Barbarian Quest

Chapter 274

The Imperial Army was attacking another fortress on the northern front. Capturing three fortresses would allow them to secure most of the border between the empire and the north. They had already occupied two, making this essentially the final siege.

"Long live the Sun!"

The imperial soldiers shouted as they charged. The sun banner fluttered prominently before them.

"Huff, huff."

Basha stood at the forefront, panting heavily. She advanced without any strategic tactics. Detailed combat was left to the knights anyway.

"Aaaah..."

Basha glanced back. Thousands of soldiers were following her.

‘People who believe in the blessing of the sun.’

Basha felt her body heat up. A warm sense of fulfillment radiated from deep inside her abdomen.

Ting!

An arrow struck Basha’s torso but bounced off. Her armor glinted with a silvery sheen. The armor she was wearing was no longer just a flimsy one, but a well-crafted armor made of steel.

"Fire!"

The catapults launched barrels of flame oil into the fortress. Fire arrows that followed ignited the oil, turning the inside of the fortress into a sea of flames.

"Kaaagh!"

Northern warriors screamed from the excruciating pain of being burned alive.

The northern fortress, having many wooden buildings, caught fire in the blink of an eye. Several more barrels of flame oil were dropped onto the already-blazing flames.

"Pour the rest of the oil in there. We just have to capture this place."

Yanchinus watched the burning fortress with unflinching eyes. Each barrel of flame oil used was like throwing away a chest full of silver coins. That was how high the production cost of flame oil was.

‘This is not the time to be frugal.’

The imperial army used every last drop of the flame oil they had brought on this expedition. The first actual deployment of the brand-new flame oil and the Fire of the Empire proved that they could be extremely powerful.

‘Military technology like this must not leak out.’

Imperial steel and flame oil were invaluable. The empire put in significant efforts to protect these secrets.

"I can see Basha’s banner all the way from here."

Yanchinus, looking at the battlefield, leaned back leisurely and propped his chin.

"She has been quite a significant help in boosting the morale of the soldiers. Her enthusiasm makes even the air around her feel hot."

Jorman, the steel knight in helmet, answered. He had guarded Basha in the previous battle.

"Enthusiasm... sometimes that’s necessary too."

Yanchinus twisted one corner of his mouth.

‘That girl truly believes she has the blessing of Lou.’

The banner was already fluttering on the walls.

‘An incompetent girl surviving the battlefield is purely due to a bit of luck and the protection of my knights.’

An emperor’s position was a seat where one could see all sorts of people.

‘The most important thing for a ruler is neither virtue nor knowledge.’

There was a lesson passed down from his grandfather and father. Yanchinus' pupils stared at the sun banner.

‘The only thing that matters is the ability to judge people.’

Being able to distinguish friend from foe and recognizing ordinary people from heroes was all that was needed to be a great ruler.

"My one mistake was failing to see Urich as an enemy," Yanchinus muttered to himself.

He knew that Urich was an extraordinary person but thought he could bring him under his command.

"Basha has achieved yet another feat, Your Majesty," Jorman said as he watched the battlefield. The fortress quickly collapsed, starting from where Basha’s banner was fluttering.

The soldiers following Basha felt a surge of emotion. A girl young enough to be their daughter or sister was fighting in front of them. Even the calmest soldiers could not contain their boiling emotions and charged after her.

“Wooooaaaaah!”

The soldier beside Basha thrust his spear deeply, stabbing a northern warrior before quickly withdrawing the blade. His actions were bolder and more aggressive than usual.

“Lou is with us! Fight with me, everyone! Lou has whispered victory in my ear!” Basha shouted at the top of her lungs. Despite the danger, she did not retreat from the front line.

“Just a little more. We just have to go a little further,” Basha murmured, staring into the distance.

Her eyes were not looking at the battlefield, which reeked of blood. Despite the spears and arrows raining down, she had no sense of reality.

‘Lou is protecting me.’

A faint smile even crept onto her face.

She delved deeper into the battlefield as if she were running toward climax.

“Oooooooh!”

A northern warrior took a big swing with his axe at Basha. A steel knight blocked the northern warrior and protected her as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

“Follow Basha!” The soldiers shouted as they charged toward the remnants inside the fortress.

A peasant woman stood at the forefront of the battlefield. In the eyes of the ordinary soldiers, it was nothing short of a miracle. Despite participating in several battles at the forefront, Basha had never failed to return alive.

The northern warriors gripped their weapons, staring at the approaching imperial army.

“My brothers.”

“It has been an honor.”

The remaining northern warriors stood back-to-back and shoulder-to-shoulder and nodded to each other as they prepared for a glorious end.

“The blessing of Lou is not for the barbarians! They are no more than beasts! They are not humans!”

Basha spewed whatever came into her mind. Her speech was completely different from that of a typical priest. She didn’t talk about boring love and mercy. She spoke only the words the soldiers wanted to hear.

The Sun Warrior Commander Alfnan was the only one who frowned as he looked at Basha.

‘What on earth was His Majesty thinking, sending such a lowly woman to the battlefield....’

Though not deeply devout, Alfnan was the head of the Sun Warriors. The words from Basha’s mouth were filled with hate, completely mismatched with the teachings of Solarism. She particularly spewed words of hatred toward barbarians. She was an extremely uncomfortable woman for Alfnan, who was a Sun Warrior of barbarian origin.

“The blessing of Lou belongs to the innocent civilized people!”

Basha planted the flag into the ground and knelt. Her exhausted shoulders heaved greatly.

“Oooooh...”

The scene of Basha praying in her silver armor in the middle of the battlefield looked like a piece of art. Many soldiers were inspired to recite prayers themselves.

Some Sun priests, who did not pledge loyalty to the empire, had said that the northern war was immoral and would not be blessed by Lou. Thanks to Basha, the soldiers found solace.

