Chapter 102: Chapter 101

It was sometime around noon, the day after Henry had cleared out the cavern when two Lavans came to visit him. Henry and his girls were going about their usual routine, plus a new person amidst the chores, when they noticed the presence of their guests, a male and a female Lavan.

Henry was familiar with one of them, the female Lavan. She was Riva, the Oni who had joined him in the battle against the Great Ravager titan. As for the other one, he had a faint recall but he couldn’t quite place it. Henry wasn’t surprised to see the Lavans here but he was curious that they came to him just two days after the humans appeared. He was further baffled by two humans trailing behind them, who were companions of Alayne.

The two’s state was what Henry expected of them. They looked utterly at the end of their wits and health. Their armour was broken and their garments were in tatters. They were heavily wounded but their injuries were treated, albeit in a cursory manner. But at least they wouldn’t be dying anytime soon. Their hands were bound by a rope and they were dragged by the male Lavan with that rope.

Yula and Sarynn immediately dropped whatever they were doing and joined Henry by his side, who was in his human form for the ease of handling various tools. Alayne had been helping with the chores when saw the Lavans appearing from the trees along with her former companions. Rayne was the only one indifferent to the Lavans’ presence and continued going about her duty.

“Well met, Lord Henry,” Riva greeted with a deep bow as she bent her knee.

The male Lavan behind her followed reluctantly. He did not show his displeasure blatantly but Henry could smell it.

Alayne tutted loudly. “So those two are still alive,” she muttered under her breath.

“You are Lord Henry, are you not? Lady Iluna had told me of your… human-like appearance.”

The two humans became wide-eyed when they heard Riva’s words. They did a double-take on Henry. Confusion and incredulity riddled their faces.

“I am,” Henry answered firmly while hiding his surprise at Riva’s capability for long sentences. He remembered how very little she spoke during his brief prior acquaintance with her.

“I apologise for the sudden intrusion without any prior notice, Lord Henry,” Riva said as she rose to her feet. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“I’m afraid you are,” Yula answered with her arms across and a hint of annoyance in her gaze.

“A thousand apologies then, Lady Yula. But my visit is for an important purpose,” Riva explained.

“Are you here because of those two humans behind you?” Henry asked.

“Not initially. They were merely… an unexpected encounter. We found them half-dead while we were coming here.”

“So, you aren’t here because of the humans. Then why are you here?”

“Lady Iluna wishes to express her gratitude. In about a week’s time, a banquet feast will be held in recognition of your service and benevolence.”

“Is this an invitation?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Oh?”

“I’m here to ask for permission.”

“For what?”

“The banquet feast is to be held here, in your nest, Lord Henry.”

Sarynn was sweeping away the dead leaves from the clearing when she stopped and cocked her head to Riva upon hearing her words.

“Oh, my. I did not expect that,” Sarynn remarked with an amused smile.

“Curious. You are asking whether I will allow the feast of gratitude to take place here, in my abode?”

“Yes, Lord Henry. Lady Iluna was very insistent that the feast should be held here. She said that it would be very insulting to have you come to the feast instead of bringing the feast to you considering that you are her saviour.”

The light frown disappeared from Yula’s face. “I think I like this Lady Iluna,” she whispered into Henry’s ear.

Henry chuckled inwardly as he showed a gentle smile outwardly. “If that’s the case, then I have no reason to refuse. Just know that I will not tolerate anyone who tries to solicit my favour through allusive and implicit ways during the feast.”

“Actually, Lady Iluna had repeatedly addressed that matter. She truly wishes to convey her gratitude and nothing more.”

“Then I shall await the day of the feast with an eager heart. Now, on to the matter of those two behind you.”

“Yes, about these two… We had pressed them for answers but their responses were…”

“Suspicious?”

“Scarcely believable. They claimed that they walked through a portal to sate their curiosity and somehow stumbled into Ulrum with no way back. They also claimed that an evil drake with wings tricked them into a perilous situation that caused the deaths of two of their companions.”

“I see,” Henry mused and stared at the two humans with a grin.

The two’s faces became pale when they saw Henry’s devious smile.

“Lies!” Alayne shouted and strode up beside Henry. “Utter lies! They used their companions as bait for the monsters just so they could run away!”

The two only took notice of Alayane’s presence now and they began to tremble with their mouths agape. They seemed to be saying something but no sounds escaped from their lips, perhaps due to their parched throat as they probably had not had a single sip of water for more than a day.

“Another human?” muttered the male Lavan.

Riva raised an eyebrow. “Lord Henry, this human girl is—”

“She used to be a companion of those until the moment they decided to sacrifice her to the monsters just so they could escape on their own.”

“You saved her, Lord Henry. As expected of the one Lady Iluna spoke highly and fondly of.”

The male Lavan tutted inwardly but his annoyance did not escape Henry’s notice.

Though like always, Henry spoke nothing of it. There was nothing to gain for him even if he pointed it out.

“So, these two humans are lying in their testimonies?”

“Just the latter part. What they said about the portal is correct. In fact, such a phenomenon is happening all across Ulrum. Monsters have been coming through it but they can’t go back into the portal.”

“I see… This actually explains a lot of the recent happenings. Our scouts encountered a lot of creatures and animals that weren’t supposed to be in Ulrum. Lord Henry, do you perhaps know the cause of this… phenomenon?”

“...I don’t,” Henry lied. He didn’t want to but he didn’t trust the male Lavan who had been giving him a stink eye since they met. At some point, the male Lavan no longer bothered hiding his rancour with the obvious scowl he was directing at Henry.

