Chapter 244: Marganu

From the seat of the Great Chief, Urich could see things that he could not before. The massive organization called the alliance was no different from a living entity. Numerous chiefs and factions were intertwined, constantly checking each other.

Urich often dreamed. It had been so long since he had a peaceful sleep that he couldn't remember the last time. The tribe and the alliance were responsibilities and burdens that Urich never wanted. Urich’s only wish was for his people to not become slaves of the empire. It was the spirit that arose from the heart of a young barbarian.

—Urich.

Urich woke up because of a voice. Was it Gizzle’s voice? Or was it the vengeful spirit of Samikan? Urich was bearing the legacy they left behind. It was like a curse he couldn't get rid of even if he wanted to give everything up.

Murmur, murmur.

The commotion outside his tent gradually seeped in as his ears slowly woke up with him.

Splash.

Urich lightly washed his face with the water in the basin. The cold water refreshed his muddled mind as they seeped into his skin.

‘Right, I was attacking Marganu. How many days has it been now?'

Urich looked at the dented armor in the corner of the tent. Bloodstains clung to the axe and sword lying beside the armor. He had been so tired that he had fallen asleep without even maintaining his weapons.

There had been several skirmishes, and the army of Marganu, which had fled, had locked themselves behind the gates, refusing to come out.

Creak.

Urich donned his armor and fastened the straps. If not for the steel breastplate, he would have died several times on the battlefield. The dents were evidence of that.

Clink.

The joints of the metal made a sound. The steel gauntlets allowed him to kill people easily even with bare hands. He could also grasp blades if push came to shove.

The alliance's army was no longer formed of mere naked barbarians. It was an army armed with the weapons of the civilized world. The more the alliance fought, the stronger it became.

Scrape, scrape.

Urich scraped off the blood clots stuck to the blades of his weapons and slathered oil on them. After slashing a person, their fat and blood clung to the blade. This caused the blade to become dull, and that small hindrance often meant life or death on the battlefield.

Swish.

A sharp sound came from the tended weapons. Urich lightly swung the sword and axe, then hung them at his waist.

"Hmm."

Urich stirred the ashes left from the fire that had burned overnight and mixed them with water. He smeared the ash-water mixture thickly on his face. His blackened face revealed only his pale, gleaming eyes.

Boom!

The sound of the earth being struck echoed. Urich stuck his head out of the tent.

"Oho, that’s flying nicely."

Urich squinted and smiled.

The alliance's catapults were hurling boulders one after another. The boulders fell around the city walls with loud thuds.

The region of Marganu was wealthy, and the fortress was larger and stronger than the capital of most average kingdoms. The walls they had built over a decade were practically impregnable to the barbarians.

Creeaaaak.

The catapults made a sound that was like wood splitting. The civilized mercenaries were shouting and reloading around the catapults.

The mercenaries who were handling the catapults were highly specialized personnel. Among them were even engineers who had served in the imperial army. Some had joined the alliance army only after being captured, while others came seeking the alliance after hearing rumors.

There was only one reason why the mercenaries of civilization origin joined the alliance.

'Gold coins.'

Urich treated capable civilized men well. Those who had experience in the imperial army could earn in a few battles what they couldn't in a lifetime of service in the empire. The alliance's loot distribution process was different from the civilized armies, where nobles and commanders monopolized the spoils.

The leaders of the alliance were their tribal chiefs, and these men had little greed for the treasures of the civilized world. Thanks to this, even the lowest soldiers received a share of the loot in the alliance.

Urich's active recruitment of civilized men caused backlash from conservative tribal warriors, but the fact that it was highly effective in warfare was undeniable.

"Great Chief, the left wall will collapse soon."

Urich nodded at the report. Once the path into the fortress was open, it would be the turn of the tribal warriors.

"Katagi! Olga! Come with me."

Urich called up two warriors. One was Katagi of the Twilight Wolf Tribe, and the other was Olga of the Frost Snake Tribe. Both had earned significant merit within the alliance, though not as much as Urich. Katagi had even fought alongside Urich in the Battle of Valdima.

"We were waiting for your orders, Great Chief."

Katagi, with his reddish-brown hair like autumn leaves, bowed his head and showed respect. Even though he was a warrior around Urich's age, he spoke to Urich with the utmost respect and practically worshipped him.

"Be... careful... Urich. Wall...high. Broken...gap...narrow...too."

Olga’s tribe, the Frost Snake Tribe, was on the northwestern outskirts of the western region. Olga’s speech was slow since he originally spoke a different language. There always seemed to be some sort of shadowy gloom around Olga’s rather skinny figure.

