The Villain Changed the Ending

154 Goruka’s Pursuit

***[Goruka, Chief of the Red Hawk]***

Flowers and birds, grass and wide meadows, we live in nature.

They hunted for something to eat for a year, but never overstocked.

We seek food and clothing in line with the ever-changing nature.

They moved to a place with water and grass, pitched a tent, hunted, and gave birth and raised children.

It was our life not to deliberately change nature.

Droughts in the far north are now severely life threatening, but that too is nature’s work.

The weak will die and the strong will survive.

Even as we struggled to live, on the other hand, we had a mind to adapt to it.

The people of the Kingdom call us barbarians.

But this simple life is what God has given us.

Our steppe tribes believed so.

We do not live this way because we are less than the kingdom, but we cling to this life because we believe it is the will of God.

Oscar was well aware of that, and while helping, he kept some line.

Give only what you need in this meadow.

The magic bomb was the same.

There may be stronger bombs, but I do not recommend them.

Sensitively guessing the limits allowed by our emotions, we pushed gently only within them.

Not with the arrogance of a kingdom person, but as a friend.

That’s why our tribe has an affinity for Oscar.

‘There…’

Oscar is the child of the moon.

Everyone in my tribe realized that when they came across Oscar.

Ah, this person is the child of the moon.

It seems that the people of the tribe think that Oscar is kind simply because they have been friends for a long time, but in reality, the reason is that he is a child of the moon.

It was for the same reason that he accepted his request and taught others in the kingdom how to use power.

That’s why Goruka is choosing Oscar over the entire steppe tribe, and why the tribe’s warriors agree.

I know that Oscar is the child of the moon.

Thinking of him, Goruka’s stiff face loosened up a little.

When you look at Oscar’s silver hair, your body becomes full of power as if you were engulfed in the earth.

“…”

It is said that a long time ago, a god lived on this land.

Now there are only humans, but there was a time when gods and humans lived in harmony.

In that era, there were very few monsters that harmed humans.

However, God left this land one day as an opportunity.

I don’t know why.

It is said that as gods ceased to live on this land, humans were attacked by demon beasts and reduced in number.

It hurt my heart, so the moon gave birth to a child through a human body and sent it away.

Though in human form, the child of the moon is a child of a god.

It was filled with the power of the moon.

I heard that the child of the moon controlled the beasts with unsurpassed strength and led the steppe tribes in crisis.

Now, the legend has faded and few people believe it, but there are still tribes that pass on the story from generation to generation and pass it on to their children.

In our tribe, when a child is born, the mother tells the child the legend even before he can understand the language.

In order not to forget to thank the moon, the old man in front of the bonfire, and the warriors surrounding the beast they had hunted, repeated this to the child.

Perhaps the steppe moon is the goddess of blessings spoken of in the kingdom.

I came to think that way as I learned and mastered the culture of the kingdom.

Goruka silently looked at the bonfire.

The moonlight pouring down from the sky seems to be sucked into the bonfire.

The sizzle of animal fat dripped from the crackling wood.

When the meat was cooked on a wooden skewer, Goruka took a bite.

The dogs, who had been waiting with their bellies on the ground, realized that their turn had come and started pacing.

The sound of excited breathing spread through the quiet night sky.

When Goruka threw the raw meat she had been keeping to the dogs, they started biting each other’s meat.

He had now left the tribe and roamed the lands of the kingdom.

It is to pursue the whereabouts of the steppe people who were taken to the kingdom.

There had been suspicions that the kingdom was capturing steppe people and enslaving them.

The reason why the problem has not been revealed so far is probably because it was limited to those who were stigmatized and kicked out of the tribe.

In most cases, being kicked out of a tribe is a case of committing a crime.

In particular, a mark was placed on the forehead of a person who committed a taboo crime in the steppe tribes so that anyone could recognize it.

Those with such a stigma are not considered members of the steppe tribes.

Even in a tribe that was generous to strangers, he was shunned and accepted by no one.

There are many tribes that accept women even if they have some problems, but even women are turned away from the tribe if they are stigmatized.

Such people do not live long.

Usually, there is nothing to eat, so they either starve to death or are eaten by animals.

Of course, there are grassland tribes that live in groups of one, two or even families.

But even those who move in such small numbers get help from the local tribe whenever they go somewhere.

No one lived in the grasslands entirely on their own.

Being stigmatized in the grasslands, where water and food are hard to find, was almost the same as dying.

Perhaps someone in the kingdom knew that too.

So, I caught that person.

However, at some point, those who were on the move away from the tribe for a while or moved in small numbers began to disappear.

In some cases, women who went to the waterside to draw water disappeared.

This had never happened in Goruka’s tribe, which was rich in many ways, but in tribes where there were many people who had to move in small numbers due to poor circumstances, it was said that such a thing had happened several times recently.

It seems that they tried to hide their traces in their own way, but the grassland tribes are a people who have been hunting for a long time.

By looking at the footprints, you could tell whether it was a steppe tribe or not.

Besides, no matter how hard you try, you can’t hide the smell.

Steppe tribes live with dogs, and they are much more sensitive than the slick-looking hounds of the realm.

No matter how much the people of the kingdom imitated the grassland and hid their traces, there was something left.

And the traces that can only be seen in the eyes of the steppe people were telling us that the culprit was a member of the kingdom.

“…”

Goruka quietly closed her eyes.

After stopping some violent tribes from recklessly attacking the kingdom, they selected people from several tribes to pursue them.

In addition to Goruka, a few others are tracking from other directions.

It’s been a while, but the dog in the meadow is good at tracking scents.

In the section where they couldn’t follow the scent, Goruka tracked it while deciding the direction based on judgment, and now it seems that they have caught up to some extent.

