Barbarians
The bells of the North carry a meaning all their own.
If you asked what made them different—
One peal meant a magic beast raid. Two meant barbarians.
Three… no one had ever lived to hear three.
So when those two peals rang out now, I had to go and greet the barbarians.
Things had been quiet for a while, and of course they chose the exact moment I was trying to tease Ilia a little.
Thanks to them, training was completely shot.
I took my hand off the wall and stepped back from her.
When I looked down, her face had already returned to its usual cool composure, as if the flush had never been there at all.
I picked up the wooden sword that had fallen to the floor and said,
“Guess we should go?”
“Of course we should. Were you planning on skipping out?”
“Well. I’m your bodyguard knight now. If you don’t go, I don’t go.”
“Then I suppose we have to.”
Ilia brushed past me.
Her fingertips trailed lightly along my arm as she went.
“I’ll head out first. Get dressed and catch up.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Watching her leisurely exit the training ground, I started gathering my clothes and pulling them on.
Barbarians.
Humans gone feral, ignorant of civilization’s comforts.
Foolish yet savage beings from beyond the North.
Along with the magic beasts, barbarians had been objects of terror for the empire’s people since ancient times.
The only reason the North still received respect and aid within the empire was because it alone held them back.
The sole shield that kept the empire safe from fear.
But as someone who was actually part of that shield, I saw magic beasts as prey and a source of income.
And the barbarians? Just occasional problem customers.
They called it a raid, but really it was closer to a mob swarming over to demand food.
If you fought them with the mindset of a civil servant dealing with chronic complainers, they usually ran off before anyone drew serious blood—
arms full of grain they’d looted from the outposts.
They would never know, not in their whole lives,
that His Grace the Grand Duke deliberately left those supplies out where they were easy to steal.
The barbarians’ tactics never changed.
While drawing our attention, a small team would slip into a supply outpost, snatch as much food as they could, and flee.
The first time they caught us off guard, the damage had been enormous, from what I heard.
An entire week’s rations for the border garrison vanished overnight?
Drunk on that victory, they tried the same trick the next time, and the time after that.
And every single time, the North fell for it—
until Grand Duke Friedrich took command of the North.
His Grace flipped the whole idea on its head.
If we were going to bleed just trying to stop them from taking the food, why not just hand some over and chase them off faster?
And so meat-heavy rations—easy enough to come by in the North—started “coincidentally” appearing in places perfect for barbarian looting.
They were stupid enough to steal them happily every time.
In the end, the Grand Duke’s strategy was a complete success.
Our knights and soldiers shed far less blood.
Of course, some noble in the capital who fretted over every grain of food once argued that we should just raise an army and wipe the barbarians out completely.
But His Grace, for all his intimidating looks, loved peace.
The safety of his people came before any barbarian campaign—that was his stance.
And really, why start an unnecessary war?
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“Wiping out the barbarians. It just crossed my mind.”
Ilia closed her eyes for a moment, as if weighing the thought.
Then she opened them again and answered evenly,
“As long as they don’t cross the line first, I won’t go as far as extermination.”
“Haven’t they already been crossing lines left and right?”
“Not the physical kind.”
“Hah. I know. Right now they’re satisfied with the bait rations, but the day they start wanting more—”
“Exactly. The moment they cross that line, the campaign begins. Father has always kept that in mind.”
“Nice. Let’s just hope the barbarians stay nice and stupid forever.”
“More importantly—are you all right on horseback?”
“Ah, yeah. Fine. It’s been a while, but this one’s gentle, so I’m lucky.”
We rode side by side toward the border.
Through the white blizzard, the black ice wall loomed faintly—our destination.
The other knights had already left long ago, so we pushed the pace hard, cutting swiftly through the dense conifer forest.
Following the hoofprints carved into the snowfield, we finally reached the border.
“Looks like they already cleaned the place out and bolted?”
“Seems so.”
Everything was already over.
Soldiers were repairing the collapsed barricades, and knights were preparing to return to their own territories.
