Barbarian Quest

Most Serpentines came from the lower classes. They were the ones suffering at the very bottom of society, much like the sewage in the sewers.

Solarism could not change the world. Only those born to be kings could be kings, and the same went for nobles. Solarism did not say the world was wrong and it merely preached to live with love and mercy. It always demanded superhuman patience and understanding from ordinary humans.

Love and mercy were just empty, distant words to the starving and those who feared tomorrow’s life. There was no room for such luxury in the hearts of those who had everything taken from them by the exploitation of the nobles.

"Finally... the time has come."

The Serpentines were excited by the arrival of Urich, better known to them as the Beast of the Apocalypse, in Hamel. He was the manifestation of will for the next world and the one who would destroy this world of suffering. At some point, the followers of Serpentism had been waiting for Urich.

‘The one leading Serpentism now is Ludmil the Guide.’

Urich glanced at the underground cavern.

‘When I met Trikee, Ludmil wasn't there.’

He slowly traced his memories.

‘But whatever happened here, this is an opportunity for me,’ Urich thought.

Trikee was already dead. Whatever had happened within Serpentism no longer mattered to Urich.

“Please kill all the wicked nobles.”

“Punish those who took everything from us.”

Ludmil restrained the Serpentines clinging to Urich.

The warriors caught their breaths and treated their injuries. Just being able to relax for a moment was a huge benefit.

‘We don’t even have a hundred who can fight properly after the last attack, so…’

The Imperial Army was already on high alert, making the operation that was already difficult to start with become even more impossible.

‘I have to get help from Serpentism no matter what.’

Urich listened to Ludmil explain the situation with Serpentism. There was no such thing as an armed unit in the sewers.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Urich chewed on a hard piece of bread. The other warriors also took a modest meal while resting on the scarce food that the Serpentines gathered to treat Urich and his warriors.

‘They probably do want to fight with us. And even if that’s not true, there’s no other way but to join hands with Serpentism for now.’

Urich's mind raced quickly.

“I think I’ve answered all of your questions thus far?”

Ludmil squinted his eyes. The number of wrinkles on his face suggested he had endured many hardships.

“Do you know someone named Joya?”

When an infectious disease spread through the Alliance Army, Urich received help from Joya, who claimed to be a priest of Serpentism. Joya had disappeared quickly, but his medicine had been very effective.

Ludmil stared intently at Urich before asking, “Who is that?”

Urich’s mouth twitched.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Urich looked toward the altar where Trikee’s corpse lay. The altar, covered with a cloth, was worshipped by the believers.

“For now, you should be able to avoid the eyes of the empire here. Everyone here can be trusted to keep quiet.”

Ludmil explained their long-prepared plan to overthrow Hamel. It was a meticulously crafted plan that had been prepared for a long time.

“You’ve been hit hard once, so you know how terrifying flame oil can be.”

“You call it flame oil, huh.”

“Among our believers are servants in the imperial palace. They have even found out where the flame oil is stored.”

That was enough for Urich to understand Ludmil's intention.

“Olga! Come here!”

Urich called Olga, who was resting, to his side. If the warriors were to act separately, Olga was the only one he could entrust with commanding them.

“Can… we trust them?”

Olga looked at Ludmil and then asked Urich. Ludmil couldn’t understand the conversation as the two were speaking in the tribal language.

“Even if we can’t trust them, we have to. Just like how I trust you to have my back.”

Olga shrugged and laughed. He nodded and squatted next to Urich.

Ludmil continued explaining the plan.

“The flame oil warehouse is outside the palace. It's known as a lumber warehouse, but they disguise it as that because they have to keep fire away from it.”

“Do they really store something so important outside the palace?”

Urich frowned, stroking his chin.

“It’s probably because it’s such a tricky substance to handle. If mishandled, it could burn the entire palace down.”

The empire still could not fully control flame oil, and it would still take quite some time before it could be widely distributed.

