“Kahlan-nim?”
“What on earth is happening here?”
The two, seeing Kahlan’s expression, asked him with bewilderment.
At the same time, the Nord tribe warriors also sheathed their weapons.
As the people who had their heads down stood up and scattered, Kahlan approached them, bowing his head as he spoke.
“Khnaka Kahlan. Karak Kajukan.”
“Uniba! Bahu Kanuka!!”
“What are those people saying right now?”
“Looks like they’re just exchanging simple greetings.”
Rudell replied to Leje’s question, but contrary to the idea of simple greetings, their conversation went on for quite a while.
Sure, some words were recognizable in between, but that was about it.
For Rudell, even the general context was beyond comprehension.
Just when Rudell and Leje’s patience was nearing its limit while observing the scene…
“I apologize for this incident; according to tradition, the tribe leader’s envoy is a special envoy directly authorized by the chief, and it is customary to show the appropriate respect.”
“Uhmm…”
Finishing his talk with the warriors, Kahlan approached Rudell and Leje, awkwardly bowing his head.
In response to his reaction, Rudell and Leje let out low groaning sounds.
As if you could just throw a spear at someone out of the blue!
If Leje had reacted even a moment later, he might be rolling on the floor as a cold corpse right now.
“Since no one was hurt, can we please let this slide just because you’re looking at my face?”
“If you put it that way… then there won’t be a second time.”
Kahlan was an important business partner they needed to continue cooperating with.
Pressuring him too much wasn’t really a good option either.
“You guys! Consider yourselves lucky!”
Reluctantly, Rudell nodded, while Leje, still full of dissatisfaction, shouted at the warriors.
Naturally, the warriors didn’t understand the meaning of her words and just tilted their heads in confusion.
“Thank you.”
Finally, Kahlan’s once stiff expression relaxed.
Turning his head, he shouted something at the Nord tribe warriors who were looking at Rudell and Leje.
“Kana! Kanukin! Khnapa!”
“Runa. Basa.”
As the nodding Nord warriors approached Rudell and Leje, they handed something to Rudell.
It was a sort of parchment made from tanned animal hide.
“This is…”
“Open it. When receiving, do it with both hands as respectfully as possible.”
“Umm…”
Despite looking like this, he was technically a noble and even a hero…
With that thought, Rudell reluctantly bent down and received the parchment with both hands.
As the parchment landed in Rudell’s grasp, he cautiously raised his head and stepped back to avoid the murderous gaze of the Nord warrior.
“Kuna! Pruna Ple!”
Simultaneously, the Nord warriors cried out and turned their mounts without a moment’s hesitation, leaving the Winter Great Tribe’s fortress.
“Is that it?”
“That’s it. I’m relieved it ended safely.”
“…”
So all this fuss was just to toss him this one thing…
Shaking his head with a short sigh, Rudell untied the string sealing the parchment and began to read what was written inside.
And…
“What does it say?”
Naturally, Rudell couldn’t make sense of it.
He handed the parchment to Kahlan, who groaned softly, read it, and replied.
“The chieftain wishes to see you.”
*
A few days later.
Rudell and his party were crossing a plain filled with a snowstorm.
Normally, pushing through a snowstorm of this magnitude was nearly impossible…
“Fenrir, just a bit more strength!”
[Grururur…]
Right now, they had the Sacred Beast that once dwelled here, Fenrir, with them.
The snowstorm raged, coloring the world white, but Fenrir pressed on, undeterred, cutting through the blizzard.
Attached to him was a large sled made of steel and wood.
Just as they were struggling with the sudden onslaught of the snowstorm, Rudell had gotten the idea from those ancient dog sleds he had seen long ago and asked Silphier to whip one up on the spot.
“Good idea, huh? To think of making a large sled to ride on.”
“Quite an interesting idea.”
“Indeed, it’s Lord Rudellheit.”
“No need to flatter me. It’s nothing special.”
