The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 58 - Tribal Conflict (23)

In the gloomy underground prison, the two men were quietly conversing.

Tumen struggled to lift his two legs wrapped in bandages as he continued speaking.

“The one currently leading the situation is the man who leads the wolf tribe of the Uley region, Bohdan.”

“…Bohdan.”

Viktor slightly furrowed his brow as he crossed his arms.

It was a name he had heard on the day he interrogated Tumen, but at that time he had been more concerned with the phrase “wolf tribe of the Uley region” than with Bohdan’s name.

‘The Uley tribes… the ones who became the catalyst for all this chaos.’

It all started when his father, Knight Kobarov, kidnapped the daughter of the Uley wolf tribal chieftain, enraging them.

“That Bohdan fellow wasn’t originally one to stand out much. The Uley region is the frontier of frontiers, and all the tribes there were relatively weak.”

“…”

“But Father was always secretly wary of him. Thinking about it now, that was understandable.”

“What do you mean?”

Tumen shifted his position slightly and opened his mouth again.

“Knight, do you know what it means to be a member of the wolf tribe in this steppe?”

Without waiting for Viktor’s answer, he immediately continued.

“The wolves… are the descendants of the legendary first Grand Chief who unified all the tribes of this steppe.”

From Tumen’s mouth began to flow the secret history of the steppe tribes that the principality people called barbarians and despised.

“Long, long ago, this steppe was filled only with disorder and chaos. The one who corrected this and established the rules of the steppe was the first Grand Chief.”

“From what I see, the steppe still seems full of disorder and chaos even now.”

At Viktor’s words, Tumen shook his head.

“You people always call us barbaric, but that’s an ignorant misconception. The steppe has its own rules, and its own order. Our way of life, where various tribes live intertwined and entangled, was created by the first Grand Chief.”

Tumen looked at Viktor with serious eyes.

“That’s why all the people of the steppe respected the Grand Chief. So, it was decided that the position of the next Grand Chief, who would become the center of all tribes in the future, could only be held by the descendants of the first.”

“Hmm…”

“That was the moment the wolf clan was born… destined to ascend to the Grand Chief’s position for generations.”

“But Tumen, your father doesn’t seem to have been born with wolf blood, no matter how I look at it.”

At Viktor’s words, Tumen nodded.

“Ah. The covenant about the wolf clan began to break from the third generation. Now it’s become meaningless words.”

“…”

“The third Grand Chief position was taken by a man born with the blood of the black bear, who had been the first’s confidant. He killed the young Grand Chief from the wolf clan. Since then, the Grand Chief’s authority was damaged, and only the law of the strong came to apply.”

“That means…”

“Ah. My father also took that position by cutting down the previous Grand Chief’s neck. And he’s preparing many things to pass that position to his bloodline.”

Tumen continued with a dark expression.

“Though cases of successful succession from bloodline to bloodline are rare…”

When Viktor looked at him steadily, Tumen bowed his head.

“The current Grand Chief is merely in the position of a representative leading an alliance, unable to force all tribes to obey. But even so, that authority is tremendous. To the extent that everyone wishes for the next Grand Chief to emerge from their own tribe.”

“…So?”

“If you pass that position purely to your bloodline, the backlash is severe. Everyone else wants to have a taste too. Bohdan is the same.”

Finally, as the topic of Bohdan came up, Viktor leaned forward with more focus.

“That bastard is full of pride about his bloodline. Even though it means nothing now, he can’t read the situation and has been playing chief even in that frontier, waiting for an opportunity. Father has been mocking yet wary of him.”

“Are you saying your father didn’t touch Bohdan?”

“Ah, if he punished him for just that much, what would happen to the Grand Chief’s dignity?”

Though Tumen said this, Viktor strongly suspected that the Grand Chief simply couldn’t deal with Bohdan and left him alone.

As Tumen had already said, even in Viktor’s view, the Grand Chief’s position might have authority but didn’t seem to be in a position to actually command or force the tribes.

“But then war broke out. Right when Bohdan’s faction clashed with the principality.”

Tumen began to recite seriously.

“And when the war began, he soared. I can’t even imagine how long he’d been preparing for war. He kept winning victories, and before anyone knew it, he’d reached a position where even Father couldn’t treat him carelessly.”

“…”

“That his daughter was kidnapped was probably also a carefully prepared excuse. That Bohdan fellow is seriously dreaming of reclaiming the old steppe territories and ascending to the Grand Chief’s position himself.”

‘That seems like a misunderstanding.’

No matter what, Viktor didn’t think Knight Kobarov would have been manipulated by someone called Bohdan.

That had been complete coincidence.

‘Bohdan, he’s just someone who seizes opportunities well when they come.’

While Viktor was revising his assessment of Bohdan upward, Tumen continued chattering.

“He’s a cold-blooded bastard without mercy… but that’s exactly why more and more fools are being drawn to him. He does have suitable qualities as a ruler of the steppe. What he’s doing is quite heroic, that’s true.”

Tumen was reluctantly acknowledging what had to be acknowledged, even while frowning as if he didn’t want to admit it.

However, soon Tumen’s face began to contort severely.

“But there are limits to everything! This bastard is now defying Father’s will and acting on his own!”

