kscans

1

The journey with Godon Zarkos had begun. It was spring and the mountains were beautiful. Althoigh he was born into a noble family, Godon never complained about the camping being uncomfortable or the simple meals. He seemed to find everything intriguing and their conversations were lively.

They reached the Tuorim area after approximately twenty days. Tuorim was located between the territories of Podomos and Egzera. If they had gone straight through Podomos, it wouldn’t have taken them so long to get there, but Godon insisted on making a significant detour to avoid going through Podomos territory. Bard didn’t even know the names of the places they were paasing through at this point.

“Tuorim has a long history of producing high-quality wheat. In fact, the wheat of our territory was passed down from Tuorim five generations ago,” Godon said.

But what they saw when they actually entered Tuorim was far from what they expected. The fields of the villages were barren and the farmers looked lifeless. The livestock was thin and scarce. Even when they entered the town where the lord’s castle was located, there was no sense of liveliness. The streets were wide and there were many shops, but there was no inviting atmosphere for travelers. Instead, they were met with dark and suspicious looks.

“Uncle, this town gives me a bad feeling,” Bard said.

“Hmm,” Bard replied. Godon had initially referred to him as “Master” or “sensei”, but he didn’t like either of those titles, so they settled on “uncle.” He also wanted to leave this town as soon as possible, but they had to eat first. They found a place to eat and ordered some food from Gantz. It was expensive and tasted awful.

Bard recalled the story of the bandits he had fought with a while ago.

Those three desperados had been lumberjacks in Tuorim. Taxes were high and the collection was strict, causing the poor to become even poorer. Families that couldn’t pay their taxes had their children and women taken away and sold. If they resisted the tax collectors, they would be subjected to cruel punishment.

However, there was a man by the name of Enba who protected the villagers from the dishonest tax collectors out of a sense of justice. Men who admired Enba gathered and formed a group, helping families without workers and sharing food. Those three scoundrels had also been impressed by Enba’s strength and courage and became his followers.

However, at some point, the ruler recruited two skilled guards. Enba and his followers were killed, one by one. After years of hiding, the three bandits finally escaped to the other side of the Mageia territory and survived by stealing food and goods from travelers. This was Tuorim.

Bard and Godon left the Gantz quickly. As they rode their horses side by side, they noticed three riders coming from the front.

“Hmm?” Bard noticed something strange. A person was lying on the roof, watching the three riders approaching on horseback.

As the three riders passed by, the people at the roadside bowed down and whispered, “It’s the Lord, it’s the Lord.” The two guards were probably with him. One of the guards stepped forward. Did he sense something? Nevertheless, the three riders continued on without changing their pace.

The man on the roof drew a bow. He was going to attack the lord. Bard thought he should warn them, but it seemed unnecessary. The guards already knew.

The attacker shot an arrow, but there were actually two attackers. The other one was hidden from Bard’s view and they both shot at the lord from the roof. However, the arrows never reached the lord. The two guards cut them down with lightning-fast swordplay.

Suddenly, three people stood up from among those who had bowed down. Each of them had a sword in their hand, which was not something commoners would have. They were probably warriors.

One of them swung his sword with his right hand and attacked. Another held his sword loosely and thrust it forward. The third held his sword with both hands and swung it up to the right. The two guards displayed their swordsmanship like lightning and all three attackers were killed, their throats slit and blood spurting out.

The two on the roof tried to shoot another arrow, but one of the guards threw a short sword at one of them, knocking him down. The other guard kicked the house where the other attacker was and the wall and roof shook violently. The attacker slipped and fell, and the guard ran his sword through his throat.

The first attacker was still alive, with a short sword stuck in his chest. Surprisingly, he stood up and pulled the sword out, then ran toward the lord.

“At least give me a chance to strike!” he shouted as he attacked the lord, but his wish was not granted. The guards knocked him unconscious with the hilt of their swords. They took back their short swords and wiped the blood-stained blades on the attacker’s clothes before hiding them away.

