Episode 63
When Bikir is sitting in the barracks lighting the fire.
“… … anybody home?”
A thin voice came from outside.
As Bikir walks out of the curtain made of leaves, he sees a girl with black hair and black eyes looking up at Bikir with a shy expression.
It was the girl who woke up at dawn the other day and stood in line in front of the chieftain’s barracks.
“The Chief is looking for you. I’m here to deliver the message.”
It seems that he has come to run errands.
Bikir immediately moved his steps toward the chieftain’s barracks.
at that time.
“Ah, hey, hey!”
The girl summons Bikir and stops him.
As Bikir turned her head, the girl blushed and hesitated.
“Thank you for grilling the meat the other day! It was delicious and cool!”
It seems to be referring to the roasting of meat in the scavenger hunt.
Bikir gave a rough nod and turned around. He was called by the chief because he needs to go quickly.
* * *
Even Balak’s warriors, who roam freely in all areas of the jungle, cannot act recklessly right here in front of Chief Aquila.
As Bikir walks through the curtains and enters, he sees a stuffed eagle at the far end of the barracks.
Beneath it sat Chief Aquila in a large chair.
A cold impression, scars running through the whole body.
Although she wasn’t very tall, she felt as if she were facing a giant because of her plentiful eagle feather cape and the sense of intimidation she exuded.
In particular, the large scar on one eye made the viewer feel intimidated.
Nicknamed the ‘Night Fox’, she is the leader and strongest warrior of the current Balak.
The heroine who won successive victories over Hugo Les Baskervilles, the head of the Baskerville family and sword master, and Morgue Adolf, a member of the House of Morgue and the 6th class master.
The reason why Balak, who only has about 300 people in total, is feared by the Empire and known as the strongest warrior tribe in the jungle is because she is holding on to this position.
“Meet the Chief.”
Bikir knelt down on one knee and bowed his head according to the manners he had been taught.
Aquila, the fox of the night, is the most outstanding archer of all time since Adonai, the legendary archer who led Balak’s heyday hundreds of years ago.
She raised her only one eye and looked closely at Bikir.
Unlike the empire’s speech technique, which hides its purpose in greetings and good wishes, Balak’s dialogue is direct and raw.
“Did you catch Oxbear this time? Thanks to that, I ate delicious meat.”
Unlike the first impression, Aquila said with a gentle smile.
The voice was as majestic as Hugo’s, but not sharp, but rather warm and soft.
“No, Chief. I just did what I had to do.”
“There is nothing to be humble about. A good job is a good job.”
Aquila smiled even warmer at Bikir’s modesty.
Vikir was genuinely surprised that the fox of that terrifying night had been such a laughing stock.
Eventually, Aquila opened her mouth.
“Considering your merits yesterday, I will absolve you of your position. You are no longer a slave, you are our family.”
From this moment on, Bikir was not a slave, but officially became a member of Balak’s family.
at that time.
“… … Great.”
A cough filled with disapproval is heard.
Bikir glanced sideways to see a lanky-looking old man staring at him from the side, mouth tight.
‘The old man used to put ashes on the faces of young hunters.’
Balak’s shaman Ahheman.
He was the most powerful in the village except for Chief Aquila.
Although he did not have much support from the young people who hated old customs and superstition, all the fairly old and seasoned hunters trusted Ahheman.
‘There are no atheists in the trenches’ is apt.
Those who have gone through life’s ups and downs are always looking for something to lean on spiritually, and Ahheman understood exactly that.
‘Come to think of it… … Did I say that Ahhun was the son of that old man?’
Ahhun, a young hunter who always reveals his teeth to him in every case. Come to think of it, Ahhun’s feeling overlaps with Ahhemman’s face, which seems to be making an uncomfortable expression over there.
Apparently, he doesn’t like Aquila’s approval of Vikir.
And there was no way that Aquila didn’t know that Vikir also noticed.
“Hey, Shaman.”
Aquila turned her head to look at Ahhemman.
“… … Yes, Chief.”
“Don’t you like that I accepted that boy as a member of the tribe?”
Aquila asked openly.
Even if Ahhemman’s power is strong, the chieftain’s authority is absolute.
He immediately noticed that Aquila’s words were low-key, and bowed his head deeply.
“Could that be? However, I am only slightly concerned about the transfusion of imperial blood into the tribe.”
“That is not a shaman’s concern. All you have to do is to hold a rain ceremony when rain is needed, pray for prayers when warriors go hunting, hold a good funeral ceremony when a war breaks out, hold a memorial service when a dead person comes out, and ward off evil when a plague rages.”
Hearing Aquila’s sharp words, Ahhemman bowed his head deeply.
Behind him, Iyen can be seen sticking out his tongue.
well, anyway.
Aquila recognized the exploits of the plunder and raised Bikir’s status to a full member of the tribe.
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Aquila looked down at Bikir’s prostrate body.
“Your body seems to have recovered a lot. It’s amazing. How fast it is.”
“Thanks for taking care of me.”
“It happened. What have I taken care of? If there is virtue, it must be with my daughter.”
Aquila glanced away and looked at Iyen, who was standing against the wall.
“… … .”
Ayen secretly avoids her mother’s gaze and acts out the other way.
Eventually, Aquila opened her mouth.
