Chapter 210 |
Harvald, still shackled, blinked. Secular sensations like hunger and starvation grew dull.
'Oh, Lou.'
His lips moved, but no sound came out.
'I tried to spread your teachings to my mother's people.'
Harvald stared into the darkness with his eyes half-closed. The darkness swayed deeply.
'Mother.'
He thought of his mother. She had been of fairly high status and was an early northern convert to Solarism. Despite being despised and criticized by her people, she did not give up on her faith and came to the civilized world after getting tired of the self-destructive customs of the north.
'Mother always said we must spread the teachings of Lou in the north.'
The teachings of Lou had spread widely in the north but converted northerners longed for freedom. They demanded their legitimate rights as believers of Solarism, not as barbarians. They were not going to stop until they established their own kingdom.
The nominal reason for the conquest of the north and south was to convert pagans. In fact, many priests had ventured into the barbaric lands for cultural rule, and many had been martyred.
Even the vassal states of the empire paid tribute, but they were governed by the royals and nobles born there. Only the north and south were entirely subject to the empire with no autonomy.
'Did I do the right thing?'
Harvald had let his betraying brothers escape.
'If they had tried to recruit me, I might have gone with them too.'
It was too late now.
"Huff."
Harvald exhaled weakly. It was a night without the sun.
'it’s going to be a lonely death.'
Harvald knew he wouldn't survive the night. If he closed his eyes and fell asleep, he wasn’t going to wake up again.
Thud!
Harvald dropped his head and then opened his eyes laboriously amid the commotion.
‘Is something happening?'
His five senses were dulled, so it was difficult to grasp the situation.
Clang!
The sound of clashing weapons echoed.
"Harvald!"
Three or four armed Sun Warriors came running to rescue Harvald. They were the informants who were still hiding among the Sun Warriors.
"… leave me here."
"We can't do that, Harvald. You acted according to Lou's teachings. If we abandon you, we would lose our right as Sun Warriors. We are not doing this for you. We're doing it for us."
The Sun Warriors brought hammers and chisels to break Harvald's shackles.
"Can you stand? Actually, never mind. Pick him up!"
Harvald, limp, was carried on the back of a Sun Warrior. He rolled his eyes to check his surroundings, noting that security was lax.
"What's going on?"
"A fight broke out."
"An attack?"
"No, Urich."
"Urich?"
Harvald raised his head. The Sun Warrior continued.
"Urich is that plunderer from the west. The empire issued a warrant."
Harvald's pupils trembled wildly.
"The plunderer from the west is Urich?"
"They say he's one of the leaders."
"Are we leaving him behind?"
"We've made arrangements. If he’s lucky enough, he'll live."
The plunderers from the west were the group that ignited the spark for northern autonomy and independence. They had fought the imperial army on equal terms and even brought the Langkegart Kingdom to its ruins.
Harvald, still on the back of the Sun Warrior, looked back. The camp grew distant.
* * *
Urich took a deep breath and exhaled. The metallic smell of blood pierced deep into his nostrils and seeped into his brain.
‘These Sun Warriors. They don't go down easily. I’ve only managed to kill two.'
Urich had taken down two Sun Warriors. Only Commander Alfnan and three other Sun Warriors remained.
Alfnan and the Sun Warriors were thoroughly shaken.
'It's hard to believe, even seeing it with my own eyes. He is fighting so well against several Sun Warriors...'
Inside the cramped house, Urich fought against the Sun Warriors as he dodged their attacks. Though there was a restriction of capturing him alive for the Sun Warriors, holding out against several Sun Warriors indicated an immense skill.
'We might actually lose.'
Alfnan grimaced.
'I have to admit that he is quite a warrior.'
Urich and the Sun Warriors clashed again. Blood splattered everywhere. The head of a Sun Warrior shot up to the ceiling and then rolled across the floor.
"Three," Urich spoke briefly. The ones left were Alfnan and two Sun Warriors.
'If I want to get out of here, do I have to capture Alfnan and use him as a hostage? Are there other warriors waiting outside? They might have thought five was enough and not made any other arrangements.'
Thoughts restlessly raced through Urich's mind. But even then, his eyes never lost track of the enemies' hands.
'I've had plenty of rest, so my body feels like it could fly. I don't think I can lose to anyone even if I tried.'
Urich showed a faint smile.
He hadn't fought since the battle in Valdima. After getting ample rest, Urich felt an unending surge of energy in his body.
Having entered his twenties, Urich's body was in its prime as a warrior. He even had an abundance of experience, which most warriors his age lacked.
"Heeeek!"
One of the Sun Warriors grabbed Georg as hostage and pressed a blade against his neck.
"What a sight to see the honorable Sun Warrior fighting by holding a hostage," Urich mocked them.
"U-Urich! P-please, save me!" Georg shrieked in terror.
"I told you that you were on your own. This is a tough situation for me, too, Georg."
Urich shrugged and smiled. He did not drop his weapon.
"Well, I guess a hostage was never going to work. Just kill him."
Alfnan signaled with his chin, giving the order.
"A-aaaaaaah!" Georg screamed as the blade began to cut into his neck.
Urich also winced. If he tried to rush to save Georg, he would be completely exposed to the rest of his enemy’s attacks.
"I-I really don't want to die!"
Georg had suffered from guilt over betraying his master and causing his lover's death. Because of that, he thought he wanted to die. But now that he was actually faced with death, his thoughts changed.
'I want to live! I want to live and meet prettier women! I want to succeed in life!'
Worldly desires boiled up in an instant. Georg's pupils dilated, and his heart raced.
