The armory of the Order of the Sun Warriors was one of the largest weapon warehouses in the world. Steel weapons forged by the imperial smithy hung around the armory and were grouped up by weapon type. There were even a few sets of plate armor.
âHow is it? Isnât this awesome?â boasted one of the Sun Warriors, showing Urich their armory.
The Order of the Sun Warriors was an order of warriors filled with only Northerners, Southerners, or those with some barbarian blood in them. They had enough freedom to call themselves âwarriorsâ instead of âknightsâ. They greeted Urich, an outsider, and showed him their armory.
âWow, this is killer. The edge is so sharp. Can I take one of these?â Urich asked while thinking about his axes that broke during the previous duel.
âThatâs why weâre telling you to join. If you do, you can take whatever weapon you want,â replied a Sun Warrior. They were laughing amongst themselves while looking at Urich.
âItâs a better place than I thought it was. I thought that it would be filled with people like Havald.â
âHavald is a bit stiff. But high-ranked people love people like him, haha.â
The Sun Warriors laughed. A lot of them spent their youths outside of civilization. Even if they became civilized after converting to Sol, they still had that distinct barbarian feeling about them.
Swirl!
Urich grabbed a double-sided axe and lightly spun it around. The sound that it made while cutting the air was different. This weapon was the pinnacle of metallurgy.
Not all iron was created the same. The iron quality changed depending on where it was mined from, and the properties of the iron changed based on how it was heated. Weapons made from steel, also known as imperial steel, were made with the highest quality iron.
âThis weapon was made through research after research.â
It was in a completely separate league from the iron weapons of his tribe. The tribeâs iron weapons were either made with low-quality iron ores or from scraps of iron being sloppily pounded together.
âI want it.â
Urichâs imperial steel sword was nearing the end of its lifespan. No matter how excellent a weapon was, in the end, it would inevitably be exhausted.
âYou want it, right? Of course you want it. Because youâre a warrior that knows about the value of this weapon,â said one of the Sun Warriors, almost teasingly.
âJust give me one. Iâll even give you money.â
As Urich whined, the Sun Warrior shook his head.
âThis isnât something for sale, Mr. Armor Destroyer.â
âSo did you call someone over to tease and make fun of them? What a nasty personality.â
Urich put the weapon back in its spot.
âThe Order of the Sun Warriors never have enough people. Surprisingly, there arenât a lot of people who are both skilled warriors and converted barbarians or have barbarian blood in them. Those who are skilled wonât even convert on the verge of death, and the majority of those who do convert only did so to adhere to civilization and lack true faith. Theyâre lacking as warriors too.â
That was the reason why the Order of the Sun Warriors were eyeing Urich so much. Havald had already testified for his strength.
âHmmâŚâ
Urich thought for a second, rubbing his chin. The Order of the Sun Warriors was not as strict of an organization as he thought it was. There were simply a variety of people. It was also a rather famous group.
âBut then Iâd have to serve the Emperor. Gross. Just thinking about having someone above me makes me want to vomit. It doesnât suit me,â said Urich, waving his hands. He looked at the Sun Warriors. Each and every one of them were strong warriors. They were all individually much superior to the other soldiers.
âThen who are you going to use your strength and sword for?â asked a Sun Warrior, standing up. They were people who gave their swords to the Emperor.
âYouâre starting to sound like Havald. Itâs pointless to answer.â
âNo matter how you try to spin it, the violence that we have is evil. In the end, we can only use it to harm others. But if we swing our swords for Sun God Ru and the Emperor, it could be used for good.â
âI canât believe youâre saying that itâs âgoodâ to kill and conquer your own kin. Thatâs disgusting in its own right,â retorted Urich, the corners of his mouth twisting up.
âI donât have anything I could say for that criticism. We are, without a doubt, treating our own kin as enemies, but a small sacrifice must be made for proper change.â
âPointing your sword at your family and brothers is revolting. No matter how you try to spin it.â Urich, like Sven, felt an intrinsic hatred towards the Sun Warriors. It was hard to accept with Urichâs values.
âIn the end, Iâm like Sven. I canât accept their ways.â
Betraying your tribe and your brothers was an unacceptable thing. While many things could be forgiven, that could never. In Urichâs eyes, the Order of the Sun Warriors was an existence filled with âevilâ.
