Episode 55 The Hunter and the Prey (1)
Basically, Balak is a very warlike fighting race.
It was clear that, apart from war and hunting, there probably wouldn’t be much left in their lives.
Bikir followed Ayen to the entrance of the village, chewing on the information he knew about Balak.
‘There are only about 300 words in their language, but most of them are nouns. Verbs are mixed with gestures, and there is no distinction between me and us in possession. Ambo for men, Akouati for women, Aouki for love, Utica for death…’
The people of Balak regarded the people of the Empire as cunning, sly, and pretentious beings.
Conversely, the Imperials treated Balak as a savage who would scream and punch at the slightest anger.
The people of the Baskervilles seemed to be somewhere in the middle between the civilized people of the Empire and the savages of the jungle, Vikir thought.
‘I wonder if it vaguely resembles both sides as they do not belong to anywhere completely and only touch the border.’
While Bikir thought about this and that by himself, Balak’s hunters gathered in one place.
Young and old hunters gather in twos and threes and go hunting.
Everyone climbed on the wolf’s back, one by one, and stretched out their bows and spears.
Among them, only Iyen had a wolf to ride without a companion and a slave, Bikir.
“Now, gather here, hunters. It’s time for the ceremony.”
A curly-looking old man came out with black charcoal in a bowl and was applying it to the hunter-warriors’ faces.
The colorful tattoos peeking out from under the black robe seemed to be an old man playing the role of a shaman.
“Everyone, get my blessing and go. Otherwise, you will be struck with a sutra.”
The old shaman smeared soot from a bowl on all the hunters’ faces.
Balak’s hunters feel guilty about killing their prey.
So, before killing, they smeared their faces with soot so as not to reveal their faces to the god of death.
However, Iyan and other young hunters do not seem to be very happy with such a ceremony.
“It’s started again. The annoying nagging.”
“Leave it alone. Shaman-nim should also establish his position.”
“By the way, don’t you miss the shaman’s divination too well?”
“So these days, whenever you put it on your ear, when you put it on your nose, you only come out with a nose ring.”
All young people of all times and places hate and despise old customs and superstitions.
Ayen stuck out her face with an annoyed expression and received the charcoal soot makeup applied by the old witch doctor.
The old shaman rubbed black paint on Ayen’s face a few times and then moved on, but compared to the other warriors, it was quite sloppy, so it seemed that they didn’t get along well.
Eventually, Ayen put on a dog collar with thorns around his neck and handed it over to Vikir.
“I’m kicking to avoid getting bitten on the neck.”
Bikir nodded.
Soon, the hunters began to leave the village one by one.
Tribal hunters with swords, spears, bows, and wolves.
Slave Bikir also finished his own preparations.
‘While I’m here, I’ll have to blend in with them.’
I needed to renew my mindset.
Bikir just felt the urge to urinate and immediately pulled down his pants and started peeing.
I was thinking of adapting and melting into these cultures from these basic things.
……however?
When the people of Balak saw Bikir urinating, they were startled.
The women were watching through the gaps between their open fingers while covering their eyes, and the men openly sent glances full of rivalry.
Bikir wondered and asked.
“What? Why are they staring at me like that? Isn’t everyone doing this?”
The answer came back from everywhere.
“……What are you talking about, who urinates anywhere like that?”
“Is that the case in the Empire? It’s barbaric.”
“We use separate bathrooms.”
“The man is over there, the woman is this way.”
“You have no sense of common sense. Cover up a bit.”
“What a savage!”
“Am I good?”
…
Bikir turned and looked at Iyen.
Iyen smiled brightly and averted her gaze.
* * *
Iyan got on the wolf’s back.
“Hold tight.”
Of course, Bikir was also behind her.
Bikir hesitated for a moment, not knowing where to grab it, then grabbed the wolf’s fur.
Then Iyen reached back and grabbed Bikir’s arm and brought it to his waist.
“You have to hold on here. Tight. Otherwise, you will fall and break your neck.”
Bikir grabbed Ayen’s pelvis with his hand. It is quite wide and easy to hold.
but.
…jump!
When the wolf took a leap, Bikir rolled to the ground.
Agony Vikir almost screamed.
The bones that had barely been put together by Murcielago’s regenerative power were twisting again.
Riding a wolf is quite different from riding a horse.
First of all, there are no saddles and no stirrups.
Moreover, the wolf had a much narrower waist than the horse and moved more dynamically.
Iyen stopped the wolf and came down to the floor.
“Tsk tsk I should have wrapped it around my waist and folded it with both hands. If I hold it gently like that, it will fall off.”
She laughed and patted her waist. He seemed to ask, ‘How can I get rid of it without you catching it?’
The moment Bikir is about to get up from his seat.
…thud!
Someone appeared to stand in the way between Bikir and Ayen.
