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Kwaaak! What are these guys!"

"Gather around! Gather around quickly!"

"Where did you come from!"

The barbarians, who were happily plundering, were suddenly attacked by knights and fell into confusion.

They didn't even set up a proper perimeter because they thought the main force was holding off the northern fortress forces.

They were helpless because they were only focused on plundering.

Knights were coming out from all directions. I tried to respond belatedly, but the opponents were too strong.

Since he was using up all of his mana without fail, even if he blocked it with an axe, the axe would break and his head would fly off.

The barbarian warrior is certainly strong. He is often said to be able to handle three or more soldiers on his own. However, even ten soldiers gathered together cannot stop a knight.

"Hey, these kids!"

One of the barbarian warriors, who had been looking around in confusion, raised an axe and tried to cut off the head of the man he had captured.

First of all, it was a cruel habit to kill people close to him to vent his anger.

Boom!

But before the axe could be swung properly, his head was smashed by a spear flying from somewhere.

Giselle threw down the spear and pulled out the sword on her waist and shouted.

"Don't leave a single one alive!"

"All right!"

Lucas, who answered the loudest, jumped down from his horse and ran towards the savages at lightning speed.

Boom! Boom!

"Ugh!"

Every time Lucas thrust his spear, the savages' helmets and heads were shattered.

Every time he took a step, a barbarian warrior was sure to fall.

"Stop bullying the weak and come at me!"

Lucas' thunderous scream rises through the flames.

Under Giselle's guidance, his skills were improving at an incredibly fast rate.

As expected, he had outstanding talent, as expected from someone who had become a master with just one spear in his previous life.

"What, what! Why is this kid so strong!"

The barbarian warriors were astonished to see Lucas's skills. The spear was so fast that it pierced their heads and bodies before they could even try to block it with their axes.

Lucas, who loves to show off, couldn't miss this opportunity. He really tried his best to save people.

Other knights also ran around the town, killing barbarian warriors. They were all in a hurry and did not spare their mana, as many people had already been sacrificed.

The barbarian warriors also struggled for their lives, but they could not withstand the surprise attack of over a hundred knights.

"Kwaaah!"

"I will curse you!"

"Our comrades will definitely get revenge!"

The savages fell one by one, screaming. The raiding party itself was not very large, so it did not take long to subdue them.

Even after killing all the barbarians, the knights could not rejoice at all because of the horrific scene that had unfolded throughout the village.

"Eww! Mom!"

"Honey, honey! Open your eyes!"

"No! This is not right! Please!"

The survivors were sobbing, hugging the corpses of the dead.

The flames that raged everywhere took away their homes. Those who survived had to choose between rebuilding their village over a long period of time or joining another village and living a cautious life.

This was the true reality of the North. In addition to the harsh environment, they also had to deal with the threat of monsters and barbarians.

The barbarians were being held back by Perdium, but you can't stop ten hands with one hand.

In this case, when barbarians formed an alliance or sneaked in to avoid surveillance, it was inevitable that villages would suffer damage.

Jiselle looked around with a bitter expression on her face.

'If they've come all the way down here, they must be desperate for food.'

The villages are now located considerably further south than they used to be, as Zwalter had long ago implemented a migration policy to reduce the damage caused by plunder.

The villages that were plundered this time were those that had narrowly escaped the relocation policy.

It would have been nice to have moved them south, but moving an entire village would have cost a lot of money. Finding a place to live in the barren north was also harder than expected.

In a poor estate, they can't provide much support. Ferdium's situation has only recently improved a little.

It was not as easy as it sounds, as I could not easily abandon my home and even if I did, I would have nowhere else to live.

The other nearby territories, threatened by the barbarians, were poor themselves and did not even cooperate properly.

'We need to send more workers to support them.'

The Fenris Estates are moving all their isolated villages to the castle and fortress surroundings, not only to prepare for war but also for the troubles to come.

Ferdium also planned to slowly become like the Fenris territory. That's why they were sending workers to lay roads and build facilities in key locations.

There is a lot to prepare, but I thought I would increase the scale of support since there will be quite a few villages that have suffered damage this time.

"Let's go back, we'll take the survivors to the fortress."

If we leave them like this, we won't be able to survive. Even tomorrow's life will be difficult.

They had to stay in the fortress for a while and then send them to a suitable village with support supplies.

As Giselle was about to leave on her horse, a child blocked her path.

It was the boy that Jiselle had saved earlier.

Looking at the boy, Giselle asked.

"Do you have anything to say?"

"You said you would… protect us?"

"Yes, it's unfortunate what happened today, but it won't happen again. I promise."

The boy hesitated for a moment at Giselle's firm answer before speaking.

"You don't have to protect me."

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"What does that mean?"

"Me too… I also want to fight together."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 15 years old."

Jiselle looked at the boy quietly.

He would soon be an adult. However, because he grew up starving, he was small and looked younger than his age.

"It's still too much for you. I'll provide you with enough food, so eat well first and then when you grow a little, apply to be a soldier of Ferdium… ."

Jiselle, who was speaking, stopped when she saw the boy's eyes.

There was something familiar about those eyes.

She was still trembling with tears in her eyes, as if her fear had not yet subsided. However, Jiselle knew very well the emotions hidden behind it.

