Episode 55: The Hunter and the Prey (1)
Balak is basically a very warlike fighting people.
It was clear that, apart from war and hunting, there probably wouldn’t be much left in their lives.
Bikir followed Ayen to the entrance of the village, chewing on the information he knew about Balak.
‘They only have about 300 words in their language, and most of them are nouns. Verbs are mixed with gestures, and there is no distinction between me and us in possession. Man is Ambo, woman is Akouati, love is Aouki, death is Utica… … ‘
The people of Balak regarded the Imperials as sly, sly, and pretentious.
Conversely, the Imperials treated Balak as a savage who would scream and punch at the slightest anger.
The people of the Baskervilles seemed to be somewhere in the middle between the civilized people of the Empire and the savages of the jungle, Vikir thought.
‘I wonder if it vaguely resembles both sides as they are bordered by borders without belonging to anywhere?’
While Vikir thought about this and that by herself, Balak’s hunters gathered in one place.
Young and old hunters gather in twos and threes and go hunting.
Everyone climbed on the wolf’s back, one by one, and stretched out their bows and spears.
Among them, only Iyen had no companions, just a wolf to ride and a slave, Bikir.
“Now, gather here, hunters. It is time for the declaration ceremony.”
A curly-looking old man came out with black charcoal in a bowl and was applying it to the hunter-warriors’ faces.
The colorful tattoos peeking out from under the black robe seemed to be an old man playing the role of a shaman.
“Everyone, receive my blessing and go. Otherwise, I will strike you.”
The old shaman smeared soot from a bowl on all the hunters’ faces.
Balak’s hunters feel guilty about killing their prey.
So, before killing, they smeared their faces with soot so as not to reveal their faces to the god of death.
However, Iyan and other young hunters do not seem to be very happy with such a ceremony.
“It started again. Annoying nagging.”
“Leave it alone. Shaman-nim should also establish his position.”
“By the way, don’t the shaman’s fortune-telling miss too well?”
“That’s why these days, whenever you wear it on your ears, they only come out with earrings, and when you wear it on your nose, they only come out with a nose ring.”
All young people of all times and places hate and despise old customs and superstitions.
Ayen stuck out her face with an annoyed expression and received the charcoal soot makeup applied by the old witch doctor.
The old shaman rubbed black paint on Ayen’s face a few times and then moved on, but compared to the other warriors, it was quite sloppy, so it seemed that they didn’t get along well.
Eventually, Ayen put on a dog collar with a thorn around his neck and passed it on to Vikir.
“I’m kicking to avoid getting bitten on the neck.”
Bikir nodded.
Before long, the hunters began to leave the village one by one.
Tribal hunters with swords, spears, bows, and wolves.
Slave Bikir also finished his own preparations.
‘While I’m here, I’ll have to blend in with them.’
I needed to renew my mindset.
Bikir just felt the urge to urinate and immediately pulled down his pants and started peeing.
I was thinking of adapting and melting into these cultures from these basic things.
… … however?
When the people of Balak saw Bikir urinating, they were startled.
The women were watching through the gaps between their open fingers while covering their eyes, and the men openly sent glances full of rivalry.
Bikir wondered and asked.
“What. why are you looking at me like that Isn’t everyone doing this?”
The answer came back from everywhere.
“… … What are you talking about, who urinates everywhere like that?”
“Is it like that in the Empire? You are barbaric.”
“We use separate bathrooms.”
“The man is over there, the woman is this way.”
“You have no sense. Cover up a bit.”
“What a savage!”
“Am I good?”
… … .
Bikir turned and looked at Iyen.
Ayen smiled brightly and averted her gaze.
* * *
Iyen got on the wolf’s back.
“Hold tight.”
Of course, Bikir was also behind her.
Bikir hesitated for a moment, not knowing where to grab it, then grabbed the wolf’s fur.
Then Iyen reached back and grabbed Bikir’s arm and brought it to his waist.
“You have to hold here. closely. Otherwise, you will fall and break your neck.”
Bikir grabbed Ayen’s pelvis with his hand. It is quite wide and easy to hold.
but.
… jump!
When the wolf took a leap, Bikir rolled to the ground.
Pain, Bikir almost screamed.
The bones that had barely been put together by Murcielago’s regenerative power were twisting again.
Riding a wolf is quite different from riding a horse.
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First of all, there are no saddles and no stirrups.
Furthermore, the wolf had a much narrower waist than the horse and moved more dynamically.
Iyen stopped the wolf and came down to the floor.
“Tsk tsk, I should have wrapped it around my waist and folded it with both hands. If you hold on to it like that, it will fall.”
She laughed and patted her waist. ‘How are you going to get rid of it without you catching it?’ she seemed to ask.
The moment Bikir is about to get up from his seat.
… thud!
Someone appeared to stand in the way between Bikir and Ayen.
Ahhun. He was riding a wolf and looking down at Bikir.
