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Chapter 282: Barbarian King (3)

With those words, Bayern fell silent.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke.

"Give me a moment to gather my thoughts."

His voice trembled slightly.

The great king of the North was shaken merely by recalling certain memories.

"I need some time to clear my mind. Let’s talk about something else for now."

"If you wish."

"Thank you. Let’s talk about the battle earlier. Why did you deliberately lose to me?"

Ketal had weakened his grip on his axe at the last moment.

He had thrown his body back, making it seem as though he had lost.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I have no intention of becoming king."

Ketal answered calmly.

He had already discarded such burdens long ago and had no intention of taking them up again.

Bayern frowned at that answer.

"Then why did you fight me?"

"Because the atmosphere among my people had already shifted towards fighting."

The barbarians, seeing Ketal’s strength, believed he had gone to meet the king for a challenge.

Of course, Ketal could have ignored their expectations and chosen not to fight.

But in doing so, the barbarians who anticipated the battle would have been deeply disappointed.

The frustration of their dashed hopes would have manifested in destruction, leading to chaos in the city, and eventually, doubts about the king’s authority.

The cleanest way to avoid all these possibilities was for Ketal to fight the king, show his strength, and then lose.

Bayern was surprised by this explanation.

"A form of consideration?"

Ketal had no reason to fight, much less to lose.

But he did so to prevent chaos.

Ketal spoke.

"As a fellow king, I know how hard it is to lead those fools. I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble."

"...Thank you. I express my gratitude."

Bayern sincerely thanked him, his face filled with warmth as he looked at Ketal.

[Oh... was that all? It seemed to me like you wanted to fight too... Um. Never mind. I’ll keep my mouth shut.]

Only the Holy Sword, who had a bit of understanding of Ketal’s nature, muttered in a bewildered tone, though only Ketal could hear it.

"But this is unexpected. To think the King of the White Snowfields would be someone similar to me."

"I didn’t expect it either. Honestly, I never thought I’d have a normal conversation with a barbarian."

Ketal looked at the king with a curious expression.

It felt like talking to a learned scholar rather than a typical barbarian.

"I heard that until a few months ago, you weren’t much different from other barbarians. But they say you changed the moment you returned from your travels."

"...You know well."

"Was that when you entered the White Snowfields?"

"Yes."

Bayern gave a bitter smile.

Having gathered his emotions, he began to explain.

"I was strong. No one could stand against me."

There were those who, from childhood, displayed extraordinary strength.

People who exhibited abilities that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend or accept were revered and feared, hailed as destined heroes.

Bayern was one such person.

At the age of seven, he had defeated an adult.

By ten, no one in his village could match him.

By the time he was twenty, his strength was at the pinnacle of superhuman abilities, unmatched even across the North.

Everyone shouted his name, praising him and predicting that he would one day become the only king of the North.

Bayern believed this too.

He had no doubt that if not him, then who could lead the barbarians?

"I was arrogant. I thought nothing in the world could touch me. As a result, I felt a deep sense of boredom."

The king longed to break through his limits and face a truly formidable enemy, to achieve a victory that would push him beyond.

"But the strongest on the continent wouldn’t fight me. They were hesitant to engage with someone destined to become a hero. Then, one place caught my eye."

"The White Snowfields."

"Yes."

Long ago, an emperor who ruled the entire continent had challenged and failed to conquer the world’s greatest forbidden land.

Bayern believed that there, he could achieve his goal.

He boarded a ship and sailed to the White Snowfields.

"What did you find there?"

At Ketal’s question, Bayern replied.

"I met a bear."

The bear from the emperor’s legend.

A white bear capable of causing earthquakes.

"Ah."

Ketal nodded in understanding.

"That must have been a disaster."

"...It truly was."

Bayern gave a wry smile and rolled up his sleeve.

Unlike other barbarians, Bayern wore thick clothes that completely covered his upper body, even hiding his forearms.

And now, the reason for that became clear.

[Oh no.]

The Holy Sword was horrified.

A gruesome scar marred Bayern’s forearm.

Half of his forearm was gouged out, a sight that was chilling just to look at.

"Even after meeting the saintess of the Sun God, this wound couldn’t be healed."

Bayern said as he lowered his sleeve.

"It was a single blow. In just one strike, the bear shattered my proud axe, spilled my guts, and left me coughing up blood."

At that time, Bayern had been at the pinnacle of superhuman strength, one of the strongest on the continent.

But he was woefully unprepared to face the bear.

The bear was one of the enormous beasts that ruled the snowfields, alongside the snake and the rat.

Ketal muttered in amazement.

"To encounter the bear means you entered its territory. You’re lucky to have survived."

Unlike the snake or rat, the bear had a strong attachment to its territory.

It didn’t seek to expand its domain, but anyone who trespassed was swiftly dealt with.

