208. King of the North (2)
#208
Another name for the Tukan Plateau was the Land of Life. The relatively constant average temperature, the green land that appears in summer, and the large and small streams of water flowing throughout the plateau have become a home for countless lives, not just the Rundalian residents.
Particularly indebted were the indigenous people who lived in small tribes. The Tukan Plateau, where food was readily available, helped them form a primitive group and live self-sufficiently. Werewolf hunter Pocha was also one of those who enjoyed such blessings.
“I never thought I would meet Jager in my lifetime.”
Pocha, who was leaving to hunt, hummed. The weather was terrible, but she was in a great mood. He benefited from meeting his idol, Zeiger, in person.
Jager came to his tribe with two humans, a man and a woman. The humans needed to treat Jay’s wounds, so he asked to be allowed to stay in the village for a while. Thanks to this, Pocha was able to not only say hello but also have a short conversation with Jager, who was resting.
‘I heard your complexion is not good. I hope you get better quickly…’
The only thing that bothered me was Jager’s complexion, which was not good throughout the conversation. It seemed clear to him that something was up to no good. Pocha closed her eyes for a moment and prayed for him.
“Please rest in peace.”
As I prayed, I somehow felt lighter. He hated humans, but for some reason, it didn’t seem like those two would harm Jager.
I wish I could catch a big Great Deer today. As Pocha got up and started walking again, a sound came to his ears.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
“hmm?”
Pocha turned his head. A Wenwhere Wolf boy was walking along, dragging his legs. She was a child who looked five or six years old at most.
“Kid, where are you going?”
“Ahhh.”’
Instead of answering, the boy let out a strange voice. Its eyes were unfocused, and sticky saliva was dripping from its open snout. His long fingernails, which looked like they had never been trimmed in his life, were also noticeable. At that moment, Pocha noticed that this boy had deformities, which had become more common recently.
“Oh my… tsk tsk.”
The frequency of births with deformed babies was increasing day by day, and she seemed to be one of them. For a moment, it seemed like the tribe had escaped while the locals looked away. Still, dragging one’s legs or drooling were good symptoms.
“Looking at your outfit, you look like the Moss Rock Tribe… Let’s go together, kid. “I’ll take you there.”
Pocha approached the boy and held out his hand. There were many deformed children like that in his own tribe, so he couldn’t just sit by and watch. The werewolf boy did not respond this time, but just walked in silence.
That won’t work. I have to pick it up and move it. It was at this moment that Pocha touched the boy’s shoulder. Suddenly! Something fast and sharp passed by my neck.
“uh?”
The world that Pocha sees has been turned upside down. His other half, which was spinning in the air, landed in the cold snow. In his rapidly fading consciousness, what Pocha saw was a cloudy sky and his own body falling down, sprinkling blood.
Eventually, the light went out from his eyes. The boy’s long, long toenails were soaked with fresh blood. The boy who cut off Pocha’s head with a single blow muttered in an eerie voice.
“Ahh… my… this.”
The boy walked along Pocha’s footsteps. A halo of light created by torches was shining far across the plain. The snow fluttering under the dark sky was getting stronger.
****
“His name is Barka. “He is Jaifa’s brother and the actual mastermind who planned Fang’s Night.”
A dry voice came out of Jager’s mouth. Ronan and Adeshan’s eyes widened. Ronan, who was silent for a moment, opened her mouth.
“…Brothers? Did Jaifa have a brother?”
“okay. It’s not unreasonable to not know. Because I’m a person who doesn’t show off my makeup in front of others. “Among our compatriots in the North, there are probably less than ten people who know his identity.”
This was truly my first time hearing this. I never would have thought that Jaifa had a brother. Ronan approached in stride and squatted down in front of Jager again.
“Tell me in detail. “What do you mean, the actual mastermind?”
“That’s literally it. It was Jaifa who gathered the people and became the focal point, but it is no exaggeration to say that he was the one who planned everything behind the scenes. “The fact that we captured the Margrave of Barça in three days was partly thanks to the strategy he set up.”
Adeshan’s face suddenly hardened upon hearing the name of his hometown. Jager began listing one by one the things that Barca had led so far.
“Unlike Jaifa, he is a cunning and cunning guy, but he is born with the ability to use his head. Do you remember the incident that led to the Night of the Fangs?”
“Occupation of the Imperial Holy Land of Jube.”
“I know very well… I passed that on purpose. A messenger secretly sent by Barca informed the imperial army of a side road through which they could attack the northern defenders. As a result, we lost the symbolic land called the Holy Land, but we were able to gather 10,000 of our compatriots using our anger as a focal point.”
It was truly a series of shocking testimonies. Handing over Jube, the sacred site of the northern beastmen, to the imperial army and defeating the Margrave’s soldiers were all ideas that came from Barca’s head. Jager continued.
“He came to me and asked me if I wanted to become the king of the North. Unlike in the past, he treated me with respect. Without thinking much, I said I would do it if they asked me to. “What happens after that is as you know.”
