Barbarian Quest

Chapter 90

Count Zairon anxiously waited for the sun to set.

Were in the middle of a civil war, and this man is like this. I know hes my master, but still... this is ridiculous.

The servant inwardly scoffed. The situation was dire. It wouldnt be a surprise to anyone if a full-scale war broke out tomorrow. If one went up the walls, they would easily see the enemy constructing siege towers and battering rams in preparation for an attack.

Even in a time like this, he's fretting over some woman.

The servant glanced at Count Zairon.

"The sun has finally set! Let's go!"

Zairon exclaimed, looking at the darkening sky. He wanted to leave much earlier if he could, but the one he was meeting with was Princess Damia who was a hostage of Duke Harmatti. Duke Harmatti must not know about any affection between the hostage and him.

Creak, creak.

Zairon launched a boat behind the outer walls. The sea was rough.

"Where are you going, my lord?" A guard on the ramparts asked.

"Im just going out for some night air," Zairon replied nonchalantly.

The guard just nodded. What the nobles did in their downtime was none of his business.

"Be careful, my lord. The sea is rough tonight, and the clouds don't look too good either," the guard remarked as he looked up at the sky.

"That's none of your concern."

Zairon snapped at the guard, who slightly bowed his head with a frown.

'These nobles... they don't even appreciate the concern. Hope he falls off the boat and drowns.'

Zairon hopped on the boat that was just big enough for five people at most.

"Well be departing, my lord, the servant alerted as he started rowing vigorously along the cliff.

Creak, creak.

Zairon tapped his fingers on his knee, looking at the sky. The clouds were indeed looking quite ugly, just as the guard had said.

'It's only a short trip, theres no need to worry.'

He was planning on spending the night in Princess Damia's chamber anyway. He could already feel her warm skin in his grasp.

"Do you have any idea how expensive this wine is? It was meant for Duke Harmatti after our victory, though that looks unlikely now, Zairon boasted as he took out the bottle of wine he brought with him.

"Yes, yes, my lord," the servant replied dryly. He was sweating profusely from the vigorous rowing.

'You really think I want to listen to you bragging about your expensive wine when Im dying over here rowing your boat?'

Splish, splash.

The boat reached the bottom of the inner walls. The boat rocked aggressively along with the high waves.

"Be careful with the rowing. Cant you see that the boat is shaking? Zairon complained, looking at his wet clothes.

"What do you expect me to do about the waves?" The servant retorted, sticking his lips out. Zairon scowled.

"Watch your mouth, how dare you talk back to me? If I end up becoming a consort, you'll get a nice promotion, too."

Zairon looked up, seeing the inner walls' steep cliffs. Its extreme angle was almost scary. Without a rope from above, one couldnt dare to climb it.

"When I get up there, wait here with the boat."

"Sorry? But it looks like a storm is coming."

"You should be able to stay out of the wind and the rain if you dock the boat somewhere in that gap over there."

The servant was left speechless. His master was practically telling him to spend the night on the boat in this terrible weather.

I am definitely going to be sick by the morning.'

The servant sighed but nodded. No matter how much he didnt want to obey the command, Zairon was still his master.

"Hmm, I wonder when the rope is coming down."

Zairon looked up, eagerly awaiting the rope like a baby bird desperately waiting for its mother to return with food.

"Here it is."

Zairon grinned broadly as a long rope came down his way. The rope was extended with cloth strips to make up for its lack of length.

Grip.

Count Zairon tugged the rope to make sure it was secure, knowing a fall could cripple him at the very least.

"I'm coming, princess."

He grabbed the rope energetically, climbing up as if he were a knight rescuing a princess who was locked away in a tall tower. Zairon, having a plethora of experience training in swordsmanship, had a nice bit of muscle on him. Thanks to that, he climbed the rope skillfully. When fatigued, he found a spot on the cliff with enough protrusion for him to sit and rest.

"Hehe."

