Chapter 91

“……”

For a moment, a heavy silence filled the air, signaling an unusual tension.

Kililul held his breath and stared at the Hiliberry in Louise’s hand.

The other wild men nearby also held their breath, wondering if it could truly be a genuine Hiliberry.

Alec silently observed the situation.

He had felt this way before, but whenever such moments arose, he was always curious to see how Louise would handle the situation.

Louise spoke again, breaking the silence.

“Now that I think about it, Kililul, you’ve never actually seen a Hiliberry before, have you?”

“……”

Kililul’s gaze sharpened. Slowly lifting his eyes from the Hiliberry, he fixed them on Louise.

Surely, Kililul must have proposed something impossible to drive them away.

But now that they had brought the legendary elixir, how would he react?

“You really brought… a Hiliberry?”

“Of course. We didn’t expect to find it ourselves. We didn’t have high hopes when we climbed Mount Kalanysh. Who would’ve thought the legendary elixir actually existed?”

“…Bring it closer.”

When Kililul gestured to Kels, Kels stepped forward.

Louise picked up one Hiliberry and handed it to Kels.

Kililul inspected the berry with a serious expression.

At first glance, the fruit resembled a small, round, red cherry, but on closer inspection, it looked more like a tiny peach.

To both Alec and Louise, it was a strange and unfamiliar fruit.

“I’ve roamed Mount Kalanysh all my life, but I’ve never seen a fruit like this.”

At Kililul’s words, Kels also spoke, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

“Not just the mountain—nowhere in the north have I seen such a fruit.”

“Well, of course. It’s a Hiliberry,” Louise said.

The other wild men pressed their lips together, unable to respond.

Could such a fruit really exist in this world?

Even if they wanted to find a similar fruit and deceive them by calling it a Hiliberry, it seemed impossible to fake.

The wild men had no choice but to believe that Louise and her companion had truly brought a real Hiliberry.

Yet, they still seemed to be in denial of the reality.

“Who’s to say there aren’t more of these fruits in the capital?”

“If you’re that curious, why don’t you go check for yourself?”

At the persistent doubts, Louise shrugged slightly.

When she first acquired the Hiliberry, her system had already confirmed her quest’s success, so there was no doubt about the berry’s identity.

But because no one had ever seen such a fruit, even Kililul couldn’t believe it right away.

Finally, Kililul took a small bite of the berry.

Before descending the mountain, both Alec and Louise had tasted one as well.

The texture and flavor were a mix of peach, strawberry, and cherry, with a sweet and mysterious taste that blossomed upon eating it.

Kililul frowned slightly, as if he had just experienced the flavor.

Louise seized the moment.

“Isn’t it incredibly sweet? Honestly, I was just as surprised when I first saw the fruit. I had never seen anything like it before. The taste, the appearance—I knew instantly that it was the legendary fruit.”

“……”

“I guess my husband and I were really lucky. We stumbled upon it while dodging a polar bear that kept attacking us.”

Louise finished with a faint smile.

But Kililul remained silent, glaring at Louise with an intense focus.

Was it that he didn’t want to admit it?

Yet, he didn’t seem able to deny it either.

It seemed unlikely that Kililul would openly acknowledge it right away.

After all, it was a shocking event that defied his beliefs, so he probably needed time to process it.

At last, Kililul spoke.

“…I don’t know what kind of miracle brought this about, but you’ve certainly managed to retrieve the Hiliberry.”

“……”

Louise’s breath hitched slightly.

Kililul’s tone had finally shifted to one of belief, and she seemed relieved.

Kililul smirked.

“Mount Kalanysh isn’t exactly a joke, and I didn’t think you’d actually be bold enough to venture up there.”

Louise clenched her fist, but kept a forced smile.

“We plan to go hiking there more often now, so I guess this was a good trial run.”

Louise bit her lip slightly.

Sparks seemed to fly in the intense gazes exchanged between her and Kililul.

From Alec’s perspective, it was a rare sight to see a battle of wills between a real noblewoman and a wild man, like something out of a novel.

Kililul laughed again.

“For now, I’ll let you go in one piece, as promised. Though I’m not sure what secret you’re hiding.”

“Well, I hope you’ll accept the gift we brought for you this time. As a token of our new partnership,” Louise said with a faint smile, causing Kililul’s face to harden slightly.

