Chapter 234: I Need to Hit First (1)
“Graaah! What the hell are these guys!”
“Gather up! Hurry and gather!”
“Where did they come from!”
The barbarian warriors, who were having a blast raiding, were suddenly attacked by knights and fell into chaos.
They thought their main force was holding back the troops at the northern fortress, so they hadn’t set proper defenses.
Being solely focused on plundering, they were caught off guard and helpless.
Knights sprang up from all directions. They tried to respond late, but their opponents were just too strong.
Each knight was using mana without exception, so even if they tried to block with an axe, the axe would break, and their heads would fly off.
A barbarian warrior is certainly strong. Sometimes they’re said to handle more than three soldiers by themselves. But even ten soldiers together couldn’t block a knight.
“Y-you bastards!”
One flustered barbarian warrior looked around and raised his axe to behead the person he had captured.
It was a cruel instinct to lash out by killing the nearest person first.
Bang!
However, before the axe could swing properly, his head was smashed by a spear that came flying from somewhere.
Ghislaine, who had thrown the spear, drew his sword from his waist and shouted.
“Don’t let a single one escape!”
“Understood!”
Lucas, who had responded the loudest, jumped off his horse and dashed towards the barbarians like lightning.
Bang! Bang!
“Gwaaaah!”
Every time Lucas stabbed with his spear, the barbarian helmets and heads were completely smashed.
With every step he took, one barbarian warrior met their end.
“Stop bullying the weak and come at me!”
Lucas’s thunderous shout soared amidst the flames.
Under Ghislaine’s guidance, his skill was increasing at an astonishing speed.
Truly, in his past life, as someone who had mastered with just a spear, he had remarkable talent.
“W-what the hell! Why is this guy so strong!”
The barbarian warriors were shocked by Lucas’s skill. The spear was so fast that they couldn’t even attempt to block with their axes before it pierced through their heads and bodies.
Lucas, who loved to show off, wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. He genuinely exerted himself to save the people.
Other knights also ran around the village, taking down the barbarian warriors. Eager to act, they didn’t hold back on using mana since many had already fallen.
The barbarian warriors struggled to survive, but they couldn’t endure the ambush of over a hundred knights.
“Graaah!”
“I’ll curse you!”
“Our comrades will surely take revenge!”
One by one, the barbarians screamed and fell. Since the raiding party wasn’t particularly large, it didn’t take long to subdue them.
He fell while screaming. The raiding party wasn’t too large, so it didn’t take long to suppress them.
Even after defeating all the barbarians, the knights couldn’t feel any joy. It was due to the horrific scene spread across the entire village.
“Waaaaah! Mommy!”
“Dear, dear! Open your eyes!”
“No! This can’t be! Please!”
The survivors were sobbing, clutching the bodies of their dead.
Flames erupted here and there, taking away their very foundation. The surviving villagers had to choose between rebuilding the village over a long time or joining another village and living under constant scrutiny.
This was the harsh reality of the North. They suffered from threats not only from the barren environment but also from monsters and barbarians.
At least the barbarians were being held back by Perdium, but one hand can’t block ten.
When barbarians unite like this or sneak in while avoiding surveillance, it’s inevitable that some villages will suffer.
Ghislaine looked around with a bitter expression.
‘If they’ve come down to this point, I guess they’re desperate for food too.’
The villages had significantly moved south compared to the past. Zvalter had implemented a migration policy long ago to reduce the damage from raids.
The villages raided this time were the ones that had narrowly escaped that migration policy.
It would have been better if they had been relocated south, but moving an entire village requires considerable resources. Finding suitable land to live on in the barren North is not as easy as it sounds.
Poor territories cannot provide much support either. Even Perdium had only recently improved its situation a bit.
It wasn’t easy to abandon one’s home, and even if they did, there was nowhere else to live, making it not as simple as it seemed.
Other poor territories near them, threatened by the barbarians, weren’t cooperative either, given their own hardships.
‘I need to send more laborers to provide support.’
Penris Territory was relocating isolated villages around the fortress. This was to prepare not only for war but also for impending disasters.
Perdium planned to slowly become like Penris Territory. That’s why even now, laborers were being sent to build roads and establish facilities in key locations.
There was much to prepare, but given that many villages suffered from this raid, he intended to increase the scale of support.
“Let’s go back; we’ll take the survivors to the fortress.”
If they left them behind like this, they wouldn’t survive. Tomorrow’s living would be tough.
They had to keep them in the fortress for a while and then send them to a suitable village with supplies.
As Ghislaine was about to leave after mounting his horse, a child blocked his way.
It was the boy he had saved earlier.
Looking at the boy, Ghislaine asked, “Do you have something to say?”
“You said you’d protect us, right?”
“Yeah, today’s incident is unfortunate, but there won’t be such occurrences in the future. I promise.”
With Ghislaine’s firm response, the boy hesitated for a moment before saying, “You don’t have to protect us.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to… I want to fight alongside you.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m fifteen.”
Ghislaine stared silently at the boy.
He was on the verge of becoming an adult, but due to malnourishment, he looked smaller and younger than his age.
“It’s still too much for you. I will provide sufficient food support, so eat well first and grow a bit before applying to become a soldier of Perdium…”
“Once I eat well and grow a little bigger, I’ll join the Perdium Army…”
Ghislaine paused, looking into the boy’s eyes.
Those eyes seemed familiar.
Perhaps the fear still lingered, as tears welled up and his body trembled. But Ghislaine knew well the emotions hidden behind it all.
