Chapter 314: Beating Around The Bush.

Chapter 314: 314: Beating Around The Bush.

"It’s good that you’re so dedicated to taking care of your patients. That’s a good thing, but remember to take care of yourself too, okay?" Ayra casually reminded her with a nod.

She smiled as she watched Ally work for a while before finally bringing up the question on her mind. "So... have you spoken to your dad yet?"

The atmosphere grew quiet as Ally stopped working. She stared down at the ingredients she was grinding for a moment before resuming her task.

"I don’t want to speak to him," Ally replied firmly. "If he’s unhappy with what I’m doing and doesn’t like my patient, then he can go somewhere else," she added, continuing to grind the herbs.

"....."

Ayra blinked before glancing at Nyx, who simply shrugged in response. She then turned back to her daughter with a gentle smile.

"I guess Papa was just so worried about you that he became a little dramatic. Maybe he only meant well..."

"But he shouldn’t have spoken about him dying like that. That’s not right!" Ally retorted, looking at her mother.

She added firmly, "I won’t speak to Papa until he apologizes to my patient, and that’s final!" With that, she returned to her work without another word.

Zay remained seated beside her, quietly grinding the ingredients without contributing to the conversation. He simply listened as the elders talked.

Ayra blinked, realizing that her daughter’s sense of responsibility toward her patients was becoming stronger. Although she understood Lord Ash’s concerns, Ally clearly wasn’t willing to compromise on this.

"Alright, then. Just keep working hard and take good care of the rabbit, okay?" she said with a smile.

For now, she decided to give her daughter some time rather than force her to make peace with her father.

Just then, the twins came running toward them, each holding a little stick in their hands.

The two wolf cubs were busy playing with their makeshift swords, clashing them together as though they were fighting in a real battle. They swung their sticks at each other while laughing excitedly, completely absorbed in their game.

Ayra and the others watched them in confusion, wondering whether it was safe for the little ones to be playing like that.

"Is that really safe for them?" Ayra asked just as Commander Lynn came hurrying toward them.

"What’s happening?" she asked him.

"Well, they’ve advanced to the stage of practicing with wooden swords now..." Lynn explained, placing both hands on his waist. "I’ve already given them instructions on how to use them properly, but they aren’t listening!"

Ayra smiled and shook her head. "As expected... Instead of practicing properly, they’re running around swinging their sticks at each other."

"But they are practicing, though," Nyx pointed out with a smile.

Commander Lynn folded his arms and turned toward the twins. "Hey! Stop that. You’re not supposed to use them like that!"

The twins immediately paused and looked up at him.

"But we’re practicing with them!" Minnie protested, raising her stick and swinging it through the air to demonstrate.

"Not like that!" Commander Lynn shook his head helplessly. "Come with me. Let’s go. Now!"

With that, he turned and began leading the way, leaving the twins with no choice but to follow.

Before leaving, the two little ones turned toward Ayra, who smiled warmly at them.

"See you soon, Mama!" Kellie called out before he and Minnie hurried after their father to continue their training.

Ayra smiled as she watched them leave before turning back to Ally, who was still busy with her work.

The atmosphere around the tribe soon returned to its usual lively chaos, with everyone going about their daily activities.

---

Meanwhile, Lord Zark, Lord Vale, and Lord Ash had gone out with several other beastmen to hunt for more food.

Supplies had been growing somewhat scarce in the tribe recently, forcing them to venture deeper into the wild to gather enough provisions. Since the journey could be dangerous, the tribe lords, who were among the strongest beastmen in the tribe, had gone along to handle the more dangerous tasks and protect the others if anything went wrong.

As they moved through the forest, the other beastmen spread out across the surrounding area, searching for edible plants and keeping an eye out for prey they could hunt.

The three tribe lords remained near the center of the group, surveying their surroundings as they walked.

However, Lord Zark and Lord Vale couldn’t help glancing at each other from time to time before shifting their attention toward Lord Ash.

Recalling what had happened the previous day, they quietly observed him as he went about his work as though nothing unusual had happened.

But they knew him too well to be fooled by his calm demeanor. They could tell that he was merely putting on a facade, and that the argument with his daughter had deeply troubled him.

Lord Ash loved Ally dearly and hated being on bad terms with her. The disagreement between them had clearly weighed on him so heavily that he hadn’t been able to sleep properly the previous night.

In fact, they had noticed him staying awake all night, pacing back and forth outside the room where Ally was caring for the injured rabbit. Even though he hadn’t said anything or openly shown his concern, it was obvious that the situation was bothering him.

And there was something else, too.

He was still troubled by something concerning the rabbit, though neither Lord Vale nor Lord Zark knew exactly what it was.

The two men continued exchanging glances, silently trying to decide who should approach him and how they ought to begin the conversation.

After several more exchanges, Lord Zark finally took the initiative.

"So... have you eaten today?"

He chose the most random question he could think of to break the silence.

Unfortunately, it was so unexpected that both Lord Vale and Lord Ash stopped and stared at him in confusion.

"....."

Lord Vale slapped a hand against his forehead and shook his head in disbelief.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Lord Ash demanded, staring suspiciously at him.

Before Lord Zark could respond, Lord Vale stepped in with an awkward smile.

"Well, we’re just worried about you, that’s all. Nothing much..."

Lord Ash narrowed his eyes at the two of them, clearly suspicious of their intentions. He already knew they wanted to ask him something, and he wasn’t in the mood to entertain their attempts at beating around the bush.

Shaking his head, he turned and walked past them.

"Ask whatever you want to ask, and stop beating around the bush."