Barbarian Quest-Chapter 125

Urich pushed through the group and stepped forward, tapping Bahan, who was confronting the attackers, on the shoulder.

"K-Kylios?"

Urich snatched the club from Bahan.

Woosh!

Urich produced a terrifying sound with just a single swing of the club with one hand.

Urich lightly stretched, eyeing the six attackers. Their number didn't intimidate him one bit. The sewer passage was narrow, and behind him was Bahan who wasn’t very strong but still a force regardless.

'These enemies aren’t even properly armed.'

The enemies were modestly armed, fitting for the impoverished. They were all bare-bodied with crude daggers or clubs at most.

"Stay behind me."

Urich stepped forward. To others, he appeared larger than he really was. Intimidation makes a person seem bigger. Urich was a warrior who knew how to use such intimidation to his advantage.

"Huh?"

One of the enemies, suddenly face-to-face with Urich, looked up. Urich swung the club mightily.

Cru—unch!

One hit was enough. The large club moved faster than the dagger. The enemy hit by the club flew against the sewer wall and crashed.

"K-keugh!!"

His flesh was squashed, and his bones broke. Being alive was more painful than death. Even if he managed to survive, he was certainly going to be crippled.

"Kill that one first."

The enemies said among themselves as they pointed at Urich, unfazed by their beaten comrade.

"Hoh? You guys are brave. Come at me."

Urich, with a smile, spread his legs. He stood firmly, facing the charging enemies. Swinging the club with one hand, he also punched and kicked with his free limbs. He fought several at once, like a lion going against a pack of wolves.

‘He’s stupidly strong.'

Bahan's eyes widened. Urich didn’t even need his help.

Bahan too was once a warrior. He had faced enemies as a desert warrior. Since becoming Trikee's disciple, he rarely wielded a weapon, though sometimes force was needed.

Bahan realized Urich's exceptional warrior skills. He wasn’t just strong, but he was also cunningly evasive. He skillfully fought multiple opponents, showing that he was clearly experienced in such battles.

Thump!

Urich crushed an enemy’s head with the club. Brain matter flowed in the sewage.

"Huff, huff."

Urich looked around, shoulders heaving with each breath.

'Maybe I should've spared one.'

Urich’s regret was too late. All six of the enemies were dead.

"Impressive," Bahan exclaimed as he approached Urich.

'He could wipe us all out if he wanted.'

Bahan had to trust Urich. At this point, even if Urich were an enemy, Bahan couldn't do much.

"Why are these Serpentists attacking other Serpentists?" (f)reenovelkiss

Urich asked as he lifted a body with a snake tattoo on its shoulder.

"They don't acknowledge Ark Trikee as our savior."

Bahan frowned.

"They don't acknowledge Ark Trikee? Interesting."

"First, we should move to another hideout. This might have revealed our location to the rest of them."

Bahan suggested as he unfolded a leather map. It was intricately drawn, showing the sewers they'd explored. The map's blackened leather showed how long they'd roamed the city's underground.

"At the moment, Serpentism is split into two factions. Ark Trikee's followers, who see him as the savior, and the fundamentalists, like those enemies, who don't."

"Split into two factions?"

Urich stroked his chin, listening.

"We believe that Ark Trikee can lead everyone to the next world as the savior. But the fundamentalists labeled him a false prophet, so they are hostile to us."

Bahan checked the map again. They headed to another hideout that was right in the city's heart. Urich was seeing how cunningly hidden the Serpentists were. The empire had no chance of finding them.

'No wonder the imperial forces can't find them.'

To the imperial forces, whether fundamentalists or followers of the Ark, all Serpentism members were targets.

"This world is wrong. It's neither equal nor fair. If the god of Solarism loves us humans, how could he demand us to live in such a painful world that he created himself?

Bahan scowled.

The core belief of Serpentism was that the current world was simply wrong. That was the value that was shared by both the fundamental Serpentists and the followers of the Ark.

"We'll save all of humanity through the Ark, no matter how long it takes. Someday, we'll destroy this wrong world and move to a better one that is without hunger or poverty."

"Hmm... This world is wrong...?"

Urich murmured. He had never thought that way. Humans are thrown into the world from birth, fighting with no guarantee of anything. Urich, a warrior, thought a life of struggling was only natural. Even if the world had malice, enduring it was a warrior's life.

'But they say the world itself is wrong.'

Urich found the idea refreshing but did not necessarily like it. It was a futile conclusion. Their hopes of destroying the world weren’t very warrior-like.

"The fundamentalists do not care about others' salvation. They only want themselves to escape this world and see that as enough. What’s even worse is that these sons of bitches try to kill Ark Trikee by calling him a fake prophet..."

Bahan's words turned aggressive. Trikee, overhearing this, raised his voice.

"Bahan! Watch your words! They may have different views, but they are still our brothers nonetheless!"

"What kind of brothers try to kill each other!"

Bahan, riled up, retorted. Urich scratched his cheek.