‘The priests were wrong. That wasn’t the truth. Lou is still protecting our empire, and Basha is the proof.’

The Imperial Army occupied three fortresses in the area between the north and the empire. Basha had taken the lead in all those battles. Just seeing her raise the banner greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers.

“My good people! We will continue to win!”

Drunk with victory, Basha climbed the wall and shouted. Her flushed face was almost sensual. The soldiers stared at her as if they had been enchanted.

A knight approached Basha, who was descending the wall.

“Basha, clean off the blood and change into fresh clothes. His Majesty has invited you to dinner tonight.”

“I will gladly attend.”

Basha smiled.

* * *

Sun Warrior Commander Alfnan went to see Yanchinus immediately after the conclusion of the battle. He hadn't even wiped the blood off his armor.

"Your Majesty, you must not continue to use Basha. She has not received the blessing of Lou," Alfnan spoke after glancing around the tent. Basha had not yet come.

"Try saying that in front of the soldiers. They would love that."

Yanchinus laughed softly, covering his mouth.

"This is not a laughing matter, Your Majesty. She is an unpredictable woman. You cannot let her go around claiming she has received Lou's blessing. The ignorant soldiers will believe whatever comes out of her mouth."

Alfnan insisted firmly in front of the emperor, which was rare.

‘You’re panicking, Alfnan.’

Yanchinus leisurely picked up a glass of water and lightly swirled it. The water rippled with a light splash.

"If Basha gains influence among the soldiers, I’m sure it will trouble you. Basha despises barbarians and she just wants to kill them. She doesn't care whether they believe in Lou or not."

Yanchinus saw right through Alfnan.

"T-That is... That is precisely the problem. The soldiers believe she is a saintess."

Alfnan did not hide his true feelings.

"If the soldiers believe she is a saintess, then it would be best to let them continue believing so."

"Your Majesty!"

"Are you doubting my judgment, Alfnan?"

Alfnan shut his mouth. He was in no position to speak against Yanchinus. In the current situation, the Sun Warriors were practically criminals. Yanchinus’ grace was the only reason that Alfnan and the Sun Warriors were able to retain their position.

"Do you think I, Yanchinus, would trust a woman gone mad more than warriors armed with loyalty and faith? It seems like you really saw me as such an indiscriminate person!"

Alfnan hurriedly knelt.

"I misspoke, Your Majesty. My sword and my life are yours."

"Then be gone. All you have to do is fight for me, as you have done until now."

"I have been disrespectful. I will atone for my insolence with the blood of our enemies, Your Majesty."

Alfnan bowed his head in respect and retreated backward.

Yanchinus pressed his fingers to his eyes to relieve the fatigue.

‘Alfnan is too petty and obsessive about even the most trivial matters. I guess that’s what got him to the rank of commander, but he’ll never be anything more than that. That’s his limit.’

Yanchinus briefly shut his eyes before Basha arrived. Not only had he been commanding the battlefield, he had been sending many diplomatic envoys to various places. He hadn’t had a proper rest or slept comfortably due to the constantly emerging urgent situations.

"Your Majesty, Basha is here to see you."

The emperor’s attendant whispered repeatedly until Yanchinus woke up.

"Basha? Ah, right. I invited her for a meal."

Yanchinus blinked and shook his head.

"...Greetings, Your Majesty."

Basha entered the tent wearing pants like a man. There wasn’t even a slight tremble in her eyes despite facing the empire.

‘I am the one who has received the blessing of Lou. I stand above any worldly rank.’

Basha sat confidently with her shoulders back. The dishes on the table were luxurious enough to make it hard to believe they were on a battlefield.

"You’ve achieved quite some feats, so it is only right that you are treated accordingly. That’s my way, Basha."

Yanchinus tore off a piece of veal with his hand and put it in his mouth. Basha clumsily mimicked his gestures.

"Lou is the one that deserves all praise, not me, Your Majesty. I merely fight according to His will."

"The blessing of Lou... As far as I know, the priests have not yet acknowledged you as a saintess, have they?"

"The opinion of the priests is not important. What matters is that I have heard Lou’s voice."

Basha wiped the grease off her mouth and raised her head.

"I don’t particularly like the priests either. They always talk about what’s right and what’s not, even though they can’t even follow their own words. "

"You must have seen it yourself as well, Your Majesty. How else could I have accomplished these feats if His blessings were not with me?"

Basha's eyes sparkled, and her cheeks were flushed.

Yanchinus chuckled as he licked his fingers.

"...Basha, I have seen those blessed by the gods. The truly blessed are steadfast and strong. They achieve what others deem impossible, and their courage and determination far exceed others."

"I have also done what others said was impossible. I led us to victory in this battle."

Basha bit her lip.

Yanchinus' grin grew bigger. He wanted to hurl insults at her face right then and there and tell her that the victory she claimed was actually achieved by the blood of knights and soldiers.

‘She’s still very useful. I suppose even her naive words are half-true.’

Yanchinus drank water to soothe his itchy throat.

"Among the men I know, there were some who seemed like they were truly blessed by the gods. Let me tell you about one of them."

Basha tore the bread and meat with her hands and waited for Yanchinus to continue.

"...Not long ago, the Sky Mountains were considered the end of the world and an insurmountable taboo. The Sun priests blabbered there was nothing but a void cliff beyond the mountains, but I didn’t believe them. I thought there had to be something beyond the sea and beyond those mountains. I was excited to achieve a great feat, convinced I would discover a new world. Yes, that new world existed. But I wasn’t the only one with that thought. There was a man who traversed the two disconnected worlds before us."

"Who was that man?"

At Basha's question, Yanchinus grinned, baring his teeth.

"The leader of the plunderers, Urich."