Chapter 14: Horus Gladiator Troupe (7)

Chapter 14 – Horus Gladiator Troupe (7)

The Horus Gladiator Troupe opened gladiator matches throughout the imperial territory. They started in the West and traveled to the East. And in each city they visited, they were met with warm welcomes.

‘This is good land’.

Urich saw vast farmland for the first time in his life. The people here were able to support their large population through farming. It was different from his tribe which was self-sufficient through hunting and gathering.

“The further East we go, the larger the farmlands get. The East is wealthier than the West,” explained Bakman as he walked beside Urich. He was carrying his spear on his back.

Walking towards the East also meant they were walking away from the Sky Mountain Range. The land started to become more flat and fertile—probably because it was further away from the mountain range. People who lived on fertile land also had bright expressions.

‘This land is different from my home. It’s fertile.’

The plains where Urich came from were rough and had lots of stones. Even if they planted seeds, no crops would grow.

“So they sow the seeds into the ground and harvest the crops, huh,” Urich muttered to himself. The plains constantly lacked food. It was difficult to consistently find nourishment through hunting and gathering.

‘Farming…’

If animals left the land, even skilled hunters would have to return home empty-handed. And harvesting was essentially leaving everything to the whims of the land and sky. People couldn’t change hunting and gathering by will.

If the sky turned its back on the villagers and gave less food, the children and the elderly would be the first to die.

“We can safely harvest grains every year.”

Bakman spoke while gazing at the golden wheat field.

“Every year?”

“Even if we have a bad harvest, we can still last a year or so. But if bad harvests continue consecutively, we’re forced into a great famine without anything to do.”

Urich stared at the wheat field.

‘The land here can be farmed… If we farm, we won’t have to starve and die. It would be fine if we didn’t hunt every day.’

An ambition slowly rose up in Urich’s heart.

That night, Urich dreamt.

He saw himself crossing the Sky Mountain Range with his fellow warriors. They crossed the mountain range, dreaming of golden land.

“Ah.”

Urich woke up. He only realized that he was in the city after looking at a different ceiling.

“What was that dream?”

His dream quickly faded to his subconscious. He then scratched his head and crotch as he stood up.

“What nice weather!” Urich yelled as he opened the windows. He learned a lot of things in his time in the gladiator troupe. Every day was a bombardment of new things.

‘But still, there are a lot more things I have to see.’

Urich put on his clothes and fastened his weapon on his waist.

Step, step.

The gladiators who had already woken up were having breakfast in the lodge hall. A few of them greeted Urich and waved at him.

“Hey, Urich. Come over here and eat.”

Urich sat down on a chair and chomped on a piece of boiled potato. He practically inhaled it and ate an entire chicken as well.

“Urich, the troupe leader is calling you. It’s probably because of the match list.”

Bakman spoke after tapping on Urich’s shoulder. Urich wiped his greasy fingers on the tips of his hair.

“You’re here.”

As Urich entered the room, Horus welcomed him. Donovan was standing next to him with an unapproving face.

The Horus Gladiator Troupe was split into two groups. At the center of the troupe were the two gladiators, Urich and Donovan, who also had an influence on the match list. Because the two of them had a bad relationship, it was impossible to unite the two groups.

‘This situation is better for me, though.’

Horus was laughing on the inside. He was intentionally maintaining the balance between the two because, thanks to it, he was able to easily run the troupe as he intended.

“Five free gladiators and three slave gladiators from the Arigan Gladiator Troupe, seven mercenaries, and two champions sent by nobles. There are twelve matches tomorrow, and we were allotted five. Also, we’ll be sending out a slave gladiator to face the noble’s champion in one of the matches as a throwaway.”

Horus was a competent troupe leader. He often took the initiative well when mediating the matches.

“A throwaway?” Urich retorted, and Donovan smirked.

“You want us to beat the noble’s champion? We have to send out someone that can die.”

Donovan spoke as if he were used to it. Horus continued by calmly explaining it.

“Urich, we have slave gladiators for these types of matches. Sometimes, there are matches we’re not allowed to win.”

“Haaah, really?”

Urich laughed as he picked his ear.

Losing was the slave gladiator’s role. They go out in matches that they can’t win—or rather, matches that they are not allowed to win—to die.

“Boman might be good. He has bags under his eyes and is not eating as much. He’s probably sick,” said Horus.

Donovan nodded in agreement. Sick slaves were the first to be sacrificed.

“So we’re allotted the earlier matches.”

“I should go out for the match against Arigan’s gladiators,” said Donovan.

Matches against other gladiator troupes were also a battle of pride. If it wasn’t a match meant to lose, the gladiator troupe’s main attraction would come out. Thanks to that, it also paid well.

“It’s a 3v3 match. I was thinking that you and Urich could go out,” said Horus.

Donovan and Urich looked at each other.

“If the two of us go out together, we’ll come back with one of us dead. Don’t you think so as well, Urich?”

Donovan said it like it was preposterous. Urich shrugged and raised his hand.

“I also oppose.”

They wouldn’t actually fight if they went out together, but if their feelings didn’t match, their coordination would also be bad.

“I was just saying it. Then, Urich, you should go out. Pick two people to join you. Each person will receive 1.5 million cil.”

“Hey, Horus!” Donovan retorted. He didn’t want to lose an opportunity for a match worth 1.5 million cil.

Horus narrowed his eyes.

