Boris Berkut
Boris Berkut
Why did the Frozen Lands fail to unify even until the moment of their impending destruction? Even though countless tribes and races repeated conflicts and strife, there existed a clear 'common enemy' called the Unified Empire.
The reason is clear.
Boris Berkut.
A stooge recruited by the Unified Empire.
It was because of that dirty son of a bitch who sold out his homeland and compatriots.
He exiled his nephew and usurped the Tsar's position,
He brought in the Unified Empire's great army,
And he constantly interfered so that the barbarians and demi-humans of the Frozen Lands could not unite.
Amazing and impressive.
He is truly a fucking bastard born once in a century.
His countless actions seemed to explain why he 'was not chosen as Tsar'.
"If the Great Chieftain's request is uncomfortable..., you may refuse the audience."
"No, a nephew cannot kick out his uncle."
Perhaps it was because I overused that expression of having chewed on a bug,
Milena showed concern.
"All this time, the Tsar has relied entirely on Great Chieftain Boris..., but no more. The Great Chieftain is just a thieving gull aiming for the Tsar's position while claiming to be the guardian of the Golden Eagle Tribe."
"I know, our uncle isn't just an ordinary son of a bitch, is he?"
"...Yes?"
"The nephew, the Tsar, is receiving humiliating coercion and demands from the pigs at the wall time and time again, yet the uncle, who is the Tsar's guardian, hasn't even shown his nose. You can tell just by the fact that he's still clinging to the position of Great Chieftain even though two years have passed since the Tsar, the nephew, had his coming-of-age ceremony."
"Yes..., as the Tsar says."
Golden Eagle Tribe.
The Golden Clan that has elected past Tsars and the personal guard force.
A tribe of warriors numbering close to thousands.
A territory where natural resources are abundantly buried.
Trade routes expanded throughout the Frozen Lands and an independent civilization that has spanned generations.
Boris rose to the position of Great Chieftain leading the Golden Eagle Tribe after being asked by the previous Tsar, his own brother, to be the Tsar's guardian. And he had seized full authority by appointing his own subordinates to key positions in the Golden Eagle Tribe.
'The Golden Eagle Tribe was the greatest military power representing the Frozen Lands..., but in the end, it was the first among the many tribes of the Frozen Lands to degenerate into a toothless tiger. Without even being able to fight properly in the field, it was swallowed whole by the Unified Empire's hail of arrows.'
A dirty flea can take down a large cow.
If I couldn't change the future, the Golden Eagle Tribe would meet its destruction just like that.
"Did you know in advance that the Great Chieftain had other intentions? Then why...."
"I've been acting indecisive and weak. If I hadn't, could I have survived from an uncle who had seized the Golden Eagle Tribe? Seeing that even Milena was completely fooled, my acting skills must have been as excellent as an actor in a traveling troupe."
I never acted.
Because the Alexei of the original work truly trusted Boris.
Idiot.
Moron.
What kind of supreme idiot is this?
I didn't want to be treated like the supreme idiot who trusted a usurper blindly just because he was my uncle and guardian. That's why I showed as calm an aspect as possible and made Milena admire me.
"Tsar, the Great Chieftain has arrived."
"Guide him to the reception room."
How much time passed?
The vile traitor of the Frozen Lands arrived, dragging his heavy ass.
A black four-horse carriage boasting a dignified appearance entered the government building where the Tsar resided. The four-horse carriage led by black horses of the snowfields had the emblem symbolizing the Golden Eagle Tribe engraved on it.
Kuung-.
The four-horse carriage stopped.
A face full of deep scars.
A heavy yet agile frame exceeding 2 meters.
A black leopard cloak and black leather armor radiating a majestic aura.
Boris Berkut.
He was the Great Chieftain of the Golden Eagle Tribe and the man who was the Tsar's guardian.
Tribal warriors of the Golden Eagle Tribe, armed with thick pauldrons on one shoulder, escorted Boris. It was no different from a show of force to intimidate the fledgling who dared to talk about declaring war against the Unified Empire.
"It's been a while. Have you been well? Uncle."
"Ahem...! I heard the news. The Unified Empire's..., the pigs at the wall have been committing rudeness and provocations. They are truly arrogant people."
The young Tsar welcomed him in the reception room.
A deep sense of bewilderment spread across Boris's face as he looked at him.
Bewilderment.
Agitation and confusion.
The appearance of his nephew, whom he had reunited with after half a month, felt only alien.
The tribal warriors of the Golden Eagle Tribe were surrounding the Tsar's government building. Despite such blatant shows of force, the son of the previous Tsar only showed a calm demeanor.
"As Uncle said, the pigs at the wall are arrogant to the extreme. They treat the wolves of our Frozen Lands as nothing more than lowly guard dogs. So, I intend to accept Uncle Boris's opinion and declare war to oppose the Unified Empire."
