Chapter 103

The North is a barbaric land.

To Ian, once a modern man, both the North and the Empire appeared to be lands of barbarians.

However, compared to the North, the Empire was civilized.

Primarily because the Church of Heaven's Faith's Faith was widespread, many people feared committing sins.

Stealing, fraud, lying, and murder were all considered sins.

What happens if you commit a sin? You go to hell when you die.

There, in the eternally burning flames of hell, souls suffer until they are purified.

In any era, all humans fear death.

Therefore, the citizens of the Empire try to live as virtuously as possible.

The existence of a hell for liars and swindlers enabled the development of a [credit society].

People must trust each other and strictly uphold contracts once made.

If they're not? It's straight to hell, of course.

If you're a follower of the same Church of Heaven's Faith's Faith, you can trust each other.

Thus, even though the Empire was composed of immigrants from the North, it could still be considered a land of civilized people.

But the North was different.

It was a land of warriors bleeding on the cold tundra!

In the North, there was only struggle, and strength and discipline dominated everything.

"It's not as cold as I expected," said Belenka, looking around.

Ian half-listened to her, pleased by the firm ground underfoot.

"It's summer now. The North is warm in the summer too."

"You timed it well."

Had they visited the North in winter, they would have experienced firsthand what bone-chilling cold was.

"My homeland feels even colder."

"Wintz?"

Belenka nodded.

Wintz was famous for its long and harsh winters.

In the depths of winter, the entire country turned into a snowfield, with people freezing to death in droves.

"...I'm a bit cold."

Ian, born in the northern Empire, and Belenka, from Wintz, were resistant to the cold.

However, Kira, from the southern Empire, felt the chill more acutely.

"Oh! People from the Empire!"

A Northerner ran up to Ian's group.

Ian stared intently at the Northerner.

He had felt this when he fought a Northern raider before, but seeing it again, it was clear.

You couldn't really tell them apart from real Imperial citizens.

It felt just like visiting a somewhat colder Empire.

The Northerner was a young man with fiery red hair.

His bushy beard was the only thing that distinguished him from the Imperial citizens.

"I've been waiting for you! I am Gunnar of the Sky Claw Tribe!"

"I'm Ian Eredith. I come from the Blue Key Monastery."

"Ha! I've already heard about you! Let's go."

Ian followed Gunnar through the streets.

This place was a fortress built by Imperials, now managed by the Northerners.

Note that it was not the Holy Empire but the Golden Empire.

Yes, this fortress was built nearly a thousand years ago and was incredibly dilapidated.

It was originally constructed by the Golden Empire as a colony in the North...

After the collapse of the Golden Empire, it became no man's land, swiftly seized by the Northerners.

So Ian's impression was simple.

Wow. This looks like a great place for a school trip.

Taking a commemorative photo by those walls would be perfect.

Ian still thought of school trips first, rather than wars, when he looked at the walls.

The medieval world is like an antique shop. Really.

"..."

He had barely walked a few steps when he felt stares pouring down.

At the end of those stares was Belenka.

"An Imperial?"

"What an odd looking imperial."

The Holy Empire and the Northerners share the same roots; hence, they look quite similar.

Belenka hailed from Wintz, essentially making her a foreigner.

In the Holy Empire, where people often arrived from various regions, foreigners were not uncommon.

However, at this fortress, since only Imperials and Northerners were usually seen, encountering someone of a different race was a rare sight.

Not only was it rare to see someone of a different race, but Belenka was also a beauty capable of turning heads just by passing by.

Naturally, the gloomy Northerners' eyes were drawn to the arrival of such an attractive longsword-wielding schoolgirl.

"Hey! Are you folks from the Empire?"

"Heh heh... Wanna hang out with us?"

At first glance, these guys clearly seemed like trouble, as if they had 'I'm a delinquent~' stamped on their foreheads, subtly approaching.

Ian, with his arms crossed, sighed.

Damn it. Is there no land free of these thug extras?

Having consumed hundreds of films, comics, and novels, Ian could easily predict what was about to unfold.

These thugs would charge in, leading to a confrontation with Ian and his group.

