Barbarian Quest-Chapter 130

A choice had to be made. Time was of the essence.

Yanchinus thought Urich was surprised and was taking his time to respond.

'I know as well. What it means to shatter the world as we know it...'

Urich murmured. He opened his eyes narrowly. His eyelashes seemed calm as if they were frosted. A barely contained murderous intent lightly grazed the ground.

Most people don't believe in the existence of lands beyond the eastern continent and the Sky Mountains. If someone claimed such lands existed, they would be deemed a madman or blasphemed.

However, occasionally there were those who defied the gods' warnings and stepped toward the unknown, within their closed worldviews. Urich was one of them and...

'Emperor Yanchinus.'

Emperor Yanchinus was also one who sought to shatter the world.

Urich glanced around. The knights surrounded Yanchinus, and their eyes were fixed on Urich's fingertips.

The emperor’s personal knights were carefully selected for their skills. They would not hold their attacks and wait for Urich to draw his weapon and attack the emperor.

"You seem surprised, Urich. You can answer later! Remember this: more important than the riches and glory of life is leaving your name after death. A mark that even time cannot erase."

Yanchinus laughed, grabbing the reins. The captured Serpentists were brought out in a line after the capture. The women who survived the abduction of the Serpentists praised the emperor's name as they wept in relief.

The roots of Serpentism were finally eradicated, or at least on the surface. The Serpentists, who disturbed the city's peace and upset the emperor, were practically exterminated.

"Booooo!"

"Die, you heretics!"

The next day at noon, in the city square, the execution of the Serpentists took place. People flocked to release their pent-up anger. Rotten vegetables and stones were hurled at the execution stand. Soldiers around the stand raised their shields to block the projectiles.

"Was this truly the right thing to do?"

A hooded Trikee muttered, blending in with the crowd watching the execution. Next to him, Baldor, a former count who had lost everything, nodded.

"Even if we hadn't intervened, they would have met this end eventually. The Imperial Army is relentless. We might be safe for now, but it's not the time to relax. The empire will soon know about another faction of Serpentism. Until then, we must gather more disciples who can influence the civilized world. Starting with my close acquaintances. Those who won't betray me..."

Baldor remained calm despite losing everything to his name. He had decided to dedicate his life to the Ark belief. That was all he had left.

Baldor urged Trikee to leave the crowd as quickly as possible. Lingering in the square was not going to do them any good.

"I have to express my gratitude to Urich...,” Trikee muttered, looking back.

"Meeting Urich again would not be good for him or us, Ark."

Despite his words, Baldor couldn’t help but feel regretful.

'If we had drawn Urich into Serpentism and made him a disciple, the situation would be much better going forward.'

Urich was a strong and powerful warrior. Among his disciples, someone like Urich was needed.

'Sorry Urich, but I must exploit your name.'

Baldor pondered. It was true that Urich had saved Trikee and Baldor. Although not a Serpentist, Urich did have deep ties with Serpentism.

'A renowned barbarian warrior was so moved by the Ark that he offered his sword willingly... A good story.'

It was a tale that many would believe. Though not yet, it was surely going to be useful in the future.

Trikee and Baldoor, still a minority within Serpentism for now, quietly made their way through the crowd and disappeared into the underground society, believing that one day they would face the sun...

* * *

"Praise the emperor for the subjugation of the Serpentists!"

The capital was buzzing with a festive atmosphere. Emperor Yanchinus opened the national treasury and generously distributed it to the people. The smell of baking bread was incessant, and every tavern echoed with songs praising the emperor.

Nobles from all over the empire did not hesitate to travel long distances to attend the celebration banquet at the imperial palace. The banquet lasted three days and nights without interruption.

Clank, clank.

The sound of chains, out of place in the banquet hall, echoed throughout the hall.

"What is that?"

"Is that a barbarian from the south?"

The nobles murmured behind their hands, looking at a male slave chained by the neck.

"Regal Arten presents himself to the Ruler of the World!"

