Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Urich brought Gottval into the house. As Urich entered, the warriors who had arrived earlier dispersed and made room.

Clang.

Urich carelessly swept the dishes on the table aside with his hand, making space to lay out the food and drinks he had brought.

"Screams have filled the city, Urich."

Gottval said while drinking water. His face and clothes were dirty. He seemed to have roamed around the city all day.

"There was nothing I could do. This is war. It would be strange to spare only some cities just because I know them, wouldn’t it? I did my best. I even spared the guard captain Setton, and since the lord here surrendered quickly, I tried to minimize the damage," Urich said, lifting his drink.

"Speaking in such a defensive tone itself shows you feel guilty about your actions."

"Hah, bullshit. I just saved your life, Gottval. If it weren’t for me, they would’ve turned you into a half-cripple, at the least."

"Exactly. They really shot at my arm. Thank god that nothing was there, though," Gottval said as he fluttered his right sleeve.

Urich frowned and snapped back, "If that’s a joke, I don’t find it funny. We won’t be staying long, so just stay under my protection while we're here. Don’t try to do anything; they might actually cut you.”

"There are many wounded outside. I can be of help."

"Our warriors won’t accept your treatment. We have our own people that we rely on for our wounds, sort of like our priests. We are the invaders. We have no reason to accept your help, anyway."

"I am only practicing what I’ve learned."

"Caring for us when you’re the loser? Mercy and compassion are the rights of the victor. The defeated should just keep their mouths shut and wait. If words aren’t getting through to you, I’m sure force will. With a single command from me, you won’t be able to take a single step out of this house until we leave," Urich spoke as he bared his teeth. Gottval did not say anymore.

"Gottval, you're the man who saved my life. I am not one to forget debts or favors. No one will harm you in my presence. So just stay put," Urich said as he stood up.

Gottval stared at Urich, then twitched his eyebrows before commenting, "You're not wearing the sun necklace."

"I quit. The benevolence and love you speak of don’t suit a warrior. Great warriors don’t need such things."

Even the Sword Demon Ferzen turned his back on Lou and turned to Ulgaro. Urich understood why Ferzen had done that. Lou’s teachings were far from the life of a warrior.

"God isn’t something that one can simply choose to keep or abandon, Urich. Just as a child cannot choose their parents."

"I’m a bastard who grew up without parents, so I don’t know anything about that."

"Even if you think you have abandoned Lou, Lou is still watching over you. That’s what a god is."

"That’s enough preaching for today, Mr. Priest."

Urich left without listening further.

Left alone, Gottval clasped his hands and prayed softly.

"Lou, please forgive us all."

* * *

Two days had passed since the city was conquered. The warriors had discarded the bodies of their deceased kin in the nearby forest. It was a traditional funeral custom of the west.

"They’re letting the wild animals eat the bodies, how barbaric..."

"Shh, be quiet."

The civilized people muttered as they watched the warriors carrying the bodies. The city was filled with unease and fear.

Step, step.

Samikan entered the inner city. The hallway was neatly lined with ornaments and statues of impressive quality. Statues that looked almost identical to humans were always astonishing. To the westerners, the craftsmen of the civilized world were like beings who performed strange magic.

‘Pursuing not just survival, but something beyond.’

Samikan touched the statues as he looked at them. It must have been the work of a sculptor who has spent a lifetime perfecting his art. It was a level of skill unattainable in the barbaric world, where survival was the primary concern.

Step.

Samikan moved deeper inside. A large hall, where the lord and his lieges should be, opened up. At the end of the empty hall was the lord's chair.

Creak.

Samikan leaned back in the chair. Being elevated seven steps higher, it was a position from which one could look down on others.

He closed his eyes, then slowly reopened them.

‘What have I, Samikan, achieved?’

He flicked his fingers, lightly tapping the armrest of the chair.

He had unified the west, led the warriors over the mountains, and now challenged the empire, which had long reigned supreme over the civilized world.

"It’s a formidable wall. A formidable opponent indeed."

Samikan's blurry eyes were staring at the wall that was the empire. That wall was sturdy and tall. He had once hammered through that wall hard, but behind it was yet another wall.

Urich had thought Samikan's clarity had dulled, but his political sense was still as sharp as ever.

'He already knew I'd oppose advancing to the capital. That's why he brought Gottval. Samikan knows me too well.'

