172 Robert Meets the Steppes
***[Goruka, Red Hawk Chief]***
Between the round, pointed tents, dust could be seen rising in the distance.
Someone is coming.
Almost immediately after Goruka noticed it, a voice that was rather high for a man was heard.
“Chief!”
“Chief!”
Two boys who left a freshness came running, shaking their pouty hair.
ten and nine years old.
These are the children who started entrusting the borders of the tribe from this spring.
Tribal men are committed to protecting their families from an early age.
It was up to boys before adulthood to be alert near tribes and to warn when danger approached.
It must have been very hasty.
The children who ran to the vicinity of Goruka opened their mouths gasping for breath.
“Chief! Snake!”
“I’m the snake man.”
The man the children call Mr. Snake is from a tribe living some distance away.
He was also the one who accompanied the raid on the kingdom not too long ago.
Goruka stopped what she was doing and looked at the man in the distance.
There is no one else behind him.
If you ran alone, it was to announce something.
In that tribe, several women of the Red Hawk are married.
Maybe that’s the relationship.
‘or not.’
Goruka thought of other possibilities and sighed lightly.
I heard from Martin about the situation on the kingdom side.
He would go as far as saying that Oscar was allowed to say it, but he was telling the situation on the other side of the line without betraying the kingdom.
Goruka touched the children’s hair once and smiled.
“Will you tell the girls to prepare for the guest?”
“yes!”
“Don’t leave the customer’s words up to you. Give them water and let them rest.”
The children’s faces lit up.
Taking care of the customer’s horse is the job of a senior boy.
The children who started to stand guard this year may not have had their turn yet.
“thank you!”
“I’ll do it great!”
The children shouted vigorously and gave strength to their shoulders and forearms.
He probably wanted to show off his biceps and muscles.
As if they were trying to imitate adult men, the children were taking off their tops.
Her skin, which had slightly sprouted and looked like the skin of a plucked bird, looked cold.
Of course, biceps do not come out.
The weak muscles were intact, only the veins in the wrists sprouted.
“These guys, dress properly. That doesn’t make you a man.”
The children were serious at Goruka’s words.
“It’s not cold at all!”
“I took it off because it was hot. Until just now, we were training…”
While the children were talking, Mr. Snake, a man from another tribe, came closer.
A scorching heat radiates from the man’s body.
He was bare-chested, as most warriors are.
The children alternately looked at their own muscles and the man’s naked body, then slipped away.
There are many warriors from the same tribe around you, even if you don’t have to look at men from other tribes, and they are funny guys.
It looks as if the men in my tribe lack muscle.
Goruka looked at the thin backs of the children and smiled wryly as he approached Mr. Snake.
The man quickly got off his horse, entrusted the horse to the children, and stretched out his arms.
After holding each other’s arms and hugging lightly, the man opened his mouth.
“The kingdom has set foot on the steppe land.”
also.
Goruka’s face darkened.
The children held the reins and stood a little apart, but their ears were pricked up.
“Let’s go into the tent.”
At the words of Goruka, Mr. Snake also glanced at the children.
The man’s expression softened slightly.
“Kids do the same thing everywhere they go.”
After muttering that, he stomps his feet toward the children.
“These bastards! If you steal and listen to adult stories, you won’t be able to use them!”
The children screamed in surprise and ran away in an instant.
The words left alone cried as if they were laughing.
Upon entering the tent, the man immediately opened his mouth.
“The kingdom’s forces have moved deep into the steppes. They say they’re near Blackrock Tribe lands now.”
“It would have been difficult without a guide.”
“It looks like they took a wanderer as their guide.”
The man said that and his face twisted.
“You filthy traitor!”
“…”
A bitter smile appeared on Goruka’s face.
It’s ridiculous to be swearing on this side of anyone who has been kicked out of a tribe or who gets his income from small exchanges with the kingdom.
If there is no other way to live and eat like that, then there is nothing you can do about it.
But that’s because Goruka himself was tainted with the kingdom’s thoughts.
