Episode 494. Atan’s Crossroads
A life of wandering in search of demons.
The Atan tribe had only two burdens.
A sword to cut flesh and bones, and a bottle to hold blood.
As I instinctively moved following the scent of the monster carried by the wind, I naturally put down other cumbersome things.
Somewhere near the northern border of Bariel, Ephdiram stretched out his body and greeted the refreshing morning.
“Let’s eat!”
“Do you look for food as soon as you wake up? That’s very true.”
“Do you have any leftover meat from yesterday? How much is left?”
“The kids ate it little by little during the night, so it’s half.”
“I knew it. Stop stealing!”
“Do you listen to me? It tastes best when eaten at night. I’ll make a fire. Hey! Go gather some wood!”
At the shout of the subordinate, the tribesmen began to rise one by one and move. Aside from the fact that they eat monsters, they are no different from any other community. The problem is that they have to chew continuously and incessantly, and they rarely feel full.
“Mr. F.D. Ram. This is the expected route north.”
“You didn’t sleep?”
It was Benno, the swordsman and chieftain. He handed over the map without answering, and Ephdiram examined it carefully while chewing on the dried meat.
“It will be difficult to obtain monsters in Burgos. It would be better to go north, to the cracked area beyond the border of Bariel.”
“Okay. Tell the kids that too.”
“Yes, and-”
Swish.
Efdiram and Benno turned their heads at the same time. They sensed an unfamiliar presence.
The two men stared silently through the bushes, then soon showed contrasting reactions. Ephdiram raised his eyebrows in interest, while Beno readied his sword.
“You little punk, it’s been so long I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“Your head is still spinning.”
“If I were you, I would at least hide my presence out of courtesy.”
“Aren’t we in a position where we need to be polite or something like that?”
“Are you lost?”
“…It’s not.”
“But why are you coming out of there?”
Beric grimaced as he pushed through the overgrown branches. Damn it. Hale had brought him right up to the front, but he had gotten a little lost. Beric wiped his nose and tried to ignore the nearby, perfectly clear mountain path.
The Atan tribe also noticed the appearance of outsiders and one by one they came armed and rushed behind Efdiram.
“Okay, let me introduce myself first.”
“What the heck. All of a sudden?”
Beric said, showing his ID card with the magic stone removed. This is the first thing Ian asked me to do.
‘Berrick. Identify yourself. Tell him that you are a member of the Imperial Palace and have come to meet the Atan tribe on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince. This will be the beginning of the meeting.’
Oh my!
“I am this kind of person. See?”
All of the Atan tribe, including Ephdiram, looked at Beric with eyes that said, ‘What do you want me to do?’ Although they didn’t say anything, their expressions of disappointment were clearly evident.
“Where did half of my ID go?”
“You don’t have to know. Anyway, I came here on the orders of His Highness Crown Prince Bariel Jin. Chief Pagal, please talk to me.”
“… It changed from Poggle to Pagal. Hmm.”
Contrary to his joking muttering, Ephdiram’s eyes narrowed. Look at this? Crown Prince Jin, who is about to have his coming-of-age ceremony and coronation, sent someone to the Atan tribe? And a dog from the palace guard with Atan blood flowing through his veins?
She sat down on the rock and shrugged her shoulders at Beric in a quizzical manner.
“As you can see, we have nothing.”
“I didn’t even hope for it.”
“So, why did His Majesty the Crown Prince of the Great Empire send a dog? Even a passing dog would know that you are not fit for this kind of work.”
“It’s a matter of humility.”
“Aha. Humble and humble?”
Are you saying there are more missions given?
In Ephdiram’s eyes, Beric was a complete idiot. A idiot who could easily drop information about the palace if you just dug around. She sat up straight and smiled. What a cute and shameless little brat.
“So, what do you want to convey?”
“Atans, stop making a fuss in the north and stop harassing the wizards while they work. Otherwise, I will wipe you out.”
