7. Knir: The Owl-kin mage

"What is happening here?" Tsuth's voice shook the ground. 

Hilda had seen an orc from a distance. However, this was her first time seeing an orc elder of a large clan. It would be like comparing a bodybuilder's physique to that of a marathon runner if you compared them to a regular orc.

They are strong enough to start their clan, but they decide to join the army of one of the Omen and act as a general.

None of the chiefs had expected the army's general to appear suddenly. 

"Why the hell are all these mongrels barking in the morning?" Tsuth looked around, finding no one dared to look at him. "There is not a single word coming out of your mouth anymore. Why aren't you answering? Blood Axe? Wind fur?" 

"An untamed hyena from his tribe killed my tribe's seed, a great hyena. It even tore off a hand of my tamer." Wind fur was the first to explain.

"It is because your tribe is too weak."

Hilda was a moment away from doing a facepalm or facepaw. Hilda was certain that the chief would have made some foolish decisions and would have perished by now if it weren't for the shaman.

"Shut up." And a curtain of silence dropped again. "An untamed hyena killed a great hyena? Is it still alive?"

"Hilda!" Blood Axe called.

Hilda stood up. Their eyes met. Hilda felt that she was being crushed under enormous pressure.

"It is named?" Tsuth couldn't help but feel amused. The hyena they were talking about had half of its fur burned away. One side of the face was burned, exposing its body gum and part of its skull.

Yet, the feeling those eyes were giving off was far from battle-crazed gnoll. Instead, Tsuth felt there were some signs of intelligence.

"Lord Skuld had named her." The shaman added, "It had received an enlightenment shard from Lord Zahr."

"They are lying. There is no way a beast can gain enlightenment. And the Lord Zahr is not even here. He is…"

"Shut up." Receiving Tsuth's glare, Wind Fur instinctively stepped back. "If you lie to me…"

Hilda couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and waved her tail. Four earthen ropes shot from the ground and wrapped around Tsuth's arm. Tsuth waved his hand, creating wind, and the ropes turned into dust.

'I wanted to hide it as long as possible. However, if I really want to expose it, I should do it in front of someone who could protect me from this petty squabble.'

The orc that stood behind Tsuth was about to attack her. Tsuth raised his hand to stop him. Tsuth looked at the shaman, who was equally shocked to see her using magic.

"When did it receive the enlightenment shard?"

"Two weeks."

"And it can already use magic?"

"It even hunted a kobold mage yesterday."

"Knir!" Hilda wasn't sure why, but Tsuth screamed all of a sudden.

In the next moment, a black body appeared beside Tsuth. Even if it was six feet tall, it looked small compared to Trusth.

"Yup, I have seen it." She said it in a hoarse voice.

'A beast-kin. An Owl-kin at that.' It was her first time seeing one. However, it was the fact that it was standing right beside Tusth; she didn't even realize it.

Knir kneeled to touch Hilda's tail right away. "I don't know what type of enlightenment that dark elf had bestowed on it, but now it has a core in its tail."

"So, it is a hyena elder now?"

"Not yet." 

"It can use magic, but not an elder?"

"We have to wait and see. It still has a chance to become an…" Knir didn't complete her words and stood up.

'This fucker, too.' Hilda really wants to beat her up. 'Why the hell is everyone so secretive about it?'

"I will be taking this one with me." 

Hilda witnessed black tentacles emerge from the earth and ensnare her before anyone could react. She didn't feel any physical contact, but her mana sense went haywire.

The stomach turned as if she were on a rollercoaster, the wind sucked out of her lungs, and she almost lost consciousness.

"How the hell did that one get into the magic circle?"

Grrrr…

Hilda opened her eyes, only to find Black Mane standing in front of her, growling at Owl-kin Mage Knir.

"Get behind." Hilda was sure Black Mane was some kind of masochist. Otherwise, why would it be protective of the one that defeated it?

Black Mane moved to her side and sat down. Its eyes didn't leave Knir.

"It will certainly be a woman when she becomes gnoll."

'Black Mane?' Hilda checked on Black Mane. She was sure there was nothing about Black Mane that looked like a girl. It would become a futa even if it did not become a girl.

When a hyena evolved into a gnoll, it could decide its gender. It can be male or female. They could even remain futanari in some cases.

"So, you really understand my words. Good. Then show me the enlightenment magic circle you have inherited from Zahr."

Hilda stared at Knir, and she stared back at her. 

"What are you waiting for?"

'Why do you want to see?' Hilda had no idea what her intention was, whether she was just curious or had some kind of intention of experimenting on her.

Of course, Knir couldn't hear her thoughts. However, the looks in Hilda's eyes made her realize she didn't believe her.

"You have already signed a contract with that devil. What are you worried about anymore?" Knir shook her head while pulling a piece of parchment from her robe.

Even if it looked like grey parchment, it was giving off a funny smell. And her choice of words had made her more worried.

That dark elf was some kind of omen. Although Hilda doesn't know what an omen is, after hearing others, she is sure it is some kind of powerhouse.

If she had to divide the creatures of this world, that would be based on the fact that some use light mana and some use darkness. And it would be permanently fixed at birth.

Members of the darkness fraction included goblins as well as orcs. Hilda didn't know much about the light fraction other than that they were the mortal enemies of the darkness fraction.

The four omens, seven witches, and thirteen warlords are a small group of powerful beings revered by all creatures in the darkness fraction.

One example of a warlord is the leader of the Orc tribe, to which Tsuth belonged. Next, we have Orth, the omen of conflict, who plotted this invasion in the land of light.

