At these words, Evangeline understood.
In other words, the members of the Grymdale Tribe were all Snake Beastmen!
She hadn't known this, but the body's original owner certainly had. After all, when the Oasis Tribe was annihilated, the attackers had been a writhing mass of massive, multicolored pythons. The mere thought of the sight was enough to make your skin crawl.
Evangeline sifted through the original owner's memories, her face twisting as if she'd eaten something rotten.
The original owner had dragged Thorne back to the tribe, forced him into a Contract, and then proceeded to beat and abuse him daily. This was partly because Thorne was proud, untamable, and radiated murderous intent, but it was also because the original owner simply didn't like "cold-blooded" Beast Husbands.
To put it bluntly, she liked her beastmen fluffy, not scaly.
Despite his Beast Crystal being carved out and his Star Pattern shattered—leaving Thorne unable to shift between his human and beast forms—it didn't stop the original owner's loathing. If not for the fact that only a Contract sanctioned by the Beast God could truly restrain a beastman and protect a female, the original owner would never have bothered to bind herself to him at all.
That's right. It was a complete and utter humiliation.
This also explained why the Grymdale Tribe's warriors were all in their beast forms when they annihilated the Oasis Tribe.
'Thorne must have done it deliberately,' Evangeline guessed, 'just to spite the original owner.'
"These Snake Beastmen are sinister and extremely territorial," Verdant said. "You have to make sure they don't find you. Otherwise..." He trailed off, but his gaze on Evangeline turned to one of pity.
The Grymdale Tribe already looked down on members of their vassal tribes, to say nothing of Evangeline—the one who had shattered the Star Pattern of their number one Warrior, Thorne. If they found her, she would surely face a torturous end.
Saskia dismounted from her Beast Husband and approached the Sentinel Beastmen. "I am the Witch of the Midridge Tribe," she said softly. "I'd like to ask if something major has happened in the Grymdale Tribe. There isn't any danger, is there?"
Upon hearing the word "Witch," the disdainful expressions on the Sentinel Beastmen's faces eased slightly.
A Witch was a messenger of the Beast God, a position that commanded even more respect than that of a tribe's leader.
The Sentinel Beastmen hesitated, reluctant to discuss Grymdale Tribe matters with an outsider, even a Witch.
Saskia's expression soured. "I'm practically one of the Grymdale Tribe already," she said, her voice low and stern. "I will be forming a Contract with Elias Moretti! I'm not asking you as a Witch, but as Elias Moretti's future mate!"
She had never been to the Grymdale Tribe before and felt a sense of unease. That, combined with their mention of a "major event" and the Beast God's wrath today, which had caused fissures to open all over Norfell, made her tense. If she didn't get a clear picture of the situation and it ended up affecting the people of the Midridge Tribe, her own prestige would take a serious hit.
Hearing this, the sentinels' eyes widened. They shot Saskia a strange look. "A Contract?"
They exchanged glances. Elias Moretti was their future leader. How could he possibly form a Contract with an outsider female?
Though they didn't believe her, the Sentinel Beastmen had no desire to offend Saskia. If she was bold enough to say it, she must have some kind of ambiguous relationship with Elias Moretti. Offending him over this just wasn't worth the trouble.
"The Beast God's wrath today didn't cause any major incidents in the tribe itself, but... our Female Leader was injured. Everyone is saying it's because Thorne insisted on slaughtering the Oasis Tribe and even killed their Witch. That's what angered the Beast God and brought this punishment down on the Grymdale Tribe. It's divine retribution! We have to find a way to ask the Beast God for forgiveness!"
At these words, Saskia's expression flickered. "The Female Leader was injured? Is she alright?"
Though she'd never been to the Grymdale Tribe, she had spent a great deal of time and effort currying favor with their Female Leader, all because of her connection to Elias Moretti. It was all for the sake of forming a Contract with him and securing her place within the Grymdale Tribe.
She had been currying favor for so long; if something happened to the leader now, wouldn't it all have been for nothing?
The Sentinel Beastman shook his head. "The Female Leader is fine. Our Witch has already treated her."
