Barbarian Quest

Urich spent his time lying in bed. The fight in the banquet hall was dismissed as a simple misunderstanding and was passed without much consequence, thanks to Varca's overwhelming authority that no noble dared to protest.

"Trying to cover it up was quite a headache for me, too," Varca grumbled. He visited Urich almost daily.

‘Urich’s condition isn’t good.’

Three days had passed since the incident, but Urich's complexion had only darkened.

‘In terms of treatment, we’ve done everything we could. Now, his fate is in Lou’s hands.’

Varca smiled, hiding his gloom.

“I'm sorry. I thought that with me gone, Samikan’s son would try to harm Louyan instead.”

“You dumbass, how would he even know that Louyan is your son?”

If Louyan’s birth had spread to the west, countless warriors would have come looking for him by now. If Urich had been a bit more cautious and thoughtful, none of this would have happened.

Urich, feeling he wasn’t the same as before in many ways, looked at his hands. Meeting a spirited young man like Karcha made him feel even more deflated.

‘Ferzen and Sven were active warriors until they were nothing but wrinkles…’

Urich’s prime had burned more fiercely than anyone else's, and perhaps that’s why his firewood had burned out just as quickly.

‘Am I already washed up? Hah…’

A hollow laugh escaped him. He no longer had the sharpness and wit he once possessed.

‘How depressing.’

Urich sat up, clutching his side.

“I heard your wounds won’t heal very easily this time. Even the invincible Urich is just a human after all, huh?”

“Of course, I’m human. What else could I be?”

“You didn’t seem very human in the past.”

Urich and Varca reminisced about various past events, and time flew by as they talked about old times. However, Varca soon got up to leave.

“I have to get going. Duke Lungell asked to meet; though I can already tell that he wants to talk to me about supporting his son as his successor once he’s gone.”

“Right, it seemed like he didn’t have much time left himself. Anyway, if you’re busy, go ahead.”

Urich watched Varca’s back.

Varca was still in his prime. Unlike Urich, who was a warrior, Varca was at the peak of his powers as king. This was the time for him to push through his policies and projects.

‘Must be nice.’

Urich envied Varca. If life were a story, Varca was in the middle of his tale, and the time for him to reap his rewards was just around the corner.

‘Am I going to die from an arrow wound because of some dumb mistake? How Sven and Ferzen would laugh if they saw me now…’

Sven and Ferzen, regardless of the specifics, had met their ends like warriors. Urich wanted to live and die like them.

He had survived countless life-threatening injuries, but now, he was on the brink of life and death because of a single arrow.

‘I never imagined this kind of end, but I wonder how many people actually get the death they want?’

Urich saw the horizon in the distance as he gazed quietly out the window, half-lidded.

‘If my life is nearing its end, it might be better to stay here.’

Porcana was sufficient for Urich’s remaining days.

Creak.

Not long after Varca left, the door opened again. Urich, slightly wary, grasped the handle of the axe beside his bed. Being alert at any sound was an old habit.

“You’re trying to split my head with that axe now?”

Louyan walked in.

“Ah, it’s you.”

Urich smiled sheepishly.

“Your rampage caused quite a stir. I had a tough time trying to handle it.”

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said this today, but I really am sorry.”

Louyan glanced at Urich’s side. He had heard about Urich’s condition.

“Forget about boarding the ship.”

The departure of the expedition fleet was less than a fortnight away.

“I know I’m not in great shape right now, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad enough for me to hear that from you,” Urich said, dismissively.

“I think I have the right to tell you that.”

Louyan raised his eyes to meet Urich’s gaze.

“What do you mean by that?” Urich asked.

“I said what I said. You thought Samikan's son, Karcha, was attacking me and charged in. I had a vague suspicion before too, but that confirmed it.”

Louyan said no more. Urich also fell silent.

The awkward silence was broken by Urich’s uneasy laughter.

“Haha, this isn’t the most touching reunion, is it?”

“Seeing you come back after all this time, only to die like this, is pathetic. If I ever have children, I won’t be a father like you. Urich might be a great hero, but he’s a terrible father.”

Louyan ruthlessly poured out harsh words at the patient, but Urich had nothing to say back.

