Barbarian Quest

Chapter 108

"You know me?"

Urich looked at Gremor's face. Urich was pretty good at remembering faces, but he had never seen Gremor before.

"Indeed, I do! This is no place for you to be. Come inside!"

Gremor spoke heartily, gesturing with his hand. The soldiers behind him stood with puzzled expressions.

"Let's go inside for now."

Sven nudged Urich's side. Urich followed Gremor inside the city walls.

"Yabhorn is one of the frontier strongholds of the north. It serves as a bridge between civilization and the north. You should have gotten a pass in the Imperial capital, but you went through the trouble of coming here. With your reputation, it wouldn’t have been difficult to obtain one.”

Gremor headed toward his residence within the territory.

"I came straight up from Porcana."

"Ah, by the way, has the civil war in Porcana ended? I heard the prince was faring well, but since I was assigned here, I’ve been out of the loop.”

"The prince won. He had his coronation not long ago."

“That makes sense. With the Imperial army at his side, how could the rebels even dream of taking the throne."

Gremor laughed. As soon as he saw his servant, he immediately ordered him to treat his guests well.

"I was worried about not being able to get inside the wall, but you made it easy for us."

"I am the commander of the guard here. If I vouch for someone, no one can stop them. First, warm up."

At Gremor's gesture, a servant brought warm honey water for Urich and Sven.

Urich and Sven felt the warmth and drank the honey water. As soon as the warm honey water entered the system of their camp-frozen bodies, they couldn’t help but smile.

Urich wiped his sticky lips with the back of his hand and asked.

"Where did you see me? In that jousting tournament?"

"I saw you for the first time at that duel trial, but I never imagined meeting you here."

Gremor rested his chin on his hand, gazing at Urich.

"Well, thanks for the welcome."

"Make yourself at home while you're here. My servants will take great care of you as they do me. Now, you must excuse me, my duties are not yet finished."

Gremor left the room first, and Urich and Sven enjoyed a nice, warm meal for the first time in a while. They ate bread and meat, along with a warm soup and drinks to heat their bodies.

"A room has been prepared for you."

After the meal, a servant came to take Urich to the guest room.

"That’s alright, we're heading out," Urich declined the servant's guidance.

"Do you need a guide?"

Urich looked at Sven, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, give us a guide."

Urich and Sven sat for a bit before heading outside. A soldier was waiting for them.

'Damn, it's my day off, and now this...’

The north always lacked manpower. The soldier looked at Urich with a frown on his face.

‘These beggars outside the wall knew the guard commander. Unbelievable.'

He was one of the soldiers who had been observing Urich and Sven for days.

"We are looking for someone," Urich said, fastening his fur cloak.

"Yabhorn might not be much compared to the cities in civilization, but it's still one of the most notable cities in the north. Especially with its bustling trade, finding a person here won't be easy."

The soldier grumbled. His afternoon rest was completely disrupted because of Urich and Sven. Naturally, he wasn’t in a good mood.

"If you can find the person, you'll be rewarded. It’ll be a decent pay."

Urich said, taking out a gold coin. The soldier's expression changed quickly upon receiving the coin.

"I said finding someone isn’t easy, but not impossible. I’ll do my best. Just leave it to me."

"He was dressed like a hunter..."

Urich described the appearance of the scammer who had taken their money.

"So, a typical northern hunter. If he has already left Yabhorn, it will be difficult to find him, but if he’s still here, he’ll be enjoying himself with the entertainment establishments. After all, it’s obvious what a northerner with some money would do."

Sven frowned at the soldier's words. Urich held him back.

"Just follow me for now."

Urich and Sven followed the soldier's guidance through the streets of Yabhorn.

"The fact that a solar temple is blatantly standing in the land of the north, my god."

Sven muttered after seeing the temple of Solarism. A sun sculpture was prominently embossed on top of the temple entrance.

"The Subjugation policy was implemented over ten years ago. It’s not that strange anymore. Converting to Solarism comes with benefits like tax reductions, so a lot of northerners are converting. Frankly, for northerners living in border cities like Yabhorn, which are practically part of the civilized realm now, converting makes their lives easier."

The soldier shrugged nonchalantly. Sven expressed his discomfort with a sip of his drink.

"...One must not forget their roots."

Sven's muttering was hollow. No one was capable of stopping the tide of change. The defeated northerners were being assimilated into civilization.

