The War Begins
Soldiers carrying bows and spears led Malrog into the village.
I had ordered them to hide the guns. There was no need to show off our trump cards now that war was on the horizon.
Malrog stepped inside. Normally, outsiders would draw crowds, but no one came to greet him. This was because Malrog had always been unlucky in the tribe and grown even more so after joining the Wild Dog Tribe, making people wary of him. Even Malrog, who knew this, seemed discontented in a situation where even his own family didn’t come out, but he didn’t voice it openly. He only kicked at empty baskets with a vague dissatisfaction.
“Shit… What kind of village is this? It’s so empty.”
It wasn’t empty, but I held back the words. For the sake of what was to come.
Upon entering the guest hut, the bastard immediately ran to the high seat and began giving orders to Balibali in a haughty manner.
“Hey, Balibali, bring some drinks. Beer, right?”
“…Chief.”
“Bring it.”
“Understood.”
Balibali left with a reluctant expression, and Malrog leaned back comfortably.
“Julah? What are you doing these days?”
Julah had been my friend from childhood, along with Malrog. We used to play together back then.
“He must be resting after working hard.”
“Bring him. Tell him to pour the drinks.”
“That’s not possible. Is Julah your wife? Or are you close? If so, Julah wouldn’t have come out to see you.”
“What? This bastard…”
“What? You want to pull out an axe?”
From my side, Kumpa was glaring at Malrog with fierce eyes. Malrog stood awkwardly, then sat down again.
“Ever since childhood, you’ve only fought with your own tribe’s people. Fine. Julah is out. Hey, Sihyun. Tell me some interesting stories. If not, maybe dance or something.”
It seemed he decided not to provoke the tribesmen anymore and was trying to bend me. Not a chance.
“I’m the chief of the Zakum Tribe. You’re an envoy from the Wild Dog Tribe. I have no reason to accommodate your feelings.”
“What? Hahaha! Are the tails of dragons and snakes the same? The Wild Dog Tribe receives tribute from all the surrounding tribes, while your Zakum Tribe is the one giving tribute. And I’m in a high position as an envoy even in the Wild Dog Tribe. Isn’t it right that I look down on you?”
Memories of the past came to mind. This guy had always tried to beat me. But after I introduced farming methods and they could farm, he couldn’t endure it and left, this bastard.
That meant he still had a competitive spirit against me.
“Listen well. All of your Zakum Tribe are below us. So, you’re supposed to give us tribute. Got it? If so, dance or something.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Do you really want to die?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Then do you think you can treat me like this? Have you thought about what would happen if I report to the Wild Dog Tribe that you were being uncooperative?”
“What would happen?”
Malrog smiled slyly.
“Recently, the Wild Dog Tribe attacked a tribe that killed an envoy sent for surrender negotiations. What did the Wild Dog Tribe do then?”
He didn’t answer directly, but the bastard started talking excitedly.
“They first beheaded the wandering ones outside and threw their heads into the village. They did this for several weeks. Every time men went out hunting, every time women went out picking fruits, they killed them all and threw their heads into the village. What do you think happened then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Only then did they surrender. But it was too late. They killed all the men, took the women as playthings, and killed everyone without distinction. It was the moment a village disappeared from the map. At that moment, I felt it. Power is justice. The Wild Dog Tribe is justice!”
“…”
“When I killed those guys, I thought. Their faces looked like yours. It felt good. If you don’t want the same for yourselves, you should bow your head to me, the envoy of the Wild Dog Tribe. If you gather all the village people now, make them bow their heads on the ground, I’ll spare you. But if not, I’ll report to the Wild Dog Tribe that you might be planning rebellion and uncooperative.”
“Is that a lie?”
“Why is it a lie? It’s a fact that you might be planning rebellion. No one knows what you’re really thinking, do they?”
Malrog laughed smugly while saying that. But he didn’t know that we were really planning rebellion.
“Alright, good.”
Everyone in the hall looked at me.
“It’ll be interesting. Balibali, gather all the people.”
“Chief! Are you really going to make them bow in front of the people?”
“Don’t ask, just gather them. It’s an order from the chief.”
“…Understood.”
“Now we’re talking. Hahaha!”
Malrog laughed loudly. Then the village people gathered as per my command. Children were seen coming out with eyes wide open from sleep.
“Send the children back.”
The scenes to come would be a bit cruel.
