The Overlord Journey of Tima, the Creator God — Chapter 21

The unfortunate administrator was beheaded as a warning, while Kuruk began to enter the chief's field of vision.

"This direction will probably be the Mammoth Tribe's route of attack."

"Attacking the human fortress is too risky. It would be best to contact the other tribes."

"Stirring up conflict between the lionfolk and the Janna Tribe would help us fight for control of the pond."

With one precise suggestion after another, Kuruk's status rose higher and higher. At the same time, he began studying magic under the high priest and unexpectedly displayed a talent for it.

Magic that strengthened his body, combined with his keen sense of smell and hearing, allowed him to move freely even without sight.

Then, this year—

"The amount of food is completely insufficient. If this continues, we may only have two paths left: go to war with the other tribes and slaughter one another, or venture into the forest."

That was the conclusion—simple and cruel. There was not enough food and too many people. Such things happened every few decades, and the outcome was usually straightforward: the demi-human tribes of the entire region would slaughter one another until their numbers fell to what the barren land could sustain.

Of course, they could also enter the forest in search of a way to survive, but only a small number could do so. The forest was equally dangerous. Leaving aside the ordinary magical beasts scattered throughout it, the forest's rulers would never allow demi-humans to take resources to the point of upsetting the ecological balance.

So, venturing into the forest was essentially another way of reducing their numbers.

"Cross the forest and attack human villages." Kuruk proposed a third path.

The demi-humans' territory shared a vast border with the nearest human nation, the Dragon Kingdom. Half of that border was Moonshade Forest, while the other half was occupied by fortresses built by humans.

Several decades ago, it had been common for them to cross Moonshade Forest and raid human villages. But gradually, those villages were either destroyed or moved inland, into the protection of the fortresses.

Thus, the gains from crossing the dangerous forest to invade became increasingly disproportionate to the cost, and tribes gradually stopped taking such action.

But several decades had already passed—an entire generation for humans. It was not impossible that humans had forgotten the scars of the past and, tempted by the land, returned to the great plains along the forest's edge.

Kuruk bet on that possibility. After receiving the chief's approval, he selected the tribe's two hundred finest warriors. He then sent his second brother, Wolfs, the tribe's second-strongest warrior, along with his equally outstanding third brother and thirty brave warriors, to scout ahead.

It was a huge gamble. If they lost, perhaps only half of those warriors would return alive. If they won, they would gain not only delicious humans and their livestock, but also great fame and merit—an achievement grand enough to secure his second brother's position as the next chief!

Perhaps with such considerations in mind, the chief sent out the highly regarded Wolfs. Fortunately, Kuruk's gamble paid off. He successfully found an utterly defenseless human village!

Livestock, iron tools, wooden utensils, fine wine, humans that could be eaten, and human girls that could be traded—such enormous gains had come so easily that Kuruk was overjoyed.

On the way, losing contact with the vanguard led by his second brother Wolfsen had left Kuruk frantic. It was not only because he feared the plan might fail, but also because he worried about the two younger brothers he cared for greatly.

He had considered the possibility that they had encountered the [Holy White Fox Demon], run into human adventurers, and so on. But none of those possibilities should have wiped them all out. Caught between advancing and retreating, Kuruk decided to press onward.

Yet what followed went exceptionally smoothly. They entered the village and began looting. Everything had gone so well that Kuruk began to believe Wolfsen and the others had merely found another village and hurried off to raid it.

If that was the case, he would have to give them a proper scolding after they returned. Before he knew it, a smile had appeared on Kuruk's lips. First, the food problem had been solved. Then, they had obtained quite a few human girls. Because of racial hatred and primitive urges, many in the demi-human tribe harbored extremely twisted desires toward human girls—in the dual sense of appetite and another kind of desire.

In a sense, they were excellent trade goods. Of course, once brought back to the tribe, they would inevitably be ravaged by the tribesmen. But as long as a few remained alive, they would be enough to make a decent trade.

Kuruk calculated the gains from this operation. He had already begun imagining the glorious age of the wolf tribe that he would build in the future by assisting his brother.

But the distance from heaven to hell was often only an instant. For the villagers, the werewolves' arrival was the instant hell opened. And for the werewolves, hell opened at this very moment.

The smell in the air changed. A stench thicker and fouler than human blood flooded Kuruk's nostrils. The screams ringing in his ears became deeper and harsher, and Kuruk felt blood splatter onto his body.

He should have been able to react quickly, but the bloody stench and screams numbed his senses, while his relaxed mood dulled his instincts.

"Brother?" A blurry figure appeared before his eyes. His buzzing mind could not comprehend the situation, and Kuruk called out instinctively.