The lord watched the scene calmly, or rather, with a cruel smile on his face. He ordered a nearby official-looking man to take the surviving assailant to the castle and walked away without a word. As he passed by Bard and Godon, he glanced at them briefly. He neither scolded them for not dismounting in front of him nor greeted them, but simply ignored them. The guards did not even bother to look at Bard and Godon, but they were still alert and aware of their presence. After the three had passed, the voices of the townspeople could be heard.

“Hey, look at that.”

“Yeah, isn’t that the son of the lumber merchant who was robbed of all his assets and committed suicide not too long ago?”

“The one who was adopted by a noble family when he was young?”

“That’s the one. He was trying to seek revenge for his birth parents.”

“I bet that noble family will be destroyed as well.”

“Looks like there will be more bodies. This town is really something.”

2

The two of them left the town. If they crossed one mountain, they would be in Goza territory. They decided it was better to camp in the mountains at this time of night.

However, the two guards were incredibly skilled. They were undoubtedly experts in duel swordplay. Godon Zarkos was still impressed by their skills and boldly asked, “Uncle, can you beat them?”

Bard replied with a somewhat boastful answer, “It would be difficult to win against both of them at the same time.” Saying that he would have a slim chance of winning if he fought both of them at the same time was like saying that he would not lose in a one-on-one fight. In reality, the guards were better swordsmen. However, Bard thought that there was a way to win in a real fight. Strangely enough, he did not feel that those two were unbeatable opponents.

Had he not met Ven Uril before, he might not have felt that way. However, after a duel to the death with Ven Uril, the strength of those two guards seemed shallow to him. Even before the attack and after the duel, those two guards were exuding power from their entire bodies. Ven Uril, on the other hand, showed no strength before or after the duel. A barrel filled with contents makes no sound. Although their swordsmanship was sharp, Bard felt that there were many openings he could exploit against those two.

“However, they were only cutting the throats. Is that a sword technique?”

If you cut the throat with the tip of the sword, you can avoid damaging the sword. However, the way they killed was probably not for that reason. If the throat is cut, the victim loses the strength to fight back but does not die immediately. They make a strange sound as they struggle and gasp for breath as they gradually die, spitting out blood. If the throat is cut deep enough to break the neck, they will die quickly, but the sword technique used earlier deliberately cut the throat shallowly.

“Cruel people who enjoy seeing others suffer sometimes use that kind of technique.”

Bard muttered softly. Godon, who was a good person, was speechless. It was probably the lord’s preference. The hearts of the two guards who had been killing people for years under that preference were probably twisted as well.

3

“Help! Help me! Bandits!”

As Bard pondered about the possibility of encountering bandits near the town of Annasun, he heard a voice crying out for help. They were in the mountains, and the sun was already setting. They had just descended to the banks of a river to prepare for dinner and rest. The victim being attacked was a traveling merchant, who had apparently been drinking from the river. One of the bandits brandished a sword-like weapon and attacked him.

“This is not good. Let’s help him,” said Godon Zarkos.

Bard thought that Godon sounded happy. As they ran down the slope, they heard the sound of something being swung and thrown.

“Is that a sling?”

Bard recognized the sound immediately, having been a skilled slinger in his younger days. Something hit the bandit in the stomach, causing him to stop and hold his stomach in pain. Then three figures ran towards him. They all seemed to be carrying weapons, but it was hard to tell what they were in the dim light. However, as soon as they attacked the bandit, he fell down and stopped moving.

“So, the traveler cried out for help when he saw those three figures. But instead of thanking them, he threw stones at them and ran toward the town with his belongings,” Bard said.

“This is outrageous! How could he treat his saviors like that? But those three had great teamwork and coordination,” Godon replied.

Bard agreed with Godon’s thoughts. They approached the three figures.

As they got closer, they were surprised to see that all three of them were very old. Two were men, and one was a woman. They were all very short, thin, and wrinkled. They were wearing patched fur clothes, similar to what wild people would wear. Their hair was white, unkempt, and falling out in clumps. They appeared malnourished, and their skin was blackened with dirt. They were cautious, watching Bard and Godon closely.

