Barbarian Quest

Chapter 226

Noah Arten limped on his prosthetic as he surveyed the outpost.

'The Arten outpost.'

The fortress was named after Noah’s house. Every time he heard that name, his heart fluttered but also ached at the same time.

'Am I a traitor to my family...'

Noah was fighting on the side of the western barbarians. Sometimes, an irredeemable sense of guilt overwhelmed him.

"Sigh."

Whenever he felt tormented by guilt, he muttered the name of Lou.

'If what I am doing is wrongful in your eyes, please punish me.'

Noah was always torn. He needed to uphold his loyalty to Samikan, who was like a brother to him, yet he was a person of civilized dignity and ethics. As the conflict deepened, his eyes aged as well.

"Oh, Lou..."

Noah murmured as he limped up to the walls. The walls that have been reinforced were sturdier than in their early days. The moat had also been dug deep, so the sound of rippling water filled the air when the wind blew.

Creak.

Noah leaned on the railing and looked down at the moat. He was filled with the urge to jump off.

'The imperial camp is shining over there.'

Noah shook his head as if he was trying to shake off the grim thoughts. He inhaled the cold night air and then blinked at a noise.

"Chief Belrua."

Belrua emerged from the darkness. Her eyes were gleaming as she observed Noah's movements.

"What are you doing there?"

"Just getting some fresh air."

"What if you catch an arrow in your head because you’re poking it out the wall? Are you not our precious strategist?" Belrua half-joked.

"You do not need to worry about me. How are you feeling? How is your body holding up?"

"Fit as ever. I could even go into battle."

Despite her advancing pregnancy, her body was still as agile as ever. Her body, reinforced by her strong muscles, did not rust one bit. Of course, entering the battlefield would likely lead to miscarriage.

"Samikan must be quite worried. If it's a boy, it'll be the heir to the alliance."

"Of course! He knows he doesn’t have much time left, either."

"People with chronic diseases can still live long lives. Well then, I'll be going."

Noah tried to pass by Belrua.

Tap.

Belrua grasped Noah's shoulder with her strong hand. She growled with her low voice.

"Don't do anything stupid, or even think of something along that line. You're one of us now. If you go back, you'll be nothing."

Belrua was the one reigning over the Red Sand warriors. Her eyes were broad and sharp.

"That will not happen."

"People lie. Everyone does."

"I do not do anything that would dishonor my god."

"That great Sun God? Samikan wears that necklace too. He says your god might ward off his lung disease."

The westerners worshipped several nature gods, and the Sun God was simply one of them. No one criticized Samikan for wearing the sun necklace.

"It's not wise to blaspheme the gods. You should be more careful with your words. There is no such thing as a secret before Lou."

Noah was a devout knight. He expressed displeasure at Belrua's impudence.

"I'm going to leave the Arten outpost. I can’t fight while I’m carrying a potential heir to the alliance."

"I wish you a safe delivery. That child is also the child of my dear friend, Samikan."

"Yes, that's right. It's Samikan's and my child."

Belrua caressed her belly. Her abs were so firm that her belly didn't protrude much.

"...When this child is born, I don’t want his father to be dead. I don't want it to be a child born with misfortune and curses."

When a child was born without a father, it symbolized misfortune. It was like the child consumed the father's life to be born.

"It seems you doubt my friendship and loyalty... Listen well, Belrua. I have served Samikan longer than you and fought alongside him. Our bond is deeper than what you know. If you are truly a chief and not just another woman, I’m sure you would understand."

Belrua looked into Noah's eyes. She released her grip on his shoulder.

"Maybe I was too sensitive. Yes, I’m sure Samikan knows you better than I do."

"Very well, then."

Belrua watched as Noah walked away. She soon called one of her confidants and whispered in their ear.

"Keep an eye on Noah Arten. His heart definitely wavered just now. Samikan is not in his right mind right now. He trusts Noah blindly."

A Red Sand warrior nodded. The warriors continued to monitor Noah's movements in shifts.

