Chapter 141
Translator: Raizu
Editor: Shirayuki
Chapter 141 – Conquering the North part 10 ~King of Steppe~
Inside a tent which style was often used by the northern people, the leaders of the tribes had gathered together .
Sitting at the head of the group was Batu, the chief of the Wind tribe . On his sides were Batoru and Mukasa, watching over the gathering with a strict look .
Ares was also present, sitting diagonally behind Batu . He found this meeting to be quite interesting as he looked around .
The other tribe chiefs, while wondering about the content of this meeting, were staring at each other as they waited for the gathering to truly begin .
Those who followed Batu to resist Amqa .
Those who obeyed Batu and fought for him .
Those who reluctantly obeyed Amqa but revolted later on .
And…those who had defeated Amqa .
Each of these leaders warily watched each other as they waited with anxiety on their faces .
Right . It was clear to them that Batu, as the final victor of the war, would be in charge of deciding what would become of the northern riders next .
Batu was the first to speak .
[Now… I will now decide the treatment for each tribe involved in this war, including the Iron Tribe .
The Iron Tribe representative that took over the position after Amqa died visibly trembled as his face turned pale . So did the other tribal leaders that had teamed up with Amqa .
Batu resumed his speech after a short pause .
[Simply put, everything will be decided by the Wind Tribe . Am I correct?]
All of the leaders nodded .
It was the law of the grassland to let the victor decide everything for the loser . Whether to keep them alive, to rob them dry or to eliminate them .
Batu continued on .
[All the women and children will be under Wind tribe’s custody . After the children grow up, they will be allowed to choose between reviving the Iron Tribe, or staying as part of the Wind Tribe . Same goes for the women . They can wait until the Iron Tribe is reformed, or wed a Wind Tribe man and blend into the Wind Tribe as is . They’ll be free to choose . ]
The tribal chiefs were in uproar after hearing that . After all… that decision was very lenient, especially if compared to what was considered as a norm to the people of the steppe .
Normally, the women and children will either be enslaved or executed alongside the men .
Batu’s decision was a generosity rarely seen in the history of the grassland .
But Batu still continued .
[But I cannot be as lenient to the men . They will have to work as slaves for three years . During that period, if one of them does something wrong, then the person in question will be charged with the death penalty . After three years, I will give them the same option as the women and children: either to assimilate into the Wind tribe or return to rebuild the Iron Tribe . ]
[P-please wait a moment!]
The chief of the Sand tribe stood up . The tribe was one of those who joined the Wind Tribe quite early on .
[I have never heard of anything like this in our history . Sparing the women and children is one thing, but sparing the men as well is… Please reconsider . ]
[I won’t . ]
[Wha… what is…]
[I AM the victor of this war . There will be no objection to this decision . ]
Everyone else was silenced then .
After confirming the situation, Batu stood up, and began speaking again .
[I have one more announcement for everyone today . I, right here and now, hope that the people of the grassland can finally stand as one . Yes… just like the time of Jamka Ran . ]
Batu continued to speak as he walked . The tribe chiefs audibly took a deep breath . As he observed from behind, Ares knew that Batu’s words had put a heavy pressure on all the chiefs present .
[Clashes between various tribes… . . and this war, it all happened because there is a gap between us . Originally, there was only one kingdom in this steppe . But then we separated into tribes and fought each other… So let’s take this war as an opportunity to come together as one once again . For all the tribes to unite together, that’s what I want . ]
Batu then turned to the Sand Tribe chief .
[And for that sole reason, I will not tolerate conflict between tribes . But if you insist on keeping warring with each other… then be my guest and prepare for me . ]
Sponsored Content
Upon hearing this threat, the pale faced Sand tribe chief quickly dropped to his knees in prostration .
[Pardon my insolence . ]
Batu returned to his seat after nodding his head . At the same time, Bort, the chief of the Spear Tribe as well as the other chiefs who still held sizable power, rose to their feet . Bort then spoke up .
[My tribe was saved by Batu…therefore we will obey Batu . ]
The other chiefs nodded in agreement to Bort’s proclamation . For these tribes, Batu was their lifesaver .
Bort then continued .
[What the Wind tribe chief Batu has spoken does make sense . From now on, let us center ourselves around him and aim for prosperity together . ]
At Bort’s suggestion, more tribal chiefs rose up to show their agreement .
