Chapter 822
—That’s the one... I can tell right away.
As Yog whispered, Charlotte stepped forward, easily pushing herself up from the dented deck. Even as she brushed the debris off herself, her gleaming orange eyes never left Ian and Thesaya.
"Damn it. Scared the hell out of me..."
As Miguel finally let out a breath of relief, Thesaya added, "Looks like our Kitty really couldn’t wait to see us."
A playful smile had already returned to her lips. Ian was much the same, the corners of his mouth curling upward. It wasn’t just because he was seeing a familiar face again.
That one’s gotten bigger too.
Charlotte no longer looked like a leopard; calling her a lion wouldn’t have seemed strange at all. Ian couldn’t say if the change was due to her becoming Karha’s apostle or consuming two Elixirs of Life.
Nehat and Palmer, who had been kneeling, only rose slowly after Charlotte passed by without a glance.
Ian watched them briefly, then finally said, "You’re starting to look like a proper chieftain now, Charlotte."
"Seriously. Your saviors came all this way to greet you..." said Thesaya.
She didn’t seem to care in the slightest about keeping up appearances, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips.
As Charlotte’s eyes twitched and she turned, Thesaya continued, "And instead of running over, you send your subordinates ahead and act all imposing. Very fitting for a great chieftain."
She was clearly trying to tease Charlotte. But Charlotte didn’t frown or growl.
"Yeah. I missed you too, Pointy-Ears," she simply replied with a faint smile that revealed the tips of her fangs.
It was Thesaya who faltered instead, caught off guard.
Ian’s smile deepened slightly, recognizing that Charlotte’s change wasn’t just on the surface.
"But don’t misunderstand, Ian. That wasn’t my idea," Charlotte added, turning back to him.
Ian met her gaze, letting out a chuckle as he nodded. "Don’t worry. I know exactly how that kind of thing happens."
His eyes briefly flicked to the tail wrapped tightly around her right arm like a whip, encased in armor. Surprisingly, the tail inside the armor showed no signs of decay at all.
A faint heat shimmered from his left arm just then. It was the warmth spreading from Karha’s battle tattoo.
Seeing Charlotte’s eyes twitch in the same way, Ian casually raised his left arm and said, "Looks like that bastard is watching."
"I suppose so... The Great Warrior and his lieutenant have finally met again." Charlotte stopped in front of him, her breath slipping into a low, rumbling purr, as if pleased.
"You’ve had a rough time crossing the sea, though you’re about to have an even rougher one."
"That’s fine. It’s an honor just to finally fulfill my duty," Charlotte answered Ian at once.
He let out a faint snort and tilted his head to the side. "Even so, doesn’t it look like you brought too many?"
"They all wanted the honor of fighting alongside a demigod," Charlotte answered hesitantly, her tongue briefly flicking out. She had clearly remembered Ian telling her to bring only a small group of elites.
It was more than enough to make Ian’s gaze shift toward Thesaya beside him.
Thesaya simply shrugged, unconcerned. "Why? It’s true that you’ve become a demigod, Ian."
"Don’t worry, Ian. Even if we all die, our tribe won’t disappear. I made sure we were prepared," Charlotte added, as if backing her up.
Ian smacked his lips lightly and gave a reluctant nod.
"So even after becoming chieftain, you’ve just been going around picking fights?" Thesaya cut in as if she’d been waiting for the moment. "Your already messed-up face is completely ruined now."
She clicked her tongue, narrowing her brows slightly. Even in the dim light, she must have noticed the fresh scars carved across Charlotte’s face.
Charlotte bared her fangs in a grin as she replied, "Making those who resist change accept it is also one of a chieftain’s duties."
Her eyes gleamed with unmistakable pride.
However, Thesaya, looking up at her, only twisted her lips further. "What a dutiful and admirable chieftain."
At the mocking tone, Charlotte let out a low snort and nodded. "Yeah. Hard for someone like you, who abandoned her clan and wanders around, to understand."
"And yet, why aren’t you fulfilling your duties to your savior?"
At Thesaya’s sharp retort, Charlotte finally hesitated. Thesaya met her gaze and spread her arms slightly beneath her cloak.
"You should be showing your gratitude with a hug. Like last time."
"Right now?" Charlotte frowned, clearly caught off guard, even taking a reflexive step back.
Thesaya stepped forward with a smile. "Yes. Right now. That’s what one does for their lifesaver, isn’t it?"
"No, even so—"
Before Charlotte could finish, Thesaya lunged forward and wrapped her in an embrace that was practically a full-body tackle. No matter how agile the beastfolk chieftain was, she couldn’t avoid an elder fairy’s ambush at that distance.
"Huh," a dumbfounded exclamation slipped from Miguel.
Nehat and Palmer, who had been cautiously approaching Charlotte again, also froze in surprise, blinking.
Charlotte staggered slightly, then steadied herself. She looked down with a furrowed brow at Thesaya, who had buried her face into her chest armor.
"How about we leave that one for a moment and greet each other first?" Ian said with a chuckle in his voice.
Charlotte, who had just started to reach toward Thesaya, paused and turned.
Ian tilted his head slightly to the side. "Looks like the others are about to come down."
All the smuggling ships had stopped, and shouts from sailors and captains echoed across the decks as they prepared to disembark.
"As expected, Ian is wise," Thesaya added, still clinging to Charlotte.
Charlotte clicked her tongue lightly before letting her arms drop.
Ian casually stepped aside and continued. "Let’s start with the familiar faces. Go ahead, Elie."
"It’s good to see you again. It’s a shame our time together before was so short, but I’m glad we’ve met like this. I look forward to working with you, Chieftain." Elia greeted her formally in imperial fashion, her mismatched eyes shining with curiosity.