If he hadn’t known Oscar, he would have reacted the same way as this man.
And in the not-too-distant future, you will be hearing that too.
“What are we going to do in Blackrock?”
“It looks like they’re going to wait and see, since they haven’t entered their territory yet. But I’ve heard they’re not going to let you step in.”
“Other tribes…”
“It looks like he’s running on the road after hearing this news.”
“…”
“Especially the Silvermoon Clan is in trouble.”
Goruka listened silently to what the man was saying and lowered her head.
The man stopped talking while discussing the reactions of the various tribes.
“Goruka, what about the position of the Red Hawk? As I said before… You…”
“…”
Goruka nodded, and the man shut his mouth.
I look at her with strong eyes and ask again.
“Hasn’t the kingdom changed its mind since it set its dirty feet on our land?”
“You can’t turn away from the moon child.”
“…”
The man talked for a while, then got up after eating the food the women had brought.
“The Chief told me to tell you. Our tribe has decided that the kingdom is our enemy.”
“…”
“But there are a few warriors who have broken the law of the steppe, so I’m kicking them out.”
“what!”
When I looked at the man in surprise, he shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
“I’m going to be kicked out too. See you later.”
After saying that, the man ran out.
The man’s words are simple.
Although the tribe said that the kingdom was an enemy on the outside, it meant sympathizing with the side on the inside.
The chieftain of that tribe could have simply chosen to protect himself.
Even if the raid on the kingdom succeeds or fails, they may have planned to leave their blood on both sides.
But even if it were, that wouldn’t be the only reason.
Obviously because Oscar is the child of the moon.
that has had an impact
‘If that tribe judged it that way, it would be the same for other places.’
There is hope.
Even if it’s not just the Red Hawk tribe alone, if warriors from several tribes come here, or if even a few tribes add their strength, and if Oscar’s power is added to that, we can win.
And even after the war between the kingdom and the steppes is over, it will be possible to prevent the red hawk tribe from completely splitting from the steppes.
Goruka hurriedly headed out of the tent.
The man is already on the verge of leaving on horseback.
“Thank you!”
After saying that, the man glanced back, laughed, and ran.
***[Crown Prince Robert]***
It’s already been over ten days, but it’s just an endless meadow.
Robert glared at the guide who was leading the way.
‘Damn it. Are you cheating as well?’
The guide does not know the language of the kingdom well.
He was guiding the way with a few common words and gestures.
But at least he would have known that he had come to subdue them.
But somehow it seems he’s going round and round and cheating on the road.
Of course, Robert did not judge himself that way.
The meadow just seemed to continue with the same scenery on all sides, and it was difficult for Robert to decide for himself whether this was the place he had seen yesterday or the first place he had been to.
However, among the mercenaries, such words were sometimes heard.
The mercenaries seem to be able to find differences even in the same scenery.
Again, when someone complained, similar words poured out on the guide from all sides.
“Hey, it’s nice to go slow, but going round and round in the same place is too much.”
“If you get paid, do it right.”
“Ah, damn it. At least guide me to the tent where the woman is!”
Wahahahaha, laughter spread all over the place.
Robert rode his horse away from the mercenary.
Both the guide and the mercenary treat him like an idiot.
He is the crown prince of a country, and he is the commander-in-chief of this punitive force, but no one followed his words.
I was planning to properly find the barbarians, surround them, and attack them, but when Robert says so, he laughs loudly in front of them.
‘Damn it!’
If it was the kingdom, I wouldn’t have ignored it so openly.
But this is a meadow.
Even if you die somewhere in a corner of the land, no one will know if you blame it on the work of the barbarians.
‘Those guys remain like that.’
The attitude of the mercenaries was rough and rude enough to raise such suspicions.
There were several occasions when he deliberately drew a knife in front of Robert.
What the hell was Father thinking when he called them in?
Mother doesn’t even know why…
At that thought, it seemed that he had drifted away without realizing it.
“His Highness Robert! Is it dangerous to go that far? Barbarians here.”
It was when the mercenary captain laughed and shouted.
