Chapter 24: Urich’s Brothers (7)

Chapter 24 – Urich’s Brothers (7)

Earl Molando distributed free food and alcohol to the people of his fief. He wanted to comfort the exhausted people as well as celebrate the victory. The festival continued for two days.

“Yeah, if it’s that much, he’s a good lord.”

Bakman spoke as he watched Earl Molando.

“Yeah? That’s a good lord?” questioned Urich.

He didn’t know about the noble society here. In his eyes, it was strange that the weak Earl Molando reigned over other people. In Urich’s world, the chieftain had to be the most respected warrior.

“At least Earl Molando doesn’t take more than what’s necessary. Do you know why I left my home? I ran out before I was about to die from starvation. The nobles were the type of people who asked the fishermen for taxes in the middle of winter. When the damn boats couldn’t even float.”

Bakman spoke while spitting on the floor. He was someone who went from being a fisherman to becoming a gladiator. Being a gladiator was a high-paying job, but there were only rare instances of a gladiator retiring safely. Usually, death was their retirement.

“A toast and applause for the mercenaries who were the key to victory!”

“Cheers!”

Earl Molando liked Urich and the mercenaries. If it weren’t for Urich, he would have most likely lost that battle. Anyone with a head and two eyes could have known that.

“Haha!”

Urich received consecutive mugs of alcohol and laughed. There was still an awful smell emanating from his body, but no one insulted him for it. Urich, despite being a mercenary, didn’t hesitate to do dirty jobs and did his best.

In Earl Molando’s eyes, he was a sincere man. A virtue of all mercenaries.

‘How many people betray and lie like it’s nothing despite being civilized people? Compared to them…’

The celebration was in full swing.

“So Silver Lion Garcio is now Earl Degelton.”

“Does that mean the Silver Lion Mercenaries are now Degelton’s army? He won’t be able to pay them all with just the money he receives from the fief.”

“He’ll probably split off some of the land with them. As well as giving them a right to tax.”

“The peace treaty is for ten years. We can think about this later.”

The documented treaty will be important evidence. If he ever broke it and invaded them, he would be chased out of the noble society. Promises between nobles were to be kept, and honor had to be respected.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough about that. It’s all over now, no?!”

Earl Molando calmed down his retainers’ debates.

He took advantage of the banquet to meet face to face with Urich.

“Urich, do you have any desire for a stable life?”

“What are you talking about, Earl?”

Urich was pissing on a wall. He sloppily wiped his hands on his pants.

“I will give you land here. I will even exempt you from taxes for this generation. Meet a good woman, create a family, and live here. In return, fight for me.”

It was a request to become a vassal. An extraordinary proposition that even gave land.

“You’re giving me land?”

Urich sobered up after hearing that. A beautiful, golden wheat field crossed his mind. It felt as if the sun’s smell was permeating his nose.

‘The land here?’

It was land that could grow crops by just tossing some seeds around. He would never have to worry about starving and wouldn’t need to hunt either. Since he would even receive favor from the fief’s lord, he wouldn’t need to give up some of his harvests.

“It’s an amazing proposition. It feels like I got hit by lightning.”

Urich laughed. He felt Earl Molando’s goodwill.

“What about the other mercenaries?”

“My land isn’t that big. I can only afford to share the land with you and two, three… maybe four of you.”

“Then I will refuse. No, I had no plans of accepting the offer in the first place. I apologize.”

Urich shook his head.

“Is that so? Could I at least ask for the reason? Isn’t a safe, stable life the dream of all mercenaries?”

Earl Molando couldn’t understand why Urich refused. He would have at least understood if it were due to his loyalty to his fellow mercenaries.

Urich looked at the night sky. He saw the stars and the moon. Why do the stars and moon shine at night? Why does the moon’s form change? The world was filled with unknown things.

“…At least, it isn’t my dream.”

* * *

* * *

“Ho! Ho! Hoho!”

Bards were singing at the banquet hall, called by Earl Molando. The event wasn’t lacking in women, alcohol, or meat. Befitting the last day of the banquet.

“Molando fief in danger! Strong enemies!”

“Ho!”

“Valiant and heroic mercenaries of 24 that suddenly appeared!”

The bard spoke in a rhyme.

“Since when were there 24 of us? We only had 22 people.”

“Just shut up and listen, idiot. Bards always lie.”

The mercenaries drank while spilling half of their drinks on the floor. The attendants kept filling up their mugs, so there was never a moment it was empty.

“They faced and fearlessly charged at the hundred Silver Lion Mercenaries.”

The bard hit his drums while raising his leg on the offbeat. Behind him, the apprentice bards sang “Ho! Ho!” in a chorus.

“If we really did that, we would’ve all died.”

The mercenaries snickered. A few of the retainers were embarrassed and coughed.

“Reputations are normally created like this,” said Earl Molando.

He was seated and shaking his mug. He paid the bards and requested them to make a song for the mercenary group.

“Haha, how fun.”

Urich laughed while hitting his knee. It looked like he wanted to take the bard’s string instrument.

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“Ah, ahh! That’s—”

“Let me try it too. Is it like this?”

Urich flicked on the instrument’s string. However, his strong fingers snapped it.