"Yes? What are you talking about...."
"When the nephew was struggling to deal with the Unified Empire's delegation, didn't Uncle gather the chieftains representing the Frozen Lands and discuss a hardline policy? I think now is the time to decide on the hardline policy that Uncle has been advocating."
"......."
If the Great Chieftain of the Golden Eagle Tribe, the leader of the Frozen Lands and the Tsar's guardian, agreed to a declaration of war, countless tribes would respond. For a traitor colluding with the Unified Empire, it was no different from the worst self-destruction.
However, if he withheld the hardline policy that Alexei accepted, he would be shunned and criticized by countless chieftains who were hostile to the Unified Empire.
There is no correct answer.
Whichever option he chooses, he faces a losing move.
It was a dilemma where only huge losses were promised.
Boris, while showing a calm demeanor, gripped his hands, which had been behind his back, until they were about to burst.
'Every time he faced me, he would just hang his head like a mare startled by thunder..., but now he's talking fluently as if he suddenly turned into a different person. What kind of change of heart could have happened?'
The young Tsar didn't bare his fangs.
His tone was still polite and gentle.
But a dense unpleasantness welled up from Alexei's gaze looking at him as an equal.
What is it.
What happened.
Could it be that the wench of the Gray Wolf Tribe moved the heart of the weakling?
That possibility wasn't zero.
Boris frowned, thinking of the wench who was guarding the Tsar like an iron wall day and night. If it weren't for the wench of the Gray Wolf Tribe, he could have manipulated the weakling more easily.
"Uncle has been very busy lately."
"Since the elves and beastmen of the east have been encroaching on our territory..., I led the tribal warriors of the Golden Eagle Tribe to respond."
"That's an unnatural situation. To think that elves and beastmen would join forces to invade the Varangian Tribe's territory. Unless the Varangian Tribe invaded first."
"......."
The elves and beastmen of the Frozen Lands distrusted the barbarians along with the Unified Empire that had exiled their compatriots. Because the mastermind behind the kidnapping of their compatriots by encroaching on their territory was none other than the Golden Eagle Tribe.
Slave hunting.
They sold elves and beastmen to the Unified Empire.
Naturally, the person who led the slave hunting was the Great Chieftain of the Golden Eagle Tribe.
How much did he eat after turning the Frozen Lands into a mess?
It was unimaginable.
"Now that I've had my coming-of-age ceremony and grown up..., do you have any intention of returning the position of Great Chieftain?"
"How could I be greedy for power? I only accepted it because the previous Tsar asked me to take on the role of guardian along with the position of Great Chieftain, and I really did it reluctantly."
If it had been pure iron without any impurities, it would have broken quickly. Boris boasted of cunning and clever deception and adaptability, unlike a barbarian of the Frozen Lands.
And,
"However, the Tsar must show divinity and bravery that all the chieftains of the Frozen Lands can be convinced by. Just as the past Tsars of the Golden Eagle Tribe achieved great feats, if you successfully complete the Coronation of Dragon Blood, all the chieftains of the Frozen Lands will obey the Tsar. Then I will also return the position of Great Chieftain and return to my original status."
Coronation of Dragon Blood.
It means the ritual of accepting the power left behind by past Tsars.
It is also a ritual of accepting the Black Dragon of the Frozen Lands, the great ancestor.
Souls circulate endlessly.
The shamanism of the barbarians had circulation as its cornerstone.
Therefore, when a young Tsar ascended to the throne, he was selected as a medium for circulation to revive the power of past Tsars.
'There's no way a weakling could succeed in the Coronation of Dragon Blood. There are over twenty victims who couldn't withstand the power of past Tsars and exploded to death. Because of the extreme danger..., countless Tsars, including the previous Tsar, treated it as a nominal sacrificial rite and banned it.'
It doesn't end with just dying.
Half-paralyzed.
Or there is a high risk of becoming a cripple.
The power left behind by the Black Dragon of the Frozen Lands and the past Tsars was too huge for an ordinary person to handle.
Didn't countless successors of the Golden Eagle Tribe who made a name for themselves as great warriors lose their lives by failing the ritual of fresh blood? That's why Boris repeatedly made Alexei's efforts to achieve complete independence come to nothing by using the ritual of fresh blood as a shield.
Hurry up and tremble and shake your head.
Because you are nothing but a true ordinary person.
The uncle let out a fishy sneer in his heart and watched his nephew's reaction.
"Let's do that, I accept."
"Yes...? You mean, you will accept the Coronation of Dragon Blood!!"
Without a shred of hesitation,
Without a shred of fear,
Alexei threw out the definitive answer as if he had been waiting for it.