The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 9 - Prologue (8)

Bohdan mounted his horse and looked ahead.

Quite large hills stretched out in a row.

Once they passed those hills and went a bit further north, the dogs’ pioneer villages would start to appear.

“Kulak, have we heard from the Red Fox and Frost Snake?”

Kulak, who was assisting him, approached cautiously.

Kulak was an old wolf whose fur had almost completely grayed with age, but though his strength had declined, he remained a warrior of wisdom.

It was Kulak who had advised sending those two tribes as a rear force and separate detachment.

“They said they entered the forest area not long ago, so they should have entered the principality’s territory by now. Soon they’ll begin raiding the western region and confuse the principality’s eyes.”

Bohdan nodded.

“Good. The Grand Chief has also advanced ahead of us, so this time those bastards will truly be caught off guard.”

“Excellent.”

Kulak bowed his head, offering simple praise.

His attitude pleased Bohdan even more.

“Hahaha, this is all thanks to you, wise warrior Kulak. Finally, I can hold my head high before our ancestors.”

When the principality had not only caused a commotion at the meeting place but also taken his daughter through a cowardly ambush, Bohdan had been furious.

He intended to use this opportunity to decisively break the principality’s power and reestablish the law of the steppe.

The Grand Chief had endorsed his plan.

During this brief period of peace, the horses had fattened again, and young, brave warriors had been replenished.

It was gradually approaching the time to move the army, and conveniently, the principality dogs had made the first move.

The Grand Chief, as the father of the steppe, possessed enormous authority but also carried many obligations.

He had to negotiate with witches so the livestock could grow well, mediate conflicts between tribes, and know how to properly address warriors’ grievances when they reached their peak.

The longer peace continued, the more tribes tended to act on their own.

For the Grand Chief, this was like being slapped in the face when he wanted to cry.

Bohdan smiled, revealing his fangs.

‘If we drive out the principality dogs decisively, our tribe’s standing will greatly increase. The Grand Chief is getting old, so if we successfully complete this…’

It was time for a Grand Chief to emerge from the Uley region.

Bohdan tried to stay calm, suppressing his rising ambition.

The war hadn’t even begun yet.

The principality was not an enemy to be taken lightly, and plans could go awry anywhere, anytime.

Beside him, Kulak carefully spoke up.

“But there’s one thing I’m curious about…”

“Oh, what is it? Feel free to ask.”

“Well… forgive me for saying, but isn’t our current pace of advance too slow? At this rate, the Grand Chief’s forces will reach their territory first…”

Bohdan looked at Kulak.

The old man slightly bowed his head, but his cloudy pupils still fixed on Bohdan.

“Haha, you’re right. You might be worried. But this is according to plan. Whether the Grand Chief crushes them first or we do, that tiny village is just a preliminary skirmish anyway. What matters are the principality dogs who will come running with their tails tucked.”

“That may be so… but the Grand Chief might find fault with us.”

“Hmm, that’s not a problem. We’re taking a different route to advance, aren’t we?”

The Uley tribal alliance led by Bohdan was advancing northward along the river.

To reach the eastern edge of the Uley region from where they were, they needed to cross large hilly areas and a mountain range that wasn’t particularly treacherous.

“For a small detachment it would be fine, but a force of this size takes time to cross mountains and hills.”

The Grand Chief couldn’t criticize him for his advancing speed.

That insignificant village – there was no great meaning in conquering it quickly.

At best, they could vent their anger on the principality’s lackeys.

‘I don’t have troops to waste on such things. I can collect blood debt from the principality’s main body anyway.’

Bohdan was looking at the bigger picture.

While the justification was comforting the spirits of their lost warriors and exacting revenge, a tribal leader needed to look a step ahead.

War bred blood, but blood brought wealth and honor.

Whether Kulak knew of Bohdan’s ambitious thoughts or not, he still looked worried.

“Listen, Kulak. What are you so concerned about? I acknowledge your wisdom, but this operation is perfect. Caution is a virtue of a good warrior, but excessive worry is evidence of old age. Hahaha!”

“It’s… about your daughter.”

As Kulak uttered those words, Bohdan’s expression hardened.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But if we advance quickly, we might still save her.”

“Kulak. My daughter is dead. From the moment their pathetic scheme failed, that was already decided.”

“Chief…!”

“Enough! I won’t forgive you if you say more.”

“…This old man overstepped. I apologize.”

As Kulak bowed and disappeared, Bohdan frowned.

For no reason, this aged man was disturbing his composure.

‘Daughter, forgive me.’

He had already resolved himself to this.

Bohdan knew it too.

If they charged ahead like madmen even now, perhaps it wouldn’t be too late.

But he couldn’t ruin the grand plan to save one daughter.

This war would be so significant that it was impossible to predict how preserving each warrior now would affect the outcome later.

If this opportunity passed, his tribe might have to endure for several more years, perhaps even decades.

