Episode 241: Give it to me. (1)
Boom!
The leader of the Sunstone Tribe, a large tribe living near the Forest of Demons, Woroka slammed his fist into a table. The table shattered as it failed to withstand the force.
The news that the army of the Kingdom of Rutania was attacking this place was shocking.
He had a great ambition: to unite all the tribes here and build his own kingdom.
So he spent his time subjugating the surrounding tribes. But as the tribes were subjugated one by one, he would have nothing to eat.
No, now even his own tribe was in danger.
“A bloody demon?”
The warrior next to him answered Waroka’s question.
“Yes, there are rumors that it is the devil from the legend.”
“Are you saying he’s that strong?”
“It is said that the eleven tribes that allied with the Soundwind tribe were annihilated without a single warrior left behind. Kustu also did not survive.”
“… … .”
Waroka said nothing.
He himself was a renowned warrior known for his strength in the North. However, he had never achieved the feat of fighting more than ten tribes at once.
There was something even more surprising.
“Kustuga… … is dead?”
“Yes, I heard that he lost in a one-on-one duel with the Blood Demon.”
“That… that’s… ridiculous… .”
It was more unbelievable that he had defeated Kustu one-on-one than that he had defeated the tribal alliance without taking any damage.
Kustu was his rival in the fight for the unification of the North. Even Waroka knew how strong he was.
He was known to be able to fight dozens of great warriors alone. Even he himself could not guarantee that he could defeat him one-on-one.
That’s why the fight against the Sound Wind Tribe was postponed.
“As expected of the Royal Army. If they come out determinedly, it will be difficult for us, a small minority, to deal with them. And to send a strong man who can even defeat Kustu.”
Waroka, who had been grumbling, suddenly tilted his head at the question that occurred to him.
“But why did you suddenly move? Wasn’t the North supposed to be left to Ferdium? I knew that the nobles were keeping each other in check and that they wouldn’t be able to raise a large army.”
Even the barbarians knew of the situation in the Kingdom of Rutania through rumors.
In the Kingdom of Rutania, no one cared about Ferdium in the north, because the nobles prioritized managing their own lands.
That is why they fought and plundered among themselves without any worries. As far as they knew, it was absolutely impossible for Ferdium’s forces to subdue them.
The warrior next to Waroka responded cautiously.
“That’s… … It’s not that the royal army moved.”
“What? Then who moved? Another great lord?”
“No… … . It is true that only Ferdium’s troops came. The bloody demon is said to be the son of Count Ferdium.”
“… … .”
Waroka was speechless for a moment.
The warriors always looked down on Ferdium, calling him a fool. Ferdium was always short on power and was always busy blocking their attacks.
They’ve never invaded like this before.
The Waroka also looked down on Ferdium. Once they united the tribes, they planned to capture the northern fortress and secure a bridgehead to the kingdom.
But if our ancestors had known that those bastards were suddenly sweeping across the North with such force, they would have been shocked.
And how did you raise your son to turn him into such a monster?
“They’ve been gathering strength secretly. If we fight like this, we’re sure to lose.”
Waroka judged coolly.
He himself could never fight and win against 11 tribes at the same time, and that too without taking any damage.
Even though they were a large tribe, they only had a little over a thousand warriors. No matter how much I thought about it, it was impossible to defeat Ferdium with their current strength.
‘But I can’t just be defeated like this. I can’t end the tribe in my lifetime.’
No matter how strong the enemy is, it is the virtue of a warrior to never back down. It would be shameful to simply give up one’s life.
I couldn’t die without achieving my own dream.
After thinking for a while, Waroka spoke to the warrior next to him.
“Contact the Black Cloud Tribe and the Sanulrim Tribe. Let’s stop fighting for a moment and join forces.”
“Will they accept it?”
“If you don’t want to be killed by an outsider, you have to accept it. Especially if it’s someone rumored to be a bloody demon.”
The two tribes were the most powerful tribes in the area. They had been fighting the Sunstone tribe for many years and their feelings were running deep.
But Waroka was sure that they would join hands with him. It would be a great shame to die to an outside enemy. They would rather endure for a while.
Woroka gathered all the nearby small tribes in a similar manner. They had heard the rumors and for the time being, they showed no great resistance to joining forces.
The number of warriors gathered in this way reached 7,000.
No matter how strong the bloody demon army is, they won’t be easily defeated by this number.
‘The warriors are gathered. One… … . Is it okay to fight like this?’
Waroka thought about it for several days.
The enemy annihilated over 5,000 warriors at once and even killed Kustu. Even though I had gathered 7,000, no matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t have the confidence to win the fight.
Losing was obviously something to be avoided, but if we suffered heavy casualties while fighting, even if we won, the future of our tribe would be uncertain.
If the lives of countless warriors are lost, unification and everything else will be preoccupied only with immediate survival.
‘Food is already in short supply here, and without warriors we won’t be able to enter the Demon Forest.’
They were currently located near the Demon Forest, surviving on resources coming from the entrance to the forest.
In this state, it was impossible to conduct a large-scale battle.
While the other chieftains and warriors were burning with the will to fight, Woroka was different.
He was clearly the tribe’s greatest warrior, but unlike other barbarians, he was also an ambitious politician.
‘A bunch of stupid kids who only know how to fight and loot.’
They are people who live only for today without thinking about tomorrow. It was because of these people that Woroka was able to nurture his ambition to unite the tribes, but the problem was that they had no one to think about external invasions.
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After much deliberation, Waroka finally came up with a compromise.
“Let’s negotiate a ceasefire.”
Then the other chieftains shouted and scolded him.
“Negotiating with an outsider! What a shameful thing to say!”
“As a warrior, that would be shameful!”
