Barbarian Quest

Samikan loosely held his club and looked around himself. The warriors who followed his frenzied charge were busy repelling the knights with their lives.

'A charge that disregards one’s own life.'

To face a knight as a barbarian warrior, one had to be fully prepared to sacrifice themselves. Fearing sacrifice was only going to lead to more harm. Like a cornered rat biting a cat, only the madness of the weak could overturn the disadvantage of power.

The smell of blood wafted from the corpses of warriors that far exceeded the number of the dead knights. Samikan narrowed his eyes as he smelled the blood. He stepped on the corpses of his brothers. The blood-stained arrow marked the path Samikan was destined to take.

"Look! Our Great Chief Samikan doesn’t have a single scratch on his body!"

Samikan's loyal man beside him shouted. Samikan, leading at the forefront, was covered only in the enemy's blood.

"Oh heavens!"

The warriors roared. They flipped the helmets of the fallen knights and thrust their daggers into them.

Schluck!

Now, the warriors soaked in blood were pushing the knights back.

"Y-you goddamned barbarians!!"

Doleman screamed and swung his sword. No matter how many he cut down, the waves of barbarians seemed endless. So many had been cut that human fat clogged the blade, making it feel sticky.

"Sir Doleman! We must retreat!"

"And where do you think we can retreat to!"

Doleman's eyes blazed as he stared at the incoming barbarians.

"Barbarians..."

The knights remembered. The barbarians of the north who once threatened the empire. Men who had no fear of death and used their own lives as a tool to pave the way for the blades of their brothers.

The warriors of the alliance did not try to preserve their lives. Their leader, Samikan, was throwing his life on the line at the forefront. Who would dare to hesitate to sacrifice theirs? To cherish one's life now was a shameful act.

"Ah, it begins again. War! Oh, Lou! Glory to the empire! Show these barbarians the power of Lou!"

Doleman shouted as he saw the approaching barbarians. He realized that the empire, even with all its might, would not be able to conquer these lands easily.

"Try to strike me down if you can, you filthy animals! I dare you to come and even scratch my steel armor!"

Doleman wielded his sword as if he was squeezing out every bit of his life. His sword cleaved through muscle and bone in a single strike. His valor inspired the surrounding knights.

"We are fighting alongside Sir Doleman! Long live the Sun! Long live the emperor!"

"Aaaaaah!"

However, the knightly loyalty dissipated in the plains. Their mindset alone was not enough to change the outcome of the battle.

The Western Legion was already shattered. Soldiers who had lost their will to fight voluntarily dropped their weapons and knelt.

"Commander Odinst!" The nobles called out desperately for Odinst.

"Ha, haha."

Odinst drew his sword and let out a hollow laugh. He grabbed the reins of one of the few remaining horses.

'This isn't what I wanted.'

Odinst grew up listening to the many stories of great knights. The knights who subjugated the barbarians were his heroes.

'I wanted to be a knight just like them—a knight to be revered by future generations...'

Odinst charged into the heart of the barbarians on his horse, swinging his sword wide and cutting them down.

"Woooooo!"

The barbarians swarmed in and toppled Odinst's horse. The dizzying impact shook Odinst's head.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Odinst screamed, clutching his sword.

The barbarians rushed at Odinst like a swarm of ants.

"Keugh!"

A barbarian removed Odinst's helmet. The last thing Odinst saw was the axe of the barbarian.

Crunch!

Odinst, who had charged in almost suicidally, was dead. The nobles who saw this gave up their resistance and surrendered one by one.

"Kaaaah!"

Just because they surrendered didn’t mean they were going to live. The blood-intoxicated barbarians mercilessly tore apart even the soldiers who had surrendered. Soldiers who had their limbs severed and bellies ripped open right then and there were scattered all over the battlefield.

No one could stop the warriors' frenzy. No matter how disciplined they tried to be, they were still barbarian warriors at heart.

Samikan quietly stood on the battlefield, waiting for the madness to subside. The excitement that had buoyed Samikan's shoulders quietly settled. As the excitement and intoxication faded, his entire body began to ache.

"Cough."

Samikan covered his mouth as he coughed. He felt blood rising in his throat.

'Blood is regurgitating from my throat even though I wasn't injured in today's battle.'

Samikan assessed his body. Only then did his chest begin to throb painfully. He had fought too hard with his already-battered body.

"Kek, keke."

Samikan coughed up blood and laughed. He threw the mace he was holding onto the ground and took out a bow from his back to shoot a whistling arrow.

Hearing the signal, warriors looked toward Samikan.

"Samikaaaaaan!"

From all around, Samikan's name was echoed.

"Warrior of the heavens!"

"The Great Samikan has brought us victory!"

The blood-soaked warriors cheered. Samikan looked at the prisoners.

"Today, we have shed much blood."

Samikan walked among the corpses with his arms relaxed. The warriors who had settled down also observed a moment of silence for their fallen brothers.

"...But they will shed even more blood. They will pay for invading our lands with burning earth and the screams of their families and children. It is now our turn to show them who we are, and to make sure they never dare cross the mountains ever again."

Samikan pointed east with his spear, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Brothers, you have seen it with your own eyes. I jumped into the midst of the enemies, yet I stand here unharmed. Today, I have risked my life and received a decree from the heavens... Yes, the heavens have given me their permission! I, Samikan, swear! We will cross the mountains! And we will make them pay for their invasion!"

The men from civilization didn't understand Samikan's words, but they grasped the meaning through his intense tone and gestures.

'Are these crazy bastards trying to invade the civilized world?!'

Regardless of what the civilized thought, the warriors were uplifted by Samikan's speech. They grabbed the nearest imperial soldiers and slashed their throats.

"May the blood of the invaders that we put up as sacrifice please the heavens and the earth!"

The warriors shouted, holding the heads of their enemies high.

They had captured many prisoners. Nearly two thousand prisoners watched the barbarian warriors silently, barely catching their breath in relief of keeping their lives for the time being.

The alliance army dragged the prisoners to a nearby tribal village. Since the alliance itself was already lacking sufficient food, many prisoners died of hunger, and those injured succumbed to their wounds.

By the time they reached the alliance camp, half of the original prisoners had died, leaving only about a thousand prisoners.

After reviving their spirits, the alliance warriors celebrated with festivities every night, boasting of their heroic deeds. They fully enjoyed their victory.

* * *

Noah Arten prayed alone in his tent. He wept under the guilt weighing on his heart.

"Sun God Lou, I am your servant. If my actions are wrong, please do take my life at any time."

Noah pledged to maintain his relationship and duty with Samikan. However, after actually seeing the captured civilized people with his own eyes, he couldn't sleep at night.

After praying, Noah was summoned by Samikan to a tent filled with prisoners. The famished and exhausted prisoners glared at him upon his arrival.

"Despicable traitor!"

"You filthy scum! You won't find peace even in death!"

Noah was assigned as the interpreter for the civilized. The prisoners spewed all sorts of curses at Noah upon seeing him walk in.

'It would probably be best not to reveal my identity as a member of the Arten family.'

He didn't want to bring shame to his family. Noah slowly surveyed the prisoners, selecting those who appeared to be nobles and officers.

Managing over a thousand prisoners individually was impossible. They needed prisoners who could serve as intermediaries.

"Those who have stood up, follow me."

Noah selected about twenty nobles and officers and took them to Samikan.

Samikan was sitting in a chair in an open space, drinking. Other tribal leaders who were drinking with him glanced at Noah and the prisoners.

"Noah, are these the chiefs of the civilized world?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"I see, so these are the 'nobles,' then."

Samikan jogged his memories. He tried to stand up but clutched his chest from the pain.

'That’s a proper life-long injury.'

Samikan grimaced with pain and chuckled bitterly.

After the battle against the Western Legion, one of Samikan's lungs was damaged. He couldn't run as much as before. Even little movements made him run out of breath quickly. When he forced himself to move through the pain, he just ended up vomiting a pool of blood.

"Noah, translate for us."

Samikan sat down and rested his chin on his hand.

The prisoners kneeled, waiting for Samikan's words.

"You are a dirty traitor. What, did you get hooked on some barbarian women or something?"

One of the prisoners muttered toward Noah. Noah acted as if he couldn’t hear him.

But Samikan drew his steel sword. Chiefs from the west and notable warriors now typically had at least one imperial steel sword as a trophy.

Schring.

With no warning, Samikan slashed the neck of the prisoner who had insulted Noah. The body of the prisoner thudded to the ground.

"E-eeeek!"

The surrounding prisoners looked at Samikan with fear.

"I don't know exactly what was said, but I can tell it was an insult toward Noah."

Samikan laughed, shaking the blood off his blade. He had been learning Hamelian from Noah. Although he hadn't reached speaking level yet, his ears were trained enough to be able to somewhat distinguish insults from praises.

The prisoners no longer dared to insult Noah. They silently listened to Samikan's words through Noah's translation.

"We are going to repair Yailrud."

The prisoners' eyes widened at Samikan's words.

Most of the Imperial soldiers were both excellent fighters and skilled civil engineers. Wherever they went, they built supply routes and fortresses as needed. The remaining prisoners also had the capability to repair Yailrud.

"My goodness. Oh, Lou."

"What are you planning to do by repairing Yailrud?"

The prisoners murmured. Samikan didn't answer their question.

"If you cooperate, you will receive food and women. If you refuse, you will become food for wild animals. My offer is valid at this moment only."

Samikan tapped the armrest of his chair. At that sound, the prisoners glanced at each other and one by one began to lower their heads in acceptance.

Samikan smiled with satisfaction. His power that was solidified by the recent victory seemed to pierce the heavens. Everything he wanted became reality with only his words.

Based on his dictatorial power, Samikan suppressed all opposition and pushed through reforms. The tribal society of the west was bound to undergo rapid changes in faith, system, technology, and all other aspects.

Tribes that were scattered by the scorched earth tactics were also able to reclaim their territories. This included the Stone Axe Tribe, which was the closest to Yailrud.

Clang! Clang!

The prisoners perilously crossed over Yailrud, carrying out the repairs.

Tribe warriors supervised the working prisoners from a distance. The civilization prisoners rebuilt the broken ladders to the top of the gorge and reconnected severed portions of the bridge.

News of the alliance victory reached the Arten outpost.

"So we really stopped the imperial army... hah, haha."

Urich laughed. He was the one who had cut off their supply route, but Samikan's contribution was worthy of acknowledgment. Leading the massive, yet often resistant, alliance as a single entity was all to Samikan's credit.

Urich wanted to cross Yailrud and return to the west immediately but couldn't leave the outpost. He was the link between the civilized and the tribal warriors. Without Urich, the outpost would be paralyzed. Although the smarter warriors were learning the imperial language, they were still at a beginner level and couldn't replace Urich.

Urich didn't cross Yailrud, but instead, Samikan brought the chiefs to the Arten outpost. Samikan declared he would hold a tribal council at the outpost.

"It makes no sense to have a tribal council without my brother who has made such a significant contribution! Is this not where Urich is? The Son of the Earth and the chief of the Stone Axe Tribe?"

At Samikan's words, the chiefs nodded. In their heads, they understood Urich's role was as significant as Samikan's. it was just that they hadn't seen it with their own eyes... What they had witnessed was only the magnificence of Samikan on the battlefield.

Urich and Samikan met at the entrance to the outpost. The two embraced each other and clasped each other's forearms like brothers who had spent their entire lives alongside each other.

"My great brother, Samikan!"

"How great can I really be compared to the very warrior blessed by all spirits and the heavens, Urich!"

Flatteries were exchanged.

Samikan patted Urich's shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Urich, I truly have received the heavens' permission this time. This is not a lie. I have grasped the fate of a conqueror. I hold no fear anymore. Not even toward you... I now truly want to be brothers."

Samikan's words reached Urich's heart. The scale of love and hatred seemed to teeter.

Urich twisted his lips and grabbed Samikan's head with both hands. To others watching from a distance, it just looked like the two warriors were expressing their fierce camaraderie.

"If you truly think that way, prove it with your actions, Samikan."

Urich loosely let go of his hands.

'Just as I am... Samikan must also be confused. Whether we should trust each other or not.'

Samikan could have held the tribal council without Urich. But he specifically led the chiefs of the major tribes of the alliance to the Arten outpost to hold the meeting. This time, it was Samikan who extended his hand to Urich first.

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