Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Turbulent Times (1)
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Yuri, Rolang, and Jared had solidified their sworn brothers concept in the sweet potato field before heading to the city of Joachim to incite the people.
“Men of Joachim, is this all you amount to?!”
Yuri cried out.
“The Empire may be a great power, but they can’t treat our kingdom like a plaything! It’s said that a ruler, a father, and a teacher are one and the same. So those imperial dogs trying to assassinate our king under this absurd pretext of poisoning are no better than thugs gunning for their parents’ lives! Are you not ashamed to meekly open the gates to such scum?!”
There was a compelling force to his voice.
In his previous life, Yuri had gathered the soldiers every day to deliver speeches that boosted morale. He had a real talent for oratory, to the point where later on, the troops would weep and chant “Brioll!” in unison.
Even the Allied Forces had gone wild every time he opened his mouth.
Yuri drew fully on that experience now, stirring the emotions of Joachim’s people.
His voice, amplified by the Mana Circulation Method, resonated deeply, striking at the heart. His clever choice of words filled listeners with righteous fury.
“But we’re powerless. What if the imperial army comes to kill us?”
Someone in the crowd asked.
Yuri’s honest thought on the matter was simple.
There was no helping it.
The Empire was already spiraling into madness. He didn’t delude himself into thinking they could win the war without any sacrifices. Even if people had to die, they had to stand against the enemy.
Graham might be keeping the army in strict check for now, but once he was gone, it would turn into a bloodbath. He’d seen enough of what happened to conquered nations in his past life to know that.
“Are you afraid?”
Yuri pinpointed the man’s emotion.
“Afraid to stand and fight—and die—when you could just bow down and live?”
“Yes. Honestly, I am.”
“Then you don’t have to fight.”
It was an unexpected statement. A hush fell over the crowd.
Yuri turned to face his audience and spoke again.
“So just watch, then. Watch as your king is humiliated. Watch as your city burns. Watch as your fellow countrymen become playthings for the enemy.”
Just stand there and watch! Someday, it’ll be your turn—and your family’s—to be oppressed. But by then, there’ll be no one left to fight for you. So if you don’t want to die fighting, bow down. You’ll be crushed to the ground, unable to even resist, and slowly waste away!”
Yuri’s voice boomed through the streets.
Even passersby stopped in their tracks.
The people of Joachim were proud.
Their nation wasn’t mighty, but the mountainous terrain had kept them from ever being fully conquered. Surviving the harsh environment had made them inherently tough.
The young knights’ softness was just a product of too much peace. Deep down, they still had the grit of mountain folk.
Proof of that: hadn’t they transformed into hardy soldiers after just a short training period?
Yuri kept prodding at whatever it was Joachim harbored within.
“Joachim, which has never once bowed to an enemy, is now paving the way to the royal castle without even proper resistance. Does that make any sense? Have you thrown away even your pride, like some mangy mutt?!”
Then someone else shot back.
“That’s why the troops are gathering at the palace. What can civilians like us do...?”
“Then just keep watching! Spectate like it’s someone else’s problem until you’re turned into a colony! But I can’t do that. I’m gathering the upright to resist the Empire!”
“Such...!”
As Yuri bellowed, guards came rushing over.
“What’s this commotion?! Get down now!”
Yuri pointed at them and shouted even louder.
“Soldiers who should be fighting the Empire are instead bullying their fellow Joachimites!”
“Stop stirring up trouble and come here!”
“You fear the Empire but not your own people?!”
The guards were just following orders, but Yuri used them as tools for his agitation.
“Urgh!”
Yuri flung the charging guards aside with a casual wave. Several tumbled to the ground at once.
It was superhuman strength.
Yuri puffed out his chest and declared,
“My name is Yubi! I’m just a humble mat seller, but seeing Joachim’s plight, I could no longer stand idly by and have risen up!”
Yuri’s group had slightly altered their names for aliases.
“I’ve sworn brotherhood with my two brothers here and seek to rally the upright against the Empire. If you share our cause, join us!”
The sight of him taking down soldiers single-handedly made the crowd buzz even more.
“Yubi, huh? First time hearing it, but it’s got a virtuous ring to it.”
“Look at those ears. Big ears mean you’ve got a knack for rallying folks, they say.”
“Tossing soldiers like that in an instant? Strength for days.”
“Those two standing by him—they his sworn brothers?”
At Yuri’s side stood Rolang and Jared, tall as pillars.
To amp up the intimidation, they’d stuffed cotton into their clothes to bulk up.
Rolanging stepped forward. Clearing his throat, he rasped out,
“I’m Yubi’s younger brother, Rou!”
A long, smooth beard hung from his chin—actually hair used as a substitute when slime mask materials ran short. It gave him a unique flair.
“I was teaching kids at a small school, but outraged by the current state, I’ve joined Yubi in our cause! It’s time to show those imperial dogs how fierce us mountain folk of Joachim can be!”
Jared stepped up too.
“I’m the youngest, serving my two brothers—Javid! I ran a butcher shop, but watching Joachim sink into ruin, I couldn’t sit still or I’d burst from frustration! My blade won’t carve meat anymore—it’s for the Empire oppressing Joachim!”
To foster solidarity with Joachim’s citizens, they’d disguised themselves as workers from three common trades.
It worked: the onlookers’ murmurs grew louder.
Soon, someone emerged from the crowd.
“A mat seller with that kind of power, eh? One question. Say we join you. What exactly do you plan to do once you’ve gathered people?”
He was a burly-looking man. Not one Yuri had bought off—this was a genuine civilian stepping up on his own.