Grit.

Urich clenched his teeth.

“I’m sorry, Louyan. Your existence was a burden to me. Hell, I even thought of you as a nuisance. Your fathers are Gottval and Varca. I don’t expect to be treated as a father.”

“To me, you’re just the stranger Urich. But to my teacher and His Highness, you’re a dear friend. If you feel any regret toward me, don’t disappear again and stay where you are right now.”

Louyan bowed his head slightly and stood up. He said only what he wanted and left.

Urich remained sitting on his bed, staring blankly after Louyan had left.

* * *

Louyan didn’t say a single wrong thing. Urich was the one who had abandoned his son. If he truly intended to take responsibility, he would have taken Louyan with him, no matter what.

‘Is my atonement playing the role of a good friend beside Gottval and Pahell, whom Louyan loves?’

Urich smiled. He too loved Gottval and Varca; they were people he would protect even at the cost of his own life.

Time passed quickly as Urich lay in bed. He spent his days doing nothing, and even after sleeping to his heart's content, each day felt lethargic.

“It seems Louyan still doesn’t know that you are his father.”

Gottval, who came to visit him, whispered so. Urich laughed at those words. He didn’t bother to tell Gottval everything.

‘Cunning kid.’

Louyan had effectively issued a warning to Urich alone. Using Urich's guilt and his status as his son, Louyan had told him not to leave Gottval and Varca's side.

“You're much better now. As long as you don't overexert yourself, you should live,” Gottval said as he changed Urich’s bandages. The thick pus that used to ooze out had significantly reduced.

“I told you; I won't die just from being hit by an arrow.”

“It's not time to be so sure yet. I’ve said this already, but don't push yourself too hard,” Gottval sternly warned, knowing that Urich had just barely managed to avoid death.

‘If Urich moves around just because he feels stiff in bed, his wound will reopen.’

Gottval repeated his warnings, worried about Urich, but Urich only listened absentmindedly, scratching his ear.

“Gottval, do you want me to stay in Porcana?”

“It would be nice if you did. It would greatly strengthen His Highness as well.”

“Right.”

The people who were like family and brothers to him wanted him to settle down.

‘Urich will settle in Porcana.’

Gottval was almost certain. The exploration fleet was set to depart tomorrow, but Urich was still severely injured. On top of that, Porcana was where Louyan, his own blood, was.

‘There will be plenty of time to persuade Urich in the future.’

Gottval planned to persuade Urich several times to return to Lou’s embrace. As people age, their hearts tend to soften. Urich was not an exception, and Gottval believed that he would eventually seek God.

“Rest well, Urich.”

Gottval finished the treatment and left.

Night deepened. Urich, lying in bed, opened his eyes and slowly dressed himself.

“It still stings.”

Holding his side, Urich staggered to his feet. He wandered around the room, gathering his belongings which consisted of just a waist bag and a few weapons. The weapons clinked each time he moved.

‘I don’t know what the right choice is.’

Urich had always made choices. This time was no different.

‘Is this journey worth betraying everyone's hope?’

A part of Urich longed for a comfortable life, but that wasn't his way.

Urich grasped his creaking knee and stabilized it by tying it tightly with a piece of cloth.

“Hoo.”

His body was deteriorating. The sharp, youthful Urich was no more.

‘Trying to be a good father now would just be laughable.’

He climbed out of the window. Though his body was broken, that was only in comparison to his younger self. He was still a warrior with a muscular build far above average.

‘What I can show Louyan is not some advice or teachings, but my way of living.’

He blinked as he inserted his fingers into the gaps in the wall and climbed like a spider.

Drip.

The bleeding in his side soaked the bandages and the overflowing blood dripped down.

“Huff, this is killing me.”

Urich stuck out his tongue, looking down from the wall. A slip could send him plummeting to his death.

People feared many things in life, and the brave warrior Urich was no different. He feared the unknown afterlife, losing his brothers, and defeat. Life was a series of fears, like wandering in the dark.

‘Even now, I’m afraid.’

He feared disappointing Varca and Gottval.

‘If I leave like this, Louyan will probably hate me.’

