The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 61 - Tribal Conflict (26)

The atmosphere of the simply arranged camp was quite subdued, unlike just moments before.

This was because everyone in the camp was watching the man who was terrifyingly angry right before their eyes.

“Witch, I definitely paid the price. Then naturally, fulfilling the contract is your duty, isn’t it?”

“…I did my best. What’s happening now is also a miracle I achieved by overexerting myself.”

The witch with a pale complexion spoke while swaying.

Only a trickle of blood flowing between her bluish lips, like those of a dead person, seemed to prove that she was still a living human being.

However, the man, Bohdan, paid no heed.

Unlike before, adorned with splendid ornaments on his body and having become even more imposing, he spoke with intimidation.

“That’s none of my concern, witch. I pay the price, and you fulfill the contract. If you couldn’t do it, you shouldn’t have said you would from the beginning.”

‘Crazy bastard… who was it that dragged me here by force…!’

The young witch ground her teeth inwardly but couldn’t say anything and lowered her head.

Being dragged here in the first place wasn’t something she had wanted.

If that brutish wolf bastard in front of her hadn’t come to find her while she was living peacefully, threatening her with blades, she could have leisurely enjoyed the results of this war…!

‘Of course, that price was quite tempting, just a little…’

Originally, she had been frequently trading with the nearby barbarians, so her location being clearly exposed had been the problem.

Bohdan’s subordinates had come one day without any warning and began to coax her threateningly.

At first she had scoffed, but no matter how promising and talented a young witch might be, she couldn’t face dozens of warriors without any preparation.

Moreover, the price they offered was tremendous enough to more than compensate for that rudeness, so accepting their proposal had been her mistake.

‘What kind of bastard is he? Since when did the principality start appointing monsters as knights instead of people?’

The result of the grand ritual the witch had prepared with all her heart and soul ended quite poorly.

To succeed in sorcery beyond her own abilities, she had not only offered an enormous number of sacrifices to the spirit she served, but had also forcibly employed various methods bordering on trickery, so the result was far too disappointing for all that effort.

‘Damn it… I even prepared to be hated by the spirit for this… at this rate it doesn’t match the cost at all!’

The witch bit her lips tightly.

She glanced around briefly, but soon lowered her head again.

Even aside from the terrifying wolf beastman who was pressing her right before her eyes, the gazes around her were far from kind.

This was because the amount of sacrifices the witch had used for her sorcery was considerable.

When they had been making a fuss, she had sneered at the barbarians who knew nothing of sorcery and acted as she pleased, but now that was coming back to bite her.

“Have you become mute? Can’t you even speak properly now?”

When Bohdan sneered, the witch momentarily flared up and glared at him, but soon she realized something and made a horrified expression.

‘Th-these bastards…!’

At some point, the surrounding warriors had been gradually encircling her while closing the distance.

As burly warriors with fierce expressions began approaching from all sides, even the arrogant witch began to feel frightened.

She quickly opened her mouth.

“W-wait! This was force majeure! None of you could have imagined there would be someone who could tear apart sorcery with their bare hands!”

“…Are you calling that an excuse right now.”

Bohdan’s already cold face became even more rigid.

“That must mean your sorcery was that pathetic. To not even be ashamed of your own incompetence – is this why they say not to trust young witches.”

“Grr! Don’t speak carelessly when you know nothing! Do you even know how many sacrifices went into that sorcery? Even you would have been torn apart without being able to endure it at all!”

“What a loose mouth, babbling as it pleases! Let’s see if you can still chatter after getting a nose ring!”

When one warrior excitedly approached with large strides, the witch screamed in a shrill voice.

“I am a witch of the steppes! You cannot treat me so roughly!”

“So what if you’re just a failure! If you wanted respect, you should have succeeded in your work!”

“Now that I look at her, isn’t that woman a complete fraud? Just sprinkling some light doesn’t change anything. Let’s just kill her.”

‘These ignorant and dirty bastards…!’

As the warriors gradually approached, a vicious aura appeared on the witch’s face.

If she was caught by them like this, she would surely suffer a terrible fate.

‘Just try touching me, I’ll kill at least one of you!’

The witch was about to put her hand into her robes with a determined expression.

Bohdan’s cold voice rang out.

“Rare gems and an armful of gold from the vicinity, honey and milk, fatty meat and several bags of liquor.”

“…”

“That’s not the end. Eighty-five humans I had captured from the vicinity for you.”

“That’s why I told you several times that livestock would be sufficient! I said my spirit doesn’t like human sacrifices!”

While the witch hadn’t said anything particular about the previous list, she suddenly shouted loudly as if wronged about this latter part.

“Witch. I hate saying things twice.”

However, when Bohdan’s eyes flashed as he bared his teeth, she couldn’t meet his gaze and looked away.

Honestly, that wolf beastman growling from afar was much more frightening than the approaching warriors.

“To me, our livestock is several times more precious than those principality bastards. I can’t waste precious livestock on just one sorcery like this.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“The first time, I trusted your words and gave them to you, but the result was this failure, wasn’t it. I’ll give you another chance. Use the humans I captured as sacrifices.”

“…That’s what I’m saying!”

“Don’t treat me like a fool, young witch. That using humans as sacrifices is most effective is something any decent ruler of these steppes knows.”

“…”

The witch glared at Bohdan with her mouth tightly shut.

“Since I gave you the price, you must faithfully fulfill the contract. You wouldn’t think of breaking the oath you made with me, would you?”

Bohdan’s leisurely yet cold words were flawless.

‘I can’t break a sacred oath… he’s the one who gave me another chance too… annoyingly perfect…’

All the justification was on his side.