It’s still just a feeling, but it’s not far to reach the destination.

Perhaps the other pursuers will arrive this way sooner or later.

‘In this kingdom land.’

Goruka looked up at the sky.

The moon with a cool light appeared in the dark night sky.

The kingdom has harmed the steppe tribes.

He kidnapped a precious woman from the steppe people.

The child’s mother, someone’s wife, was taken by force.

Revenge is natural.

Like other tribes, Goruka and his tribe do not condone such things.

Those who participated, their families, and all who are now with them are subject to vengeance.

There were no questions, no theories.

The problem is then

How far will you see the target of revenge?

Other tribes hated the entire kingdom.

Those who defend them say the same.

If you side with the kingdom, even the Red Hawk tribe is an enemy of the grasslands.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t understand it.

As the same grassland tribe, I fully sympathize.

‘But there is an Oscar in the kingdom.’

child of the moon

There was a child that the moon sent for the steppe people.

Anyone who has had direct contact with Oscar knows.

He can know that he must not harm him, the child of the moon.

But those who haven’t seen it in person can’t understand it.

If so, I thought it would be nice to meet them, but the number of tribes that believed in the legend was terribly reduced.

There were not many tribes that still held the child of the moon as sacred like the Red Hawk tribe of Goruka.

In particular, the Silvermoon tribe, which is hostile to us, denies the legend.

Exposing Oscar in front of them, I thought, would hasten the danger.

‘What should I do? What should I do?’

Defending Oscar is viewed as betrayal by the grassland tribes led by the Silver Moon.

My mind has already been made up.

But that didn’t mean the worries went away.

Will he truly become a traitor to the grassland tribes?

Every hour of every day, I think about it again and again.

The conclusion was always the same, leaning toward the Oscars.

It wasn’t long before we had to make our stand clear.

The fate of the tribe must be staked and one side must be chosen.

Goruka stared at the burning bonfire.

It reminded me of a legend my mother had told me over and over again.

The child of the moon is the one who came down for the grassland people, and must not betray him. If you betray him, or let him die, you will be punished.

‘Oscar.’

The bonfire dancing up and down seemed to urge me to make a quick decision.

*

Before dawn, Goruka set off again in the darkness of dawn.

He was wearing clothes common to the kingdom.

Occasionally encountered people looked at him suspiciously, but since he could speak the language of the kingdom, there was no particular difficulty.

As much as possible, they did not stop by villages, and when they met animals in places that were not visible to people, they hunted.

You have beef jerky and water, as well as money, but for the dog you must hunt fresh animals.

It was known that in the kingdom one should not hunt without permission, so hunting was conducted only in areas free from human eyes.

Traces are completely erased.

It wouldn’t be easy to notice that even the steppe people hunted.

After two more days of tracking, Goruka reached a village.

It was a remote place far from the city.

A solid wooden fence surrounds the village, and the gate to the village entrance is firmly closed.

A trail led to this village.

The dogs were excited and breathing heavily.

I scratch my feet saying that the target is over there.

Goruka calmed the dogs and hid nearby to watch the town.

After hiding and watching for about an hour, I saw an old wagon in the distance.

The wagon immediately ran toward the village.

It was not a wagon for aristocrats like Oscar.

I think it might have been the remodeling of the cart.

The carriage had no windows.

As we approached the entrance to the village, the coachman shouted loudly.

“The luggage has arrived!”

The door rattles from the inside as the bolt opens.

Goruka pursed her lips feeling an unpleasant feeling.

Beep-beep-beep, high-pitched chirping.

It was a common signal among the grassland tribes.

Everyone knows that this is a sign of the steppe people, even if it does not make sense because it is slightly different for each tribe.

The first time there was no response.

‘Is it my misunderstanding?’

Goruka thought so, but put her lips together again.

Beep-beep-beep makes a little strong bird sound.

I waited for a while, but no response was heard.

‘Did I think wrong.’

It was when I mumbled like that.

The dogs tensed up and pricked their ears.

“…”

Goruka closed her eyes and focused on the wind.

I didn’t hear it at first.

The creaking of the village gates, the harsh voice of the coachman, and the sound of carts moving were all.

But while I kept paying attention to my ears, I heard a very small bird call.

It was a really small sound, as if it would fade away any moment.

‘Ah… I found it.’

Goruka’s eyes were clouded with tears.

Several very small sounds were echoing from inside the carriage.

The coachman pounded the wagon’s wall roughly.

“Noisy! How many times do you make me say it, you savages! No matter how much you cry, no help comes! You still don’t know that.”

The man who opened the door laughed loudly.

“That’s why he’s a savage. I’m guessing he’s in moderation and pass it on. He doesn’t understand the language, but you’re an idiot who gets angry every time he does that.”

“You should try it once. I don’t know if it’s human or not. Every time I catch it, I cry like this all day long until my throat bursts. I’m going to die of noise.”

“These guys probably don’t even have a language. We sing like birds among ourselves. Barbarians.”

“I really think so.”

Listening to the words of the men of the kingdom, Goruka put her lips together again.

This time, he cries rather strongly and loudly.

The exact meaning would not work for the steppe people in the wagon.

But you should know enough that help is coming soon.

Inside the carriage, this time, a slightly stronger reciprocal sound rang out.

Wait, I’ll come to get you soon. wait a minute, wait a minute

With that meaning in mind, Goruka once again drew out a long bird call.

Suddenly, the coachman looked this way.

“Damn it, he’s a real savage. Now even a real bird cries when he thinks he’s calling.”

The man who opened the door laughed hahahahaha, and the coachman climbed back into the carriage.

Watching the wagon disappear inside, Goruka quietly turned around.