked Ash up and down with mana vision, unimpressed by what he saw.
He had known of Ash’s existence for a long time, and although he disapproved of Kilian’s decision to leave the child alive, he wasn’t too bothered by a matter that didn’t directly involve him. His thinking changed when Kilian contacted him a week ago, informing him that Ash would be sent as part of the tribute.
Nero criticized Kilian for doing this and pushing the defective boy into the sky wing clan, but Kilian claimed that Ash was one of the best of his generation and had won the coming of age duel as proof of his power.
“Yes sir, he is my son. As I said before, he is a talented young man who possesses the mana body trait and the most powerful of the current crop of warriors, even if he is not able to control his devouring flames.” Kilian started to explain Ash’s achievements again, fearing that Nero would kick him out before evaluating him properly.
.....
“I already know all that, Kilian. I’m not doubting your son’s individual ability, but the ability to work together with the army.” Nero crossed his arms, not trusting the black hawk’s words, but Kilian had already prepared for that.
“If that’s the problem, you needn’t be worried, Mister Nero. As you know, I like to test the obedience and teamwork of the beastmen that I offer as tribute to eliminate the worthless and cowardly ones from the truly competent.”
“Ash passed my test with flying colors, being the first to realize that they only survived the trip by working together and flying in formation, and he led a group of his own during the trip, in addition to leading other groups by example. If you don’t believe me or think that my judgment is clouded by my son, ask the surrounding guards and they will all confirm.” Kilian explained Ash’s deeds and pointed to the resting guards, though they maintained their composure compared to the youths.
The guards didn’t want to admit it, but they were forced to when they received the simultaneous glares of Kilian and Nero. Everyone had seen Ash’s performance during the trip and knew that the group was only able to hold out because of him.
“If you’re willing to go to such lengths for the boy, I won’t complain anymore, Kilian. But know that I won’t give Ash special treatment and if he proves inept or useless, I’ll cast him out like any other black hawk. Is that enough for you?” Nero asked with a raised eyebrow, refusing to budge any more than that.
“A fair chance is all I’ve prayed for over the years, Nero.” Kilian bowed deeply in thanks before turning to leave.
His job was over when he brought the tributes to the sky wing clan, all he had to do now was greet the important beastmen tempest eagles and wait for the other clans to arrive.
As the hours passed, the dark feather beastmen who had been left behind began to arrive and were welcomed by the sky wing clan. The clan held a feast for all the beastmen, who were starving after nearly a full day of travel.
When dawn came, the other clans started to appear and unlike the dark feather, they came in formation leaving no one behind. Kilian was the only one stubborn enough to drive out those weaker ones before they even arrived.
The clan masters greeted Nero and Kilian, while the youths mingled with one another. They were surprised by Ash’s appearance, which stood out among all the black hawks, but they didn’t question much and just gossip among themselves.
Ash, on the other hand, was experiencing an entirely new and strange situation for him. The beastmen who flew with him were grateful for his help and admitted that they wouldn’t have made it in time without Ash shouldering most of the burden.
Most of them walked away after greeting him in order to maintain good relations in case they were placed in the same unit in the future, but one of them stayed behind and kept trying to talk to him about any matter.
It was the beastwoman who spoke to Ash when the latter approached the group to talk. She was anyway trying to get in Ash’s good books, feeling awed by his skill.
Internally, she still felt a little uncomfortable with Ash’s gray feathers, but she didn’t let it show and tried her best to put her prejudice aside to talk to Ash.
“So, Ash, answer me one thing. How did you realize that we should work together and fly in formation to withstand the trip? My friends and I believed that it was an endurance test to measure our resilience, so we could only pass with praise thanks to you.” The girl spoke in a flattering tone as she followed Ash.
“I, err, just noticed, you know, like my monster instinct told me that was the answer, I guess.” Ash answered while stuttering, unable to concentrate.
They were picking up plates from the buffet prepared by the sky wing clan to receive the tributes, but their hands were moving automatically as their eyes focused on the girl, even using mana vision to make sure it wasn’t a hallucination.
‘Why does this girl keep talking to me and not move on after saying thank you like the others? I was already glad they came to talk to me instead of just pretending they didn’t know me after I helped them, but that’s an exaggeration.’ Ash thought troubled, unable to understand why the girl kept talking to him.
‘Besides, she’s a little too close.’ As someone who wasn’t used to interacting with other people without hostility, Ash didn’t know how to react to the girl in front of him and while he was flattered by her attention, he was a little uncomfortable with the invasion of his personal space.
“Instinct, you say? Maybe your instinct is better than most because of the mana body.” The girl muttered for a moment before changing the subject. “And how was your duel against Loke? There are several rumors that you cheated to win, but seeing your performance today I’m sure they are nothing but lies.”
“I won the duel fairly, but it was an uphill battle. The opponent was really strong, but I managed to turn the tide in the end.” Ash spoke a little more naturally now that the subject had shifted to fighting, something he was used to.
“Yes, I heard that you managed to win using your silver flames and that’s why the entire clan was shocked by your victory. I’m not strong enough to participate in the duels, but the duels had been recorded and spread all over the clan.” She took a step closer to Ash, getting dangerously close for someone as antisocial as Ash.
“Well, I-” Ash stammered as he tried to think of a response, but Nero saved him the embarrassment.
“Everyone, please give me a second of your attention.” Nero spoke with his voice magically amplified, drawing the attention of all the beastmen around.
He walked into the middle of the crowd and flew so everyone could see him easily.
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel