Chapter 208 |
The head of the Sun Warriors held a remarkable position in society as well. They received treatment no less than that of a general or legion commander, and even the great nobles of the empire had to yield to them.
'Alfnan, the commander of the Sun Warriors.'
Urich mulled over that name. He shook a hand that was thick and large.
Clank.
Alfnan's breastplate was adorned with a bronze sun decoration. As the head of the Sun Warriors, he was undoubtedly a devout believer in Solarism.
"Are you also accusing me?" Urich asked as he chewed on the lamb grilled over the campfire.
'The man he’s talking to is the commander of the Sun Warriors... Is it okay for him to be this insolent?'
Georg's mouth was drying up by the second. Being next to Urich made it feel like years were being shaved off his lifespan. Urich acted as if he had ten lives. He seldom changed his demeanor in front of anyone, whether they were powerful or held his life in their hands.
"Haha, I have no intention of seeking the truth through a duel trial with you, or anything along that line. In fact, no one who heard your name would challenge you to a duel! Are you not the Urich who smashed an opponent's armor with his bare hands in a duel?"
Urich and Alfnan laughed as they looked at each other.
"Did you really smash the armor with your bare hands?" Georg blurted out without realizing it.
Alfnan replied instead of Urich, "It seems you don’t know much about Urich, even though you're traveling with him. The man you are traveling with is a great warrior. It would have been nice if he had been my own subordinate."
Alfnan licked his lips. The Sun Warriors had tried several times to recruit Urich.
"I don’t even believe in Solarism anymore. I've given it up."
Urich touched around his neck as he spoke. He had given up believing in Lou.
'Lou was not the god for me.'
Benevolence and love. These were words far too distant for Urich. Lou would only be disappointed by a warrior who spread blood wherever he went.
"Well, whether you are a Solarist or not, I don’t think you are a spy. I just wanted to meet the famous warrior myself, so I took the liberty to detain you."
The Sun Warriors were a group that retained the spirit of barbarian warriors while adhering to Solarism. They respected and sought to meet renowned warriors, whether they were allies or foes.
Urich and Alfnan talked about various things. At one point, they even drew their swords to discuss martial techniques.
"The imperial knightly swordsmanship includes the Upper Owl, Middle Wolf, and Lower Snake. It’s quite a useful technique since the knightly class shared and refined it over a long time. We Sun Warriors also train in the basic knightly swordsmanship."
Alfnan stood up with a sword in his hand and demonstrated the three fundamental stances.
"Ah, I learned that too, but I still prefer using two weapons."
Urich spun the pair of axes in his hands.
"Wielding dual weapons and not using a shield is a symbol of bravery among barbarian warriors! However, wielding two weapons doesn't make you twice as strong. In fact, the weapon in the less-used hand often just becomes decoration."
Alfnan evaluated the efficiency of dual-wielding poorly. Weapons required finer movements and reactions than a shield. Handling a weapon with a less-used hand often resulted in lower efficiency.
Whoosh.
Urich twirled the axes in both his left and right hands and tossed them in the air.
"That's something you say to half-wits who can't use both hands freely. A real warrior knows how to use weapons well with both his left and right hands."
Alfnan frowned.
"So you're saying you can use both hands equally well?"
"At least they aren't just for show."
"Oho, really?"
"I can prove it right now if you want."
Alfnan laughed at Urich's challenge, and Urich shrugged as if he saw his response coming.
"No need to waste any energy now when there's a battle tomorrow."
"A battle?"
"It’s a village that refused the empire’s protection. There is a need for us to reoccupy it. If you help us in the battle, you will be compensated. The more capable warriors we have with us, the better."
"I'll think about it."
Alfnan nodded at Urich's half-hearted answer and stood up. After Alfnan left, a few other Sun Warriors came looking for Urich. They all wanted to talk to Urich after hearing his name.
* * *
In the north, more and more villages were beginning to reject the protection of the imperial army. The men of the north who were living as farmers and carpenters took up their weapons again. There was a fact that they had long forgotten.
'My family and village are mine to protect.'
That was the way of the men of the north. Though their faith had changed, customs did not shift as easily. Once their desire for autonomy and independence was ignited, it was hard to extinguish.
"It looks like they have about a hundred."
A scout from the Sun Warriors surveyed the village before returning to their base.
"The fence is thin and low. We don’t even need to bother doing a night attack—a direct assault will suffice."
"Why don’t we send an envoy to suggest a surrender? After all, it's just a temporary excitement stirred by rumors of the western plunderers. They'll change their minds right away once they see our forces."
The officers discussed among themselves. Listening to them, Commander Alfnan shook his head.
"We won't send an envoy. It's better to push hard from the start. If we don't set an example by force, they'll just rise up again later.”
Once the attack was decided, the officers argued over who would lead the charge.
The Sun Warriors and the imperial army surrounded the village. Their numbers exceeded a thousand.
On the other hand, the northern warriors defending the village numbered about a hundred. It was all the men who could bear arms that they could desperately gather.
The Sun Warriors commenced their attack without offering the village a chance to surrender.
"Wooooaaaah!"
Taking down a small village was not difficult. The fence fell quickly, and the imperial soldiers and Sun Warriors burst into the village.
"Ah, aaaaah!"
The men of the north screamed. They hadn’t held their weapons in quite some time.
"You sought independence with this? That’s it? How pathetic."
Alfnan wiped the blood off his sword as he walked around the square.
'Do they not realize that there is no future without being under the empire? Are these fools really my kin?'
Alfnan scoffed bitterly. It was inevitable and destiny for the north to be subjugated by the empire. The north was weak, and the empire was strong.
'There was never any real faith for me. I just recited and pretended to believe out of necessity. There was no other way for a barbarian like me to gain recognition and succeed in the empire.'
That was how Alfnan had risen to the rank of commander. He was a barbarian who had succeeded in the civilized world.
"Harvald! Attack the temple!"
Alfnan ordered Harvald. Harvald led his warriors into the Sun Temple.
The cornered villagers and northern warriors were making their last stand inside the temple.
"Oh, Lou, please protect us."
"Please save our forsaken people..."
"Shut up! How can you have the audacity to call upon Lou’s name with a weapon in your hands? We are still descendants of Ulgaro, you fools!"
"The god of war fled before Lou. We need a stronger god than Ulgaro."
The bloodied men argued among themselves. Soon, they stopped bickering with each other and watched as their enemies entered the temple.
"Hah! The Sun Warriors! Betraying your kin wasn’t enough, so now you’re even killing the fellow followers of Lou!"
The northern warriors jeered at the Sun Warriors.
Hearing the jeers, Harvald frowned.
'Why are these men our enemies?'
Harvald's blade trembled. The ones standing before him were his kin, who also believed in Lou.
'Things have changed a lot from the past. Many of our kin now believe in Lou. They just don’t want to be subjugated by the empire.'
Harvald had a conviction. It was to spread the teachings of Lou to his ignorant kin. He was ready to shed as much blood as necessary to propagate the faith of Solarism. That was his belief and mission.
'My kin are no longer ignorant. They are living according to Lou's teachings.'
However, Commander Alfnan wanted their blood. He ordered a gruesome execution to set an example.
The slogan "Long live the Sun" did not escape his lips. Protecting the weak was also a duty of those who followed Lou. He felt miserable about himself in this situation, having to kill his powerless kin.
'My people, fellow followers of Lou...'
Harvald grimaced and reached out his hand.
"… Long live the emperor! Execute justice in the name of Yanchinus!"
At Harvald's command, the warriors and soldiers rushed out. Blood was about to be spilled in the temple of the Sun God Lou.
"Kaaaagh!"
Something unexpected happened. Some of the Sun Warriors who followed Harvald turned their weapons against the imperial soldiers.
"… We did not become Sun Warriors to cut down our own kin who believe in the same god."
"In the name of Lou, we shall protect those who cannot wield swords."
Warriors fluttering their sun cloaks stepped forward in front of the village people, raising their swords. There were about ten of them.
"So, it was more than just a few informants," Harvald muttered as he looked at the traitorous warriors. They were the warriors who were known for their strong faith even among the whole Sun Warriors.
On the other hand, the Sun Warriors with more worldly desires did not betray. Their master was the emperor who paid them.
'Loyalty to the emperor and faith in the sun god Lou.'
The side that the scale tipped to determine the actions of the Sun Warriors. However, only a few had betrayed so far.
"Harvald! Protect our people who believe in Lou with us!"
The Sun Warriors who had betrayed shouted. They were planning to eventually sway Harvald as well. As they expected, Harvald was wavering.
"… We are warriors paid by the empire, and these people are enemies of the empire. Stop this nonsense and come back here. I will plead for mercy with Commander Alfnan on your behalf."
"Are you really going to mercilessly kill our poor kin who just want to escape the shackles of the empire? Hah, I guess you don’t even consider them your own, you half-blood!"
Harvald's expression severely crumpled.
"Do not act so disgracefully!"
"We are not dogs of the empire. We are merely warriors who believe in Lou and were hired by the emperor. It's purely a business relationship! Commander Alfnan is mistaken! Open a way for these people to escape, Harvald! What wrong have these people gathered in the temple done to deserve to die like this?"
It was just the cry of the Sun Warriors who wanted to save their kin.
Harvald was struggling. He wanted to give the order to attack, but his mouth would not move.
"Enough! Is that why you tried to assassinate the other Sun Warriors who were practically like your brothers? I also nearly got killed because of you bastards!"
"That wasn’t our plan. It was the extremists who acted recklessly with the information we gave them. Some of us were also attacked. Right now, the northern warriors who have risen for independence are running amok. We, as professionally trained soldiers of the empire, must go and control these warriors."
The meaningless arguments continued. Harvald sighed.
'They were planning to leave with as many Sun Warriors as they could gather.
The Sun Warriors, who were practically imperial knights, were a formidable force. Each one was equivalent to an officer.
‘They couldn’t remain patient and had to act because they couldn’t handle watching the kin in front of them die. How foolish.'
Harvald sneered bitterly. He was the highest commanding officer in the room. Until the commander himself arrived, whether soldiers or warriors, they would follow his orders.
The traitorous Sun Warriors acted according to their conscience. They could not stand by and watch their people who also believed in Lou die.
Harvald looked bitterly at the trembling Solarists and his traitorous brothers.
"Go, my brothers. I will do nothing," Harvald said.
"Harvald, come with us."
"I must uphold my loyalty and honor to the empire that took me in. I am different from you, who have shamelessly betrayed your duty."
Harvald's scale maintained balance. He could neither betray his conscience nor the empire. Thus, he did nothing.
Soon, Commander Alfnan arrived. Seeing the empty temple, he demanded a report from Harvald. Harvald reported everything truthfully.
Alfnan looked at Harvald with contempt.
"I’m sure you know the price of keeping your conscience, faithful Harvald."
Harvald nodded. He took off his armor and put on the shackles.