“Last match, I took your side. That said, I should give Urich the opportunity this time. If he declines, then this match goes over to you.”

“Why would I decline?! But I have a proposition. I want to select a slave gladiator so that the two people receive 2 million cil. What do you think?”

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Horus calculated for a second and responded, “Who do you plan on using amongst the slaves?”

“Sven.”

“If you’re using Sven, I’ll pay an additional 300,000 cil for a total of 1.8 million cil.”

“Good. Then it will be me, Bakman, and Sven. We’re going out.”

Horus wrote their names on the match list. Urich closely watched the letters.

‘Writing.’

Urich had his attention on writing recently. The civilized left behind memories through writing. They also preserved history through writing instead of passing them down orally.

‘If I learn to write, I can learn so much more.’

But even the majority of the civilized didn’t know how to write. At most, they only knew how to write their names.

“Troupe Leader, I’ll let it go this time. But—”

“I know, Donovan. I’ll take your side next time,” Horus reassured while hitting his shoulder. Donovan smiled bitterly.

The decisions for the remaining matches were also decided in a flash.

‘It’s good right now.’

Horus laughed after sending both Donovan and Urich out. Complaints from within the gladiator troupe decreased by a lot due to the matches being assigned fairly now. Donovan’s clique had complaints, but it wasn’t as if they weren’t receiving any benefits.

‘Donovan also can’t force my hand in the match list like he used to.’

Horus sat down and drank a glass of wine. The matches were set. All that was left was to make money.

* * *

* * *

“Old man, why do you remain as a slave?”

Urich sat down next to Sven and asked. The waiting room for the gladiators smelled like sweat.

“Because Horus gave me a chance.”

Sven spoke while cleaning his axe until it shone. Unlike the other slave gladiators, he had his own personal weapon. Sven received special treatment compared to the other slave gladiators. The other gladiators knew it as well, so they didn’t look down on him.

“What chance?”

“A chance to go to the Hill of Swords. Horus saved me when I was stranded adrift and even gave me a place to fight. My soul was about to remain in this world for all of eternity. I don’t have any more wishes. I just have to die in combat.”

Sven spoke as if he were no longer in this world. His eyes, under his thick eyebrows, were chasing a far, far away place.

“What about your home? Don’t you have a family?”

“I lost my home. I lost all of my family as well.”

Sven spoke quietly. The Northerners fought the Empire for a long time and lost all of their potential farmland. The remaining Northerners were only given two options: live in the frozen land or submit to the Empire.

“Our clan had planned on migrating to the East. If there were only men, we would have fought to the death. But we all had women and children to take responsibility for. If all of the men died on the battlefield, the remaining people would have miserable lives. You probably know it as well. What happens to the women and children when the men lose.”

“Women become playthings and the children become shackled slaves. Or food for wild dogs.”

Urich said it as if it were something obvious.

Sven’s eyes lost their focus. He was looking at his past.

“Our clan has a legend. Across the Eastern Sea, there is ‘another land’. It was passed down that one of our ancestors went there and came back. They said that people with black hair and black eyes lived there.”

“‘But my ship was wrecked, and I became a slave’ or something like that, right? It’s so sad I’m getting teary-eyed.”

Urich laughed while saying that. Now, he also understood the concept of the sea.

“Feel free to laugh at me. It was a foolish decision. My last remaining hope is that I die in combat and go to the Hill of Swords.”

Bakman clicked his tongue after hearing that.

“Sven, there’s nothing in the Eastern Sea. At the end of the sea, there’s a cliff. You would’ve died by falling off the world’s edge. I’m also a seaman. The land in the East? Never heard of it.”

Sven flinched before glaring at Bakman.

“If it’s just our ship-making skills, we’re much better than the Empire. Did you forget that good lumber comes from the North?”

The two were about to fight before the match. Urich stepped in between them.

“I have no interest in the land in the east or the world’s edge. To be honest, I still don’t believe that the sea thing you guys talk about is that wide. Wouldn’t you reach the ‘world’s edge’ thing in a couple of days if you just swim?” said Urich.

Bakman and Sven responded instantly.

“It’s wide! Very wide!”

“It’s wide. To the point that it’s unfathomable. You could travel for four days on a boat, and it would still be the open sea.”

Creak.

The waiting room door opened, and the gladiators that finished their matches arrived. The smell of blood permeated the air.

‘The world’s edge…’

Urich was deep in thought, eyes closed. He still hasn’t seen the sea yet.

‘Is there really a world’s edge at the end of the sea?’

The tribe’s shamans said that there was a world of souls beyond the mountain range. However, Urich crossed it and learned that it wasn’t a world of souls, but a world of people.

‘Nobody knows unless they went there. We don’t know what’s at the end.’

He opened his eyes. There was a light in his eyes. He was a barbarian that was illiterate and uneducated. But he knew the joys of discovering the unknown.

“The world is vast,” Urich muttered.

“I have a lot to see.”

Urich, Bakman, and Sven stood up. They left for the sand arena, listening to the cheers that they were used to.

Claaang.

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Urich pulled out his sword. The door opened on the other side, and the opposing gladiators came out. They weren’t death row convicts or slave gladiators; they were properly armed, real gladiators.

‘I won’t die until I learn more about the world.’

He breathed in the air of excitement. The fight was about to start.

“UWOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

Urich spread his arms out and roared.

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