“I’ve experienced its power firsthand. It lets their soldiers kill our warriors without even touching their weapons,” Urich said, recalling the last exchange.

“If we raid the flame oil warehouse and set it on fire, the Imperial Army will be drawn there. They can’t ignore the fire, as the entire city would be at risk.”

“And when they’re focused on the warehouse, we attack and open the gates?”

“We just have to wait three days. Among the warehouse guards is a follower of Serpentism, and he will create an opening for us in two days.”

“Three days? We have to wait that long?”

Urich frowned. Waiting for that long made him uneasy as the agreed time had already long passed. According to the plan, the gates should have been opened on the morning of the invasion.

“Their guards must be on peak alert after your last attempt. It will be difficult to break in without an insider.”

Urich hesitated to answer. He had a bad feeling, and Urich tended to trust his instincts.

“Ludmil!”

A young boy hurried into the underground cavern, calling out for Ludmil.

“What’s the matter?”

“T-the Imperial Army is claiming that U-Urich is dead,” the boy stammered. Ludmil calmed the boy down and listened to the situation outside.

“This is actually a chance for us. If a man thought dead returns, the Imperial Army will be completely thrown off!”

Ludmil tried to dismiss it as nothing and send the boy away, but Urich grabbed him.

“Eeeeeek!”

The boy recoiled in fear, pulling his hand away.

The Beast of the Apocalypse was an ally of Serpentism, yet Urich still remained a symbol of terror. Even the followers of Serpentism had heard countless terrifying rumors about Urich, including the extraordinary number of civilized people who had died at his hands.

“I don’t bite. I just have something to ask,” Urich said, trying to put the boy’s mind at ease.

The boy nodded, swallowing hard.

“I-I’m sorry. I was so scared I couldn’t help but scream.”

The boy glanced at Ludmil then waited politely for Urich to speak.

“Did you tell the army outside the city that I’m dead?”

“Probably… Yes. I saw them loading burned corpses onto a cart and sending it outside the castle.”

Urich rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a moment before looking at Ludmil.

“We don’t have time to wait for three days,” he said to the Serpentine.

“What do you mean?” Ludmil asked in shock.

“If they think I’m dead, the army will withdraw.”

“Are you saying they’ll abandon a battle they’ve almost won? Why would the army of plunderers, which has terrified the civilized world, just run away like that?”

Ludmil was furious.

“The situation isn’t as favorable as you think. We infiltrated through the sewers because there was simply no other way, and if we failed, it would be the end. On top of that, if we suffer greater losses here, it will become an irreparable situation. It’s more than likely that if they think I failed and died, they’ll retreat.”

If Porcana and the Alliance Army withdrew now, they would be safe for the time being. After all, the empire had suffered significant damage and still had to deal with the northern front as well as the independence issues of its vassal states.

‘But if we lose the entire army here, we’ll lose whatever chance we have left as well.’

They were missing the most crucial component to a long-term stand-off: supplies. Without supplies, even the strongest warriors would starve. The Alliance Army had been surrounding Hamel solely because of their belief that Urich would lead them to victory.

‘If they think I’m dead, their belief in me will break and their morale will plummet. If they’re starving and morale drops, it’s over. They won’t be able to fight anymore.’

Ludmil couldn’t understand Urich’s words as military knowledge was not a skill at the disposal of Ludmil the Guide.

“The world is praying for the empire’s downfall! You are the will of the world, so everything will help you! Failure is impossible!”

Other Serpentines muttered as well. To them, Urich was the one hope. He was the divine being who would liberate them from the suffering imposed by the hierarchical society.

“Victory in battle is determined by manpower, morale, and supplies. It has nothing to do with the will of the world.”

Urich’s retort made the faces of Ludmil and the other priests harden.

‘This is not the kind of man we were waiting for as the Beast of the Apocalypse.’

The followers of Serpentism expected Urich to be a barbarian filled with madness and fury. But here he was, the most cold-blooded man in the room.

‘How can a man so cold represent our anger….’

