Chapter 125 – Chapter 21: Barbarians #4
“The ebb and flow of peace.”
“A short peace.”
It had been a day since arriving at the second base and two days after the battle with the pursuing army.
The remnants of Vandal’s army had been able to gather. There were Vandal’s original soldiers and the handful of soldiers belonging to the third base which had collapsed. They had saved approximately 2,000 troops, and Vandal still had approximately 2,000 troops when In-gong saved him. So, it was around 4,000 in total.
‘Vandal originally had an army of 9,000… This is moderately good.’
It was nearly half of his army.
It was a significant achievement considering General Vandal had been defeated by the barbarian king. Moreover, it had only been two days, and this many soldiers had already been recovered. As time passed, more troops were gathering, so In-gong could expect that number to grow in the next few days.
“It is a short but precious peace. Why don’t you rest for today? You were moving around a lot yesterday.”
Carack offered with a smile, and In-gong nodded his head slowly.
In-gong had been busy circulating around the second base yesterday and helping with the scattered troops. Thanks to sharing Green Wind’s gaze and the mini-map, he had been able to achieve significant results, but the fatigue had accumulated. Come to think of it, he hadn’t had a proper night of sleep since he first left Takar.
“Yes, I want to relax today.”
Of course, he couldn’t really afford to relax. However, he needed to rest to restore his spirit.
In-gong answered and stretched out on a long chair. In-gong was currently at the second base, which contained fairly high quality accommodations as they were for generals to stay in.
Unlike the sixth and seventh bases, which were closer to supply points, the second base was truly a fortress, so the scale was different. The walls were high and durable, and there were many rooms in the base.
Carack looked at In-gong lying down, and he sat down on one of the empty seats. It was similar to a reception room, so there were plenty of chairs beside the one that In-gong was lying on. Carack was as tired as In-gong, so the two of them rested in silence instead of talking. After many minutes passed… there was the sound of knocking.
“Shutra, I’m entering.”
Felicia’s voice was heard from outside the door. Before In-gong could reply, the door opened and Felicia and Delia entered the room, with Caitlin and Seira following them.
“Did you get some rest?”
Felicia asked as she saw In-gong lounging on the long chair. It was obvious that she was asking for a seat, so In-gong lowered his legs and got up into a sitting position.
“Somewhat. Noona, aren’t you tired? You look a little thin.”
Felicia sat down at the end of the long chair and scoffed at In-gong’s words.
“Someone drove me harshly day and night.”
“I know that I am a bad guy.”
“Yes, you have a conscience.”
In-gong and Felicia stared at each other and then laughed.
“Well, it was still my choice. It is my natural duty as a princess.”
Felicia had exhausted her magic until she had been on the verge of fainting almost everyday for a week. In-gong’s super fast plan would have failed from the beginning if it hadn’t been for Felicia’s painful sacrifice.
“Daphne is ill, but she is also very satisfied. Not only did we manage to save three bases, but we managed to save General Vandal as well.”
Felicia made a very pleased expression. She had a lot of pride because she rescued a lot of people, including Vandal, but she also liked Daphne’s attitude.
In-gong nodded in agreement, then he took a potion from his inventory and handed it to Felicia.
“Now, you should take this. I will need you tomorrow as well.”
It was a white potion for restoring fatigue. Felicia received the potion bottle reflexively and stared at In-gong with a pout.
“Aren’t you really too much?”
She looked at Caitlin for support. Caitlin nodded and replied with only one word,
“Shutra.”
Many things were implied in that word, and Felicia laughed.
“That’s right. It is Shutra.”
“I’d prefer if you stop that.”
Caitlin laughed at In-gong’s request and sat down beside Felicia. Felicia hugged Caitlin and said to In-gong,
“Here, take this.”
“Huh?”
In-gong asked, and Felicia glanced at Delia before giving a signal. Delia approached In-gong with a long box in her hands.
“It is late but happy birthday. This is my birthday present.”
It was moderately luxurious, so it didn’t seem to be prepared in a rush.
In-gong made a surprised expression, and Caitlin explained,
“I heard Baikal orabeoni’s words at the tea party that it would be Shutra’s birthday soon. So, when we were in Takar, I went shopping with Unni.”
The tea party had been right before their departure, so there had been no way to prepare a present in the Demon King’s Palace.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Uh, yes. I wanted to buy you a present, so I agreed to go there.”
Felicia said with a laugh.
In-gong understood what had happened in Takar. He had thought it was a bit odd that they separated with just Carack watching In-gong, but he had never thought there would be a reason like this.
“This is my gift, and Caitlin has a separate one. Open it quickly.”
Felicia prompted, and In-gong quickly accepted the box. His heart was throbbing.
“Open it quickly.”
Carack urged In-gong like he was curious. In-gong opened the box and blinked.
“Uh, a drink?”
Inside the black box, there was a bottle of classy, dark blue wine.
“You are 15 years old, so you can drink now.”
He didn’t know if it was based on dark elf standards, gandharva standards or the standards of the Demon King’s Palace.