Urich had ordered the warriors to protect Gottval, but there was a single being in the alliance who could make them go against that command and drag Gottval out.

‘He got me good.’

A smirk nearly reached his throat. Samikan was still keeping Urich in check, placing every move of his under his control.

"Get your hands off that man now, before I kill you all," Urich warned the warriors who had brought Gottval.

His command carried weight. The Blue Mist warriors flinched and looked to Samikan for his order.

When Samikan nodded, the warriors released Gottval.

"Is this civilized man more precious to you than our brothers? You keep many of them close to you. It’s almost as if you trust them more than our own brothers."

The glares of the warriors sharpened upon Samikan’s words. Indeed, Urich had kept people like Harvald and Georg as close advisors, who were not westerners.

"You also had Noah Arten as a close advisor. Are you really in the position to blame me?"

"Noah is an exception. Noah has been with us since before the alliance was formed. He is like a brother."

"Hmph, you always have an excuse."

Urich snorted. He helped Gottval to his feet.

"It really does seem like this civilized man is more precious to you," Samikan pointed out again.

The warriors murmured at his words. Many warriors were observing the meeting. The tribal council was a place where chiefs competed and assessed each other's influence.

"This civilized man, Gottval, is the man who saved my life. I’m sure you didn't know, so I'll let it slide this time. But there won't be a next time. I trust you all heard that. You guys too..."

Urich looked at the Blue Mist warriors who had dragged Gottval along. The warriors, suppressed by Urich's murderous intent, instinctively reached for their weapons.

Urich, supporting Gottval, left the council. With Urich gone, Samikan fully took over the flow of the meeting. No one dared to oppose Samikan's call to march on the capital.

Urich entered a random room within the fortress and laid Gottval down. Gottval began to clean and treat his own wounds.

"This is my fault. I didn't realize Samikan was watching."

It hadn’t even been two full days since Urich declared he would protect Gottval. Gottval, who was supposed to be under Urich’s protection, had been seriously injured. This was greatly damaging to Urich's reputation.

"I'm fine. My face is just swollen, but there are no serious injuries. I think they didn't want to provoke your anger too much. It seemed like they were afraid of you."

Gottval cooled his face with a towel soaked in cold water. After cleaning his wounds, he applied ointment.

"The way I see it, Lou is a terrible god. Leaving a devout follower like you to suffer while saving scum like Samikan."

"We shouldn't read the will of the gods at the eyelevel of humans. If that is what Lou did, there must be a reason, even with my pain."

"There's a reason for your pain? What a load of bullshit. Pain is just pain. And pain is bad. If you like being hurt, then you're just insane."

Gottval just laughed.

"It seems things didn't go your way because of me, though I don't quite understand what you were saying back there."

"Don't worry about it. Even if it wasn't for you, it would have turned out this way, anyway. I've never beaten Samikan in politics."

Urich sat down in a chair and leaned his head back. He continued as he loosened his stiff neck muscles.

"But this time, I’m not just going to let it slide."

"If it's about revenge, I'm fine. Things like this do not bother me."

Gottval tried to stop Urich. Urich tilted his head and grinned.

"Dumbass, it's not because of you. It’s not like you’re an insanely hot woman or something. You think I would grind my teeth just because some dude got beat up? This is solely for my brothers. If we advance the way Samikan wants, we'll all die."

Gottval awkwardly smiled at the misstep.

Urich closed his eyes to cool his head. On the edge of darkness, he saw a vision. Crows were feasting on a desolate hill of corpses. Fluid dripped from half-rotted eyeballs, and maggots swarmed where organs should be in the gaping bellies.

Urich woke from a light sleep. He yawned deeply and stood up from the chair. Outside, he heard noises of Samikan's watchers shuffling around.

'Samikan himself knows that it's better to stall than to face the imperial army head-on right now. A short-term war is exactly what the empire wants.'

Urich gathered his thoughts.

'Samikan must have decided that he doesn't have much time left. Even if it's risky, he’s going to try to see this war out while he's still alive.'

Urich smirked.

"That's very foolish, Samikan. Our brothers are not some tools for your ambition."

Quietly, Urich jumped out the window, eluding Samikan's watchers. He was a man capable of climbing down the vertical fortress walls with ease. Compared to the bizarre cliffs and walls he had climbed before, this was a piece of cake. He casually left the fortress and moved alone.