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“Urggh.”

The bard who had his instrument stolen was on the verge of crying. Urich awkwardly laughed and returned the instrument to him.

“Sorry, sorry. The string was weaker than I thought. I’ll give it back, so keep singing.”

Urich sat back down in his seat and grabbed his drink. The other mercenaries cackled at his actions.

“Because the 24 mercenaries faced the Silver Lion Mercenaries without hesitation, the noble was terrified by their spirits! He let go of his reins and fell off his horse! The Silver Lion became gray rats and ran away with their tails between their legs!”

“Ho!”

“Urich and the warriors!”

“Ho!”

“Urich’s brothers! And their leader, Urich! The barbarian hero from a mysterious land!”

“Ho! Ho!”

“The sincere mercenaries that defended the Molando fief!”

The mercenaries couldn’t hold back their laughter and hit the table and their knees.

“BWAHAHAHA!”

“A masterpiece! A real masterpiece!”

“We’re sincere?”

Sagas like that moved around, changing like living creatures. Sometimes, ridiculous exaggerations got mixed in.

Bards were artists, wanderers, and ways of receiving information. They would exchange their newest songs with one another and even create reputations if they received money from a sponsor. But even then, there was never a baseless reputation.

‘In any case, those mercenaries saved my fief.’

The saga was Earl Molando’s gift. He was essentially guaranteeing the mercenary group’s reputation.

“Those bards will travel to other cities as well and sing that song since I gave them enough money.”

“That’s generous, Earl.”

Urich stumbled next to the earl while holding a mug of alcohol.

“Compared to what you did, this much is nothing. That doesn’t mean that I can give more than the agreed payment. I was close to becoming bankrupt with this battle.”

“Well, that much is enough. We were satisfied. Hup!”

Urich pulled out his axe and threw it at the floor. A rat that was scurrying into a gap in the wood was split in half. One of the maids that was passing by let out a small shriek.

‘He drank so much but still threw the axe so accurately. How terrifying.’

Urich pulled out the axe from the floor.

“Our mercenary group should have a name as well.”

They couldn’t keep calling themselves just mercenaries. Since they had built their reputation, they needed a name.

Urich thought of Garcio. He snatched the title of Earl after cowardly killing his own brother. Urich thought he was revolting.

“Since I’m the leader, let’s call ourselves ‘Urich’s Brothers’. As long as I am the leader, there is one rule that must never be broken. Brothers are not allowed to betray each other. I don’t know about anything else, but if you break this rule, I will chase you down to the ends of the continent to cut your head. Those who agree, slam your mugs.”

Urich slowly raised his head and looked at the drunk mercenaries.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

The mercenaries raised their drinks and hit the table with it multiple times. The beer shook out of their mugs, high into the sky.

The banquet continued until dawn. Men and women let out beast-like moans in shaded areas while embracing each other. Those who were sober went to the special guest rooms to spend time together. The disgusting smell of vomit emanated from the center of the room, and some men lay on the floor, on top of it.

Urich fell asleep in a weird position, flung across a chair and table.

He dreamt. He dreamt that he was running around in the plains. When he looked at his hands, his body was still not fully grown and was little. His calluses were not set, and his hands were clean of impurities.

Urich looked at the expanding plains and forests. A gust of wind blew. The wind that folded his hair over soared to the Sky Mountain range.

‘Sky Mountain Range.’

He had always longed for it. Crossing over the Sky Mountain Range was taboo. The shamans and elders would say that the living shouldn’t peer into the world of souls.

‘The elders were wrong. This is a world of the living.’

Then, Urich’s body grew up to what it was now. He saw it with his eyes. He crossed the mountain range and discovered the truth of this world.

‘One day, I will come back and tell you all. You might not believe me. You won’t be able to imagine it. All of the things that I saw. That there is another world beyond the mountain range.’

Urich’s ambitions were squirming.

‘And… I…’

The plains were suddenly ablaze. He saw a dark army. There was the smell of blood. Iron was melting. And in the center of it all… was Urich. A blast furnace of a battlefield with blood and iron intertwined.

He saw the afterimages of a broken desire, as if he were a shaman watching a prophecy.

“Excuse me—Kyaaaa!”

A maid woke up Urich who was drenched in sweat. It was already morning.

SLAM!

Urich grabbed her neck and pushed her against a wooden pillar. His eyes shone yellow. Urine trickled down the maid’s legs.

“A-Ahhh.”

The maid struggled and scratched Urich’s forearms.

“Hm.”

Urich came to his senses and let the maid down. He placed his hands on her to help her up.

“I have a foul sleeping habit. I’m sorry.”

He tapped on the maid’s butt and handed her a gold coin.

‘A dream again.’

His memory of his dream went back into the fog.

“Stop sleeping and wake up. You lazy pigs.”

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Urich walked around the banquet hall and kicked the mercenaries to wake them up. A few of them threw up on the spot the moment they woke up.

“If all of you have had your fill, it’s time to go work again. Life is short, brothers,” said Urich.

He and the mercenaries left the Molando fief that afternoon. The song titled ‘Urich’s Brothers’, that praised their saga spread along with the bards’ footsteps.

—————

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