However, what Hilda was most surprised about was the fact that the dark elf was the omen of the plague. And this woman in front of her would dare to call him 'that' elf before everybody.

Hilda didn't know the real identity of Knir, but the idea that she could refer to it as an omen baffled her.

"Tear it." Knir put down the parchment in front of her. "If you tear it up, you can speak our language."

'Oh!' Hilda tried to remember the magic circle Knir had just created on the parchment.

"Do you learn it?" Knir smiled at the enthusiastic hyena, adding, "If you want, I can teach you."

"Really?" Hilda couldn't say it out loud, but Knir had understood his intention.

"Only if you answer me truthfully."

Hilda looked at the magic circle before biting off the parchment.

"What do you want to know? Oh!" Even Hilda didn't expect it to be so effective.

[Due to the effect of the magic circle, the host will be able to voice his thoughts out loud.]

"Oh! Human tongue." Knir frowned, asking, "Why are you talking in a language affiliated with one of the light species?"

"How would I know? Oh! The spell is voicing out every one of my thoughts."

"Could it be because you have killed too many humans? Or because you have absorbed human aura?"

"It was your spell. You should have known better."

"You sounded quite arrogant. That is not the tone you should be using."

"How would I know? I didn't even talk before today. Wait! I am not even talking. That spell of yours is turning every thought into a voice. I don't even know how to control my thoughts."

"Show me the inheritance circle the bastard elf had bestowed upon you."

"How?"

"On this." Knir whipped out another parchment.

Hilda didn't hesitate. She controlled her aura and yellow mana, sewing the mana circle on the parchment.

"You are more accustomed to using aura than I expected. It looks like your intelligence is quite high. Oh!"

Hilda didn't leave out the part that could control her core when she showed the mana circle.

"That bastard even put a mole in the circle too." Knir paused momentarily, looking directly at her eyes, asking, "Is that why you have the core in your tail? No, it couldn't be. You can't be that intelligent. Could you?"

"I think I am intelligent enough."

"Do you know what this part would do?"

"Isn't that the mole you are talking about?"

"What are you?"

"I am a hyena."

"Hyena? A human would have called you a gnoll beast. That is not important now. There is no way you could have understood that. Even if it is a beginner inheritance magic circle, it is still not something you can decipher independently."

Hilda didn't utter a single word as Knir continued mumbling, "But you didn't just learn how to sense mana, but also created a core. You even understood ancient language… Are you a reincarnated soul? Is that why you were talking in human language?"

"Me? A human? I have killed more humans than you can think of. You can ask the shaman."

"Denial! So, where are you from? Church of Shinok? Empire of Gunder? Were you a vagabond?"

"What are those?"

"It doesn't look like you are lying."

"How do you know? Did you hide some truth circles in the magic circle? There is…" Hilda forced herself to stop thinking.

"Do you think I am like that elf? It is just hard to hide your true intention."

Hilda was sure she was telling the truth. Otherwise, her ability would have stopped her. But she dared not look at that owl's face any longer.

"Are you cursing me?"

"What the hell do you want? If there is nothing else, I would like to leave."

"There isn't much I want from you."

"Then why do you bring me here?"

"I have never seen an elemental beast before."

"What is an elemental beast?"

"The thing you are trying to become."

"An elemental beast! So, that was what that idiot elf was trying to talk about!"

"You didn't put that part inside your core, did you?"

"Do you think I am some kind of idiot? Why would I use that if I knew it would be harmful?" Hilda shook her head, asking, "Tell me about the element beast."

"Why would I?" 

Hilda wasn't an expert in understanding the expression of an owl-kin, but she felt she smirked at her.

"Then don't."

"I can help you. But I have a condition."

"You are someone who would hesitate to curse at a great omen, and you are asking for help from a mere beast like me? Why?"

"Then let me show you some goodwill."

"There is no need. I don't want to owe you anything."

"Even if you could avoid that elf who had given you your enlightenment shard, do you think he would let you go if he had learned that you could decipher it?"

Hilda took a deep breath as Knir continued, "Or did you think that that elf who could turn an entire kingdom into a desolate land wouldn't be able to inscribe a slave circle on your soul?"

Hilda was sure that he would be able to do that. Nevertheless, his only option would be to murder her. And Hilda was not interested in dying yet.

"What do you want?"

"Let me make sure that you will be useful to me…"

*Grrrr…*

Hilda wasn't sure if Black Mane understood their talk, but its growling perfectly interpreted Hilda's intention.

"Don't worry. I am not going to use any cheap tricks to make you follow me." She pushed a glass ball in front of her, asking, "Why don't we check your element first? Just put your paw, and it will do."

As Hilda did as she was told, the glass ball glowed.

"Earth and water." Even without Knir pointing it out, Hilda could see a yellow and blue cloud inside the glass ball. "You keep on surprising me. To think you are a duel elemental…"

"Is that good enough?"

"You are too impatient." Knir threw something at her, but Hilda didn't catch that. The blue-colored stone fell in front of her.

"Why didn't you catch it? That is a water mana stone."

"And you are giving me because…"

"I am investing in your future."

"I don't think I would need that."

"Use it. Otherwise, you won't be able to use water magic."

"That won't be… khhaaa." Hilda paused before she tried to repeat it. "Khhhhaaaa…"

"Looks like the effect of the spell is over. Keep the water mana stone; you would need that."

Hilda didn't get the chance to respond as the dark tentacles started to come out of the ground again and envelope them.