Chapter 18
For the sake of the North's future, it was Ivan—not him—who had to live on.
The great chieftain knew that very well.
Ivan had refused the duty placed before him, but fate was not something one could escape so easily.
Someday, when the future arrived, today's experience would remain as a valuable lesson.
When facing a powerful enemy, confronting them head-on could only end in ruin. Respond cunningly and intelligently.
Don't forget today.
Ivan barely blocked the sword that came at him by surprise.
With that strike, the great chieftain gauged Ivan's condition. Even after drinking deadly poison, I'm still slightly weaker in sheer physical strength.
And that black sword... was anything but ordinary. In fact, the blade had developed fine cracks from the impact.
‘I can't meet him head-on.’
In any case, Ivan was the one pressed for time. I'll respond defensively.
The great chieftain quickly revised his strategy.
Ivan glared at the great chieftain with bloodshot eyes.
“You old bastard, resorting to such a filthy trick...”
“I have no idea what you're talking about. Did you have a chronic illness or something?”
“Just die!!”
Ivan thrust his sword in a fit of emotion. It was fast and threatening, but not so fast that the great chieftain couldn't respond.
To make matters worse, it was obvious. The great chieftain parried the sword strike without difficulty.
“Calm yourself.”
“Shut your damn mouth!!”
Ivan was half out of his mind. The more enraged he became, the more monotonous his attacks grew.
At this rate, the poison would only spread faster. Did he really not realize that?
Anger made a warrior stronger, but allowing anger to control you made you no different from a beast.
Desperation could be felt at the tip of his sword. Ivan's blade sliced through empty air, and the great chieftain did not miss the opening.
A thin line appeared across Ivan's body. Blood trickled down in droplets.
‘Shallow. I was planning to cut a little deeper.’
Even so, his keen, razor-sharp instincts remained intact. The great chieftain did not relax his guard.
He continued dodging and deflecting Ivan's sword, biting into him whenever he saw an opening.
Each time, Ivan displayed astonishing reflexes and barely avoided a fatal wound, but the situation was far from favorable.
The one-sided damage continued to accumulate.
Ivan could no longer even keep his body properly balanced. The poison seemed to have spread throughout his entire body.
I thought he was already a fully realized monster. Who knew he was this rough around the edges?
The great chieftain clicked his tongue inwardly.
The enemies were far more devious and cunning than this. At this rate, he had no chance against them.
“Is that all you can show me?”
“······.”
Did he no longer even have the strength to open his mouth?
Had the trial been too harsh? Or had he expected too much of him?
The great chieftain gripped his sword, filled with deep disappointment.
If Ivan could not withstand this attack, then that too would be fate.
He showed no mercy. The great chieftain swung his sword with all his strength.
At the final moment, time flowed with uncanny slowness.
A question suddenly occurred to him.
Had this young monster really been such an easy opponent?
Could the profound scheming he had shown when trapping the priest really collapse this easily?
A chill ran through his entire body. It was impossible, but perhaps...
A small laugh reached his ears.
Ivan suddenly accelerated, dodging the attack as he closed the distance.
Then the red sword cleaved through the great chieftain's body at a speed too fast to perceive.
It was deep—deep enough to be fatal.
Only after the sword had cleaved through his body did blood spray out. The great chieftain barely mustered the strength to ask,
“···Did you plan this from the beginning? But how···.”
“Poison doesn't normally work well on me. The booze tasted like crap, so I pretended to be poisoned and bit my tongue.”
He had completed all those calculations in that brief moment? He was an absurd monster.
He had thought he had never let his guard down···but had even that been arrogance?
Ivan gave him a mocking grin.
“Never trust your enemy. I've etched that lesson into my mind.”
Alongside a crushing sense of defeat, the great chieftain felt an indescribable sense of liberation.
He had met him head-on with everything he had. It was a refreshing conclusion, with not even a scrap of regret left behind.
He had devoted his entire life to protecting the North. Now, a successor more outstanding than anyone else would carry on that dream in his place.
At last, freed from the heavy duty he had borne on his back, the man smiled brightly.
“···Excellent.”
In the final moment of his life, Eirik died as a warrior, not as the great chieftain.
Ivan observed a moment of silence. Regardless, as a warrior, Eirik was a man who deserved his full respect.
Silence descended. Ivan felt the enormous pressure weighing down on him.