“The northern fortress guys are underpowered anyway! If we win this one time, they’re finished!”
“I can’t bow my head to the likes of Ferdium!”
The tent where the chieftains had gathered became noisy in an instant. Everyone was talking about the pride of a warrior and about fighting.
Boom!
As soon as Waroka slammed his fist on the table, the tent became quiet.
There is no one here who can beat him one-on-one, because he was the one who fought alongside Kustu as the strongest man in the North.
There was no benefit to fighting in front of other chieftains.
When the chieftains fell silent, Woroka growled.
“They are the ones who crushed 5,000 warriors without much damage. They even killed the great warrior Kustu in a one-on-one duel. Even if we could win the fight, do you think our side would be okay?”
“… … .”
“What are you going to do after that? Do you think you can survive in this harsh north with so few warriors? Do you want to live in fear of even a single wandering monster?”
Someone shouted as if it didn’t matter.
“We are great warriors! That is not scary! Losing the pride of being a warrior is more scary!”
“Think about it, you idiots! It is more shameful to starve to death than to fight to death!”
“… … .”
In fact, there were many other reasons why he wanted to avoid fighting, but Waroka didn’t say anything out loud.
These people live solely on pride, so if you stimulate that part, it’s easy to move them in the direction that Waroka wants.
For warriors, not being able to hunt and starving to death with their families was a sign of weakness and one of the greatest humiliations. At a time when food shortages were already worsening, this excuse alone quickly changed the mood.
There were some who refused to give up and rebelled, but Waroka convinced them all through threats and persuasion.
The barbarians, who had finally decided to negotiate, sent envoys to the northern fortress.
Zwalter, who was checking the training status of the knights with Giselle, looked dumbfounded when he heard the news.
“Wow, I really thought you’d negotiate. You were right.”
“Yes. If the negotiations go well, they probably won’t come near the northern fortress for several years. There will be some who won’t listen and will try to loot in small groups.”
“Just that much is enough. I feel really relieved just by that much.”
It was a thought befitting a lord who always worried about the damage to his people.
The nearby tribes had already been annihilated. In addition, a coalition of 5,000 barbarians had been eliminated.
Even if the barbarians try to raid again, it will be much easier to stop them than before.
Things that I never imagined in my dreams were happening one after another.
‘Haha, I really did raise a good son. Who would have known something like this would happen? Not even my father would have known.’
Zwalter looked at Giselle with a pleased smile. His indifferent attitude, as if it were a natural result, felt particularly dignified.
A few days later, on the wide plain in front of the northern fortress, the barbarian army and the armies of Ferdium and Fenris faced each other.
White flags were raised on both sides, and the representatives soon sat down at a table prepared between the two camps and began negotiations.
The barbarians were represented by Woroka and several warriors, while Ferdium was represented by Zwalter, Giselle, and several of their associates.
“I am Woroka, the chieftain of the Sunstone Tribe. We do not want to fight any longer.”
He speaks of peace, but his face is distorted to a terrifying degree.
He proposed a ceasefire for political reasons and ambition, but also because his pride as a warrior was hurt.
Zwalter also didn’t hide his discomfort as he had a lot of emotions built up over time.
“Okay. Let’s hear what terms you can offer.”
“A five-year truce. I will stop the raids toward northern Rutania and find other routes. I will also control the raids by minor tribes as much as possible.”
“After tormenting us so much, is this all you want to do, to stop the plundering without any conditions?”
“It won’t be bad conditions for you either. Aren’t you spending a lot of military resources to stop us? You’ll feel better too. Isn’t this enough? It won’t be good for you to keep fighting us.”
In short, it meant that we should reconcile since we have been hitting each other up until now and we will not hit each other anymore.
It was an arrogant attitude, but it wasn’t wrong. The reason Ferdium was always poor was because it spent all its money on the forest of demons and barbarians.
Five years was a bit shorter than expected, but it was enough for Ferdium. With the food and mana training methods he had obtained from Giselle, he could become much stronger if he built up his internal strength during that time.
Zwalter thought about it and asked.
“How can I trust you guys? You might break your promise and suddenly attack me.”
Then Waroka shouted with an angry expression.
“I am a warrior! I never lie!”
Although he couldn’t say it out of pride, Woroca actually had nothing to give to Ferdium.
Because of the nature of the tribes that roamed the surrounding area and pillaged, they did not originally have a large amount of resources. It would have been even more so if they fought among themselves and pillaged.
Besides, the food shortage has gotten worse these days. So, no matter what you ask for, I can’t give it to you.
He had nothing to offer but his warrior’s promise and pride.
“Ahem… … That’s all.”
Zwalter had a slightly bitter expression on his face. However, he also knew the circumstances of the barbarians and the pride of the great warriors. He also knew that the conditions he had just proposed were the best they could do.
Since I had no intention of fighting any longer anyway, I thought it would be okay to end it here.
You can’t completely trust them, but even if they break the agreement, it’s just business as usual.
It was better than taking heavy casualties from a large gathering of barbarians like we are now.
Zwalter nodded, thinking that he would take a deep breath and regroup. It was a realistic judgment, typical of someone who pursues stability.
“Okay, then let’s write up a negotiation document… … .”
Before Zwalter could finish speaking, Giselle, who was standing next to him, opened her mouth with an expressionless face.
“Give me 5,000 horses immediately, and an additional 200 horses every year. The term is 5 years.”
“What, what?”
Waroka looked at Jiselle with a puzzled face. I thought it would end well, but then suddenly a strange guy intervened.
He felt offended and replied with a frown.
“Who are you to offer it to me? What if you don’t like it?”
In response to Waroka’s answer, Jiselle looked down at him arrogantly and continued speaking.
“If you refuse, you will all die here today.”