Zairon looked up with his fatigue far back in his mind as he imagined the warm blonde hair and pure blue eyes of the princess who belonged to the royal family and was known for its beauty. On top of that, Princess Damia was widely known as the one who had the thickest royal blood flowing through her veins. Conquering her tonight would be a lifetime boast.

"Huff."

The count climbed vigorously as he put his entire strength into his arms. As he neared the top of the cliff, he felt his arms shaking.

Whoosh!

A strong wind blew, swinging the rope wildly. Zairon clung to the rope as he hurled up into a ball. After all the trouble, he had finally reached the bottom of the cliff.

"Huff, huff. My princess, Ive come to see...you?"

Count Zairons eyes widened to look at what was in front of him in the darkness. The one who was waiting for him at the top of the cliff was not a delicate and pure flower.

"Hi."

The one Count Zairon was greeted by was a muscular man holding an axe. He grinned widely and bared his teeth as he locked eyes with the count.

"And goodbye."

Chop.

The axe was buried into the top of Zairons head. The muscular man, Urich, grabbed the body of Count Zairon by the neck and dragged him over. Red blood and pink brain matter flowed out of the cracked head.

"Ugh."

Princess Damia, who was watching from behind, frowned as she covered her mouth in distaste.

This should be good.

Urich dragged Count Zairons lifeless body to a pile of rocks and hid it in the cracks. Night critters emerged from the rocks and swarmed the body.

Whats this? Oho, its liquor!

Urich found a bottle of liquor on Zairon. He broke the bottle open with his mouth and downed the drink. It was a good liquor.

"Ah, this is some nice stuff."

He wiped his mouth and poured the rest of the liquor over Zairon's head.

Swoosh.

After drinking Zairons precious bottle, Urich looked at Damia and smacked his lips.

"Alright, let's go. I see a boat waiting below the cliff. Hold onto my neck tightly. We'll go down quickly."

Urich said to Damia as he pointed to his neck. He had chosen to rescue Princess Damia over assassinating Harmatti.

Pahell likes his sister. It's only natural, she is his own blood.'

The image of Pahells joy was vivid in Urichs head. Pahell often talked about his sister, and mostly how smart and wise she was.

"Hoo, hoo."

Damia glanced down the cliff, gasping at the dizzying height.

I kinda feel a little bad for him.'

Princess Damia thought to herself as looked over at Zairon's body. He'd climbed laboriously, only to die without even knowing the reason.

"What are you waiting for?"

Urich urged the princess. Damia hesitantly clung to his broad, reassuring back and clamped her arms around his neck. Urichs back was quite secure thanks to its sheer surface area.

'But he smells terrible.'

He reeked like he just came from rolling around in a dung pit. Out of everything, the stench was the last thing she could find herself getting used to.

"Ptui, ptui.

Urich spat in his palm and looked down the cliff.

So, thats the boat, and theres someone in it.

He needed to get down to the boat before the servant fled in fear, especially with the rate the weather was turning.

"Hold tight. If you fall, youll die," Urich told Damia, who nodded.

Darn, she really is incredibly beautiful. And she smells good too.

Urich glanced at her, thinking. Her beauty was something you would never see just walking around the city, the kind that would have faced trouble if it wasnt for her royal status.

Damia frowned with her soft, pale face. Her slender arms tensed.

"Here we go."

Yurik leaped off the cliff, grabbing the rope. He loosened his grip slightly as they descended.

"Woahhhh!"

Urich yelled as he slid down the rope so quickly that Damia felt like they were falling. The friction from the rapid descent felt like the rope was burning into Urichs hands.

'Im going to die.'

Damia felt her heart sinking as her body was seemingly plummeting endlessly. She was certain that they would plunge into the rocks down below without slowing down.

'I cant take this.'

Damias senses were overwhelmed, and all logical thinking left her brain. Her heart was pounding out of her chest.

Grip.

Yurik tightly gripped the rope. His shoulders and arm muscles swelled up.

Thump.