Ding, ding.

The bell rang. As the sun set and people finished their day's work, they started to fill the streets. The followers of Solarism headed to the temple for the evening gratitude service.

Urich and Sven passed by the temple and entered a tavern. Men who had just finished their days were drinking inside.

"Normally, a tavern like this isn’t a place for Imperial soldiers like me. You could easily get beaten up by an angry northerner. Ten years have passed, but the emotional rift is still there."

Exactly as the soldier said to Sven and Urich, the looks they received were far from friendly.

"An Imperial soldier? You have the nerve coming here without even changing out of your uniform," the tavern owner said.

"I brought with me true northerners, whom you would appreciate. I’m just guiding them for the day."

The soldier spoke calmly. He remained unfazed by the jeers around him, not even blinking an eye.

A soldier stationed in the north had only two fates: die at the hands of a northerner or become a battle-hardened warrior! Those with only ordinary courage didn’t last long in the north.

"At least this place still has the smell of the north," Sven said contentedly, ordering honey wine.

"I haven’t seen you before. What’s your name?" The tavern owner asked.

"Sven."

"That’s too common of a name. Where are you from originally?"

"I’m Sven of Gorigan."

The tavern owner's hand paused.

"Gorigan? I heard the people there left home looking for the eastern continent?"

"We encountered a storm and were shipwrecked. I’m guessing only a few survived.”

"Hmm, so the eastern continent is just a myth after all..."

The existence of an eastern continent was more legend than history even to the northerners.

"For Gorigan, let’s have a toast. On the house," The tavern owner said. The other northerners in the tavern also raised their glasses.

"To the brave explorers!"

"For Gorigan!"

The men exchanged their toasts. Sven quietly raised his glass and then drank it.

‘These loafers, posing and showing off...’

The soldier sitting next to Urich quietly drank his wine and thought to himself. The conflict between civilization and the north had ended long ago. The remaining warriors of the north were nothing more than street thugs, wasting their days away with alcohol and women.

Their weapons were rusty and chipped, and their potbellies made them look nothing like warriors. Drunk on their past glories, the thugs gathered in taverns every night, spouting dirty talk. The northerners in the tavern vowed to one day again shout the name of Ulgaro and fight while drowning themselves in liquor.

"Anyway, you're looking for a scammer?" The tavern owner tilted his head and asked after hearing the end of Sven's story.

"Any ideas?"

"There are too many ideas, that’s the problem. There's no work in the north. All those warriors are just wasting their days away. They can’t even plunder or wage war because of the empire. The women may chatter about the era of peace, but for a true northerner, it's like living in hell. In the old days, we fought and killed honestly and took what we wanted, but now it's the age of scams and thievery."

The tavern owner rambled. Sven looked around with creaky eyes.

'So, we’re just warriors in a warless time.'

He saw the dulled northern warriors who had lost their edge. They were mere shadows of their former selves, in the shape of fleshy blobs.

"Sven."

Urich opened his eyes narrowly.

"It looks like it’s going to be hard to find him, Urich."

"Nope, I found him. Over there, head down, just waiting for a chance to run. Don’t look that way. Let’s jump him in one go."

While Sven and the tavern owner were talking, Urich scanned the tavern. He recognized the scammer among the blurred faces. A man, head down, sipping his drink.

'He has his buddies, four in total. Weapons placed beside them.'

The soldier listening to Urich panicked.

"D-don’t cause trouble. I’m the one who will be reprimanded."

"Don’t worry. Gremor will fully understand that you couldn’t stop me."

The soldier opened his mouth in disbelief.

'Who does he think he is, ordering me around like this?'

To the soldier, Urich was just a young barbarian with a bigger body.

"Sven, you ready?"

"I’ll cover the right."

Urich nodded and looked to the left, mentally mapping the tavern's layout and planning his movements.

Clang!

Urich drew his axe and moved to the left. The scammer screamed and drew his sword, as did his companions.

"A fight!"

The northerners in the tavern scattered in all directions, shouting. Some even spilled their drinks in excitement.

'These guys have slow reactions.'

Urich rolled his eyes, assessing his opponents. He had plenty of time to do just that.

‘Are Sven and the other northerners in the mercenary squad just exceptional?'

