Sword of the North – 4

“Talruk, I’m heading out again today.”

The woman said as she mounted her short, stout horse. At the words of the youngest Great Warrior, a young man named Talruk frowned.

“Are you going to the Barrier again? You could die, you know.”

“I hear that every time, but I always come back, don’t I?”

She said, leaping nimbly into the saddle, and Talruk shook his head as if he couldn’t help it.

“So, is that man definitely happy to see you?”

“The last time I saw him, he shot an arrow.”

“Did he put a flower on it or something?”

“I doubt it. If anything, it would be poisoned. Especially around here.”

“Whoa, whoa,” she said, holding the reins and urging the horse forward.

“How many years has it been?”

“It’s already been four winters since our first meeting. Time really flies.”

The Great Warrior gave a laugh as cool as the winter wind and rode towards the Barrier.

“Be careful. I heard a lot of people are gathering at the Barrier these days.”

Talruk warned the tomboyish Great Warrior as she rode away.

Whether that concern reached her, no one could know.

The Great Warrior still had a smile on her face as she rode her horse.

As the massive Barrier grew closer, her smile deepened. She couldn’t hide her laughter.

Since their first meeting, she had gone to the Barrier to sort out her ambiguous thoughts.

What came back was the insulting words of the People Inside the Barrier, but after a few hours of protesting, she could see the young duke.

Even from afar, his chestnut hair and kind eyes stood out clearly.

Confirming the young duke’s face, she was satisfied and returned to her tribe.

After that, her thoughts of the young duke deepened.

Whether she was hunting, eating, or sleeping, the young duke’s face came to mind.

If he ever appeared in her dreams, she would crush him in her arms.

Of course, when she woke up, it was the hard greatsword that was in her arms.

Whenever her thoughts of him grew so strong that she couldn’t control herself, she would ride her short, stout horse to the Barrier.

The third, fourth, and fifth time… the tenth, the twentieth…

The number of times she went to the Barrier gradually increased.

The People Inside the Barrier must have gotten used to it, as they only made meaningless warning shots and didn’t curse as much as before.

“We’re getting closer like this.”

She knew well that the lives and cultures of the People Inside the Barrier and the children of the earth were different.

She was spending time making herself a familiar presence to him, like taming an animal.

Of course, she was the only one who thought that attempt was working well.

As the Barrier approached, she blew her horn.

“Boo-” The loud sound echoed, and the soldiers on guard above the Barrier reflexively raised their bows.

“Boo-” As she blew the horn again, they lowered their bows and looked at her.

Some even had the leisure to wave at her.

The tribe’s Great Warrior slowly rode her horse, waiting for the young duke to come out.

When she blew the horn and lingered in front of the Barrier, the chestnut-haired man would come out to meet her.

Although there was no conversation, no exchange of any kind,

Every time she saw him, the moment was new, and her heart raced.

After waiting for a few minutes, the People Inside the Barrier began to turn and greet someone.

‘Ah, he’s here.’

The Great Warrior smiled broadly and waved her hand.

She waved vigorously so that he could see her as soon as he came up to the Barrier.

Soon, the chestnut-haired man appeared.

He must have been tall, as his face was more visible than before.

She pressed her pounding heart with her hand and continued to wave.

Her hand stopped when the man turned and offered his hand to someone.

“So that’s the Barbarian. It’s my first time seeing one in person.”

A woman in clothing different from the People Inside the Barrier appeared.

Holding the young duke’s hand.

The Great Warrior’s eyes narrowed.

“Isabella. They call themselves People Outside the Barrier, children of the earth.”

The young duke’s voice, which she hadn’t heard since their first meeting, was heard.

“Hmm… her clothes are rough and don’t seem refined. She doesn’t seem to wash very well either.”

The woman named Isabella frowned, fanning herself with a fan to cover her nose.

“Isn’t it just living according to their lifestyle?”

When the young duke smiled, Isabella also nodded with a displeased look.

“At first, I thought it was just a place with cold and snow… Is it because the young duke is here? The northern scenery looks beautiful.”

Isabella leaned slightly on the young duke’s shoulder, smiling with eyes that curved like the moon.

The young duke’s ears turned red as he smiled awkwardly.

The Great Warrior didn’t like any of this situation.

And when she came to her senses, she had already drawn her bow.

“Huh? Huh? Why is that Barbarian like that?”

At the same time as the quick-witted soldier’s cry, an arrow was fired.

-Whoosh

The arrow flew, exhaling wind. The target was Isabella, next to the young duke.

Thunk!

A seasoned soldier held out his shield to block the arrow.

“Protect the young duke and Lady Neyren!”

At the centurion’s cry, the soldiers moved in unison to create a shield wall, and the young duke’s figure disappeared.

Soon, what returned to the Great Warrior was a hail of arrows.

While instinctively urging her horse to flee, she shook her head in disbelief.

Why?

Weren’t we close?

Why did you look at me like that?

Why?

Why?

What was that woman next to you?

Why…!

Why…!

“The Great Warrior is injured!”

“Who cares? She probably got hurt fighting Saberfang again, didn’t she?”

“No! She was hit by an arrow. It’s the work of the bastards Inside the Barrier!”

“What? Those cowardly People Inside the Barrier dared to touch a child of the earth?”

“It’s war!”

“Yes! War! Absolutely war! War again!”