For a message from the Crown Prince, it’s extremely vulgar. It’s probably something Beric fabricated on his own.
The Atans who were listening from behind got angry and raised their weapons. Their eyes looked as if they were going to attack at any moment.
“Hey, sweep it? Are we trash? I’ll kill you!”
“Chief, let us skin him and show him what it’s like!”
“Take that back and apologize right now! You little brat!”
“Hey, those guys over there with their mouths open. I remember their faces exactly. See you when I’m done talking. Okay?”
Beric warned, pointing his finger alternately at my eyes and the Atans.
As the atmosphere became increasingly heated, Efdiram frowned and raised his hand. In an instant, the surroundings became quiet.
“Isn’t that a nice thing to hear?”
“You should come to the palace and hear the good words yourself.”
“… It seems like there’s a difference of opinion, but I had no intention of harassing the wizards. I was just trying to make a living. As proof, there was no armed conflict between you and us. And you’re going to leave Bariel for the time being? Then the palace will be as quiet as you want, so there’s no problem, right?”
“No. There’s one more. You’re going to find Rutherford?”
“Did you hear from the wizards?”
“Don’t go. Stay away from Burgos and stick to Bariel.”
Efdiram let out a small exclamation. It was a very short sentence, but the information contained in it was so certain. She smiled as if she couldn’t believe it and bit the cigarette.
“Crazy. Rutherford really exists?”
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He moves to personally verify the rumor that Rutherford has appeared. Then, the imperial messenger shows up and tells him the truth in this way. Oh my.
Ephdiram snapped his cigarette-clad fingers and reprimanded Beric.
“If I were your boss, I’d put this right in your eyes. You understand?”
“Yeah, go ahead. Our boss doesn’t spread stuff like that.”
Beric let the words flow out one ear and out the other. Then he remembered Ian’s second instruction.
‘If it hasn’t faded over time, Ephdiram is a smart person. It’s not easy to take the initiative in a conversation or get some information. Instead, he tends to interpret it arbitrarily. We just have to let the information flow.’
‘So, you want me to tell you that Rutherford is in Burgos?’
‘There’s no need to tell her. She’ll find out naturally as we talk.’
‘Oh, but is it okay for me to know that? Wouldn’t it be better for them not to know so that they can join us?’
‘Not really. It’s information that will lose its value over time anyway. And Rutherford means a lot to the Atans.’
‘What does it mean?’
‘It’s been a long time, and it’s not just friendly relations anymore.’
Taaak!
To Beric, who was absentmindedly thinking about something else, Efdiram snapped his fingers, telling him to concentrate. He had completely made up his mind after the conversation just now.
“Hey, if Rutherford is really back, there’s no reason for me to be in Bariel. Not even for a moment.”
“why?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
first.
Bariel wanted to block the crack at its source, while Rutherford wanted to activate it. As an Atan tribe whose main food source is monsters that come out of the crack, wouldn’t it be natural for them to go to Rutherford?
And the second one.
Idgal sought to maintain a balance of power by keeping the Bariel, or more precisely the Bariel wizards, in check. However, with the wizards now half-dead, its original purpose has disappeared, and Idgal is currently being used to stabilize the rift.
To see if Rutherford’s intentions are still aligned with rift activation, and if not… … .
‘I have no choice but to kill Rutherford, the source of Idgal.’
It was important. What was Rutherford thinking and how would he act in the future? The best way to find out was to meet him face to face.
“Bariel Demon Squad, not really anything like that?”
“Kill them. Live like livestock, eating the food the empire throws at you? Hunting and fighting are our identity.”
“I could give you the entire northern territory.”
“On the condition that you belong to Bariel.”
“I guess you’re not interested.”
“It may have been different in the past, but the world has changed a lot now. Since the Clifford Rift was created, the number of people who realized Atan’s secret has increased exponentially. Do you know what this means?”