Urich’s eyes trembled. Louyan’s reproach was still vivid in his mind.

‘Do I really want to see the Eastern Continent? Or am I just stubbornly clinging to my way of life like Sven?’

Despite being an adult man who understood responsibility and duty, Urich still wandered and worried like an adolescent boy. Life happens only once. Whether young or old, the problems one faces are first-time experiences in one’s life and it is impossible for humans to live knowing the correct answers in advance.

Urich walked out of the palace into the night. In Porcana, he was just a barbarian with weapons clinking on his back.

His vision occasionally blurred as if shrouded in fog, and he limped when his legs sometimes went numb. When it rained, his entire body ached, making it difficult to get out of bed.

People like Gottval told Urich that he had done enough. They urged him to rest for the rest of his life, having lived earnestly.

‘That's not living, that's dying.’

To Urich, resting was merely waiting for the inevitable death while looking back at the past life.

“Hah.”

Urich scoffed. For some, such rest might be a valuable life. Some think dying in bed surrounded by family is a happy ending.

“…But that’s not me.”

Urich touched his side and noticed blood was seeping out profusely.

‘Stop whining, you damned body!’

Urich forcefully squeezed the pus from his side. So much black blood mixed with pus gushed out that he wondered if he might die from excessive bleeding.

Leaning against the wall, Urich gritted his teeth to the point of them nearly breaking and endured the pain. His fingers and lips trembled.

“Huff, huff.”

Even though the days were not that cold yet, hot breaths mixed with a metallic taste puffed out.

Urich raised his eyes and looked at the ship docked at the harbor and saw four large sailing ships that were set to sail tomorrow.

‘This is my life, the one I have to choose. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for Louyan or Gottval. Don’t use others as an excuse, Urich.’

Urich pulled himself up.

‘I’m not going to live as a good friend to Pahell and Gottval, and I won’t live as Louyan’s father either. It doesn’t matter if I’m scolded or praised.’

What mattered was always one thing. The center of life is oneself.

Born as Urich, he must live as Urich.

* * *

Knock, knock.

“It’s me, Urich.”

Gottval had come to change Urich’s bandages, but when he knocked on the door, there was no answer, only silence.

Though today was the historic day of Porcana's expedition fleet setting sail to Gottval, Urich’s recovery was more important.

“The sun rose hours ago; are you still sleeping?”

Gottval turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

“Urich?”

Upon seeing that the bed was empty, Gottval threw down the bag he was carrying and looked around the room.

“Godda…!”

Even Gottval couldn’t hold back his curse.

‘Where on earth did that crazy man go with his body in that state!’

It was going to be a problem wherever Urich went. He needed complete rest without moving around.

‘His stuff is also gone.’

Gottval’s eyes reached the window that was swung open, with the dust on the windowsill swept clean as if someone had passed through.

“Urich….”

Gottval’s gaze, looking out the window, reached the harbor where the expedition fleet was making its historic departure in the distance.

“A horse! Get a horse ready!”

Gottval shouted over the window to the stablehand. The stablehand, despite not knowing the reason, hurriedly brought a horse at Gottval’s urgent yelling.

Gottval ran to the stable. The famously polite man didn’t even thank the stablehand and hurriedly mounted the horse.

‘I’ve known you for a long time… but you still only choose actions that are hard to understand, Urich.’

But the ships had already receded and were mere dots on the horizon before Gottval could even reach the harbor.

“Your Highness!”

Gottval nearly fell off the horse. He hit his knee on the ground but didn’t care as he ran toward Varca.

“What is it? Don’t tell me….”

Varca looked at Gottval with a worried expression.

‘Is Urich dead?’

It wasn’t unheard of that a person could die overnight because of a sudden worsening of their injuries. Judging by Gottval’s pale face, something must have happened to Urich.

“He’s on the ship. He’s on that ship right now!”

Gottval gasped for breath and pointed at the ships that already looked like dots on the horizon.

“Well, I’m glad he’s not dead, at least,” Varca said as he calmed Gottval down.

“He’s on the ship with his body in such a bad condition, Your Highness!”

“It’s unfortunate, but I’m sure that was what he wanted. Well, it would have been nice if he’d given us a heads up, but he probably thought we would try to stop him if he did.”

