Tribe Conquest: Harem starts in a tribe!-Chapter 18: Sira!

"Father, are we just going to sit still and do nothing?" Rokan’s voice, polite and curious, resounded in the dimly lit room.

This room belonged to Trula, the vice patriarch. Currently he sat behind a long wooden table, a furry, comfy chair beneath him.

Trula’s eyes shone with a cold bright light.

"Of course not." he answered, a smile creeping up on his lips. "I’m going to see him die with my own eyes. Till then I cannot put my heart to rest."

"But how, Father? The patriarch has forbidden us to even go near him."

"You’re still not on my level, Rokan." Trula leaned back with a confident smile. "The patriarch can protect him inside the tribe, but what about when Buan goes out to hunt? You are also aware that there are no animals in the tribe to hunt. It’s not like he can hunt those fast birds in the forest of the outer circle. The birds fly in the air while we hunt on land. If he was a warrior, then it might’ve been different, but currently he is helpless."

He paused momentarily and then continued: "Neither does he have money to buy food from merchants nor anyone will lend him any. There is already a loan on him. Then there are the tribal taxes. He was exempted from them for a year because of the former patriarch’s death; however, the year is over. He will have to earn money to pay taxes; otherwise even his house can be confiscated."

Rokan’s eyes widened in realization. "And he cannot depend on menial labor to earn that enormous amount of money. The only way is to become a warrior, and to become a warrior, he will need to hunt spirit beasts."

Trula nodded. "Correct. His only hope of surviving lies in leaving the tribe’s jurisdiction to hunt for food. And if he tries to go after a spirit beast, we wouldn’t even need to make a move. With his crippled leg, the spirit beast will make short work of him."

Rokan was impressed. "Excellent, Father. Judging by his situation, he doesn’t appear to have a long life ahead of him. And once he dies, Lira and her mother won’t have anywhere else to go. You can marry Lady Selera and gain grand elder’s support. Once the Grand Elder is supporting you, no one can stop you from becoming the next patriarch."

Rokan was beaming with optimism, finding his situation most favorable.

Trula, however, was of the different opinion.

His gaze was thoughtful. "No. You cannot underestimate the blood in his veins. " Trula said, shaking his head with a grave expression. "The former patriarch was like a different species altogether. If he is his son, you cannot lower your guard against him. If by any slim chance, the blood in him shows its color, he can still become a problem."

He paused and revealed an evil smile at Rokan. "Therefore, I have sent some warriors to worsen his situation, and if everything went favorably, Buan should be left with another broken leg or hand."

Rokan shuddered after seeing the smile on his father’s face.

’He really surprises me every time. Thank god, I’m his son. I wouldn’t want to be his enemy.’

...

Meanwhile, Buan had just lowered his bow, calming down upon seeing the beautiful figure of the girl in front of him.

She had long, jet-black hair styled in thick braids adorned with small feathers, wooden beads, and bone accents, crowned by tall antler-like headdress pieces wrapped in feathers. Her amber eyes glinted with a confident, slightly teasing gaze. Her body, athletic yet voluptuously curved, was covered in intricate spirit tattoos that spiraled and angled across her arms, torso, and legs in deep charcoal patterns. Leather straps carrying daggers hugged her lower thighs.

She wore a minimal outfit to allow free movement in combat: a dark woven bandeau top with geometric borders and feather trims that barely contained her full bust, paired with a short, fringed skirt of braided leather and rough cloth secured by a wide belt of cords and metal accents. Arm guards of blackened bone and metal sheathed her forearms, while layered necklaces of beads, shells, and bone rested against her collarbone.

[Image.]

She was Sira Nile, the younger sister of Xira Nile, and according to the original owner’s memories, she was also Buan’s only friend in this ruthless tribe.

"Buan. I heard about what happened." Her expression reflected worry and guilt. "Are you doing okay?"

Buan didn’t know how to reply. He had lost a leg and became a cripple. For a warrior, this would be worse than death.

However, he wasn’t a child to whine to his friend about it.

He smiled solemnly and nodded. "I’m fine."

Sira could also see that Buan was saying that just for the sake of it, but deep down, he was afraid.

However, Sira was also helpless. Even if she had been with Buan, there was little she could do.

She was only a 2-star spirit warrior, and that too was thanks to her sister. She felt blessed to have someone to protect and support her; however, Buan didn’t have anyone like that.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t here to support you."

"It’s alright."

Buan didn’t have any expectations from anyone. After just a single night in this new world, he had realized that he could only rely on himself and the spell.

Maybe even the spell wasn’t on his side, but he hoped that it was.

