The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 13 - Prologue (12)

Viktor reacted immediately.

“Move back, Lukovich!”

“Aaaahhh!”

After pushing Lukovich away, he swiftly mounted his horse and looked ahead, spotting tribal warriors beginning to charge toward them from the distance.

‘One in front… and how many behind?’

Though there was a considerable distance between the leader and the others following him, judging by how frantically they were driving their horses, they would soon catch up.

From behind, Lukovich shouted with a terrified face.

“Lord Viktor! There are too many of them! You must flee!”

“We won’t be able to easily shake them off. We’ll break through head-on.”

As Viktor spoke calmly without the slightest hint of fear, Lukovich seemed to calm down a bit.

‘How courageous can a man be!’

They said all warriors of the Kobarov family were brave, and it seemed Viktor’s bloodline hadn’t gone anywhere.

But that was one thing, and this was another.

Composure was good, but he couldn’t possibly agree with what Viktor had just said.

“Look at their numbers! If we try to break through directly, we’ll be turned into honeycombs instantly. If we turn back, we can survive!”

“…It’s already too late. Lukovich, stay focused and just follow me.”

From Viktor’s perspective, it was too late to escape.

Even if they fled now, these people were experts at horseback riding.

It would be difficult to shake them off through horsemanship, and judging by the expression of the lead warrior, he wouldn’t let them go easily.

Viktor quietly exhaled, then drew his axe.

As he gripped the handle and faced forward, his excited body began to settle, and his mind became as calm as a still lake.

This was his first battle.

‘Can I do this?’

He had never been trained in weaponry, mounted combat, or anything related to fighting.

No matter how large his build, an untrained ordinary person had almost no chance of winning against warriors who had honed their fighting skills.

But Viktor was no ordinary person.

The muscles throughout his body began to bulge as if about to burst forth.

His grip on the handle was so strong that the axe might have bent before he even started fighting properly.

Viktor tried his best to apply just enough force to get a feel for handling the axe without breaking it.

He wasn’t afraid at all.

His instinct was whispering to him again.

Those trivial skills, you don’t need to learn them – you can handle these people regardless!

Just as an untrained lion is still fearsome, Viktor was a warrior complete from birth.

A fierce smile unknowingly formed on Viktor’s lips.

‘First, I’ll try talking. If that fails…’

Head cold, heart hot.

Viktor entered a perfect combat stance.

****

Kulak observed the man before him from atop his horse.

The quite large warhorse was impressive in its own right, but the man sitting upon it was even more remarkable.

Broad shoulders and a massive build.

Without a helmet, his face was clearly visible, revealing deep contours.

His shadowed eye sockets emanated an inexplicable pressure, and beneath them, his eyes were cold yet powerful.

Kulak, who had been extremely excited and ready to slaughter the principality men in an instant, suddenly felt a wave of calmness wash over him as if doused with cold water.

‘This man… who is he? Was there such a knight in this area?’

Kulak was a respected elder of the Wolf Tribe.

From the onset of the war, no, from far earlier, he had investigated the principality knights who ruled the pioneer villages.

But the knight before him was someone he had never heard of before.

‘Could he be one of the Grand Prince’s elite? But why is he alone?’

It was rare for a knight to venture into battle alone.

Typically, they would be accompanied by fellow knights, not to mention a horde of servants to support them.

But beside his opponent was only a single servant who looked like a merchant, wearing a dumbfounded expression and trembling violently.

Kulak was somewhat confused by the incomprehensible situation.

From his appearance and physique, the man before him clearly seemed to be a quite renowned knight of the principality.

But how could someone who should be busy confronting the Grand Chief be here all alone?

That’s when it happened.

“You stubborn old man! I don’t care about alliances anymore! How dare you ignore me?!”

Puga, who had followed to stop the enraged elder, approached him while fuming with anger.

Behind him, dozens of warriors began to form ranks.