He couldn’t jeopardize such an important matter for the life of one daughter.

‘If I die, I’ll have nothing to say even if you tear me apart before the ancestor wolf. But, my tribe comes first!’

Besides, it wasn’t just Bohdan who was sacrificing.

Hadn’t they already drawn lots before embarking and offered a tribal virgin as a sacrifice to pray for victory?

Everyone lived by making such sacrifices.

Venom seemed to blossom from Bohdan’s coldly calculating eyes.

****

Viktor wore a serious expression.

‘This is… strange!’

Though they had been playing hide-and-seek for days now, fortunately, the enemy was strangely unhurried.

Not only the main force but even their scouts weren’t moving particularly aggressively.

Though he had been extremely tense at first, he now had enough leisure to be lost in thought like this.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing.

Viktor addressed Lukovich, who was chewing on jerky beside him.

“Hey, Lukovich.”

“Gasp, I’m sorry! I made such a mistake… here it is!”

As Lukovich quickly took out jerky from his pack and offered it, Viktor pushed his hand away and spoke.

“Not necessary. More importantly, doesn’t something seem odd?”

“Ah, yes…? Yes. Actually, I was thinking the same thing.”

“Oh, I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

“Well… those fellows seem to be coming quite slowly. Even with their large numbers, there’s no reason for them to be this delayed.”

As Lukovich spoke somewhat nervously but coherently, Viktor nodded as if to agree.

‘Did I answer correctly?’

Lukovich had been doing his best to please Viktor these past few days.

He was employing not only his experience as a peddler but also various bits of knowledge he had learned throughout his life.

“Indeed, I was thinking the same thing.”

“Ah, I knew it…!”

Lukovich’s face brightened, but as Viktor continued, he automatically became serious again.

“But there’s an even stranger issue. Think about it. We still haven’t had any contact from the estate. It’s been days now.”

“…! Now that you mention it…”

He had been so focused on the approaching enemies that he hadn’t thought about this problem.

Even if the scouts were leisurely moving about, they were only two people.

It was obvious that they would have difficulty escaping if caught, so they couldn’t help but be extremely cautious despite pretending otherwise.

“Indeed… this is a problem. Ah… why didn’t I think of this…! I’m truly sorry, Lord Viktor.”

“It’s fine. I only just realized it myself. Perhaps we’ve gone too deep, and they can’t find us from the estate?”

“Hmm, Lord Viktor. Though I’m not a hunter, from what I’ve heard, that shouldn’t be the case.”

Viktor tilted his head.

This was actually one of the few theories he thought most plausible, but Lukovich refuted it quite confidently.

“Hunters often scatter like this when tracking beasts. They say they have several means to quickly rejoin with others who have found the target.”

“Oh… fascinating.”

“Such methods can be used for patrols or scout duties like this. Look, this is the scent pouch I received from those men.”

Lukovich rummaged through his pack and pulled out a dirty leather pouch.

“If you train animals to remember the smell emitted from this, they can follow it anywhere. So hunters shouldn’t lose track of us.”

“…! I see. That’s impressive. I never considered such a method.”

When Viktor showed more surprise than expected, Lukovich added,

“It’s understandable that you wouldn’t know. Such special methods are like secret techniques passed down only among hunters.”

Learning about the wisdom of hunters, Viktor felt somewhat regretful.

‘Indeed, remarkable techniques exist even in this era. If possible, I’d like to learn that method too.’

If he could use such a technique, he could find others no matter how scattered they were.

This would be quite useful knowledge in this forest-covered area.

Storing this in a corner of his mind, Viktor spoke again.

“Alright. Let’s assume the villagers wouldn’t lose track of us. Then… why haven’t we received any contact?”

“Uh… I don’t know about that?”

As Viktor’s eyes narrowed, Lukovich hurriedly began to speak.

“Well, that is… perhaps they’re in a state where they can’t contact us? Maybe they’re extremely busy, or, um, well… I’m sorry! If you could just give me a little more time!”

“You know excuses are sinful…? Ah, I spoke without thinking.”

“I-I’m sorry!!”

“It’s fine. I was joking. I wasn’t trying to blame you. And… you might be right.”

“Oh, is that so…?”

Though Lukovich had merely babbled whatever came to mind, Viktor found his words surprisingly logical.

The scout team had reported that enemies were approaching.

Some personnel remained to monitor enemy movements.

Then it would be natural to seek out the remaining scouts to ask about enemy progress, composition, and preparations.

‘Igor or Lord Kobarov wouldn’t be ignorant of such things…’

Even if the two hunters were minions of someone intending to harm Viktor, their master wouldn’t ignore such critical information about enemies at their doorstep just to catch him.

At least in Viktor’s thinking, there was no one who hated him enough to risk the village’s safety to eliminate him.

That naturally left one remaining possibility…

‘Is the village in such danger that it can’t contact the scout team?’

As his thoughts reached this point, Viktor’s face began to harden.