"You bastard!"
Waroka immediately grabbed his axe and swung it at Ghislain.
As a warrior of the north, Waroka prioritized political judgment more than most barbarians, but this level of insult was unbearable.
Clang!
Ghislain swiftly drew his sword and blocked the axe with a smile.
"Shall we start here?"
"You bastard... Are you saying you don't want to negotiate?"
"I don't care about such things. If you want to kill, then kill, and if you can kill, go ahead and try."
"You insolent...!"
The atmosphere became tense in an instant. As the two locked weapons and glared at each other, others didn't stay idle.
Clang! Clink! Clang!
Everyone around them drew their weapons and glared. Even the armies waiting in the rear tensed up and prepared for battle.
Claude leaned toward Wendy and whispered.
"Carry me and let's run. Right now."
Wendy gave Claude a disdainful look.
In the midst of this near-explosive tension, Zwalter raised his voice with a deliberately angry expression.
"Enough! Enough! Isn't this a place for negotiations?"
At his words, Ghislain smirked at Waroka and sheathed his sword. Waroka also suppressed his anger and put away his axe, though neither stopped glaring at the other.
Waroka struggled to contain his boiling rage. The negotiation had seemed to be going smoothly until this upstart stepped in with threats.
"Five thousand horses? Are you saying you'll take almost all the horses from the warriors here?"
"Exactly. I'm being considerate by only taking that much, so you all can at least survive."
"You arrogant...!"
Waroka gritted his teeth.
Without horses, the warriors' mobility would be severely weakened. Given that the tribes mainly procured food through raiding, losing their horses would make it nearly impossible to secure provisions.
Waroka growled in frustration.
"Do you think we'd accept such a ridiculous demand? A warrior without a horse cannot survive here."
"Then die here and now. It'd be easier for me to kill you all and take everything anyway."
"This bastard..."
Waroka gripped his axe tightly once more. It seemed that killing this upstart might be the only way to move forward with the negotiation.
Among barbarians, negotiations often began this way—by killing a few to demonstrate strength and gain an advantage in terms.
Even Waroka couldn't escape the barbarian mindset.
But as he prepared to swing his axe again, a sudden thought crossed Waroka's mind.
'Wait... Did he block my axe so easily?'
He had been the first to attack. Considering the time it took to draw a sword, it should've been impossible for the boy to block so effortlessly.
Suppressing the chill running down his spine, Waroka asked cautiously.
"Are you... the Bloody Demon?"
"Seems like that's what you people call me. But I'm no demon; I'm a pacifist."
People didn't believe him, but Ghislain truly preferred resolving matters peacefully. It was just that the situations he faced always seemed to require force.
Waroka clenched and unclenched his fists, his instincts battling his pride. He desperately wanted to swing his axe at the insolent boy in front of him.
'Could such a young pup really be the Blood Demon?'
But this boy had killed Kustu, and annihilated five thousand warriors. The pride of a warrior clashed with the fear that he couldn't win, no matter how much he wanted to test his strength.
Crunch.
Waroka's internal conflict was immense. His pride as a warrior, his ambitions, and his responsibilities as a leader collided repeatedly in his mind.
Seeing this tense standoff, Claude sighed and hung his head.
'Of course, this was bound to happen. There's no way this would end smoothly with his temper.'
Even asking for two thousand horses might have been grudgingly accepted. But five thousand? No one would agree to that.
Claude knew enough about the barbarians to predict their response. Having already drawn their weapons once, they'd likely storm off to prepare for battle.
'If only Wendy would just carry me out of here.'
Claude subtly glanced around, preparing to escape.
But then...
"Grrr..."
Waroka didn't move. He continued grinding his teeth, glaring at Ghislain. His actions were far from typical for a barbarian.
'He swung his weapon earlier, so why is he hesitating now? Did our crazy lord do something again?'
Claude alternated his gaze between Waroka and Ghislain, utterly baffled.
Ghislain, unfazed, casually remarked.
"What are you doing? If you want to fight, fight. If you're bringing the horses, do it now. Or should I settle this with a one-on-one duel?"
Technically, Ghislain's interference was improper. Zwalter was the designated representative for the negotiations.
'Forget etiquette. If I leave this to Father, he'll end up being too soft-hearted again. He's always too kind.'
