Episode 44 Fiancee (2)
Before long, the fortress built in Morgue caught my eye.
Huge earthen walls stood in a circle, and watchtowers made of wood and iron were visible here and there.
Camu and Vikir were looking around the fort and talking about this and that.
“The barbarians are raiding ruby mines and plundering native slaves and crops. The reason they are taking the slaves is not to save their own people, but to sell them as slaves elsewhere.”
“That’s right. There are countless savage tribes, and they don’t consider each other as kin. So they wouldn’t hesitate to sell criminals from the same tribe or prisoners from other tribes into slavery.”
“I’m well aware of it. I’m glad I don’t have to ask stupid questions about why barbarians fight each other.”
Camus stretched out her hand and pointed to the mud wall in front of her.
“It’s a wall built by earth-type mages and iron-type mages for a month.”
The size of the walls was enormous.
If ordinary people made it, it would have taken a year instead of a month.
That would only be possible if hundreds of people rushed at it.
Bikir moved closer to the dirt wall.
Then strange things appeared.
Steel frames were embedded in a grid pattern inside the hardened earthen wall, and the reason Bikir could see them was because there was a hole in the wall.
The earthen wall was dotted with holes that looked like the surface of a biscuit.
Hundreds of them too.
Bikir took a good look at the size of the hole.
A hole about 3 cm in diameter.
“…The traces of Balak.”
Bikir’s keen eye identified the famous savage tribes beyond the Red and Black Mountains.
Camus nodded.
“The Balaks are the most annoying. The arrows they shoot have a powerful aura. There are many people who have been shot and killed while standing guard at night. They can pierce through a 2-3 meter thick earthen wall, so do you have any skills to beat them?”
“It’s going to be difficult to block it even with shield magic. It flies so fast.”
“That’s right. That’s why my uncle almost got into trouble a while ago.”
Camus laughed.
Not too long ago, the Sorcerer’s Adolf said that he had been shot while searching for it himself.
“At that time, my uncle must have been very surprised by the arrow that penetrated the shield magic. He suffered a huge wound in his chest. Fortunately, his life was saved, but his pride was damaged.”
“Come to think of it, the head of the family also said that he had a similar experience. I heard that he suffered a wound on the bridge of his nose.”
Bikir recalled the scar on Hugo’s nose.
To injure Sword Master Hugo and 6th Class Master Adolf, Balak’s archery skills were indeed wary.
“It seems that even the barbarians have outstanding talents. Who are they?”
“I think it’s a woman. I couldn’t figure it out because it was too far away. Also, it’s hard to memorize them because they wear black paint on their faces.”
Camus waved his hand annoyedly.
“Anyway. Even though there are only about 300 Balaks, they are the most dangerous. Even though they are ten times smaller than the next most dangerous Rococos.”
The warlike tribe Balak.
They are savages who belong to neither one side nor the other, living leisurely, plundering and warring.
They have been moving rapidly eastwards for unknown reasons in the past 7 years, and because of that, friction with Baskerville has increased.
Morgue, who had recently leased some of Baskerville’s territory for the development of ruby mines, was also annoyed by Ballack.
Camus opened his mouth looking at the sea of trees beyond the distant horizon.
“Even in Morgue, they are alert in their own way… but the barbarians’ attacks are so secret that it’s not easy to notice them. Besides, once a month or so, we have a gap in our borders.”
“A gap?”
Bikir asked, and Kamyu furrowed her eyebrows.
“Morgue is a matrilineal society, so the percentage of women is overwhelmingly high. The wizards who stand guard are all women.”
“But what does that have to do with gaps?”
“…That’s right, at least once a month. Because there is magic.”
“So you’re a wizard, aren’t you?”
When Vikir asked back, Kamyu opened his mouth for a moment, then laughed.
“You have a secretly stupid corner this way, don’t you?”
“……?”
“Okay. I like it. A man is smart, so what can he do? Extra points!”
Bikir took several blows on the shoulder before he could understand what Kamu meant.
Right then.
“Second Fortress!”
There was a person who was looking for Camus from afar.
A sorceress hurriedly ran and prostrated herself in front of Camus.
“The dark party’s search party captured a savage scout!”
It seemed that prisoners had been taken.
* * *
The man who was brought in, tied up with a rope, was a brown-skinned man with black hair.
By checking the tattoos on his body, Bikir was able to guess the tribe.
‘He’s from the Rococo, a tribe of shamans.’
I don’t know how he got here, but his fate has already been decided.
Morgue Camus.
It was because she was facing the prisoner with a terrifying aura on her face.
“Did you dig up the information?”
Then, the wizards next to him panicked.
“I won’t open my mouth.”
“What about mental magic?”
“It doesn’t work. It’s impossible to read your memory because of the powerful magic.”
Camus turned his head.
Then he walked away and stood in front of the prisoner.
“You guys raided the Morgue stronghold and kidnapped some of the slaves.”
“…”
“Among those slaves, Morgue’s daughter was also included. My second cousin. Her name is ‘Rosé’.”
Camus glared at the Rococo prisoner with burning eyes.
“What did you do with her?”
Then the prisoner’s mouth, which had been tightly shut, slowly opened.
“להרוג”
At that, Camu furrowed his eyebrows.
“Interpreter. Where is the barbarian defector?”
