Moment of silence.
No one dared to make a sound. Everyone was afraid of Ingmar.
The guy who always looked calm and level-headed could turn terrifying when he got angry—so much so that he'd almost kill his own sister.
Guess it's true what they say. Never judge a book by its cover.
I got up from the floor and gave my hand to Ingrid, but she brushed it away. I was not angry about it; I could understand how she felt. Anyone in her position would be shaken.
"Everyone get out," Ingmar barked. "I'm not in the mood to talk. We'll discuss this tomorrow morning."
Following his orders, everyone left the room. Ingrid was the first one out, practically storming off as soon as she got out the door.
I wanted to go after her, to comfort her, but Sigurd put a hand on my shoulder, holding me.
"Let her be. She needs some space to sort things out. This must be tough on her."
I had thought the bald guy was looking for trouble with me. Apparently, he was wiser than his look.
So, I took his advice, giving Ingrid her space.
Sigurd watched her disappear into the crowd. I could see a glint of worry in his eyes.
"Has this happened before?" I asked.
"Many times. Ingmar is the last person you'd want to cross. When he gets angry, he can slaughter the entire settlement. Plenty has death to his wrath."
"Even his sister?"
Sigurd shook his head. "This is the first time."
Then Sigurd started sharing more about Ingmar and Ingrid.
Ingmar and Ingrid are twins, with Ingmar born just a minute before Ingrid. Sadly, their mother died during childbirth.
Growing up without a mother meant they never knew a loving touch. Their father, Asbjorn, raised them with an iron hand, teaching them to fight and sail since they were kids.
Ingrid grew up into a brave, tomboyish girl, while Ingmar was the quiet one. Anyone who saw their obvious differences would assume Ingmar was the 'good' kid.
But that's wrong.
Ingmar was quiet because he struggled to control his emotions, especially anger. He'd often lash out his anger into violence. Whenever he felt anger or had a tantrum, he'd break things around him.
Even when he was only eight, he killed another kid over a toy.
Of course, Asbjorn saw this as a problem. He began training Ingmar more closely to prevent him from causing more trouble in the future. And it worked.
Ingmar grew into a great warrior. Not only was he good with an axe and sword, but he also became a charismatic leader. He started showing leadership skills in his early teens.
"But he's still the same boy I saw ten years ago. He still struggles to control his anger and sometimes loses it, especially in battle."
I nodded as I listened to Sigurd.
Who would've guessed Ingmar had such a tough background? Never knowing his mother, raised under a hard father. Any kid would grow up like him.
But I was even more curious about Ingrid.
"So, what about her?" I asked.
"Pretty much what like you saw. She grew up in her brother's shadow. Asbjorn focused so much on his son that his daughter ended up feeling a little overlooked. Ingrid always craved recognition from her brother and father, even though she'd constantly challenge them. You know, sometimes I feel bad for her."
It's no surprise Ingrid treated me like shit when we first met. She was probably venting her years of frustration out on me. It all makes sense now.
Still, it doesn't justify her actions, even if I understand her feelings.
Sigurd took a deep breath. "Shit. I shouldn't be telling you all this shit. Don't tell anyone about this."
"I get it," I replied.
After that, Sigurd walked off.
I hadn't expected this bald guy to be a thoughtful person. I thought he was just a bootlicker. Or maybe I'm just too quick to judge people.
…
Gunnar and Birna didn't immediately back home after I returned. They helped me at the clinic.
Birna tended to our mysterious female patient while Gunnar and I made an anesthetic brew. I did some experiments with my brew, adding herbs with numbing effects like henbane or hemlock.
I tried it out on a sheep. The brew worked well, though I ended up arguing with its owner after the sheep died. Luckily, Gunnar was good at negotiating, and the guy agreed to trade the sheep for salt and honey.
Gunnar said I didn't need to compensate for it anyway. It was his way of saying thanks for saving him.
So, we cooked the dead sheep. Of course, we didn't eat it all. I saved some for Varin.
Also, I set aside the sheep's intestines for another experiment.
In one article from "Historical World Records", I read that a medieval Islamic surgeon, Al-Zahrawi, used sheep intestines to make sutures for surgery.
I plan to follow his method to make catgut sutures. These threads can be absorbed by the human body, which could help prevent post-op complications.
"See you tomorrow, Maikal! I'll stop by your place again!"
That was what Birna said as she and Gunnar left the clinic. The sun was starting to set in the west as they headed home.
I got back to my usual routine, digging into historical research on medical knowledge.
My mysterious female patient still hadn't woken up. I checked on her a few times and she seemed stable, but I worried her condition could suddenly worsen or develop complications.
You know, I did that surgery with what I had on hand.
"Alright, enough with the medical research."
I wanted to sleep, but I wasn't tired yet. So, I spent some time reading up on Viking history.
"Oh yeah. Maybe some of the people here are actually listed in historical records."
I accessed "Historical World Records". As the homepage came up, I typed keywords into the search bar.
"Let's try 'Ingmar.'"
[ Searching "Ingmar" …]
[ Showing results! ]
I frowned as I looked through the results. All the articles were biographies of other historical figures. I tried adding "Sweden," "Denmark," and "Norway" to the search bar, and the best result that came up was Ingmar Bergman, a Swedish director.
"If his name doesn't show up, maybe Ingmar isn't recorded in history. Is he a nobody in this era?"
Then, I tried entering some other names.
[ No historical record found for "Varin" ]
[ No historical record found for "Ingrid Asbjornsdottir" ]
[ No historical record found for "Asbjorn" ]
The lack of results made me scratch my head.
I thought this ability would let me see every history, but it looks like it's limited to major figures or historical events.
"What if I try this name?"
As soon as I typed in "Guthrum," dozens of articles popped up.
One of the titles made my eyes go wide.
[ Guthrum, Viking Historical Figure. ]
Curious, I clicked on the article.
"No way."
[ Guthrum was a leader of a major Danish invasion of Anglo-Saxon England who waged war against the West Saxon king, Alfred the Great, and later made himself king of East Anglia. ]
The person I'd made trouble with was one of the kings who ruled a kingdom in England.