Chapter 40: Return

The warriors who called themselves such were all galloping across the great desert, with Kakanter leading the way, causing a fierce sandstorm. Ian, too, followed closely behind, his hood pulled over his head.

Beric...

“Huh. Huh-hek.”

“Shut up. Keep your mouth shut.”

He was right behind the warrior guarding Ian, constantly letting out laughter. It seemed he was in a good mood because they hadn’t left him behind. Even though he was tightly wrapped in cloth and secured with ropes.

“Sir Ian, is it really okay to bring this?”

“What can we do? He said he’d cause trouble if we left him.”

“Crazy guy. He even says he doesn’t want to rest.”

“Is that resting? It’s more like being excluded!”

Beric could miraculously sit up, but walking was a struggle. While everyone was discussing whether it would be better to leave him behind, he made a bomb announcement.

He said he would bite his tongue and die if they left him.

It was absurd, but it seemed like Beric would really do it, so they had no choice.

“Then, is this participating in the battle? You’re just hanging on to the kusire and being moved around. Well, if an arrow comes, at least use you as a shield.”

“Yeah. No. I think I’ll be fine in two days.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“Really. I can feel it.”

Ian shook his head at Beric’s words to the warrior. Surely, that guy must have some hidden secret besides being a swordsman. Even the Tianli people, who were born with the energy of nature, didn’t show such a recovery rate.

Ian kept glancing at Beric, and Beric, noticing this, grinned. He seemed to be in a very good mood.

Clatter clatter!

“Kakan! I can see Bariel!”

“Let’s go!”

One of the leading warriors shouted. The small shrine where they had made a peace agreement began to come into view. At Kakan’s call, they all increased the speed of their kusire.

Neigh!

In an instant, they passed the shrine and the two rocks that marked the border. Beric, chewing on a leaf, cheered.

“We’re back!”

“Happy? Beric?”

“Yeah! I feel great!”

The warriors burst into laughter simultaneously. Kakanter, who had been glancing back, was no different. He slowly pulled on the kusire’s reins to slow down. This was the agreed meeting point with Su.

“Everyone! Here!”

“Su!”

Everyone approached Su with joy. She briefly hugged her comrades and then immediately reported the situation.

“The Brats mercenaries are quite capable. They used the terrain well to hold off the Central Army, even though they were on the defensive. Of course, there were no other good points, so the situation inevitably tilted. If they had given up retaking the mansion and retreated into the forest, it would have been over, but they fought bitterly.”

“What about Derga?”

This was the most crucial part for the Tianli people. Kakanter’s question, filled with anger, was met with a smile from Su.

“He’s still alive. The Central Army hasn’t stopped pursuing him. There’s no sign of them entering the mansion.”

“Good, Su. Let’s join them. We’ll head deeper into Brats.”

Everyone nodded at Kakanter’s command. They galloped their kusire deeper into the heart of Brats. The river that cut through Brats was stained red with blood, and unidentifiable corpses were scattered everywhere.

That wasn’t all.

The fields, just before the autumn harvest, were in ruins, mixed with the debris of destroyed homes. Screams and cries mingled to create the most terrifying sound a human could make, piercing their ears. It was impossible to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from.

“Aaaah!”

“Someone, help! Help!”

“Wait, wait! Thief! Thief!”

“Is this guy crazy! Give me my bread!”

Smack! Thud!

Where the sword had cut, the bottom of humanity spilled out. Stepping on someone’s foot to survive was considered normal, and the weak were trampled by the weak, who in turn were trampled by the weak, in a never-ending cycle.

“More devastating than I thought.”

“Is it? It seems just as bad as I expected.”

Ian responded to Kakanter. Having experienced countless wars, Ian was used to it, but it still made him uncomfortable. Even if it was just a part of the inevitable flow of history.

Nersan muttered, looking at the smoke rising in the distance.

“This level of destruction seems quite fatal for both sides.”

“Indeed. It’s perfect.”

The Central Army and Derga’s mercenaries. The best scenario for Ian and the Tianli people was for both forces to be on the brink of collapse. Only then would the presence of the Tianli people become more significant, and they could lend strength to Ian.

“Huh! Look, look at that!”

At that moment, the villagers, who were trying to clean up the area, pointed and shouted. They had noticed the procession of Tianli people.

“Barbarians! The barbarians are here!”

“Oh, God! Why! Why!”

“Everyone, run! Run!”

“Aaaah!”

Everyone started running, some even abandoning everything and praying in terror.

After all, the area was already devastated by the battle with the Central Army. Adding the barbarians to the mix left them with nothing but despair.

“Bloodless and tearless! They must have seen this as the perfect opportunity to invade! You beasts! Get lost! Get lost!”

“Honey! Don’t do that! Please!”

“Yeah, kill them! Kill them all! See what happens when you face judgment before God! Kill them!”

“The Tianli people are here! The Tianli people!”

“Those guys will rob the bank too, hurry, keep running! Run!”

