episode_0076

The Lithuanian Territory was the general term for a large area encompassing the western border area of the Infractus Empire. In terms of size, it was much larger than the combined fiefdoms of three or four small to medium-sized nobles.

However, the Lithuanian territory was not this large from the beginning. When the Infractus Empire was first founded, the Lithuanian fiefdom was as large as the fiefdoms of other lords.

So, what caused the Lithuanian fiefdom to become such an abnormally large fiefdom?

The reason was because of something that happened in the early days of the founding of Infractus.

In a time when countless heroes like Girashung were born, the first emperor of the Infractus Empire, who was born with the temperament of an emperor, calmed the chaotic continent by force and founded the Infractus Empire.

Although he was the first emperor who was considered one of the strongest men in the world by his mere military power, founding a country was not an easy task for him either. Although he subjugated the enemy country with a furious force, managing the internal affairs was more difficult than overthrowing the country.

For this reason, when the Infractus Empire was just founded, the imperial power was not as powerful as it is now.

And there was always an enemy lurking inside, looking for such a gap.

Taking advantage of the loopholes in the not-yet-stabilized imperial authority, a group of nobles who had been granted lands near Lithuanian territory became dissatisfied and planned a rebellion.

At the same time as the founding of the Infractus Empire, the nobles who had contributed to the founding were driven out to the border area far from the capital of the empire during the rice cake ceremony held at the opening ceremony, and this was the opportunity to harbor a grudge against them.

The first emperor distributed as fair a distribution as possible according to merit, but where did human greed come into play?

There were many nobles who were dissatisfied with the territory they had been granted, and as time passed, groups of nobles who sympathized with the rebellion began to gather one by one.

As some time passed, the size of the rebels grew beyond imagination. What started out as a gathering of a few nobles has now become a large-scale rebel force that even the leaders of the rebellion cannot predict.

Those who led the initial rebellion, who were unsure at first, gained confidence and began sharpening their swords as if they were ready to attack the imperial capital at any moment.

When the situation reached this point, the first emperor had no choice but to swallow his silence. This is because their aim at this time, when a considerable amount of energy had been expended to establish the empire, was truly exquisite, and there was no effective way to stop the rebels.

Of course, the emperor was not powerless to stop the rebels. No matter how much energy was expended in founding the empire, it was still possible to stop them.

However, considering the civil war that would follow, no one could guarantee how much damage it would cause. Considering the country that had already been devastated by the long war and the subjects of the empire who would bear the weight of blood, it was absolutely necessary to prevent a civil war.

When the first emperor, who was torn between the advancing rebel army and the civil war, was unable to make a decision, there was someone who confidently stepped forward.

That person was Carolus Sword Heart, the first head of the Hart family.

He boasted to the first emperor that he would negotiate with the rebels and asked the emperor to give him an order to march.

However, the emperor could not easily accept the request. The emperor was hesitant to give the order to march considering the civil war that would inevitably occur if Carolus Sword Heart failed.

But there was no time to just worry. There was news that the rebels, who had already gathered enough strength, had begun their advance toward the capital.

Only after hearing the news did the emperor finally make a decision. Since they had already decided to advance to the capital, there was no way to avoid civil war. The choice now was not to avoid a fight, but a short-term decisive battle.

The emperor, who needed time for minimal preparations, called Carolus, who had been quietly waiting for the order to march, and gave the order to eliminate the rebels. He also added that the damage should be reduced by resolving the issue as quickly as possible.

In fact, I didn’t think he would succeed. It was too reckless for Carolus to go out alone against so many rebels.

Carolus, who reverently accepted the order, led only 1,000 soldiers and set out to deal with the large army of rebels. Even though it was not enough compared to the number of rebels, he said that it was enough, and he carried the people’s anxiety, expectations, and worries on his shoulders.

After a few weeks, Carolus Swordheart kept his word.

After subduing all the rebels that were twice as large, he captured the nobles who had initially plotted the rebellion and proudly returned to the capital.

