Chapter 41: The Barbarian Hunter

Margrave Orquell rushed back to his mansion.

“Father, I have something to tell you...”

His son, who had turned fourteen this year, greeted his father at the gates.

“Move.”

The margrave walked past his son without even a hug. He was intending to set out before the break of dawn.

‘There is a new prey.’

The corners of his mouth twitched upward ferociously. He had no interest in his wife or son, as they were merely tools for him to ensure that his bloodline continued.

“Give me the report,” the margrave said to his adjutant, who had been watching the city gate.

“Urich’s Brotherhood passed through the gates yesterday, and we’ve put a few trackers on them. Judging by their direction, it looks like they will be joining with the prince in the town of Valgma.”

“Send a messenger to Duke Harmatti and notify him that I will take a few of my men and capture the prince myself before he can reach Valgma. Bring me ten of our best men.”

“Are you saying that you will cross the border yourself? If the head of the defense leaves his gate...”

“Screw the formality, I am tired of it. I’m going to go after my prey. That’s where the real fight is,” the margrave said as he rubbed his hands together with a wide grin. He could feel the temperature of his body rising from deep inside.

‘There’s that bad habit again,’

the adjutant thought as he looked at the margrave. Margrave Orquell was an outstanding knight. Although he was from a small kingdom, his name was widely renowned across several battlefields.

‘Orquell the Barbarian Hunter.’

It was a nostalgic nickname. It had faded into infamy in the current era where the new ‘Barbarian Inclusion Policy’ was the focus of the Imperial policies. However, the ones who fought alongside the margrave remembered it very well.

“You are excused. I will get some rest before heading out again.”

The adjutant left the room, and the margrave got up from his bed.

Knock, knock.

“Father, it’s me.”

It was his son. The margrave stared at his door with an expressionless face.

“I am a little busy at the moment. Can’t we talk later?”

“There’s something that I must speak to you about.”

Orquell sighed.

“If there’s something you’d like to say, say it quickly. I can’t give you too much of my time.”

“I want to go study abroad in the capital of Hamel,” his son said to him, which made the margrave frown.

“For what reason? You can learn everything you need to know about swordsmanship and military tactics right here. What, are you saying that those Imperial knights in Hamel are better than your own father?”

“That’s not it, Father. I want to learn the literature. I heard that the literary education in the capital is in full bloom. It’s where the most knowledgeable scholars across the south and the north are gathering to discuss their teachings every single day...”

Slam!

Margrave Orquell slammed his fist down on the table. His son flinched.

“You have been tainted by your mother. You must be putting all your focus on your physical training, not academics! All you need as a man is to be able to read and write!

“Father!”

The margrave didn’t budge even with the desperate plea of his son.

“How pathetic you are. Today, I saw a warrior. Although he was an enemy, he was an extraordinary man. Do you know what he did when his horse collapsed after carrying him to his escape? He slung it over his shoulders and carried it! The man carried his horse!” Orquell shouted in excitement, as it was something that he had never witnessed before.

“What use is that brute strength, Father! The time of putting your name out there with your sword is over, there are no enemies anymore! The south and north have already been conquered. There’s nowhere else to go with our swords!” The son cried out, only making his father angrier.

“We’ll talk about this later. Now, I must get some sleep,” Orquell cut his son off mid-sentence. The son dropped his head in disappointment and quivered his lips.

“The times have changed, Father.”

The margrave didn’t respond.

‘Nothing’s changed. Absolutely nothing.’

After turning his own son away, the margrave went down to his study in the basement. It was his storage space.

“Hah,” he let out a sigh of relief after getting down to the basement. All the complications and headaches of life along with his wife and son gradually left his mind.

The margrave lit a candle to brighten up the basement. The flickering candlelight made the shadows dance.

“Hokan, you were a warrior equal to a bear. I can still vividly see your frosty axe slaying through five of my men,” the margrave muttered as he caressed the skulls that were on display. The weapons of the barbarians that he had slain lied underneath their skulls. His stroke was careful as if he was touching his lover. As he touched the skulls, the memories of his younger days came flooding back.

“Zezebo, the warrior who was called the Desert Fox, the one who left me the scar in my chest.”

His face turned red as he was quickly filled with euphoria. Calling the names of the skulls one by one and remembering his battles against them was a holy ceremony of his. The skulls were the remains of the enemies that once threatened his life and now, his collection.

“You all remain in your strongest forms forever while I only grow older,” the margrave lamented. He longed for the days when he was young and strong.

“Not even the greatest warriors can be free from the shackle of time.”

In the end, the old were pushed out by the young.

‘But the young people don’t learn swordsmanship these days. Instead, they’re busy with their pens.’

The thought of entrusting the future to those young men made his heart sink.

“Oh, the great barbarian warriors! I long for the days when you were on this earth. A sword can only shine before its enemies!”

Margrave Orquell fell asleep lying among the skulls as he dreamed of the glory days of his youth. It was a time stained with blood, but his memories were seen through rose-tinted glasses.

He awoke before the sunrise. As the years passed, sleep fled with them. Old age was a bitter thing.

“We are ready.”

When the margrave stepped out into the barracks, his adjutant was waiting with the ten men he had asked for.

“Let the hunt begin, my soldiers.”

* * *

After running with Kylios around his shoulders, Urich’s body was in a mess. He limped and stumbled into the mountain. He couldn’t straighten his back from carrying such a heavy load, so he was bent over moving like an old man. His entire body was creaking, but his back was the biggest problem. He could sense that his vertebrae were twisted and out of place.

“It’s ready, Urich,” Pahell said.

“Maybe I should say a little prayer to the Sun God Lou,” Urich said with a grin, “Is this really going to work?”

“There are three possible outcomes: You die, you live but become crippled, or you heal.”

“I should really pray.”

Pahell grinned bitterly. They were inside a mountain, but the surroundings weren’t completely safe as they didn’t know when their enemies could show up.

“Here we go, Urich.”

Pahell gripped the rope that was holding up Urich’s upper body. As his upper body lifted slightly, Urich was already twitching from the pain.

“Huff, huff, do it, Pahell,” Urich said his final words before biting into the wooden gag.

‘Oh, Sun God Lou,’

Pahell recited a short prayer as he stomped on Urich’s back and pulled on the rope. It was a wildly primitive treatment of questionable efficacy and one that would normally have been tantamount to torture.

Crunch—

There was a strange sound. Despite the ominous feeling, Pahell pulled with his eyes shut as Urich had told him to.

“Hupppp!”

Urich was shaking. The displaced vertebrae fell back into place as his upper body bent backward.

Crack!

The wooden gag that was between his jaw snapped. Blood poured out of his mouth as the wooden pieces dug into the inside of his mouth.

“Krrr.”

Bloody foam spilled out of his mouth and his eyes rolled backward.

Thud.

Pahell, who was covered with beads of sweat, released the rope.

“Urich?”

No reply. Pahell rushed to check on the barbarian.

“Urich? Answer me!”

Urich was unconscious and unresponsive.

‘Did he die?’

The thought of his death felt like a stab in Pahell’s heart.

“Don’t die like this, please, you son of a bitch!”

All of a sudden, Pahell was afraid of the forest around him. It felt like a beast would come out of nowhere.

“Oh, Lou, I beg you, please do not take Urich’s soul just yet,” Pahell desperately cried as he squatted.

Purr.

Kylios was resting under the tree. Pahell crawled over to the only life around him and leaned against him.

“Did you really die, Urich? Are you really dead?”

Pahell pulled his knee up to his face and shuddered.

Woosh.

The wind picked up and the trees rustled as if they were screaming.

‘Was it so scary to be all alone?’

Pahell had always had the protection of someone around him. His life was far removed from danger and solitude.

Purr.

If it weren’t for Kylios, he would have been bawling silly.

“Urich, y-you’re alive, right?”

Pahell crawled over to the barbarian and put his finger to his nose to check if he was still breathing. It was something that he had heard of before.

‘Is he breathing?’

Pahell swallowed. He paid attention to the sensation on his fingertips.

“You’re alive, ah, you’re alive.”

Urich was breathing. Pahell sank down beside him with a rush of relief.

“Thank god, thank god,” Pahell repeated the words over and over again.

“Phew,” Pahell took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of bread from his pocket. He broke off a small piece of the hard bread and dissolved it with his saliva.

‘I just have to make it to the Empire.’

Pahell squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I will return the humiliation that you have all caused me.’

Pahell recited the names of the traitors. There were several nobles who had stuck themselves to Duke Harmatti’s side. No one expected the king to fall and lapse into a coma. Everyone expected Pahell to have at least five more years to prepare for the pass down of the throne.

‘Father Emperor fell before I had a chance to build a foothold. It could very well have been the doing of the duke.’

Pahell stared at the ground, lost in thought.

‘I wonder how Damia is doing. I’m sure the duke wouldn’t lay a hand on her... but I still worry.’

