The Friendship Pendant
The northern transport route of the Baba Tribe's territory, Selaeb Pass. Beneath the mountain range draped in the colors of autumn, an imperial supply convoy was slowly advancing. Rattle, rattle. A line of over thirty wagons, heavily laden with armaments, rations, and magitech tools, stretched along the path. A red flag fluttered at the very front, led by the Red Hawk Knights.
The man in charge of this convoy was Gai Houg. Until just a few days ago, he had been an active knight in Jaran Castle. A member of the Red Hawk Knights and hailing from a rather promising noble family, he had failed to prevent the terror campaign at the Jaran Transportation Hub. Worse, he had allowed a suspicious woman into the knights' headquarters... and for that, he had been demoted.
On the day of the attack, he had only escaped disaster because he had gone out to buy wine to share with the woman. The Red Hawk Knights had suffered nearly ten casualties. Among them was their current commander, Lake, whose arm had been permanently ruined—a fatal blow for any knight commander. After a grueling interrogation, Gai had barely managed to keep his head thanks to his family's influence, but the price was this humiliating assignment: escorting a baggage train. Even so, it was a stroke of luck bordering on a miracle.
"A pathetic escort mission like this! Who do they think I am?!" Gai Houg's blood boiled. He had become a knight to be envied and respected, not to be a glorified baggage captain guarding mere porters. Biting his lip in fury, he huffed and puffed atop his horse.
"The Jaran terror attack... it wasn't my fault...! That woman seduced me! She said she wanted to see the inside of the Red Hawk Knights' headquarters!"
"I was just a victim of a wicked plot! Protecting a beautiful lady is the duty of a knight, isn't it?!"
"So why me, of all people?!"
As he continued to spew his complaints from the saddle—
Rustle, rustle.
Dark shadows quietly emerged from the mountain slopes and thick brush.
"Huh...?"
A group of mysterious warriors suddenly blocked the path. They wore no red capes, nor did they possess gleaming armor. There was only... raw, naked bloodlust.
"Who goes there! How dare you block the path of the Empire!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, he saw something.
A massive, towering figure stood at the front. A man with two axes slung crosswise over his back. His muscles looked ready to burst through his clothes. With flowing brown hair and eyes that slowly narrowed, his appearance was strangely familiar.
It was a name used in the Empire's proverbs to stop crying children.
The Baba Tribe.
He let out a hollow laugh. There's no way. There was no way such monsters would suddenly appear here. Above all, he knew the truth: those savages had already been completely wiped from the face of the earth by the Imperial Army.
Angered by his own momentary lapse into fear, he drew his sword with renewed vigor.
"How dare you! A mere band of bandits trying to mock a noble! For this insolence, I shall take your head—"
It happened in that instant.
Whoosh! Crash!
By the time he realized something had moved, his entire world had already flipped upside down. His body was sent flying backward.
The escort soldiers, who had been watching with amused anticipation of a quick bandit slaughter, suddenly shrieked in terror.
"Enemy attack! It's an ambush—!!"
"Red Hawk Knights, form up!! ...W-What on earth is this monster?!"
Formations were utterly meaningless. They had assumed their enemies were human, but that was a grave mistake. Once the giants truly began to move, resistance became futile.
Every single one of them was at least of the 7th Tier. For a transport unit of a mere thousand men, defense was an impossibility.
Jake held an axe in each hand, stepping into the enemy ranks as if performing a dance. With every single step, two heads flew. It was an absolute, one-sided massacre.
"M-Monster—!"
"The Imperial Knights are being pushed back! The knights are...!!"
Fear was a highly contagious disease. The Baba warriors charged in unison, and the remaining soldiers fled, screaming in terror.
Yet, not a single soul could escape. The very reason they had waited to strike until the convoy entered this narrow gorge was to prevent any chance of flight.
It did not take long for the transport unit to fall completely silent. Only the armaments, rations, and magitech tools remained untouched.
"...I might actually have a talent for assassination."
The other warriors approached from behind.
"Jake. No one got away."
"Kyahaha! Not enough blood! I need more blood!!!"
Smack!
The warrior who had just been smacked on the back of his head rubbed his neck sheepishly.
"Hey. Are you a cannibal or something?"
"No, but those Imperial bastards look at us like we're cannibals anyway."
"Just because those Imperial bastards look at us that way doesn't mean you have to act like it, you idiot."
Jake burst into laughter. "Alright, cut it out. Let's get to work."
He pulled out pieces of clothing bearing the insignia of the Tirand Empire from his vest, scattering them around the wagons to make it look as though they had been torn off during a fierce battle.
"Good. Take what we need... and burn the rest."
Whoosh. He tossed a torch.