âUrich, even though youâve converted, you still have yet to throw away your identity as a barbarian.â
âOne must never forget their roots,â answered Urich. The Sun Warriors shut their mouths.
âHe wouldnât fit with the Sun Warriors.â
They no longer tried to persuade Urich.
âI enjoyed looking at the armory. See you again next time.â
Not too long after, he received a summon from Fahel. Urich left the training ground and returned to the Swallow Castle. He looked at the other castles from afar.
âEven though he acted like heâd show me everything⌠the only place Iâm allowed to go is here.â
It felt like he was imprisoned.
âIt might have been better to leave the castle and explore the city,â thought Urich. He thought about other such things before entering Fahelâs room.
âYouâre here.â
Fahel welcomed him while in the middle of a conversation with Phillion, a bright expression adorning the princeâs face.
âSo, when can we meet that Emperor person?â asked Urich as he pretended to yawn.
âItâs not that simple. It seems like the Empire doesnât think that greatly of me. We might even have to wait for a long time.â Fahel laughed awkwardly.
âYouâre royalty. High status! Where did that confidence go, you bastard?â
Urich slapped the shit out of Fahelâs back. Fahel wobbled like he was going to fall over.
âEven then⌠If the Emperor is the moon, I am just a tiny firefly,â said Fahel, mocking himself. He could feel his pitiful standing.
âCheer up, Fahel. Why did you risk your life to come here? To go back home empty-handed and offer up the throne to your uncle?â
It was Urichâs way of cheering him up. Fahel smiled bitterly and signaled Phillion to give them some space. The knight took a bow and left.
âUrich, you already did more than enough as a mercenary leader. No reward would ever be enough for what you did. And I donât have anything on me to pay you additionally. Furthermore⌠if my stay gets extended, I wonât even be able to pay for the mercenary groupâs expenses.â
The mercenary group wouldnât easily betray Fahel. They were able to hold on without pay because they were looking forward to the final reward that they would receive from him. However, at the end of the day, mercenaries were mercenaries. If Fahel wasnât able to pay them, they would eventually leave. Perhaps they might even try to sell Fahel over to Duke Harmati. Even if their mercenary leader opposes it.
âStop that depressing nonsense.â
âSo, this isnât something that Iâm requesting of you as your employer,â said Fahel, his fingers laced together. His lips jittered and trembled as he lifted his head.
âYouâre a man too. Stop hiding shit like a girl and tell me.â Urich was tapping on the table with his fingers.
âIf I want an audience with the Emperor, I need a different method. One that would make the Emperor gain interest in me, a prince of a small kingdom.â
After a long deliberation, Fahel came to a decision. He didnât want to say it. He had a good relationship with Urich and didnât want to request something that would destroy that relationship.
âBut I have to become king.â
A king should be beyond his emotions. He must decide on bigger things.
âAnd?â
âIf you think of me as a friend⌠Iâm asking this of you as a friend, Urich. Enter the jousting tournament and win. With my name, as my knight.â
Fahel closed his eyes tight then opened them again. He couldnât bear to look at Urichâs face right away. He knew better than anyone how shameless of a request it was.
âIâd have nothing to say if he refuses. Itâs a ridiculous request.â
However, if Urich rejected his request, it would be difficult for both of them to have the same relationship that they had before. A request under the pretext of friendship was always something like that. It was equivalent to using their friendship as a hostage to threaten Urich to do something.
Fahel requested this after resolving himself for the potential breakdown of their relationship. It was a kingâs decision.
âYou were worrying about something as pointless as that? I just have to fight with your name, right? Fightingâs what Iâm best at.â
âWhat? Huh?â Fahel impulsively reacted. Urich accepted it without hesitation. He didnât expect that answer.
âYou and I are different, Fahel. Killing a few people and fightingâs nothing to me. If itâs something as minor as that, make as many requests as you want. If we have different specialties and things weâre good at, we should use that and help each other out, no?â
âBut even though Iâm asking you to do this, I canât do anything for you.â
â...Sometimes, friends help each other out without expecting a reward. And youâre not requesting this from Urich the mercenary, but from Urich, your friend.â
Fahel was on the verge of crying but held it back. He bit his lips with resolve and nodded.
