At the Vanara tribe, Maruti spent the entire night merging those four essence stones, while Esdeath slept soundly, having nothing left to do for now. By the time Maruti finished merging, it was already early morning. Exhausted, she finally lay down to sleep, drifting off just as dawn broke.

Around 8 AM, they both woke up at nearly the same time, though Maruti, despite her late night, was the first to stir. Esdeath slowly opened her eyes, her gaze landing on Maruti, who was already digging through a pile of clothes nearby. These weren't ordinary garments; they were from outside the Vanara tribe, brought from the kingdom Or more like stolen from kingdom. They held a special value, almost like lesser treasures.

Esdeath yawned and stretched, watching as Maruti triumphantly pulled out a tracksuit. Maruti slipped into the pants first, which fit perfectly, but when she tried the jacket, things got complicated. As she zipped it up, the zipper stopped halfway up her chest.

Esdeath smirked, shaking her head as she took in the sight. "You might want to give up and wear something else," she suggested with a playful grin. "It's clear your chest isn't letting that zipper go any higher."

Maruti huffed, refusing to back down. "No way! My chest isn't that big!" Determined, she held her breath, pressing down on her chest with all her might and tugging the zipper with extra force. Finally, with a proud smile, she zipped it all the way up. "See?"

But the victory was short-lived. As soon as she released her breath—

BANG!

The zipper burst open, and the metal piece shot straight at Esdeath. She dodged just in time, the zipper whizzing past her head.

Esdeath let out an exaggerated sigh. "One day, those things are going to be the death of me!"

----------

Meanwhile, Mourya returned from the Lothal tribe, where he had spoken with their leader, Rowan, about an important matter concerning mourya's daughter. Rowan was a close friend of Mourya, Thus he listened carefully, and after discussing things with his son, Ujjwal, they came to an agreement. Ujjwal accepted the challenge to face both opponents at once, and the meeting ended without any problems.

Mourya arrived back at the tribe earlier than the others, who were set to arrive by the afternoon. The battle, which would decide the fate of Esdeath and Maruti, was scheduled for the evening.

Mourya was worried about Esdeath's chances; he believed she'd likely lose and might even be killed. So he decided to show his respect for her courage in advance. He had already asked his wives to prepare a special meal for her, and even server her as best as she can.

After returning, he invited Esdeath for a quiet game of chess. They sat across from each other in a calm room, with Maruti standing behind Esdeath and Sasha behind Mourya, both watching the match closely.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The game turned out to be unexpectedly intense. To everyone's surprise, Esdeath defeated Mourya two rounds in a row. For a girl new to the tribe and its ways, she was holding her own against Mourya, who was known as the tribe's best strategist. Even Sasha, usually hard to impress, looked a bit stunned.

Mourya let out a low chuckle, his voice gruff but admiring. "Looks like you've got some talent, little girl." He spoke in Esdeath's language, a skill rare among the Vanara tribe. Other than Maruti, only Mourya could understand and speak the kingdom's language fluently.

Sasha, the eldest child, had once been given the chance to learn the kingdom's language, but she rarely took her studies seriously. She was far more interested in fighting and getting stronger. Maruti, however, had secretly read Sasha's books, learning the language on her own. In the story of "Free Life Fantasy", Sasha although enrolls in the academy but couldn't understand what others were speaking, She was having a really hard time.

But then ethan comes in her life and teaches her everything, because of this, she later joins his party.

Esdeath moved another piece confidently, a small smile spreading across her face as she declared, "Checkmate again! Hahaha!" Her laughter filled the quiet room, and for a moment, everyone was caught off guard by her surprising victory.

"Hmph... I can do that too! Remember when we were in school, I beat a grandmaster at chess, even though I didn't even know how to play!" Maruti crossed her arms proudly.

Esdeath smirked. "Oh, that? Nah... you cheated, so that doesn't count!"

Mourya watched them, raising a brow in thought. "School? Are they talking about the academy?" he wondered to himself, curious about their world.

As Esdeath's laughter faded, the room fell silent, the calm only broken by her gaze drifting back to Mourya. With a seemingly innocent look, she asked, "Um... can you tell me, who exactly are we going to fight?" Even though she already knew the answer, her voice sounded so curious.

Mourya answered without suspicion. "His name is Ujjwal, the youngest son of Rowan, the leader of the Lothal tribe."

The mention of the name made Esdeath's eyes widen dramatically. She gasped, sounding genuinely shocked. "Rowan? You mean... Rowan Lothal, the one who killed your brother?"

Mourya shot up from his seat, eyes blazing. "What?!" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Behind him, Sasha froze, too stunned to react, She couldn't understand what esdeath said but mourya stood up means itvwss something serious. But Esdeath's expression was perfect. Her body started to shake, her face filled with fear as she stammered, "W-what? I... I should be asking you! Outside the kingdom,Many knows this! I thought... I thought you knew too!" Her voice trembled, soft and full of innocence, like someone who didn't know any better.

Mourya glared at her, his voice sharp. "Explain. Now."

Esdeath stood up on shaky legs, taking a deep, unsteady breath. "Rowan… a few years ago, he went to the kingdom and hired skilled assassins to go after you. He believed that his family's attack by the Rivenhart family was your doing. Since you're the only one who speaks the kingdom's language and made deals with them, he thought you wanted to destroy the only tribe that could rival yours."

She paused, as if gathering her thoughts, before continuing, "B-but the assassins got confused. You and your brother looked so alike that they ended up killing him by mistake."

As Esdeath finished her tale, Mourya's laughter cut through the tension, a cold, harsh sound that sent chills across the room. He stopped, his eyes fixed on her with an icy glare. "You think I'm a fool?" he sneered. "Good story, but you made one big mistake. You said Rowan went to the kingdom to hire assassins, but how could he? He doesn't even know the kingdom's language." He chuckled darkly. "Too bad, too bad…"

"N-no, he knows! I swear he knows the language too! I can guarantee it on the honor of my family name!" Esdeath's voice was full of desperation, her wide eyes and trembling tone making her seem like an innocent girl caught up in a mess far bigger than herself.

Her words were so sincere, her expression flawless. There was no hint of a lie—she looked like someone who truly believed what she was saying, even if she had no proof. For Mourya, ignoring her words felt risky. What if there was truth in her claims? What if Rowan, his closest friend, had really been behind his brother's death?

"Is that so?" Mourya finally muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Then I'll look into it myself. But don't think that this means you'll get out of the fight." He turned his back on her, his voice dropping to a chilling tone. "If your words turn out to be false... I'll make sure you pay with your life." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Esdeath behind.

As he left, Sasha, who had only caught bits and pieces of the conversation due to the language barrier, asked, "Father, what happened?"

But Mourya was already gone. As the door closed, Esdeath's innocent expression melted away, replaced by a sly, triumphant grin. Maruti, standing beside her, smirked as well.

"Half the job is done," Esdeath said in a low, wicked tone. "Now it's Rowan's turn."

With their objective in reach, the two of them quietly left the room, pleased with how perfectly their plan was unfolding.