It was chaos. Kakanter’s expression was calm, but the warriors couldn’t hide their displeasure. They hadn’t come to help, but they hadn’t come to raid either. They were slowly leading their kusire towards the mansion.

“Aaaah!”

Thud!

A child fell among the fleeing villagers. The parents, who had let go of the child, were nowhere to be seen. Kakanter stopped his kusire and looked down at the child.

“Sniff...”

The child’s eyes were filled with tears. While the child’s lips were tightly shut and trembling, Kakanter silently looked down at him. The fleeing villagers also watched from a distance.

“There’s a child ahead. Lead the kusire carefully.”

“Yes, Kakan.”

Clatter clatter.

There was no kindness, no act of lifting the child or asking about his condition. However, Kakanter instructed the group behind to pass by the child as if he were a rock. The child, only raising his head, was frozen in shock.

“Come on, get up. The ground is cold.”

Ian slowly extended his hand as he passed by. The face visible under the hood was not that of a Tianli person, but a familiar blonde and green-eyed one. The child, without realizing it, grabbed Ian with his dirty hands.

“You’re a good boy.”

Ian slowly led the kusire while holding the child. He then gestured to a villager standing in confusion far away.

“Come and take the child. Are the parents there?”

“I, I, I am! I’m the father!”

“What’s a father doing standing there?”

At Ian’s call, a man snapped to attention and ran over, flinching as he took the child. The slightly lifted hood revealed a familiar face.

“...Sir Ian?”

“Do you know me?”

“I, I’m the stable boy. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, right. It’s you.”

The name didn’t come to mind, but the face was familiar. Despite the minor injuries, he was so covered in dust that it was hard to recognize him. Ian patted the stable boy’s shoulder and smiled.

“It’s been a while. I’m glad you’re alive.”

“...What’s going on?”

“Later. I’m busy now. Just know that the Tianli people are here to help Brats, so don’t be too afraid, and tell your neighbors. Take care.”

Turning his head, he saw that the Tianli people ahead were all waiting for him. Even Beric, who was tied and hanging, was among them. Ian naturally led the kusire back to his original position.

“Hey, hey. What did he say?”

“Do you know him?”

After the Tianli people disappeared, everyone rushed to the stable boy, asking questions. They were so curious about their fate and the future of their hometown that they were almost jumping out of their skin.

“It’s Sir Ian...”

“Ian? The illegitimate son of the viscount?”

“The Tianli people... He crossed the desert!”

“What did the illegitimate son say? Huh? He said something long.”

Everyone gasped, remembering the existence of the illegitimate son. The stable boy, tightly hugging his child, followed Ian’s disappearing figure with his eyes. Before crossing the desert, Ian had told him to quit his job at the mansion, as if he knew the future.

‘Not entirely because of that, but...’

In any case, most of those who left the mansion survived, while those who stayed were killed by the investigation team.

With the viscountess and the young master’s fates uncertain, the servants’ lives were not just insignificant but were rolling around on the ground.

“The Tianli people said they would help...”

“The Tianli people helping?”

“What...”

The villagers laughed in disbelief. But no one dared to openly contradict, as the reality was that desperate.

In this situation, where their homeland Bariel and their lord Derga were fighting, where else could they find a force to intervene?

“Move. We have no business with you.”

“Run, keep going forward!”

“Barbarians! The barbarian bastards are here!”

“Ah, those guys keep calling them barbarians, barbarians. Can’t we just kill them and leave?”

“Screeech! They’re beastmen! Save us!”

“Shut up. Mugurun. Keep your eyes on the road.”

“I can see the mansion!”

Meanwhile, the Tianli people, who had been crossing the village, finally reached the Brats mansion. Instead of the family’s flag, the charred flag of the investigation team was flying. It clearly showed who the victor of the battle was.

Neigh!

Kakanter pulled the kusire’s reins to a complete stop. The soldiers guarding the front of the mansion hastily thrust their spears forward. Their helmets and armor were splattered with blood, and they looked like they had no intact limbs.

“W, who are you!”

“Barbarians from the frontier! How did you get here?”

Snap!

The sight of him limping and shouting was quite pitiful. One of the warriors, clearly upset, tried to step forward with his sword drawn, but Ian stopped him. He stepped forward with an apologetic look.

“I am Ian, the illegitimate son of the Viscount of Brats. These are the Tianli warriors, the great desert warriors. We are not here to fight, but to inform your master of our presence.”

The soldiers hesitated at the sight of Ian’s blonde hair and green eyes. Indeed, that appearance was unmistakably from Bariel. Their gaze then turned to the warriors standing firmly behind Ian.

They were embodiments of the spirit of nature. The aura of untouchable predators was palpable. The soldiers, stepping back, muttered.

“...W, wait a moment.”

It seemed they were ready to bash their own heads in if ordered to retreat. The soldier stumbled backward and ran inside to report.

The remaining soldiers awkwardly held their swords.

Neigh!

Even the kusire’s whinny made them flinch, and they were drenched in cold sweat.