In an instant, the atmosphere cools down.
Ayen crossed his arms with a disapproving expression.
Balak’s hunters are also competing every moment.
As a warrior who has always expressed his sympathy for Iyen, Ahhun seems to challenge her in this hunt as well.
“This time I will catch a bigger game. So I’m going to be the leader of the next joint hunting team. In honor of my grandfather.”
“Why are you hunting for the honor of your grandfather, who can only do witchcraft? Whatever you do or don’t, it’s up to you.”
Iyen did not deal with Ahun.
He just gestured towards Bikir across the street as if telling him to come quickly.
The moment Bikir just got up from his seat and was about to approach Iyen.
… puck!
Bikir’s head spun in an instant.
Ahhun, riding on the wolf, kicked Bikir in the face.
Bikir was still injured, so he had no choice but to get hit even though he knew his foot was flying.
I think it’s fortunate that it wasn’t an attack with great power.
For a moment, Iyen became furious.
“What are you, son of a bitch… … !?”
Iyan tried to step forward, but she stopped moving for a moment.
Then, with a strange expression on his eyes, he alternately looked at the fallen Bikir and the energetic Ahhun.
Ahhun flinched for a moment when Iyen’s reaction was more intense than he expected, but then let out a sigh of relief.
Then, he sneered at the fallen Bikir.
“What kind of hunting assistant would you use such a weak fellow? Calm down, chief. It just gets caught.”
“… … You’d better look at your own waist when you say that.”
Ahun looks down at his waist at Iyan’s sarcastic remark.
There was nothing there. Originally, the quiver should have been full of arrows.
“… … !?”
Ahun turned his head in surprise.
Bikir was standing up with a quiver and arrows.
It had been snatched from Ahun just before collapsing.
‘I’m in debt to the era of destruction again.’
Before returning, Bikir really didn’t have any trivia that he hadn’t experienced.
Pickpocketing skills are also useful if you learn them well.
“A weapon is like your lover. If it is stolen, use it.”
Iyen burst into laughter at Bikir’s calm words, and Ahhun’s face turned red.
“… … You, you cheeky slave bastard!”
Ahhun drew his bow and struck Bikir on the shoulder.
Awesome!
Bikir collapses with a loud noise.
Ahhun didn’t get enough of that, he came down from the wolf’s back.
Booung-
The moment the bow pole swings once more.
… F*ck!
Ahhun’s bow had to stop in midair.
Iyen pulled out an arrow and blocked Ahhun’s bow.
“Until there. Whose slave are you chastising at will?”
Iyen’s words were as cold and hard as frost.
Ah-hun stammered in response.
“That guy is a slave! How dare you insult a warrior of Balak!”
“Didn’t you show a pathetic side first?”
“Nevertheless, he is a slave! A slave cannot insult a warrior under any circumstances!”
Ahhun protested by citing the tribal rules.
“… … .”
After pondering for a while, Ayen nodded.
“good. A slave is just a slave. If you do something wrong, you must be punished.”
“Yes, chief. That’s what I mean.”
“But I have no right to punish you. This guy is my slave.”
“… … ?”
Although the concept of private property is sparse, the distinction between ownership is quite strict when it comes to slaves.
As Ahhun tilted his head, Iyen put a wedge into it.
“Even if I punish you, I will punish you.”
After speaking, Iyen got down from the wolf’s back and stood in front of Vikir.
and.
… Damn!
Ayen’s hand slapped Bikir’s cheek.
When Vikir fell to the floor, Ayen continued to beat Vikir’s body.
Its fists bend like snakes, targeting the abdomen, waist, and legs.
Bikir crouched down and silently endured Ayen’s fist.
Iyen, who had been beating for a long time, took a deep breath and stepped back.
Then he glared at Ahun with a cold gaze.
“Are you done now?”
“… … .”
Seeing Iyen’s beating, Ahhun held his breath as if intimidated, then nodded in dismay.
Ayen looked straight into Ahhun’s eyes.
“Because of my slave last time, I fell off the back of a wolf, and I couldn’t even catch a maid… … I know you are personally dissatisfied.”
“… … Yes.”
“After this time, if you try to do something private with my slave, you will be beaten like this. Got it?”
Drops of blood dripped from Iyen’s fists.
There was a deep life in his eyes.
Ahhun nodded a few times with a bewildered expression, then looked at Bikir on the floor with a tired gaze.
Until then, Bikir, who hadn’t screamed once, was just quietly wriggling on the spot.
Eventually, Ahhun climbed on the back of the wolf and quickly disappeared.
Again, only Iyen and Bikir remained here.
Suk…
Ayen crept up and squatted down in front of Vikir.
Only then did Bikir raise his upper body.
And Iyen touched Bikir’s blushing cheeks with an unknown, indeed complex gaze.
“… … Are you sick?”
It may be because of my mood that I feel that the way I speak has changed slightly.
