Dawn of Vengeance — Chapter 45

LOOKS LIKE I'LL HAVE TO OPEN UP THOSE DEAF EARS OF YOURS.

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS GOING MY WAY.

YOUR HIGHNESS. FORGIVE ME FOR BEING PRESUMPTUOUS, BUT...

IF YOU KNOW IT'S PRESUMPTUOUS, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.

BECAUSE I AM REALLY NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW.

ONCE I SECURED THE MONOPOLY ON THE MINE...

...I WANTED TO VERIFY IF THE CLAIMS IN THAT THESIS WERE ACTUALLY TRUE.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE LAFI'S CURSE AND CRYOSTONES

IT CLAIMED THERE IS A SPECIAL ENTITY WATCHING OVER THE DEMI-HUMANS...

...AND THAT HIDDEN WITHIN THE CRYOSTONE MINE IS AN ARTIFACT THAT HOLDS THE FATE OF THE LAFI.

THE CRYOSTONE ITSELF ISN'T A BAD PRIZE, BUT... IT'S STILL QUITE A LETDOWN.

SHALL I STEP IN AND HANDLE THIS PERSONALLY?

NO. LET'S ADJUST OUR SCHEDULE INSTEAD.

DRAG OUT THE MINE NEGOTIATIONS WITH DOPANE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE...

...AND WAIT TO SEE HOW THEY CLASH WITH PARNAS BEFORE MAKING OUR MOVE.

RIGHT. NO NEED TO GET WORKED UP.

IF WE GET IT, GREAT. IF NOT, WHATEVER. AFTER ALL...

...I ONLY STARTED THIS FOR MY OWN AMUSEMENT.

SIX MONTHS LATER.

Smells like phantom weed..

I SWEAR, THIS STENCH MAKES ME NAUSEOUS EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I'll head in once it clears up.

HEEEEY...

YOU'VE BEEN WAITING A LONG?

HERE, THE REPORTS FROM THE KIDS AT THE BORDER OUTPOST.

I DID LOOK THEM OVER, BUT...

...I WAS HALF- DELIRIOUS WHEN I READ THEM, SO WHO KNOWS IF THEY'RE ACTUALLY RIGHT.

...WHY DO YOU LOOK SO PATHETIC?

IS THE FULL MOON REALLY THAT ROUGH?

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED. THANKS TO THE MOON, MY BODY IS BUZZING WITH ENERGY.

...BUT I'M TOO COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED TO ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING.

SO IF YOU BURN PHANTOM WEED, YOU CAN FALL ASLEEP?

It's similar.

I CAN'T ACTUALLY SLEEP, BUT IT KEEPS ME FEELING DROWSY.

I NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS WHEN I WAS A KID.

AAAAAH! It's so annoying!

Dignity -100

SO YOUNG LYCANS AREN'T AFFECTED BY THE FULL MOON?

WELL, THERE'S THAT, TOO.

BUT MOSTLY, IT'S BECAUSE THE PLACE WHERE I GREW UP WAS A BIT UNIQUE.

IT'S A TOWN NEAR THE BORDER CALLED NIPOMPO. THE FULL MOON HAS NO EFFECT THERE.

니폼포 Nipompo

A PLACE LIKE THAT ACTUALLY EXISTS?

YEAH, DIDN'T KNOW THAT, DID YOU?

MANNERS -200

UGH I'M DYING HERE

IF I HAD JUST BEEN BORN A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, I WOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS.

Believe it or not, when I was a kid, I used to memorize rituals and spells...

WHAT'S WITH THE SUDDEN TALK ABOUT A THOUSAND YEARS AGO?

HUH? WELL...

BECAUSE A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, THE FULL MOON'S CURSE DIDN'T EXIST.

YOU SERIOUSLY DIDN'T KNOW? THIS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY FAMOUS LORE.

NEWS TO ME.

AH, WELL, I GUESS...

WE NEVER REALLY GOT ALONG WITH THE LAFI, EITHER...

...AND MOST HUMANS COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT LYCANS.

SO EVEN IF IT'S COMMON KNOWLEDGE TO US, WHATEVER...

ANYWAY!

THEY SAY THAT A LONG TIME AGO, THE LYCANS HAD A GOD, TOO.

AND THE STORY GOES THAT WHEN OUR GOD VANISHED, THE FULL MOON'S CURSE BEGAN. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

THE ELDERS REPEATED IT SO MUCH MY EARS PRACTICALLY BLED.

WE HAD A SIMILAR LEGEND, ACTUALLY.

DID YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT?

I PRETENDED TO.

OTHERWISE, THE ELDERS WOULD THROW A FIT.

Ah, right. The full moon.

This bastard...!

That's what you get for looking at me like that.

MMM~ THOUGHT SO.

THERE'S TRULY NO TALENT QUITE LIKE HIM.

I DEFINITELY MADE THE RIGHT HIRE. SUCH A GOOD HIRE.

Finished Processing

YOUR MAJESTY. IT'S WHIS.

HAND THEM HERE.

THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE BORDER SEEMS RATHER TENSE.

THERE ARE REPORTS OF RAMPANT PILLAGING AND ABDUCTIONS IN THE NEARBY VILLAGES.

ARE THEY REFUGEES FROM ANTEBASILA? OR IS IT DOPANE?

SEEING AS THEY APPEAR UNKEMPT BUT ARE PROPERLY ARMED WITH ACTUAL WEAPONRY...

...I WOULD SAY IT IS THE LATTER, DISGUISING THEMSELVES AS THE FORMER.

IT SEEMS DOPANE IS TESTING THE WATERS WITH US.

I FULLY EXPECTED THE EMPIRE TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE.

HOW UNEXPECTED.

SINCE THE TOPIC HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP, I MUST ASK.

WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED WITH THE CROWN PRINCE AT THE CORONATION?

HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MARRIAGE PROPOSALS OR SOMETHING.

I definitely saw it..

MMM...

YOU DISMISSED IT SO QUICKLY THAT IT WAS NOTHING...

...THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO ASK YOU ABOUT IT SINCE.

BUT THERE IS DEFINITELY. SOMETHING.

...ISN'T THERE?

This stubborn old man, I swear!

HE SAID IF I REFUSE HIS PROPOSAL, HE'LL MARCH HIS ARMY INTO PARNAS.

HIS... ARMY?

WE JOIN FORCES TO STRIKE DOWN DOPANE...

...AND THEN HE SWALLOWS THE THREE KINGDOMS WHOLE.

THE THREE KINGDOMS? THE EMPIRE PLANS TO TAKE THEM ALL...?

WELL...

THE GIST OF IT IS: WE SHOULD QUIETLY AGREE TO AN ANNEXATION WHILE HE'S STILL ASKING NICELY.

WHAT KIND OF

BULL~~SHIT IS THAT?!