<h4>Chapter 264: Catastrophe</h4>


    Gottval gathered the people and cleared his throat. Many people had gathered to hear him preach. In particr, the civilized mercenaries found moralfort in him.


    “The world is chaotic, and we are living in an era where what is right and wrong is unclear. A soldier I know needed money. He grew up as the son of a poor serf and fled from the exploitation of the lord. There was a woman whom he loved, but in order to marry her, he had to pay a fee to his lord. Now, let me remind you that the soldier needed money. So now, he fights against the empire for these barbarians called the ‘alliance’ as a mercenary. This story is about one of you.”


    Gottval looked at the people. He made eye contact with each and every man in the crowd.


    “The soldier who needed money worked as a mercenary. He killed and plundered people. He also burned fields and houses. He killed someone''s son and perhaps the father of an innocent child. Much sorrow and despair must have been created. We must take responsibility for those actions and feel the guilt.”


    “Then what should we do, Brother Gottval?”


    “You already know what is right and wrong. You justcked the courage to act. You just need to do what you believe is more right. If you believe that Lou is watching every moral choice you make, you will inevitably do the right thing.”


    Gottval smiled bitterly. Despite what he was saying, he himself could not always adhere to Lou’s teachings.


    <i>‘All we can do is try our best.’</i>


    Gottval spent most of his time listening to confessions or giving advice. The number of people who came looking for him after hearing about his reputation increased day by day.


    “The barbarians...”


    The mercenaries looked at the westerners who were listening to Gottval.


    “Go on, priest. Don’t mind us.”


    The westerner spoke fluent Hamelian. It was thenguage of the empire and essentially the universalnguage of the civilized world.


    The westerners who learned Hamelian were considered quite knowledgeable in the tribal world. They put a lot of effort into learning thenguage of civilization because they were driven by intellectual curiosity and felt an attraction to the civilized world, like Urich.


    What piqued the curiosity of the westerners was the technology and religion of civilization. The technology of the civilized world was advanced enough to createplex machinery, and Srism was iparably more sophisticated and systematic than any belief in the tribal world.


    Srism was much clearer than the vague tribal beliefs. Most importantly, there was the concrete existence of the sun god Lou.


    “Are you saying that if we believe in this sun god Lou, wee back to life after we die?” A westerner asked.


    Gottval opened his eyes wide.


    “It is reincarnation. It has a slightly different meaning than simplying back to life. A purified soul will live a different life in a new body. If Lou does not permit reincarnation, the soul bes an evil spirit and wanders the earth in torment.”


    “Then our ancestors must all have be evil spirits.”


    The westernersughed and chatted among themselves.


    The number of westerners visiting Gottval increased daily.


    <i>‘Is this my mission?’</i>


    Gottval actively spread his faith. Unlike the northerners, the westerners were very open-minded. Because their religious views were sox, they were able to naturally ept the worldview of Srism.


    The number of westerners interested in Srism kept growing. There were even warriors who received baptism for fun.


    The more protection from powerful beings like spirits or gods a warrior had, the better it was. Warriors received baptism with such simple motives. It wasn’t necessarily for reincarnation or to follow Lou’s teachings.


    Six-Fingered found Gottval''s actions unpleasant. Unable to bear it, he directly confronted Urich about Gottval''s preaching.


    “Stop that man from talking about his god anymore, Great Chief,” Six-Fingered said as he bared his dark teeth.


    <i>Creak.</i>


    Urich, sitting in a rocking chair, expressed that he did not care one bit.


    The alliance army was stationed at the border fortress of Porcana. They had seized the supplies of the defeated imperial army, so they had plenty of provisions. They nned to march directly into the empire once they finished reorganizing.


    “Urich!” Six-Fingered shouted and pointed. The bone fragments on his staff rattled loudly.


    “It’s just a few people going over to listen to him, isn’t it? Even Samikan didn’t reject Srism. It’s not that big of a deal.”


    “It is for me, Great Chief.”


    “Besides, Gottval is not someone who would stop just because I told him to. He is not my subordinate. He is merely my guest.”


    “...He will stop when he bes a corpse.”


    Six-Fingered’s dark lips twisted.