Whether the supplies inside the wagons had been stolen or completely incinerated, no one would be able to tell. This, too, was an instruction from her—Pax.
"Do you think women from the Kingdom like pendants too?"
"No way. Jake, what about 'Beautiful Spring'? Didn't you say you were going to confess to her when we got back?"
"Ahem. That's ancient history."
Having grown up among the fierce, rugged female warriors of the Baba Tribe, a refined city woman like Pax was Jake's absolute ideal.
"We've only been here a little over a month, and you're already moving on?"
Jake ignored his comrade's teasing voice from behind.
Even after this, the supply raids continued.
Whenever intelligence on the transport routes came in through Blue, Justice, and Pax's wiretapping, eleven human bulldozers were dispatched. Their stealth and capacity for surprise attacks were incomparable to the Church's regular soldiers. Once the battle was over, the support troops in the rear would recover the wagons and clean up the traces. That was more than enough.
The reply from the Tirand Empire's ambassador arrived before evening. To put it simply, every single condition we wanted was approved after some minor adjustments.
Unlimited import of iron ore.
Unrestricted mutual sharing of magitech.
And... the admission of imperial royalty into the Holy Allied Empire's Academy.
Not a single clause was left out.
The deal was perfect. Iron and mana were the essential blood and muscle needed to elevate both military power and the economy simultaneously.
The problem... lay elsewhere.
"Lord Doyunes."
Suddenly, Jake quietly approached and spoke to me.
"Do you happen to have any other orders for us...?"
There was a faint look of anticipation in his eyes. It meant the Baba Tribe was fired up.
The Karis Empire had already begun to retaliate. The next targets wouldn't be simple baggage wagons like before. They wouldn't be off-guard escorts, but heavily armed transport convoys rigged with explosives.
...At that point, I was honestly starting to worry.
Could even the Baba Tribe die from that? I wondered, but I couldn't picture it. A race where I couldn't even imagine them dying in an explosion... maybe I was the one who had gone crazy.
Knock, knock.
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened quietly, and she walked in with a familiar smile.
"Lord Doyunes."
It was Pax. She walked over carrying a stack of documents and set them down in front of me.
"These are the results of our latest operation."
The report was spread across the desk. Inside... was an endless list of items seized from the Imperial Army's transport convoys.
I couldn't help but let out a low whistle. It was far more than I had expected. Most notably, it included a portion of those imperial-made bombs she loved so much.
There was a subtle look of anticipation in her eyes. It was the look of someone hoping for praise and a reward.
Closing the report, I looked up.
"...Excellent work, Pax."
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
"And next?"
"Hmm... Next? Ah. You can keep all the bombs, Pax. After all, the only unit capable of utilizing them is the division you command."
As Pax smiled at my praise, Jake, who had been standing quietly beside her, began shifting his gaze restlessly before finally speaking up.
"U-Um... I... I...!"
At the sudden outburst, Pax blinked and turned around, and I stared at Jake. What was this?
With his axes slung over his back, Jake stood there hiding his forearm-sized hands behind his back.
"T-That..."
"Please let me know if you have any further tasks. I shall take my leave," Pax said, preparing to walk out of the office as he struggled to find his words.
Jake hesitated for a moment, then summoned his courage and called out to her.
"Miss Pax!"
"Yes?"
She turned back. Jake blinked, momentarily speechless.
"D-Do... Do you perhaps... like things like... pendants?"
"Pendants?" Pax blinked, tilting her head.
Jake panicked for a second, his face instantly flushing bright red.
"J-Just... as a gift...! I mean... if I could... give you one later..."
Pax tilted her head slightly at his words. Then, her eyes widened as she spoke.
"Ah~ The kind friends exchange? A friendship pendant?"
"...!"
Jake's eyes snapped wide open, and his head nodded furiously.
"Y-Yes, exactly! A friendship pendant!!"
"But aren't pendants usually exchanged between lovers?"
"W-We of the Baba Tribe... give them to strengthen our bonds! It's a tradition!!"
Pax placed a hand over her mouth and let out a soft chuckle.
"I see~ What a cute tradition."
"Our teamwork was really good this time. So, as a token of friendship..."
As his voice trailed off, Pax lightly tapped his massive forearm with her fingertips.
"I'll be looking forward to it then. Your... friendship pendant, Jake."
"...Yes!!!"
Pax turned away with a playful glint in her eyes. However, as she walked down the hallway, her thoughts were in a completely different place.
A pendant? That would look lovely attached to a bomb's timer casing.
Behind them, Jake's Baba comrades, who had been watching blankly, began to chime in.
"Did our village ever have a tradition like that?"
"Like hell we did!"
"Wow, he's completely writing his own script now... making the Baba Tribe look like a bunch of gay guys."