The emperor, who had not expected Carolus to end the whole situation and return, was very surprised, but was relieved that the civil war did not have to drag on for a long time.

Nevertheless, he holds a grand triumphal ceremony for Carolus, who risked his life to carry out his orders, and says that he will grant one of his requests. After contemplating for a while, Carolus asked for the position of margrave guarding the western border area. He was impressed by Carolus’s loyalty in going through the difficult path, so he united the territories of the western border area into one and gave him the position of the current Lithuanian territory.

That was the beginning of the Margrave of Lithuania, and a historic family that continues to this day.

It was the starting point of the Hart family.

***

The Lithuanian territory was famous for its outstanding natural scenery. Because it was such a large area, it was possible to see both flat and mountainous terrain from the Lithuanian territory.

Among them, the most beautiful place was Wiesbark, the border of the empire and the westernmost gateway where the White Heart House is located. This place was surrounded by a huge mountain range called Akel and was also called the Fortress of Heaven. This place, untouched by human hands, was also called one of the five major tourist attractions of the empire.

However, as it was called the last territory of the empire, Wiesbark was located at the western end of the empire. Even if we left for the capital right away, it would take more than a month. Some magnates even said that it was not appropriate for the empire’s historic Hart family to be located in this fortress city.

However, there was a good reason why the Hart family settled here.

“Chief. Now is the time to make a decision.”

A man with a scar across the bridge of his nose said as he looked at a huge man looking at the Arkell Mountains in the distance.

However, the man remained silent without answering the man’s question.

The man called Chief was a man with thick forearms the size of a child and a gigantic mind that was well over 2 meters tall. His long hair, sprawling out in all directions, reminded him of a lion, and his firm lips and thick jaw line seemed to show his strong personality.

Are you out of ideas this time?

The man with the scar on the bridge of his nose could not help but sigh inwardly. It was not that he was unaware of the feelings of the man he called chief. Crossing the Akel Mountains and invading the empire meant forcing numerous sacrifices. It was not an easy choice for a chief who cared for his tribe, but there was literally no time.

Faced with the worst harvest failure, the tribe was in dire need of food. We were still making up for it with stored food and hunting, but if the situation continues like this, there will soon be a food shortage.

This was the same for other tribes, so borrowing food was unthinkable.

Then there is only one thing left.

All they had to do was cross the border of the Infractus Empire, which had fertile land, and plunder food.

If you think peacefully, it would be right to ask the empire for food, but the tribal alliance and the empire have not been on good terms for a long time.

The people of the empire called the tribesmen barbarians and did not hesitate to spew out all kinds of discrimination and violent language. For them, a proud warrior people, it was an unbearable insult.

But the biggest cause was slave traders. The empire’s slave traders did not leave the tribesmen, who were famous for their strong bodies, alone, and released slave hunters to hunt them down like animals. After one tribe was destroyed overnight and became slaves to the empire, they felt a sense of crisis and joined forces to fight against the empire, and this is what led to the tribal union that continues to this day.

A coalition of brave tribes went to war against the empire to save their brothers and sisters. That was the beginning of the Akel War, which is always mentioned in current imperial history books. If you were to consider just the number of forces, Infractus had an overwhelming superiority, but it was different on the actual battlefield.

The hundreds of allied tribal warriors who were not afraid of death were literally the embodiment of the battlefield.

In the end, the ups and downs continued and the war was prolonged. The empire and the tribal alliance were deeply wounded and reeling. In the end, the war ended in a truce for a long time, and the tribal alliance returned to their home beyond the Akel Mountains.

However, the emotional rift had already deepened due to the long war. Generations later, it was still common for people to stand guard with swords pointed at each other’s heads, so asking for food was nonsensical.

“Chief.”

“I know. However, it is not an easy decision. Munkus”

A man called the chief. Tarhal knew very well what Mungkus was worried about. This was because even Tarhal himself knew very well that if he did not plunder food from the empire, he would have no future.

