[Vol. 8] Chapter 20: A War With Hidden Motives
Although Tyrent had a very different personality and way of doing things compared to Tairnak, he wasn’t someone driven by ambition or selfish desires. He was straightforward and loyal, and always followed his stronger older brother, Tairnak, without question. Because of this, their relationship was always peaceful. Even when Tairnak, as the Great Chieftain, led the entire tribe to retreat westward, Tyrent never publicly disagreed or complained.
Now, with some external influences at play, the sixteen tribes of the buffer zone had finally been united, and there was a rare chance to take revenge on the Empire. Tyrent was naturally excited. He personally fought on the front lines and now returned to the command tent, clearly bringing news of progress.
Tairnak felt a slight bitterness in his heart, but he couldn’t show it. He raised his fist and bumped it hard against his brother’s. This was a unique Behemoth-style greeting, still used by the tribe to show their respect for strength. A loud “bang” echoed through the tent.
“So, what’s the good news? Tell me.”
Without any concern for Tairnak’s title as Great Chieftain, Tyrent, his body covered in blood, grabbed a large bowl of water from the table and started drinking it loudly. He spilled nearly half while gulping it down, then wiped his mouth and laughed.
“A great victory! That wild beast sent by the gods really is amazing! Those Empire pigs couldn’t hold their walls together at all, they were torn apart in just a few hits! Our warriors from the sixteen tribes have already stormed into the fortress and are now fighting the stubborn Empire pigs inside. It’s only a matter of time before we take the whole thing!”
Getting more excited, the massive Behemoth warrior pounded his chest with a loud thud, like a drumbeat.
“So satisfying! It felt amazing! Hahaha! Great Chieftain, it’s such a pity you had to stay back and command, you missed the sight of those short little Empire pigs screaming and running away! With the help of the gods, we can finally wash away our shame!”
“So... they've already broken into Iron Ridge...”
Unlike his hot-headed cousin, Tairnak’s heart sank a little. He let out a helpless sigh.
Now, the Behemoth Tribe had no way to retreat. If they couldn’t achieve real results and defeat the Austre Empire head-on, then the Austre Empire’s revenge would crush them completely. Even if they tried to hide deep in the buffer zone… it wouldn’t save them.
Thinking of this, the Great Chieftain shook his head.
“The Empire’s military isn’t that weak. The troops guarding Iron Ridge may not be their main force, but they shouldn’t be this easy to defeat. Did the Messenger of the Gods interfere behind the scenes?”
“Uh…”
Tyrent paused, as if something just came to mind. Then he scratched his head and nodded awkwardly.
“We’re just mortals. How could we possibly understand what the god’s messenger is doing… But now that I think about it, the Empire’s soldiers did act kind of weird during the fight. Like something went wrong behind their lines. Probably the same thing that happened before.”
“This doesn’t feel like a true victory... A war shouldn’t be like this. What are the gods really thinking...? Sigh…”
Tairnak sighed again, maybe even more deeply than before. In fact, he might have sighed more in these past few days than in his entire life.
He knew the Austre Empire had long been planning to expand and was just waiting for the right moment to start a war. As Great Chieftain, he was well aware of the international situation. What he never expected… was that the first battle would begin with him.
Relying only on the strength of the sixteen tribes, it’s impossible to fight the Austre Empire head-on. Unless the god send more support like that giant Behemoth beast outside and fully join the war. Otherwise, it won’t take long before this army, which now looks strong and full of spirit, gets crushed by the Empire’s counterattack...
Most of the tribespeople, and even many of the tribal chiefs, know too little about the current Empire. Their information is outdated, and they are still celebrating a short-lived victory. They don’t realize that once the inhumane methods they’ve used become public... there will definitely be a harsh backlash.
Tairnak forced a small smile, stood up from his seat, and walked over to his younger cousin, who still looked full of fighting spirit and excitement, completely unaware that they had just opened a dangerous “box of destruction.” Tairnak patted him on the shoulder.
“I asked you earlier to secretly send someone trustworthy to the western side, to the Vakan Kingdom, and let their king know in advance that a war was going to break out here. How did that go?”
“...Huh?”
Surprised by this sudden change of topic, Tyrent blinked for a moment, but his deep trust in his older cousin made him quickly nod in response.
“Just as you ordered, I sent my best warrior, second only to me, to talk to those people. I think we should hear back soon... But why did we have to inform them if we’re fighting the Empire? Vakan doesn’t seem to have any great warriors anyway.”
Tairnak nodded silently.
True, the Vakan Kingdom is a tiny country, its entire land is only a few cities. Its military power isn’t even strong enough to rank in the middle of the sixteen tribes. But, this kingdom was placed in the central buffer zone by the Holy Empire to monitor the various tribes in the area. It’s one of the Holy Empire’s important vassal states.
Vakan follows the Goddess Church, just like the Holy Empire does, and they are very close. Even though Vakan has weak military power, elite Holy Knights from the Holy Empire regularly rotate in to help defend it. You could say Vakan is practically an extension of the Holy Empire’s territory in the buffer zone. Tairnak understood this very well.
So by sending a message to Vakan, he was actually notifying the Holy Empire itself. If the Archbishop stationed there wasn’t a fool, then by now, the information had probably already reached the desk of the young Pope.
Since war could no longer be avoided, Tairnak at least wanted to leave his people a way out. In a war between nations, intelligence was key. By doing this small favor for the Holy Empire now, he hoped that, if they were truly defeated later, a few of their people might be able to escape with the help of the Goddess Church, and not face total destruction.
Of course, this was just a last-resort backup plan. For now, the Behemoth tribe and the united army of the sixteen tribes still had hope… and Tairnak would do everything he could to make it work.
“Tyrent, don’t tell anyone about this for now. Also, give orders to our warriors and the soldiers of the sixteen tribes. No killing prisoners, no burning cities. We can’t control what the Messenger of the Gods does, but at least in the areas we can influence…”
“Our goal is to take back our homeland, not to become mindless beasts without morals or reason. That’s very important. I want you to personally watch over this and make sure things don’t get out of control, understand?”
“Yes, Great Chieftain! Uh… but from what you’re saying, are you not going to the front lines with us?”
Noticing the confused look in his younger cousin’s eyes, the Behemoth Great Chieftain took a deep breath, then slowly nodded.
“I need... to meet with the god one more time.”