Saskia let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to speak again, someone pushed past her to the front.
Evangeline's brows knitted as she faced the Sentinel Beastmen. "Ask for the Beast God's forgiveness? How do you do that?"
'It was clearly an earthquake, but they had to chalk it up to the Beast God's anger. How utterly ignorant. Still, for the people of the Grymdale Tribe to pin all the blame on Thorne just to make themselves feel better... that couldn't be a good sign.'
'Thorne had indeed slaughtered the Oasis Tribe, but that was karma.'
'If the original Evangeline hadn't ruined the lives of Thorne and several other Beast Husbands, they wouldn't have resorted to such extreme and brutal measures. In the end, it was all the original owner's sin that brought about this karmic result.'
'I'm not the original owner. I can't empathize with those feelings, and I'm certainly not going to start hating Thorne just because the Oasis Tribe was wiped out.'
'I'm here for a comfortable retirement, and completing my mission is just a means to make that retirement better. I'm not here to get emotionally invested. The only thing I care about is whether I can continue living my peaceful life.'
'So far, the environment and climate of the Beastman Continent are quite nice. There's no shortage of food or water, and I can even enjoy a sort of primitive, idyllic lifestyle. Add to that having The Fair Consort by my side... I'm quite satisfied. I have no desire to move.'
'Of course, the most important thing is that here, I can use my own powers unconditionally, without any restrictions.'
'But if my Beast Husband were to die, this little world would shatter, the mission would be declared a failure, and my retirement would be over.'
"Do you even have a right to speak here?" Saskia scoffed, looking at Evangeline who had pushed her way to the front. She was so angry she almost had to laugh.
'Elias Moretti's attitude toward this ugly female is unusual. I have to be on my guard.'
"Shut up!" Evangeline snapped. She turned to glare at Saskia, her eyes glinting with a cold light that drained the color from Saskia's face. Saskia froze, forgetting even to tremble as sweat beaded in her palms.
The Sentinel Beastmen were taken aback for a moment, stunned to see such a fierce female.
They had already said so much, there was no point in hiding the rest. One of them continued, "Our Witch has declared that we must hold a Totem Sacrifice to ask for the Beast God's forgiveness. It's supposed to happen tonight."
"A Totem Sacrifice?" Evangeline frowned. It didn't sound particularly alarming on its own.
But beside her, Saskia, having recovered from her shock, suddenly paled. She seemed afraid. "A Totem Sacrifice?" she whispered.
Seeing the sudden change in Saskia's expression, one of the Sentinel Beastmen chuckled. "What's there to be nervous about? You lot are in luck. We already have a sacrifice for this one, so we won't be needing anyone from your Midridge Tribe."
Hearing this, Saskia visibly relaxed. Ignoring Evangeline, she turned and stepped back into the crowd.
But the words "Totem Sacrifice" sent a shockwave through the members of the Midridge Tribe, like water dropped into sizzling oil. A wave of fear silenced the beastmen, many of them suddenly regretting their journey to the Grymdale Tribe.
Evangeline's frown deepened, a sharp glint in her eyes. "The sacrifice you mentioned... it's Thorne, isn't it?"
The Sentinel Beastmen were momentarily intimidated by her expression, but then they caught themselves. 'She's just some female from the Midridge Tribe,' they thought. 'What's there to be afraid of?'
One of them snorted. "Hah, and so what if it is Thorne? He's not Norfell's number one Warrior anymore. He has no Beast Crystal, his Star Pattern is shattered, and he doesn't even hunt. He's a useless waste! And now he's gotten us punished by the Beast God. If not him, who else would we sacrifice?"
The words had barely left his mouth when a deep, heavy sound boomed from within the Grymdale Tribe. It was like a giant hammer striking an ancient boulder. DONG—DONG—The very air seemed to tremble with each strike.
The heavy sound echoed over the Grymdale Tribe, drawing the eyes of every beastman present.
"The Totem Sacrifice is starting!" The Sentinel Beastmen's expressions changed. Forgetting all about the people from Midridge, they took off running toward the heart of the tribe.