However, I couldn’t help but worry about whether it was right to drive the tribesmen to their deaths. If he had been alone and not just a chieftain, he would have greeted their god Ivaldivark with honor and as a warrior.

But the position of chieftain was completely different. He was a warrior, but he became the leader and had to take on that responsibility.

“Aren’t you thinking too deeply?”

As Tarhal’s worries deepened, there was a tall woman standing next to him.

With her long hair tied back tightly, she was a very tall woman, reaching about Tarhal’s shoulder, over 2 meters tall. Wearing an unconventional outfit that covered much less area than the area she was wearing, she had a firm body with highly compressed, split muscles.

In addition to her strong muscles, her bronzed skin, sharp eyes, and a thuggish aura surrounding her body clearly showed that she was no ordinary woman.

However, it was a familiar sight to Tarhal.

“Brynhild.”

Brynhild. She was the last remaining blood relative and sister of Chief Tarhal.

“Why are you worrying so much? There is only one option left for us.”

“It’s not that easy. Brynhild.”

“You know there is no such thing as easy work.”

Just like Tarhal a moment ago, Brynhild’s face as he stared at the Akel Mountains showed a certain determination. Tarhal, who instinctively realized that this was a bad decision, tried to open his mouth, but could not get out what he wanted to say.

“I guess you’ve made a decision.”

“There is no time to waste. Our food warehouses are already running low.”

“That’s…”

There was less time than I thought.

This was precisely the reason why Munkus came to him and begged him so much. It would not be long before food would run out.

Tar Hal sighed heavily, washed his face dry with both hands, and then made up his mind. As Brynhild said, there was only one option left in the first place.

“We will host a tribal union meeting. The agenda is the selection of a warchief. Munkus, please be the messenger and spread the word about this.”

“Okay. Chief!”

Mungkus was concerned that Tarhal would change his mind, so he hurriedly left to deliver the news.

Brynhild, who had burst out laughing at the behavior that did not suit the large and distracted Munkus, soon hardened his expression and looked at his brother Tarhal.

“I will stand at the forefront.”

“Brynhild.”

“You plan to become a warchief, right? In that case, it is right for us to be at the forefront of our tribe. And since I am the strongest in my tribe, the leader is naturally mine.”

The reason Tarhal was able to become a chieftain was because he had the blood of a previous chieftain and a brilliant mind.

Of course, that alone was not enough to become a chieftain. Although having a clear cause was important in tribal society, the tribesmen were not foolish enough to entrust the position of chief to someone who was not qualified to lead the entire tribe.

Tarhal was a man with a brilliant mind, but at the same time, he was one of the strongest men in the entire tribal union. Due to the nature of the tribal alliance that worships strong warriors, he was not only an excellent warrior, but also had the qualities of an excellent leader.

However, Brynhild was more superior than Tarhal from a warrior perspective.

Could this be the reincarnation of the female warrior said to protect Ivaldivark?

After becoming an adult, the best warrior of the tribe was none other than Tarhar’s younger brother, Brynhild.

As a chief, it was right to put the best warrior at the forefront, but as a family member, I was reluctant. I really couldn’t lose my only blood relative in this world.

But Tarhal suppressed all those thoughts. From the moment he became chief, he had to live as Tarhal, the tribal leader, not Tarhal, Brynhild’s older brother.

He was still Brynhild’s older brother, but before that he was the chieftain leading the tribe. He couldn’t become a great chieftain if he only cared for his younger brother’s well-being. Even if it means putting my brother in danger.

“I understand. However, I will absolutely prohibit you from going out alone. First, we have to elect a warchief.”

“Don’t worry. I know that much.”

Brynhild responded bluntly and glared sharply at the Akel Mountains. Her eyes traveled across the mountain range to the gates of Wiesbark.

This is the only way to live.

The tribe’s future lies beyond its gates.

Brynhild returned to that thought several times.