Chapter 36
Barbarian Quest
Chapter 36 – Prince of the Sea (6)
The air grew cold. The mercenaries were moments from killing Phillion and Fahel. Nothing changed just because they revealed that the young noble was royalty.
“Just kill him. This job involves the royal family. Let’s just kill them all and cross the border before it gets more complicated,” said Donovan from the side. Phillion quickly shouted after hearing that.
“A-A tremendous reward awaits you if you finish the request fully! The young master is the heir to the Forlcana Kingdom! You guys would be assisting the future king!”
He was desperately shouting.
“Royal or whatever, you have already deceived us once. At best, he’ll just be a king of a small kingdom. It won’t even be the imperial family.”
The mercenaries cackled. Of course, a king of a kingdom wasn’t a status that they could look down on. If they were really in front of a king, the mercenaries would have to bow their heads as if their lives depended on it. However, in just this instance, the mercenaries had the justification and strength to back up their actions.
‘Even if we kill them, we wouldn’t be considered insincere or have gone against our vows. The ones who broke the agreement first were them.’
Sun God Ru wouldn’t punish the mercenaries either. Phillion lied while swearing on Ru’s name and violated the principle of good faith. The Sun God was also on the mercenaries’ side, so there was nothing to hesitate about.
“First, we should make you pay the price of being insincere, Sir Phillion.”
It was the first time Urich attached ‘Sir’ to the knight’s name. Phillion’s eyes shook.
Step, step.
Urich crouched down in front of him, yellow eyes meeting the middle-aged man’s gaze.
“Please, take His Royal Highness to the imperial capital, Urich.”
Phillion spoke softly. Urich quietly whispered back. So quiet that the other mercenaries were unable to hear it.
“At this rate, my brothers will soon become violent since you guys were the ones who violated the principle of good faith. They’re probably talking about killing the young master and stealing the pearls and money right now. If you really want to keep him safe, pay a price that my brothers would be able to accept.”
Phillion’s eyes widened. The mercenary leader’s words were unexpected. Rather than being an inferno of rage, Urich showed a favorable attitude towards him.
‘He wants to continue the request. Then why would he reveal my lie to the other mercenaries?’
While Urich’s actions were contradictory, Phillion had no time to try and understand him.
“I will do anything. Just somehow, please, take Prince Varca…”
Phillion lowered his head. He had already lied while vowing his soul.
“I still don’t get it. Sir Phillion, why are you going so far to protect a child like that?”
“He is royalty and the heir to the kingdom. That is plenty enough for me to be loyal, Urich.”
“No. In my eyes, you just look like an idiot.” Urich bitterly smiled.
He turned around and asked Bakman, “Bakman! How many brothers died?”
“There are three dead. Ah, no, four. One more croaked just now.”
After hearing that, Urich looked back at Phillion.
“Are you left-handed or right-handed?”
The knight heard Urich’s words and had a hunch as to what would happen to him. He pulled off his glove and put forth his hand.
“Right-handed.”
Urich’s axe spun. Phillion closed his eyes and waited for the pain.
CHOP!
The fingers on Phillion’s right hand were getting chopped off, one by one.
“Urgh—”
Phillion desperately swallowed his screams. A finger fell to the ground with each slice.
“S-Sir Phil…lion.”
Fahel wept as he watched the scene. He fell to the floor.
“I’m alright, Your Royal Highness. Please, wait there.”
Phillion smiled while dripping with sweat. The only finger left on his right hand was his thumb. It was a grotesque sight.
“I-Is it f-finished now?”
Phillion’s right hand was trembling as it bled out. Urich looked towards Bakman and asked again.
“Bakman, how many injured are there? The guys who really bled a lot.”
“There are about… five bandaged people?”
Phillion’s face grew pale. Urich’s face looked as if it were saying ‘It still isn’t enough blood yet.’
“You should spill as much blood as my brothers have, right?”
Urich spoke as if he enjoyed it. Phillion’s knees trembled at the sight of the mercenary’s horrific smile.
SLASH.
Urich carved into Phillion’s back with his sword. He would slowly slice the flesh so that the pain was even more vivid. Five crimson lines ran down Phillion’s back.
“Sir Phillion!”
The guard knights supported Phillion whose face was growing white.
“Please, continue escorting His Royal Highness.”
His face fell to the floor as he spoke. Even the mercenaries were speechless in front of his iron will.
“W-We don’t need to be escorted by people like them! Sir Phillion! We can just go ourselves! I only need you to protect me!” shouted Fahel.
The young prince despised Urich and the mercenaries. He wanted to kill the leader who tortured his loyal subject.
Phillion, who had endured all of those punishments, wobbled over until he was in front of Fahel. He raised his hand high.
