Chapter 431: Tribal Business

Kaiden’s gaze drifted past the excited demoness in his arms. Amid the bustle of regrouping allies, his eyes found Naira.

The girl stood apart from the others, save for Taigi, the friend she had grown up with. Taigi held Naira’s hand in hers, trying to offer what little support she could.

But Kaiden could tell it was not enough. Her small shoulders were drawn tight while her bare feet were half-sunk in the dirt. She looked like she was barely holding herself together.

He walked toward her. Each step drew a few glances from the nearby tribesmen, but none spoke. When Kaiden stopped in front of her, the girl lifted her head, then lowered it again, unsure if she was even allowed to look him in the eye.

Kaiden could tell. She was confused and overcome with worry for the future that seemed so incredibly uncertain in this fragile moment.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. The muscles beneath his palm were trembling.

"It’s over," he said quietly. "You’re safe. I’ll ensure no bad fate befalls you or your loved ones."

Her breath came out unevenly. "T-thank you, Kaiden..." She gave a small nod, but the motion carried no conviction. Not because she didn’t believe him, but because it was just too much. Her eyes darted past him, toward the spot where Varek’s horribly desecrated body was visible. Kaiden beat and burned him alive before carving his heart out and eating it.

The corpse was not a beautiful sight to behold.

Kaiden’s voice stayed calm. "You did well leading us here, Naira. Now let us help you."

Naira blinked at that, caught off guard by the praise. She risked a look up at him. Her lips parted, then closed again.

But then the corners of her mouth finally turned into a small smile as she realized perhaps things would be better now.

Kaiden was grateful to the girl. He felt an immense desire to help her out of the horrible situation she’s in. He remembered how Naira rushed toward them back in the forest, chased by monsters. How scared she was of him, and how not long after, she led them to her tribe.

There, he met the horrible waste of air known as Varek, whose existence disgusted Kaiden so much that he snapped and temporarily - somehow - became the Great Demon of Wrath.

That, in turn, called upon Calypso, who rushed here to meet him.

It was safe to say that if not for Naira, Kaiden wouldn’t have met Calypso, or at least not under such favorable circumstances.

’Butterfly effect, huh...’

But it was not the time to dwell on such things.

When Kaiden turned away, his expression hardened again. He looked at the four elders of the tribe, the same men who had bowed to Varek. They stood together now, avoiding his eyes. Their confidence was gone as they watched the skinless, charred corpse of their leader.

Their faces were lined and sun-darkened, each one a picture of guilt and uncertainty. They were right to feel uncertain. But to feel guilty...? Kaiden didn’t know if it was their right to feel that emotion.

Thus, he studied the four elders. Their clothes were cleaner than those of others, their feet clean and not calloused or bruised like the rest of the tribe’s. Their hands were clasped behind their backs, pretending calm.

He turned to Naira. "Did they ever hurt you?"

The girl’s eyes flicked toward the old men. Her mouth tightened before she answered. "They didn’t. I wasn’t allowed inside the longhouse, so we barely interacted. All they made me do was gather berries and roots from the forest teeming with hungry monsters."

Bastet tilted her head, confused. "Doesn’t that mean they did in fact do something bad to you?"

Naira bit her lip. The small movement said more than any answer. Her gaze lingered on the elders with quiet hatred. "Someone had to find food. The hunters kept failing, and families were starving. I couldn’t just keep eating from our smaller and smaller pantry without doing anything useful."

Aria was not one bit impressed by the mental gymnastics these scums forced on such a young girl. Frankly, she was disgusted to her very core. Seeing mistreated and abused women reminded her too much of her own mother’s misery. "What about Varek? Didn’t he have power that strengthened his people? Why didn’t he go out himself, or at least send a few empowered warriors?"

Naira’s fingers tightened around Taigi’s hand. "It only works inside the settlement. He said he had to stay here with his warriors to defend us if monsters came. So he couldn’t leave, nor could his warriors."

Luna scoffed. "That’s convenient. The bastard was eating well and sleeping surrounded by women while you and the others went hungry, only given sad scraps of discarded food he didn’t feel like eating."

Naira trembled from head to toe. The poor girl was immensely troubled with traumatizing memories no teenage girl - or anyone - should experience. Her voice shook when she spoke again. "I don’t know if he lied. But you’re right. He was a horrible man."

Nyx shifted her weight. Her sharp eyes settled on the elders. "You heard her. Do you have anything to say?"

One of them quickly stepped forward. "It’s true! The chief’s power had range limits. He couldn’t leave, or we would lose our only defense!"

