Chapter 128
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Sturdy Claw Tribe and the Treasure (1)
Is it because we've entered the Barbarians' territory?
As we continued our journey, we frequently encountered Barbarians along the road.
They were wanderers from tribes that had fallen apart, left without a home.
As such, some of them even sought submission to Konell, the chief of the Great Wolf Tribe.
But we couldn't take them into our group.
For one thing, our food supplies were limited, and adding more members would undoubtedly slow our marching speed.
That was the same reason Konell was rejecting the Barbarians who wanted to join his tribe.
"Cross those towering mountains to the south. Then find a village called Stott. You'll meet the Great Wolf Tribe's members there."
The Barbarians nodded with clear disappointment on their faces at Konell's words, then slowly began to distance themselves from us.
"Every time we turn down a request to join, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Konell watched the receding group of Barbarians and spoke up.
He seemed troubled by the fact that he couldn't help them.
But there was no helping it.
"Sir Konell, you know as well as I do that we can't help everyone. It's impossible from the start. So don't take it too hard."
"Lord Heros is right. Though it doesn't seem as easy as it sounds."
"True enough. Calming the mind is no simple task."
I chatted amiably with Konell.
And so the day passed.
It was a peaceful one.
Of course, not every day was so serene.
We spotted monsters fairly often, after all.
"Graaaah-!"
This was Barbarian territory.
Monsters were bound to be plentiful here.
True to form, we ran into them without much respite.
The one silver lining was their small numbers.
They were enemies we could dispatch with ease given our strength, posing no real threat.
Seizing the opportunity, I threw Bertram into the fray to satisfy the Underground Noblewoman Grimoire's demands, but...
"This isn't the kind of real combat I meant. In such a favorable situation, any hireling's performance is bound to shine. So we need to join a larger battle to properly gauge this hireling's abilities."
The Underground Noblewoman Grimoire's words were firm.
Hearing them, I could only swallow my disappointment.
In any case, one day as we pressed on with our journey...
Bear spotted something unusual ahead.
"There are children up ahead."
"Children?"
"Looks like about twenty of them."
"Just children?"
"Yes."
"That's unusual."
Until now, we'd encountered all sorts of groups, but never one made up solely of kids.
Naturally, my curiosity was piqued.
'Now I can see them too.'
Moments later, the children came into view in the distance.
They'd spotted us as well, it seemed, as they halted in place and began whispering among themselves.
Then one of them approached alone.
Seeing this, I preemptively cast Intent Interpretation magic.
I'd need it to understand the Barbarian tongue.
"What do you want?"
Konell, who could communicate with Barbarians, asked the approaching boy.
The boy responded.
"I am a member of the Sturdy Claw Tribe. Which tribe are you from, and who might you be?"
"I am Konell, chief of the Great Wolf Tribe."
The boy widened his eyes at Konell's introduction.
He quickly scanned our group.
Then he posed another question.
"Why is the Great Wolf Tribe's chief traveling with Imperials?"
Most of our group were Imperials, so he was wary of that.
But Konell was no pushover.
"I have no obligation to explain my circumstances to you. So state your business."
"Ugh..."
Konell's firm demeanor cowed the boy.
Yet he pressed on steadfastly.
"The Sturdy Claw Tribe is under attack. Please, help our tribe."
"Who is attacking you?"
"Warriors from the Red Deer Tribe. They've allied with shamans from outside and lead an army of the undead conjured by those shamans to assault our village."
Shamans from outside.
And their undead army.
It matched what we'd heard from Perigal before.
As I mulled this over, Konell asked the boy another question.
"How many enemies are there?"
"I'm not sure. The adults sent us away before the village came under attack..."
Konell turned to me after hearing the child out.
"What do you say?"
I hesitated.
Hadn't I just told Konell a few days ago that we couldn't help everyone?
'But we can help this time.'
Food shortages were beyond my power to fix, but issues involving black mages? Those I could handle gladly.
Besides, Konell seemed eager to aid the children.
He'd been accumulating guilt over the Barbarians we couldn't help, so easing that would be good.
'And I need to meet the Underground Noblewoman Grimoire's demands too. Helping the Sturdy Claw Tribe works in our favor.'
After running the calculations, I turned to Konell.
"The black mages aren't luring us into a trap, are they?"
"No, an army of two hundred was wiped out just days ago. Three executives died too. They'll lie low for a while. Preparing a force stronger than Bertram's would take time."
"Then the Red Deer Tribe's attack on the Sturdy Claw Tribe is probably just plunder. The black mages are merely aiding their allies."