âI will become king no matter what.â
His resolve was strong. He looked at Urich. Urich tilted his head to the left and to the right, scratching his chin.
âHey, whatâs this jousting thing though? Itâs fighting, right? You wouldnât have asked me if it wasnât something like that.â
After hearing that, Fahel almost let out a laugh but choked on his spit and coughed instead, a few tears coming out.
âReally, heâs amazing. He accepted it before even knowing what it was.â
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator â goguma
Proofreader â yukitokata
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* * *
The Jousting Tournament. It didnât have a long history. It was a new custom that started around five years ago in various parts of the Empire.
The last major war that the Empire participated in was the Barbarian Subjugation ten years ago. Wars on the national scale were over, but smaller regional battles between the lords still continued. Nobles continuously fought other nobles over their territory, and as a result, the need for a skilled knight was still there.
âBut how will we find skilled knights?â
The nobles found how. Joust. Unlike traditional mock sword battles, it was a new way of having matches to test all of the essential skills of a knight.
Jousting matches might have become a way for wandering knights to make money and get hired by nobles, but it was still limited to knights who had both war horses and equipment. As always, poor warriors had no chance of advancing their careers other than through war.
âThe jousting tournament is split into battles on horseback and battles on foot,â said Phillion, explaining the jousting tournament. Urich was listening to him while leaning on Kilios.
âDo you have to use a lance? Itâs not like I canât use spears. Itâs just not my type.â
âYou donât have to use one. But nine out of ten people use it. All winners have also used lances. Itâs just an overwhelmingly superior weapon when it comes to fighting on horseback, to the point where you donât even need to consider other weapons. In the jousting tournament, at least. Thatâs why itâs called jousting! Because it âtingâs when the lance hits the opponent!â Phillion emphasized. He then showed Urich how to hold a lance. He took a form that stuck the lance under his armpit and put the horseâs weight into the tip of his lance.
âIf properly trained cavalries charge at you on their horses with lances in their hands, nothing can stop it. There are only a handful of cavalries that are that well-trained, but⌠Anyways, the person who falls off their horse first during the joust is put in an unfavorable situation. Since you have a low chance of winning once youâre off your horse, a lot of people just forfeit at that point.â
âHmmm.â
Urich was rubbing his chin. He also knew how terrifying the cavalry could be. It was extremely difficult for a foot soldier to face a cavalry. Facing a horse wasnât just intimidating. Even Urich would have to fight tooth and nail if he were to face a cavalry.
âItâs a completely different method of fighting than the one youâve used up to now. Youâll have to wear heavy iron armor, have a shield in one hand, and a lance in the other.â
âThen wouldnât it be better if one of you guys went out instead? Instead of someone like me.â
âItâs something that hurts my pride to admit, but you, even with a shallow knowledge in jousting, have a much higher chance of winning than usâŚâ Phillion bitterly spoke. Urich was a top-grade, first-rate warrior. He was one of the strongest people amongst the countless knights and warriors that Phillion had met. He was young but had a lot of real battle experience. It also wouldnât be an exaggeration to say that his strength was god-given. Urichâs caliber of strength couldnât be achieved just by effort alone. It was in the realm of talent.
âIf a warrior like that learns civilizationâs techniques⌠How amazing of a knight would he become! It terrifies me, but I also want to see it with my own two eyes.â
Phillion had a demonstration match with the other guard knights. He used his body to show Urich how matches typically progressed.
âYou fight well despite missing fingers on your right hand, Phillion!â shouted Urich as he watched.
âHe says that so easily despite being the person who cut them off.â
Phillion chuckled while comforting the rented war horse. He then slowly steered the stallion to continue the demonstration match with the other knight.
Urich opened his eyes wide and meticulously focused on the mock battle. His eyes were chasing Phillionâs every movement.
âHeâs watching and learning well. As expected, heâs smart.â
Phillion also knew that Urich was quite smart. Urich often learned words from Fahel, and Fahel would get shocked every time at his ability to learn. Urich would never forget something that he learned once.
âAlright, thatâs enough for a demonstration. Now, let me try it. Be my opponent, Sir Phillion,â said Urich while patting Kilios.
Kilios swiftly blew air out of its nose, waiting for Urich to climb upon his back.