‘The alliance is a mess.'

Belrua then turned her gaze to the imperial camp. The campfires burning at the imperial camp flickered in the distance.

'The times of conquering the wastelands were better. Things were straightforward and simple.'

The situation was no longer simple. As big the alliance has grown, so have the conflicts over various interests.

"Six-Fingered has garnered the shamans' support and meddled in politics. I should have dealt with him before he got that much power..."

Six-Fingered couldn’t be killed anymore. The ambitions of the shamans had already been ignited. Killing Six-Fingered might only bring a more radical shaman to take his place.

‘It’s still better to have Six-Fingered, who’s been working with Samikan for a long time, than letting some other shaman take his place.'

Belrua scratched her head.

"The night air is chilly, chief."

A serving woman placed a coat over Belrua's shoulders. Belrua caressed the woman’s chin, then lifted it.

"Then I should get you to keep me warm."

The woman blushed and bowed her head.

After spending the night at the Arten outpost, Belrua returned to the west the next day. She encountered warriors rejoining the outpost.

"Chief Belrua."

"May you have a safe delivery."

"May the successor of the alliance be blessed and protected!"

Belrua responded in kind as she crossed the lengthy Yailrud. At the edge of Yailrud, she looked back.

"Urich."

She might never see him again.

'Neither of us managed to keep our promises.'

The secrets of steel remained unearthed. The imperial army managed and guarded the blacksmiths who could handle steel as if they were their most precious treasure. The blacksmiths accompanying them in battle were merely apprentices at best.

Belrua took out her meteorite dagger. It was a dagger that was made from a rock that fell from the sky. A mysterious blade that didn’t rust even when it wasn’t greased.

'I wanted to give you this as a gift if we met again.'

Belrua had a guilt for Urich. She had just watched as Samikan kept Urich in check. She could have helped but chose to just watch for her own and her tribe's safety.

"There is no doubt that..."

Belrua smiled bitterly with a scarred face. She, too, had seen and understood the civilized world with her own eyes.

'Urich, you are a hero. You chose the path of struggle for the sake of your people and brothers. If it were me, I would have lived integrated into the civilized world for my own desires.'

Belrua twirled the meteorite dagger in her hand and then sheathed it. She did not look back again. She prepared for the birth of her child in the west. Even healthy tribeswomen often died in childbirth.

For women, giving birth to a child was as dangerous as going into battle. Belrua steeled herself and quietly waited for the time.

* * *

Creak, creak.

The imperial soldiers tilted back the catapult launcher to load it. Grunting, the soldiers hoisted a boulder as big as a person onto it.

Peeeeep!

The officers whistled to signal the completion of loading.

"Fiiiiiire!"

General Vagna shouted loudly. The standard-bearer waved a red flag.

Thuuush!

The catapult launchers rose one by one. There were three catapults, and that was plenty to attack a crude fortress.

Thuuush!

The boulders fell inside the Arten Outpost.

"Duck!"

"The rocks are coming!"

"Oooooooh!"

Warriors crushed by the rocks were smashed beyond recognition.

Inside the Arten outpost, warriors stood by, frowning as they watched their brothers die right beside them.

Clink, clink.

Shamans walked among the warriors, shaking bones of animals. They poured blessings and protection over their heads.

"My brothers, today is a good day to shed some blood."

Samikan walked out to where the warriors were gathered. His presence made the warriors part to the sides.

Thump!

The boulders from the catapults were still falling. Screams were heard from various places.

Samikan acted as if he were immune to the stones, laughing loudly as he surveyed the warriors.

"I will keep this nice and short. The will of the heavens is with me, and I, Samikan, am with you. What more do you need? We are the army of the heavens! Under the open sky, we cannot be defeated! The heavens have spoken of our victory! Mother Earth desires the blood of our enemies! My brothers, who is the man standing before you!"

Six-Fingered's divination had long confirmed this. The heavens had declared Samikan's victory.