Ludmil’s eyes were filled with disappointment as Urich tilted his head and looked at the Serpentine.

“The raid is tonight, Ludmil.”

“The guards will be waiting for you! The Imperial Army will be watching the whole city to catch you!”

Ludmil felt his plan falling apart.

“Haha, if there really is such a thing as the will of the world like you said, we’ll succeed tonight. We can’t afford to wait three days. If we do, our army that’s surrounding Hamel will leave.”

Before Ludmil could say anything, Urich gave orders to Olga.

“Olga, lead the warriors and raid the warehouse where the flame oil is stored and distract the Imperial Army. It’s a dangerous task, so we probably won’t meet again alive.”

Olga nodded. He recalled Six-Fingered’s words.

‘Beware of fire, that’s what Six-Fingered said. Surprisingly accurate. No wonder he’s the priest of the Alliance.’

Olga chuckled. All signs were pointing to his death, and he could sense it coming.

‘If dying here is my fate, I have no choice but to accept it with dignity.’

The position of Great Chief was reserved by the heavens. If he was to die according to the prophecy of fire, that was his fate. He simply wasn’t destined to become a Great Chief.

‘I won’t run from my fate.’

Olga and Urich split the remaining warriors in half, one to raid the flame oil warehouse to create a distraction, while the other half would open the city gates.

“If you and your warriors open the gates, we’ll rise up as well.”

Around Ludmil were men with crude weapons. They were supposedly the warriors of Serpentism, but only a few seemed even remotely prepared.

‘Serpentism was originally a religion of the south, with many strong warriors.’

Urich recalled the Serpentine warriors he had encountered long ago. They were formidable opponents.

‘But what is this Serpentism in front of me now…’

It wasn’t the ideal dreamed of by Trikee, nor the savage religion of the south. Serpentism, which had seeped into the lower classes of civilization, had mutated several times.

“So what you’re saying is that you’ll just stay put if we fail.”

Ludmil answered with an awkward smile, but Urich didn’t blame him for the plan.

“…That’s a wise decision. Leading a rebellion with such a ragtag group would only lead to meaningless deaths.”

Urich gestured to Olga, who then signaled to the resting warriors.

Clang, clang.

The wounded and exhausted warriors struggled to their feet, gathering their weapons. Even minor wounds had festered due to the filthy sewers, and death inevitably loomed over the warriors’ faces.

“The will of the world rests on your shoulders, Beast of the Apocalypse. Remember that, and you shall win.”

Ludmil offered his blessing in his own way. Urich, about to start off with his guides, scoffed and looked back at Ludmil.

“Ludmil the Guide, did Trikee trust you?” He asked the Serpentine.

“Of course. The Ark himself designated me as the Guide.”

Urich stared at Ludmil with his bright yellow eyes, making him flinch as if he were facing a bear in the woods. Even though he wanted to stand calmly, his legs trembled to the point where if it weren’t for his robes covering his legs, it would be obvious that he was overwhelmed with fear.

“…Right, I’m sure he did,” Urich muttered and entered the dark, cave-like sewer.

Urich and the warriors followed the Serpentine guides and swiftly navigated the maze-like sewers until the guides stopped at a fork.

“We must split up here. The left path leads to the warehouse, and the right path leads to the city gates.”

The guides said, waiting for Urich’s decision.

Urich stepped forward, looking at Olga and the warriors.

“If I truly have the blessing of the heavens and the earth… I would like to share it with my great brothers who stand here with me.”

Some warriors twitched their eyebrows. They were always bothered by this attitude of Urich.

‘A man blessed more than anyone else by the heavens utters such blasphemous words….’

Urich laughed heartily at the dissatisfied warriors’ reactions.

“Put your trust in your sword and trained body more than anything else, not even the heavens. Don’t become weak enough to have to entrust your fate to the heavens.”

Some nodded, while others shook their heads. But despite the different reactions, they all walked toward death together. No human could change the direction of life, not even warriors. Every moment, including this one, was taking a step closer to death.

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