“If you say, Lord Henry… I digress. What would you have us do with these two humans?”

“Feel free to deal with them as you see fit,” Henry answered without a shred of hesitation. “How do you normally deal with humans?”

“We never need to. Humans who trespassed into Ulrum had never lasted for more than three days. The flora and fauna of Ulrum are very unwelcoming. Then again, it has been years since we last had any humans trespassing into Ulrum. Do you not have any opinion on their punishment, Lord Henry?”

“P-please, have mercy!” the bulky hunter pleaded with a croaky voice as he dropped onto his knees. Henry faintly recalled he was the shielder of the party. “I-I’m not in the wrong here! I-I never m-meant to come here! It was all h-his idea!”

The swordsman, formerly, stared at his companion, in shock over the sudden shift of blame onto him. “Fuck y-you! Like hell, I forced you to walk through that portal with a sword. You chose to follow me on your own accord!”

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“You’re the leader of the party! You should be taking responsibility for this entire disaster! Don’t drag others down with you!”

“Shameless bastard! I pardoned you of so many of your stupid blunders and this is the gratitude I get from you?”

“What stupid blunders are you spouting about now? Don’t go raising old memories that never existed just to—”

“Enough, the two of you!” Alayne snarled at her former companions as she stepped forward. “Neither of you is deserving of any mercy…”

“A-Alayne… y-you have no idea how glad I am to see that you’re—”

“Save it, Harold. You are not getting away with this.”

“Please, A-Alayne. Please understand. It’s just a misunderstanding. It was—”

“I said, enough! I’m not like those women you bedded once and tossed away the next day. I’m not so stupid to fall for your honeyed words.”

“Alayne… I have always love y—”

“Silence!” Alayne roared. “Have you no dignity or decency to at least admit your wrongs?! I never took you for such a barefaced coward!”

“A-Alayne…” It was the shielder’s turn to make his case. “I was j-just—”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Alayne screamed at them. “I don’t want to listen to any fucking excuses from the two of you! Especially not after you… you…” Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words that could encompass her wrath.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Henry said and patted Alayne on her shoulder. “They will not go unpunished, Alayne. Trust me.”

Harold swallowed his shame and looked at Henry with a solid gaze. “L-Lord Henry, I—”

But Henry destroyed his determination with a single glare. “Not another word from you two or I will see your punishment myself.”

The shielder and the swordsman of Alayne’s former party both gulped in dread.

“Riva. I shall entrust the punishment of these two to your discretion. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to return to my routine.”

“Of course, Lord Henry,” Riva said with a bow. “I shall see to those two humans myself.” Saying so, Riva turned around and left the clearing, dragging the two humans behind her. The male Lavan followed behind her but not before giving Henry another displeased glimpse.

The two humans struggled but Riva’s strength was far superior to theirs. It was only when Henry met Riva in his human form that he realised just how tall she was in comparison to the average height of human male adults.

Henry’s gaze followed them until they completely disappeared into the sea of trees.

“You should have let me deal with them,” Alayne muttered bitterly, her fists clenching hard.

“And why should I?” Henry asked.

“Because—”

“Make no mistake, Alayne,” Henry cut her off. “You are merely a guest. You are here, living comfortably, because of my favour. Don’t make me regret it. Besides, your desire for vengeance is… over-proportionate to your suffering. Yes, they betrayed you but you were not harmed by this betrayal aside from your trust in them. If anything, their betrayal now has saved you from a future that could have ended very differently and terribly.”

“...You’re saying I should just forget that this betrayal ever happened?”

Henry chuckled. “No, of course not. I’m not saying you should forget the betrayal, just that you should not dwell on it. You keep the grudge forever in your heart, just never let it rule your head.”

Alayne’s expression softened, unclenching her fists. “...I understand. It’s just… I thought they were my friends… I thought I knew them… But I was wrong.” She began laughing and not in a jovial manner. “Am I the only one who’s living in a delusion all these years?”

“I’m not good with this. Allow me to make myself scarce,” Sarynn said with an awkward smile and took her leave, scuttling off.

Yula was also showing a cramped smile. “H-Henry…” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“Say something nice. ”

“Like what?”

“Anything. A girl’s down in the dumps right now. It’s the best time to obtain their affection.”

Henry frowned.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“You’re encouraging your man to acquire more women. Isn’t it usually the opposite?”

“Well… we’re not exactly usual, are we?”

Henry shrugged. “We’re not, I suppose.”

“Besides, I don’t think just Sarynn and I are enough to sate your lust every night. Even now, my hips are still sore from last night. You really are too rough.”

“Then shall I be gentle with you tonight?” Henry asked with a sly smile.

Yula puffed her cheeks up. “Now you’re just being mean.”

Henry chuckled.

“I can hear you two, you know?” Alayne said.

Yula immediately stepped away from Henry and faked a few coughs. Her cheeks were turning as red as a pair of cherries.

“You don’t need to console me. I… I don’t want your pity. I never like being given pity.”

“Then I won’t,” Henry said. “But I have to ask, have you decided on what you want to do now? If you wish to leave Ulrum, I will escort you.”

“Are you saying that I have choices other than leaving Ulrum?”

“Of course.”

“I can stay, is that what you’re saying?”

“If you wish.”

Alayne’s eyes narrowed. “You covet my body.”

Henry smirked. “Not just your body, all of you.”

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