Barbarian Quest - Chapter 57: Road to the Empire (9)

Chapter 57: Road to the Empire (9)

“Sir Phillion, I thought I told you to make sure that Urich doesn’t cause any trouble…” said Fahel. He came out after hearing the commotion at the gate. After seeing what Urich did, he covered his mouth in shock and shook his head.

‘Urich, what the hell did you do?’

He saw the two men hanging on the poles. Humans were twisted and folded up as if they had no joints. Blood, urine, and feces slid down the pole.

“I apologize, Your Royal Highness.”

Phillion had no words. He felt at fault for not being able to stop Urich.

“It’s fine. There’s nothing we can do if it’s come this far.”

Fahel took a deep breath to calm his dry heaves.

“It is not a pretty sight.”

Phillion furrowed his brows as well.

The two met up with the mercenary group and waited for the trial by duel. There were a lot of people visiting the gate after hearing about it.

“Back off! How dare you try to crawl in here?”

The soldiers were pushing the audience back. Those who were pushed back climbed up on things like trees and waited patiently for the fight.

“Why are they fighting?”

“The gate captain paid off someone to assassinate someone.”

Rumors passed from mouth to mouth throughout the audience.

Ohber, who was on edge, started grinding his teeth.

‘Damn it. What is all of this? Because of that idiot Grimun?’

He looked at Grimun who was still hanging on the pole. The adjutant’s face was turning pale. It was obvious that he wouldn’t live to see the next day. His entire body was twisted and distorted. It was amazing that he was even alive.

“It’s cruel, but it’s a rare skill. Amazing.”

It wasn’t just one or two people who were in awe after looking at Grimun. The more they looked at him, the more they were amazed by it. It was to the point where they forgot how cruel it was to leave someone in that state.

“Urich, you got this.”

“Snap his throat.”

“Full plate’s nothing, yeah?”

“Full plate armor is something. But if it’s our leader, Urich, it’s simple. Right?”

The mercenaries surrounded Urich and cheered for him. They knew why he was doing all of this.

‘Even though it doesn’t bring him a single gold coin, Urich is getting revenge for Donovan.’

Mercenaries have a relationship built by money. Even if they called themselves brothers, they did not have a tight, close-knit bond like those in the same unit in an army or those in the same tribe. The only person that acted loyally in the mercenary group—as if they were truly brothers—was Urich. There was not a single mercenary who wasn’t moved by this.

‘Even if I die, Urich will get revenge for me.’

They felt reassured whenever they thought about it. Urich would never ignore it if his mercenaries died an unjust death. Even back when a few of the mercenaries died from Phillion’s lies, Urich set it right by cutting off Phillion’s fingers and honored their deaths.

“Urich, it’s a bit difficult to face an opponent wearing full plate armor,” said Sven, looking at the other side. Ohber’s representative was wearing plate armor. It was an older model of full plate armor; a generation old, but it still couldn’t be compared to other types of armor. Full plate armor was the pinnacle of all modern armor.

“I already have experience fighting someone wearing iron plates like that before,” said Urich. It was a short remark. Urich then thought of the knight he faced at the Sky Mountain Range.

‘Pordgal Arten.’

He still didn’t forget the knight’s name.

“Most attacks won’t work on him,” said Sven. He knew about the terrors of full plate armors. An army of full-plate-wearing knights was a literal nightmare. The armor’s elasticity and curved surfaces made all sorts of spears and swords pointless.

“It’s not as if there aren’t any gaps. There’s nothing to be scared about. Humans die from a single stab, even just an inch deep.”

Urich raised his head and looked onwards. He gazed at his opponent who had armed himself in full plate armor.

It was noon. The sun hung above their heads. It was the time of day when the shadows were the shortest. The Sun God gazed down into the world with their eyes wide open. Those who feared the Sun God hid underneath the shades.

There were a lot of people that gathered to watch the trial by duel. In fact, there were even a few people taking advantage of the situation by carrying signs to sell food.

“We shall now begin the sacred trial before Ru’s name!” shouted Sun Warrior Havald.

“Raymooooooond!” cheered the gate soldiers. Raymond sauntered out, covered head to toe in full plate armor. The heavy sound of iron clanging against each other could be heard with each step he took.