“You did well. You just helped that traveler. You had great teamwork. But that man was terrible. He didn’t even thank you and threw stones at you before he ran away. Did you have a history with him?” Godon asked.

The three figures seemed relieved to hear Godon’s words.

“No, we live in the mountains and have never met that man before. People from the town are afraid of us and throw stones at us when they see us. They call us ‘mountain grandpa’ and ‘mountain grandma,’” replied one of the old men.

“That is annoying,” Godon said.

“It’s alright. We always live deep in the mountains, so it’s no big deal. We’re grateful if people just run away when they see us,” the old man said.

“Hahaha, I see. I see. By the way, did the bandit die?” Godon asked.

“Yes, he died by accident. We’ll take what we can use and bury him. Is that alright with you?” the old man asked.

“That is very admirable. We’ll help you,” said Bard.

Bard and Godon helped the three elders bury the bandit. The elders took the bandit’s weapons and some of his belongings, but they didn’t take off his clothes. After burying the bandit, the three old people knelt down and prayed for his soul.

Bard also prayed for the soul of the deceased, knowing that it was important to respect the dead.

Afterwards, Bard invited the three old people to dinner. They were surprised but consulted with each other and accepted the invitation.

4

“I-Is this what they call alcohol? It’s so delicious! Oh my, my clothes feel so warm and comfortable. Big and small, this alcohol is amazing!” exclaimed one of the old men.

“This is my first time drinking alcohol. It’s strange, but it’s delicious. This is a great parting gift,” said the old woman.

“Over here, we have some venison, okay? It’s delicious. Oh, so delicious. Ah. Thank you so much.”

The five of them had dinner around the crackling campfire. As the soup simmered in the pot, Bard took food from his sack one by one and served it to the old men. Thanks to the generous supply of high-quality preserved food from the Zarkos family, they had a rather luxurious selection for a journey. They offered them alcohol, and it seemed to be the first time they had ever tasted it, as they enjoyed it quite a bit.

The three of them seemed to be siblings. The old woman, who was very small, was especially delighted, her eyes sparkling with joy at the sight of the unusual food, like a child. Although her voice was hoarse, it had a charming quality to it once you got used to it. The old woman was particularly pleased with the dried grapes.

The Zarkos family had given them three kinds of dried grapes. One was light green. One was reddish-purple. One was slightly red-black. Each had a different taste. They were sweet and delicious raisins. The old woman would put one in her mouth and rejoiced, then put another in her mouth and expressed her gratitude to her brothers.

“You’ve never had alcohol before? At your age? Unbelievable. Even farmers drink alcohol at festivals, don’t they? Is there no alcohol in that water bag on your waist? You seem to take good care of it.”

“Oh, no, sir warrior. This is different. This has soup in it that we use for work.”

The pot was too small to make soup for five people at once. However, the three old men were very small eaters. It wasn’t that they held back. They were just used to eating small amounts, so their stomachs had shrunk.

“Anyway, your attack on the bandits were impressive. Have you ever trained in martial arts?”

“Oh no, not at all. We just hunt after animals in the mountains all the time. Yeah.” as Godon asked, the hands waving in front of their faces were very dirty and covered with scars, but they were large and had few wrinkles for their age.

The three of them fell asleep quickly. The sight of the three of them sleeping together was heartwarming. They were close siblings. They had been like that since they were young. However, even when they slept, they were still cautious. If Bard or Godon moved, they would react immediately.

The next morning, the three of them left before sunrise. Bard was awake, but he pretended to sleep. The three of them bowed to Bard and Godon several times before leaving for the Tuorim territory.

5

When Godon woke up, the two of them left. They reached Goza before noon. They got a room at Gantz and washed up before having a meal.

“Uncle is too generous. You kept giving them such delicious food one after another.” Godon seemed a little unhappy that they had freely given the food that his sister and brother-in-law had given them to the old men.