But no one answered Camu’s words.
Everyone just looks at them with anxious eyes.
A wizard said as if he was sorry.
“When the barbarians attacked, they were all either killed or taken away, Viceroy.”
“Then is there no one who can interpret the words of interest?”
“For now, yes.”
It was embarrassing.
When everyone is making a puzzled expression.
“I can speak a little Rococo.”
Bikir stepped forward.
Kamu opens her eyes wide and looks at Bikir.
“Can you do that? What can’t you do?”
“Not at a high level. I only know basic vocabulary.”
Bikir stood in front of Kamu.
Camus asked.
“Ask me where my second cousin is. The girl you kidnapped during the last raid. She has red hair, red eyes and very fair skin. She’s about 12 years old.”
Bikir nodded and asked the rococo prisoner in front of him.
Then
, a short answer came back.
“אכל”
Bikir’s expression hardened for a moment.
Eventually, Bikir shook his head at Camus.
“It’s dead.”
At those words, the expressions on everyone else’s faces turned grim.
Although he expected death at the time of the kidnapping, hearing it in words is a different story.
Before long, Camus walked forward.
She growled in a low voice at her captive.
“After this war, your words will be the language of hell.”
Those were the last words a prisoner could hear.
Camu said.
“The representative of Myeongdang is currently undergoing treatment. The representative of Darkdang is inspecting the territory on the other side, so the judgment here will be made by me, Morgue Camus, who is a member of the House of Representatives and the Vice-Chief of the Fortress.”
That ended the summary trial.
yet.
Kamyu waved her hands and drew a magic circle in the air.
OK.
…Push!
A large iron skewer sprouted from the ground.
The iron elements hidden between the earth elements gathered together and grew explosively, and the iron skewer formed in this way pierced the prisoner of Rococo at once.
From the groin to the crown of the head.
A prisoner struggling, unable to even scream.
He was impaled on an iron skewer and nailed high in the air.
And beneath it, red flames began to explode.
Kurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
skewer burner. In the blink of an eye, Camus burned Rococo’s captive to death.
All the slaves who saw it looked at Camu with a fearful expression.
It was the same even with the people of Morgue.
Kurreuk- Kurreuk- Pujik! Sponge!
The sound of a person being skewered and being burned to pieces.
Along with the smell of burning meat, black powder is scattered in the wind.
In front of that terrifying light, Camus smiled calmly.
“let’s go.”
She quickly left the spot, taking Bikir by her side.
Everyone around them just looked at the back of the two with a slight fear.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Back behind the dirt wall, Bikir was a little surprised.
I am not surprised to see people being skewered and burned alive.
Bikir has seen nothing less than that in his decades of rolling on the battlefield before returning, so there is no reason to be so surprised or frightened.
However, what surprised Bikir was Kamyu’s expression.
“……Hey!”
Camu, who had gone to a place where no one was there, was crying now.
Tears dripping down her chubby cheeks with a distorted expression around her red eyes.
Bikir half-opened his mouth because the situation was so unexpected.
To see Empress Wu of the world crying.
Of course, I saw it when I was 8 years old, but the feeling is quite different from now when I am 15 years old.
‘Still, I’m still 15 years old.’
Bikir, who had been staring blankly at the crying Kamyu for a while, comforted him after thinking about it and opened his mouth.
“…Why are you crying?”
“Why are you crying!?”
Camus shouted loudly and looked around to see if anyone would hear.
Bikir closed his mouth for a moment, then opened it again.
“You must have been very close with your brother.”
“He was friendly. He was a kid who followed me very much. He was an innocent and kind kid who didn’t fit Morgue.”
After speaking, Camus squatted down, leaning against the dirt wall.
They were about the same height, but now she looked a lot shorter than usual for some reason.
Bikir thought so.
“Don’t be too sad. It would have been comfortable.”
When Bikir gave awkward words of consolation, Kamyu answered harshly.
“Who do you know as an idiot?”
A question mixed with anger and sadness.
Bikir noticed.
Camus understood the words of the Rococo.
“I’m a genius. I’m not good at talking, but I can only listen.”
“…”
“Tell me straight. I wonder if what I heard is correct.”
At Camus’ words, Bikire could only nod with a heavy expression.
What the Rococo prisoner said at the end did not mean ‘dead’
.
Rococo is a tribe of shamans and a tribe of cannibals at the same time. It is
their custom to catch and eat prisoners.
Hearing Bikir’s confirmation, Camus started to shed tears again.
“…I’m sorry. Sorry. for not being able to protect I’m sorry, sister.”
Camus cries loudly.
Bikir just stands still next to her and remains silent.
Thinking that it was surprising that such a figure was hidden behind the mask of Morgue Camus, the queen of enemies, black fire, and skewers.
… …And after a while,
Camus got up from her seat.
She rubbed her sleeve on her cheek, wiping away the dried tear marks.
Camus returned to her original cold expression .
I
looked
at
Kir .
He nodded casually.
…Well, anyway.
Sometimes, just being silently by your side is comforting. I did
n’t know what to do with a 15-year-old girl who was crying and I didn’t know what to do. Eventually ,
Camus tapped Bikir on the chest and said,
“There’s no time to be sad. I have to get myself together and get my revenge as soon as possible.”
“…”
“Follow me. There’s something we need to do together.
”