Felicia explained further,
“The first alcohol must be learnt properly. I also learnt to drink with this wine. It is a great drink, so learn well from it.”
When she finished talking, she winked softly. It seemed like Felicia wanted to learn with him. However, it wasn’t just Felicia. Carrack also had a similar expression.
In-gong saw both of their faces and laughed. He didn’t like alcohol, but he was thankful for Felicia’s intentions.
“Shutra, open my gift.”
Caitlin spoke hurriedly, and Seira handed him a very large box.
In-gong opened the box and tilted his head.
“Uh… pillow?”
It really was a pillow. It was also very big. The pillow was wrapped in a luxurious purple cloth, and its surface was as smooth as silk.
“Yes, it is a pillow for a good night’s sleep. Not only is it excellent for fatigue, but there is a really cool hidden feature. Do you know what the feature is?”
Caitlin asked with a bright laugh. It seemed like she wanted to surprise In-gong, rather than actually expect him to know.
In-gong touched the pillow, and just like when he touched other items, several phrases popped up.
[Lucid Dream Pillow]
[It is a magic pillow that gives the owner whatever dream he wants, once every three days.]
[You can design the background and characters in the dream.]
[* The dream has a strong impact, so be careful because it can affect your reality.]
[* The dream time is controlled in order to prevent overuse.]
[* It is possible to use up to a maximum of 10 times.]
Caitlin said it wasn’t just a pillow. It was a pillow that allowed him to dream whatever he wanted once every three days, but it was also limited to 10 times.
“A magic pillow that lets me dream what I want?”
“Um, how did you know?”
Caitlin’s startled blue eyes shone. Felicia clicked her tongue and said to Caitlin,
“Shutra.”
It truly was a universal answer. Caitlin was convinced, while Felicia narrowed her eyes.
“I’m telling you in advance, but it is a type of mental drug. So, it is harmful to use it continuously. It might be difficult to distinguish the gap between dreams and reality. And also -”
“Also?”
“Isn’t it really expensive and difficult to obtain? It really isn’t cheap. Caitlin was lucky enough to stumble across this among some relics from a ruin. The owner of the store didn’t know its proper performance. Otherwise, it would’ve sold at a very high price at auction. It is good enough among items of the same series.
“A vivid dream that feels more like reality than reality.”
The salesperson had been unaware of its true worth, but Felicia and Caitlin had recognized it.
Caitlin nodded.
“Yes, yes. We were quite lucky. Shutra is truly watched over by the heavens.”
Caitlin said with a warm smile. In-gong patted the pillow and said,
“Thank you, it is really good.”
“Yes, then tell me later about what you dreamed.”
Caitlin said innocently. Then Carack bolted upright and cried out hurriedly,
“Princess, you shouldn’t ask that. Prince is not in his prime.”
“Huh?”
Caitlin asked with confusion, and Seira and Delia avoided her gaze. Both of them were blushing.
‘No?! I don’t need such consideration!’
In-gong howled inwardly, but Carack just gazed at him with a strange smile.
In the midst of the chaos, Felicia opened her fan. However, he could see that the tips of her ears were red.
“Anyway, do you know about General Vandal’s status? I am nervous about the barbarian king’s movements.”
Vandal’s injuries were really severe. Despite drinking recovery potions for two days, he still wasn’t fully healed. However, the vitality of a blood ogre was flowing through him, and Vandal was also a master of aura. He would be able to stand up in the next day or two.
He felt sorry toward Vandal, but the most important thing right now was the barbarian king, not Vandal’s status. The barbarian king had been informed about the demise of the pursuers and changed his movements.
“The result of Nayatra’s questioning should come out soon.”
It was the result of interrogating the pursuers, not the barbarians caught at the fifth, sixth and seventh bases. They were the ones likely to have new information about the barbarian king.
‘The power of War.’
The red aura that the barbarians had been surrounded with… What was going on? Was the War Knight cooperating with the barbarians? Or was it possible that the barbarian king was the War Knight?
He needed a little bit more information. So, be had no choice but to wait for Nayatra.
“Okay, is it time to go?”
Felicia stood up from her seat, and Caitlin immediately followed suit. In-gong got up after placing Felicia’s and Caitlin’s gifts in his inventory.
Right before she left the room, Caitlin grabbed In-gong’s hand and said,
“Shutra, you’ve grown taller.”
Originally, he had been level with Caitlin’s height, but he was now slightly taller. In-gong laughed and nodded.
“Sooner or later, I may even be taller than Felicia noona.”
“Omo, can I look forward to that?”
Felicia replied exaggeratedly. Carack came forward.
“Prince will grow much bigger in the future.”
“Of course. He is the man who will become the demon king.”
Felicia said mischievously, but there was a serious tone behind it as she left the room quickly. Instead of talking further, everyone left the room. It wasn’t just Feliica who felt this way after fighting for days and nights.
Everyone who had fought under the banner of Conquest shared the feeling.
Soon after, In-gong’s party headed to meet Vandal at the base. Then a lot of people hurried to report to them.
There was news about the barbarian king.
&
“It is an unexpected move.”