Chapter 193

The Langkegart Kingdom, located in the southwest, was a nation positioned between the empire and the south.

Because the desertification intensified and greenery became scarce as one traveled further south, the capital of Langkegart, Novgark, was located relatively more northern to avoid the limitations.

"It's burning."

A soldier standing on the watchtower trembled as he spoke. The villages on the outskirts of Novgark had fallen into the hands of the barbarians. Thick smoke rose from areas where farms were located.

"Ah..."

Trapped within the castle, the King of Langkegart sighed. He had hurriedly issued a conscription order to the city and its lords, but the soldiers they managed to gather were less than five thousand. Even among those, the majority were a ragtag bunch. The city had conscripted anyone with intact limbs, including ten-year-old boys and seventy-year-old elders.

'Barbarians that came out of nowhere.'

Barbarians who were from the Sky Mountains and neither from the south nor the north, were stirring the center of the world of civilization.

The military strength of the civilized world was concentrated on the borders of the south and the north, and most of the renowned fortresses were also located in the south and the north. The inland regions had not experienced foreign invasions for the past fifty years. The disputes between lords were the only type of conflict they had to manage.

The barbarians of the west ravaged these vulnerable inland areas. They hopped over the low city walls with ease and plundered the civilized world.

"What on earth is the empire doing? It's been over a month since the barbarians invaded our land!"

The king burst out in frustration.

The emperor was the ruler of the world and had the duty to protect the vassal states from foreign invaders, especially when the invaders were barbarians.

'What are we supposed to do now!'

The king of Langkegart clutched his head in agony. The barbarians were trampling over Langkegart, turning it into scorched earth. All the fields were burnt to the ground.

'Even if we manage to fend off the barbarians... only a nightmarish famine awaits us.'

The nation was ravaged. Major strongholds and cities fell, significantly weakening Langkegart's national power.

The Langkegart Kingdom was overtaken by the barbarians before it could even try to formulate a response strategy. Their strategy of being quick and decisive worked perfectly.

The lords who managed to evade the barbarians' plundering route made all kinds of excuses to not send their troops and barricaded themselves in their own territories. They knew there was no chance of victory until the imperial army arrived.

"Lock the gate and hold your ground! We must endure their attack until the imperial army arrives!"

The king managed to muster up his voice and shouted.

Meanwhile, a big commotion occurred at the city gate.

"Please! Let us in! My lord! A-at least my son!"

Residents of villages and farms belonging to the city of Novgark flocked to the gate. Their numbers reached hundreds. They screamed for the drawbridge to be lowered at the gate.

"We're in the middle of battle now! Back off!"

The captain of the guards shouted fiercely. It was uncertain when the barbarians would charge. The drawbridge couldn't be lowered so easily.

"We are also subjects of His Royal Highness and the people of Novgark! Did you not eat the grains we harvested?"

The farmers cried out. They were people who worked in the outer agricultural lands of the city.

"Are you going to leave us to die like this?"

If the barbarians attacked, the farmers outside the walls were as good as dead.

"Ugh..."

The captain of the guards clenched his teeth and groaned.

'I've heard the circulating rumors about the barbarians. They leave nothing but ashes in their wake. Whether children or adults, all men are killed, and women are violated...'

The barbarians were a horrifying army. Although the civilized world also had many cruel knights, the entire army condoning such acts of brutality never occurred.

"Oh, Lou... What did these people ever do wrong!"

The captain of the guards sighed.

'If I ignore their screams, I cannot call myself a knight anymore.'

The captain made up his mind.

What distinguished a knight from a warrior was not just a difference in arms. Knights performed their chivalry in accordance with Lou's will, faithfully. They protected the weak and did not turn a blind eye to injustice. Without chivalry, a knight was just a well-trained murderer.

"Lower the bridge!" The defense captain shouted.

"A-are we really going to lower it?" A soldier next to the winch questioned.

"Have you gone deaf, soldier?"

The defense captain came down to the ground, expressing his frustration. His heart was pounding just as hard as the others.

"U-understood!"

The soldiers vigorously turned the winch. The coiled chains unwound, lowering the drawbridge of the gate.

"These are the people we must protect! How can we, who feed on the nation's grain, turn a blind eye on our people! Protect our citizens! We are the defenders of Langkegart!"

The defense captain raised his sword, encouraging the surrounding soldiers.

Boom!

The bridge settled over the moat.

"Thank you, my lord! We won't forget this kindness!"

The farmers rushed onto the bridge.

'This is the right thing to do.'