They were at first just listening and watching the situation, but now they stood up one after another, excitement in their faces .
When the last of the tribal chiefs present finally stood up as well, Bort turned to Batu .
[Batu…no, our Ran . Are you willing to lead us as the 『King of Steppe』from hereafter?]
Batu regarded the question silently at first, then replied .
[Not yet… I haven’t personally unified the grassland… it’s too soon for me… . ]
[No, it’s certainly not too soon!]
Bort raised his voice
[Everyone here has determined ourselves to obey Batu . Because… we want a strong king to lead us . Therefore… for all of us here as well, please name yourself『Batu Ran』 . ]
With Bort as a start, the other chiefs also voiced their agreement .
The tent was soon filled with excitement and cheering, creating an odd atmosphere .
Watching this, Batu raised his right hand . The liveliness immediately died down as if it was a lie .
He then rose from his seat and declared .
Sponsored Content
[I understand, and I shall respond to your feelings . From here onward, I shall call myself Ran (Chieftain), and I will lead you all as the King of the Steppe!]
Hearing the affirmation, the tribe chiefs went into an excited outburst once more . Some of them started shouting while others sang with the other chiefs .
It was, after all, the inauguration of the first Ran since the last one, Jamka Ran, passed away . It’s a historical event for the people of the grassland . It’s only natural that everyone couldn’t hide their excitement .
On that day, huge celebration parties were held by each tribe . This day would be celebrated by northern riders with a smile on their faces for years to come .
=====
◆
[Ahh . I’m tired . ]
Ares muttered as he entered his personal tent . Sigurd and Shion who were waiting inside relaxedly quickly rose to their feet .
[Nah, you two, please be at ease . ]
Shion broke into a smile after hearing that .
[Thank you for the hard work, Milord . ]
[Yeah, it’s tiring . But everything went as Shion said . ]
[Bort-dono was hard to convince . But he really made everything smoother . ]
Everything that happened at the meeting… . was all according to Shion’s plan .
Shion was the one who orchestrated the meeting, having Bort act out the script he had prepared to smoothen Batu’s way to become Ran .
And everyone else was convinced… Just according to his plan .
[With this, the northern riders will not attack us anymore . I guess we can scratch that out from our list now?]
[But, will it be fine? Does this not mean that another strong country has appeared in the north?]
Sigurd asked Shion . His worry was certainly understandable . For this meant that one more powerful country had appeared in the Arcadia continent .
[Perhaps that’s really the case for Arcadia . But… will that also apply to our Lord?]
Sponsored Content
Shion gave a meaningful grin as he said so .
[Our Lord and Batu-dono are blood brothers . And the Wind Tribe will never forget a great favor . In fact, we have made a strong country an 『ally』 . ]
Shion relaxed himself and continued
[With more friends around, people will try to find a way to get along . In that regard…we have to put ourselves in the same 『position』as they are…right, Milord?]
Ares could only laugh at the implications behind Shion’s words .
As he laughed, Ares could hear the sound of festivities outside .
Apparently, the grassland people had also invited his men to join the party .
[Well, for now it’s better to not look too far into the future . Just do our best at anything we come across . Regarding the future of the steppe, we can start thinking about it when things have started to 『calm down』 . ]
The two nodded in agreement to Ares’ words .
And just like that, the battle involving the entire grassland had finally closed its curtains quietly with Ares’ success .
=====
◆
After claiming the title of Ran, Batu put his charisma into use, gathering all of his forces and marched east .
His goal was to truly unify the entirety of the grassland .
Afterward, Batu conquered the entire grassland at a terrifying speed, ultimately establishing a country of northern riders named 『Bahar』 .
The country was named after his father’s .
Bahar would later storm the east then to the south, becoming a new superpower of the continent… but their forces never once attempted to invade Arcadia .
Batu’s most active retainers during the grassland unification were Batoru and Mukasa .
Bort would later become his retainer as well, serving as deputy chief .
Other than them, there was also the Flame Tribe chief, Timur, making up the 4 most trusted of Batu’s retainers .
Later on, they would be known in history books as the 『Four Wolves』, the most famous retainers of the 『King of Winds』… . .