Zwalter understood the barbarians' circumstances and would likely offer them some concessions to ensure peace while strengthening the territory.
While Ghislain understood this approach, it wasn't his style.
His way was simple: take everything now. Kill anyone who resists.
This was the only way to handle barbarians.
Waroka turned his fury toward Zwalter, seeking an outlet.
"Wolf of the North! Are you not the one leading this negotiation? Is this truly your will?"
Zwalter massaged his forehead. Whenever his son got involved, nothing ever went smoothly.
In the past, Zwalter's subordinates would have reprimanded Ghislain for his rudeness. But now, no one dared to speak up. Everyone knew that Perdium's recent improvements were all thanks to Ghislain.
Zwalter couldn't help but feel a twinge of isolation.
'My dear... why did you leave me so soon…'
Wiping his misty eyes, Zwalter shook his head and responded.
"I delegated this matter to him."
Denying it would only harm their side's image. Zwalter decided to leave everything to Ghislain, turning away to enjoy the breeze.
"Ah, such pleasant weather."
"You... you wretch!"
Seeing even Zwalter feign indifference, Waroka huffed and eventually slumped into his seat.
"I... I can't persuade them."
If it were just the Sunstone Tribe, it would be fine. But the other tribes would certainly rebel. They'd rather die fighting than lose their horses for nothing.
Yet, starting a war was not an option either. The Bloody Demon's feats and current display of skill were overwhelming. Even if they won, the cost would be catastrophic.
That would shatter Waroka's dreams and bring his tribe to the brink of destruction.
Caught between his ambitions and his responsibilities, Waroka sat frozen, unable to decide.
"Hmm."
Ghislain glanced at the lined-up barbarian army in the distance and spoke.
"Getting a bit more reasonable, I see. Let me offer you a little help."
"What?"
"I'll fill in some of the gaps you're missing."
One of Waroka's warriors, who had drawn his axe earlier, shouted angrily.
"What nonsense! You're taking our most important horses and calling it help?"
"And who are you?"
"I am Monga Bujoke, great warrior of the Sunstone Tribe! We lack nothing, and we have nothing to give or receive from you. If you wish to fight, then prepare for battle!"
"You seem to lack quite a lot," Ghislain muttered.
Waroka clenched his jaw in silence. While Monga displayed the confidence and aggression of a great warrior, it wasn't what Waroka needed right now.
And the Bloody Demon was right—they lacked many things. Even survival was a struggle.
Waroka glared at Monga and snapped.
"Who told you to speak out of turn?"
At Waroka's menacing gaze, Monga fell silent and lowered his head.
With the tension easing slightly, Waroka turned back to Ghislain and asked.
"What help are you offering?"
"Food."
"...?"
"I'll provide enough food for your people to survive for now."
"Food? You'll give us food?"
"Yes. And I'll also release the captives we've taken thus far."
"Hmm..."
Waroka fell into deep thought. Food was the most precious resource for the barbarians. Their raids on Lutania were primarily for provisions.
Receiving the captives was also appealing. While most were likely elderly or children, the children could grow up to become valuable warriors.
However, feeding those captives until they were old enough to fight would be a burden on the already struggling warriors. Even with the food, starvation would eventually set in again.
Ghislain smirked and added.
"If you agree to offer two hundred horses as tribute each year, I'll provide the food as a gift. And... I'll leave the distribution of that food entirely to you. You understand what that means, don't you?"
At those words, Waroka's eyes gleamed.
Initially, he would have to distribute the food fairly to pacify the other tribes. But afterward?
If he controlled the food supply, his tribe would become the most powerful. This would make unification much easier.
'Others may keep challenging me, but... wasn't I already planning to subjugate them by force anyway?'
Even if Waroka controlled the food supply, warriors, driven by pride, would not bow to him easily. Instead, they would likely fight desperately to seize it.
But a well-fed warrior cannot be defeated by a starving one. Even now, the Sunstone Tribe was considered one of the strongest among the tribes.
Waroka's eyes gleamed with ambition. Losing the horses might slow them down, but it seemed like a fair trade if it allowed him to suppress the other tribes more quickly.
Watching Waroka closely, Ghislain smirked.
