<h4>Chapter 53: ve of the Barbarian Tribe (2)</h4>
Aiyen, a Bak warrior and the daughter of a chieftain.
She spoke to Vikir in front of her.
"Get down."
Was she trying to make the hierarchy clear?
But it didn''t sound like that was her intention.
Because.
Pfft.
Vikir felt a st of airing toward him.
At the same time.
...Pot!
Aiyen pulled on the leash around Vikir''s neck.
As Vikir ducked, a thin arrow flew past his back, hitting the ground with a thud.
Aiyen shouted.
"You boys, can''t you go practice somewhere else!"
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from beyond the bushes, and a group of young children came running.
Each one had a bow and arrow in his hand.
"...."
Vikir lifted his head again and looked at Aiyen in front of him.
The girl shaking off the water in front of her.
The girl he had rescued from the ve auction before.
Aiyen said to Vikir.
" We meet on the sphere, right?"
He spoke in Bk, judging his skills in thenguage to be better than Aiyen''s in Imperial.
" ... I see you again."
Aiyen''s eyes widened at the sound of the Bknguageing out of Vikir''s mouth.
"Do you speak Bk?"
"A little."
She walked to stand in front of Vikir, her eyes wide with wonder.
She had only a few short pieces of deerskin around her, but she didn''t seem to have any shame.
Aiyen stepped up to stand in front of Vikir.
"We were grateful then. We will repay your favor twice and your vengeance tenfold."
"...."
"You saved me once, so I will save you twice."
"...."
"I never thought you''d try to fight ''her'', I ran away and came back just in case."
Certainly, Vikir would have been killed by Madame Eight-Legged, the Dark One, if the rope Aiyen had thrown hadn''t been caught around his neck in time to pull him back.
...So what is the other time?
When Vikir looked at him as if demanding an exnation, the corners of Aiyen''s eyes drew a fox-like arc.
"Did you not see it on the way here?"
She pointed beyond the bushes to the acrid column of smoke rising from the vige.
Vikir thought of the prisoners he''d met along the way.
Perhaps she would share a simr fate.
Perhaps it was the Aiyen in front of him who had prevented it.
If so, that raised a more fundamental question.
"Why did you save me?"
Was it simply to repay a favor? If so, there would be no reason for him to throw the noose around his neck in the first ce.
And Aiyen was not the only one who wanted to put a noose around Vikir''s neck.
Every female warrior in Bk that day had her sights set on Vikir''s neck.
As Aiyen sliced into the pizza, Vikir asked her bluntly.
"Is this some kind of husband hunt or something?"
"Oh, you must have heard about it somewhere."
It''s not just the Bk, most savages in the jungle kidnap their spouses from outside the tribe.
The idea is to avoid incest and bring in fresh blood.
The Bk, of course, are a warrior tribe, so the physical strength of the abductee is a big factor.
Aiyen circled around Vikir once.
Like an appraiser evaluating a piece of merchandise.
In the meantime, Vikir had been thinking a lot.
What if they told the Baskervilles that they were alive, and they negotiated a hostage?
That would put a damper on their ns.
Their n to stay off Hugo''s radar and build up their strength would be ruined.
In order to stop it, you have to escape this ce or annihte all of them... ... That was impossible with Vikir''s current physical condition
But Vikir had worried for nothing.
They didn''t seem to have any intention of interfering with him.
Aiyen nced at Vikir and said.
"Don''t be mistaken. I am not like the other women. I don''t need a husband."
"...."
"You have been captured to be used as a ve."
She wondered, but didn''t say it out loud, if it had been necessary to throw the noose so desperately.
When Vikir remained still, Aiyen waved the dog cor in his hand.
"You won''t be able to pass for a man with that body anyway, so you might as well get used to life as a ve."
By nature, Bk women see nothing but breeding in the men they capture from the outside world.
If the man fails to fulfill his role as a male, they usually kill him, but fortunately (?) Aiyen doesn''t seem to have the sense to do so.
Aiyen tossed his clothes to Vikir at the water''s edge.
Vikir catches it, and the cor pulls taut.
Aiyen led the way back to the vige.
"You will live in front of my house and serve me."
Vikir''s entire body screamed with each step, but he kept his mouth shut nheless.
The good news is that his body is recovering quickly, thanks to the power of Murcigo.
To Vikir, Aiyen gave his first order, briefly.
"Let''s get our formalities straightened out."
Walking ahead, Aiyen paused at the entrance to the n and looked back at Vikir.
He looked down and narrowed his eyes.
"Call me master."
* * *
Vikir descended again into the vige of the Bk.
They lived freely in the dense jungle.
The concept of personal property seemed remote.
