"Mr. Lumin, are you single?"
For a moment, my brain simply refused to process the words. A foreboding spiked through my chest.
Suppressing it, I shook my head slowly.
"No. I’m married."
The chief’s single amber eye didn’t waver. She glanced at Uru’en, then back to me.
"Are you happy with your wife?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual. "Don’t you want to change her?"
My sense of dread doubled.
’I hope it’s not what I think it is.’
I forced a polite, thin smile.
"I’m very content with my life, thank you."
"Are you sure?"
Uru’en’s voice came from beside me, slightly different this time, almost soft and soothing. I turned to see him pulling the bone mask away. And when he did...
"!"
My internal world tilted.
The face revealed was... not what I had imagined.
Sharp, elegant features. A straight nose, high cheekbones, and those same molten amber eyes, now framed by long, dark lashes. It was a face of striking, almost delicate beauty. It was, without a doubt, a woman’s face.
"...This."
My mind scrambled, reassembling every interaction, every word, every subtle cue I had misinterpreted.
I stared, my earlier question about his full appearance now answered in the most shocking way possible.
My voice was low, barely a whisper, as the realization crashed over me.
"...You are a girl?"
"Well, what do you think?" Uru’en replied, a faint, charming smile on her lips. Her voice was entirely different now — softer, clearer, yet still carrying that undercurrent of strength.
’Damnit, I should have figured this out sooner,’ I cursed inwardly. ’This is a common trope in stories where the strong, masked warrior turns out to be a beautiful woman. But then again... with that physique and the mask on...’
"I’m sorry for getting the wrong idea," I said aloud, bowing my head slightly. "But my answer remains the same. Nothing changes my decision, except my wife herself."
Uru’en’s smile widened at my words. "I’m even more interested in you now..."
Just then, the chief let out a loud, booming laugh, her single eye crinkling as she looked at her daughter. The sound was rich and full, filling the chamber.
I kept my expression calm, the picture of a composed half-elf, though internally I was bracing for whatever came next.
After a few moments, the chief finally stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her good eye.
"Forgive me, Mr.Lumin," she said, still grinning. "But this is not the first time such a thing has happened. My daughter has... specific tastes. She has no interest in the rough, battle-scarred warriors of our tribe. She prefers ’handsome’ and ’cute men’ from outside. In fact," she chuckled, "she has brought a few back to introduce to me before. Though," she added, her gaze sweeping over me with open appraisal, "you are certainly the most unique among them."
I didn’t know whether to feel satisfied or concerned.
"I appreciate the compliment," I still said, keeping my tone neutral. I turned to Uru’en. "And I hope you will find the person you’re looking for someday."
Thankfully, she didn’t tease me further and gave a graceful nod. "Thank you for the wish."
She gestured to a fur-covered stool near the fire. "Please, sit. Mother, this is Lumin, as you’ve heard. Lumin, this is my mother: Risha, the chieftain of the Salom."
I inclined my head respectfully. "Chieftain Risha."
Risha acknowledged me with a nod of her own, her earlier mirth settling into a more businesslike demeanor.
"Mother," Uru’en continued, taking a seat herself, "I encountered Lumin when hunting. It seems like he is traveling alone toward Viremont’s territory. So I invited him to stay here."
"I see," Risha said, her single eye thoughtful. "You did well to bring him here, daughter."
She turned her gaze back to me. "And my daughter didn’t lie. You really have to stay with us for the next three or four days."
"Why?" I asked, my curiosity overriding my lingering unease.
"Well..." Risha hesitated, the first sign of uncertainty I’d seen from her. She exchanged a quick look with Uru’en, who gave a slight nod.
"The path to Harkon’s Spine crosses a high pass," Risha began, her voice lowering. "For the next few nights, that pass... belongs to the Night Devourer. Its hunting ground shifts with the moon’s phase, and right now, it claims that route. No one goes in or out. To try is to offer yourself as its next meal."
"Can’t one cross the pass during the day then?"
"Well, that’s an obvious question, but there won’t be any ’day’ in the path, even during the day. Because the Night Devourer has made it its temporary domain, turning the surroundings into a black dome. Either way, the path is still blocked."
I nodded, absorbing the grim information. "I understand. Thank you for your help and your warning."
Risha waved a dismissive hand. "It’s nothing. You can consider yourself at home while you wait. We may not be as... refined as humans or elves in our hospitality, but we have our own traditions. And that includes offering guests a share of our traditional meals."
"That’s right! It’s dinner time!" Uru’en exclaimed, her earlier playful energy returning as she licked her lips. "Come on, Lumin, I’ll take you to eat."
I gave a slight bow of my head to Chieftain Risha. "Thank you again." Then I stood and followed Uru’en out of the chief’s hall, the promise of food a welcome distraction from the thought of a monster that claimed entire mountain passes for its hunting grounds.
However, as we walked, a crazy, reckless idea flickered in my mind.
’What if... What if I went to see it?’
Not to fight, just to observe.
To use every sensory skill I had from a safe distance, to glimpse a Tier 6 Overlord and understand what kind of power lurked so close to human lands.
’...Yeah, no way I’m gonna do that,’ I shoved the thought right away.
I wasn’t here to gamble with my already precarious second chance at life.
"Here we are," Uru’en announced, stopping in front of another large, wide hut.
The smell of roasting meat, herbs, and baking flatbreads poured from its open entrance, along with the sounds of chatter and clanging cookware.
This was clearly the communal kitchen and dining area.
"Come on," she said, grinning. "Time to see if you can handle real Salom food."