The mont I erged from the pit after the duel with the chieftain, the warriors, who had been cheering excitedly, suddenly fell silent and stared at .
They seed to be waiting for to say sothing.
“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”
I let out a war cry, and the warriors roared in satisfaction.
Ugh, my ears.
Swoosh.
I glanced down at the pit as I basked in the cheers of the warriors.
The elders were carrying the defeated chieftain away.
It was a lonely sight, the end of a warrior.
But no one cared.
It was just the natural order of things.
The winner and the loser.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
A celebration erupted, even though there were no preparations. The warriors who could play instrunts started drumming, while the others just pounded their chests.
Everyone danced and drank, their voices echoing through the sanctuary.
They built a bonfire, and at, which seed to have appeared out of nowhere, was roasted and shared.
And as the sun began to set…
“Great warrior! Where are you going?!”
“Peace.”
I left the noisy celebration and headed towards the residential area. The warriors I encountered along the way tried to talk to , but they seed more interested in enjoying themselves than in celebrating my victory.
Step, step.
The further I walked from the center of the festivities, the darker and quieter it beca.
Thump! Thump!
The distant sound of drums echoed through the forest path.
Ainar, who had disappeared during the celebration, was walking towards from the opposite direction.
“Bjorn? What are you doing here?”
She seed surprised that I was leaving the festivities.
“I’m going to see the chieftain. Where is he?”
“In his tent.”
“Is he awake?”
“Well, he was sleeping until a while ago.”
“So you were just there?”
“I was a bit worried.”
“Really?”
I didn’t ask her what she was worried about. She had been learning from the chieftain while I was gone.
She must have felt conflicted.
And she probably had a lot to say.
“But congratulations, Bjorn! I found out later that you’re the first! No warrior has ever beco chieftain at such a young age!”
“So I’m the youngest?”
“Y-yes! That’s right! The youngest! Isn’t that amazing?”
Hmm, it was new information, but it didn’t feel real.
“Anyway, if you’re going to see the chieftain, why don’t we go together?”
“But weren’t you just there?”
“Haha! What does it matter? I was heading this way anyway!”
“Alright.”
We walked towards the chieftain’s tent, chatting idly.
We talked about the duel and the chieftain’s condition.
His injuries were almost healed.
“The elders are all stingy! They said he would heal without potions, so I had to force them to use them! Can you believe that?!”
“…….”
“And the coming-of-age ceremony! I said we should at least give them proper shoes! But those stubborn elders kept talking about tradition! I told them I was being rational!” Ꞧ𝙖𝐍ο𝖇ЕȘ
“Ainar.”
“Huh?”
“You’re supposed to say ‘irrational’ in that situation.”
“Ah… really?”
She scratched her head, embarrassed.
And…
Step, step.
We walked in silence for a while.
Ainar spoke again as we approached the chieftain’s tent.
“Bjorn.”
She slowed down and walked behind , then she patted my shoulder.
“You’re better than . You’re smart, you’re strong, and the warriors follow you naturally.”
So she wasn’t completely indifferent.
“Ainar—”
I turned around to say sothing, but she cut off.
“So take care of them.”
“…?”
“You’ll do a much better job than ! The other warriors will think so too!”
I didn’t know where she got the ‘150 tis better’ figure from, but I just nodded.
“I will.”
“Really? Then that’s enough. Go ahead. I’m going to join the other warriors and have so fun.”
“Okay. See you later.”
She turned around and walked away, and I entered the chieftain’s tent.
“You’re here.”
The chieftain was awake.
And he looked surprisingly well.
Did Ainar use a potion on him? His body was still a bit swollen, but that was all.
Creak.
I pulled up a chair and sat down.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about .”
“Really?”
Well, I was just being polite.
I got straight to the point.
“When will you hand over the position of chieftain?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
It was an unexpected answer.
“I thought it would take longer. You have to inform the other warriors.”
“The news has already spread throughout the city. They’ll co if they want to.”
Hmm… he’s not wrong.
The number of warriors who had co to the sanctuary after hearing the news had increased exponentially as the celebration continued.
“But… you seem quite relaxed, considering how hard you fought.”
His second question was out of personal curiosity.
“I never thought it was the right position for . Of course, I’m still disappointed that I lost.”
“I see.”
“So why did you challenge ?”
He seed to be sure that I had another reason for coming here. I chuckled and revealed my true intentions.
“I want to hear about the King.”
“…The King?”
“Yes, what kind of person is he?”
I would be the chieftain tomorrow.
It was ti for to learn about the kingdom’s secrets.
______________________
“The King…”
The chieftain leaned back against the wall and chuckled bitterly.
“Once.”
“Huh?”
“I only t him once.”
It was surprising.
I thought he knew a lot about the King, judging by his fear.