No, she could find fault if she wanted to, but the moment she thought that way and acknowledged it herself, the sacred oath had already begun to strangle her neck like shackles.

In the end, the young witch had no choice but to bite her lips and answer that she understood.

Bohdan, who had been watching this, leisurely nodded his head.

‘The power was useful enough. If I just change the sacrifices, it will definitely be effective.’

Bohdan was already playing on top of the witch’s head.

He had experience dealing with other witches several times while leading his tribe, and knew well how to handle them.

‘Witches are valuable cards. They’re not easy to obtain, but thinking of the future when I’ll rule the steppes, I must definitely bring them into my fold.’

Bohdan watched the witch’s back as she drooped and disappeared as if being dragged away by the warriors, then shifted his gaze back toward the castle.

The encirclement was now almost complete.

The plan to first smash the leadership with the witch’s sorcery, cause chaos, and then capture the castle in one go had failed, but even if it was regrettable, there were many other moves.

‘I’ve already smashed the forces they scattered. With all their limbs cut off and not much food remaining, they won’t be able to hold out long.’

Bohdan began to think repeatedly as if seeing through the scene inside the castle.

‘If things go well, internal strife might break out. If I’m lucky… it doesn’t suit me, but should I imitate them? Send an envoy…’

His eyes were no longer looking at the castle.

The steppes, or perhaps even beyond that.

The sight of himself, having become the father of ten thousand tribes, riding majestically seemed to shimmer before his eyes.

Though his face was still cold, his two eyes gleaming with ambition were burning hot.

Suddenly his gaze returned to the castle.

Precisely toward the high citadel that was now invisible, wrapped in darkness, that had been under sorcerous attack.

‘A knight who tears apart sorcery…’

Could such a person really exist in this world?

Perhaps other witches, or the priests that the orcs to the east boasted of…

‘No, even they couldn’t receive such power with bare hands… then.’

Bohdan’s thoughts finally reached someone’s name.

‘The knight sent by God, is it.’

When he opened his mouth, sharp teeth protruded.

Along with a fierce laugh, a growling sound flowed out.

“The one I was concerned about was here. Viktor, we finally meet.”

It was definitely the knight Viktor who had been strangely bothering one corner of his mind since the Grand Chief’s council and Kulak’s advice.

Other than that knight who was praised by them as being sent by God, there was no one else who could show a miracle like tearing apart sorcery with bare hands.

‘Hah, it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m different from the likes of Ibuti. No matter how strong you are, no matter how your god blesses you, that doesn’t matter at all.’

In the camp where everyone had withdrawn, Bohdan muttered to himself alone, shrugging his shoulders.

“Along with that pathetic god of yours, I’ll chop you to pieces and show the principality bastards. That these steppes are ours! That your era is over! Hahaha!”

CRASH!!

At the same time his words ended, a tremendous explosion echoed.

Startled, Bohdan looked up at the sky, but though the dark sky was covered with clouds with only faint moonlight shining through, there was no sign of thunderstorms coming.

That’s when it happened.

A warrior hurriedly ran from behind and prostrated himself before Bohdan.

“Huff, huff… Chief, big trouble! Ambush, it’s an ambush! The principality bastards have opened the castle gates!”

“…!”

Bohdan hastily composed his expression and drew the weapon at his waist.

“Tell me in detail. Did they all burst out at once? Abandoning the castle?”

‘Is it a desperate struggle… foolish bastards.’

Just before being surrounded, it must be a scheme to try to shake them somehow.

But that was an utterly foolish idea.

‘They want to fight us without even having castle walls? Their situation must be worse than I thought. Well, it’ll make things easier.’

The startled look from the explosion that had rung out at the perfect timing had long since calmed down.

After Bohdan completely regained his composure and was thinking about future matters and responses, the prostrating warrior opened his mouth again in a fearful voice.

“No, that’s not it… they’re coming directly toward here. Chief, those bastards are targeting you!”

“…What? What are you saying now.”

Bohdan looked at his subordinate as if dumbfounded.

“Are you saying they know where I am and came looking for me here? You bastard, a proud member of the wolf tribe getting scared by something like this and losing your judgment?”

‘You need to make sense.’

There was no way the principality people could know that Bohdan had set up camp on one side of the castle while taking part in the encirclement.

Usually, the supreme commander leading an army would position himself behind the encirclement – that was common sense.

Such common sense was no different even for barbarians.

Though they were poor at sieges, they were people who knew such basic things.

‘Unless they knew my plans and thoughts in advance, there’s no way to accurately target me…’

Without knowing Bohdan’s plans or thoughts in advance, there was no way to precisely target him.

“No, Chief! It’s true! They’re targeting this place! And in this dead of night, as if they have owl eyes, they’re hitting this place precisely! You must flee first! Even if it doesn’t make sense, you must flee first!”

“…!”

Bohdan suddenly stopped thinking.

It was something like instinct.

Common sense? Objective judgment?

Setting such things aside, the beast-like instinct he had briefly set aside was whispering in his ear.

‘Someone is running to capture you. You must stop them!’

His contemplation wasn’t long.

Bohdan roared.

“Send messengers to the encirclement! Send support immediately! Tell the rest to start attacking the castle!”

“Yes? But we don’t even have ladders yet…”

“Just tell them to pretend to attack! Make noise and draw their attention! And go to that damn witch right now and tell her. If she doesn’t start the ritual immediately, I’ll cut off her limbs and hang them on poles! If she doesn’t want to become bird food while still alive, tell her to do it now!”

As the warrior hurriedly bowed his head and disappeared, Bohdan ground his teeth and laughed.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but… principality bastards, you have some moves! Good, I’ll face you!”

Soon, wolf howls began echoing from various parts of his camp.