Suddenly the guide’s face turned white and he ran towards Robert.
“No! No! No there! #$%& land! I, didn’t know. Realm moved.”
Suddenly looking down, a few stones painted black caught my eye.
Robert’s words touched it, and stones that stood side by side were scattered.
The guide shouted, pointing alternately at the black stone and at Robert.
“No! Run! Run! #$%& is coming. Run!”
The mercenary captain came closer, checked the stone, and smiled.
“Ohhh, I’ve finally found it. It looks like this is their territory. This guide seems to have been avoiding that territory all along.”
No matter how much he shouted, the mercenary and Robert wouldn’t move, so the guide quickly turned around.
It looks like he’s trying to run away.
However, mercenaries who were already everywhere came and were around.
“Ahahahaha, it looks like he’s trying to run away.”
“Where are you going?”
“Ohh, is it tracking time?”
“It must be fun.”
One of the mercenaries giggled and grabbed the spear by turning it the other way around and stabbing the guide.
The guide fell forward, but quickly got up.
He was frightened and his face was white.
But he was looking at the distant horizon, not the mercenary.
Suddenly he fell flat on the ground and put his ears to the floor.
“What are you doing, you bugger?”
It seems that the guide did not like to see that figure.
A mercenary quickly got off his horse and pushed the prostrate guide on the buttocks with his foot.
However, the mercenary’s foot fell to the floor in vain, and the guide jumped up.
It’s a speed that I couldn’t even imagine with my slow and stupid actions so far.
The guide shouted something and quickly slipped through the mercenaries like a squirrel.
A few people tried to catch them, but the guides acted too fast.
While no one was able to catch it, a short whistle exploded from the guide’s mouth, and his short-legged horse came running.
They ran towards each other, and the guide got on without even stopping.
“What, what is it?”
“How could he move that fast?”
While the mercenaries were confused, the guide started to run the horse at a completely different speed than before.
“What are you looking at stupidly, grab it! I can’t find the savages without that guy’s guidance! If I’m wrong, I’ll even lose my way back.”
When the mercenary captain shouted harshly, the mercenaries began to chase after the guide.
However, the guide’s appearance quickly faded away.
It was a time when a few people followed the guide on horseback, and the nobles of the Weber Kingdom who had participated in the subjugation were buzzing.
someone muttered.
“What is that?”
Robert looked away to see clouds of dust rising on the distant horizon.
The mercenary captain, who was watching with his eyes narrowed, shouted like a thunderbolt.
“It’s them! Form up your ranks! Leave your baggage alone and take up your arms.”
The captain’s horse spread to the mercenaries and kingdom soldiers in the back.
“It’s a savage!”
“The barbarians are coming!”
While the kingdom’s nobles and soldiers scrambled to prepare for battle, the mercenaries quickly drew their weapons and started running toward the enemy.
Wow, the shouts of the mercenaries reverberate through the air.
The mercenary commander also took out his weapon.
“hehehe, it saved you the trouble of finding it. His Highness Robert, please wait here.”
“I’ll go too!”
As Robert impatiently grabbed the reins, the mercenary commander glared at him with sharp eyes.
“The commander-in-chief doesn’t fight directly. Just stand in the back and watch.”
“…”
This fight belongs to the kingdom, to Robert.
He tried to refute something, but Robert kept his mouth shut without saying a word.
The mercenary commander’s gaze was so frightening.
It was a look that didn’t see people as people.
As Robert flinched, the mercenary commander opened his mouth again.
“Because Your Highness needs to be alive to get paid properly. If you carry a dead body, the money will decrease.”
After saying that, the mercenary commander smiled and turned the reins.
As the dust of the distant barbarians slowly approached, Robert’s eyes began to see them.
The savage running in front seems to be holding a bow.
The moment I thought so, the mercenary commander, who was riding a little away from Robert, fell to the ground.
A large arrow was stuck in the head of the mercenary commander.
“Uh… what, what?”
The moment he murmured that, the mercenaries who were running toward the barbarians began to fall off their horses one by one.