Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 612

Chapter 612: Lionkin Lands
<Quin, I think Black Fang wasn’t being truthful…> Ayame murmured.

<Agreed,> Aurora and Seraphiel replied at the same time.

I understood what they meant. Back when we were handed this mission back in Braedon, I was told I was specifically selected as the leading diplomat because of how Blossom adores me. Supposedly, the sight of a dogkin trusting a human wholeheartedly should’ve been the decisive factor that tipped the scale in our favor.

The beastkin did not care one bit about how Blossom kept wagging her tail whenever I appeared in front of her, or she smelled my scent which let her know I was close.

<You girls are right. I’m pretty sure Black Fang used that reasoning as an excuse to give me this task without the other circle members vetoing her.>

<Blossom doesn’t follow!>

<She likely nominated me to be the diplomatic leader not for the benefit of the syndicate but to test me. That woman just wanted to see if I could live up to her expectations. She already knows I’m shaping up to be an incredibly promising combatant; I suppose now she wants to know if I can become more than a strong soldier.>

<Hmm… Your thoughts seem reasonable,> Ayame replied.

Honestly, I wasn’t faulting Black Fang for her curiosity. She’d learned a lot of unique things about me, such as my supposed 7 weeks of age at the start of the Phenom Trials, my illustrious class, my hybrid build, my ability to cast spells not only without a wand but even without deliberate hand gestures, etc.

Also, it was an open secret in the Vesper Consortium she was ‘a bit’ obsessing over me. Even random foot soldiers, namely the Dawn Initiate nobodies, knew of it. How couldn’t they? The mysterious woman left her century-long seclusion just to watch me perform live in the final event of the Phenom Trials.

All that is to say, I shouldn’t—and wasn’t—surprised to see Black Fang prodding with the intent to learn more information about me. Her curiosity would benefit me as well; Devil would be credited with securing allies for the war with the Greenvale family and their vassals, earning my alias great prestige, both within and outside the organization.

“Keep your eyes peeled! We’re about to cross into lionkin territory!” Kargrim bellowed from the front of our group, which was made up of ~400 bearkin warriors and ~200 aerial units with either birdkin or rabbitkin as mounts and their riders.

The ones in the settlements closest to the border must’ve known trouble was brewing on the horizon because they planted scouts at various vantage points, watching for trouble, but their efforts were in vain.

Unluckily for the lionkin, Vex was a part of our operation. The Hexblade used her uncanny abilities to get the jump on the sentries before they could run back and alert others of our approach.

Without their scouts to warn them, the inhabitants of the nearest tribal settlement were caught completely off guard.

The aerial units didn’t even take to the skies—they elected to preserve their flying abilities. The riders merely readied their crossbows and used the lionkin as live practice to learn more about their newly acquired weapons.

Bearkin warriors surrounded the settlement from all angles, and once Kargrim gave the signal in the form of his deep, bestial roar, the rangers ceased their onslaught, letting the melee units charge.

The proud lionkin, despite being outnumbered, roared their defiance and rushed to meet our forces in combat. These people weren’t even important enough to be armed by the crafts of the dwarf called Ragnar, who played a major role in the dominance of the lionkin in the past few years.

While the main force began massacring the unarmed lionkin forces, my Heralds and I moved ahead, deciding to accomplish a goal of ours.

One by one, the lionkin warriors fell all around us. Some thanks to our attacks, others from a nearby bearkin tearing them apart. But there was one who did not stand his ground with admirable bravery.

A lionkin draped in a finely decorated fur coat broke from the fray. While the others of his kind honorably fought to the last drop of their blood, he turned tail and ran, bolting through the village in a desperate attempt to escape.

I found what we were looking for.

He didn’t have time to react before I grabbed his shoulder and slammed him down into the dirt. A pained gasp left his lips as he pushed himself up, only to freeze as he found himself surrounded by my Heralds, myself, and Iris.

I crouched in front of the fallen lionkin, eliciting a scared whimper from his lips.

“I’ve got a question for you.”

“I-I-I’m loyal to the Sunfang!” he stammered, but none of us believed it. By the looks of things, not even he did.

“I’m not in the mood for this. Let’s make a deal. If you answer, my team will not hurt you. You can try making a run for your life.”

Seeing hope shine in his eyes, I knew I got him. “Natalie and Poppy. Two female dogkin who lived in the forests were enslaved by lionkin forces months ago. Does any of this ring a bell?”

The gleaming of his eyes strengthened, visibly happy. “Y-yes! I distinctly remember two blonde-haired dogkin being offered for sale by a merchant, but our little settlement is poor, no one could afford the asking price. I heard the merchant grumble annoyedly about having to take them to Lionheart.”

So that’s how it is. Blossom’s mother and sister will be further inland, in the capital city no less if the words of this man are to be trusted. Not having any other questions, I let him go and watched a bearkin punch his skull, which offered no resistance—it exploded into small chunks of flesh and bones. I would’ve killed him myself, but I knew he was very low-level, so I didn’t care enough to make the effort.

However, just as I was observing the massacre going on all around me, my eyes noticed movement on the horizon.

A large group was coming our way, but it wasn’t similar to the lionkin army we defeated before my primordial trial.

“They dare!” Kargrim bellowed furiously after he also sensed the incoming trouble.

Numerous beastkin of varying subspecies were marching toward us in an uncannily orderly fashion. I knew from experience the different beastkin people would never manage to move in such a unified manner under normal circumstances. The reason behind this strange phenomenon was quickly revealed—ugly, spiky collars choked their necks.

The lionkin created an army of slaves from prisoners of war and other captives. This was what angered Kargrim.

However, unlike him, I couldn’t care much because my eyes spied something extraordinary—something much more special than an army of slaves. My heart began beating rapidly. “What the hell…?” my allies gasped one after the other.

“Rrrr…” the raspy sounds emitted by tens of thousands of rotting corpses usurped all other noise.

The army of the dead was upon us.

Which could only mean one thing… Besides a genius dwarf crafter, the lionkin found themselves another ally.

A necromancer.