Yuri nodded with a gentle smile. Someone coming forward proved his words had hit home.
“We’ll form a righteous militia. I’ve sold off my inheritance to buy weapons and gear for this uprising. All you need is your body. I’ll equip anyone who fights for Joachim! And I’ll pay wages too—so anyone, come join us!”
“Mat seller with that much wealth, huh.”
“All thanks to my ancestors. Anyway, will you join me?”
“I’ve got some strength, but I don’t know how to fight. Never learned the Mana Circulation Method either. Still possible?”
“I’ll teach you the Mana Circulation Method. With muscles like yours, you’ll see results fast even with basics.”
Yuri knew several Mana Circulation Methods used by regular soldiers and mercenaries.
They didn’t match the Brioll Mana Method or Lion Heart Technique, but they were plenty for toughening civilians.
“Alright. I want in. I can’t stand Joachim looking like cowards.”
“With men of your honor, no one will dare look down on Joachim!”
Starting with him, the resolute began joining. Their numbers soon hit dozens.
Yuri shook hands and exchanged names with each one.
Then the soldiers Yuri had roughed up earlier returned, bringing more backup.
But with far more people gathered now, they looked flustered.
“Wh-what’s going on? You starting a rebellion or something?”
Yuri pointed at them.
“We’re just gathering to fight for our country. Rebellion? You insulting us?! It’s time we defend it ourselves!”
“Defend Joachim!”
As the soldiers charged, Rolang and Jared stepped in this time. Using Mana Circulation Methods, they hurled the men around like toys.
With people flying like ragdolls, praises for their prowess rang out.
Yuri’s militia was steadily growing.
Joachim’s citizens whispered as they watched the righteous band form.
“People gathering that fast—looks like the country won’t fall after all.”
“Yeah. Who knew the young ones had patriotism in ‘em.”
“Hey, you hear? Someone else with spirit rose up elsewhere too. Supposedly insanely strong...”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Name was... Ho, Ho-something.”
“Ho?”
“Hopper, maybe?”
The lords of Joachim had opened the roads, but some rebelled against the Empire and initiated combat.
But it was reckless.
Not only were they outmatched in troop quality, but one of the Ten Strongest—Yalta—stepped in, turning it into a one-sided slaughter.
“So weak it’s not even satisfying to cut.”
Yalta swung his massive greatsword like he was mowing weeds, ripping enemies apart. Knights and soldiers alike blocking his path collapsed into heaps of meat.
The lord who’d come out to at least delay the Empire’s advance gritted his teeth at the pointless sacrifices.
“Is that the power of one of the Ten Strongest? Damn it...”
The knights and soldiers traded blows decently enough.
But Yalta’s appearance ruined everything. He harvested lives like ripe grain.
The lord was about to call a retreat.
That’s when it happened.
“Need a hand?”
A voice came from behind. The lord whipped around in shock. No footsteps had approached.
“Who are you...?”
A massive, handsome man stood there.
His body was hulking, yet his face refined—a striking contrast.
“Wh-who are you?”
“I’m Hopo, a native of Joachim who trained in the Alroi Mountains.”
“Hopper?”
“Hopo—or call me whatever’s easiest. Hopper works.”
The lord, a knight versed in the Mana Circulation Method, sensed something extraordinary about this Hopper.
Hopper said,
“I made the sky my roof and earth my pillow in training, but seeing what’s happening in Joachim filled me with rage, so I came down from the mountains.”
“I-is that so?”
“You seem to be in a bind. Let me help.”
He pointed to Yalta rampaging in the battlefield’s center.
“Time to give that imperial cur a taste of Joachim’s whip.”
“Do you know who that is? One of the Ten Strongest, no less...”
“And?”
Hopper drew his sword.
“So what, that makes this so-called Ten Strongest better than us Joachimites?”
One man versus Joachim. Those scales could never balance.
The lord was momentarily speechless.
Hopper strode forward, saying,
“I’m just a nameless foot soldier, but for my country, I’ll face any Ten Strongest or whatever.”
The lord felt like he’d been struck by a hammer to the head.
“To think such a man existed...”
Of course, Hopper wasn’t some nobody—he was Hose, a powerhouse on par with the Ten Strongest, often on people’s lips. But the lord had no way of knowing.
Hose advanced on Yalta, sword in hand.
In the chaotic battlefield, the two locked eyes.
“I killed Gerdt and wanted to become one of the Ten Strongest, but failed.”
Wearing his slime mask flipped, Hose muttered that and aimed his blade at Yalta. Yalta’s lips curled up.
The continent’s top ten were called the Ten Strongest, but their skills weren’t equal.
Just as Fiore was hailed the strongest among them, there were natural hierarchies.
To Hose, Yalta didn’t measure up to Fiore, Moyong Chan, or even Gerdt.
So if he couldn’t beat this Yalta, he didn’t deserve to be one of the Ten Strongest.
Hose grinned back at the approaching Yalta.
“This time, I really have to become one of the Ten Strongest. Bursen’s due for one too.”
Of course, beating Yalta now would make him Hopper the mountain bumpkin of Joachim a surprise Ten Strongest, not Hose of Bursen—but caught up in pre-battle thrill, he didn’t think that far.
Yalta and Hose charged like beasts, clashing swords.
A shockwave erupted.
Nearby troops were flung back by the aftermath.
“An incredible sight...”
The watching lord gaped.
To think someone who could match Yalta toe-to-toe was hidden in Joachim’s mountains. He wouldn’t have believed it without seeing it himself.
The lord murmured in a daze,
“These turbulent times have awakened a hero.”