“Please forgive my impudence, Your Royal Highness.”
SLAP!
Blood came out of Fahel’s mouth. Phillion had gathered all of his strength to mercilessly slap Fahel’s cheek.
“S-Sir Phillion? H-How dare you hit me?”
SLAP!
Phillion slapped him again. The prince’s cheek was swollen red.
“Look at the reality! Your Royal Highness, do you think that we can leave this kingdom alive with just our strengths? It’s impossible even if I gave up my neck instead of my fingers.”
Phillion put forth his right hand as he spoke. Blood was still dripping down his hand. Fahel could see white bones and convulsing pink muscles where Phillion’s fingers were cut.
“GACK!”
Fahel dropped his head to throw up. His tears and mucus mixed in with his vomit as he retched.
‘It was extremely fortunate that we were able to meet the mercenary group at that time. It could only be considered Ru’s guidance. We would have surely fallen to those pursuers had we not hired the mercenaries.’
Phillion thought to himself while calmly trying to withstand the pain. The relationship between the two parties might have deteriorated, but he didn’t think his decision was wrong.
Forlcana was a quiet, small kingdom. It was rare for mercenaries to visit there. It was a miracle that they were able to meet a mercenary group that had enough strength to repel the pursuit party. Phillion had to grab them. Regardless of whatever lies he would have to say.
“I want to continue this request. If there is anyone that opposes it, say it now. Or we can go with the majority vote, as is tradition.”
Urich turned to the mercenaries as he spoke. They clamored with each other.
“We already repelled the pursuit party. Plus, we’re escorting royalty. The rewards would be immense.”
“We should know exactly what job we’re doing before we come to a decision. Why is a prince being chased in his own kingdom?”
“Let’s just steal their money and kill them. We can just go our own way.”
There were a lot of words being exchanged between the mercenaries. The majority of them still favored killing their employers and stealing from them.
Fahel felt dizzy. He heard the mercenaries’ voices sporadically, and his heart kept jumping at the sound of iron clanging against each other.
‘At this rate, I will die.’
His cheek stung. It still didn’t feel real. He had never been slapped, even by his father.
Clack.
Something hard was stuck inside his mouth.
“Ptoo.”
He spat it out on the floor and quickly realized it was a broken tooth.
‘You hit royalty hard enough to break their tooth. What amazing loyalty, Sir Phillion.’
He suddenly laughed and wiped his tainted lips.
“…My name is Varca anu Forlcana.”
Fahel, who had been vomiting his stomach out, raised his head. He formed a tight fist and clenched his teeth before looking at the mercenaries.
“I am the direct heir to this kingdom. But the kingdom’s regent—my uncle—Duke Harmati has set his eyes on the crown. My father has been unconscious for the past year and has still not woken up. Therefore, the throne will transfer over to me when I turn sixteen. Duke Harmati desires to kill me before I come of age. Because if I am gone, the throne would naturally transfer to him, the current regent and king’s brother.”
The context of the request was not too different from the original. The scale has just gotten bigger—from an ordinary noble’s conflict to one involving the royal family.
“I will finish my coming-of-age ceremony in the Empire and return to the kingdom with the assistance of the imperial army. If I do so, Duke Harmati won’t be able to lay a hand on me. Because no matter what anyone else says, I am the sole, direct heir of Forlcana! If I succeed the throne…”
Fahel glanced at Phillion then back at the mercenaries.
“I will give compensation and treatment befitting of the status as Forlcana’s king. I vow this on Sun God Ru’s name.”
Fahel pulled out his Sol pendant and kissed it. If one goes against the vow made to their god, they would face eternal agony in the afterlife. Phillion broke his vows, and as such, his soul had been tainted.
‘Benevolent and generous Ru. Please acknowledge Sir Phillion’s loyalty and forgive him of his sins.’
Fahel suddenly realized something, as if he were struck by a bolt of lightning. He finally realized the sacrifice that Phillion made for him. Losing body parts was nothing. The real sacrifice was the eternal suffering that he would have to face in the afterlife. If Phillion was unable to receive Ru’s forgiveness, he would become a wandering evil spirit that would eternally roam the world without salvation.
“Did you hear that? The next king is promising us a reward on Ru’s name.”
Urich was cackling. The suggestions to kill their employer and rob them were slowly dying away.
‘It’s an opportunity to change my life.’
Those opportunities didn’t come easily. It’s human life to roll around in the mud until you die.
“Since it’s a royal promising it, I want to continue the request.”
“Me too.”
“Do you think he’ll give us farmland as a reward? Since he’ll be king, he should be able to do that much then, right?”
