Barbarian Quest

Chapter 191

Georg Arthur reminisced about his past. From the very beginning of his memory, he was a slave. A young child shivering in a cage, likely a mixed breed of a southerner and a civilized person. His mother must have been a southern slave.

The process of selecting a slave for a scribe was quite cumbersome. They selected young slaves who were good at counting and quick to understand words, and the senior slaves trained them. Only a few who excelled the most in their performance after a month of training became scribe slaves.

'I clung on for dear life during that month.'

One needed both luck and talent to become a scribe slave. Even the children instinctively knew that becoming a slave of a scribe meant having a better life.

After his training was finished, Georg became a slave of a family that had been scribes for generations. Georg helped his master with various tasks.

'He was a fine master.'

Scribe slaves generally lived a decent life. Scribes were usually gentle-hearted and treated their slaves well. Moreover, even other servants did not dare to mistreat scribe slaves as they were considered high-grade slaves. Older slaves were also quite valuable as they even handled most of the master's work.

Georg was particularly talented and eloquent even among the scribe slaves, earning great trust. Even if he retired due to age, it was obvious he could live comfortably as a head slave.

'A perfect life for a slave. A rise to the top with nothing more to ask for.'

But fate always twisted and turned in unexpected points.

'Asilmate.'

His master had gotten remarried to a young wife. She was too good for the scribe, whose hands had already begun to wrinkle.

'Coveting the master's woman is a taboo among taboos.'

It was a taboo that even Georg, who was forgiven for almost any wrongdoing and greed, should not touch.

'But humans are drawn to taboos.'

Just as Urich broke the taboo and climbed the Sky Mountains, Georg broke the taboo and climbed into Asilmate's bed.

Asilmate had long been attracted to Georg. A thrilling madness enveloped the young pair.

He could feel Asilmate's sweet and hot breath and the sweat droplets flowing over her soft skin.

'Asilmate.'

Georg stared at Asilmate's face.

"Georg."

Asilmate whispered Georg's name. Georg looked down at Asilmate with affection.

"Georg!"

Suddenly, Asilmate was yelling.

"Wake up! Georg!"

Gradually, Asilmate's face grotesquely distorted. As the distorted face smoothed out again, it transformed into Urich's face.

"Kuhhh! Keugh!"

Georg exhaled roughly and sat up abruptly. He looked at Urich, who had woken him up.

"U-Urich?"

"Get a grip, buddy. Do you even know where we are?"

"Huh? Sorry?"

Georg looked around.

Bang!

A large boulder fell beside them. Tribal warriors who were crushed under the rock screamed in pain.

"Battlefield......"

Georg looked at his own body. He was holding a sword and shield. Around him, civilized mercenaries were running forward, shouting.

"If you’re awake, then get up! Who the hell faints just because some rock fell next to him? Imagine how you’re making the guys who got their heads crushed feel right now."

Urich lightly tapped Georg's cheek and ran forward.

Georg fully grasped the situation. Urich and the warriors were attacking the city of Vernikal. Being a commercial city of some size, its defenses were sturdier than those of smaller cities or villages. Boulders continuously poured from the catapults on the towers.

'I’ll die if I’m not careful.'

This was the middle of the battlefield. There was no time to hesitate.

Georg got up and also ran mixed in with the warriors and mercenaries.

"Oooooooh!"

The tribal warriors' siege tactics were simple.

Hook ladders onto the walls. Climb. Kill.

It was simple but effective. The commercial city of Vernikal did not have high walls. After becoming a vassal of the empire, Vernikal flourished through triangular trade, enjoying peace for a long time. There had been no external threats, so there was no need to build high walls.

Clang!

"T-the barbarians are coming up!"

The soldiers on the walls shouted in terror.

The westerners were above average in armament even by civilization standards. Many were armed with imperial weapons. The warriors were practically walking war machines even though they were only armed with steel chest plates and helmets.

The barbarian warriors, with their hearts and heads protected by their new armor, could not be killed with just a single blow. Even injuries to limbs didn't stop them, making them a dreadful fear to the soldiers. Even if a barbarian warrior was fatally wounded, he would kill the soldier who inflicted that wound on him before dying himself.

The soldiers who had only been responsible for patrol and law enforcement inland for a long time could not stop the battle-hardened barbarian army. The difference in armament was minor, but the gap in combat experience was as vast as the sky and the earth.

"Offer their blood to the sky and the earth! Hahahaha!"

The warriors grabbed the soldiers’ hair and sliced their throats open. Spilling blood on the ground, they raised their chests and roared.

The walls were already taken over by the warriors. Once the walls were breached, the city was essentially captured.

"W-what the hell is that!"

The captain of the guard, gathering the remaining soldiers to reorganize the ranks, screamed.

A large barbarian warrior, Urich, jumped off the walls, slaughtering soldiers and taking the lead. His presence alone caused the soldiers to flee.

Urich's axe and blade sent heads of civilized people flying.

"Uuuuuurich!"

"Follow the Son of the Eaaaaaarth!"

"Kyaaaaak!"

The warriors followed Urich off the walls. Some warriors sprained their ankles or broke their legs jumping off to be like Urich, but their morale still pierced the sky.