Viktor spoke calmly.

“That doesn’t make sense. You definitely told me that you planned the ambush at Remolnyaf yourself. But you also said the overall strategy was Bohdan’s work. That means you also cooperated with the strategy following his orders, doesn’t it?”

At Viktor’s question, Tumen’s expression became even more distorted.

With a face as if desperately swallowing curses, he opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Shit… there are reasons for that! I didn’t like cooperating with that bastard Bohdan either, but he’s already formed the largest force in this region. If I, the Grand Chief’s son, foolishly made an enemy of him, our authority would obviously be damaged!”

After saying that, he muttered in a small voice.

“And I already knew that bastard was extraordinarily clever. Since things had come to this, I thought I’d just use him.”

‘I think I understand.’

Viktor nodded.

Tumen, being merely the third son, must have always felt insecure about his position.

So he must have cooperated with Bohdan to achieve military merit that would catch his father’s eye during this opportunity.

If he could capture Radovitz, the greatest fortress in the east, and capture the Count who came as reinforcements, that would indeed be tremendous merit.

“I understand roughly, Tumen. So, his main force is at a level that even the Grand Chief can’t ignore?”

“Knight, I know well that your martial prowess is excellent, but you must never underestimate him.”

Tumen looked at Viktor with earnest eyes and opened his mouth again.

“Bohdan is the type who would use anything he can use and more. Never try to fight him fairly and squarely. You’ll get caught up in his schemes.”

Viktor chuckled.

“Tumen, are you worrying about me now? Wasn’t your ally Bohdan, not me?”

At those words, Tumen’s face reddened as he began getting angry.

“Kuk… don’t say stupid things! Knight, if you lose, I absolutely won’t be safe either! That bastard Bohdan is someone who would easily kill losers like me… Aah, damn it!”

Tumen writhed for no reason and accidentally hit his leg, then began rolling around in pain.

Viktor looked at him with incredulous eyes.

Though he knew quite a lot and his mind worked well, Tumen had many lacking and clumsy aspects in some ways.

While the beastman was rolling around and the knight was sending pitying looks, the sound of someone running breathlessly could be heard, causing Viktor to change his expression and slowly turn around.

The guard who should have been watching the entrance was running toward them rolling, his face pale as death.

“Huff, huff… Sir… big trouble… huff.”

Viktor calmerly removed his hand from his waist and spoke.

“What’s the matter? Calm down and speak clearly.”

“Sir… there’s chaos outside… you need to come out and see right away!”

Viktor pushed past the guard and quickly walked outside.

He could hear Tumen shouting something from behind, but he ignored it.

Strong light was streaming through the wide-open prison door.

‘Light…?’

Viktor quickened his pace.

The time when he had gone to meet Tumen was already night.

It was absolutely a time when this amount of light shouldn’t be possible.

Viktor stepped forward, then frowned and raised his hand to shield his face.

Objects so bright that it was difficult to look up at the sky were sweeping through the air.

‘What the hell is this…’

Viktor tried to stay calm as he looked around.

The surroundings were in chaos due to the sudden strange phenomenon.

There were even people who seemed to have rushed out in panic without properly putting on clothes.

They were pointing at the sky and screaming, or trembling while clutching their heads in fear—reactions that could by no means be called good.

Even the soldiers who should have been maintaining control were in that state, so one could hardly imagine how great the commotion was.

‘First, I need to get to high ground.’

To clearly understand what kind of situation was unfolding, he needed a place where he could survey the overall situation.

Just as Viktor was hurriedly moving toward the inner castle.

“Sir Viktor! Sir!”

The young priest Anton came running with a hardened face.

“Father, what are you doing here…?”

When Viktor asked with curiosity, he answered while panting.

“Huff, huff… I was praying at a small chapel nearby. More than that, look at that!”

Anton pointed at the sky with his finger.

“This wicked and strange sign! Without doubt, it’s a witch’s sorcery!”

“…?!”

Viktor looked at Anton with slightly widened eyes in surprise.

‘A witch?’

The face of the old woman who had been called a witch but disliked being called that, whom he had met when escaping the village, flashed through his mind.

‘Could that witch be…?’

The witch Viktor had met had the ability to control horses and scatter light to guide people.

Since what was floating above the castle now were also glowing objects, there was a possibility she might be the culprit.

While Viktor was lost in thought, Anton finally caught his breath and opened his mouth again in an urgent voice.

“The barbarians have definitely made a deal with a witch! Superstition still runs rampant in this land, and barbarians often pay prices to request evil sorcery from witches. This is…”

Anton’s face hardened with tension.

“It seems the attack has begun!”

As soon as Anton finished speaking, the spheres in the air began to glow even brighter.

The castle, bright as day despite being nighttime, somehow evoked an ominous feeling.

The screams and murmuring of frightened people grew louder, and even Anton, a priest, was becoming anxious from some inexplicable unease.

Viktor calmly and naturally drew the mace at his side, as if he were simply drinking water.

Then he spoke matter-of-factly.

“I don’t know what it is, but there seems to be only one thing to do right now.”

“…Sir?”

Viktor took a breath and shouted with all his might.

“Everyone prepare for battle!!”

His tremendous voice struck every corner of the castle and began to echo with strange clarity.