That Bayern survived was indeed a miracle.

"It wasn’t my strength that saved me."

Shaking his head, Bayern looked at Ketal.

"I saw a barbarian then."

"Hmm?"

Ketal’s eyes widened.

"I was terrified by the great bear. I wanted to run, but I was frozen in fear. The bear slowly approached to crush me. Just when I was certain of my death, the bear suddenly retreated."

And then, Bayern saw.

A barbarian with ash-grey hair blowing in the wind.

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* * *

"Ah, ah..."

The king in his youth, in the days before he became a king.

Bayern trembled in the bitter cold.

For the first time, he came to understand what fear was.

He wanted to flee immediately, but his legs wouldn\'t move.

Thud! Thud!

The ground shook.

A bear was slowly approaching.

Bayern was certain that he would die here.

And then,

Thud!

The approaching bear stopped.

[Grrr...]

There was a look of wariness on the bear\'s face.

Bayern was confused by the sudden change in the bear.

That enormous bear, that terrifying beast, was wary of something?

Soon enough, Bayern understood what the bear was wary of.

"Bear, bear, damn you, bear."

Step.

Someone stepped past Bayern and stood in front of him.

Gray hair fluttered in the cold.

"Sorry, but our chieftain needs your territory. I\'d appreciate it if you\'d step aside."

[Grrrr...]

"If you refuse, well, that\'s fine too."

The gray-haired barbarian bared his teeth.

He gripped his axe fiercely.

"Don\'t interfere,"

the barbarian said, glancing behind him.

It was only then that Bayern realized there were other barbarians.

"Are you sure? The chieftain told us to push together."

"You won\'t be able to handle it alone."

"Shut up. If you get involved, you\'ll die."

"Stubborn, aren\'t you? Do as you like. If you die, it\'s my turn next."

They conversed calmly, as if death meant nothing to them.

The barbarian\'s eyes gleamed with fighting spirit.

"Let\'s do this. It\'s time to repay the disgrace from last time. I\'ll feast on your guts while you\'re still alive."

"Ah, ah..."

Bayern\'s face turned pale.

To him, the bear was a monster.

Something he could neither resist nor oppose.

But now, more monsters had appeared.

And not just one—there were several.

The gray-haired barbarian glanced at Bayern.

"...You\'re not one of our tribe. You must be from outside."

He clicked his tongue.

"Weak, and a coward."

Bayern couldn\'t argue.

He simply hung his head silently.

The barbarian\'s gaze grew cold.

"I\'d kill you right now if it were up to me. But... our chieftain ordered that we bring any outsiders to him alive. But I don\'t want to bring a coward like you to him. And I can\'t disobey orders either... I\'ll give you a compromise. I won\'t kill you. Survive on your own. Run if you want."

With those words, the barbarian lost all interest in Bayern.

Baring his teeth, he turned back to the bear.

"Now, let\'s do this, you cursed bear!"

Baaang!

Power clashed with power.

The enormous bear and a single barbarian collided with all their might.

Watching the scene, Bayern thought,

\'I am...\'

I am such a small existence.

Neither great nor extraordinary, just a completely ordinary human.

Bayern came to a realization.

* * *

"...I see," Ketal murmured as if he understood.

"That’s why you changed."

"I barely escaped from that fight. I ran desperately back to the North."

After that incident, Bayern completely changed.

From an ordinary barbarian to a highly sensible person.

"The barbarians call me a coward. And they\'re not wrong. I was terrified of that immense power and fled."

Now, Bayern had grown far stronger than he had been back then.

Now, he was confident that he wouldn’t lose to the bear.

But even so, the fear he felt at that time remained etched in his soul.

Ketal looked at him with pity.

"That must have been a disaster."

"...You mentioned a chieftain earlier. Do you know who the barbarian I encountered was?"

"I can guess. I sent some tribesmen to settle the territory. I told them to bring any outsiders to me alive, but it seems they didn’t listen."

Ketal muttered, his eyes darkening.

"I’ll have to smash his head the next time I see him."

"...Ha."

Bayern let out a hollow laugh.

That barbarian, that overwhelmingly powerful barbarian, was Ketal’s subordinate.

"You are... vast."

Far too vast.

As the king of the North, he couldn’t even hope to match him.

"This is a past I’ve never shared with anyone. I’d like you to keep it a secret."

"I have no interest in spreading stories."

"Thank you."

With a more relaxed face, Bayern lifted his drink.

"Come to think of it,"

Ketal said playfully as he drank.

"You did win against me."

"You yielded to me."

"Even so, a win is a win. And I said I’d hand over all my rights and duties if you won."

Ketal grinned mischievously.

"How about becoming the king of the barbarians of the white snowfields? Isn’t that tempting?"

"Absolutely not."

For the first time, Bayern expressed clear disgust.

Ketal laughed as if he had expected that.

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