Chapter 252

“For the freedom of Porcana!”

The nobles and knights of Porcana shouted as they concluded their meeting. The strategy meeting was brief. They would lure the imperial army, which was following the alliance, into the mountainous regions of Porcana and attack. It was a straightforward yet effective plan.

‘We can win.’

Urich clenched his fist. The nobles of Porcana who looked at him all had different expressions. Some were friendly, some contemptuous, and others fearful.

‘With Porcana’s army helping us, we have a good chance. We can even reinforce the troops we were lacking. What they think of me doesn’t matter one bit.’

Urich was introduced to the Porcana’s key commanders. Some of them already knew him.

“Let’s hold a feast!”

It was a temporary peace. The alliance army, which had seemed poised to sweep over Porcana, had allied with them.

The soldiers felt relieved for now, knowing they were safe from immediate threats. It was natural to fear the barbarians who were in front of their eyes right now more than the imperial army that they could not see just yet.

The heavy atmosphere of the meeting dissipated, and food was served in abundance.

“Tonight might be the last night we can eat to our heart’s content! Let’s eat until our stomachs burst!”

Feeding ten thousand warriors was quite a strain even on Porcana’s resources. Emptying the kingdom’s granaries was only going to last them a few months.

“Urich, aren’t you curious about what happened to your mercenary squad?”

Varca sat in front of Urich, holding a glass of wine. Urich had piled his plate with chicken and pork.

“I’m sure Donovan’s taking good care of them.”

Urich’s brothers had received their own land, and after Urich left, Donovan should have been in charge. At least that’s what Urich thought.

“It didn’t end very well. After you left, it only took a year before an internal conflict broke out between the mercenaries. It seemed like they fought over harvests and land. I’m sure the neighboring lords also incited the mercenaries by recruiting them.”

Urich’s jaw, which was chewing the meat, stopped. He wiped his mouth and looked at Varca.

“Idiots... So what, they all died?”

“After Donovan died, they scattered. Those who weren’t greedy were content with the small farms they had and continued to live as landowners, but those who lost their farms and wealth in the conflict left the kingdom to become mercenaries again. And the land that was left without a lord was incorporated back into my domain.”

“So I guess it worked out for you, Pahell.”

“It was land that I gave to you in the first place. You were the one who abandoned it. I had quite a headache dealing with it.”

“I thought Donovan would manage well.”

Varca shook his head with a bitter smile.

“You’re an exceptional person, Urich. I’ve met many people since becoming a king, but none were a warrior as clever as you. Not very many people in this world can do what you do. It only took a year for Urich’s Brotherhood to fall apart without you.”

“Are you saying that was my fault?”

“Not only did you abandon the land I gave you, but you also returned leading an invading army. Because of you, I...”

Varca furrowed his brows and turned his head. He had narrowly escaped death after being suspected by the emperor. He could have been imprisoned for life, never returning to Porcana.

“Well, I did also bring you a chance for independence, isn’t that good?” Urich said with a shrug.

“A lot of people will die. The citizens of Porcana will bleed.”

“Countless of my brothers have already died, Pahell. I’ve lost more of my brothers than the number of scars on my body.”

Their voices gradually grew louder. It was not a situation for friendly greetings. Varca was a king, and Urich and his alliance army were practically a disaster that had brought crisis to Porcana.

From the beginning, it wasn’t a willingly formed alliance. It was Varca’s decision to somehow save the Porcana Kingdom from an even bigger danger.

‘Does Urich know that my sister had a child?’

Varca didn’t mention Damia. Nothing good was going to come out of Urich knowing at this moment.

“In any case, it’s good to see you again, Pahell. How is your search for the eastern continent going?” Urich subtly changed the subject.

“It was making some progress with the support of the empire. We won’t have that anymore, though.”

“Man, I already said I’m sorry it came to this, didn’t I? Let it go.”

“Even without the empire’s support, it’s already Porcana’s national project. We can’t give up after the amount of money we’ve invested into it. We’re still building ships capable of sailing for months without resupply to explore the outer seas.”

“Months at sea? Is that even possible?”

“We won’t know until we try.”

“That’s impressive. I’d love to see it when it’s done.”

“I’m also sending letters to the Pope to secure legitimacy for the exploration of the eastern continent. If we proclaim that we’re discovering new lands under Lou’s will, it will gain momentum. As you know, the emperor isn’t close to the Pope, and the Pope isn’t exactly fond of the empire either. There are even rumors that the recent independence of the northern Solarism was orchestrated by the Pope.”

Urich, having filled his belly, drank wine. He listened attentively to Varca. Information from the mouth of a king was very valuable. A lot of it was information that could aid the alliance army.

“By the way, are you really the king of the west?” Varca asked.

His face was gradually turning red from the alcohol. His usually clear pronunciation started to falter.

“We don’t use the word king. We call it Great Chief instead. I split the head of our last Great Chief and took his place.”

“That’s terrifying. So, does that mean other warriors could take your place as Great Chief? You’d better watch your back.”

“It’s not that easy. If you want to challenge for the position of Great Chief, there are many qualifications to have and conditions to meet. A warrior has to be famous enough that the tribes wouldn’t break off from the alliance even if the Great Chief actually changes. They also have to receive the authority of the heavens from the shamans.”

“Then will your son be the next Great Chief?”

