If the Barbarians entered Dandelion, they would be able to talk freely in front of delicious food and good liquor, all inside a warm room. But they did not seem to have any intention of doing so.
All they wanted from Acerus was one thing. It was to bring their imprisoned comrades here right away. Then, they said that they would leave Tarragon without looking back.
I should have brought Oscar. Or I should have at least brought that well-spoken aide bastard.
Acerus regretted coming all the way there alone. No matter how private the meeting was, it was impossible to persuade these many people alone.
Then, an unexpected savior appeared to him. It was Isadora. She strode towards him and told the Barbarians.
“I already told you everything on the way here. You have to be God’s warriors from now on. Stop the lame demonic beast hunting and fight the demon worshippers.”
“What’s the difference between that and fighting for Tarragon?”
“There’s a difference. Whether the reward is money or honor…”
“Money is better.”
The Barbarians huffed and snorted their noses. Even Isadora could not deny that point, so she quickly changed her words.
“There’s a difference in who will grab the reins. So far, the Tarragon Empire has forced you to fight, but now, you can take a high tone against them.”
“We’re not really interested in that. Because we’re different from them.”
The Barbarians looked firmly angry. Isadora, who had been silent for a while, put one hand on her waist and pointed to Dandelion with the other.
“The one who Demian has a crush on is my daughter. And she’s the saintess chosen by God. If something like a demon appears anywhere in the future, those kids will have to solve it alone. Knowing that, will you still not help them?”
“What?”
“What did you just say?”
The energy of the Barbarians, who had been raging with anger, quickly dissipated. They asked Acerus if what Isadora said was true and he nodded in the confusion of the moment.
The Barbarians began to mutter amongst themselves. They were surprised three times all at once; once at the fact that Demian really was in love, twice at the fact that his crush was the daughter of Isadora, the generous merchant who fed them throughout the trip, and thrice at the fact that her daughter was the saintess.
“It can’t be helped then.”
They relaxed their muscles and nodded. Then, everyone murmured without exception.
“Barbarian helps Barbarian.”
Even if it was for fighting the demon, loyalty with comrades came first for them.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
Rumors spread throughout the city that 2,000 Barbarians were gathering as if they were protesting in front of Dandelion’s Western gate. For people who did not know much about them, they were just an interesting sight to see, they snooped in front of the Western gate day after day. For the nobles, they were just busy running their mouths.
The most uncomfortable ones were the knights and the soldiers. They were the ones who saw and directly experienced the power of the Barbarians. Even if the number was only 2,000, it still could not be ignored. If the Barbarians were determined enough, they could reduce Dandelion to complete ruin and run away.
At this point, people started to wonder why the Barbarians rushed to the capital of Tarragon to protest all of a sudden. They have always wandered around the battlefield, after all.
Then, the story that started from the people's mouth began to be passed down by word of mouth, weekly magazine, and the newspaper extra.
“It all happened just because of one dessert shop?”
“Did they not pay? Did they have body odor? I mean, no matter what… Kicking them out was too much.”
“The most important matter is who struck first. A fight doesn’t start unless someone strikes first.”
That was not all. Word got around that the shop workers, those present, and even the soldiers and knights who arrived late could not capture those three even if they worked together so they had to resort to using iron nets.
“They must be really strong.”
“Then… Aren’t they dangerous? And there are 2,000 people like that out there now?”
“The border is still at war. Why are they doing that? Who will catch the demonic beasts in Gorgon?”
“Look! This is terrible! The Imperial family has decided to send a demonic beast subjugation expedition to the Western Mountain Range.”
After having been silent, The Imperial family finally made their move.
Tarragon was called an Empire because it has the largest territory on the continent, and Dandelion was the largest city among Tarragon. And the tallest building inside the largest city on the largest territory was by far the Emperor’s castle.
When the Crown Prince reported the incident, the Emperor was very angry. He was not angry that the knights mistreated the Barbarians, nor was he angry that the Barbarians rebelled against the Empire. He was angry because the great knights of Tarragon had become cowardly.
“You idiots!”
The Emperor of Tarragon was old. He spent his youth on the battlefield, and after returning from the battlefield, he ascended to the throne late, married late, and had a child late.
When the Emperor’s hair turned as white as snow and his strong body began to grow barren like branches, people forgot his youthful days which were full of passion and energy.
But he was still an Emperor.
“Can’t you fight without the Barbarians? Are you going to let the demonic beasts invade the border and attack our people? How can sword wielders be so apathetic? Did you even know that Tarragon was an Empire built by the courage and sacrifice of those who wielded steel in their hands?”