"F*ck off! This person is a guest of our tribe!"

Gunnar waved his arms, driving the thugs away.

Then, chuckling, the thug extras quietly backed off.

"Heh heh heh. Is that so? Take good care of the guest... heh heh..."

"Ho ho. Be sure to feed them something delicious. Show them the honor of the Northerners."

"Hey, lady from the Empire. Have a great trip in the North. Hehe..."

...And the thug extras retreated.

Ian was surprised.

Aren't they supposed to attack and get beaten up later?

Isn't that the [common sense] in web novels?

However, contrary to Ian's expectations, the North operated under a different kind of common sense.

Northerners are barbarians.

Yet, surprisingly, Northerners rarely caused trouble because the punishment for such acts was unimaginably harsh.

The standard punishment in the North was [execution].

There were no prisons in the North.

If a crime serious enough for imprisonment was committed... they simply chopped off heads.

Someone fought with someone else? They better reconcile amicably.

Can't reconcile? Then it's exile.

Refuse to leave? Execution.

The legal code of the Northern barbarians was short and concise, like a student's study guide.

Don't know about complicated things!

Commit a crime, and it's execution! Execution!

Therefore, Northerners tended to be more polite than Imperials.

Being rude could literally cause your head to explode.

In the civilized world, there are many troublemakers because being rude doesn't split your head open.

"Ugh. Those Red Bear tribe guys."

Gunnar clicked his tongue, then chuckled.

"They're always so lively!"

"..."

Northerners lived in a tribe-centered society.

Everyone in a village knew each other, and almost all were familiar with those in neighboring villages or tribes.

It was common for marriages to be arranged with the next village.

Troublemakers who stirred up the community would have their heads chopped off...

Naturally, only those with verified manners remained.

"Phew. You'll receive even more attention when we get to our tribe."

"I expected as much."

Gunnar had prepared a carriage in advance.

It wasn't exactly a horse, but some strange animal that resembled a deer.

At least, it wasn't an animal Ian was familiar with.

A domesticated deer with a horn like a unicorn?

What is that?

But regardless of knowing the animal's name, you can still ride in the carriage.

The carriage carrying Ian's group swiftly exited the fortress.

"It'll take about two to three days, if we're quick."

On the road, Gunnar briefly updated them on the situation of the Sky Claw tribe.

"You've come at a really bad time. It's really bad right now."

"Seems like you're about my age. Why not speak casually?"

"Ah, should I? Right now, the tribe is in chaos. Not just our tribe, but all the others too."

There were two major tribal coalitions in the North.

The Okaha tribal coalition, located in the south, is where Gunnar and the Sky Claw tribe belong.

To the north was another tribal coalition known as the Sgonu.

These two coalitions have been clashing in armed conflict for many years.

"It seems like those Sgonu bastards might attack us soon,"

Gunnar predicted, speaking of an impending tribal war.

War, in fact, was not an uncommon occurrence.

Even the fertile lands of the warm Empire experience daily conflicts.

How much more so in the barren North?

"Hmm. Is your tribe in danger?" Belenka asked.

"No, our warriors are strong. The Sgonu bastards have attacked us several times before. But this time it's different," Gunnar's expression turned serious.

"Different? How so?"

"You might not know, but it was hunting season up until recently. Now is the time to stock up on 'Yagon,' a type of beast, for winter... but this hunt was a disaster."

The expressions of Ian's group turned grave at this news.

In the modern age, where food production and storage technologies are extremely advanced, very few people suffer from starvation.

But the medieval times are different.

Food production is grueling and storage even more so.

Imagine producing a hundred million tons of wheat this year; you'd eat well for now, but no matter how much is saved, by next year it would all rot and turn to worm food.

This is the fundamental reason why, despite bountiful harvests, starvation is still a threat.

To combat this, humanity has developed preserved foods, but limitations still exist.

Missing a single food production opportunity could mean there's no backup.

"Probably the Sgonu bastards messed up their hunt as well."

"...So both sides are starving."

"Yes. That's why they've taken up arms. Rather than starve to death this winter, they'd rather raid us to survive."