The barbarians' method of combat was to be swift and decisive. The relentless assault left the soldiers unable to form ranks and dying in droves.

"Haaaaaaa!"

Urich swung his sword vigorously. He didn't even bother to wipe the blood on his face, busy with slaying the enemies.

"Eeeeek!"

Among the encroaching barbarian warriors, the soldiers feared Urich the most. To their eyes, Urich was no different from an actual giant. Although it was just an illusion born of fear, he seemed at least three times larger than an ordinary person.

'Fear.'

The western barbarians utilized fear to their advantage. The people of civilization, who had enjoyed peace under the empire for a long time, were feeble. They could not resist the fear instilled by the barbarians and succumbed.

"Ooh! Ooh!"

The warriors skewered the heads of the soldiers on their spears and raised them high. The people of the city hurried to lock their doors and hide.

"Oh, Lou, please protect us."

The people prayed. They murmured the name of the Sun God in hopes of escaping from the invasion and their fear of the barbarians. The shadow of the candlelight flickered on the small altars placed in every house.

'The difference in morale was immense.'

Standing on top of the city gate, Georg gasped for breath as he looked down at the city.

Had the soldiers of Vernikal resisted until the very end with high morale, the city would have been difficult to conquer with just three thousand barbarians. However, as soon as the barbarians climbed the walls, the soldiers lost their spirits and were busy running for their lives.

‘Heck, I’m on their side and they are still terrifying to me. It’s only natural.’

The city's soldiers were only experienced in dealing with bandits and bands of robbers at best. They were no match for warriors steeped in slaughter.

"Control the city gates. Don’t let anybody leave.”

Georg shut the city gates and controlled the flow of people. The city was dead silent. People hid in their homes and did not come out.

The only disturbances were the sounds of the warriors occasionally breaking into homes and violating the women of the city.

"Urich, could you lend me a few warriors? I have a place I need to visit," Georg asked Urich after somewhat settling the battlefield.

"Vald! Take command in my place!"

Upon Georg’s request, Urich entrusted Vald with the command.

Vald nodded and issued orders to the warriors in Urich's stead.

"Set fire from the west of the city once the plundering is over. Make sure they can’t ever rebuild this city again," Vald exclaimed with shining eyes as his lips twitched with pleasure.

‘Oh, the glory of the vast heavens.’

The warriors were making history alongside heroes like Samikan and Urich. Their hearts swelled with pride in being part of a great expedition that would go down in history.

Urich tapped Georg's shoulder, urging him to go. Georg flinched.

"T-there's no need for you to come yourself, Urich. If you just give me a few men..."

"No, let's go. I should be enough."

Urich and Georg rode through the city. Fearful voices leaked from the windows of the houses they passed.

"Are you going to kill all of these people?"

Georg laughed bitterly. Vernikal was basically his hometown. He had lived here as a scribe slave all his life.

"Not all of them will die. We do need to leave some of them to spread the word about how terrifying we are."

"The northerners also committed almost excessively cruel acts and branded themselves as beings of terror. It was quite effective, of course. Except for the disciplined imperial army, kingdom forces were busy running upon encountering the barbarian army."

"You must have read the Chronicles of the Northern and Southern Conquest."

The Chronicles of the Northern and Southern Conquests were biographies written by the late emperor. It was his legacy of conquering the north and the south. They were considered essential reading among the literate of the civilized world.

"Have you read them too, Urich?"

"No, but a friend of mine told me about the content."

"Ah, that imaginary royalty friend of yours?"

Urich extended his foot and knocked Georg off the horse.

"Ugh!"

Georg yelped as he fell, landing flat on his back.

"I already told you that the king of Porcana is my friend."

Urich emphasized again as he spoke. Georg got back on the horse, tapping his back.

"Ah, goddammit. I've heard the story, too. In Porcana, a boy dramatically defeated his uncle who was trying to steal the throne and became king. It's quite a splendid tale, so the bards have turned it into a song and have been singing it everywhere."

Urich was intrigued and looked at Georg.

"Is my name not in that song?" He asked.

"Come on, why would your name be in there? And if you really are close friends with the king of Porcana, maybe you could even form an alliance with them."

"That would be a nuisance. He has an agreement with the emperor of the empire. Even if we did form an alliance, if we lost, Porcana would be ruined too. Friends don't ask for such things from each other."

"If you are really friends with him, that is. A barbarian and royalty being friends, now that's something. Talk about pulling something out of one’s butt..."

Georg's grumbling faded as he spoke. The fact that Georg could grumble like this at all was because he had somewhat figured out Urich's temperament over time.

'Urich cares for those around him. He's not the kind of man to kill a companion or subordinate in a fit of rage.'

Despite his high status, Urich often took the lead on the battlefield. He was quite in contrast to Samikan, who did not take the forefront unless it was an important battle.

Urich knew that by taking the lead, he could reduce the sacrifice of other warriors. Considering the boost in morale that he brought with him as well, Urich's value on the battlefield was equivalent to that of a thousand-man unit.

"This is where my former master resides. Though I’m sure he's fled for refuge by now."

Georg stopped in front of a mansion, holding the horse's reins.