Ephdiram flicked away the ashes from his cigarette and looked at Beric. In particular, the black sword at his side. It was a sword that summoned demons, and a sword that the Atan tribe would eventually encounter by fate.
The very act of holding that thing proves that you are an Athan, so how can you be locked up in a cage called the palace and live like livestock?
“The crack is the source and power of Atan. If you build a fence, you can eat and live safely. But you cannot grow. You will soon find out.”
“So, you’re going to stick with Rutherford?”
“Well, not right now. If Bariel is positive about the rift expanding, then I’ll reconsider.”
“You’re making a sound that’s going to turn your lungs inside out.”
‘Atan absolutely needs to meet Rutherford, and there’s no stopping him. So, when they do meet, it’s important to turn the situation in our favor. Beric, this is where it gets really important.’
Beric stood up, remembering Ian’s request. As the atmosphere of having finished their business became clear, the Atans split to the left and right to make way for them.
“Anyway, I’ll tell you then. I’ll go after Bariel and join Burgos.”
“Atan’s goal is not the downfall of Bariel, but the activation of the rift. I want you to make that clear.”
“That’s it, dude. I said it clearly. From this moment on, we’re going our separate ways. Do you understand?”
When Beric relaxed his shoulders, Ephdiram looked at him suspiciously. That crazy man doesn’t know the middle ground. His attitude of trying to divide the relationship into black and white was very suspicious. It was something a diplomat would never do, but since Beric was the subject, he was confused as to whether it was intentional or not.
At that moment, Beric grabs the black sword and releases his magical power.
Zing! Zing!
“…you!”
“What? This is also an order.”
It was an expression of the will not to let anyone who threatened Bariel live. With the murderous intent overflowing, Ephdiram, Benno, and the Atan tribe also drew their swords at the same time.
“Idiot! Do you want to die?”
“No! I want to kill you!”
Choaaaak!
Even if they were the Imperial Guard, Beric had no chance of winning here. Ephdiram was a seasoned magician, and there were many swordsmen, including Beno. Although their skills were still inexperienced.
In any case, Beric’s actions were the height of foolishness.
Phew! Phew!
‘Beyond hostility, we need circumstances that they threatened Bariel. His Majesty Jin must have set up a separate justification for war, but the more justifications, the better. If Atan enters Burgos, Bariel can also enter Burgos. We can obtain a strong justification for pursuing the threat to Bariel.’
‘What if Burgos refuses?’
‘It’s war. And let’s say that it’s accepted and the Bariel army enters Burgos. Since the royalists are in league with Bariel, they’ll be happy that they’ve gained power. Then, who would hate it on the other hand?’
‘They must be the opposition party. Anti-royalists.’
‘That’s right. Then who are the anti-royalists in league with?’
‘Oh, Rutherford?’
‘That’s right. Therefore, Rutherford will find it burdensome to carry Atan, and naturally, their interests will become distorted. From the Atans’ perspective, it’s like losing power the moment they enter Burgos. Then, there will come a time when they want to talk to Bariel again.’
‘So, what should I do?’
‘Berrick, you are a member of the Imperial Guard and a diplomatic envoy personally dispatched by His Majesty, representing Bariel. So what should you do to establish hostile relations between the Atans and Bariel?’
‘Well. Fighting?’
‘That’s right. Good job.’
Ian laughed, patting Beric on the shoulder.
‘Go to the Atan tribe, have a blast, and then get out when the time is right. The wizards will be waiting, having drawn a perimeter around them. If the wizards get involved, it will become an unavoidable conflict, so the Atan tribe will not be able to pursue them to the end and will turn around and leave Bariel.’
‘Oh, so you’re going to burst it and come back?’
‘Don’t be too sick.’
Beric chuckled as he recalled Ian’s instructions. This is my specialty! His sword cut through the air in a huge arc, followed by a loud explosion.
Choaaaak!
Phew!
‘Ian! Shit, I think I’m doing pretty well!’
fantasy,