When Barca came to see Jager, he was in the midst of his banditry. From that day on, Barca served as Zeiger’s advisor, telling him what needed to be done to unite the North once again.
It was unclear why he tried to present Jager as king instead of himself. However, even though he was stupid, Jager was gifted with charisma and the ability to incite, and in just two years, he created a huge force called the New Northern Alliance. Ronan, who was listening to the story, twisted his lips.
‘He’s a dangerous guy. He didn’t even know it existed in his past life.’
I didn’t know why such a big man didn’t show up in his past life. Nothing much happened in the north until the giants came down from the sky. I only vaguely heard that the giant named Doaru, dealt with by the Navardose, had evaporated the Tucan Plateau. Suddenly a question crossed Ronan’s mind.
“wait for a sec. So, was Zaifa’s surrender to the Empire an idea that came from the head of that guy named Barka? “When I hear something explained, it feels like a completely different behavior.”
“That’s sharp. In conclusion, no. As you thought, the Northern Alliance’s surrender was Jaifa’s independent decision. He wanted to take advantage of what he had gained so far, and Barca insisted on pushing forward with the system. “That incident led to a turning point in the relationship between the Turgen brothers, never to meet again.”
Jager said in a somewhat bitter tone. Indeed, as Ronan expected, Jaipa’s surrender and pledge of loyalty were his arbitrary decisions.
Jaipa tried to protect the rights and territory of the Northern Beasts through negotiations using himself as a hostage, but Barka wanted to take everything in his hands. It was obvious that there was tremendous friction between the two until Jaipa made and implemented such a decision.
War was ultimately a part of fighting, so it was something that had to be done to understand, but Ronan thought that Jaifar’s choice was the right one. No matter how fierce the Northern Alliance’s momentum was at the time, it would have been defeated in the end without being able to defeat the giant called the Empire. Ronan thought for a moment while stroking his chin and came to a conclusion.
‘Barka… I have to get rid of it even if I have to turn around for a moment.’
We were already too deep into the area to just look at the blacksmith shop. Moreover, since Barca belonged to the Nebula Clazie, it was also related to her own duties, which were her dawn. Ronan asked.
“good. “Do you know where she ran away to?”
“It’s not exact, but he probably went to Heiran. Because his base is there. “He once had his men follow him to find out.”
Ronan raised his eyebrows. This was again unexpected. Heyran was the destination I originally intended to go to before the itinerary went astray. Ronan suddenly remembered the situation at the blacksmith shop and opened his mouth.
“That’s right, now that I’m thinking about it, please get rid of your men who have occupied Heyran. “Free the blacksmiths that are being held captive.”
“Hey, you seem to be mistaken. If you think I will do what you want…”
Jager frowned. Although he felt remorse at the sight of his compatriots under the curse, he did not completely convert to Ronan’s side. Although he had already said it out of desperation, he was still afraid of Barka. As he was about to say something, he shook his head.
“···No, let’s do that. “I am indebted to you.”
“Good idea.”
“But there is a condition. Even if you meet him, don’t tell him what happened here. I was kidnapped by you guys and returned, muttering nonsense from the pain of having my arms and legs cut off. “Do you understand?”
Ronan, who saw that he was trying to evade responsibility, laughed. I wondered if there was any use in telling the whole story, but I could understand her feelings. By any chance, I could have been silenced by Barca for revealing a secret.
“My opinion that humans should be driven out of the North has not changed. But not this. “No matter how much it is part of a strategy to unite compatriots… this is not it.”
Jager grabbed the doll. Although his head was bad, it was fortunate that his final conscience seemed to remain. This was better than something as insidious as Barka.
“I don’t think you guys can kill Barka. That guy is a monster in a different sense than Jaifa. He must have a strategy to destroy you.”
“Could it be that that child also has the qualities of a swordsman? “That’s a bit harsh.”
“I don’t know because I’ve never seen them fight properly. Because he was a person more suited to being a staff officer than a warrior. But I don’t think that Turgen’s blood will go anywhere.”
Ronan nodded as if in agreement. His skills could be guessed just by the kick he got right away in Jay’s room.
Just looking at it, it seemed like we shouldn’t let our guard down, no matter what it was, as it was almost similar to Jaipa. Suddenly, Jager snapped his fingers as if he remembered something.
“really. I’ll give you this. “It will help us track him down.”
“ok?”
“Instead, you must never let him know of the existence of this item. Because you will definitely realize that I gave it to you. “Where did this damn thing go…”
Jager mumbled and started searching his pockets. He looked like he was about to hand something over. After searching most of the pockets, it was the moment he put his hand into the inner pocket. Ronan narrowed his eyes at her as he felt a twinge of pain near her thigh.
“hmm···?”
“Ronan? what’s the matter?”
Adeshan approached him. Ronan, who was silently rummaging through his pants pocket on the side where the pain occurred, pulled out a short, thick stick. It was a stake used to place a curse on the tribe.
“what?”
“Damn, this…!”
The two people’s faces hardened at the same time. The evil energy rising to the surface became stronger. The curse’s unique purple color was almost visible. Torn screams were coming from outside the tent.