The position of great chieftain was truly this heavy. Ivan raised his sword high into the sky.
“Valdor has taken a great warrior. And···.”
Originally, he had not intended to accept the position even if he won. He hated shouldering duties and responsibilities.
So this was merely a small whim. Ivan shouted at the top of his lungs,
“Your new great chieftain is here!”
A deafening roar erupted immediately afterward.
Ivan grinned. It wasn't a bad feeling.
***
In truth, even after becoming the great chieftain, Ivan's life did not change much.
The existing system was sturdy enough that there was no need to tamper with it, and no faction dared oppose Ivan.
It was only natural. Who would dare do such a thing unless they were insane?
Even the position of priest, which could oppose the great chieftain and maintain a balance, belonged to Elena.
As for the work that remained after that···Havel took care of it all, more or less. As expected, he was the best brother.
Havel also offered plenty of advice about what he needed to do as great chieftain.
This was basically auto-hunting.
“Ivan, are you listening to me?”
“Huh? Yeah. Of course. Would I ever ignore what you have to say?”
“···Next time, just say you didn't hear me. In any case, there's something you need to do.”
That lies didn't work on him was a downside, if it could be called one.
Speaking of which, work? Did I have work to do?
“By now, word that you've taken the position of great chieftain must have spread throughout the North. The chiefs of each tribe will want to prove whether you have what it takes to stand above them.”
“Ah, I completely understand. I just go there and put them in their place a little, right?”
“That's right. As expected of my brother.”
Havel nodded with satisfaction.
“Is there a limit on how many people I can take? Or do I need to bring at least a certain number···.”
“Nothing in particular is stipulated, but most people take around a hundred.”
“So it doesn't matter if the number is smaller?”
“Apart from personal safety, no. And it's not as though you could be defeated by men like that.”
Ivan sank into brief thought.
‘It's a hassle, but should I just go alone?’
No matter how he thought about it, that didn't seem right. Besides, wasn't this a kind of fun in its own way?
There was no way the tribe's warriors would want to miss an opportunity like this.
Still, too many people would make things troublesome···.
“All right, let's take just fifty men, chosen by fighting ability. That should be enough, right?”
“Good idea. It will also have a positive effect on the warriors' desire to improve. I'll quickly select the group.”
Before long, fifty elites had been selected after a brutal, blood-soaked struggle.
The murderous aura radiating from their bodies alone marked them as killing machines that could be taken anywhere with pride.
“Very good. At least we won't be intimidated. Then let's go.”
““Understood!!””
They were fired up.
Ivan was already beginning to worry that a bloodbath might break out.
***
From the perspective of the other Northerners, former great chieftain Eirik had been little different from a disaster that had suddenly descended upon them.
Who could have expected a monster capable of forcing the entire North to kneel and uniting it through overwhelming strength and skill?
But now, the great chieftain who had kept them in check was gone.
That was reason enough for the resentment that had been building while they kept their heads down to finally erupt.
“Even that terrifying bastard couldn't overcome the passage of time in the end.”
“Did Eirik grow old and die? I'd heard he was defeated by some young upstart.”
“If he'd been in his prime, would he really have lost to some youngster whose name we'd never even heard? At that age, you could practically call it a natural death.”
“True···. There can't possibly be another monster like that.”
The chiefs of each tribe traded stories and shared the information they had gathered over the years.
“Is that so? I'd heard that this Ivan fellow was an incredible monster.”
“Rumors are always exaggerated. We can find out when we see him ourselves.”
“Exactly. Even if every one of those rumors is true, he can't take all of us on.”
The tribal chiefs exchanged glances.
They had already reached the limit of what they could tolerate. They had no intention of serving a new master.
Today, the North would become free once more, and the new great chieftain would be torn to shreds right here.
While they were in the middle of making plans, a warrior brought them news.
“A new group has appeared! They seem to be the great chieftain's party!”
“How many are there?”
“By my estimate, no more than fifty.”
The chief who heard the report smirked darkly.
“What do they think they can accomplish with a mere fifty men? They don't even know that this place will be their grave.”
“But something seems strange. They have the air of people who've come to wage war···.”
While he was speaking, a huge man barged into the tent.
He was at least a head taller than the others and gave off a bizarre, utterly inscrutable air.
“Looks like everyone's here. Am I too late?”
The new great chieftain had arrived.