'I knew you'd accept, given your nature.'
Unlike most barbarians, Waroka was a thinker. In his past life, he ultimately succeeded in uniting the tribes. The brute force of the other barbarians couldn't hope to defeat someone who combined strength with cunning.
However, leading a large number of people had its own challenges, and Waroka constantly struggled with food shortages.
After Perdium's collapse, Waroka had even sought aid from Duke Delphine in exchange for agreeing not to disrupt the development of the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
But even that hadn't been enough. The opportunity he seized was during the One-Year War between the Mercenary King and Lutania.
With the kingdom thrown into chaos, Waroka used the turmoil to push south. Of course, he didn't forget to curry favor with Ghislain by offering numerous gifts.
— "I'll just take a few small pieces of land. I promise not to harm the your army."
— "Do as you like. But if you interfere with my work, I'll crush you first."
— "You have my word. I'll be of help to you."
Waroka wreaked havoc across lands already ravaged by Ghislain. Since Ghislain aimed to weaken Lutania's power, he allowed Waroka to act as he pleased.
Ghislain's primary goal was cutting down Duke Delphine, after all.
Of course, Ghislain had intended to eliminate the barbarians completely afterward, though he died before achieving that goal.
This was why Ghislain had made the proposal to Waroka now. Of all the barbarians, Waroka was the only one whose ambition and desire for unification outweighed his concern over losing horses.
After much deliberation, Waroka nodded decisively.
"Fine! I'll provide the horses. I'll convince the other tribes. But the food—give it all to me. I'll handle distribution and allocation myself."
"So be it. Convince the others."
"Understood. Once they hear about the food, they'll follow."
Waroka confidently agreed and left. Food was the most critical resource for them right now.
'Hehe. Once I secure the food and unify the tribes, even you won't be able to stop me. Those captured children will grow into warriors, and we'll surpass you in numbers.'
Hiding his true thoughts, Waroka smiled. In his mind, he was already building a grand kingdom in the north.
Claude, who had witnessed the entire exchange, shook his head in disbelief.
'Not a demon? He's a total demon.'
It was obvious what would happen. Deprived of their horses, the barbarians would lose much of their mobility and combat strength.
But worse than that would be the battles between tribes over the food. Ghislain had effectively handed them a ticking time bomb.
One side would try to hoard the food to dominate the others, while the rest would do everything to seize it.
If the food were distributed fairly and the tribes united their strength, Perdium might face a serious threat. But Waroka didn't seem like the kind of person capable of such unity.
Even if the tribes united, it would still create problems. A larger population would require more food, making sustenance even harder to secure.
'A five-year truce? Is he planning to unify the tribes during that time? Even if he does, the food shortages will persist. They'll keep groveling and offering tribute just to survive. Tch. He has ambition but lacks the foresight to understand the consequences.'
Waroka's greed had doomed his people's future.
The barbarians were now effectively barred from invading Lutania's northern territories. During the five-year truce, the lord of Perdium would use food to keep them firmly under control.
'Something about this is still strange. If the lord didn't know Waroka so well, there's no way this plan would've worked.'
Claude was baffled by how perfectly everything was unfolding according to the lord's expectations. It made no sense from his perspective.
'I'm dying to know how he pulls this off!'
This wasn't knowledge gleaned from books. It required experience—experience the lord seemingly didn't have. Claude felt like he was going to go mad trying to figure it out.
Meanwhile, Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.
'Plenty of horses secured, and the leash is ready. No need to worry about betrayal now.'
Ghislain knew he needed to conserve his forces. Waroka simply hadn't realized that yet.
If Waroka had continued to resist, Ghislain would have wiped them out, even at the cost of taking losses. Securing the rear was a crucial objective.
'With the barbarians neutralized, Perdium can afford to redeploy troops elsewhere.'
The news had reached him that Amelia and Baron Valois's civil war had begun. For Amelia, defeating Daven was a more immediate priority than dealing with Ghislain.
Even if Amelia won quickly, she would need time to recover and reorganize before turning her attention to Fenris territory.
'Just wait a little longer, Harold Desmond.'
Ghislain's smile turned cold and cruel.
Piece by piece, he was preparing to take Harold's head.
[T/L: Please support me and read 295 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]