"I agree."
I eyed the boy as Konell spoke.
He looked anxious as we conversed in the Imperial tongue, fear plain on his face.
Yet he held his ground resolutely.
A child with strong sense of responsibility.
"Guide us to your village."
I cast Intent Transmission magic and spoke to him.
The boy's eyes went wide.
He seemed startled that he understood Imperial speech so naturally.
But instead of responding to my offer, he asked about my identity.
"Who are you?"
How to answer?
I pondered briefly.
Saying I was a mage or shaman would only heighten his wariness.
Then a famous adage came to mind.
'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
If I revealed I was an enemy of the Red Deer Tribe's shaman allies, his guard would drop.
I decided to leverage that.
"The shamans allied with the Red Deer Tribe? I am the one they fear."
I had no way of knowing if the black mages truly feared me.
But they certainly hated my guts.
That let me say it with such confidence.
"The one the shamans fear...?"
The boy stared up at me blankly.
His eyes sparkled with an intensity that felt burdensome.
"Easy. Too easy."
The black mage yawned as he gazed ahead.
There, monsters and undead battered the defensive line formed by the Sturdy Claw Tribe's warriors.
It wasn't much of a defense.
Just shields made by stretching hides over wooden frames.
Warriors lined up behind them.
So their wall looked precarious, ready to crumble any moment.
"Let's half-ass it and pull back."
His companion spoke up beside him.
He was a black mage too.
"Why?"
"Orders from above say to play it safe. Heros is on the loose."
Bertram, executive of the Northern Branch.
Word had spread far and wide that he'd tried to kill Heros with reinforcements, only to die by his hand.
Thus, black mages operating near the Savage Mountains were treading extra carefully, fearing a run-in with Heros.
"Come on, you're fine slaughtering people without a second thought, but why so scared over this?"
"It's my life on the line. Gotta be cautious."
"Relax. We won't run into Heros."
"How do you know?"
"Gut feeling. The north is vast—fat chance we cross paths here. And he won't bother with small fry like us. Only executives catch his eye."
"You think...?"
His friend cocked his head, the argument sounding plausible.
Seeing this, the black mage spoke with even more conviction.
"Trust me on this, man."
Just then.
"Waaaaah!"
Cheers erupted from the Red Deer Tribe warriors.
The Sturdy Claw Tribe's defensive line had finally broken.
With a gap torn open, monsters and undead poured in, widening it further.
Red Deer warriors waiting in the rear charged into the fray, weapons in hand.
"Tch, tch."
The black mage clicked his tongue at the enthusiastic Red Deer warriors rushing in.
Then he started badmouthing them.
"Still can't wrap my head around it. Why are they so thrilled to plunder their own kin? Ugh, such barbarians."
"You did the same in the central regions."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Your grin split ear to ear every time you looted a coin pouch off a corpse after razing a village."
"I did? For real?"
"Yep. Makes these barbarians more humane than you. Money isn't their goal."
"Then what's driving the attack?"
"They said this tribe's hoarding some treasure. Red Deer wants it."
"Oh ho."
The two black mages chatted idly.
Warriors' shouts, dying screams, clashing metal—none disturbed their talk.
They were used to battlefield noise.
That's when it happened.
"Huh? Someone's coming this way?"
The black mage's friend spotted the approaching group.
The black mage responded indifferently.
"Probably Barbarians. Tons of 'em wandering after their tribes fell."
"Nah, different gear. Looks Imperial."
"Imperials?"
Imperials operating in chaotic northern Barbarian lands?
Unbelievable.
So the black mage looked where his friend pointed.
And immediately spotted a standout figure.
Golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.
A magic staff gripped in his right hand.
He matched the description of someone he'd heard about endlessly lately.
"No way..."
The name the black mage was sick of hearing.
Its owner had appeared.
"Hey, let's bolt."
The black mage urged his friend.
At that instant.
Pzzt!
A bolt of lightning streaked from the direction Heros approached.
The distance was great enough that the black mage barely dodged the spell hurtling his way.
Even so, he was baffled.
It wasn't Heros who'd attacked.
"Who just tried to hit me?"
"That guy over there."
His friend pointed shakily.
A hooded man concealing his face stood there.
From the circumstances, another mage for sure.
"Heros and his ragtag crew. Thought he was the only mage. Who's this joker? Since when was lightning magic for every tom, dick, and harry?"
"No idea. New recruit, probably."
"What's his deal, recruiting knights and mages? Can't make sense of it."
The black mage muttered in disgust.
Then another lightning bolt flew at him.