A man leading the slave shouted. He looked weary from a long journey, but he had rushed to the banquet hall where the emperor was, without even taking a moment of rest.

"I received your letter beforehand, Regal Arten! Come forward and show me your face!"

Yanchinus stood up from his chair, a rare gesture of extreme hospitality. The attention of the nobles was instantly focused.

"If it's the Arten family, they have produced several steel knights..."

The Arten family, although without their own domain, held a baronetcy. They were a respected martial family known for producing outstanding knights generation after generation.

"Pay attention!"

Yanchinus tapped his expensive glass with a finger. The eyes of the nobles turned toward him.

"Regal Arten has been exploring the unknown world under my command. Not only him, but many men, including his brothers, have set off westward with my support."

The mention of 'west' caused a stir among the nobles.

‘He’s done something, that emperor.'

The priests at the banquet frowned. The Church of Solarism was well aware of the emperor's ambition. Despite the Church's opposition, Yanchinus had emptied the Imperial treasury to organize bold expeditions. He had sent the best knights into the mountains on a cruel journey from which they might not return if they failed to achieve results.

"Regal Arten! What was it that you saw in the west?"

Yanchinus shouted. The nobles stopped eating and drinking. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Regal Arten's response.

"I have seen beyond the high and mighty mountains. What lies there is not an endless cliff, but a vast land. This is the proof."

Rustle.

Regal pulled the chain. A man with dry eyes was dragged forward.

"Remove his gag but be careful! Several have had their fingers bitten off by this man!"

Regal instructed the servants in the banquet hall. They cautiously removed the man's gag.

Thud.

The gag fell to the floor. The man glared and shouted something unintelligible, a roar close to a howl. It was unclear what he was saying, but it was certainly a curse.

"Look! A language unknown in both the south and the north! This man lives beyond the Sky Mountains. Beyond the mountains lies a land of barbarians, just like the north and the south. I, Regal Arten, a loyal servant of the sun god Lou, swear I have seen the land beyond the mountains!"

Regal proudly presented the barbarian he had captured from the west. The murmurs of the nobles almost reached the tall ceiling of the banquet hall.

"Send a letter to the Pope."

The priests became busy. They had taught that beyond the Sky Mountains lay an abyssal cliff, as spoken by Lou.

"Oh, Lou..."

"What is happening, priest!"

Even the nobles, distressed, pressed the priests in the banquet hall. This news would reach the Pope, and a council would be convened to discuss the current doctrine. Until a conclusion was reached, the priests could not speak rashly.

"Is Lou wrong?"

"Lou is never wrong! Blasphemous words!"

"Then are you saying that the knight, who received the emperor’s secret mission, is lying? Priest?"

The nobles and priests in the banquet hall were thrown into panic. Their worldview had been shattered.

A man who crossed the mountains himself claimed the existence of a land that should not exist. If others had said this, they would have been dismissed as nonsense, and the speaker would have been hanged.

'But if the emperor, the person at the pinnacle of power, is the one saying it... it can't be suppressed or refuted by force.'

Emperor Yanchinus had announced the existence of land beyond the mountains. It was a direct challenge to the authority of the Solar Church and Lou. fre(e)webno(v)el

"This is blasphemy! Your Majesty!"

A court priest bravely shouted.

"What is blasphemous about it?"

Yanchinus mocked the priest's courage.

"T-this is against Lou. There cannot be land beyond the mountains. Lou said..."

"Have you crossed the Sky Mountains?"

"No, but..."

The priest hesitated.

"Regal Arten has crossed the mountains. The brave knight has seen the west with the eyes that Lou has gifted him. Go and tell His Holiness! This son of Lou has discovered a new world! He must think we are ready! We are prepared to face this new world!"

The banquet hall quickly shifted from celebration to discussions about the new land. It was unbelievable even upon hearing. Even the nobles close to the emperor showed many negative and skeptical reactions.

"My goodness."