“Do you mean you don’t want to sell your bodies in front of the kids? Fine. I’ll allow that much. Kahaha!”
The bastard laughed loudly. The villagers looked anxiously between Malrog and me. Malrog and I looked at each other. And then the next moment.
“Alright. Come on, try to beg. Maybe you’ll know? If you beg well, I might spare your tribe.”
“Kumpa.”
“What is it, chief.”
“Break Malrog’s limbs.”
At that moment, Malrog’s face turned pale.
“You, you! What are you saying! Your entire village will die! Extermination!”
Even as he said that, Kumpa approached Malrog holding the stone axe.
“Malrog. You’ve been on my nerves since before.”
“Kumpa! Stop! Are you going to die because of your chief’s madness? If you attack me, your village will be exterminated! Do you know how cruel the Wild Dog Tribe is? They’ll cut the villagers’ heads to decorate! Think carefully!”
“Shut up. I trust the chief.”
With those words, Kumpa rushed at Malrog. First, the shoulder. Kumpa brought the stone axe down hard on Malrog’s left shoulder. The bastard’s shoulder sank.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
In immense pain, he collapsed. Malrog tried to get up and run, but Kumpa grabbed his head and pulled him.
Then he started breaking both ankles. The bastard could no longer walk. His ankles were crushed by the stone axe, bones shattered, and he probably wouldn’t walk for the rest of his life.
“Done. That’s enough.”
“But chief, this guy still has his right arm left.”
“Leave that much. He won’t be able to walk or move now.”
I grabbed his head and dragged him in front of the villagers.
“Everyone, look carefully!”
The villagers looked at Malrog and me with expressions of shock.
“From now on, the Wild Dog Tribe and our Zakum Tribe are at war. You’ll know just how cruel those bastards are from what you just heard. They don’t distinguish between men, women, and children; they kill all who rebel and only spare those who give them satisfactory tribute! We’ve been giving them tribute until now, but from tomorrow, it will be different! Because we’re going to kill all the Wild Dog Tribe!”
“…”
“The Wild Dog Tribe and us are at war! The start of it is right here, this bastard!”
I slammed Malrog’s head to the ground. The bastard lost consciousness.
“We will win. And we will establish a larger, stronger, and more prosperous tribe free from the Wild Dog Tribe’s rule! Those who are afraid, leave now! Don’t think about coming back!”
“…”
“Those who are not afraid, stay in the village. Those who remain until tomorrow, know that they agree to the war.”
“I will.”
A man shouted.
“They killed my younger brother who was living in another village. Very cruelly. If you can kill all of them, I’ll do anything.”
“I will too!”
“Me too! Even if I have to die, I don’t want to bend!”
“Why do we have to give all the wheat we grow to them?”
People started standing up one by one.
“Kumpa, what about you?”
The people fell silent for a moment. They wanted to know the opinion of Kumpa, the village’s best warrior.
“If the chief goes to hell, I’ll go too!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”
The warriors shouted each in their own way, and the shouts spread throughout the village.
---
Malrog was thrown appropriately into the Wild Dog Tribe’s territory. The Wild Dog Tribe’s warriors took Malrog back to the Wild Dog Tribe.
Alotoro, the chief of the Wild Dog Tribe, smiled when he saw the fallen Malrog, without getting angry.
“Done…!”
Seeing his subordinate fall and still smiling, the subordinates asked.
“What? Chief? What happened?”
“The Zakum Tribe. Those bastards used some strange magic to make wheat grow on the ground. They were on the verge of death because they wanted to conquer that prosperous tribe. But now we have the justification!”
“Justice?”
These stupid ones who didn’t understand the concept of justice were getting on my nerves, but Alotoro explained for his subordinates.
“If we just invade that tribe, people will curse us, but since they made our envoy crippled first, even if we invade, no one will say anything!”
“Ah…!”
“The prosperous wheat of the Zakum Tribe! Mountains of beer and livestock! Kill all the warriors and interrogate the farmers to find out how they grow wheat on bare land, and use the farmers as slaves to produce wheat for life! Then we can live easily without fighting wars every year!”
“Ooooooooo!!”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Gather the warriors! Tonight, we’re going to teach the Zakum Tribe a lesson!”
“Waaaaaaa!”
Thus, the war between the Zakum Tribe led by Sihyun and the Wild Dog Tribe led by Alotoro began.