‘Well, this will do. I can find out the details later.’

Though the opponent before him appeared quite strong, he couldn’t possibly handle this many warriors alone.

A knight was not invincible, after all.

If they surrounded him and pierced between the joints of his sturdy armor, he would, as any human would, collapse in a spray of blood.

Moreover, the warriors here were all mounted cavalry.

Kulak confidently smiled and opened his mouth.

“Puga, didn’t you say this village had been completely swept away?”

“That’s what I said! Are your ears failing you?”

“Then what are these men before us?”

“…!”

Only now looking at his opponents, Puga flinched.

‘Who the hell are these guys?’

While Puga was startled, Kulak moved forward first and confronted the opponent.

“Well, what brings a principality knight alone to a place like this?”

Though mixed with the distinctive accent of the barbarians, his speech was not difficult to understand.

Viktor replied.

“I was just traveling. Are you the ones who reduced this village to this state?”

Lukovich looked at Viktor with a shocked expression at how easily he lied, but no one paid attention to the trembling servant.

“Traveling? Heh, what terrible luck you have. But do you think I would believe that?”

“What else is there not to believe? More importantly, answer my question, warrior.”

As Viktor stared down the warriors facing him without the slightest fear and stood his ground confidently, Kulak began to feel a certain respect for this knight.

Kulak spoke in a slightly more relaxed tone.

“If you are a knight of the principality, how could you not know that the struggle for the steppe has begun? This land has been completely burned down as payment for the audacity to attack our tribe and kidnap the chief’s daughter.”

“Oh my, was there such an incident? I must have been away traveling for too long.”

As Viktor feigned genuine surprise with complete nonchalance, Kulak shook his head.

“Indeed. They were truly despicable. But now our anger is directed at the principality. The treaty has been broken, so war is inevitable.”

“I regret the tragedy that has befallen your tribe. I understand completely. Now, warrior, according to a warrior’s honor, might you let me go? I would like to face a warrior like you on the battlefield again.”

If fighting could be avoided, it was better not to fight.

Viktor was confident, but he didn’t completely trust his instincts.

First, try diplomacy.

If they didn’t have to fight, all the better, and if they had to fight, then with full force!

Though his mind harbored various schemes, his expression was that of the most honorable knight imaginable.

Beside him, Lukovich was now staring at Viktor with an incredulous expression.

‘No way, there’s no way such a trick would work…!’

“Hmm… what is your name, knight?”

“My name is Viktor. And yours?”

“Kulak. A proud warrior of the Uley Wolf Tribe. You don’t mention your house?”

“What does a mere house name matter between warriors? What truly matters is not one’s house, but how one’s actions speak.”

“…You people despise us as barbarians. Yet, you seek honor from a barbarian like me?”

“Honor is granted to the person. Who you are or what tribe you’re from doesn’t matter at all. Isn’t it the same now? You could simply slaughter me, but didn’t you first listen to my circumstances? What is that if not honor?”

“…!”

Kulak couldn’t help but admire him.

“Hmm… I’ve heard that knights of the principality are such men… Very well. Though it’s not the law of the steppe, I’ll let you go this once out of respect for your honor.”

‘No…?! That actually worked??’

Lukovich now looked at Viktor in shock, as if he had witnessed something impossible.

Resolving a situation without shedding a drop of blood through wisdom rather than force was not something just anyone could do.

‘Truly… truly a lord worth serving!’

While Lukovich was singing his praises internally, Kulak and Viktor were even complimenting each other and laughing.

“In my heart, I still want bloody revenge against the principality scum. But your honor will be remembered.”

“Warrior Kulak, you said? I’m impressed by your generosity, and I hope we can compete honorably on the battlefield next time.”

“Haha, such flowery words don’t suit warriors of the steppe… but very well, the steppe has its own honor.”

Just as such beautiful exchanges that might have come straight from a tale of knighthood were about to unfold, Puga, who had been seething in the background, shouted savagely.