The Emperor was old but he was still in excellent health. Among his brothers, he was the one who made the most achievements on the battlefield and put on the Emperor’s crown.
“Never depend on the Barbarians again. Anyone who reaches out to them, I will punish them myself! Tarragon can be protected with the power of Tarragon. Send a demon subjugation expedition to the Northern border and send a demonic beast subjugation expedition to the Western Mountain Range. If anyone runs away in fear, behead them on the spot!”
“Pardon?”
“If you don’t do this right, you’re no longer knights of Tarragon!”
Acerus, who was well aware of the Emperor’s fiery temper, tried to resist, saying it was too harsh of a measure, but he just shut his mouth.
“You foolish fool, I have made you my successor… But you can’t even handle this one thing properly. You even made it come to me.”
“Why is that my fault?”
“Shut up!”
The water in the glass shook at the Emperor’s roaring shout.
“Recruit applicants from the capital watchmen station and put them in the beast subjugation expedition. Take all the knights of your castle to the Northern border and arrange for them to take part in the demon hunting. Depart before spring arrives and come back before summer comes. And… get married in the fall.”
“What?”
Acerus, who had been sitting quietly with his head down like a child who listened well, asked with a loud noise.
“I’m doing well. Why the sudden marriage?”
“Shut up. Can’t you just do what you’re told?”
Now he understood why the ladies-in-waiting of the Emperor’s Palace were so desperately looking for obscure earplugs. Acerus froze like a frightened puppy in front of his angry father.
“What did the King of Hautean decide to do to the traitor Prince?”
“He told us to deal with Prince Sidhar ourselves because he’s no longer a Prince of Hautean.”
“Did you also explain that he became a demon?”
“Yes. according to the delegation’s representative, Hautean had already roughly guessed it.”
“The representative of the delegation is Thousand Gold Isadora?”
“Yes. However…”
As Acerus hesitated to answer right away, the frustrated Emperor trembled his white eyebrows. Acerus, who saw it and remembered that his father’s patience was just as bad as his own, spoke quickly.
“All 2,000 Barbarians call Thousand Gold Isadora mother!”
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
What Acerus said was true.
“Mother! We will take care of our food. Why did you come to see us again?”
“He’s right. We’re not beggars.”
“But we did freeload like beggars.”
The place where the Barbarians spread tents and camped as if protesting was the field in front of the Western gate of Dandelion. They were indebted to Isadora, who appeared with huge amounts of food and ingredients every evening.
It was Oscar who first started calling her mother. He contemplated what to call the mother of Demian’s beloved woman and began to use the title ‘mother’ with the intention of being friendly. However, he never imagined that it would spread like a trend to 2,000 Barbarians in just a few days.
“Madam, you must be happy to have a lot of sons.”
“Shut up, Sebastian.”
Sebastian laughed and quickly moved away. Lara smiled with an awkward face and checked on Isadora’s mood.
“I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“You’re spending too much money… Because of me.”
Isadora reached out her hand. Lara naturally approached her and linked her arms with her mother.
“Lara, listen carefully.”
“Yes.”
“Why is the Emperor just sitting by when I’m making a lot of money here? I’m not even one of Tarragon’s people.”
“Is it because you supply weapons and protective equipment to the battlefield?”
“It’s because I pay much more taxes than Tarragon’s nobles.”
The knights of Tarragon paid very little tax, and the nobles paid a small amount. It was the merchants who paid a lot, and foreign merchants at that. When politicians and scholars assessed Tarragon, they first looked into the history of war. But when Isadora assessed Tarragon, she looked at the flow of money.
The knights who did not pay taxes did not directly help increase the cash flow of the Imperial family. It was a benefit bestowed upon them, but also the reason that made the Imperial family poor. The power of the nation at war rested with the knights. However, in a country without war, the wealthy tend to hold power. And when the war was over, there would come a time when merchants would hold more influence than the knights and nobles.
Isadora said to Lara.
“Have you ever thought about why I frantically make so much money?”
“No… I have never.”
Lara’s thinking was just that her mother was someone who liked to work. Of course, she was not wrong either. Isadora liked to work and see her company grow, her workers increase, and her fortune build up, she felt a thrilling sense of accomplishment. But her biggest reason was something else.
“I want to make sure that no one in this world will dare to treat you badly.”
“Mother.”
“Lara, do you love Demian?”
Isadora asked.
Her mother’s face was very similar to a mirrored version of Lara. Her sharp eyes, her mouth, and her firm tone were not friendly and it was easy to misunderstand her. But she was such an affectionate person.
“What if I say I love him?”
“I will make sure that the Barbarians are treated properly even if that means I have to fight the Emperor.”