“Since you have officially become a member of Balak, tell me what you want. You are a member of the same family, but since I have never been able to give birth to you and raise you, I will give you something corresponding to that.”
Having finished speaking, Aquila quietly urged.
“There are many beautiful wives in the village who are in the mood for marriage. If you wish, I will find one of them and make it your spouse. If you don’t need a spouse, a slave is fine. There are also quite a few girls from other tribes who were captured as prisoners of war.”
Then, for a moment, a murmur was heard outside the tent.
It was the sound of the village women who had been standing in a row in front of the chieftain’s barracks since dawn.
But Bikir shook his head.
“Thank you for your words, but your partner is fine.”
Both wives and female slaves are proposals to increase the birth rate, and it is a trick aimed at the human psychology of settling down in the place where children are born.
When Bikir rejected the offer, Aquila seemed to ponder for a moment.
“Hmm. Is this what women don’t need? That’s unusual. Among the outsiders, most men want a woman.”
In fact, most of Balak’s tribesmen were pretty and beautiful.
Physical beauty cultivated through hunting and training, unlike other tribes, exceptionally healthy and lively eyes and hair.
Balak’s warriors must be exceptionally attractive externally compared to other tribes in the sea.
This is because genetic diseases caused by incest have not developed thanks to blood transfusions from outside.
Maybe that’s why, most of the intruders from outside often targeted the virgins of Balak.
… … Of course, most of them are just turned into wolf food by their arrows.
Meanwhile, Aquila wrinkled her nose a little. It is a sign of concern.
“okay. Then what will you give me? Shall I give you half the hide of the oxbear you caught?”
Oxbear fur is a very valuable treasure.
Hearing that he would cut it in half, he almost jumped out of his place the moment he moved away.
The moment an animal’s fur is cut in half, its value drops to 1/10, which is something that people who know the value cannot bear to see.
Right then.
“… … !”
Bikir felt a gaze from the side.
Iyen was winking hard.
‘Didn’t you forget what I said?’
That expression that seems to speak with the eyes.
Aquila glances to the side with a look that is strange to see such a daughter.
Ayen was still diligently sending signals to Vikir, probably not knowing that he had been caught by Aquila.
In the end, Vikir opened her mouth as Iyen had asked before.
“Material rewards are fine. However, could you possibly soak yourself in the ‘spring of the brave’?”
Before responding to Aquila’s call, Ayen had urged Vikir to tell her this as the desired reward.
Sure enough, Aquila expressed disapproval for the first time.
“… … Hmm.”
Even Aquila, who was quite friendly to Bikir, would have reacted this way, but what about the others?
Most old people swallow their silence with disapproval.
The sorcerer Ahheman, who was in the front row of them, yelled out loud.
“Yeah man! Who are you to say such arrogance in front of you!”
As if he could not stand it at all, Ahheman strode forward and knelt in front of Aquila.
“Chief! For generations, only the proud warriors of Balak have been able to bathe in the fountain of the brave!”
Then the murmurs around them grew louder.
Ahhun, who was standing near the entrance of the barracks, sneered.
“Only those who have proven their superior strength can enter the fountain of heroes. I dare not even know the fraction.”
Then Iyen, who was on the other side, answered in a fit of rage.
“Bikir has already proven his strength. Didn’t you catch an oxbear and submit it to this looting festival!”
“joy. It must have been at the level of throwing stones from behind when the captain hunted.”
“Then, is your back shaped like that because you were hit by a stone?”
As Iyen pointed out the bandages and bandages wrapped around Ahhun’s waist, Ahhun’s body began to tremble.
At Aquila’s question, Vikir nodded after pondering for a while.
“… … It is the spring of the brave. Do you know what it is?”
It is Balak’s holy ground, a small hot spring that flows deep in the sea, and is located among the tombs of the brave, where only the bravest and strongest of Balak’s former warriors are buried.
It is said to heal all internal and external injuries just by entering and soaking in it, as it is blessed with the blessings of great ancestors.
However, the water level is very low and it takes a long time for the water to gather, and the effect is halved if several people enter, so only warriors who have made special contributions from generation to generation are allowed to enter.
“Chief! That’s too much to ask for on the pitch! How can an outsider who has just been humbled go to the Holy Land… … !”
“Still, if you’ve caught Oxbear, you’re a child with a promising future. It might not be bad enough to motivate you once in a while.”
“Nonsense! Since when did the spring of the brave become a well into which anyone can enter!”
“Huh, but that child doesn’t seem to be well. Now that we’ve become family members, shouldn’t we treat them well?”
The elders around him are also arguing.
There were those who looked favorably on the fact that Oxbear was caught during a time when the entire tribe was in need, and others who did not.
Aquila seemed to want to subtly listen to Bikir’s request, but it was true that she was a bit weak in making the case for hunting Oxbear.
Some people, led by Ahheman, were not happy about accepting Bikir as a family member in the first place, so they expressed a stronger opposition to the fountain of heroes.
Aquila wanted to grant her daughter’s petition as much as possible, but it was a bit embarrassing because the shaman and her guardians strongly opposed it.
Right then.
Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding-
On the tribal fence, on the watchtower rising on the border of the village, a loud bell suddenly rang out.
At the same time, the shouts of sentries were also heard.
“Outsiders have appeared!”
It seemed that something strange had happened in the village.
