It was the sa city Cyrus had co from. At that ti, she had not pressured him about his past.
He always lowered his head whenever the topic ca close to his old life, and she had decided to let him speak only when he was ready.
Now that the na had co up again, she slowly turned her gaze to him.
Cyrus imdiately stepped back half a pace. His hand tightened around the rope tying the prisoners, and the guilt on his face was more obvious than anything the poachers had confessed.
His shoulders trembled slightly as if he expected her to scold him in front of everyone.
But Isabella only looked at him for a mont before turning away and continuing down the forest path.
She was not going to judge him or question him...not yet. She had lived with Cyrus long enough to know he was not a bad man.
Whatever his connection to that city was, it did not change the fact that he was the one who cooked for her, guarded her through the nights, and bent down every morning to check if she had eaten enough.
She would wait until he spoke on his own.
The group started walking again, her n surrounding her in a loose protective circle. The tied poachers stumbled behind them, dragged by the villagers.
So cried loudly. So tried to look brave but kept flinching whenever Isabella’s fan moved even a little.
In the middle of that noisy ss, none of them noticed one man quietly slipping out of formation. He was the thinnest of the group, always staying at the very end. When the others tripped over a tree root and caused a distraction, he ducked under the bushes and ran deeper into the forest without looking back.
Bubu’s voice rang inside Isabella’s mind.
[One rat escaped. I’m marking him as "future headache". Congratulations.]
Isabella groaned internally. She hated when she missed things like that. If she had known one would escape, she would have sliced legs instead of arms.
The villagers finally reached the edge of the settlent, and the mont they stepped into the open clearing, curious faces poked out from wooden houses.
The sll of blood attracted even more people. Soone shouted that criminals had been captured. Another shouted that a beast had been brought down. Within minutes, half the village had gathered around, whispering excitedly.
The poachers, tied like fat boars ready for market, tried to straighten their backs, but the stares made them shrink. The villagers were not friendly.
Especially the won, who were already whispering about how much trouble these captured n would save them in the fields if they worked properly for once in their lives.
Isabella ignored them and walked ahead until they reached the stone palace.
The structure stood at the center of the village, built entirely from mountain rocks dragged down by generations of beastn.
Inside, there were torches lining both sides, and at the back was a flat stone platform used for large beasts or official matters.
"Put it there," Isabella instructed, pointing at the platform.
The hunters obeyed at once. They lifted the wounded beast carefully. Despite its earlier aggression, seeing it lying weakly made Isabella feel uncomfortable. Its breaths were shallow, and its thick black fur was matted with both fresh and old wounds.
She stood beside the creature with her fan lowered. "This is pitiful."
Bubu’s floating screen lit up in the corner of her mind, the words scrolling rapidly.
[Mountain Ridge Beast. Grade unknown. Suitable materials: at for cultivation enhancent, fur with natural heating properties, bones ideal for spiritual tools. Heart core extrely valuable. However, beast shows signs of fear imprint. If healed, potential for loyalty is high.]
Isabella let out a slow breath. She never liked the idea of killing sothing simply because soone else wanted it. This beast had been chased from its ho, attacked repeatedly, and then she herself had slashed it again while it was trying to survive.
"I’m not killing it," she finally said. "I’ll heal it."
One of the captured n suddenly laughed. His missing arm swung uselessly from the rope, and his face twisted in disbelief. "Heal it? You think you’re a god? Even our city rulers can’t save a beast like that. What can a woman do?"
The surrounding villagers frowned at his arrogance. Even the guards tightened their grips on their weapons.
Isabella raised her fan slightly. "If your city rulers can’t heal a beast, that simply ans your city rulers are idiots. Stop comparing to idiots."
Several guards unexpectedly burst into laughter, unable to hold it in. The poacher’s face burned with embarrassnt, and he hurriedly looked away, wishing he could sink into the floor.
The villagers dragged the prisoners out of the hall so they could be questioned later.
Isabella turned to Cyrus. "I need a few things. Bring herbs that promote regeneration and one pot of heated water."
Cyrus nodded imdiately. His earlier fear seed to lt when she trusted him with sothing important. He hurried off with long, confident strides, wanting to return as fast as possible.
While she waited, Isabella placed her hand on the beast’s fur. Energy pulsed faintly beneath her palm. It felt strangely familiar, almost like Glimora’s aura. The patterns were similar but not identical. It made her wonder if there was a larger mountain ecosystem she had yet to understand.
When Cyrus returned, he knelt beside her without hesitation. "Its energy is unstable," he murmured. "This is a mountain creature for sure. If word spreads that one was brought down to a small village, it might bring trouble. The greedy cities will definitely try to co for it"
He looked troubled, but he also kept his words careful, as if he didn’t want to go against her decision too openly.
Zyran stood behind them with both arms crossed. He looked at the massive beast and then at Isabella’s stomach. "We ca out for hunting, not to adopt rare creatures. If she puts one more responsibility on her head, I’m carrying her everywhere from now on."
Osiris nodded despairingly. "Exactly. She already climbs trees and slashes arms while pregnant. Now she is adopting beasts. My heart can’t take this."
Isabella heard both of them clearly. She didn’t even look up. "You two are more stressful than all the beasts in the forest combined."
Both n shut their mouths at once.
She dipped her hand in the heated water and prepared to begin.
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