    “I said Gottval is my guest, Priest Six-Fingered.”


    Urich also frowned.


    “Great Chief Urich! You are the leader of the west! How long will you keep amodating the people of thisnd! Some even doubt if you are truly our Great Chief!”


    Six-Fingeredshed out, but his criticism did have merit. There were many civilized people among Urich’s close associates to the point where he was spending more time with the people of civilization. There were some who viewed this unfavorably.


    “Don’t change the subject. Let me make it clear right now. If you touch Gottval, you will die.”


    “You’re going to kill the priest of the alliance? Urich, are you nning to be a tyrant like Samikan?”


    Six-Fingeredughed sinisterly.


    Even Samikan could not easily touch Six-Fingered when his power grew. Six-Fingered was now even more powerful than before.


    There were countless warriors who relied on shamans in this foreignnd. The shamans used mysterious herbs to show the warriors the smells andndscapes of their homnd.


    “Great Chief Urich! I was the one who made you who you are today. I even gave you the divinity of the Son of the Earth! Could you have overthrown Samikan without my help? I arranged everything so you could smoothly receive the power of the Great Chief! I helped you bear the will of the heavens! I made you the Great Chief!”


    Six-Fingered shouted as if he was casting a spell on Urich with his fingers weaving erratically.


    Urich tilted his head to the side. He stared nkly at Six-Fingered’s six fingers.


    “So, what?”


    At Urich’s retort, Six-Fingered slowly calmed his anger.


    “A priest is someone who sees the will of the heavens, Great Chief. Without the help of the heavens, you cannot achieve anything.”


    Six-Fingered spoke politely as if he hadn’tshed out merely seconds ago. He lightly tapped the floor with his staff, making a sound.


    “The help of the heavens...”


    Urich chuckled lightly. He watched as Six-Fingered left.


    The Porcana-Alliance army prepared for a decisive battle with the empire while reorganizing. The empire was still very much intact. It was not going to copse just because it lost a significant number of troops.


    <i>‘I want to end this war as soon as possible.’</i>


    Urich walked around the camp, looking at the warriors. The number of warriors visibly decreased after each battle. The tribal warriors fought bravely, but their numbers dwindled just as quickly as well.


    <i>‘We can’t drag this long. Even if we win multiple battles, soldiers will continue toe from the empire’snds. We have to crush the empire with the momentum we have right now.’</i>


    Urich’s thoughts were sound, and others like Varca and Georg felt the same.


    Urich and Varca sat on the fortress walls, looking beyond the border. Inside the fortress, soldiers were preparing for departure.


    "Now is our chance, Urich. Once the preparations areplete, we should advance quickly. It will take a while for the empire to gather their army."


    Varca stood at the edge of the rampart with his arms crossed. His cloak fluttered long in the wind.


    "What about Duke Lungell? I don’t think he’s very fond of me."


    "That’s true, but he doesn''t have much influence. What''s more important to the other nobles is the fact that we gained independence. Besides, we''re not the only ones who joined hands with a barbarian army, so we were able to somewhat save face as well."


    The news of the alliance between Caselmaroni and the northern independence army had reached Porcana. It exined why the empire so urgently requested peace.


    "Let''s rush up while the emperor is on the northern front. If we advance directly, it might be possible to end the war within a year."


    "A year? Urich, you''ve seen the high walls of Hamel. That''s the capital of the empire. They must have stockpiled supplies that couldst them years. Even if we were to engage in a siege, it would take years."


    "Who said anything about a siege?"


    "Huh?"


    Varca turned around and looked at Urich.


    "Those walls are obviously impossible to breach. Did you not hear what I said earlier? The emperor is on the northern front."


    Varca''s eyes widened.


    "You’re talking about striking first!" Varca eximed.


    "We attack the emperor’s army before he can get back into Hamel."


    "The empire, with its strong imperial authority, will be thrown into chaos if the emperor''s position is vacant. That''s why the emperor will try to leave the northern front as quickly as possible."


    "Exactly. So, if we capture the emperor before he enters Hamel, the war will be over," Urich said as he lifted his head and looked north.