'Olga of the Frost Snake was a warrior favored by Samikan.'

Olga was made commander of a thousand-man unit by Samikan even though he wasn't a chief, and the unit led by Olga indeed made great contributions in battles with their quality battle skills.

‘Samikan knows how to judge people. If he made Olga a commander of a thousand-man unit even though he wasn’t a chief, it means Olga is an exceptionally outstanding warrior.’

Urich appointed Katagi and Olga as his deputies. He deliberately chose outstanding warriors from weaker tribes and excluded those from the Stone Axe Tribe or other tribes with power. This was to maintain the political balance within the alliance.

"Olga, you attack the western wall. But there's no need to go through it. Just provoke them to draw their forces to that side. Katagi, you’ll come with me. We’ll break through the wall that’s just collapsed."

Urich walked through the resting warriors. The warriors, who had been sitting and resting soundly, began to rise one by one.

"Urich."

"Great Chief."

Clang, clang.

The warriors signaled by clashing their weapons and shields or tapping the ground. As Urich passed by, the warriors picked up their weapons and followed him.

The alliance seen through the eyes of the Great Chief was different from before. These warriors were all Urich's responsibility. Their lives and deaths depended on Urich's commands.

‘The life and death of these men are up to me.’

Urich massaged his right shoulder, which was still creaking every time he moved. It was the side that the collarbone had broken, and on top of that, the arm was struck by lightning in that state. The stiffness in his arm did not go away.

Urich repeatedly opened and closed his right fist.

‘As long as it moves when I need it.’

As he walked through the encampment, Urich felt the gazes of the warriors and took a deep breath.

"I think...," Urich began.

The warriors fell silent, waiting for Urich's words.

He lacked the eloquence to speak grandly about the will of the heavens like Samikan, but Urich had sincerity. He was a straightforward warrior who didn't have to resort to deceiving others with empty words. Such straightforwardness was a natural trait that couldn't be acquired through training or effort.

"...The reason we fight is not that grand. What are we going to do with the gold and treasures of this land if we bring them to the west? What use do they have? We can’t eat the gold coins, and offering treasures to the heavens won't bring rain."

Urich drew his sword and spun it around. He climbed to the top of a hill and continued.

"But does that mean we're just a group of a bunch of bloodthirsty killers? That's not it, either. Well, I’m not saying that I hate fighting. After all, it does feel good to win a fight, doesn't it?"

The warriors raised their weapons in response. As the news of Urich stepping forward spread, the warriors began to emerge from their tents one by one. Chiefs and warriors who had their own factions watched Urich with cold eyes.

Urich's approach was different from Samikan's. In order to become a great leader, Samikan had packaged himself in the appropriate manner.

‘Urich doesn't need to strategically adorn himself like Samikan. He earns praise by honestly showing the person he is.’

The chiefs watched their new leader with sharp judgment.

Urich was a man truly loved by the warriors. Even his simple words were met with enthusiastic responses from the warriors.

"They invaded us. Despite already having a land more prosperous than ours, they tried to trample on our land, which was practically a wasteland compared to theirs. What do they have to gain by invading us? I know of the peoples who have already been trampled by the empire. Defeated peoples became the slaves of the victors. What they want to take is ‘people’."

Urich planted his sword on the ground and raised his head high. His chest swelled, and his voice echoed through the camp.

"We will not become slaves! If there really has to be slaves, it will be them who become it, not us! If they try to kill us, we will kill them, and if they seek to scare us, we will become their terror! Raise your weapons, brothers!"

Urich raised his right arm high. The burn marks in the shape of lightning streaks were vividly revealed.

The warriors shouted out in response.

"Our existence is the will of the heavens!"

"No fire or threat can stop us!"

Warriors who revered Urich like Katagi shouted. They were those who believed in Urich's divinity. The warriors who had fought alongside Urich in many battles couldn't help but believe in the strange divinity and blessing that surrounded him.

‘An average human would have died a long time ago. He is blessed by the heavens. That’s the only way he could stay alive like this.’

Katagi looked at Urich's back. Urich had crossed the rugged Sky Mountains with the body of a human, and even Valdima's flames couldn't harm him. The terrifying lightning didn't harm Urich but instead blessed him with an opportunity to rival Samikan again.

‘He is not the son of man. He is literally the son of the earth.’