The guard captain smiled faintly as he watched the farmers rushing in. Dirt-smeared children were being carried across the bridge by their parents.

"Huh?"

It was when he looked at the back row that the captain felt a sense of unease.

'Where are the women and children?'

There was a group wearing hoods. At first glance, they looked like the other farmers, but they didn't have any women and children with them. They were a group consisting of only a large number of men.

"Keugh!"

Before the defense captain could get a word out, a situation erupted. Some of the farmers who had come through the gate drew swords and attacked the surrounding soldiers.

"E-enemy, it's the enemy! Close the gate...agh!"

The invaders attacked the soldiers around the winch and then broke it.

"Sir, p-please spare me! I'm not one of them!”

The gate quickly became a cauldron of chaos. At a glance, it was difficult to distinguish between the farmers and the invaders.

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

Confused soldiers even stabbed fleeing farmers to death. Some of them hesitated and were pierced through the throat by a dagger from an invader disguised as a farmer. It was impossible to tell the actual farmers from the invaders.

"Ahhhhh! My love!"

It was utter chaos. The enemy and allies were unclear, and the gate was wide open.

Rustle.

Not far from the gate, the bushes moved. It was the alliance warriors disguised as bushes. They had smeared their bodies with mud and used strings to hang branches and leaves on themselves.

"The bushes are the enemy! The camouflaged barbarians are right in front of us!"

A soldier on the wall shouted. They had been staring at the bushes all day but never thought they could be people.

The night before, the camouflaged warriors had taken their position not far from the gate, under the cover of darkness. They waited all day for the gate to open, even relieving themselves on the spot.

“Kaaagh!”

The difference between invaders and farmers gradually became clear at the entrance of the gate. The lightly armed invaders were civilized mercenaries who had joined the barbarian army.

"Gold coins await us!"

"And women too!"

The mercenaries crudely shouted as they wiped the blood from their faces. They were tasked with infiltrating the gate disguised as farmers.

‘I can't believe it actually worked.’

It was a strategy that would be fine if it worked, but no big deal if it didn't. It was only able to be devised because there were those among the alliance who knew a lot about the knights of civilization.

‘The oath to protect the weak can sometimes be a hindrance in battle. I guess the complacency about what could happen while the city gate was briefly open played a part too.’

Noah Arten watched the opened city gate from afar and smiled bitterly.

The alliance had opened the city gate with ease. About a hundred warriors camouflaged in the bushes supported the civilized mercenaries and seized the gate.

Buuuuup!

The warrior with the horn confirmed the capture of the city gate with a loud signal. Warriors hiding behind the hills revealed themselves and rushed toward the opened gate.

“Wooooahhhhhhhh!”

Thousands of warriors entered the city through the opened gate.

The city of Novgark was breached in mere minutes. The remaining soldiers were busy running away. Without the protection of the city gate, they couldn't stop the barbarian warriors. Sons of farmers who had never even held a weapon before today died at the hands of the barbarians.

“Ahhhh!”

The captain of the guard who had lowered the city gate swung his sword in despair. He cut down the charging barbarian warriors.

‘I did the right thing. So, why...?’

The righteous action of the caption had resulted in the worst possible outcome.

He was devastated by his mistake. Even if he survived today’s battle, he couldn't face lifting his chin again. He rushed into the barbarians as if he was actively trying to commit suicide.

The captain fought valiantly, killing several warriors. However, he couldn't avoid the spears and axes attacking him from all directions soon after.

The captain spewed blood and fell to the ground.

“What's with this guy?”

“This is a nice sword, though, huh?”

“Hey, that’s mine.”

The warriors looted the captain’s sword and shield. After doing so, the warriors looked up at the city again. The dazzling city of civilization was in front of their eyes.

‘These cunning and wicked things...’

The captain looked at the barbarians’ feet with fading eyes.

‘Oh, Lou, please protect us from these nightmarish barbarians and help us to dispel the darkness with light.’

The captain prayed his last prayer and closed his eyes.

* * *

Step, step.

Samikan entered the palace. The marble floor emitted a cold sound.

As soon as the city was occupied, the palace also fell into the hands of the warriors.

Warriors wielding axes stood next to the pillars, bowing their heads toward Samikan.

"Are you the king of this country?"

Slurred Hamelian came out of Samikan’s mouth. However, no one laughed at his clumsy speech.

Below the throne, the king and his family were bound and on their knees. The young prince and princesses trembled, hugging their mother.

"Y-yes, I am."

Samikan nodded and passed by the king.