Guilt for not being able to contribute any strength.

A feeling of helplessness, of having no power over oneself.

I feel sorry for not being able to protect the people I love,

Despair and regret that there is now no going back and no turning back.

and....

"What do you want?"

"It's revenge."

"What kind of revenge?"

"Death of all savages."

"… … ."

I know. Those eyes, those feelings.

The murderous intent to kill the other person.

A burning hatred that would make one give up everything for it.

Madness that feeds on pain and endlessly whips oneself, eventually destroying oneself.

That was exactly the look in Jiselle's eyes and the emotion she felt when she saw the ruined land in her previous life.

Stop.

A tear fell from the boy's wide-open eyes.

But the boy never closed his eyes and only looked at Giselle, as if he knew that only the one standing before him could fulfill his wish.

He is constantly crying out in his mind for help in his revenge, clutching at straws.

Stop.

Another tear fell.

Jiselle looked at the sight without saying a word.

Even when going through the same thing, each person reacts differently. They heal their wounds differently and solve problems differently.

Most people who have experienced a major incident like this have consoled themselves by saying that there was nothing they could do.

On the other hand, the attitude of the boy in front of him was very similar to his own.

If you take the wrong direction, you will become a great murderer. But if you take the right aim… … .

It will be an unavoidable 'terror' for any enemy.

The boy's madness would only end when either he or the target of his revenge disappeared.

The boy could no longer escape the path of blood even without Giselle's help.

You must have already decided to live that way.

"I will take you with me when I return to the territory. I will make sure to give you special guidance."

"thank you!"

"You might think it would be better to die."

"It doesn't matter. If you can't even endure that much, you're better off dead."

At those words, Jiselle smiled faintly. It was as if she was seeing herself in a past life.

"What's your name?"

"This is Arel."

Jiselle opened her eyes wide in surprise, then chuckled again.

Arel. It was a name as familiar as the look in his eyes.

* * *

Thanks to the hard work of many people, we were able to track down and destroy all the barbarian raiding parties.

Ferdium's army, filled with rage, went to find the tribe that had lost its warriors, but they had already heard the news and had all fled.

Zwalter returned to the fortress, sat down on his chair and muttered. A tired look appeared on his face.

"There was damage, but it's really fortunate that it was prevented to this extent."

He said it was fortunate, but his expression didn't seem to show it at all.

He has been holding up well even in difficult and challenging situations for several years.

That's why the villages in the north were rarely looted. Even when they were attacked, the damage was not that great thanks to the quick pursuit of the Ferdium army.

But now, unlike before, many people had died. So Zwalter's mind could not be at ease.

"Still, thanks to you, I was able to end it here. Thank you."

Seeing her father's complexion worsening in a few days, perhaps because of his severe mental distress, Jiselle felt complicated.

He always carries out his responsibilities faithfully, even at the cost of his own life. He cannot let go of that sense of responsibility even though it binds him and causes him pain.

It is impossible for a son to feel completely at ease seeing his father like that.

"We will provide additional support as we will soon be able to produce more equipment in the territory. We will also send resources and laborers to help rebuild the village that was destroyed this time."

There were quite a few refugees from the ruined villages gathered in the fortress at the moment. It was planned to build a new village in a suitable place for them to settle down.

"Yes, thank you. You are a great help to the spirit world."

Zwalter didn't cheer and rejoice like he used to. He was too tired for that now.

The wolf is old, with hair loss and dull teeth. Zwalter was growing old, burdened by decades of responsibility.

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and asked.

"You said you came to secure horses? We've gained quite a lot from this war, so that should be enough. Take them all."

Since we won thanks to Giselle, it was right for Giselle to take the spoils. Although they fought together, Zwalter was not greedy and planned to hand everything over.

Because I have received so much more from Jiselle.

And Ferdium, with his small army, was not so short of horses.

Claude, who was listening from the side, said to Giselle.

"We have secured over 2,000 horses. This is more than enough for immediate use. It was finished sooner than I thought."

Two thousand horses is not an amount that can be easily obtained even in the entire Kingdom of Rutania. As the six tribes joined forces, the amount of spoils was also enormous.

If the barbarians had not joined forces and invaded, it would not have been possible to obtain this quantity so easily.

Of course, that was possible because we won.

Zwalter agreed with Claude and continued speaking.

"The tribes that have joined forces this time were the tribes that settled in an area fairly close to the fortress. Now that they are gone, we will be safe for the time being. We can also rest and reorganize our forces during this time."

In Rutania, they are collectively referred to as barbarians, but in fact, they are divided into numerous tribes. As a result, there were many cases where barbarians fought each other to protect their own tribal territory.

With six tribes decimated in this battle, other tribes will fight each other to take over their territories.

Attacks on the fortress would become much less frequent until a new tribe established itself nearby.

Thanks to this, the northern fortress had time to renovate after a long time. However, Jiselle still had work to do.

"I have no intention of going back yet."

"Why? Do you have other things to do?"

"Yes, I have something to do. Nothing much."

The big battle was already over. Zwalter nodded lightly at the words that it was nothing special.

"Yes, what's the matter? Are you planning on helping with maintenance here? Or rebuilding the village? Either way, if your troops can help, it will be a great help."

Jiselle shook her head and answered.

"We have to strike first before they come back."