"What do you plan to do now?" Sira asked inquisitively, her tone soft and reluctant.

Sira was aware of Buan’s whole situation. She knew he had a huge loan to repay and even about his daily life struggles.

Even in the past, Sira was the one who shared her hunts with Buan to not let him starve.

Buan didn’t even leave the tribe after his father died due to the fear of being assassinated by Rokan or the vice patriarch.

His weakness was even more infuriating because his father, the former patriarch, could’ve helped him become stronger, but he was stubborn about not helping Buan or any of his children.

He wanted them to face problems, deal with them, and grow stronger without anyone’s help. He didn’t even allow others to help them.

If he had just helped Buan, he wouldn’t be suffering like this right now.

"I plan to hunt a spirit beast and become a warrior." Buan stated in a flat tone.

"What?" Sira’s eyes widened with shock.

The next second she asked. "How will you hunt a spirit beast? Do you have anyone to help you?"

Even for her, a 2-star spirit warrior, hunting a spirit beast would be a dangerous endeavor, and she was only talking about a 1-star spirit beast. If a higher star spirit beast were to appear, she would definitely lose her life.

In the forest, it was common for a higher star spirit beast to appear while warriors were fighting another lower star spirit beast.

Spirit beasts were attracted by the sound of fighting and blood. In the forest, hunting a spirit beast alone was almost a death sentence, unless you were of a higher star level than the spirit beast you were hunting.

However, for a non-warrior like Buan, and that too a cripple, hunting a spirit beast was a pipe dream.

From Sira’s perspective, it almost looked like Buan was trying to commit suicide.

"I will hunt alone." Buan stated indifferently. "I plan to hunt one in 28 days."

Sira’s eyes were wide open; however, she didn’t say anything. She could feel that Buan was serious. She could also see that he had changed somehow from the last time she met him.

"Here! I found him!" A sudden shout resounded behind Buan at this moment.

The Ashveil Columbidae flew away due to this loud voice.

Buan and Sira looked in the direction from where the shout came.

They then saw four spirit warriors approaching towards them, currently about 60 meters away.

Buan didn’t recognize them, however, Sira did.

"They are newly advanced warriors who recently joined the army. The one in front is their captain, a 2-star spirit warrior of strength type." Sira whispered to Buan.

Buan suddenly had a bad premonition as he suddenly heard the spell’s voice.

The air in front of him shimmered as the runes appeared.

<MISSION: Escape or Fight>

The letters sharpened.

<Objective: Do not receive heavy damage.>

And underneath, smaller, sharper, dripping sarcasm:

<Failure penalty: Fractured Bones. Reduced Survival Chances.>

Tip: Bravery is admirable. Functional bones are preferable.

Pro Tip: Running is faster when you start before they catch you.

Buan’s mind raced.

’Can they really be so bold? This is clearly a planned attack. Didn’t the patriarch just warn the vice-patriarch to leave me alone?’

He glanced at Sira and said in a suppressed voice. "We should leave. I think they are coming after me."

Sira frowned. "How can that be? They can’t attack you inside the tribe so openly."

"Then how do you explain what he shouted?" Buan asked in a heavy tone.

The reason Buan was trying so hard to convince Sira instead of just running away was simple. He was a cripple with an artificial leg. Not even in nine lifetimes could he outrun spirit warriors.

Only Sira, a 2-star speed-type spirit warrior, could outrun them.

"You’re correct." Sira’s eyes widened in realization. "One of them yelled that he found you."

Buan’s eyes brightened. "Yes. Let’s run before they catch us."

"No." Sira shook her head. "They will need a reason to attack you. They can’t be so reckless as to attack you without one, that too in front of me. Let me talk to them and send them away."

Sira had lived in the tribe all her life, and she had never seen a warrior target anyone without a reason. She was confident that she could send them away simply by confronting them.

"Why won’t you listen to me?" Buan asked in a hurried tone; however, until then, the four warriors were already close.

"Lady Sira. What are you doing here?" The captain asked respectfully.

Sira stepped forward and answered. "I’m here to see my friend, Buan. What are you warriors doing here?"

"We are just patrolling the forest to check the safety..." He stopped in the middle of speaking and glanced at Buan.

Buan’s head was lowered to not match their gaze and avoid any trouble.

However, as if intentionally looking for trouble, the captain suddenly yelled at Buan.

"How dare you look down on us? Do you think we are beneath a cripple like you?"

Then, for a moment, he revealed an evil smile before ordering. "Go and beat that scoundrel!"

Buan’s eyes widened incredulously as his mouth twitched.

’What the actual fuck?...’

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)