Varca pulled his cloak tighter and looked at the horizon.

‘In the end, you left, Urich.’

Varca smiled faintly. He felt a sense of relief as if he knew this would happen.

‘It wouldn’t be Urich if he just stayed quiet.’

Gottval, on the other hand, was resentful of Varca’s lack of reaction.

“We should send a fast ship this instant to bring Urich back. He won’t survive the voyage in that condition.”

“Father Gottval, I intend to respect Urich’s choice. Even if it means he dies, that is.”

Varca was resolute. Gottval, whose face was nothing but a frown at first, slowly thought of something and nodded.

“You are right, Your Highness…”

Gottval gazed sadly at the horizon.

After dispersing the people at the harbor, Louyan noticed Gottval and approached. Gottval looked up at Louyan sadly.

“Louyan, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Is it the fact that Urich is my father? Or that he’s on one of those ships?” Louyan spoke nonchalantly.

Gottval’s eyes widened in shock. He responded, “You knew Urich was your biological father?”

“Even a fool could’ve figured it out after seeing how you kept trying to bring me and Urich together.”

“What about the fact that he was on the ship? How did you know that?”

Louyan smiled, baring his teeth, holding a list of crew members in his hand.

“I checked the list of the crew this morning. There was a sailor named Kylios on the Phillion.”

“Why didn’t you stop him? Urich is your father. You might never see him again.”

In response, Louyan scratched his cheek and said, “My father is not Urich, but a priest named Gottval.”

Louyan knew that Gottval and Varca would be saddened by Urich’s departure, but even though he knew this, he ignored the name Kylios on the list. There was no logical reason; he just felt it had to be that way.

Louyan patted Gottval’s shoulder in comfort before turning his gaze back to the horizon.

Each person has their own life, and they are the protagonist in them. One cannot bind another’s life just because they are family or friends. All relationships pass by, and in the end, one faces death alone. No one accompanies another to death, and the only one responsible for their own life is oneself.

* * *

The expedition fleet, led by the Phillion, embarked on a voyage with no definite end in sight. Whether they would starve and die meaninglessly at sea or discover something worthy of great records, no one knew.

Life was unfair, and the world was cruel. Human effort was but a drop of water that was unable to go against the currents. Humans were born incomplete and died still incomplete. No one finds the answer to life, and people live relying on swaying intuition and fragile, illusory values.

“Hey, Kylios. How long are you going to lie there?” A crew member asked.

“My stomach hurts a bit.”

“Geez, if the captain finds out, you’ll be in trouble.”

Urich stood awkwardly on the deck, watching the receding land.

‘I can't see the land anymore.’

It was the first time he had come so far out on a ship. There was nothing in the vast ocean. They were setting out to find the Eastern Continent with only imperfect knowledge and incomplete information to rely on.

Thump, thump.

His heart pounded at a sight he had never seen before. This was nothing like going out a short distance on a fishing boat.

‘I never imagined the sea would be like this.’

Inwardly, he had pretended to be worldly-wise and acted like a sage who knew everything about the world, but that was an arrogant delusion.

No matter where he turned his head, there was only the horizon, and it sparked in him a sense of fear. He had lived his whole life with his feet touching the ground. An unfamiliar fear brushed against his skin.

“Hey, are you hurt? There’s blood dripping off you,” a sailor who was observing Urich spoke. Finding a corpse just a day after setting sail would be troubling for the sailors too. For superstitious seafarers, an ominous sign quickly turned into an unfortunate outcome.

“Aren't you scared? We can't see any land. If the ship capsizes, we’re all dead,” Urich muttered.

“Enough with the ominous talk. Is this your first time at sea? You might be anxious now, but you’ll get used to it soon. But that’s that; you’re still bleeding. Are you sure you’re okay?”

It had only been half a day since they set sail, but everything was already unfamiliar. Urich was in a different world from the land. All his senses were on edge as if he were reborn. Urich had left the familiar world and come to a new one.

His lips twitched. Just one step forward, and he was surrounded by countless unknowns.

“Haha.”

The barbarian Urich laughed.

—The End—

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