Chapter 52: Cause and Effect

The slightly curious Priestess didn’t rush to leave immediately.

She stood aside, casting her gaze over the several Tiger-Humans, pausing when she reached the leader, who had just awkwardly spoken in Sky Language, furrowing her brow.

Wait, what’s up with this guy?

This Tiger-Human, Miss Vilyric actually knows him.

If she remembered correctly, his name should be Kunier.

Back when she had made a pact with Liliya to protect her against Beastmen in the western borders of the kingdom, this guy was the commander of a supply convoy, only to be shot through the forehead by Miss Fiery Blossom during battle.

At that time, Miss Vilyric found this unexpectedly clever Beastman somewhat interesting and wanted to test if resurrection magic would work properly in this world, so she secretly resurrected Kunier and arranged for a level 70 Light Elemental Spirit to follow him around, gathering intelligence.

However, it seemed that the old fox named Chaharit sensed something was off and did not assign Kunier any further duties, leaving him in the Beastmen army under the guise of recuperation until the war ended.

Later on, after the war, Miss Vilyric left Wanku Fortress to head east, and Kunier returned home with the army. The summoned Light Elemental Spirit exceeded its distance limit, thus naturally dissipating.

The Priestess never expected to run into this guy in the Kingdom of Azure.

No wonder he, as a Beastman, understands Sky Language; this rather unusual Tiger-Human… is quite interesting. Resurrecting him was indeed the right choice.

But him being here, could it be…

If it were an ordinary Beastman, Miss Vilyric wouldn’t think too much about it. But for Kunier, as long as that old fox’s head isn’t completely gone, he would never let this guy wander down here freely, especially not with so many of his kin.

Is this an initiative from the higher-ups?

Right, the Beast Kingdom is also one of the fringe nations of the world. They must be closely monitoring the anomalies occurring in the southern Abyss, probably sending an envoy group over just like the United Kingdom.

Though both sides are well aware, the United Kingdom would never openly state they were here to investigate the Abyss; the public reason is to celebrate the current Wing Emperor’s birthday.

The same goes for the Beast Kingdom.

Beastmen love martial arts, and while they possess incredible physical strength and combat abilities, not many are willing to think. Kunier, however, is an exception, and indeed suited for opportunistic negotiations.

Who would’ve thought the envoy groups from the Beast Kingdom and the United Kingdom would coincidentally arrive at the fringe Island of Spris? It’s a classic case of “not meeting should not collide”…

No wonder Miss Hilda hurried off right after settling the United Kingdom envoy group; it seems she’s gone to meet the Beastman’s envoy group. This… she didn’t even inform Miss Philena.

Noticing Miss Vilyric observing their group, Kunier turned his head, glancing at the two girls.

He didn’t show any hostility towards them just because they looked somewhat human; instead, he mimicked the typical gentlemanly behavior common in the United Kingdom, offering a smile that could, by Beastman standards, be considered gentle.

Oh, he’s quite polite.

But it seems this guy hasn’t recognized them at all, and rightly so; Miss Vilyric had only appeared after Kunier was killed. He wouldn’t recognize her since he didn’t linger after being resurrected.

Though they had crossed paths multiple times on the battlefield, there were no paintings or Shadow Stones capturing images in the Beast Kingdom.

On the other hand, the white-feathered shop attendant didn’t seem scared by the towering forms of the Beastmen, merely smiling awkwardly.

“This… Unfortunately, it’s a bit crowded today. The seats in this little shop are all filled up, so you might have to wait a moment. What do you think…?”

Beastmen, known for their volatile tempers, reacted almost immediately after her words were out; another Tiger-Human shouted, gesturing angrily at Miss Vilyric and the other girl standing not far away.

“Ridiculous! I clearly saw those two human females order food just now; why can’t we? Do you think we’re Beastmen, and you’re purposely making things difficult for us? Let me tell you…”

However, before Miss Vilyric could hear what he had to say, Kunier immediately slapped the guy on the head with a paw and scolded him sternly.

“Bobol! Did you forget what I said when we came out? Being in another country, every move we make represents the entire Beastman community’s image! Do you understand what kind of place this is? Why would they have any reason to target us? Or do you really want others to think that Beastmen are just a bunch of uncivilized, stupid brutes?”

“Guh… Sorry, Big Brother Kunier.”

Kunier obviously had a high standing among these Tiger-Humans. The moment he spoke, the others fell silent, too afraid to say another word, while the one he reprimanded looked utterly ashamed, turning his head away.

After teaching his subordinate a lesson, Kunier then turned to sincerely apologize to the white-feathered shop attendant and the two girls.

“I’m really sorry for the lack of discipline; I embarrassed you ladies. Since there’s no seating available, we can wait. I apologize for Bobol’s rude behavior; please don’t take it to heart.”

The shop attendant was clearly taken aback that a Beastman, especially a Tiger-Human, could be so understanding. Initially troubled about how to handle the situation, she paused, but quickly regained herself, showing that half-hearted smile typical of service business.

“It’s alright, it’s alright! It’s great that you understand. You may place your order first and then wait in the lounge. We also have some card games and mini-games available here.”

As she spoke, she pointed to a few wooden chairs and small tables by the doorway and pulled several decks of cards from beneath the counter.

Miss Vilyric didn’t mind the earlier offenses of the Tiger-Human called Bobol; if anything, she was surprised by Kunier’s overly human and rational reaction.

Even though she found this big tiger interesting back then, suspecting he might show impressive attributes in the future, it seems even Miss Vilyric underestimated his potential.

Clearly, last time, Kunier was only roughly imitating human behavior through books and observation, still revealing an undeniable wildness.

Yet, in less than a year apart, he had noticeably become more “human” than before, even reaching a level where he could be called a “gentleman.” He had mastered at least three languages including the common Beastman, United Kingdom language, and Sky Language.

Although his strength still felt like it was at the Earth Level and did not seem to have progressed much, for the Priestess, the ranking of Earth and Sky was not a significant difference.

Little Dragon Daughter was a bit displeased, but since her master nodded, she surely wouldn’t voice any complaints.

After glancing one more time at Kunier in the lounge, teaching a few Tiger-Humans how to clumsily identify numbers on the cards, Miss Vilyric decided not to linger any longer and went straight into the booth that her number plate represented, waiting to taste the local delicacies of the Kingdom of Azure.

The Priestess wasn’t in a hurry.

Since Kunier was visiting the Kingdom of Azure as part of the Beast Kingdom’s envoy group, their intersection wouldn’t end here. In the future, especially in the higher and more distant Sky City, they would undoubtedly meet again.

What kind of astonishing side would this interesting tiger show then?

She truly looked forward to it ~

   

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