It was as if he couldn’t believe she wouldn’t back down even a little.

Finally, Louise reached into a pocket inside her cloak and pulled out another bundle wrapped in silk.

“If you need more, feel free to visit Wiltsbrook Castle anytime.”

When Louise glanced at Kels, he flinched slightly before approaching her.

It was quite a substantial amount of Hiliberry.

Kililul watched, his expression hard, as Kels received the berries from Louise.

Did Kililul know?

‘Unless Aksen is eliminated, the wild men will also fall to him in the end.’

Unfortunately, there was no evidence that could convince Kililul to believe in the future.

As Louise and Alec turned to leave, Kililul’s gaze shifted toward Alec.

Alec did not avoid the look.

Though he had never expected their cooperation, interference would be problematic.

If Kililul and his people got in their way, a battle would be unavoidable.

For now, they were getting by because of the Hiliberry, but Alec hoped Kililul would make decisions that were in the best interest of the wild men.

As they finally turned away, the intense eye contact between him and Kililul broke.

Alec could still feel Kililul’s gaze following them as they left the wild men’ camp, receiving curious stares from the others.

It was only after they had left that Louise let out a small sigh of relief.

“He’s definitely not an easy person to deal with. But do you think the tension has eased a bit?”

At her question, Alec gave a small nod.

“It seems so.”

Though Kililul hadn’t shown it due to his pride, bringing the Hiliberry must have left quite a strong impression.

Perhaps Kililul had even developed some interest in them.

“I should invite him to the castle soon and treat him to the best food the capital has to offer.”

As Louise spoke, they had moved far enough from the wild men’ settlement.

“We should be able to leave from here,” Alec said.

“Got it,” Louise replied, snuggling into his arms. Alec held her tightly in return.

Since they didn’t have a carriage, they planned to use their skills to reach Kanak and rent one there.

Though they had given the wild men a large amount of Hiliberry, Louise still had plenty left.

And Alec had the ones Cassdain had obtained from somewhere as well.

[Skill: Swift.]

In an instant, their presence disappeared faster than the wind.

Kels, who had been secretly watching them, gasped.

“……!”

What did he just witness?

Kels blinked and quickly looked around.

The noble couple had vanished without a trace.

How could someone, who wasn’t even a wildling, move like the wind?

With his heart pounding, Kels hurriedly ran to Kililul.

“Kililul! Kililul!”

Kililul, who had been standing with his arms crossed, staring at the wall in deep thought, turned around curiously.

“What’s the matter?”

Without even catching his breath, Kels rushed to Kililul and whispered what he had seen.

Kililul’s reddish-brown eyes darkened with a serious intensity.

The doubts he had been harboring were now confirmed.

“Of course… I should’ve known. They weren’t ordinary people, considering they found the Hiliberry.”

“Could they really be envoy of the gods or something?”

“……”

Kililul fell into deep contemplation.

The nobleman and woman who had appeared, claiming to become lords of the north, had been extraordinary from the very beginning.

He could feel their overwhelming presence and energy through his animalistic instincts.

That’s why he needed to keep a close watch on them, to determine whether they would be a threat to the north.

If they were truly allies, it would be fine, but if they were enemies, they would be incredibly dangerous.

Kililul gave Kels a nod.

“Take that and distribute it.”

“Huh? The Hiliberry?”

Kels looked at the berries Kililul pointed to, confused.

“Yes. Give one each to the children and women.”

“But… that’s such a precious item…”

The Hiliberry had been a dream fruit for every wild man since childhood, a legendary fruit they’d only heard of in stories.

But no one alive, aside from a wildling centuries ago, had ever tasted it.

Everyone was surely buzzing with excitement over the news that the noble couple had brought Hiliberry.

“Don’t make me ask twice. Just take it.”

“…Ah, understood. I’ll prepare your share as well, Kililul.”

“I don’t need any more. I already ate one.”

“But still, Kililul, you should have more—”

“Not a fan of sweets.”

“…Understood.”

Kels quietly withdrew with the Hiliberry, understanding Kililul’s intention to let the wild men taste the legendary fruit. He could already picture how the people would be deeply moved by Kililul’s generosity and filled with happiness.

Kililul turned back to face the wall, resuming his thoughts about the noble couple.

‘Could they be trusted?’

They possessed extraordinary power, making them potential allies, but if they were enemies, he was ready to confront them until the end.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories