Barbarian Quest

Chapter 265

“Weapons made from imperial steel really are the best.”

The alliance camp was bustling. Warriors who obtained steel weapons flaunted their spoils, earning the envy of others. They collected a large number of spoils from the recent victory, and the warriors' favorite loot was not gold or jewels, but weapons made from imperial steel.

Clang! Clang!

A warrior struck a tribal axe blade several times with a steel sword. The tribal iron couldn't withstand the steel, and its edge quickly chipped. Even in battle, it wasn’t uncommon for the tribal weapons to break.

“Imagine losing to us with such fine weapons like these. What a bunch of idiots.”

The warriors who obtained steel weapons swaggered. They swung the gleaming steel weapons around.

Crackle, crackle.

The campfire burned. Sparks fluttered upward.

Urich poked the fire with a stick. He gazed into the darkness.

‘I don’t see anything tonight.’

All he could see was darkness.

Urich often saw a being known as a god. He appeared before him in various forms and then vanished.

‘He reveals himself when I desperately want something in a dire situation.’

He was invisible most of the time. Urich smirked as he looked at the piece of meat placed over the fire. Delicious smoke rose whenever the meat's fat dripped.

“Divine blessing, huh...”

People called Urich a man blessed by the gods. He had lived his life hearing such words as if it were natural.

‘Am I really someone who has the blessing and guidance of the gods?’

Even when he asked himself, he couldn’t find an answer.

“Is this my destiny?”

Urich opened his palm. The Great Chief wasn’t something he ever wanted to be.

—You will become a great warrior.

The old shaman had said.

Just as everyone expected and prophesied, Urich became a great warrior. No one doubted it and took it for granted.

‘Except for me...’

When he closed his eyes, he often saw the horizon of the sea. He also glimpsed the southern desert he had only heard about in stories but never visited.

‘I want to see new people and beautiful cities.’

But he could not act on his whims. He could not live doing only what he wanted.

Great Chief Urich was an adult, and he had to take responsibility for his actions and his life.

* * *

Urich and Varca sat in chairs with their army behind them. In the distance, the city gate opened, and its lord walked out.

"We surrender."

The small domain raised the white flag as soon as the Porcana-Alliance army arrived. They did not resist the army that had defeated the imperial army.

‘Fearsome barbarians.’

There were many lands that had been devastated after resisting the alliance army. On the other hand, those who surrendered suffered only minimal damage. With such precedents, lords with less power often surrendered in advance and offered chests filled with gold and silver treasures.

"We will not plunder your domain," Varca said as he placed his hand on the lord's shoulder. The lord bowed his head and gestured to his attendants.

Clink, rattle!

As the chests opened, treasures inside were revealed. They were filled with gold and silver coins that the city had accumulated over decades.

"Ohhh, this is pretty nice, huh?"

Urich's eyes lit up as he grabbed a handful of gold coins. With money, they could buy the loyalty of mercenaries. As the civilized world entered the era of chaos of war, mercenaries from various places had come to join the alliance army.

The rumor that the western plunderers paid mercenaries handsomely was already widespread. Many mercenary groups joined the alliance army. The news that the plunderers had allied with the civilized kingdom of Porcana eliminated even the last vestiges of fear and resistance.

"Georg! Pay the mercenaries their wages."

Urich called for Georg. Cheers erupted from all sides.

As promised, the Porcana-Alliance army did not invade the city. They still had enough provisions without plundering, and the city also sent out carts filled with meat and wine.

"They're definitely scared of us. Look at them giving everything up before we even told them to."

"They must have realized it's better to give willingly than to have everything taken by force."

The warriors set up camp in front of the city and enjoyed a feast. They were satisfied to see a city submitting to their power and fear.

The domain's people prayed to Lou and hoped that the plunderers would leave soon.

"Those bastards are a disaster, truly a disaster."

The imperial army, which was supposed to protect the civilized world, was absent. There was no army anywhere capable of stopping the western plunderers. The kingdoms had summoned their armies but were more focused on exploiting the chaos than stopping the plunderers.

"Oh, Lou, please give them your punishment. Help us so that those wicked men cannot take our sons and daughters," the citizens prayed from the city walls, staring at the plunderers' camp sparkling with their fire.

The raucous feast ran deep into the night. It was only in the morning that the warriors awoke staggering and began preparing to march.

"Cough, cough."

A warrior who had just gotten up clung to a tree, vomiting.

"Is that all you can handle? Pathetic."

Other warriors laughed at the vomiting warrior.

"I, no, something feels off."

The vomiting warrior opened his mouth wide. He couldn't stand properly and collapsed to the ground.

"What are you doing? Shit! Call the shaman!"

The warriors who were laughing just a second ago quickly grabbed the fallen warrior.

"His body is burning up."

When one fell ill, their body heated up. The warrior ran to the tent where the shamans were gathered.

Murmur, murmur.

The shamans' tent was crowded. Many people had already gathered. Warriors who were panting from falling ill were scattered all over the ground.

"It's poison! Those bastards gave us poisoned food!"

"We must get our revenge!"

The warriors shouted as they rushed to arm themselves. They yelled as they looked at their sick comrades.

The number of warriors within the alliance army collapsing from high fever was significant. The number reached about a hundred.

"Stay calm, you bastards! Six-Fingered! Is it really poison?"

Urich pushed through the warriors and entered the shamans' tent.

Sssss.

Thick smoke billowed from the shamans' tent. The incense was so overwhelming it made his head throb. The shamans claimed this smoke was what was going to heal the sick soldiers.

"Ohmmm, mmm."

Six-Fingered groaned as he rolled his eyes back. His body trembled, causing his bone ornaments to rattle.

Click, click.

Urich waited five steps away from Six-Fingered until he finished his ritual.

"Great Chief Urich...."

Six-Fingered looked at Urich with a sweat-soaked face. The black makeup had melted from the sweat, revealing his wrinkled skin.

"Why are the warriors falling ill?"

Urich crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"What do you think the reason is?" Six-Fingered asked Urich instead of answering his question.

"Is it a contagious disease? Or did those city bastards really poison the food like the warriors are saying?"

Six-Fingered squinted his eyes.

“It is a disaster sent by the heavens, Great Chief. Accepting their god was the mistake.”

“Cut the bullshit. Can you treat it?”

“I will try. But if it was indeed the wrath of the heavens that struck us, we will not be able to avoid it.”

Six-Fingered gave a strong warning. Urich stepped outside the tent, visibly annoyed. The sick warriors were gathered in one place, bathing in the smoke. Shamans with censers moved among the sick.

“We're stuck here.”

Urich scratched the back of his head, checking the Porcana camp.

Varca, who heard the whole story, tilted his head and asked Urich again.

“None of my men are sick. Are you sure there wasn’t poison in the wine?”

The soldiers of the Porcana army did not drink last night. Though a few nobles and knights did, they only drank the wine they brought from Porcana.

Urich checked the civilized mercenary units next. Georg also shrugged his shoulders after hearing the reports from other mercenary leaders.

“We have some idiots who cut off their fingers while drinking and gambling, but no one is sick.”

“So it really is only our men that got sick? What in the world...”

The Porcana soldiers and the civilized mercenaries were fine. The only ones groaning in sickness were the warriors of the alliance.

“Urich! We have a problem!”

Gottval came running to Urich, sweating profusely. His sleeve, missing an arm, flapped long.

“What’s wrong? Are we being attacked or something?”

“T-that’s not it, it’s Olga! Huff, huff.”

Gottval collapsed and panted, showing how urgent the matter was.

“Speak slowly.”

“Olga is about to start something with the lord! He claimed that there was poison in the food, so he barged through the city gate with his warriors.”

“This idiot, that idiot, none of you listen to me. That includes you, Gottval!”

Urich mounted his horse, annoyed. He took the horse and moved to the city gate. Hundreds of warriors were gathered, causing a disturbance.

The soldiers of the city were not responding to the provocations of the warriors as they feared the possibility of a battle. The lord also just trembled with his mouth shut.

‘If a fight breaks out here, we’ll be annihilated. No matter what they accuse us of, we must avoid a fight.’

The lord looked at Olga with fearful eyes. The interpreter beside Olga spoke in Hamelian.

“Why did you poison us? Were you trying to kill us?”

Olga bared his teeth and grabbed the lord by the collar.

“P-poison? What on earth are you talking about?”

“Our brothers fell ill after eating your food and drinking your wine.”

The interpreter quickly translated Olga's words. Olga pressed the axe blade to the lord’s neck.

“The lord is in danger!”

The soldiers on the wall raised their crossbows.

“Stop, stop! We cannot attack!”

The lord hurriedly raised his hand to restrain his soldiers. A fight had to be avoided at all costs.

“I'll ask again, why did you use poison? Was it because you wanted to help the imperial army, being on the same side?”

Olga pressed the axe blade deeper into the lord’s neck.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

From a distance, Urich rushed over on his horse.

“Olga, what are you doing over there?”

“Justice,” Olga answered shortly and then threw the lord down, whom he was dragging by the collar.

“That’s not justice, you idiot!”

Urich stood in front of the lord, blocking Olga.

“Are you... taking the side of... the civilized people... again?”

Olga spat on the ground in frustration.

“Hah, enough with that bullshit. Why would they give us poisoned food? If they were capable of poisoning us, they wouldn’t have been this helpless in the first place. Our men just got sick, that’s all. Take the warriors back! Stop acting on your own without my orders. My patience has limits.”

Urich patted Olga’s shoulder as he passed. He gestured for the warriors to return.

“Don’t forget... who your true brothers... are... Great Chief,” Olga said and returned to the camp.

Urich helped the fallen lord up and sent him back into the city.

“Thank you.”

The lord expressed his gratitude to Urich as he entered the city gate. The infamous Urich, the leader of the plunderers, was well-known even to him. The name alone made the people of civilization tremble.

‘He’s different from the rumors... I heard he was a ruthless person...’

The Urich he saw in person was a man with clear discernment.

The lord stood on the wall, watching Urich ride away.