Unexpected Development

Arthur used every last bit of strength and willpower to put his lord in safety. It was not a matter of life and death for him. It was something he would gladly sacrificed himself for. The strength his lord had displayed, Arthur knew it was not common, even in knight households.

Be it the aura that Drake displayed, or the sheer swordsmanship, there were not many sword masters in the Porfield Kingdom, and Drake had become one at the young age of 16. This was something that talent alone could not explain. Drake was an extraordinary genius, and as long as he survived this ordeal, he would become the strongest individual in the Kingdom...no, the strongest monarch in the continent!

After the horse died, Arthur proceeded to carry his lord to the forbidden mountain range within the Moonfall territory, a place avoided by merchants due to the tribes of northern barbarians and magical beasts. This is also the place where Drake led his army to hunt sky eagles in the past.

He found a cave, and constructed a temporary shelter.

He would hunt for food, gather water and treat Drake's wounds.

Day after day, Drake showed signs of recovery.

It took his lord one month to wake up from his coma state. Although Drake showed incredible resilience and vitality, his recovery was slow. He had accumulated too much wounds to recover fast. However, Arthur had all the time in the world.

Frozen wolves, yetis, sky eagles...Arthur defeated one foe after another, feeding his lord with the fresh meat. However, Arthur was eventually spotted by northern barbarians. These barbarians were not considered humans by commoners of the Porfield Kingdom. They lived in primitive tribes, had their own language, did not know how to write and read but only how to draw. They possessed incredibly strong bodies, but at the same time, lacked intellect and discipline to conquer and develop. They were an aggressive kind, extremely hostile to foreigners.

The Northern Barbarians found Arthur, beat him up, and eventually found Drake as well.

At this point, Drake only had knight-level strength, his wounds not having recovered.

However, Drake possessed something that no adventurers had: the ability to communicate with this kind of 'subhumans'. He was kneeling in front of what seemed to be their queen, and to Drake's surprise, she possessed a physique that far exceeded that of [Grand Knights]

[Name - Northern Barbarian Queen | Age - 46 Years Old

Race - Human

Northern Barbarian Blood (100% purity)

Attributes:

Strength - 10.3 (+3.0) | Agility - 5.2 (+2.0) | Vitality - 10.5 (+5.0)

Perks: Grand Knight Physique (+3.0 Strength, +3.0 Vitality, +2.0 Agility), Aura, Northern Blood (+2.0 Vitality)

Skills: (?)

Spell: (?)]

Arthur could not fathom her strength, but Drake felt like that even the patriarch might have a rough time against her if they fought. Her stats were almost as strong as that of the Giant Python he had defeated. She was someone whose strength had reached the peak of the Grand Knight realm.

Her royal guards were far below Drake's standards, only being knights, but her strength alone was enough to make him shocked to the core. Some of her advisors also showed beginner rank acolyte strength too, but they were not worthy of mentionning, being inferior still compared to the Elderwood acolytes he had defeated.

The woman seemed to recognize Drake's spiritual force, and nodded.

"I know you can understand us somehow...", she spoke using clicks and strange sounds that were inhuman.

The Northern Barbarians possessed their own form of communication, very different to what the common language looked like.

Drake knew that it was meaningless to lie and simply said: "I do, and I greet you, ô queen of the Northern Barbarians"

The Queen was a bit taken aback by Drake's words. Although the pronunciations was crude, it was the first time her tribe managed to communicate with a 'Southerner man'. She had only made a rough guess because Drake was intensely focused on her conversation with her advisors, but it seemed like her bet paid off.

This was an opportunity.

An opportunity to communicate with the rest of the world.

"Tell me...Why should I not kill you after you trespassed on my territory and hunted my preys?"

[Analysing language...Proficiency growing...Please keep talking to increase the vocabulary database]

Drake smiled: "I am probably the only one who took the trouble to learn your language. I am also an intermediate rank acolyte. If you allow me to recover in your territory, I promise you that I can help you develop your tribe"

The Queen smiled: "It seems like you didn't understand"

She approached Drake and ripped apart his armour, revealing his body. it was filled with scars, but she could obviously see the strong and refined muscles. Unlike anything she had seen in her life, Drake possessed incredible physical strength. With blond hair and red eyes, he was also unlike any northern barbarian, possessing a charm of his own.

"You will become my slave. If I tell you to kneel, you will. If I want to bite you, you will let yourself be bitten"

Unwilling to become her slave, Drake shook his head and revealed: "I am a skilled alchemist from the Moonfall Household...I know that you won't take my status into account when dealing with me, as I lack any form of communication. However, even you must know the value of alchemists, right? I bet you have enormous amounts of resources since you monopolised the mountain range with your tribe for so long"

The Queen retracted her hand immediately: "Alchemy? Interesting..."

On the sidelines, Arthur was seemingly shocked by this development, not understanding how his lord could communicate with the beastlike barbarians. When Drake was almost subdued, he felt like they would become slaves and meet a terrible end, but the Queen's facial expressions seemed to reveal something else: greed.