Chapter 132: Homecoming

‘He's a barbarian, but a person dear to His Majesty.’

Regal Arten thought, looking at Urich who was accompanying him.

‘This man might become the leader of the yet-to-be-named barbarian warrior division.’

The empire was gathering barbarian warriors. Unlike the Sun Warriors, these warriors didn't need to convert to Solarism, and that freedom attracted many barbarians. Though the Sun Priests and nobles disapproved of having unconverted barbarian troops directly under them, they didn't express their discontent to the emperor.

‘It won't hurt to get closer to him.’

Regal didn’t look down on Urich just because of his barbarian origin. Instead, he treated him as an equal.

"Cliffs and ravines?"

Urich tilted his head, narrowing his eyes. Regal was heading toward a gorge in the Sky Mountains, known for its treacherous terrain, followed by about a hundred imperial engineers.

"It's actually better this way, Sir Urich. Many expeditions have challenged these mountains, but all faced disappointment. Climbers go up and then we lose all contact. It's quite the enigma."

Regal explained, looking at the gorge's steep cliffs. No path was visible; below, the water from a waterfall churned violently. The river's course was blocked by several waterfalls, making it impassable even by boat.

‘Honestly, even I'm not confident about crossing the Sky Mountains alone.’

Urich admitted, looking up at the towering mountain range. He had been dragged to the peak by Fordgal’s expedition team, then practically rolled down the other side recklessly.

If it were easy to traverse these mountains, the two worlds would have made contact long ago. The mountains still remained a divine domain, untouched by human footsteps.

Regal added to the description, carefully reading Urich’s reaction.

"I've tried several times along the gentler ridges, but no matter how mild, you still have to climb to the top. Mountain sickness, uh, it's something that happens at high elevations..." Regal rambled on before pointing again at the gorge as he paused to catch his breath.

"...So, basically, you’re saying that it's impossible for an army to cross the mountains."

Urich nodded to show his understanding.

"Exactly. You are quite clever, Sir Urich. Nobles who haven't experienced it themselves think it's doable. 'The imperial army can do it!', ‘Mountain sickness is for the weak!' they say. But even small expedition teams have been spending enormous resources and time. No matter how high-spirited the Imperial army may be, they won’t be able to overcome these mountains on passion and courage alone. Mark my words, if the army tried to climb over these mountains, they’ll bury their bones in the snow up top."

Regal was a talented explorer. The emperor had been sending countless expeditions to the Sky Mountains, but he was the only one to have made a round trip in the last ten years. He conquered the mountains bit by bit, considering the realistic limits.

"This gorge is the most dangerous in the Sky Mountains. One wrong step and you're dead. For your information, its name is Arten Gorge, heh," Regal chuckled, scratching the back of his head. His family, the Arten, was among the major exploring families.

"Are you sure we can get through here?"

"I crossed the mountains through this gorge. Not 'over', but 'through'.”

"Oh?"

Urich slapped his knee, intrigued by this unexpected idea.

Regal was excited by Urich’s reaction. Unlike the bored nobles, Urich was genuinely interested in his story.

"The gorge is relatively low compared to the rest of the mountains. Still high, mind you, but much more manageable than other routes. We've looked everywhere, but this is the only passable path for an army."

"You’re making it sound like conquering the Sky Mountains is just around the corner.”

"But there's a critical downside to Arten Gorge."

"No need to tell me," Urich grimaced, understanding the implication of 'the most dangerous terrain in the Sky Mountains.'

"Of my forty-two original expedition members, only 18 returned after crossing the Arten Gorge. My members, who were mountain specialists who spent a decade looking at these mountains, were halved. We captured four western barbarians but had to throw two weaker ones off the cliff due to manpower shortage. Another gave into illness on the way back.”

Urich clenched his fist, which was holding the rock that he was fidgeting with. Its pieces fell to the ground as Urich crushed it in his grip.

"...And yet, you're confident the army can pass through here?" Urich asked, catching his breath.

‘It's not the time to kill Regal yet.’

Regal held much useful knowledge.

"We’re going to build bridges and ladders along the steep cliffs. When they’re finished, this gorge will be much easier to cross. It'll take quite some time, though. Once it’s completed, it will be known as 'Yailrud'.”

"Named after Yanchinus, that's funny. The man who sits far away without even lifting a finger."

"Mind your words, Sir Urich," Regal warned, though he shared the sentiment. If not for the emperor’s command, he would've named the path after himself.

Regal and the imperial engineers established the Arten Base Camp at the foot of the Sky Mountains. They employed locals as laborers. Two months had passed since its construction and the camp grew enough to attract merchants and pimps.

"Kylios, it looks like I won't be able to take you with me."

Urich said while sitting in the base camp's stable, splitting a carrot. He tossed a piece into Kylios' mouth and chewed on the rest himself.

“Neighh.”