“It was during the Holy Artifact War… over thirteen years ago. I had just beco chieftain. I attended the Tribal Council with the ambition of reviving our declining tribe. That’s where I saw him for the first ti.”
His gaze was fixed on the empty space before him, his breathing ragged.
As if he was reliving that day.
“…What happened?”
“At first, it was just an ordinary council eting. The dwarf and the beastman were talking about sothing I didn’t understand, and I was busy arguing with the elf and the old mage from the Mage Tower, who was representing the humans.”
“The Mage Tower? Shouldn’t the King be the one representing the humans?”
“He should be, but that’s how it’s always been since I beca chieftain. The humans were always represented by soone else.”
“I see…”
It was new information to .
As an ordinary warrior, I had no access to information about the Tribal Council.
“Anyway, that’s what made that day special.”
The King’s appearance, a once-in-a-lifeti event.
But the chieftain still didn’t know why the King had appeared during the eting.
“I was arguing with the old mage, and then I looked up, and he was there. None of us recognized him at first. One of us even tried to kick him out, asking who he was. But…”
“…But?”
“He only said one word.”
Kneel, my subjects.
The mont those words left his mouth, the chieftains forgot their words, their questions, and their doubts. They just knelt before him.
And…
“We spoke words we didn’t even know we knew.”
“What words?”
“Your Majesty.”
It was a chilling experience, the chieftain said. He had felt a sense of helplessness, as if his will had been completely suppressed.
But I was more interested in sothing else.
‘Mind control… Is he a mage?’
What was the source of the King’s power?
There were no essences or magic that could control soone without physical contact.
The only possibility was magic.
But the chieftain shook his head firmly.
“It wasn’t magic or an essence. It was like… his voice had power. It felt like it was engraved in my blood and soul from the mont I was born. That he was my King, my master.”
His story only made more confused, but I continued listening.
“So what happened next?”
“Nothing much. He just looked at us, as if searching for soone, and then he said, ‘He’s not here,’ and left. And then we could finally breathe again.”
That was the end of his story.
I checked a few things before starting my deduction.
“How strong were the chieftains back then? Well… most of them were around my level.”
The King’s ‘mind control’ was absolute.
He had controlled eight high-level explorers with a single word.
And the range of his control seed to be unlimited.
“You’re saying we couldn’t resist because it was a simple order? That’s ridiculous. We would have rather died than kneel before a stranger.”
The chieftain was certain.
If the King had ordered him to die, he would have done it without hesitation.
‘If it wasn’t an essence or magic… what did he do?’
I didn’t know.
But there was still a glimr of hope.
“Ah, and the old mage from the Mage Tower only realized who he was after we knelt. He quickly followed suit.”
Maybe it doesn’t work on humans.
It was a possibility, but I couldn’t be sure.
The King might have only used his power on the chieftains.
‘…Anyway, it’s certain that the King has that ability.’
It was a valuable piece of information.
I asked one last question.
“What did he look like? Did he seem sick?”
“…I don’t rember. His age, his gender, even his voice… I can’t rember anything.”
Hmm… could it be that the King can manipulate mories?
Or maybe he used so kind of magic or item. Unlike mind control, there were many things that could achieve a similar effect.
“So, are you satisfied with my answers?”
“Sort of.”
“Really? That’s good to hear.”
He waved his hand dismissively, telling to leave.
And…
‘This is strange…’
Sothing bothered .
“Chieftain, can I ask you one last question?”
“Hurry up.”
“Why do you seem so indifferent? You must know what I’m planning to do as the new chieftain.”
He had told before that we couldn’t survive if we hated humans.
That we had to endure, even if it was unfair.
It was a frustrating statent, but it was understandable from his perspective.
But…
“Why should I care? I’m not the chieftain anymore.”
He chuckled.
“I’m just a barbarian now.”
A warrior, not a leader.
“And…”
He continued,
“We’ve always been the ones who charged headfirst into battle. Does that answer your question?”
“…It does.”
“Good. Now leave. I’m hungry.”
I left the tent and found an empty one to sleep in.
And the next morning…
“Waaaaaaaaaah!”
In front of over ten thousand warriors…
“Warriors, I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, swear on my honor as a warrior!”
There was no point in giving a complex speech.
They wouldn’t understand anyway.
So I kept it short and simple.
“We will beco stronger! We will reclaim everything we have lost! And we will march forward!”
I looked at the city walls in the distance and declared.
And…
「Character’s position within the tribe has changed from ‘Ordinary Warrior’ to ‘Chieftain’.」
「Special stat ‘Approval Rating’ created.」
I beca the Barbarian Lord.
______________________
「Character’s Approval Rating has increased by 1.」
「Character’s Approval Rating has increased by 1.」
「Character’s Approval Rating has increased by 1.」
「Character’s Approval Rating has increased by 1.」
「Character’s Approval Rating… 」
「….」
「….」
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