“Are these bastards fucking joking?!”

As Puga drew a long curved sword from his waist, his subordinates likewise unsheathed their weapons in unison.

Clang-clang-clang!

“…”

The atmosphere suddenly grew chillingly cold.

“What are you doing!”

Though Kulak shouted in anger, Puga seemed even more enraged as he stomped the ground with all his might.

“Hey, you senile old bastard! Earlier you were ranting about burning down an already burned village and charging ahead. Now you’re trying to let an enemy who wandered in just walk away? How dare you! By what authority!”

“Who do you think you are, the Grand Chief? I am Kulak, the foremost wolf, entrusted with full authority by Bohdan, chief of the Wolf Tribe! If I, in my judgment, decide to let this knight go, what need is there for your opinion?”

“You’ve truly gone mad! Your mind seems to be going back and forth, so let me tell you clearly! You might fancy the knight’s little play, but under the law of the steppe, we do not let enemies go! Step aside now! If you don’t move, I’ll kill you too!”

“You young fox cub, what are you babbling about? Are you prepared to take responsibility for your words?”

As Kulak waved his hand, the Uley tribal warriors who had been watching from the sidelines moved closer to Kulak.

However, some warriors instead stood behind Puga and drew their weapons.

Seeing this, Kulak shouted in great anger.

“What are you doing!”

“Puga is right. Kulak, are you in your right mind?”

“Why did you rush here so desperately if this is what you planned?”

Kulak gritted his teeth.

The warriors standing beside him were all Wolf Tribe warriors, but those who had gone to Puga’s side were warriors from other Uley tribes.

They were part of the advance party and thus should have followed Kulak’s orders, but they weren’t particularly loyal.

This was the limitation of a tribal alliance.

Already outnumbered by Puga’s warriors, and now with half of the advance party splitting off, the numerical difference was stark.

Puga mocked him and said.

“Like a deranged wolf. Swayed by a mere silver tongue. A man like you is no longer a warrior of the steppe. I’ll send you to your ancestors right now.”

“Damn fox cub…!”

Kulak gritted his teeth.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to charge in like a madman, losing his senses.

Failing to control his warriors was a terribly shameful thing.

But he couldn’t suffer any more humiliation.

The two groups began to emanate killing intent, ready to clash at any moment.

****

Meanwhile, Lukovich carefully approached Viktor, who was blankly watching the situation.

He began to whisper in a low voice.

“Did you plan this far? Truly… Lord Viktor, you are a heaven-sent genius!”

Viktor looked at Lukovich with an expression of disbelief.

“What nonsense is that? How could anyone predict and manipulate this?”

“Oh… you didn’t?”

“No. I just tried talking first, and when it was going better than expected, I just went with the flow.”

But Lukovich, still unable to believe it, persisted.

“But, but! If you didn’t predict the enemy’s division at all, how could such a miracle…!”

“Lukovich. You have a surprisingly innocent side to you.”

Lukovich blinked his eyes, having never been called innocent in his life.

Viktor chuckled slightly before commanding in a low voice.

“Get your wits about you and draw your weapon. From now on, just follow me. Understood?”

“Huh…? Ah, yes, sir!”

At Viktor’s stern command, Lukovich silently began to draw his sword.

Viktor looked ahead.

A chaos he couldn’t comprehend was unfolding before his eyes.

What appeared to be the enemy leader had exchanged some words with him and was about to let him go, when another man watching from behind objected, causing the group to split into factions, and now they were ready to kill each other.

‘I don’t understand, but… this is our chance.’

Viktor wasn’t a fool who would miss such an opportunity.

There was no weaker opponent than an enemy caught in internal strife.

Viktor gripped his battle axe and shouted with all his might.

“Out of my way!!”

Crash!

With a sound like thunder, a warrior crumpled, then flew into the air in a spray of blood.

Thud-

Silence fell all around.