Charlotte licked her lips, then nodded. "Yeah. It’s been a while. Good to see you again. ...Miguel, you too."
Miguel froze for a second under her gaze, then gave an awkward smile and bowed. "It’s been a while. Well, I did send a word, but I didn’t expect you to recognize me right away."
"There aren’t many humans as easy to remember as you. You’re a lot like beastfolk. Especially the part about being a brave warrior."
"Ah... I, uh... see," Miguel replied hesitantly, tilting his head slightly, clearly unsure whether that was a compliment or not.
Suppressing a chuckle, Ian added, "Introduce the ones behind you too, Charlotte. They’re your lieutenants, right? My friends should know them as well."
Charlotte nodded and turned toward Nehat and Palmer, who stood behind her on either side.
"I’ll introduce them. This one is—"
The introductions wrapped up just as the ships finished docking and began lowering their boarding planks.
After exchanging a final, somewhat awkward greeting with Yog perched on Ian’s shoulder, Charlotte turned back to Ian.
"I’d appreciate it if you could welcome the warriors here, Ian. They’ve all been looking forward to the moment they meet you."
"Well, that’s not difficult."
Ian nodded as he glanced past the railing of the deck, where the silence had settled—only for countless pairs of glowing eyes to begin flickering in its place.
Praising those who had crossed the inner sea to fight alongside him was hardly a difficult thing to do.
"How long are you planning to stay like that? Get down already, you long-eared pest." Charlotte added right after.
Thesaya, still clinging tightly to her, answered, "No. I think I’ll stay like this a bit longer."
"I can’t believe this... Just how far does the head of an alliance intend to disgrace herself? The beastfolk are watching."
"That’s exactly why I’m doing it, you dumb animal."
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed further. "What did you say?"
"Ian suggested a way to improve relations between the beastfolk and the fairies in a short time."
"What are you— ...Don’t tell me." Charlotte trailed off, freezing.
Finally lifting her head just enough to look up at her, Thesaya smiled. "That’s right. The shared fate. The pointy-ears already know. I’m just setting an example for the kitties."
That alone was enough to leave Nehat and Palmer, standing at Charlotte’s sides, exchanging baffled glances.
Ian, now meeting Charlotte’s gaze, smiled before adding, "I heard there are more beastfolk. You two can discuss how to pair them up. But at least..."
His eyes swept over the two standing beside her. "I’d like to pair these two with Diana."
He noticed the three hadn’t exchanged a single word while greeting each other. Of course, it also helped that they were effectively Charlotte and Thesaya’s right and left hands.
Nehat and Palmer snapped their heads toward Ian almost at the same time, their eyes widening as if they might split open.
From behind him, a low groan slipped out.
"Lu Solar..."
It was Diana, of course.
A moment later, the two beastfolk glanced blankly back at Charlotte, their expressions slowly twisting.
"That really does sound like something Ian would come up with."
Their chieftain was baring her fangs in a grin.
Charlotte then glanced to either side before jerking her chin toward Diana. Nehat and Palmer squeezed their eyes shut briefly, then let out low, rumbling breaths as they trudged forward.
"I’ll handle the rest, Kitty," Thesaya added with a sly laugh. "Not like you’d understand the numbers anyway, you idiot."
"You’re the one talking nonsense again, pointy-ears. Seems you’ve forgotten how our clan makes a living."
"Oh, right. You lot are misers."
"Just get down already. The warriors are coming off the ships. They’ve all seen your disgraceful state." Charlotte grabbed Thesaya by the sides and pried her off.
Thesaya struggled, insisting she should stay attached, but she couldn’t overcome Charlotte’s strength.
"Traveling together must have been... quite exhausting," Miguel murmured behind.
Despite his words, a smile lingered on his lips.
Elia, beside him, Lily, and even Mukapa at the very back couldn’t take their eyes off the beastfolk chieftain and the elder fairy.
Clicking his tongue softly, Ian answered as he cast a glance to the side. "That’s right... and from the looks of it, it’ll stay that way."
The three who had just been bound into a new shared fate stood in silence, exchanging sharp, hostile looks.
Not a single one of them spoke, likely because they didn’t dare oppose the decisions of Ian, the chieftain, and the elder.
Yog’s quiet snickering brushed against his mind yet again.
"Just stand next to Ian already, you overgrown brute. As you said, the kitties are almost all off the ships." Thesaya stepped back to Ian’s side at last, smoothing down her slightly disheveled silver hair.
The beastfolk warriors who had disembarked were now surging toward them.
"Move to the left, Pointy-Ears. That spot’s mine," Charlotte added under her breath as she approached.
Thesaya scoffed immediately. "Says who? I’m your savior, so obviously I stand here."
"That doesn’t outrank what Karha has decreed."
"Both of you, get behind me." Ian cut them off. His voice was as cold as his gaze as he looked between them.
"From now on, keep your mouths shut."
He didn’t bother adding that he’d had enough of their bickering.
Charlotte and Thesaya both clamped their mouths shut and turned away. Even then, they still shot each other brief glares, but Ian didn’t bother paying them any more attention.
Across from them, the beastfolk warriors had formed into a rough line and come to a halt. For a brief moment, their long-slit pupils gleamed as they focused on Ian.
Clank— Clatter—
One by one, the warriors dropped to one knee in unison, cautiously lifting their heads to look up at him.
"Savior of our kind..."
"Demigod..."
Low, rumbling whispers spread through the air.
It was enough to make Ian resonate, sending ripples deep within him.
—Looks like quite a few of them already worship you like a god, my friend.
