The barbarians were celebrating their first will over Aurelia… by wrecking the outpost they had captured. The enemy's blood remained smeared on the dirty snow, but they paid no heed to it.
They were busy enjoying the booze and food left behind by the Aurelian soldiers.
Away from the rowdy crowd, a girl sat quietly, gazing up at the dark sky. Her pure white hair shimmered in the moonlight's glow. A bloodied axe rested by her side while she gently ran her fingers over the wound on her left thigh.
The Silver Wolf.
She went by that name, a fierce warrior commanding the barbarians at just seventeen years old.
But her mother had given her a different name.
Analeis. The one born for greatness.
However, that was a distant memory now. Her mother, her brother… everyone was gone. All that remained was her tribe of ruffians.
With a sigh, Analeis turned around, watching her people enjoy the night. She was the youngest combatant there, yet she knew the truth no one else did.
The Marki Empire, whom they adored, was toying with them.
While the barbarians thought highly of the Marki Empire, they were nothing but the empire's playthings. The empire gave them weapons… worn-out weapons and told them to fight their war in the name of resistance.
But they gave nothing else. No training, no support, no food. Just weapons.
For someone who supposedly cared a lot about the barbarians, the Marki didn't show it.
That's why Analeis saw them for what they were. A bunch of backstabbing bastards.
The empire was using them to weaken Aurelia. It didn't matter now many barbarians lost their lives for it. Once the kingdom was weak enough, the Marki would launch an attack, taking over the Aurelia.
What will happen to the barbarians then?
They would become tools that had outlived their purpose. It was likely they would get repurposed and sold elsewhere.
Analeis knew it because the Marki hated barbarians. Why else would her father, a noble, abandon her mother after impregnating her?
She clenched her fist at the thought.
Even after knowing everything about the Marki, Analeis was too helpless to do anything.
The moment she turned her fangs at the empire, they would tear her down. Just like they tore her brother into a thousand pieces.
The Marki had already decided their fate. The barbarians would perish, either as loyalists or as traitors.
That's why Analeis hoped to discuss things with the Aurelian general and explain the situation.
However, a tribe folk accidentally shot a soldier, and all hell broke loose. Talking became impossible, forcing them to fight.
With a deep sigh, Analeis lit a cigarette. She had always hated the smell of tobacco when her brother used to smoke. His smoking made sense to her now.
"This situation is too tense…"
As she puffed out the smoke, she felt something. A strange presence. It wasn't mana, she would know if that was the case.
A normal person would have dismissed it as their imagination, but Analeis had long since learned not to ignore her intuition.
She jumped to her feet, axe in hand, looking around. Upon seeing her, the barbarians also got up, their guns in hand.
"What's wrong, Ana?"
An older woman asked.
"Someone's here, Maka," Analeis replied, calling the woman her aunt.
Even though Analeis was their leader, no one addressed her with honorifics. After all, they were like family. That was also the reason everyone trusted her hunch.
"Did those Aurelian bastards come for another fight?"
"Haha, those fools never learn."
Analeis clicked her tongue, silencing everyone. They had only won one fight, and were already brimming with overconfidence.
After stomping on her cigarette, Analeis led the people towards the threat. As much as she wanted another puff, there was no time for it.
"Is that… a tiger?"
"…"
Analeis didn't reply. She, too, saw a white-furred tiger walking towards them. But it made no sense. Marki hunters had killed all the beasts in the mountains long ago. Then how the hell there was a tiger there?
"It's just one beast," a man scoffed. "I'll deal with it."
The man aimed his gun and fired at the tiger. The bullet hit it in the head, but… the tiger kept walking.
Another guy shot the tiger, but nothing changed. Then another, and another.
"What's happening!?"
"Why won't it die?"
"Stop shooting," Analeis ordered the rest.
"What—?"
"Your bullets," Analeis mumbled, gripping her axe tighter, "are going through it."
"Going through… it can't be…"
The barbarians had lived around the mountains for centuries. As such, they had folk tales surrounding the mountain's guardian beast, the spirit tiger.
About two centuries ago, the then tribe's leader had seen the mountain's guardian in his dream. That dream led to them finding resources to outlive the coldest winter ever.
Ever since that day, the spirit tiger had become their guardian as well. However, those were all folk tales. No one ever believed the spirit tiger actually existed.
Yet there it was, standing before them.
The barbarians went on their knees as the spirit tiger stopped. Whether or not they believed it, they had to respect the tradition.
[Leave.]
Before Analeis could ask anything, the spirit disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
The barbarians were confused. Some even wondered if their enemies had used a trick to push them out without a fight.
But the next moment, everything went quiet as the ground trembled. Analeis looked up to see a thick layer of snow rushing toward them, threatening to bury them alive.
"Take cover! Get inside the building!"
Analeis yelled as the barbarians sprinted towards the outpost. Analeis tossed her Maka over her shoulder before rushing ahead, hoping the building would save them.
On the other side of the mountain, the Aurelians were better prepared.
"Erect magic barriers!"
Amara didn't know what happened, but it wasn't time to dwell on such things. The snow collided against the barrier, pushing the mages back, but the barrier held firm, stopping the avalanche on their side.
Darius watched the scene from the top of the mountain.
[Observe closely, my descendant. Witness how a true sovereign dispatches foes with grace and precision.]