“That’s why I told you to hurry up and get dressed earlier.”
“I don’t remember you saying to hurry.”
“You’re supposed to read the room and rush on your own.”
“Oh, come on.”
Ilia tugged the reins and turned her horse.
“Just heading back?”
“Of course. There’s nothing to do here. Or do you have something?”
Her pure white breath fanned out lightly and brushed over me.
Something to do, huh.
If I had to name one, there was something.
But nothing I absolutely had to do.
I pulled my thick fur cloak tighter and answered,
“…No. Nothing.”
“You look like there is.”
Hah.
Of course her instincts sharpened at times like this.
“…Just, since we came all this way, I thought maybe I’d say hello to some familiar faces.”
At that, Ilia tilted her head.
“Hello? To whom?”
“My older sister and my little sister.”
“Older sister? Little sister?”
Ilia’s eyes sparkled.
Those eyes of hers always lit up whenever something interesting appeared, and they were doing their job again now.
“They’re both here right now?”
“I’m not certain. But my sister’s a Regular Knight and my little sister’s an Apprentice Knight. I figured they might be around.”
“Hmm. In that case, go ahead. They’re family.”
“Nah. Forget it. It’s only been two days since I left home. Seeing them now would just be awkward for everyone.”
“Still…”
Ilia trailed off uncharacteristically, mumbling.
Could she actually want to meet my sisters?
Come to think of it, Ilia had never met my family.
Introducing them while we were here wouldn’t be so bad.
Fulfilling your liege’s wishes was part of a bodyguard knight’s job, after all.
“All right. Since we’re already here, let’s go say hello.”
“…Okay.”
Ilia nodded, looking expectant.
“But they might have already withdrawn, so don’t get your hopes too high.”
“Why would I be disappointed?”
“If you say so.”
I swung lightly down from the horse and took the reins.
“Then first let’s check inside the outp—”
“Roen?”
In that instant, a voice I knew far too well reached me.
I turned toward the sound and found two women standing hand in hand.
“O…ppa?”
“What. They really were here?”
I had half expected it, but actually running into them was something else.
I raised a hand, ready to wave in greeting.
Except—
“Huh?”
The moment they spotted me from a distance, the two of them suddenly charged like madwomen.
My instincts screamed.
If they catch you, you’re done.
I dropped the reins and tried to run.
Until I tripped over a rock jutting out of the snow that I hadn’t seen.
Thud.
“Argh!”
“There we go.”
Someone climbed onto my back while I lay sprawled in an undignified heap.
She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck.
Long black hair the same shade as mine spilled across the snowfield as she whispered right against my ear,
“Roen…. Do you have any idea how much your big sister has missed you.”
That voice, thick with something close to obsession, sent a pure shiver down my spine.
“It’s only been two days since I left home, Sister Erika. And could you maybe loosen your grip? I can’t breathe…”
“Ah, sorry. I got a little too excited. Still, though.”
My sister poked my cheek with her index finger.
“I think two days is more than long enough. It felt like two years, not two days. You feel the same way, right, Lize?”
“Yeah! The house felt so empty without Oppa! I really, really missed you!”
Right.
I fully understood they had missed me.
So why were both of them staring down at me with eyes that looked ready to devour me any second?!
I thrashed, trying to free myself somehow.
They didn’t budge an inch.
“You know, Roen. You can’t beat me with strength.”
“Aaagh, seriously! All that brute strength and nothing else!”
“Mm. Even when you throw a tantrum, you’re still adorable.”
“Um, Roen? Are these the family members you mentioned just now?”
Ilia slipped carefully into the chaos.
At once, Sister Erika and Lize fixed her with murderous glares.
But the second they realized who stood before them—the Grand Duke’s daughter—their expressions flipped completely.
Truly formidable women.
“Haa…. Allow me to introduce them. The one currently sitting on top of me is my older sister, Erika Kraus.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”
“And this is my younger sister, Lize Kraus.”
“Hello!”
My family—more barbaric than the barbarians themselves.
I never imagined the introductions would go quite like this.