The mercenaries raised their hands one by one. Fahel promised all of the rewards. For those who wanted money, he promised money. For those who wanted land, he promised land.
Phillion and the guard knights breathed sighs of relief. They were alive.
“That’s exactly it. An excellent job, Your Royal Highness.”
Phillion patted Fahel’s head with his left hand. If the prince had kept looking down on the mercenaries and hadn’t promised a reward, the enraged mercenaries would have surely killed them.
“Sir Phillion, I will make sure to award you for your loyalty. Once I become king, I will request the Pope for your indulgence even if it takes billions of gold. I won’t leave your soul to wander this world. I swear on Ru’s name—”
Phillion blocked Fahel’s mouth and shook his head.
“An oath before Ru’s name is only for those who do not trust in one another. For me, your word is enough.”
Fahel gathered his two hands together on his chest. He burst into tears as he opened his mouth.
“Then I… will vow on my name. Not Ru’s.”
* * *
* * *
Phillion was being treated by the guard knights, wiping the dried blood off his back and applying salves.
“For the amount of blood that was shed, the wounds are rather light,” said one of the guard knights. Phillion bent and straightened his back.
‘Only the skin was cut. My muscles are fine.’
They only looked like severe wounds because they were long cuts. In actuality, it wasn’t a big injury.
‘Urich… He’s a clever man.’
Phillion reevaluated the mercenary leader. He was someone who was more clever than the knight thought.
‘But I still don’t understand. Urich realized that I was lying but wanted to continue the request. If he wanted to continue, he could have just turned a blind eye to my lies.’
Urich’s actions were contradictory.
Step.
The man in question finished his meal and came up to Phillion. As the middle-aged man waved his hand, the guard knights left the two to their own.
“You must have spilled a lot of blood. Go eat some meat.”
Urich spoke nonchalantly, as if he weren’t involved with it.
“It’s a funny thing to say to the person who tortured me, but thank you, Urich.”
Phillion slightly bowed his head to show respect.
“I understand why you had to lie, though. If you revealed to us from the start that he was royalty, we wouldn’t have taken on this request. We’ve only come this far because you lied. In the end, your decision was right.”
Urich snickered. Even Donovan, who was gung ho about it at the start, quickly tried to take his hands off the request after realizing Fahel was royalty. Affairs concerning the royal family were just that dangerous and complicated.
‘They were only able to be convinced because they were already involved with it.’
Urich glanced at Phillion’s right hand. A warrior who lost four fingers on his right hand had his life as a warrior ended.
“Don’t resent me too much. Being insincere is being insincere. It isn’t strange for mercenaries to change their minds and kill their employers when they find out that the request was different from what was agreed upon. It was a situation where you wouldn’t have been able to say anything even if we split your young master’s head in half.”
Urich rubbed his nose as he talked. There was dried blood in his nose. He picked it and flicked the bloody booger into the fire.
“I don’t resent you at all. In fact, this much is a cheap price to pay. But… can I ask you one thing?”
“If I say no, are you going to not ask it?”
Phillion laughed with his injured body at Urich’s boldness.
“Why did you reveal my lie when you wanted to continue the request? Again, I am not resenting you for that. I am simply curious.”
“That’s right. I wanted to continue the request because I wanted to go all the way to the imperial capital. Especially since we’re going with a noble, I should be able to see a lot more of the capital known as the center of the world. And now, since Fahel is a royal, I should be able to see the ruler of the world—the Emperor—as well… right?”
Urich spoke quickly, eyes shining like a young boy’s.
“If you want, we can allow you to see the Emperor from afar while we have his audience.”
“The homes and castles of the nobles that I met were amazing. But if it’s the Emperor, it must be even more amazing. Fuck. I bet it’s going to be filled with amazing things there.”
Urich hit his own knee as he laughed. The imperial steel sword, which had become his treasure, was also a weapon that only came out of the imperial family’s smithy.
‘This man…’
Phillion felt his ambitions. It was an innocent desire, akin to a child’s.
“I really want to go to the imperial capital. Even more so if I’m able to go there with a noble. But you know, I would never betray or lie to my brothers for a personal desire. It’s just that. I realized that you were insincere and had a responsibility to tell my brothers.”
There were no complicated reasons. Urich was honest.
He didn’t lie about his desire to see the imperial capital and didn’t betray his duty to his brothers.
‘It’s simple and clean.’
Phillion’s head felt clear.
‘If it’s him, I can trust him. He might be a barbarian, but he is someone who keeps his vows and fulfills his duties. He must be loved by Ru more than someone like me who calmly lies while vowing on a god’s name.’
It was a funny thing. He had a favorable impression of someone who cut his fingers off.
—————
———
—————
Comment