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The Stone Axe Tribe had taken in and raised a child left alone on the earth. That child had an extraordinary character and always outpaced his peers. The tribe's old shaman praised him as a warrior of light, and the tribespeople whispered that he would grow up to be a great warrior.

As if to prove his mysterious past, the child grew up to become the head of the alliance.

"The wall has collapsed!"

Finally, a part of the wall crumbled, revealing the inside.

Urich pointed his sword forward. The warriors charged across the plain.

* * *

The forces gathered to defend Marganu numbered three thousand. Upon hearing the rumors of the invasion of the plunderers, Duke Marganu summoned all his troops and stationed them at the fortress. Being the empire's largest granary, the number of troops was substantial.

"H-how do the barbarians have such siege weapons?"

The soldiers on the walls screamed, ducking their heads.

It did not make sense from the soldiers' perspective. Siege weapons, typically used by imperial forces, were now in the hands of the barbarian army. To make things worse, they operated them very skillfully. Imperial siege weapons were not something barbarians could learn to use overnight.

Imperial siege weapons required specialized personnel who were trained to operate them. The barbarians took care of the fields unfamiliar to them by using civilized mercenaries. From a civilized person's point of view, they were traitors to be torn apart, but very few could resist the compensation offered by the alliance.

"The wall has collapsed!"

As the bricks crumbled, the soldiers on the wall fell. Boulders from the catapults rolled, crushing the soldiers into a bloody pulp.

Buuuuup!

The sound of a horn spread across the plain. Soldiers with pale faces looked out over the plain.

"They're coming!"

They had already heard plenty of rumors. These were the ruthless plunderers that came from the west.

They were the ones who had turned the Langkegart Kingdom into ruins. They were said to be more beasts than men, with fangs as sharp as those of animals, and they supposedly consumed human flesh and drank blood.

"A-ah!"

The spirit of the soldiers plummeted in an instant.

"Hold your positions! Draw your bows!" the knights encouraged the soldiers as they ran across the walls.

"They're swarming from the west too! We need reinforcements!"

A messenger from the western wall shouted.

The guard captain frowned as he watched the simultaneous advance of the barbarians.

"They're using a shallow trick! The west is a trap! Move the archers from the west over to this side!"

The captain’s judgment was spot on. The barbarians would come through the collapsed wall. The barbarians by the western wall were a ploy to draw the forces away from the collapsed wall.

Thud, thud.

The guard captain led his heavy body down the wall. He positioned knights and elite soldiers at the opening of the wall. Out of the three thousand, there were only a few hundred soldiers who were well-trained in combat. The rest were mere conscripts who were brought in to fill the headcount.

"We are going to hold our positions even if it means death! Are you just going to let the barbarians trample our land?"

The guard captain shouted, looking at the breach in the wall.

‘The gap is narrow. We can stop the barbarians who come through it.’

The guard captain was also aware of the fearsome reputation of the barbarian warriors. If they couldn't stop the barbarians here, Marganu was definitely going to be ravaged.

“Fire!"

The archers on the wall drew their bowstrings until their fingers bled.

The barbarians raised their shields overhead to block the shower of arrows. Warriors who reached the wall threw aside their arrow-studded shields and leaped through the breach.

Schluck!

The soldiers of Marganu thrust their spears at the warriors entering through the breach. Some warriors died impaled on the spears, but others managed to deflect the spearheads with their shields and armor.

"Oooooh!"

The warriors who managed to get to the other side of the wall began to rampage. But the waiting soldiers were not the ordinary soldiers, either. A battle ensued between the warriors trying to charge and the soldiers trying to stop them. Bodies piled up in the narrow breach.

Clang.

Urich drew his sword and walked through the breach in the wall. Ahead, he saw warriors engaged in battle. If this attrition battle went on longer, it would only lead to more warrior deaths.

"Hmm."

Urich picked up a fallen shield with his other hand as it seemed like it would be impossible to get out unscathed from the battle ahead without one.

"Great Chief, I'll go in first," Katagi offered. He was stuck right beside Urich.

He was trying to demonstrate his loyalty to Urich, saying that he would prioritize Urich’s safety, even if it meant his death. He gripped his weapon firmly, hoping Urich would see his loyalty.

Smack!

Urich struck Katagi hard on the back of the head. Katagi staggered forward, nearly falling.

After barely managing to stay on his feet, Katagi looked up at Urich in confusion.

"Hah, don't try to show off. Just keep your eyes on my ass and follow me."

Urich exhaled through his nose as he spoke. He advanced, hoping not to be killed by stray arrows and spears. All sorts of metal greeted him as if they had been waiting for him.