Ahhun. He was riding a wolf and looking down at Bikir.
In an instant, the atmosphere cools down.
Iyan crossed her arms with a disapproving expression.
Balak’s hunters are also competing every moment.
As a warrior who has always expressed his sympathy for Iyen, Ahhun seems to challenge her in this hunt as well.
“I’m going to catch a bigger game this time. So I’m going to be captain of the next joint hunting team. In my grandfather’s honor.”
“Why are you betting on the honor of your grandfather, who can only do witchcraft?
Iyen did not deal with Ahun.
He just gestured towards Bikir across the street as if telling him to come quickly.
The moment Bikir just got up from his seat and was about to approach Iyen.
…puck!
Bikir’s head spun in an instant.
Ahhun, riding on the wolf, kicked Bikir in the face.
Bikir was still injured, so he had no choice but to get hit even though he knew his foot was flying.
I think it’s fortunate that it wasn’t an attack with great power.
For a moment, Iyen became furious.
“You bastard, what is this…!?”
Iyan tried to step forward, but she stopped moving for a moment.
Then, with a strange expression on his eyes, he alternately looked at the fallen Bikir and the energetic Ahhun.
Ahhun flinched for a moment when Iyen’s reaction was more intense than he expected, but then let out a sigh of relief.
Then, he sneered at the fallen Bikir.
“You’re going to use such a weak guy as a hunting aid. Wake up, Captain. You’ll only get caught.”
“…For those words, you’d better look at your own back.”
Ah-hun looks down at his waist at I-yen’s sarcasm.
There was nothing there. Originally, the quiver should have been full of arrows.
“…!?”
Ahun turned his head in surprise.
Bikir was standing up with a quiver and arrows.
It had been snatched from Ahun just before collapsing.
‘I’m in debt to the era of destruction again.’
Before returning, Bikir really had no trivia that he hadn’t experienced.
Pickpocketing skills are also useful if you learn them well.
“A weapon is like a lover. If it is taken away, it will be used.”
Iyen burst into laughter at Bikir’s calm words, and Ahhun’s face turned red.
“…you cheeky slave bastard!”
Ahhun drew his bow and struck Bikir on the shoulder.
Awesome!
Bikir collapses with a loud noise.
Ahhun didn’t get enough of that, he came down from the wolf’s back.
Booung-
The moment the bow pole swings once more.
…fuck!
Ahhun’s bow had to stop in midair.
Ayen pulled out an arrow and blocked Ahhun’s bow.
“That’s it. Whose slave are you chasing?”
Iyen’s words were as cold and hard as frost.
Ah-hun stammered in response.
“He’s a slave! How dare you insult a warrior of Balak!”
“Didn’t you show a pathetic side first?”
“Nevertheless, he is a slave! A slave cannot insult a warrior under any circumstances!”
Ahhun protested by citing the tribal rules.
“…”
After pondering for a while, Ayen nodded.
“Okay. A slave is a slave. If you do wrong, you must be punished.”
“Yes, Captain. That’s what I mean.”
“But I have no right to punish you. He is my slave.”
“……?”
Although the concept of private property is sparse, the distinction between ownership is quite strict when it comes to slaves.
As Ahhun tilted his head, Iyen put a wedge into it.
“Even if I punish you, I will punish you.”
After speaking, Iyen got down from the wolf’s back and stood in front of Vikir.
and.
…aaah!
Ayen’s hand slapped Bikir’s cheek.
When Vikir fell to the floor, Ayen continued to beat Vikir’s body.
Its fists curve like snakes, targeting the abdomen and lower back.
Bikir crouched down and silently endured Ayen’s fist.
Iyen, who had been beating for a long time, took a deep breath and stepped back.
Then he glared at Ahun with a cold gaze.
“Are you done now?”
“…”
Seeing Ayen’s beating, Ahhun held his breath as if intimidated, then nodded in dismay.
Ayen looked straight into Ahhun’s eyes.
“Because of my slave the other day, I fell off the wolf’s back and couldn’t even catch a maid… I know you’re personally dissatisfied.”
“……Yes.”
“After this time, if you do anything to my slave in private, you will be beaten like this. Do you understand?”
Drops of blood dripped from Iyen’s fists.
There was a deep life in his eyes.
Ahhun nodded a few times with a bewildered expression, then looked at Bikir on the floor with a tired gaze.
Until then, Bikir, who hadn’t screamed once, was just quietly wriggling on the spot.
Soon Ahhun climbed on the back of the wolf and quickly disappeared.
Again, only Iyen and Bikir remained here.
Suk…
Iyen sneaked up and squatted down in front of Vikir.
Only then did Bikir raise his upper body.
And Iyen touched Bikir’s blushing cheeks with an incomprehensible gaze.
“……Are you sick?”
It may be because of my mood that I feel that the way I speak has changed slightly.
