Chapter 612

“…Return to the grasslands?”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head in disbelief.

[That’s some top-tier nonsense right there.]

‘Yeah, tell me about it.’

What kind of nonsense is this? Did kicking his head in have some kind of effect?

I’m not some middle-aged dad trying to convince a runaway daughter to come home. What the hell is he even talking about? It’s such a random proposal, and it’s not even realistically possible.

“This is ridiculous. I’ve been called a filthy sorcerer, a traitor, a parricide, and even a mutt. And now you’re talking about Kagan?”

I’ve killed thousands of Ka`har warriors, some of whom were even Paladins. I’ve broken every taboo of the Great Plains.

If I were to return as a member of Ai-shan, would they welcome me back like some prodigal son? Not a chance. They’d try to kill me by any means necessary.

Even if they did accept me, I wouldn’t want to.

The Kagan of the grasslands? Even if they offered me that position, I wouldn’t take it. It’s just a fancy title for the leader of a large bandit group.

“There’s no need to worry about the power of sorcery.”

However, Or-han continued his persuasion with a calm tone, as if such a problem was nothing.

“Warriors despise and oppose sorcerers. A hatred passed down through generations. An undeniable truth.”

Yeah, that’s really fortunate for the Empire.

Even though they’re a country that only knows how to wield swords, they’re still a threat to the Empire. If they had the power of magic and the miracles of priests, they’d be a disaster worse than dragons.

“But how many of those warriors remember the true reason they reject sorcery? Most warriors just follow it because that’s how they were raised.”

“…So?”

I continued the conversation with Or-han. Not because I was tempted by his proposal, but just to buy some time to rest.

“If hatred is born from teaching, then it can also be erased through teaching, right? If I accept sorcery and you, as a warrior of Ai-shan, wield your sword and achieve more than the harm you’ve done to the grasslands, it can be resolved.”

So, if two top-tier warriors force it, the other warriors will have no choice but to follow.

Well, the first experience is always the hardest.

At first, they’ll reluctantly agree under pressure, but once they get used to fighting alongside sorcerers, they’ll gradually accept the power of sorcery as a natural part of their culture.

It’ll take at least a decade, though.

“Your way of thinking is more flexible than I expected. Accepting the power of sorcery? Is that something the Kagan, the warrior among warriors, should be saying?”

“There’s no reason not to. Everyone who remembers is dead, but Ai-shan Gi-or was originally a tribe of sorcerers, warriors, and shamans.”

“…Huh.”

This is quite a shocking revelation.

I had a hunch, but I didn’t think they were actually a tribe of sorcerers.

‘That Ka`har from hundreds of years ago who messed up the Holy Grail plan, wasn’t that your ancestor? The one who talked about the ‘Death of the Sky.”

[……That’s quite a shocking secret.]

The sudden revelation of the tribe’s secret. Hersela also seemed at a loss for words, her voice sounding dazed.

“The wolf’s blood flowing in our veins is the remnant of that.”

“What’s this wolf’s blood?”

He’s been strangely emphasizing it. Saying I have wolf’s blood.

It’s not like I have some beastman blood mixed in, right?

“You know that your physical abilities surpass those of a human, right? Abilities closer to beastmen or dragonkin than humans.”

“…Yeah.”

It’s not human strength. Whether it’s raw power or vitality. Even my reflexes and movements exceed the limits of what a human body can achieve through training.

Whether it’s a master or a hero, no one has surpassed my physical abilities without using the Power of Feats.

Well, there’s one guy in front of me. A human with physical abilities similar to mine.

Even though his arms are as thick as my thighs, his raw strength is similar to mine, which means my body is of much higher quality.

If I were as big as Or-han, my strength would probably be twice his.

Anyway, I thought this power was just the physical ability inherited from Or-han, but it turns out that’s not the case?

“That’s the ‘wolf’s blood.’ The blessing of divine blood passed down to the descendants of the ‘Swallowing Wolf of the Sky.’ Among my children, only you inherited the wolf’s blood. And it’s even thicker than mine.”

So Or-han’s other children are just ordinary people? Well, Amin’s body didn’t have anything special. I thought he was just a weakling, but I guess that was normal.

“That’s quite a story. Just surprising.”

I cracked my knuckles and shrugged my shoulders as I continued the conversation.