Samikan shouted as if he lacked any signs of illness. His presence greatly boosted the warriors' morale. Despite the falling boulders, Samikan proclaimed victory right in the midst of his warriors.

"Open the gate!”

The fort's gates creaked open.

Sitting and taking hits was not in their nature. The fierce warriors shrugged their shoulders and roared savagely.

"Hooooo."

Samikan was the first to step out of the fort. He sniffed the battlefield, and the air seemed already thick with the scent of blood.

'The Sun God Lou, was it? There’s no harm in receiving plenty of divine blessings.'

Samikan lightly kissed the sun necklace he had gotten from Noah. He already felt his breath quickening in his chest.

"Signal the charge!"

The warrior with the horn blew a long blast.

"Oooooooh!"

The two thousand-man units who had snuck out from the rear gates of the outpost appeared on the left and right. They were planning to attack the imperial camp from all sides.

"W-what is this? Why are they coming out from there? Did they not just come out of the gates?"

General Vagna was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly called his troops into formation. But with most of the soldiers poorly trained, the army failed to move as one and moved significantly slower than ideal.

"Form a battle line!"

The officers shouted among the soldiers. However, the conscripts, who had only about three to four days of training, were woefully unskilled. They were originally deployed for a blockade, so the army was just a ragtag group inflated in number.

"General! A thousand barbarians are surging from both the left and right flanks!"

"I have eyes, too, you fool! Just go and command your men!"

General Vagna threw a tantrum. He was part of the pro-imperial faction but was never regarded as competent in combat. Emperor Yanchinus was aware of this, which was why he had only given Vagna orders to maintain a blockade.

His loyalty to the emperor had brought about an excessive sense of honor. Vagna had initiated combat in a situation where he should not have.

"Archers! Aim ahead! That is where their leader is!"

Vagna managed to come up with a strategy. In a barbarian society, the one who leads in battle is the leader of the group.

'Killing the leader of the barbarians will break their spirits.'

The arrows that were flying in all directions gradually converged into a specific area.

"Ooooh!"

Amidst the thunderous voices, Samikan ran. He was getting more and more breathless, but he never gave up the lead. Falling behind in such a battle was going to harm the prestige of the Great Chief.

'I fled after losing the last battle. I can't show such a sight again.'

Samikan suppressed the urge to vomit rising in his throat and shouted.

"Advaaaaance! They fear us! We are the lightning of the sky! We are terror!"

His blood-curdling scream rallied the warriors. They advanced regardless of the arrows embedding into their flesh. The frenzy typical of tribal warriors enveloped the army. The relentless barbarian infantry, who would never stop until their heads fell off, were like a nightmare to the imperial soldiers.

"Give me your blood!"

Samikan grabbed a soldier by the hair and slit his throat. He did not shun the blood splattering on his face but opened his mouth. As if he was consuming the life of his enemy to make it his own, he swallowed the hot, metallic liquid.

'Give me time. Whoever it is, grant this Samikan a power that will not crumble...'

Samikan briefly closed his eyes. As if time had resumed after stopping for a bit, the screams of the battlefield echoed in his ears.

"Great Chief!"

The warriors behind him shouted. Suddenly, arrows concentrated and fell among the alliance's vanguard. The imperial formation was already in disarray, so the imperial troops were also hit by arrows.

"Protect the Great Chief!"

The Blue Mist warriors rushed forward. They were warriors determined to protect Samikan, even if it meant their own death.

Samikan's view was obscured by the bodies of his warriors. The sticky smell of sweat mixed with the stench of blood filled the air.

"Kaagh!"

Most of the arrows hit the warriors in front of Samikan. Even as they died, they did not kneel but protected Samikan. However, an arrow squeezed through the warriors' armpit gaps.

"Oho."

Samikan glanced at the arrowhead that had turned into a single point and licked his lips.

Thwip!

The arrow struck Samikan's chest. His body staggered and fell backward.