    <i>‘This is how we’re going to end the war. If the war drags on, the tide can turn at any time. It won’t get any easier even if we win every battle.’</i>


    Urich and Varca discussed the route of their advance. If they were to attack the emperor on the northern front, their best bet was to take the fastest route even if the path was rough, as time was of the essence.


    "Isn''t this route the fastest? That one''s a bit far," Urich asked, looking at the map.


    "Urich, it''s better to avoid thends of powerful local lords. They won''t surrender easily and will only waste our time."


    "I guess we’ll still have to go past Hamel. You don’t think an army would suddenlye out from behind, do you?"


    "They won’t try to engage in field battles with a garrison. I heard a lot of troops have been invested in the northern front. They shouldn’t have enough forces to intercept us..."


    Varca traced the map with his finger and stopped at the imperial capital of Hamel. His blue eyes swirled like a vortex in ake.


    <i>‘Damia.’</i>


    Varca stared intently at Urich.


    "What are you looking at? If you have something to say, say it like a man. Do you still act like a little girl?"


    Urich chuckled.


    "Urich, do you..."


    Varca trailed off. His sister''s face lingered in his mind. His nephew''s face resembled Urich’s. Anyone who knew Urich would immediately recognize him as his son.


    "Man, if you can’t talk about it, just don''t bring it up in the first ce."


    Urich didn''t press further. He saw Varca as a reasonable and intelligent young man. If he chose not to speak, he must have had a good reason for not doing so.


    The Porcana-Alliance armypleted their preparations and crossed the empire''s border. No local lord could stop the army that had destroyed the imperial army. The local lords simply curled up, hoping the army wouldn''te to theirnds.


    "Phew."


    Summer had arrived in the civilized world. The air was humid.


    "I love it here, but the summer here is the worst."


    The marching warriors grumbled. They could tolerate the heat, but the unpleasant humidity was unbearable.


    Urich, riding on Kylios, chugged cold water. After quenching his thirst, he poured the rest of the water over Kylios'' head.


    "Marching in this weather is killing me. The smell is awful too."


    An army of over twenty thousand soldiers were on the move. The supply soldiers from Porcana were also following, making the procession that much longer. The warriors from the west, whocked a bathing culture, smelled terrible.


    "There is no time to rest, Urich. If we want to face the emperor ording to the n, we have to move diligently. I’ve calcted our days ahead, and we’re on a tight schedule. If the emperor finds out about our movements, he will run to avoid our attack," Georg said.


    He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, the luxurious kind that was usually worn by nobles. With feathers neatly tucked in, he looked like a young noble.


    "That’s that, but Georg, I feel like your clothes are getting fancier every time I see you."


    "Who knows when I’ll die? Might as well enjoy it while I can. My name and face are already known along with yours, so I have no choice but to stay with you whether I live or die."


    As the alliance army grew, Georg also became a famous figure. Although he was not an outstandingmander, he was adept at persuading and controlling civilized mercenaries. He was even known by his nickname ‘Traitor Georg’ among the imperial army.


    "It''s funny that they call me a traitor when I had no loyalty to begin with."


    Georg responded this way when he heard the nickname traitor.


    Urich pulled his horse over next to Georg and whispered, "Protect Gottval well. Things seem a bit offtely."


    "Is it because of Six-Fingered?" Georg asked.


    "Six-Fingered hates Gottval."


    "That Gottval really is an inflexible fellow. He could have just waited quietly until things settled down...."


    "Six-Fingered is also good at scheming, so it''s iffy to assign warriors to protect Gottval. You protect him, Georg. If he dies, it''s on you."


    Georg sighed and wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.


    "You know what, Urich?"


    "What? I won''t take no for an answer."


    Urich waved his hand and shot Georg down without even hearing what he had to say.


    "It seems thattely, you leave all the troublesome tasks to me."


    Urich scratched his bearded chin andughed at those words. Georg shrugged and turned his horse toward Gottval. Whatever the case was, the death of Gottval was going to be an ufortable matter for Georg as well, anyway. Gottval was a great priest worthy of protection.


    Urich looked at the distant pnquin of Six-Fingered. Smoke rose hazily from the pnquin. He was probably high on his herbs, without a doubt.