If you didn''t have a ce to sleep, you slept in a neighbor''s tent, and no one minded.
If they were hungry, they ate from people who had plenty of food, and they were happy to share.
There seemed to be a shared consciousness that everythinges and goes, so let''s share while we have it.
They gathered at a friend''s house with arge tent, yed cheerfully, and fell asleep.
Firewood, meat, and alcohol were shared generously, and there was no yamcha.
Even if they had been kidnapped from the outside, once they were recognized as members of the tribe, they could go anywhere ande anywhere.
Overall, a lively and weing atmosphere.
But the skeletons of captives hanging from the thorn trees at the tribe''s boundary conveyed a different message.
This is Bk''s n, and that is unforgiving to outsiders but endlessly friendly and free to residents.
... But within the n, there is a "dignified zone" where even insiders are not allowed to roam.
Vikir''s destination was one of those few ces.
Arge tent in the center of the vige.
It looked like it could hold up to two dozen people, but even the children ying in front of it were not allowed to approach.
Passing warriors always bowed their heads in reverence toward the entrance of this tent.
Those grilling meat were careful to keep the smoke from wafting in this direction, and those preparing the entrails of their prey were careful to keep the scent of blood from drifting away.
"''... Is this the chieftain''s house?
Vikir guessed from the size of the tent.
Aiyen grabbed the leash around Vikir''s neck and strode inside.
"Mother."
Vikir could see the figure Aiyen sought.
Inside the tent, there was a chair with arge eagle carved into it, and a woman sitting cross-legged, reclining at an angle.
A grim expression, scars ovipositing all over her body.
She wears a cloak and bottoms made of eagle feathers, and a long,rge bow rests on a sceptre behind her back.
She wore a cloak of eagle feathers, with a long,rge bow on her back.
Aqu, the current matriarch of the Bk.
Vikir knelt silently before her, drawn by Aiyen''s touch.
Vikir had already realized that the chieftainess'' real name was Night Fox, as she exuded a heavy presence before him.
The woman who had scarred the bridge of Heavenly Sword Saint Hugo''s nose.
Even Adolf the Mad had been defeated by her, and had spent some time in the service.
Her presence was the reason why Baskerville and the Morg were unable to cross the border between the enemy and the ck Mountain.
After all, she had killed 16 Gradient-ss swordsmen, 10 fourth-ss mages, and 6 fifth-ss mages in her short life.
All without a single wound!
She was also the one who had left arrowhead marks on the faces of her enemies and the ck Mountain Demon Cerberus.
"What if it was before the regression?
If I had been able to unleash the power of my prime, could I have faced this woman?
''I would have had a 0% chance in a hand-to-hand fight, a 0% chance by assassination, and a... 20% chance by running away.''
That 20%, of course, is the chance of survival.
Vikir''s mind raced as he tried to gauge the woman in front of him.
After all, she was up against a Hugo or an Adolf, a top predator that she was no match for right now.
Meanwhile, Aqu red down at Vikir in front of her.
"Daughter, is this the Imperial male you''ve been drooling over?"
"No, when did I ever say that much... but yes, he is."
"Hmm. He''s younger than you, and I recognize his face."
Aqu stared at Vikir with narrowed eyes.
The gaze was like that of a top predator from a vastly elevated position, scanning the lesser prey below.
All Vikir could do was keep his head down and avoid her gaze as much as possible.
Fortunately, Aqu didn''t see any sign of Hugo on Vikir.
Hugo had strong lines, a square jaw, and a masculine appearance, while Vikir took on more of his mother''s features.
Apart from that though, Aqu seemed to have a pretty good idea of Vikir''s physical condition.
"I see. What are you doing picking up a wasted man?"
"If you treat him well, he''ll be worth it. He''s the one who jumped on Madame Eightlegs."
"Hmph. Yes, but rampaging without knowing your ce will only get you in trouble."
Aqu said.
"Sure. It doesn''t matter if the body is broken or not, as long as the seeds are intact...."
"Aah! Mother, that''s not it, he''s going to be used as a ve!"
"What? But isn''t that the purpose you''ve been telling me all along...."
"Whoa, that''s what it was originally intended for, a ve, I need one to help me hunt!"
Aiyen quickly waved her hand to stop Aqu''s words.
Aqu looked at her daughter with a puzzled expression, then nodded.
"...Well, so be it. It is your freedom to use your ve for whatever purpose you choose."
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Aiyen bowed her head and tugged on Vikir''s leash.
Once outside the tent, Aiyen''s expression was much stiffer than before.
The flustered look on his face before his mother was gone.
"From now on, I will give you a mission."
Aiyen looked down at Vikir, who was only one head shorter than her, and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
"It will be difficult."
...A pretty tough mission, indeed.