Chapter 12

Flames blazed.

The warehouse was burning so fiercely that it could be seen from a distance. The fire completely blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from retrieving the remaining food. People stood by, helplessly pacing.

“Water! Bring more water!”

“Damn it, how much more do we need to pour to put it out? This damn fire!”

“We can’t let this happen…! The precious food for our soldiers…”

The food supplies were the lifeline of the soldiers defending the territory.

In the northern regions, the most valuable grains were now nothing but ashes, drifting away as black smoke. The faces of those witnessing it reflected a sense of helplessness, and some even broke down in despair.

“Wah, wah…”

Just moments ago, the Duke’s estate had been peaceful, but now it was turned upside down.

Beatty, watching the chaos unfold, lowered her head in a somber silence.

‘So this is the beginning of the “First Retreat” incident, huh?’

She didn’t fully understand the situation either at the time.

The First Retreat.

It referred to the sudden retreat of the Duke's army, which had been victorious in battles against the Holy Empire’s forces for years, just as the end of the five-year-long Great War was in sight.

‘We could have ended the war then… but instead, the Duke was harshly criticized for it.’

She recalled how the newspapers, which would never dare criticize the golden lion, had mocked the Duke, calling him a mere “cat” for retreating, criticizing him for what seemed like an unnecessary pullback.

‘Later, it was revealed there were unavoidable reasons, but still...’

The newspapers, which had all condemned the Duke in unison, later shifted their tone, selling the tragedy that had occurred during the war.

The true disaster that caused the Duke’s undefeated army to retreat was none other than famine.

A starving army couldn’t fight.

The retreat was blamed on a tragic supply shortage.

‘They didn’t share the specific details at the time, fearing it would lower morale among the kingdom’s people, but the supplies had been completely consumed by fire.’

Seeing the vast scale of the warehouse burning down, Beatty realized that with such a massive loss of supplies, retreat was the only option.

‘And next year, a continental-level disaster is approaching...’

The real disaster, which would soon arrive, seemed like the final blow.

‘Because of the damage from this incident, the Duke’s army never recovered to its original size…’

The casualties were devastating, not just from the battles but from the population loss in the territory.

The Aslan family’s loyal knights and soldiers never regained their original strength, and the once-feared Aslan army had been struck at the worst possible time.

And despite the great victory they had achieved against the Imperial forces, the war continued.

‘If only that disaster hadn’t happened, the history of both countries could have changed.’

The Great War continued for over a decade after that.

Tightening her fist in frustration, Beatty muttered with determination.

‘With this...’

In the midst of the chaos, she managed to step aside without getting in anyone’s way, and by chance, she spotted the plant.

Looking down at the small object in her palm, she made a silent vow.

‘This time, I’ll make sure there’s no “First Retreat”... I’ll change it!’

***

In front of the burned supply warehouse.

The people who had tried to extinguish the fire now sat on the ground, faces full of despair.

Some of them, thinking about their relatives fighting on the frontlines, sobbed quietly.

“Lord!”

Even in the chaos, the figure of a lion caught the attention of the knights, who rushed toward it.

It was the boy who had changed into his beastkin form and rushed out to catch a suspicious figure near the fire.

The lion returned, with a stranger, soaked in blood, caught in its mouth.

“Is this him?”

Thud.

The boy casually tossed the unconscious figure to the gathered people. The knights, seeing the unmoving body, crouched down in confusion.

“A... a corpse?”

“This bastard! He’s already dead before we could make him talk!”

The knights, feeling robbed of their chance to interrogate the one responsible for the food loss, cursed angrily.

Boom.

“Ah! Lord, my cloak—”

“Wear this!”

In a hurry, the knights took off their cloaks to cover the boy’s bare body, and he casually wrapped it around his lower half.

The boy, acting as if he were accustomed to this, spoke calmly.

“He committed suicide.”

He glared at the upper half of the body, which was covered in blood and vomit from poison, with sharp eyes.

“It’s strange.”

“Pardon?”@@novelbin@@

“He was caught too easily.”

“Oh, it’s because you’re so fast, my lord.”

The knight, recalling how the boy would often chase down enemies in his lion form, answered naturally. But—

“No.”