Urich managed to land accurately on a rock. After safely getting off the rope, he shook his hands to cool down the heat from the friction.

"Hagh, hagh."

After reaching the ground, Damia collapsed on the ground, gasping for air with her face pale from the terror.

"Eeek!"

The servant who was waiting in the boat panicked and grabbed the oar. A giant man whom he had never seen before was striding over to him with an axe in his hand.

"Stay right where you are! If you move even a muscle, I'll personally show you what's inside your own belly."

Urich threatened, lifting his axe. The servant swallowed hard and dropped the oar. It didnt seem like he could get away even if he started rowing right now.

"Where is my master?" The servant asked.

"Why? You want to go see him?" Yurik said as he tilted his head with a menacing smile. The servant shook his head in response.

"N-no, I think Im good."

"Good, good. Sometimes, it's wise to curb your curiosity, my man."

Urich tapped the servant's shoulder, then went to help Damia.

"Get away!"

Damia slapped Urichs helping hand away with an attitude.

"Look at your legs, theyre so weak that you can't even stand up on your own," Urich said with a scoff. Damia stubbornly tried to rise, refusing his help.

"I just need a moment to rest. Then I can get up by myself.

"No time for that."

"I-I said stop!"

Urich picked up Damia despite her resistance. He sniffed a strange smell.

"Hmm, is that the smell of fresh urine that I smell?"

Urich then reached under Damia's skirt without notice, and his fingers came back wet.

Damia's face turned into a tomato, and she slapped him across his face.

Slap!

Urich grinned. It seemed like the slap only hurt Damias own hand.

"If youve pissed yourself, you shouldve told me! Completely understandable."

Urich placed her in the boat.

'Such a barbarian.'

Damia frowned as she stared at Urichs back with her legs still weak. The wetness from the urine was making her feel increasingly uncomfortable.

Urich sat in front of the servant with his axe in his hand.

"Lets get going. To land."

The servant hesitated for a moment before he took the oar. He began to row, looking at the waves.

"Sir, the waves are quite bad, the servant said to Urich as he watched the waves grow taller.

"That's why we should go before they get worse."

Urich also observed the dark clouds.

Rumble.

The sound of thunder. It meant that a storm was coming. The servant was as scared as one could be.

"We can't survive this condition in a small boat like this!"

Slap!

Urich slapped the servant, and a broken tooth came flying out of his mouth along with gushing blood.

"Im telling you to go, so, go. Or shall I do it?" Urichs threat was as clear as day.

I-Im going to die.'

The servant knew that disobeying this man meant death. Urich was scarier than the storm.

Urich knew how to use violence to handle a person. He was the leader of a mercenary squad that was made of the most rugged men. He was used to suppressing the occasional dissent and enforcing his will.

"Arghhhhh!

The servant rowed desperately through the strong wind and even taller waves.

Splash.

The boat rose high with each wave.

"Haha, we picked a bad day! Right, Princess Damia?" Urich exclaimed as he stood up, bracing himself on the rocking boat with only his two legs.

'Is he insane? Did the Varca I know truly befriend a man like this?'

Damia clutched the railing, looking at Urich. Falling into these waves meant death, but Urich faced the storm without grabbing onto anything.

"Oh, Lou..." The servant muttered as he struggled to make any progress through the harsh conditions. His arms were dead tired.

"Move. Ill row, so just show me how," Urich grew impatient and said to the servant. The servant got up awkwardly.

Its like youre pushing the water away

"Speak up! I can't hear you!"

Urich shouted. The servant raised his voice for the instruction with his eyes wide open. Urich began to row with a grin on his face.

"Were moving! Were moving, sir!" The servant exclaimed in surprise as the boat advanced. With Urich rowing, the boat was finally moving forward.

"Great! A good teacher makes learning easy! Alright, let's go!"

Urich stretched his hand out to the servant, and the two men met their hands in a high five.

In the middle of the storm, the small boat made its way forward.