“Well, that I don’t know. It’s common for a chief’s son to succeed him, but it’s not always the case. And for the Great Chief, there’s no precedent, though I guess our last Great Chief seemed to consider passing the power down to his child.”

“So that means you’re the one setting the precedent now, right?”

Varca casually remarked. Urich’s eyes widened.

‘I’m setting the precedent?’

The future of the western alliance depended on Urich’s decisions. They could merely end as a bunch of plunderers, or they could form their own nation.

“...Urich, what about wife and child? Have any yet?”

Varca decided to ask before he got any more drunk. He couldn’t quite get rid of his sister from his mind.

“A kid? Of course, I do!”

Urich answered cheerfully, causing Varca’s eyes to tremble.

“You do?”

“There must be at least one somewhere on this land, right? There’s no way I wouldn’t have any after sowing so many seeds.”

Varca felt relieved inside.

“What would you do if a woman came claiming a child as yours?”

“Huh? What’s this about? Pahell, are you hiding my kid somewhere?”

“I’m just asking. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Urich put down his glass and closed his eyes.

“...Honestly, I don’t know. I have a smart subordinate who said I wouldn’t make a good father.”

“Take good care of that subordinate. He sees you very objectively. He’s a capable guy.”

Urich thought for a moment, then spoke, “Hmm, that was an insult, wasn’t it?”

Varca smirked silently.

Urich and Varca talked about the things that had happened to them during their time apart. Urich’s stories from the west intrigued not only Varca but also the nobles around them.

The land beyond the Sky Mountains was an unknown world until now. It was considered as mythical and fictional as the eastern continent. But now, people from the west were sweeping through the civilized world. Everyone wanted to know just what kind of place the west was.

After a night of feasting, the Porcana army and the alliance army abandoned the fortress and moved deeper into Porcana. The fortress they left behind looked as if it had been raided and plundered.

* * *

Carnius’ army arrived at the borders of Porcana. The scouts signaled to the main force that the fortress was empty.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

Carnius led his adjutants into the fortress.

“It seems like the fortress already got plundered. The barbarians have already entered deeper into Porcana,” the adjutants said as they scoured the fortress.

“They’ve already been breached?”

There was no denying that the fortress had been attacked. The traces of a siege, which couldn't be made artificially, were evident on the walls and inside the fortress.

“The barbarians are using the siege weapons of the empire. It would have been difficult to hold them off with just a border fortress like this one.”

The adjutants checked the food storage and armory of the fortress. As expected, they were completely empty.

“Porcana has an army with war experience. An army that has gone through civil war shouldn’t have been an easy opponent. They fell earlier than I expected.”

“The soldiers may have been slow to gather, or there could have been many uncooperative lords.”

“It seems I overestimated Porcana. It makes sense that a country with similar national power to Langkegart couldn’t hold out.”

Despite his words, Carnius’ expression was stiff.

‘If it weren't for the emperor’s letter, I wouldn’t have thought much of this situation, either.’

There was nothing strange about the fortress of Porcana being breached.

Unlike the imperial army, the kingdoms often had armies formed of half-competent men. It was common for a lord who could mobilize a hundred men to send only ten in response to a conscription order.

‘Even if they knew about the barbarians’ attack, they might not have been able to gather their forces in time. It’s almost natural that they lost.’

Carnius gestured to his adjutant to start moving the army. If the plunderers had passed through the fortress of Porcana, it was best to pursue them quickly.

The traces of the plunderers were clear. It was evident that they had plundered and camped in the fortress before leaving.

Carnius’ army passed through the fortress and pursued the plunderers into Porcana. As soon as the roads built by the empire ended, the terrain became rough. Carts and wagons carrying supplies jolted over the rocky ground.

“Damn this countryside place!”

“Pull! Pull!”

The imperial army crossed a rocky hill. They unloaded the carts, pulled them to the top of the hill, and then reloaded them. The imperial soldiers cursed the barren land of Porcana.

Gradually, the imperial army made their way deeper into Porcana.

“We are the imperial army! By order of His Imperial Majesty, we will requisition supplies!”

The imperial army practically raided the farms they encountered in Porcana. As their supply lines lengthened, the supply of provisions was no longer smooth. Moreover, Porcana was not even a direct territory of the empire.

“General, this man says he has something to say.”

A knight brought a shabby farmer to Carnius. The farmer, intimidated by the imperial army’s presence, hesitated for a second before rubbing his palms together.

“Hehe, I have some information that might interest you, good sir.”

Carnius frowned. He had seen countless people of this sort. He was clearly a petty, small-hearted man blinded by money.

But the truth was that the help of people like these were also needed. Information was extremely important in war. The presence or absence of information could determine the outcome of a battle.

Clink.

Carnius tossed a gold coin. The farmer grinned after picking it up without any pride.

“I-I heard you came to catch the barbarians. T-those barbarians are currently moving together with the army of Porcana. I-I saw it with my own eyes.”

At the farmer’s words, Carnius jumped to his feet. The adjutants and knights also jumped up in disbelief.

‘Under normal circumstances, I would have also brushed it off as nonsense.’

Carnius’ eyes trembled. He glanced at the letter from the emperor again.

‘If Porcana and the plunderers form an alliance, make an armistice agreement.’

The emperor’s letter detailed the terms of the agreement. The emperor had already anticipated that Porcana and the barbarians would form a military alliance.

“Ha, haha.”

Carnius laughed hollowly and sat back down. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the farmer backed away and left the scene.