The priests observed the barbarian from the west in shock. They were scholars as well as clerics. Even they, well-versed in many disciplines, had never heard this language.

'The emperor and Regal Arten are for sure not lying.'

The priests broke out in cold sweat. They wanted to deny it, but the existence of the land beyond the mountains was now a fact. There had been speculation about such a land before, but it was suppressed by the authority of the Solar Church.

'The tide can no longer be held back.'

The high priests at the court were already holding meetings to draft letters to the Pope. A change in the interpretation of doctrine was necessary.

"Lou is always right."

"Then it must be the fault of the church for the misinterpretation of his words."

When reality and doctrine did not align, it was necessary to change the interpretation of the doctrine. This was how the Solar Church had survived for many years, with its teachings becoming more ambiguous and metaphorical over time.

"Sir Regal Arten! We will never forget your hard work! You are truly my very own hero!"

Emperor Yanchinus lavished praise on Regal Arten, seating him at his own table to hear about the new world.

'He's going to rise in status.'

The nobles looked at Regal with envy and jealousy.

"Be careful, Your Majesty. He's a very rough one. Originally, we captured four of them, but three died on the way, leaving only this one."

Regal reported as he brought the western barbarian along.

Yanchinus approached the barbarian from the west, while the nobles observed from a distance. The man's skin was brown, typical of barbarians, and smelled foul from not bathing for a long time over the journey beyond the mountains.

"They don't look much different," Yanchinus remarked, slightly disappointed.

"Barbarians from the south and north also don’t differ much from us beneath our clothes."

"I guess that’s true. But the church will try to deny the existence beyond the mountains. It would have been better if he were more unique. Don’t you think? Urich! Come here and take a look at this thing!"

Emperor Yanchinus called Urich over. Urich, who had been drinking and eating at the banquet, got up from his seat.

"Two eyes and ears, one nose, one mouth. It’s not like he has a bunch of arms. What’s there to look at?"

Urich sneered. He stared at the western barbarian.

‘Shit.'

Urich’s emotions boiled inside. It was a complex, unexplainable emotion. He felt like he was going insane from these strange feelings.

'He's from a different tribe... Why am I... in anguish?'

The gagged man was undoubtedly from beyond the mountains.

'Fordgal Arten crossed the mountains before Regal Arten. If Fordgal hadn’t run into me and died, this would have happened long ago.'

The knights of the Arten family formed expeditions under the emperor’s command. Given Fordgal’s precedent, there must have been quite a few who succeeded in crossing the mountains.

But Regal Arten was the first to return.

'He’s from another tribe, it’s none of my business.'

Urich tried to comfort himself. Other tribes were rivals for survival. The fewer other tribes in one's territory, the better. In his homeland, he wouldn't have felt any sense of kinship with someone from another tribe.

For the first time in his life, Urich felt a sense of solidarity as a westerner. He felt a bond with someone from a culture and customs close to his own.

'I want to save him.'

He felt a need to save this man, who was neither his tribe nor family nor brother. This sense of mission thumped in Urich's chest.

'A man who would have been an enemy back home.'

Judging by his accent, the man seemed to be from a tribe far from Urich's Stone Axe tribe. If they had met in their homeland, they would have been wary of each other, perhaps fighting over a single prey. Urich would have enjoyed the victory, beheading him without a second thought.

'Could I kill the emperor here?'

The thought crossed his mind several times. Did he have a way to kill the emperor? Even if he managed to kill the emperor, would it end there? Could he be sure the civilized people wouldn’t cross the mountains again?

Crunch.

Urich chewed on a chicken leg that was now meatless from his chewing. The bone crumbled and slid down his throat.

"Urich, haven’t you decided yet? I fancifully assumed you were similar to me. If you’re not obsessed with fleeting wealth and glory, I thought you'd pursue immortal glory like me."

Yanchinus spoke softly, disappointment seeping through his tone.

'Was he just one to hesitate to challenge the unknown? I had high expectations for a barbarian highly regarded by Noya...’

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