Feeling somewhat guilty for tricking them, Rudell waved his hand towards them.
And so, the sleigh carrying Rudell and his crew continued to make its way across the snowy plains.
Soon, the blizzards that had been pouring down ceased, and rare sunny weather greeted them in the Eternal Winter Plains.
“Wow…”
“Blessings of Mother Land, indeed.”
“This is amazing!”
“I-I really love this!!”
The bright sun shining down reflected off the thick layers of snow, making everything sparkle like jewels.
Reje, Silphier, and Eleor, who were as much outsiders as anyone, along with Kurt, couldn’t tear their eyes away from the painting-like scenery crafted by nature.
But that didn’t last long…
“Hmm…?”
“Kurt? What’s wrong?”
With a low groaning sound, Kurt turned his head, and Reje tilted hers in confusion at his reaction.
Then, narrowing his eyes, he stared at something and drew the hand axe strapped to his back.
“The Nord warriors are coming this way.”
“Nord warriors?”
At his words, the group widened their eyes and turned their heads to follow his gaze.
What they saw was a horde of Nord warriors riding creatures resembling wild boars, rushing towards them.
“Alalalalalalalala-!!”
“Kuna! Kuna! Kuna! Kuna!!”
Clad in clothes made from bones and animal skins, their bodies were adorned with red war paint.
Charging at them with sharp weapons, they looked like soldiers shouting V8 in some post-apocalyptic world.
“Uh… no matter how I look at it, they don’t seem to be coming with good intentions?”
“The Bloodfang tribe. They are known among the Nord tribes for their aggression and ruthlessness.”
Kurt replied to Reje’s question.
That meant they weren’t approaching peacefully.
“What a bold move to think they could attack even after seeing this creature…”
“Perhaps they are after Fenrir.”
Fenrir was definitely not an ordinary creature by anyone’s standards.
For the Nord tribes, whose way of life revolved around hunting, Fenrir was like a tempting prey.
Of course, whether they could handle Fenrir was a different question.
[Growl…!!]
“Fenrir, don’t kill them.”
At Eleor’s words, the growling Fenrir took a deep breath.
Its throat bulged significantly…
Grrrrrrrr….!!
The next moment, a massive roar erupted from Fenrir’s mouth, unleashing a shockwave.
Snow scattered everywhere as the shockwave hit, and the warriors from the Blood Fang tribe who were charging in screamed as they were launched into the air.
The sight of dozens of people and monsters flying through the sky was quite a spectacle for Rudell and his party.
Moments later, the Nord warriors who had soared through the air crashed into the snowy ground, and Rudell and his crew approached the moaning ones.
“Ku, Kunuda…!!”
As Rudell drew closer, a Nord warrior said, blood spilling from his mouth.
The ones lying everywhere had bruises and contusions covering their entire bodies.
The attack from the Sacred Beast created by the Saint.
While they might not be dead, it was clear they had suffered serious internal injuries.
“What are you saying?”
“He says surrender.”
“What? After charging in like that, this is kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?”
In response to Leje’s question, Kurt answered, and Leje, looking deflated, put her sword back into its sheath.
Given the magnitude of the attack they endured, it wasn’t surprising they declared surrender.
“So? What are we going to do now?”
“Still, since they’ve surrendered, we should heal them.”
It was obvious, but Rudell had no hobby of killing those who surrendered.
With that said, Rudell approached a nearby warrior, looking at him as he bled and spoke to Kurt.
“If you guide us to the chief, tell him we’ll heal them.”
“Kana, Kunutu. Krung Khan Purumana.”
“Kr, Krung Khan? Nuwama…”
At that, Kurt relayed Rudell’s words to the warrior, whose eyes widened in shock as he nodded vigorously at Rudell.
“He says they will do it.”
“Eleor.”
“Leave it to me.”
With that, Rudell called out to Eleor, who nodded and began healing the warriors.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