Thud.

Samikan sat on the throne and leaned back.

"It's not as comfortable as I thought. It's quite hard."

"That's what thrones are like."

"I see. Is it supposed to be a lesson to not be complacent even when you’re sitting on a throne?"

The king of Langkegart wanted to spew all sorts of insults right then and there. However, he did not show any hostility toward the enemy before him.

Langkegart had already lost. The only thing the loser could do was to wait for the victor's disposition.

'It's not just my life that's at stake. The fate of our family lies in the hands of that man.'

People of civilization couldn’t arbitrarily execute the royal family. Even after winning a war, one had to win the hearts of the people in order to govern the occupied territories. Moreover, killing the royal family would incur criticism from neighboring nations.

'But these are barbarians. They probably don't even think about ruling over our kingdom. All they do is destroy and plunder.'

It wouldn't be strange if the bloodline of the Langkegart royal family ended in this spot.

"My brothers and I are not merely cruel invaders. We simply attack in order to defend."

Samikan stared at the king of Langkegart as he spoke.

"Langkegart did not attack you first. You are the invaders who attacked without a declaration of war!"

The king involuntarily raised his voice. Langkegart had suffered irreversible damage from the sudden invasion of the barbarians.

"Really? You never attacked us? Are you sure about that?"

Samikan chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He stepped down from the throne and stood in front of the royal family.

The queen closed her eyes tightly as she saw Samikan extending his hand toward her.

"U-ugh."

Samikan's hand touched the queen. Despite approaching middle age, her effort in maintenance allowed her to keep an elegant beauty that was rare in the tribal world.

"S-stop that!"

The king tried to stand but sat back down after feeling the blade on his neck. Samikan had already drawn a dagger and was pointing it at the king's throat.

"You, the Langkegart Kingdom, are accomplices. When the imperial army requested supplies and troops to cross the mountains, you did not refuse. So, let me ask you one more time, do you still think our invasion is unjust?"

Samikan's logical words spread among the warriors through an interpreter.

"Ohhhhh! Samikan!"

The warriors shouted in agreement with Samikan's words. The chiefs also supported Samikan's words, shouting threateningly in their languages.

The royal palace heated up. It seemed like the tribal warriors might draw their swords at any moment to question the guilt of the kingdom. Feeling threatened, the king moved his lips.

"We had no choice. As a vassal state, we simply cannot refuse the empire's request."

"So did that empire protect you? Where exactly is that great imperial army now?"

The king could not answer Samikan’s rhetorical question.

"As much as I would love to tear you apart and hang your head on a pole... " Samikan muttered.

The king's heart sank. He opened his eyes wide.

After hesitating, Samikan slowly continued his words.

"However, I will spare that life of yours. From now on, you and your family will move with us as hostages."

"I-I need to clean up the aftermath! I cannot go with you people!"

The king trembled and shouted. As the king, he could not leave Langkegart in its current state. The power vacuum and state of chaos would plunge Langkegart into a terrible civil war.

Samikan glanced at his strategist and friend, Noah Arten. Noah nodded.

Samikan didn't know much about the civilized world. He did not understand the complex relationships between royal power and feudalism. But his strategist, Noah, knew quite well what they had to do to fully plunge Langkegart into chaos.

‘There will be collateral lines emerging left and right to try to take advantage of the king's absence and argue for the throne under the pretext of stabilizing the country. It's obvious what those power-hungry nobles are thinking. They’ll probably expect the empire to somehow solve the issue with the barbarian like they have been so far.'

Noah had already looked through the royal family tree and checked the succession order. Excluding the Langkegart royal family who were taken as hostages, the succession line was quite equal. With the king taken hostage, not just the throne, but powerful nobles would also emerge under the pretext of regency.

Even after occupying the capital of Langkegart, the alliance army did not stay long. They needed to keep moving. The alliance army continued to move after taking the royal family and nobles as hostages.

The alliance army led by Samikan reached the eastern border of Langkegart and joined forces with Urich's army. They camped at the border for a bit, planning their next move.

Chikaka of Phergamo strode into the command tent. Although very short, he was one of the most cruel and tough warriors of the alliance.

Chikaka was holding a human head in each of his hands.

"These were imperial scouts."

Chikaka, who had gone on patrol with a few mountain goat warriors, threw the heads of the imperial scouts into the command tent.

Urich and Samikan realized that the imperial army had already gotten quite close.

The empire’s two ten-thousand-man legions were breathing down the neck of the alliance army. Their commander was Carnius, the veteran general.