‘As expected, full plate armor is good.’

The feeling of having your entire body encased in plates of iron. Your field of vision gets narrower, and your senses become duller.

‘But once you are aware of the armor’s functionalities, that stuffiness turns into comfort.’

The feeling of having your entire body protected by plates of iron. The sense of your skin becoming one with the iron plates. Your fear of bladed weapons would completely disappear. You could even delude yourself into thinking that you have become stronger. A sense of exaltation from the iron boiled from within.

When he was still a squire, Raymond had an instance of wearing plate armor as practice. One of the responsibilities of a squire was to assist the knight in equipping and unequipping the armor. As someone who had experience as a squire, he knew well about the structures of the armor.

‘If my master hadn’t died, I might’ve been able to become a knight as well. Perhaps I could have set accomplishments on the battlefield and entered the Order of the Imperial Steel Knights… Maybe there is a future where I could’ve received my own plate armor.’

He might currently be a soldier of the Gate Defense Guards, but he also once dreamt of becoming a great knight. He grew up hearing Blademaster Perjen’s sagas when he was young. He would lead the other kids in the village, swinging his wooden sword as he played the role of Perjen.

‘But, even if it’s just for this instance, I am a knight wearing plate armor.’

He walked proudly, as if he were a true knight. He answered the soldiers’ cheers with a bow.

“Fuuu, fuuu…”

Every breath he took reflected from the plate armor and returned to him with a metallic smell. Raymond looked at the audience with his narrow vision.

‘There must be nobles or high-ranked people amongst them. They might even choose me as their vassal after seeing my performance.’

The dreams that he gave up on were unfolding again. This duel was an opportunity for him.

‘I will show everything that I have here.’

Raymond never skipped a day when he was a squire. He was strict on himself; a sparkling time in his life when he swung his sword everyday, dreaming of becoming a knight. He still wasn’t a knight now, but thanks to his efforts, he was one of the strongest people in the Gate Defense Guards.

‘The era of attaining knighthood by killing barbarians has passed.’

The barbarian subjugation that happened a decade ago was the last opportunity for military men to advance their careers. Now, it was too difficult to become a knight through military accomplishments. There were no more battlefields for soldiers to make a contribution. The only thing they could participate in, at best, were the small disputes between lords.

‘But right now, I will kill that barbarian and catch the nobles’ eyes.’

Raymond resolved himself.

Urich the Barbarian pulled his sword out of the ground and walked forth. He was a barbarian that wore fur in place of armor. His exposed skin was just his scar-covered muscles. He was a warrior with plenty of real-battle experience.

‘This is a knight’s swordsmanship.’

Raymond grabbed his sword with both hands and raised it high. His commanding presence flowed out of his armor.

“It’s the Owl Stance. An amazing form. If you told me that he was a knight and not just some regular soldier, I’d believe you,” said a member of the audience. It was called the Owl Stance because the stance resembled an owl swooping in to catch a rat.

‘He might have raised his sword high, but there aren’t a lot of openings because of the armor.’

Urich furrowed his brows.

Step.

Urich and Raymond faced each other. They paced around in a circle with a set distance between them.

Raymond took a step forward and swung down. His blade aimed for Urich’s shoulder.

Clang!

A clear metallic sound rang out as the two confronted each other. Urich raised his sword to swat away Raymond’s blade. The two, who changed positions with the first attack, kicked the floor to charge at one another.

“Heut.”

Urich took a deep breath and released a barrage of attacks. His attacks, which were done with both weapons in hand, were explosively strong. Raymond was busy twisting his blade in every direction to block Urich’s attacks.

‘A terrifying attack speed.’

Raymond jumped back. He would’ve surely been cut by one of the attacks if he wasn’t wearing full plate armor.

“Damn, strong as always, that armor. My blade keeps slipping off its grooves,” said Urich, shaking his head as if he were shaking off his sweat. He was able to get a couple of hits in, but they all slipped off the armor’s side. If Raymond were wearing chainmail, either the chains or his bones would have broken by now.

Urich’s eyes were filled with desire.

‘Armor.’

