Chapter 249

Chapter 249

***

Thinking about it, he hadn't seen the sun since coming here. Whether it was originally like this, it was always cloudy even though it wasn't raining. He definitely saw stars at night though.

Anyway the true adventure began now. Holding onto just that one thing, whether hope or desire, and roaming around a strange and dangerous place.

Rickart wore the golden breastplate of the greatest emperor underneath, and draped a tiger fur cloak. Perhaps because of the fur cloak, he gave off a quite barbaric vibe.

Together with Gundar and two warriors, they left the first settlement and headed south.

Weasels were running this way and that looking for field mice, seeing such things it didn't seem much different from other regions. Except for those mutant things or whatever.

Was there some nasty magic seeping into the air? Or as the priest said, was it a curse placed on those without faith? It was unknown.

They slept out in the open at night, walked during the day, and barely conversed. Walking diligently for about two days they reached a place that looked quite like a city.

The 'Veliyev' the old woman mentioned, the city's name was allegedly taken from the name of the family that first settled here and ruled for generations.

Though the scale wasn't large, the place bustling with people had active trading going on. From things he was seeing for the first time in his life to things that looked no different from trash. He even saw a small fairy trapped inside a birdcage.

As Rickart approached closely and looked at it fascinatingly, the fairy with wings like pale blue butterflies lay limply on the floor looking like it would soon die.

The merchant selling the fairy said.

"Do not go too close. You might get cursed with laughing until you die. Or you might have nightmares for the rest of your life."

"If it's that dangerous shouldn't you at least cover it with a cloth or something?"

"I'm scared of it casting curses worse than death, but it's frail you see. It dies easily if handled just a little poorly. It has to at least breathe fresh air and get some sunshine. If it couldn't even do that it would have died long ago."

"......To say that, the sun hasn't risen these past few days."

"It'll probably die soon."

"Then it must be cheap?"

"One gold coin."

"Are prices here that expensive? Does a gold coin sound like any dog's name. Didn't you say it'll die soon."

"Five silver coins. I can't go lower than that. I also have something called labor costs right? The effort of taking care of it so far too."

"What does it eat to live?"

"Dreams, emotions, thoughts, memories, and morning dew."

"Sounds much cheaper than horse feed grass."

Rickart handed over five silver coins. Then the merchant received the silver coins, opened the birdcage, and grabbed the fairy with his hand.

The fairy looked like a scrawny girl, only covering what needed covering with something like tiny leaves.

From the merchant's crude hands, the limply drooping fairy was placed onto Rickart's palm. It was cold. Like a coldly chilled corpse.

Just it wasn't dead yet, as bringing his face close and closely examining it he saw it breathing faintly. Rickart put the fairy into his inner pocket for now.

"It looks like a person with wings, but does it know how to speak human language?"

"Some say they heard a fairy speak, and some say they couldn't. I haven't heard it. It's just a rare sight and nothing more or less. Do not have needless expectations. Something like giving you a gift, or bestowing a blessing. Rather you'd be lucky not to get cursed."

Perhaps because he already got the money and sold it, the merchant spoke as if it had no value at all.

Of course Rickart didn't live life having things like expectations in the first place. Coming to this faraway place, having never seen such an existence elsewhere, he only bought it because it was fascinating.

After needlessly buying a useless thing, while pacing near the Viking-style longhouse in the center of the city, he ran into Gundar's group who said they would ask around about Edelrich.

"Was there any useful information?"

Rickart asked.

"It seems Edelrich isn't here, but I heard the slaves captured from the settlement were traded. I'm thinking of visiting that slave owner first. But Ricky, where did you go?"

"To the market."

"Did you need something?"

"Not that, I saw something fascinating so I bought it."

Rickart took out the still limply drooping fairy from his inner pocket and showed it.

Then Gundar and the two Vikings' eyes widened like lanterns simultaneously, and they hurriedly backed away.

"Hiiik!"

"What's wrong?"

"Y-you bought that?"

"Have you seen a fairy? I saw one for the first time. I bought it because it's fascinating."

While it was quite funny to see the always expressionless Vikings make terrified faces, Gundar soon got a serious expression.

"Kill it right away. It will place a nasty curse or bring bad luck."