Calypso, who had been listening with growing amusement, let out a soft laugh. She intended to stay out of this business because not only had she known basically nothing about humankind and their tendencies, but also because she had just joined the party. She wasn’t aware of the circumstances.

But she did not have to understand the situation to know something was going on.

Her tongue brushed over her lower lip as she licked slowly, lazily, reveling in the four men’s discomfort. Her demonic eyes focused on the elders and their worried gazes and rapidly beating hearts. "I’m sensing desperation. They’re lying."

Kaiden looked at her in surprise. "You can tell when someone’s lying?" Having a living lie detector could be immensely beneficial.

Calypso giggled slyly as she shook her head. "Just a woman’s intuition, Darling."

He sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Intuition or not, I believe you. They smell rotten."

The elders bristled at that. One of them spat toward the ground. "You filthy demon! You have no right to judge human affairs. Keep your mouth shut."

"And we don’t have to explain ourselves to outsiders either!" a second added.

"Yeah, stop questioning us! You have no right to! Your government gave us sovereignty in these lands."

Kaiden’s eyes darkened as a low sound rumbled in his throat. He didn’t hear anything after the first man’s declaration. His mind refused to even listen to the rest. Instead, his eyes seemed to regain a bit of their previous red hue. It was no demonic transformation; Kaiden didn’t even shift into Wrath Stance. But it was more than enough to communicate his thoughts on what they’d just said.

Namely, the desire to butcher them alive.

The sudden edge in his posture made the air heavier. The elders froze.

Calypso gasped and snapped her attention toward him. Upon seeing his ominous, threatening expression, her composure melted into open delight. Her cheeks flushed, and a small squeal slipped out of her delicate demonic lips. "Kyaaa❤️❤️!!"

Kaiden didn’t need to protect her from these weaklings, but that did not concern the demoness one bit. She looked up at Kaiden as if he’d just handed her the moon.

The elders, on the other hand, had a drastically different reaction. Their eyes darted toward the smoldering remains of Varek, and the memory of the man’s gruesome death came vividly.

Or, to be more accurate, rather than his death, their memory was how Kaiden transformed into a horrible, nightmarish creature, released a guttural roar that shook their hearts, and the next time they saw their leader, he was already an unrecognizable corpse.

Kaiden turned to Taigi, the native girl who was ordered to seduce Kaiden or else. She still stood beside Naira. "Do you have something to add?"

The girl flinched. Before she could speak, the elders broke their silence in panic.

"You’re forbidden from speaking to outsiders!" one barked.

"Varek may be gone, but we are still the elders of this tribe! If you dare open your mouth, you will be punished according to our rules!"

Luna gave a sharp laugh. "Yeah, that doesn’t sound suspicious at all." She then began mockingly imitating their attitude. "’We’re innocent, but if you dare say otherwise, we’ll kill you!’"

Nyx took a step closer to Taigi. Her tone softened. "You don’t have to worry. If they throw you out or worse, we’ll take care of you."

Taigi’s eyes widened. Her lips trembled, torn between fear and the sudden spark of hope that crossed her face. Nyx’s words hit her harder than any threat the elders had ever given. She couldn’t believe these strangers were standing up for her, especially after everything. After she’d tried to seduce their man right in front of them.

Her throat tightened.

In her confusion, her gaze shifted to Kaiden. He met her eyes with a calm, steady look and gave a small but firm smile. "I plan to take Naira and her mother away from here. At least for now. They need time away from this place. You should come with them."

The words struck like a slap. Taigi blinked, lips parting in disbelief. But she wasn’t the only one caught off guard.

Naira gasped. "Wait! What do you mean?!" This was the first time she heard about such a plan!

Kaiden turned to her. "Your mother’s condition is not outright lethal, but still very bad. She needs proper care. A hospital, not herbs and prayers. She’ll be there for weeks, maybe longer. I expect her recovery to be slow; this type of condition can’t just be cured with healing magic. She will need to slowly rebuild her frail body. Do you plan to stay here while she’s gone?"

At his question, Naira’s breath hitched. Her heart began pounding fast. She looked around at the tribe, at the ruined huts, the elders glaring from behind their wrinkled masks, the nervous faces of the people who had watched and done nothing while she and many other women were made to suffer.

This used to be her home. But it wasn’t anymore.

She thought of the road outside the forest, the many tales she heard about their otherworldly creations, the strange yet exciting world that had once felt unreachable. Her chest tightened with a rush of something new, hope.

Her eyes lit up. A wide, genuine smile spread across her face, the kind of smile that belonged to a girl her age, not a survivor of cruelty. "Please take me with you!" she pleaded.

Kaiden nodded once, satisfied. He turned his attention back to Taigi.