He also knew about the importance of armor. The Northerners, who had supreme physical abilities, didn’t wear armor for no reason. No matter how strong they were, if their flesh was cut and their blood shed, they would die. That was how humans were.

‘If I’m going to get one, I have to get the best one.’

Urich couldn’t satisfy his desires with just chainmail.

“Hooo!”

He threw an axe. It was a surprise attack. He tried to aim at Raymond’s helmet, the same trick he used when he overwhelmed the knight in the Sky Mountain Range.

Clang!

“A futile attempt!”

Raymond raised his sword to deflect it. His concentration was at its peak. Within that narrow vision, he saw every miniscule movement Urich’s fingers were making.

‘It’s not going as well as I thought it would,’ thought Urich.

Urich laughed while moving his shoulders up and down. His fierce teeth showed with his radiant smile.

‘Idiot,’ thought Raymond.

He laughed at Urich. There was already an overwhelming difference in equipment. If one wanted to defeat someone wearing full plate armor, they would have to bring a short sword as their secondary weapon. Because the most effective move was to stab the gap between the armor. It was difficult to fight someone wearing plate armor with a long and thick sword.

‘Now it’s my turn.’

Raymond rushed to the offensive. He flamboyantly showed off his swordsmanship that he had trained for decades.

“Ohhhh!” shouted the audience. Raymond’s skills were above average. He was better than the vast majority of knights.

‘A usable soldier. He’s skilled.’

A few nobles had their eyes on him. The situation was going exactly how Raymond planned it.

“Huh?” Urich’s eyes were wide open. Raymond caught his sword with one hand.

“Kurgh.”

Raymond’s eyes were wide open as well. He planned on restraining Urich by grabbing his sword.

‘Why is he so strong?’ questioned Raymond. He was also rather tenacious. Even though it felt like his fingers were going to break, he didn’t let go of Urich’s sword. Because of that, it looked as if he were getting dragged around by Urich’s sword. An opening appeared with his broken balance.

‘You lost your balance by trying to hold on to my sword. Die.’

CRUSH!

Urich’s axe hit Ramond’s head. The axe handle shattered, and the blade bounced off of Raymond’s helmet.

‘Damn it, the handle couldn’t endure my strength and broke.’

Urich knew that he didn’t have a way to hit Raymond now. He wasn’t able to finish it with that axe strike.

Raymond groaned. The impact spread throughout the armor. His head was throbbing. The steel helmet was able to absorb most of the blow, so it wasn’t so bad that he would faint.

‘I won. His axe is broken and I’m holding onto his sword with my hand. He has no way to attack me.’

Raymond laughed through the pain. He was sure of his victory. He was holding Urich’s sword with his left hand and holding his own sword in his right.

‘Become the sacrifice for my career, barbarian!’

Raymond, who was dazed from the strike to his head, was able to lift his head alone through his sheer will and desire. Suddenly, his left hand felt light.

Urich had let go of his sword.

‘He let go of it? His only weapon?’

Urich then used both hands to grab and pull in Raymond’s neck. It was a decision made without hesitation. Urich believed in his own body.

“UWOOOOOOH!”

He roared as he pulled Raymond’s head down and raised his knee with all of his strength.

Crush.

The last thing Raymond saw was Urich’s knee. The comparably thin visor was crushed by Urich’s knee, and Urich was able to land a blow to Ramond’s brain.

“Huh?”

Even the audience had a dumbfounded look. It was concluded with a single strike from Urich’s knee. Blood flowed out of the fallen Raymond’s helmet. Anyone could tell that he was dead.

Urich sat down and let out a deep breath. His coarse breaths rose up like smoke. He then stood up while grabbing his bruised knee.

“As expected, plate armor is strong. Not as strong as my body, though,” he said. The silent audience erupted into cheers. Loud enough to feel as if the gate were going to collapse.

“Who is that man?”

“His name is Urich? Where is that barbarian from?”

The nobles who were eyeing Raymond were shocked and whispered to each other.

After confirming Raymond’s death, Havald gave a solemn declaration.

“Sun God Ru has proven Grimun’s innocence. Ohber, who has lied before Ru, shall face an equitable punishment for his crimes.”

———