"Brothers here seem to kill each other without much trouble."

In noble society, one’s own blood was the most dangerous being. With a single title or throne with multiple brothers eligible for it, conflict was inevitable. Childhood affection or blood ties meant very little. Where wealth was involved, the relationship between kins often became worse than that of strangers.

'If there was nothing to own, brothers would stand together. Having a lot is also troublesome.'

Urich looked at Trikee.

Trikee was right. The kings and nobles in civilization also lived in pain. Had Pahell gained the throne happily? Were the nobles Urich had met all happy? Everyone suffered in their own agony and pain.

'Whether poor or a king, everyone lives in pain.'

Even Emperor Yanchinus, who had everything in his hands and was called the Ruler of the World, was oppressed by the achievements of his predecessors and was obsessed with surpassing them. If he failed to achieve more than what they did during his lifetime, he would die unhappily.

Urich's eyes were clear as glass. He fell into a tranquil reverie.

"Kylios, we're here," Trikee said as he grabbed Urich's arm.

"Ah, right."

Urich came to his senses and looked at the new hideout.

"If it weren't for you, many of my disciples would have been greatly wounded."

Trikee held Urich's hand in gratitude. Urich felt a strange emotion from Trikee's sincere gratitude.

'Savior...'

The Serpentists called Trikee their savior, a title of a higher spiritual position than a priest or shaman.

'I have a soft spot for religious people.'

Urich scratched the back of his neck.

Even after reaching the hideout, Trikee and his disciples didn't rest. Trikee was especially busy, writing something on paper.

Trikee noticed Urich staring at him and put down his pen for a moment.

“This is the scripture that will serve my people going forward.”

"A scripture?"

"I realized something today. If I die now, what will happen to my disciples? Was there a misunderstanding in anything I said? They might split into factions and fight each other. To prevent this, I'm writing a scripture so that even in my absence, they can feel and act as if I'm here. Solarism has been doing this for a long time."

"You're writing in Hamelian," Urich commented after recognizing the letters.

"It’s embarrassing, but we don't have our letters. We have no choice but to borrow that of another culture.”

Urich nodded. One of the first things he learned in the civilized world was writing. With a script, one could convey messages without it being altered by time or space. It was a remarkable feat.

"There's a spelling mistake there."

Urich pointed out Trikee's error. Trikee's eyes widened.

"You know how to read?"

"I studied it whenever I could. I can read and write decently."

"That’s unexpected, really unexpected."

Trikee murmured. Urich's appearance suggested he was far from literacy. A common barbarian warrior wouldn't be interested in the empire's letters.

"When did you become your people’s savior?"

Urich asked as he sat by the window. He was no longer closely watched by the Serpentists. After all, it wasn’t like anyone could stop him even if they were suspicious.

"I used to be a shaman of Serpentism, no different from the fundamentalists. But after losing my homeland, I started to doubt Serpentism. So I converted to Solarism and studied it, but I couldn’t find true salvation there either. I wandered and learned a lot, then had a dream one day. In that dream, all of humanity was moving on to the next world. There was no pain there. The dream repeated every night until I realized..."

Trikee stared blankly at the dark wall.

"After that, I sought my people again. Serpentists marked for persecution, wandering without knowing where to find salvation, pushed by the world. Eventually, I became known as the Ark, a savior. Of course, many of our brothers also despise me."

Urich crossed his arms and tilted his head.

"Hmm."

Urich saw a clear conviction in Trikee. He had seen such people before. They were men who were capable of overcoming even the fear of death with faith.

"Kylios, I'm not sure how long you'll stay with us, but it would be best if you stuck with us at least until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? How come?"

"Tomorrow, we can eat well. Please allow me to treat you."

Trikee smiled faintly.

'Odd.'

Urich watched Trikee's smile.

A shaman of Serpentism, who studied Solarism, returned to Serpentism. Ark Serpentism lost its barbarism, adopting a universal concept of salvation that was acceptable even to civilized people.

'But what's this about good food tomorrow...'

Urich helped Trikee with the scripture until he fell asleep.

"Mmm."

Urich woke up and pushed off the blanket. He sniffed an intriguing scent.

'That is a delicious smell.'

It was still the middle of the night, far from supper time.

'Trikee?'

The smell came from Trikee's room. Strange sounds were coming from inside. freew(e)bnovel

Chew, chew.

It was the sound of eating. Urich walked as quietly as possible.

He peered through the door gap. He blinked several times, observing. Trikee, back turned, was eagerly eating something.

‘What is he eating so deliciously? He calls himself a saint, but indulges in good food by himself without sharing with his disciples?'

Urich grumbled, looking at Trikee's hand. As soon as he saw what was in Trikee’s hands, his eyes stiffened.

'Human meat.'

In Trikee's grasp was a well-cooked leg of a baby.

‘Serpentism sacrifices and eats babies.’

The words echoed in Urich's mind.

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