That was indeed the case, as they were warriors handpicked by Sven. Sven and they were among the best in the north.

Schluck!

Urich had no intention of holding back. He swiftly swung his sword, slicing the neck of one of the enemies.

"D-did he really kill him?"

The tavern murmured. It had been a long time since a murder occurred.

"Woahhh!"

Sven roared and swung his one-handed axe like he was never sick. He was a warrior who had fought all his life. Although his prowess had declined compared to his prime, his experienced skill remained unvanquished.

‘Oh my, heavens. He really killed someone.’

Urich's eyes gleamed as he searched for the next target.

"I, I'm out of this!"

A northerner, who was drawing his weapon, raised his hands to surrender and awkwardly backed away.

"Hey there, scammer."

Urich tapped the man’s shoulder with the flat of his sword. The cornered scammer drew his axe.

Clang!

Urich swung his sword. The scammer’s axe flew off and buried itself in the wall.

“Geughhh.”

The scammer groaned, clutching his palm where the skin had been peeled off by the force of Urich’s swing.

‘How, why is he so strong.’

The situation ended swiftly. Urich and Sven had gotten the scammer.

"H-hey! I'll give you back the money! No, I’ll give you double!"

“No need.”

Urich sheathed his sword and drew his axe.

“This man lied to me and stole my money!”

Sven shouted to the other northerners in the tavern, seeking their approval.

“Liars should have their tongues cut out!”

“He practically stole from you, so chop off his hand too!”

The crowd eagerly chattered, excited by the spectacle.

"Wait! He might be a bit slow, but he is my cousin."

A man with a deep scar on his cheek walked out from among the spectators.

“P-please, save me, Orgnal!” The scammer whimpered.

"The ‘Smileless’ Orgnal!"

The people in the tavern murmured. Smileless Orgnal was a famous warrior in Yabhorn. Ever since he got the scar on his face, his lips never curved up, always bearing a perpetually angry expression.

‘Orgnal is dangerous. There are rumors he’s involved in assassinations.’

The soldier flinched. He couldn’t let Urich and Sven die here; after all, they were guests of the guard commander.

"Dammit, should I call the commander?"

The soldier looked around and slowly started heading toward the door.

"I’ll pay you back more than fairly, outsider gentleman. So, please let my cousin go."

Orgnal spoke casually, raising his hand as three men armed themselves.

"I’ve already seen blood here. Then we should see it through, no?"

Urich grabbed the scammer by the hair and slammed him to the ground. The scammer’s nose broke with a crunch.

"You might have been considered strong outside, but this is Yabhorn. And I am Orgnal. The name Smileless Orgnal makes people here steer clear," Orgnal spoke emotionlessly and his lips moved slightly unnaturally.

"How famous is this name of yours, Orgnal?" Urich grinned broadly.

"In Yabhorn, there’s no one who doesn’t know my name."

“Haha, then you're not as famous as I am. I'm Urich.”

“Never heard of that name. Sounds like you need to be taught a lesson in blood.”

Orgnal slowly drew his sword. Urich also placed his other hand on his axe.

The soldier who had guided Sven and Urich hurriedly left the tavern. He went straight to find the guard commander, Gremor. It was just his luck that there were no patrolling soldiers in sight. It wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to not patrol near taverns frequented by northerners. Such places were almost like extraterritorial zones, where interference was minimal.

Gremor was just leaving his office after finishing work.

“What's the matter?”

“Huff, huff. There’s a f-fight, sir. A big fight has broken out. Urich and Sven, your guests, are in a brawl with Orgnal.”

“Is that so?”

Gremor spoke calmly. The soldier raised his voice in frustration.

“That’s the Smileless Orgnal! You might not know, being new here, but he's considered very dangerous.”

“I am well aware. There are rumors he’s secretly involved in assassinations. I’ve been planning to arrest him as soon as he shows any sketchy signs.”

“Your guests might get killed!” The soldier shouted, and Gremor laughed out loud.

“You say that because you don’t know who my guest is. That man is Urich. A warrior once famous in the capital. Winner of the Hamel Jousting Tournament, and before that, known as the Armor Breaker. Compared to him, Orgnal is merely a local thug. If Urich gets killed by Orgnal... well, then I’ve misjudged the man.”

Gremor leisurely gathered his gear and summoned ten soldiers. He headed toward the tavern where the fight was imminent.

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