“I was surprised by the appearance of those old men, but the smell was terrible! I thought my nose would break. Eating near such a smell ruined the delicious food. To make matters worse, they were eating and drinking out of their own bowls! Isn’t that disgusting?”

Bard himself didn’t have a clear answer as to why he wanted to treat those old men to a feast. When he saw how poor the old men were treated, he felt sorry for them. At the very least, he wanted to praise them for their good work. When he approached and saw their appearance, they were really shabby old men. They didn’t seem to be able to take care of others. But they had risked their lives to save the traveler. If they were after money, they could have killed the bandits after killing the traveler. The fact that they didn’t do that meant that the three old men had acted out of a sense of justice. But their actions were not rewarded. So he would at least feed them until they were full. That was the meaning of his presence here. Bard organized his thoughts in this way, but he didn’t bother to tell Godon.

“Hey, something happened!”

A man suddenly burst into Gantz and shouted loudly. The attention of the guests was focused on him. The man seemed to be an acquaintance of the owner of Gantz, and he approached the owner and shouted loudly.

“That bastard of the neighboring Tuorim lord has finally been killed!”

The customers muttered in surprise. The one who reacted the most was Godon Zarkos. “What!?” he shouted, then forcibly sat the man down at their table and demanded more information. The man drank the water that the owner of Gantz had offered him and took a breath before he began to speak.

“Well, you know, sir. It’s revenge. Revenge.”

“Revenge? Was it the son of a lumber merchant?”

“No, sir. It’s those kids from Enba.”

“Enba? Who’s that?” “It’s because our boss was killed six years ago. He was a man with a strong sense of justice, a powerful arm, and a manly appearance. He was killed by the lord’s guards, and his wife suffered a terrible fate. She had three children, the eldest being twelve, and they fled to the mountains. Today, they appeared before the lord who was patrolling the town and said, ‘We are the children of the righteous man, Enba. We will avenge our father and defeat the unjust lord.’ I wasn’t there, but apparently they looked pretty shabby. They were so withered that people thought they were old people.”

“Did they look like old people?”

“No, they were children who jumped on the guards. They held on for a while and stopped moving. Then they were killed. Meanwhile, another person attacked the lord. He was also killed, but he wounded the lord’s hand. Then the lord died.”

“Did the guards survive?”

“No, they were immediately torn apart and cut down. There was a lot of blood splattering. The warrior guards who were covered in the blood of their attackers suffered and died in agony.”

After hearing this, something struck Bard. The strong smell that wafted from the three people yesterday. There was a familiar smell among them, but he couldn’t tell what it was. That’s right. It was the smell of the venom of the Rotting Snake (Wormegier). It was a deadly poison that could blind you if it got into your eyes or kill you instantly if you swallowed it. It was one of the three poisons that could even dull the movements of demonic beasts. That was the smell. The contents of the water bag were the venom of the rotting snake.

The three people had something wrapped around their necks. He thought it was to keep warm, but it wasn’t. It was something made by rubbing fat or astringent juice into well-licked leather.

They knew that the opponent would always make a shallow cut at the throat. If they could protect that area for just a moment, they could jump into the opponent’s chest. If they also wrapped a bag of rotting snake venom around their neck. The attacking guards would be exposed to the poison. The weapon that attacked the lord should also be coated with poison.

That’s it!

Last night, the three of them buried the thieves they had killed. If they didn’t bury them, it would be known that they died from poison. It had to remain a secret for just one more day. That’s why they buried them.

Also, what a great speech. They didn’t say it was for revenge or to avenge their parents. They said they would follow their father’s will and defeat the unjust lord. What a great way to speak.

Bard felt a numbness and an indescribable sadness, and he didn’t move for a long time. Godon was the same. Eventually, Godon said in a slightly moist voice.

“Eighteen years old is the same age as my nephew. His sister is probably about the same age as my niece. They were so happy about such a worthless thing. They were even happy to die as a souvenir.”

After a while, he added.

“I wanted to feed them more delicious food.”