Pahell worried about his twin sister. No matter who became the king, a princess was a good maneuvering tool. They seldom saw blood amidst the power disputes.

Purr.

Kylios rose to his feet all of a sudden, alerting Pahell.

Rustle.

“I swear I heard something this way.”

There was a voice of a man. Pahell looked around in a panic, then hid himself behind a bush.

‘God dammit, I can’t hide Urich.’

Pahell only managed to hide himself. He felt pathetic.

“Hey, look over here, it’s a horse.”

“Does it belong to that massive guy over there? He’s not even waking up even though we’re right here.”

“Is he dead?”

They were bandits. Although, their raggedy clothes and charcoal-covered faces made them seem more like wanderers than bandits.

‘There are three of them.’

They were men who made their living off robbing travelers.

“Are we having horsemeat for dinner?”

“Why would you eat the horse, you idiot? Do you know how much a horse goes for?”

“The broker buys horses, too? Hmph.”

“I’m sure he will. What else is he going to do?”

The bandits cackled as they bantered among themselves. They tried to put their hands on Kylios, only to be met with his aggressive resistance.

Neighhh!

Kylios lifted his front hooves and fended off the bandits.

“Woah, look at this, how are you going to bring this thing? Let’s just cut it up into meat.”

“Hey, look at this weapon, it’s pretty sharp. It looks expensive! Or should I keep it for myself?”

The bandits said as they assessed Urich’s weapons. They laughed hysterically.

“Cut his head off, or something. Look at the size of him. He’s probably a decent fighter,” one of the bandits said as he picked up a dull axe.

‘Urich’s going to die at this rate. I have to do something.’

Pahell trembled in fear. He couldn’t muster up the courage. He wasn’t confident that he stood a chance against these bandits.

‘How am I supposed to beat them? There’s no way. But...’

His eyes widened as his chest burned. He was torn between bravery and silence.

“Look, this one’s hiding over here, hah!”

Another bandit came up from behind Pahell. They had four men, not three.

“A-ahh!” Pahell tried to draw his sword, but the bandit grabbed him by his wrist and pinned him down.

“Look at this pretty face. How are you going to swing a sword with an arm like yours?”

The bandit laughed with his mouth wide open. The stench of his breath reached Pahell’s nose.

“D-do you know who I am? You bastards!” Pahell yelled as he struggled.

“What? Are you the prince, or something?”

Thump!

The bandit punted Pahell in the stomach. He shrimped over and gagged.

“Ugh, ugh.”

The bandit dragged Pahell by his hair to the rest of the men. He was soon surrounded by the four bandits.

“Hey, how long has it been since we’ve been with a woman?”

“Pff, over a month now, keke.”

“With a face like this, he’d be better than some of the cheap whores.”

The bandits said as they looked at Pahell. Some of them were already pulling down their pants.

“Yuck, I have no interest in men. You guys go ahead, I’m going to go slit that guy’s throat. It looks like he’s unconscious, but better safe than sorry.”

“You think we like guys? He has a decent hole that’ll do. There’s nothing more to it.”

Pahell was horrified. As he tried to struggle away, the bandit slapped him across his face.

“Stay still. Or do you want me to cut your head off right now?” The bandit said as he put the blade of his sword against Pahell’s neck. Pahell shuddered.

‘There’s no way this is happening, no way. Sir Phillion... Damia...’

The bandits tied Pahell’s hands around the tree. Pahell was tied up with only the lower half of his body sticking out. The bandits pulled down his pants with their rough hands.

“Haha, he was raised well with an ass smoother than a baby’s. Are you really a prince somewhere?”

The bandits drew a stick to decide their turns.

“Ehem, I guess I’m up first.

Spit.

”

The bandit spat in his hand and rubbed it on his penis.

‘I’d rather die than be humiliated...”

Pahell was about to bite into his own tongue.

Crunch!

There was a bone-crunching sound. The bandits who were about to violate Pahell looked back. Behind them stood Urich, holding the bandit’s head in one hand. His neck was snapped backward like an owl’s.

“Phew,” Urich let out a long breath. He was irritated by his body which was still sore.

“I’m never doing that again, Pahell. One more of that could break my back for real, dammit. What is this, Pahell? This is the stuff you’re into? I’ll never understand you civilized people, my goodness.”

Urich kicked his tongue at the bandits and Pahell.

“Shut the fuck up and get me out of this thing, you son of a bitch!”

Pahell cried out.