"I just bought it."

"So why did you buy such a thing with money?"

"I'll take responsibility for now. Even if we're unlucky haven't you got me?"

"......Though you are the son of God, if you carry that kind of bad luck around what's different from ordinary people?"

"Hahaha, does it work like that?"

Rickart laughed lightly as if he truly didn't care at all.

Gundar and his two comrades had very displeased expressions, but still seeing as Rickart, a considerable force, had no intention of giving it up, they seemed to pass over it for now.

Like that the four people first went to find the slaves who were reportedly traded not long ago. He was at a place not far from the longhouse.

Though they said he was a slave he was more fine than expected. No traces of being beaten, no branded marks either, and looking on the outside he looked no different from a freeman. Except for his gloomy face.

While cleaning the barn he looked back as Gundar approached as if asking what was going on.

"We came from the settlement. I'm chasing Edelrich. Where is he?"

Then holding a broom he answered nonchalantly.

"He went over the eastern pass to Lake Rus."

"How many subordinates does he have?"

"When he attacked the settlement it seemed to be around a hundred people. Just, it didn't seem all hundred were his subordinates. Men named Illid, Goya, and Lepman each led warriors separately."

Norsemen had many warrior groups forming squad units, or platoon units. This was also the reason they were powerful, because unlike the Empire they didn't need to gather soldiers separately and train them, but built up actual combat experience in daily life.

Then when a large war broke out they acted by seeing the reputation of the chieftain, war chief, or great war chief and joining them.

The structure was that the more trust they received from such military groups, the more military groups they placed under their influence, the greater the chieftain's or king's authority grew.

So Norsemen valued things like fame, reputation, and promises as dearly as their lives. Because if they weren't trustworthy soldiers wouldn't gather under them.

Of course, one could lead many warriors by having outstanding political maneuvering like Edelrich, or lead warriors with honesty, trust, and courage like Gundar.

"I see. I'll be going."

Gundar tried to leave as if he was done with his business, and Rickart found that appearance strange. Doesn't this feel like asking for directions. Of course that was their business, but he thought he was excessively all business.

Even Rickart sometimes got scolded by his friends for only caring about business almost coldly, but he thought this was a bit too much.

"Wait a minute, excuse me. It was a two days' walking distance from here to the settlement. Have you not considered running away?"

"If I were to run away I should have gone before being sold, but from the moment the transaction went through I am not a free man. If I break free from bondage as I please the people of the settlement will be held jointly accountable. You are not a mainland person?"

"I am originally from the Empire, so to speak."

"We do not treat slaves cruelly like you folks. If you have the chance to participate in battle you can become a freeman quickly. Just, if you fail to be sold for a long time they might kill you to reduce extra mouths to feed. I don't know for what matter you chase Edelrich, but visit the slave market. A man named Lepman is selling slaves that haven't been sold yet. I heard he is also from the Empire."

Rickart looked back at Gundar. Gundar also looked back at Rickart.

They weren't interested in slave liberation or things like that, but interested in reducing Edelrich's strength. Because anyway the man named Lepman seemed to be a person following Edelrich.

So the four people immediately went to the place where the slave market was. It was a shabby place on the outskirts of the city, and from afar a terrible smell of piss and shit could be felt.

Because locked in iron cages, or wearing shackles, they had to relieve themselves around there. Among them beautiful women weren't locked up separately or wearing shackles, and stood with their heads bowed dressed finely.

The Empire officially banned the slave trade for one. Even so while slaves were traded in the frontier regions, this sight of trading them so openly was unfamiliar to Rickart. Of course he was once in a situation to be sold as a slave when his ship wrecked in the past though.

While calls to tout customers were heard here and there, Rickart and Gundar went around asking when and where they captured the slaves. Then they found slaves who said they came from the settlement.

A few children and a few adult men whose limbs weren't intact. At least those in good condition sold quickly, while these ones got increasingly frail and didn't look like they'd be sold.

"Because we'll give them to you cheap, they'll be passably useful if you make them empty shit buckets or clean pigpens."

The man guarding the slaves and sitting next to them said. From the seller's perspective too he didn't seem to have much expectation.

Gundar asked.

