Chapter 38: Mine’s The Best

Her face was dusty, her clothes carried traces of dried clay, and she looked exhausted after spending the night outdoors.

Behind her walked Ace, Lucas, and Xavier, each carrying strange brown containers unlike anything anyone in the tribe had ever seen.

The crowd collectively gasped.

Without paying attention to the shocked expressions around her, Sora hurried straight toward Lukan.

"I brought you something!"

She rummaged through her animal-skin bag before proudly producing a beautifully fired clay bowl.

Its surface was decorated with the crude image of a gray wolf.

Sora beamed.

"Don’t listen to their nonsense."

"I made this especially for you."

"There’s only one exactly like it."

Lukan stared silently at the bowl.

Before he could respond—

Ace folded his arms with an exaggerated snort.

"So apparently mine doesn’t count."

Xavier clicked his tongue.

"Ours were obviously just practice pieces."

Lucas lazily lifted his own bowl.

"His is unique."

"Our drawings look ridiculous."

The three of them wore expressions somewhere between amusement and complaint.

Lukan slowly looked from the bowl in his hands to the matching pottery carried by the other three.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Sora immediately noticed.

Uh-oh.

She suddenly realized exactly how suspicious this looked.

She had intended to surprise Lukan.

Instead, it appeared as though she had secretly spent an entire day and night making matching gifts for three other males before finally giving him one too.

She suddenly felt as though the bowl had become unbearably heavy.

Quickly waving both hands, she said,

"No, no—that isn’t what happened!"

"I really did make yours especially for you!"

Lukan remained quiet.

His sharp wolf-like eyes rested on her face, searching for an explanation.

There were too many questions.

Why had she disappeared overnight without saying anything?

Why had she traveled with the other three?

Why did they suddenly seem so familiar with her?

And what exactly were these strange clay bowls?

Most importantly...

If his bowl was unique...

...why did the others have bowls as well?

Seeing the growing misunderstanding, Sora took a deep breath.

"I really didn’t lie."

She pointed proudly at the gray wolf carved into Lukan’s bowl.

"See this?"

"I carved a wolf because it represents you."

"Each of their bowls has a completely different drawing."

"They’re all one of a kind."

Lukan lowered his eyes toward the bowl again.

At almost the same moment, Ace, Lucas, and Xavier instinctively pulled their own bowls behind their backs.

Too late.

Lukan had already caught a glimpse.

One bowl carried something resembling a stretched earthworm.

Another featured what looked suspiciously like an oversized dog with dots poked into its face.

The last displayed an awkward chicken with absurdly long tail feathers.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

The three beastmen wished the ground would open beneath them.

If anyone in the tribe discovered those crude drawings were supposed to represent them, their reputations would never recover.

Ace coughed awkwardly.

Lucas looked away.

Xavier quietly hid his bowl even farther behind his back.

Five-tier beast warriors reduced to such ugly little sketches?

Their reputations would be ruined.

Seeing their guilty expressions, Sora quickly became anxious.

"You don’t believe me?"

"If you want, I’ll show you everyone else’s bowl!"

She reached toward Xavier first.

The three beastmen immediately stiffened.

"No!"

For the first time...

All three of them silently prayed the same thing.

Please don’t show them.

Sora blinked in confusion.

"What are you hiding them for?"

No one answered.

If everyone saw those drawings...

...they would never recover from the humiliation.

Fortunately, Lukan suddenly smiled.

"You don’t have to."

Lukan looked once more at the wolf carved into his own bowl before glancing toward the embarrassed trio.

For the first time that morning, the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

The wolf on his bowl might have been crooked.

Its legs were uneven.

Its ears were far too large.

But compared with the "earthworm," the "dog," and the "chicken," it was unquestionably the best drawing among the four.

Sora noticed his faint smile and immediately relaxed.

"So..."

She asked hopefully.

"You believe me now?"

Lukan nodded once.

"I do."

The three beastmen immediately regretted teasing her earlier.

If they had kept quiet, none of this embarrassment would have happened.

Now not only had Lukan received the nicest bowl...

...but they had also become the owners of what were probably the ugliest animal portraits in the entire tribe.

For the first time since meeting Sora, Ace, Lucas, and Xavier shared exactly the same thought.

Next time, it would be better to keep their mouths shut.

It was the first genuine smile she had ever seen from him.

His naturally gentle features softened even more, making him look warm and reassuring.

For a brief moment...

She simply stared.

Then Lukan ruined the atmosphere with his next sentence.

"Besides..."

"No one except you could possibly draw a wolf this ugly."

Sora’s smile froze.

"..."

Ugly?

What was ugly about it?

It had a long face...

Four legs...

A tail...

Everything a wolf should have!

Nearby, a curious beastman leaned over to examine the bowl.

The moment he saw the drawing, he burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"That wolf looks ridiculous!"

Several others crowded around.

Soon the entire group was laughing.

Although Sora felt slightly embarrassed, she quickly recovered.

Compared to all the humiliating situations she had experienced recently...

This barely counted.

Once she confirmed Lukan trusted her, she immediately directed everyone toward unloading the supplies.

"The pottery first!"

"Be careful with the jars!"

"They’ll crack if you throw them around."

The tribe’s attention quickly shifted away from the drawings.

Instead, everyone became fascinated by the strange objects the group had brought back.

The females noticed that Kaelira’s animal-skin skirt was tied differently than before.

She had tied a knot at the waist, making it resemble a decorative flower.

It looked surprisingly attractive.

Martin finally stepped forward.

His expression remained stern.

Although Kaelira had returned safely, she still had disappeared for an entire night without informing anyone.

In the tribe, people worked from sunrise until sunset.

Being outside during the day was normal.

Spending the entire night away...

...was not.

He cleared his throat.

"Kaelira."

"What exactly were you doing yesterday?"

"Why did you leave without telling anyone?"

Before Sora could answer—

The surrounding beastmen bombarded her with questions.

"What are all these strange things?"

"What did you bring back?"

"What’s that bowl for?"

"Why does that pot look so different?"

"What are those bags carrying?"

Even Xavier stepped aside and unloaded the bundles from his back.

"You’re the one who should explain."

"Everything here belongs to you."

Instantly...

Every pair of eyes in the tribe focused on Kaelira.

She looked toward Martin before speaking calmly.

"Father..."

"I found several salt wells."

"I brought salt back."

The entire gathering fell silent.

Martin’s eyes widened.

"...Salt?"

His voice trembled.

"You found salt?"

Salt was one of the tribe’s most precious resources.

It was rare.

Expensive.

Essential for survival.

Most tribes had to exchange valuable prey with merchants from distant city-states just to obtain a tiny amount.

Because of its scarcity, every grain was treasured.

Martin’s gloomy expression disappeared instantly.

His face lit up with excitement.

He stepped forward eagerly.

"Kaelira..."

"Where’s the salt?"

"Let me see it."