Kylios expressed his good mood and licked Urich's cheek with his long tongue. Urich looked toward the Sky Mountains.

The Imperial army was busy building a bridge along the cliffs of the gorge. They placed logs in the spaces of the cliff only just wide enough to fit a foot on and secured them with oil-soaked ropes, weaving them tightly. Despite working without taking a single day off, progress was slow, and laborers often fell to their deaths.

‘It’s a bridge built on blood.’

Urich thought, as the pioneering path extended with each casualty. Urich left Kylios at a farm not too far from the base camp, paying the farmer plenty of gold coins to take care of him.

"Take good care of him. If Kylios is in bad shape when I return..."

"O-of course, my lord," the farmer nodded vigorously, and Urich patted his cheek with a smile.

‘Preparations are complete.’

Regal and his expedition team planned to cross the mountains again, combining the climb with a survey for the construction of Yailrud. Urich also joined this climb. After the final preparations were completed, Regal gathered his team.

"Are you planning to carry all that, Sir Urich?" Regal asked, shaking his head at Urich's luggage, which was twice as much as others.

"You never know when you run into those barbarians. I gotta take my armor."

Urich replied, tapping his steel breastplate fitted to his size. A layer of fur coat stuck out underneath the plate. The steel breastplate, made in the Imperial smithy, was a rare, high-quality piece. It alone was sufficient to prevent fatal injuries. Neither arrow nor sword could penetrate it.

"Hup."

Urich donned the breastplate lined with fur and stuffed the rest of the armor pieces in his bag. The armor wasn't a full suit but still included a helmet, greaves, and gloves, significantly increasing the bulk and weight of his luggage.

‘The quality is there. It's not a garbage piece like last time.’

Urich smiled as the smooth surface of the plate brightened his mood. Yanchinus, pleased with Urich's ruthless treatment of Damia, had fulfilled his promise by providing the steel armor.

‘And I can’t forget this.’

Urich packed the seed pouch carefully. Civilized people, with their long history of settled farming, had sturdy crop varieties.

‘These might grow even in the barren western lands.’

Urich quietly followed the expedition trail.

The expedition team that was accompanying Regal was formed with six men. Their primary goal was pathfinding and reconnaissance, so six was enough to carry out the mission.

"This is where the pioneering path that’s being constructed will end."

One of the team members said, looking at the stakes they had placed during the previous climb.

"They're still firmly in place," Regal noted, checking the stakes on the cliff. They had created paths where none existed to breach the mountains.

"I'll go up first and lower a rope, Sir Regal.”

A nimble team member climbed the cliff barehanded with only a rope around his waist.

Whoooosh!

A sudden gust of wind blew through the gorge. It came out of nowhere.

"Dammit!"

Regal exclaimed, looking up anxiously. The team member, tied to a rope, had fallen.

Thud!

The member narrowly avoided falling to his death thanks to the rope connecting him to the peg, but he hit his head on the face of the cliff.

"Shit!"

They wanted to rescue him immediately but had to wait for the wind to die down. Once it stopped, they lowered the injured member.

"He's dead."

Regal confirmed that the member had stopped breathing, then announced his death with a bitter laugh.

The next member climbed the cliff without any issue, and once at the top, lowered a rope to bring up another person, followed by the rest of the gear.

"Hold on tight as you climb," Urich was advised as he grasped the rope and ascended the cliff.

The team proficiently overcame several cliffs in this manner. Their skills showed their extreme experience.

‘This is truly impressive. I've learned a lot.’

This was the first time Urich was experiencing proper mountain climbing. The method was the result of the team's decade-long experience.

"A small expedition can cross this way, but an army can't. That's why they're building a path along the cliff. It'll take time... but once the cliff path is complete, the army can pass through."

It is difficult for people to understand something without seeing it, and there is no better way to understand something than seeing and experiencing it themselves. Urich had completely understood the reason why they were working so hard to construct the pioneering path.

‘Experienced explorers are dangerous.’

With time, such explorers might freely traverse the mountains. The first time is always hard, but it would only get easier the second, and the third time.

‘That’s too bad.’

Urich smiled bitterly. He bore no personal grudge against the expedition team. They were merely fulfilling their duty under imperial command, and Urich was a barbarian who understood civilization.

‘Regal and his team are good people from the civilization's viewpoint.’

Regal had conquered the mountains and brought back a barbarian from the land of the myth as proof. They had done nothing wrong from the civilization’s point of view. Conquering the barbaric lands was natural for civilization, much like stealing was just a daily occurrence to barbarians, unrelated to good and evil.

‘But my brothers are not your slaves...’

Urich had seen the fate of the conquered barbarians with his own eyes.

Urich realized his root identity after witnessing the death of a nameless fellow westerner. No matter how much he adored and lived in the civilized world, his soul belonged in the land west of the Sky Mountains. The place he had to return to was in the direction that the sun goes down.