"Where is the man named Lepman?"

"......Why look for our boss?"

"I heard he's recruiting warriors."

"Eh? The boss? Does he have the capability to pay wages?"

"Didn't you sell slaves recently."

"Ah, I understand what you mean. You smelled money?"

Lepman's subordinate and slave merchant sized Rickart and Gundar, the two Vikings up and down. With their sturdy physiques and good armaments, looking at their momentum he immediately realized they weren't ordinary folks.

"Hey! Boss! Someone came looking for work!"

The slave merchant shouted towards a dilapidated hut. However he didn't reveal himself at once, and only after calling three or four times did Lepman reveal himself.

He came out flipping back the cloth that wasn't even a door and was merely covering the entrance, looking at him pulling up his pants it was fully easily guessed what he had been doing before coming out.

"What work? Who?"

He came out bending his waist, and straightening up, he was very tall and quite muscular. Walking to his subordinate he stared at Rickart and Gundar's group standing in front of him.

He also sized up Rickart and Gundar's group like his subordinate. In this field one naturally could tell just by looking. Whether this guy had skill, or not.

If they were riffraff he'd hit them a few times and chase them away, or if not he had to negotiate for now.

"Mm, how much do you want to get?"

"Is there such a thing as a bounty here?"

Rickart asked back. Then Lepman smiled grin.

"No. That's why I also drifted here. Retards leave the Empire seeking faith, and people like us inevitably leave seeking freedom. So don't think about negotiating with bounty. Here you start over from the beginning. Infamy also has to be built up from the beginning."

"So how much was your bounty, Lepman?"

"50 gold coins."

When Lepman stated his bounty, suddenly a girl's fine voice was heard in Rickart's ears.

"Lies."

Rickart flinched and looked around. The girl wasn't there. Tilting his head, he focused on the conversation for now.

"Even a guy who massacred a village is around the 30 gold coin level, what on earth did you commit that your bounty was 50 gold coins?"

"A village? Hahaha, this body smashed an entire fiefdom. Killed the nobles and then killed the madam and young miss after passing them around. How's that?"

"Lies."

Again the girl's voice whispered in his ears. Rickart looked around once again, but Gundar only stared at him as if asking what was wrong. There was no way this man could imitate a woman's voice.

Wondering if I'm hearing auditory hallucinations right now, or if it's because nasty magic was steeped in the air here, once again the girl's whisper was heard.

"Three lies can turn a tongue into a snake's tongue. Just let him keep lying."

He couldn't know what it meant. But it wasn't a difficult task either.

"If it was 50 gold coins the Master's Federation themselves would have stepped forward, you shook them off?"

"Hmph! To catch me an army has to come! Guys throwing their weight around with such skewers dare to...... me......"

While speaking Lepman frowned as if something was caught in his mouth. Seemingly difficult to ignore completely, as he put his hand in his mouth to pull something out suddenly a forked tongue like a snake's flickered.

At that he himself was surprised, his subordinate was surprised, Rickart and Gundar's group, and even the slaves around them had their eyes widen. What was that just now?

"S-Seuseu, Seuseup! Seup! Seup!"

He couldn't even speak words properly. Since the one most surprised was likely himself, he trembled in considerable panic. And kept touching his own tongue.

"B-boss, were you a mutant?"

His subordinate asked. Then Lepman turned whoosh to him and yelled something, but only hiss, hiss sounds came out.

Right then the fairy popped thud out of Rickart's inner pocket. Fluttering its wings and flying in the air it shouted.

"I'm deeply sleeping for the first time in a while and where is this filthy lying coming from! Get a taste of this!"

The fairy pointed sharply at Lepman. Then Lepman dry-heaved as if something was coming up from his stomach, and soon bending his waist he poured out something spilling through his upper and lower holes. It was a pile of snakes.

The people around him got surprised like they would faint and ran away. Lepman collapsed with his pants stripped, trembled heavily writhing in pain, and his whole body was bitten by the snakes he poured out.

Rickart urgently drew his sword and cut the slaves' shackles. And he chased after Gundar.

However the fairy also flew and chased after Rickart, and Gundar looked back and shouted terrified.

"I told you to kill that thing!"