"Help me! Urich! You damn bastaaaaard! Stop acting so high and mighty!" Georg screamed.
Squeeeelch!
The Sun Warrior slowly pushed the blade into Georg's neck to provoke Urich. Blood dripped down the blade.
"Sigh," Urich sighed.
'Georg is also one of my men.'
He couldn't just stand by and watch his subordinate die. Urich took the risk and charged forward.
Schluck!
Before Urich could even swing his weapon, the sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
"Huh?"
Everyone was stunned.
The Sun Warrior holding Georg hostage collapsed and let go of Georg. Behind him stood another Sun Warrior with a sword.
"Traitor..."
"I didn't pierce your organs. If you get treatment in time, you will live, brother."
One of the remaining Sun Warriors was an informant. He protected Georg and stood with Urich.
The situation turned around in an instant. Alfnan, who was now alone, bit his lower lip hard.
"Lagerik, you were a traitor, too? How could you? How could you, out of all people, betray me?"
Alfnan was agitated. Sun Warrior Lagerik, the betrayer, had been Alfnan's close confidant for a long time.
"Commander Alfnan, I became a Sun Warrior to create a world where my people who have converted wouldn't be discriminated against. A world where northerners wouldn’t be overlooked and treated as inferior!" Sun Warrior Lagerik answered calmly.
"If many northerners like us succeed in the empire, that world will come naturally!"
"I used to think the same. But creating a kingdom of northerners who believe in Lou would be faster. Now is the time to act on that."
"Lageeeeriiiik!"
Alfnan shouted in rage as he charged forward. Urich didn't miss the opportunity and jumped in.
Clang!
Urich's dual weapons flashed. He deflected Alfnan's attack with the sword in his left hand, then struck Alfnan's head with the axe in his right.
Crunch!
The reckless axe, made entirely of steel, was almost like a blunt weapon. Even with his helmet, Alfnan fell to the ground after the impact.
"See, double weapons are better for me."
Urich mocked as he looked at the fallen Alfnan. He raised his sword high.
"Urich, spare Alfnan. Though we differ in our beliefs, he is still my brother. We've fought together for a long time, so he really is like a real brother to me," Lagerik intervened, stopping Urich from finishing Alfnan off.
Urich said as he tilted his head, "But he's not my brother, is he?"
"If you want my cooperation, you’d better not kill him. This is not a suggestion, it's a warning."
Lagerik's eyes were cold. Urich sheathed his sword.
"Is there a way to get out of here? Won’t soldiers swarm us the moment we step out of this place?"
"Follow me."
Lagerik broke a window and guided Urich.
"U-Urich. Y-you're not going to leave me behind, right? I-I know you wouldn’t do that."
Georg, who had screamed at Urich just a minute ago in the spur of the moment, clutched his injured neck as he spoke.
"Do I act all ‘high and mighty’ often?"
Urich grinned as he followed Lagerik out the window. Georg, pale as a ghost, rushed to follow them.
* * *
The origin of the Sun Warriors dated back over thirty years. The previous emperor had waged continuous wars to conquer the south and the north. The prolonged wars led to a substantial depletion of the imperial army, and the number of skilled warriors was lacking. The emperor, as a desperate measure, hired converted barbarians, promising them honorable status.
The Sun Warriors had only two conditions: sincere faith and exceptional combat skills.
Even if someone had deep faith inside, there was no way to confirm it. The measure of sincere faith was how much one knew and understood the Solar Doctrine. If they weren't as knowledgeable about the doctrine as a priest, they couldn't join.
Because of this requirement for knowledge of the Solar Doctrine, the members of the Sun Warriors were primarily those who were already considered something akin to scholars in the north. They were those who were considered high-ranking within northern society, either tribe leaders or their sons who had early exposure to civilization. By civilized standards, they were comparable to nobles.
"We've had extensive discussions regarding the topic amongst ourselves for a long time. Although we were a group employed by the emperor, we never forgot that our roots were in the north. Well, there are a few southerners, but most of us are northern," Lagerik said as he cut through the darkness.
Thanks to collaborators within the Sun Warriors, Urich and Georg managed to leave the camp.
"Expanding the influence of the northerners in the empire and gaining autonomy within by doing so was one strategy, but we always knew this day would come. The day when we would have to choose between the north and the empire."
"So the northerners shame you for abandoning your kin, and the Sun Warriors shame you for betraying your brothers," Urich remarked, somewhat sarcastically.
"Well, neither of them is wrong. There are people like Alfnan who fought against their kin on the empire’s side to chase their own success. There are also several who fight for their own personal riches and glory under the disguise of faith or Lou’s teachings. And regardless of whether we’ve been corrupted by the secular world, it's true we've betrayed our kin," Lagerik calmly acknowledged. He still wore his Sun cloak. Even though he had rebelled against the empire, he remained a warrior devoted to Lou.
"Urich, you tell me something now," Lagerik said.
"Tell you what?" Urich replied.
"Why has a warrior leading the plunderers from the west come all the way to the north?" Lagerik asked.
Urich quietly stared at Lagerik. After a moment of thought, Urich was about to speak but then closed his mouth. He looked up at the sky.
"Urich?" Lagerik asked, waiting for Urich's response.
"Shh."
Urich put his index finger to his lips. He pricked up his ears and sniffed the air.
'I smell burning resin and hear metallic sounds.'
Lagerik and Georg couldn’t understand why Urich was acting this way. Urich's senses were much sharper than others.
Urich quietly looked back and muttered, "Pursuit. They’re coming."
"How do you know that?"
Lagerik's eyes widened. But Urich was right. Soon, torches flickered in the distance. They were moving in their direction.