Ai-shan Gi-or was originally a sorcerer, Hersela’s body has divine blood… It’s all new to me, but it’s just interesting.

The secret of my birth. It might be important to Hersela, but to me, it feels no different from reading the backstory of a fictional character.

“Even so, I’ll still be treated as a traitor, right? The bodies of the Ka`har I killed are piled up like a swamp down there. They’ll really welcome me.”

“If you bring back achievements that outweigh the damage, it’ll be different.”

Or-han raised his left hand and pointed west. Towards the barrier that had blocked them for hundreds of years, towards the Empire that had been their enemy for hundreds of years.

“Bring back Ludwig’s head. Lead the warriors, break the barrier, and march west to destroy the Empire’s capital. Then all the warriors of the Great Plains will acknowledge and praise you.”

…Whose head did you say to bring back?

“You will be the greatest warrior of the grasslands, conquering the west, and the Kagan of a great empire ruling over both the westerners and the Ka`har. What greater glory, what greater achievement could there be for a warrior? The whole world will kneel before you.”

It sounded like a demon king tempting a hero. Not in a sexual way, but the typical ‘follow me, and I’ll give you half the world’ kind of proposal.

Of course, it’s also a typical and cliché story that no one who accepts such an offer ends up well.

‘Well, what do you think? He’s offering to make you the Kagan of a great empire. Should you call him father and hug him?’

[If you stab his heart while hugging him, I’ll allow it.]

Yeah, that’s more like it.

The offer had no value to me, and it didn’t seem to satisfy Hersela either.

The Hersela I know would rather slaughter all the Ka`har warriors and force their surrender than become Kagan like this.

“Choose. Will you follow me as the successor of Ai-shan Gi-or? Or will you remain a hunting dog of the westerners and meet a powerless, worthless death?”

As if the conversation was over, Or-han pointed the blade of his sword at me. If I refuse, he’ll kill me. Well, this is much clearer than his clumsy persuasion.

“Go to hell.”

I grinned widely and laughed.

“…A pity.”

With a firm rejection, Or-han’s expression hardened, and he charged at me.

—-

The longsword and the sword clashed, scattering fragments of metal, and the blood evaporated by the heat rose like mist.

I parried his sword with Durandal, whipping my tired body to continue the fight towards the end.

Fist against fist, leg against leg, our bodies continuously struck each other. Thanks to the damn Indestructible Body, it was a painful fight for me.

But it felt like he was getting weaker, probably running out of strength.

-Kaaang!

…Or maybe that was just my imagination.

“It’s hard to understand. Weren’t you interested in the position of Kagan?”

Even after delivering his ultimatum, Or-han kept talking during the fight, as if he still had some hope.

[Tell him I have no intention of accepting his favor!]

“I have no interest in a crown someone else puts on my head!”

I thrust with the hilt of my sword, pressing my left hand against it. The blue blade pierced through the center of the battered sword-

-Creeeak!

With a sound like ice cracking, his sword shattered into pieces.

“What about revenge?”

Or-han threw away the broken sword and charged even more fiercely, his two fists clenched tightly. The single blunt weapon had now become two.

It was absurd that disarming him made him even harder to deal with.

“Revenge?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what you want? Revenge for your mother, Ai-mel-ra de Median. If you follow me-”

[How dare you utter my mother’s name!]

Before I could respond, Hersela, enraged like a dragon with its reverse scale plucked, unleashed the tentacles of the Life Force Technique, striking Or-han’s entire body.

Hit by the sudden tentacles, Or-han was sent flying with a groan, falling as if he had been thrown.

I fell.

‘Hey, you crazy woman!’

The curse slipped out.

I understand being sensitive about her mother, but she should at least keep some rationality…!

Thanks to her wasting the already depleted Life Force Technique like this, the flames of Up-hwa, which were already weakening, were completely extinguished.

[Oh no, a mistake…!]

Hersela’s voice was full of regret.

There was no time to scold her. My body flipped. The ground approached in an instant. In a few seconds, my head would smash into the ground. I looked up at the sky and stretched out my hand-

“Cascador!”

I summoned a biological cushion for shock absorption.

The unicorn, gathering divine light to take form. I grabbed its mane and placed both feet on its side, then fell towards the ground in a crouched position.

-Thud!

The impact wasn’t too bad. At least for me.