Guilt for not being able to lend a hand.
Powerlessness in realizing he had no strength.
Regret for not protecting his precious people,
Despair and regret for not being able to go back or change things now.
And…
“What do you want?”
“Revenge.”
“What kind of revenge?”
“The death of all the barbarians.”
“…….”
He knew. He recognized those eyes and emotions.
The intent to kill that vowed to destroy the opponent.
A burning hatred that would sacrifice everything for that purpose.
Madness that would endlessly whip himself with the pain and ultimately destroy his very being.
It was exactly the same look and feeling Ghislaine had when witnessing the downfall of his own territory in his past life.
Drip.
A single tear fell from the boy’s wide eyes.
Yet the boy kept his gaze fixed on Ghislaine, determined not to blink. As if he knew that only the person standing before him could fulfill his desire.
He cried within himself for help in his revenge, grasping at straws.
Drip.
Another tear fell.
Ghislaine silently watched him.
Even when experiencing the same ordeal, each person reacts differently. The ways to heal wounds and solve problems vary.
Most who go through such significant events often comfort themselves by saying it was unavoidable.
In contrast, the boy’s attitude resembled Ghislaine’s own deeply.
If he took a wrong turn, he could become a notorious killer. But if he aimed correctly…
He would become an inevitable source of ‘fear’ to some enemy.
The madness the boy harbored could only end with the destruction of either himself or the target of his revenge.
That boy was now irrevocably on the bloody path, even if Ghislaine didn’t help him.
He must have made up his mind to live that way.
“I’ll take you with me when I return to the territory. I’ll make sure to guide you personally.”
“Thank you!”
“You may end up thinking it would be better to die instead.”
“I don’t care. If I can’t endure that much, then I’d rather die.”
At those words, Ghislaine couldn’t help but smile. It felt as though he was looking at his past self.
“What’s your name?”
“Arel.”
Ghislaine’s eyes widened in surprise before breaking into a grin again.
Arel. A name just as familiar as the boy’s gaze.
*
Thanks to several people working hard, they managed to find and eliminate all the barbarian raiders.
The furious Perdium Army sought out the tribe that had lost its warriors, but by then, they had all fled, as if they had already received news.
Zvalter returned to the fortress and plopped down in a chair, muttering to himself. Fatigue was evident on his face.
“Though there was damage, it’s a relief we managed to stop them at this level.”
While he said it was a relief, his expression told a different story.
Even in difficult times over the years, they had held on well.
That’s why the northern villages had hardly been looted. Even when attacks did occur, thanks to the Perdium Army’s swift pursuits, the damage had been minimal.
But this time, unlike before, many had died. So, Zvalter couldn’t feel at ease.
It wouldn’t be easy.
“Still, thanks to you, we could end it at this level. I appreciate it.”
Seeing his father, whose complexion had worsened drastically in just a few days, Ghislaine felt a mix of emotions.
He always dutifully fulfilled his responsibilities, even at the cost of his own life. That sense of duty clung to him and caused him pain, yet he couldn’t let it go.
A son’s heart observing such a father could hardly be at ease.
“I’ll ensure we can produce more equipment in the territory soon, and I will send additional resources and laborers to help rebuild the fallen village.”
Currently, many refugees had gathered at the fortress from the fallen village. They planned to build a new village in a suitable location so they could settle there.
“Alright, thank you. You’re a tremendous help to the territory.”
Zvalter didn’t celebrate as he used to. He was far too fatigued for that.
An old wolf, with fur thinning and teeth dulling, looked pitiful. Zvalter was being worn down by decades of responsibilities.
After taking a moment to compose himself, he asked, “You mentioned you came to secure horses? With everything gained from this war, it should be more than enough. Take them all.”
Since victory was due to Ghislaine, it made sense for him to take the spoils. Even though they fought together, Zvalter wasn’t greedy and intended to pass everything over.
He had received far more from Ghislaine already.
And Perdium, with its smaller forces, didn’t actually lack horses just yet.
Claude, who was listening nearby, spoke to Ghislaine.
“We’ve secured over 2,000 horses. This amount should be more than enough for immediate needs. That was quicker than expected.”
Securing 2,000 horses was no small feat, even for the entire Ruthania Kingdom. Given that six tribes had united, the spoils were indeed massive.
If the barbarians hadn’t united and attacked, it wouldn’t have been so easy to acquire such a quantity.
Of course, that was only possible because of the victory.
Zvalter agreed with Claude’s words and continued, “The tribes that allied this time were located quite close to the fortress. With them gone, we should be safe for a while. We can also take this time to regroup our forces.”
In Ruthania, they’d often lump the barbarians together, but in truth, they were divided into many tribes. As a result, it was common for them to fight amongst themselves to protect their own territory.
With six tribes now gone from battle, the remaining tribes would likely clash over the territory they occupied.
Until a new tribe settled close by, there would be fewer attacks on the fortress.
Thanks to this, the northern fortress had time to regroup after a long while. But Ghislaine still had things to do.
“I’m not thinking of returning just yet.”
“Why? Do you have other tasks?”
“Yes, I do. It’s nothing much.”
Now that the major battle was over, Zvalter lightly nodded at Ghislaine, dismissing it as minor.
“Alright, what’s on your mind? Are you thinking of helping with the repairs here? Or rebuilding the village? Regardless, your troops’ assistance would be a significant help.”
Ghislaine shook his head and responded, “We need to strike first before they come back.”
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