The boy’s eyes remained fixed on the unidentified body.

He reached out suddenly.

“Huh? My lord, leave the dirty cleanup to us.”

“Look.”

The boy ripped the stitching on the body’s clothing and pulled it apart.

“It’s the Empire’s insignia.”

“Ah…”

“Really? So the Imperial bastards…?”

“Who knows.”

Crack.

The boy held up the Imperial insignia and went silent for a moment, as if sorting out his thoughts.

“He must’ve been the one, waiting right next to the warehouse after committing the crime.”

“Well, he must have wanted to watch his work until the end, right? And as soon as he saw you, he tried to run.”

“Pretending to run.”

“Pardon?”

“He was waiting for me to notice, and then made a show of running.”

The boy shook his head in irritation as he stared at the body.

“Hah.”

It was odd.

The arsonist had been loitering near the scene before fleeing.

The body, which had the Imperial insignia boldly displayed, was just as suspicious.

‘Something’s off...’

The boy instinctively sensed something strange, but the tangled clues left him with no way to unravel them.

‘This is troublesome.’

This kind of mental exercise wasn’t his strong suit.

Frowning, he was approached by others.

“Sir, the supply convoy was supposed to depart tomorrow. What should we do?”

“What should we do? We need to urgently request supplies from a merchant guild…”

“Which guild can provide that much immediately? And what about our soldiers who will go hungry in the meantime!”

The people gathered around the boy voiced their concerns.

Murmurs.

Amidst the rising voices of worry and discussion, Count Zelot raised his hand, calming the crowd with an unexpectedly composed demeanor.

“Everyone, please calm down.”

As the Duke’s trusted subordinate during his absence, Count Zelot quickly quelled the disturbance with his seasoned experience.

When the area quieted, Count Zelot turned to the boy with a bow of his head.

“And, my lord.”

He spoke in an apologetic tone, deeply bowing.

“I must apologize first.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes. As the acting head of the affairs here, I should have prepared better to prevent such an incident…”

The Count's overly humble demeanor and guilt-ridden voice softened the hearts of those who, despite their rough northern appearance, had kind hearts.

“Hmm, but how could it have only been your fault?”

“Right, who could have predicted this would happen?”

The people around them reassured the Count, and he nodded gratefully, surveying the room.

“But I do appreciate those who see it kindly, but this incident is clearly my responsibility.”

With a remorseful expression, the Count bowed even deeper.

“I had judged that the fire prevention and perimeter security were sufficient, and that the warehouse management was thorough, but I failed to prevent this tragedy. I am truly sorry.”

His apology was direct and crisp.

However—

“...”

The boy’s eyebrow twitched slightly, a sign of displeasure.

Though the Count’s posture was perfect in showing his guilt, the boy’s cold eyes remained fixed on him.

Something about it didn’t sit right.

‘It’s irritating.’

The Count’s manner, apologizing while seeming to remain somewhat composed, felt like an annoying stone hidden in a shoe.

“My lord...?”

The Count had been bowing for quite a while, but the boy didn’t instruct him to rise.

“Of course, I understand you must be very angry, but please don’t blame me too much…”

In the midst of the flustered voices of the people, Beatty raised her hand.

“Hey.”

Her voice rang out clearly, cutting through the commotion.

“Hey!”

With a distinct gesture, Beatty managed to get noticed.

“Hmm? What’s this baby…”

“Ah, the young lady is back?”

“Lady?”

The boy's eyes widened in surprise.

“Tail fur?”

“Don’t call me that—! ...Ahem.”

Annoyed by the way the boy addressed her, Beatty quickly regained her composure and spoke up.

“You’re troubled because there’s no food, right?”

“Ah…”

“Are you worried for us? How sweet of you.”

The people, whose faces had been hardened in seriousness, now seemed momentarily warmed by her words.

“The kind young lady is comforting us, and it really lifts our spirits.”

While the people around her praised her, Beatty shook her head in disbelief.

That wasn’t why she had spoken up.

“I have a solution!”

Beatty confidently stepped forward, holding out the item she had hidden behind her.

“This is it!”

The eyes of everyone around her widened in shock as they recognized the object in her hand.

“That… that’s…!”