Simply put, it's a fight for survival.

Until now, if conflicts were due to minor disputes, now they were fighting out of desperation, as if the entire tribe's survival depended on it.

"It's unfortunate you've come all this way; our tribe probably won't welcome you."

"We weren't planning to stay long, but still, thank you for welcoming us."

"That just means the tribal elders dislike it. The priest and I don't mind you. Look, I'm also a follower of the Church of Heaven's Faith," Gunnar said, showing the symbol of the Church of Heaven's Faith.

Belenka and Kira reflexively made the sign of the cross.

"Seeing this with my own eyes is something new. Who would have thought there would be followers of Heaven's Faith up here in the North."

"Most of our tribe believes in the Sky God. Although lately, more people have been converting..."

As they spoke, snow swirled fiercely from the sky.

The carriage, led by a horned horse, plowed steadfastly through the snowfield, almost as if proclaiming, 'This is just everyday life in the North!'

Ian felt reassured by the sturdy animals, which looked more like deer than horses.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Gunnar, who was driving, shouted.

"Damn it's cold!"

"What's wrong?"

"Something's chasing us from over there!"

Moments later, something huge, ugly, and monstrous emerged from the snowstorm.

"Holy sh*t."

Ian had never seen such an ugly monster in this medieval fantasy world before.

"It's a troll!!!"

The monster attacking the carriage was indeed a troll.

Known for residing in the North, trolls are infamous for their massive size, strong bodies, and ugliness.

The starving troll, drooling, charged straight toward the carriage.

Its target was clear.

"Elk! That bastard is after our elk!"

"What?"

To think of eating our sturdy, national treasure elk that's been faithfully running through the snow for us???

"Are you insane? Really?"

Ian immediately sprang into action.

First, he surveyed his surroundings to assess the situation.

It was a cold, snowy evening.

The most powerful presences were, as always, the mysteries of cold and darkness.

'...I can't use either of them.'

However, the opponent was a monster clad in thick hide.

Moreover, it had the ability to accurately track prey even on a snowy night.

Neither cold nor darkness were effective against it.

Then, other magic must be used.

Ian cleared his throat and, with strong resolve, shouted.

The most powerful weapon of a wizard.

It's the voice.

"[Listen up, you beast!]"

Ian amplified his voice using the power of the wind's mystery.

As Ian suddenly bellowed out loudly, Gunnar was startled.

'What, what the hell?!'

This was Gunnar's first time seeing a wizard in action.

Though he had been informed beforehand that Ian was a wizard.

The actual magic he saw was beyond his imagination!

"[Dare you attack one who has shared friendship with the king of the mountain!]"

Grrr...

When Ian scolded loudly, the troll hesitated and slowed down.

Gunnar gaped at this absurd sight, shocked.

'My God... he's scolding a troll?'

Gunnar thought Ian's scolding was effective.

But the troll was just startled, not overwhelmed by Ian's will.

[I... am hungry... I've been starving... I need to eat...!]

'Tsk.'

Ian tried projecting the image of a drake, but the troll, being no trivial monster, wasn't intimidated by the image of the drake.

It might have been startled a bit.

However, right now, the troll was in a situation where it was willing to risk danger to satisfy its hunger.

'If that's the case.'

If talking doesn't work, the only option left is to use force.

"Gunnar! I need to borrow some peat!"

"Uh? Uh...?"

Borrow what???

Confused, Gunnar stared at Ian.

Peat is a solid fuel commonly used by Northerners.

But what was he planning to do with it...

As Gunnar pondered this, he was speechless at Ian's next action.

Ian ignited the peat with an Anor-lsil.

Then, he grabbed it... with his bare hands!

Holding the blazing fireball in his hand, Ian shouted.

"Take this! Fireball, you bastard!"

Ian threw the burning peat.

It was, literally, a 'fireball'...

Gunnar watched in shock as the troll, hit by the fireball, screamed.

who throws a fireball with bare hands?!

'Is he... completely insane?'

Gunnar's first impression of wizard Ian was.

'That guy's crazy.'