The Sword and The Shadow

Making a Grand Entrance

“!#*$&…!@#!…!@#!@!” several human shouted outside the carriage.

Leguna put his documents down and looked out the window.

Several dozens of barbarians stood in front of their convoy. The world was white outside, but the barbarians were still as bare as ever. A few of the weaker ones wore fur, but most had leather pants on, all were chest-bare, however.

While Leguna didn’t fear the cold, he still shuddered at the sight of the newcomers’ nudity in this weather. He knew how cold bare skin got in winter winds from his childhood, even now he still avoided the cold like the plague, even though normal cold weather barely registered.

The others were incredibly anxious. Most were bureau agents. Few had interacted with a barbarian before, however. They had heard the savages ate human, and it was an unsettling memory given their current predicament. They could kill without mercy, but meat-eating demons still terrified them.

“What happened?” Leguna asked.

He, for one, didn’t much care about what was going on. He could kill all of them if they decided to attack, after all. Not to mention Arikos was there as well.

“Sir–” The coachman turned back and bowed to Leguna,”–some barbarians had come to welcome us. They asked whether we’re Hockian.”

Leguna stepped out and cast a furtive glance at their visitors.

“Tell them who we are, and introduce me as your leader.”

“Understood.”

The coachman nodded spoke to the new group. They conversed for in Dosrakian for a moment.

“!@$$..!@$”

The leading barbarian, riding a snow bear, glanced at Leguna and spat something that made everyone else laugh.

“Translate.” Leguna said, frowning.

He could guess what the barbarian had set guessed that whatever the barbarian had said.

“They said…”

The coachman hesitated, but he understood Leguna’s temperament and forced himself to continue.

“They said a brat not even able to grow hair yet won’t survive in their lands. They say we’re way too weak to continue. ”

“I know I’m slender and all, but calling me prepubescent is a little too much.” Leguna said self-deprecatingly.

A glint flashed across his eyes before the carriage shook.

Everything happened in a split second. By the time everyone noticed, the carriage stabilized and Leguna had vanished completely.

“Hey, kid! Be careful! What if you flip the whole carriage? You want to bury me under here alive?! You woke me up from my pleasant dream!” Arikos cursed.

“Uncle, you’ve been asleep for more than twenty hours. Isn’t that enough?” Leguna said.

The barbarians were shocked to hear Leguna’s voice coming from behind their leader. He held a pitch-black dagger in hand against the leader’s throat.

Even though the snow bear shook and moved unnervingly, Leguna was still able to maintain balance. “Tell them to get Legg out here to welcome me. Those small fries aren’t qualified to talk to me.”

“Sir…” The coachman said with a troubled look, “You might anger them if you do.”

“They will submit before power, not get angry,” he said confidently. He had researched much about those barbarians over the past few days and had a rather good understanding of them.

“But…”

“Alright, don’t make me repeat myself. Be quick.”

“Yes…” The coachman feared the barbarians, sure, but he was more afraid of his superior’s ire. Having no other choice, he translated Leguna’s words exactly as they were spoken.

“Gaaaagh!”

The barbarians surprisingly didn’t listen obediently like Leguna had hoped. They drew their axes and curved blades and jumped at Leguna without hesitation.

Naturally, he wouldn’t be harmed in the slightest by such brash attacks. He agilely jumped and avoided the attacks, but the snow bear beneath the barbarian was not so lucky. The barbarians’ blades cut straight into its rear and its white fur was stained with blood in a flash, causing it to bellow in pain.

The barbarian riding the bear lost balance and fell straight to the ground. At the same time, Leguna zipped around in the air and his shadow knives rained down at the barbarians that tried to attack him.

The blades dug themselves in the barbarians’ weapon-wielding hands. However, Leguna held back and didn’t cut any of them straight off. He understood how their hands were crucial to their livelihoods and those who could no longer wield weapons would be not too far from death.

He only wanted to make a grand entrance to hammer his point into the muscle heads. He didn’t want them dead and ruin all diplomatic prospects.

Arikos saw Leguna’s moves through the carriage window and felt rather surprised. He could tell that Leguna’s calmness, reaction, speed and balance were comparable to his own. Coupled with his gifts, Arikos would no longer be his match. He thought back at the landmine he buried for Leguna a few days back and couldn’t help but pale.

It’s over… If I really end up fighting him, I won’t hold up longer than an hour…” Arikos had remained at the 18th stratum even though a few years had passed. That was his bottleneck. Leguna on the other hand was comparable to Arikos despite being only at the 15th stratum. Given his insane rate of growth and gifts, Arikos could already tell how a fight with him would end up.

So, he made a decision. After this thing passes, I’ll have to leave Chino even if I do it quietly. I can’t stay here any longer.

By then, Leguna was still blissfully unaware of the change in heart in Arikos thanks to the demonstration of his abilities. He only cursed himself for thinking that things would play out so simply.

Darn, I forgot that those barbarians also like to risk their lives needlessly apart from worshipping the powerful. He had wanted to show Arikos his keen familiarity with barbarian customs, yet he lost all face when the barbarians completely behaved against what he expected.

“Don’t move!” Leguna landed on the back of the barbarian leader, stomping him back to the ground before he could get up. He put his right leg on the barbarian’s head and his left leg stuck deep into the snow. He wielded Lighteater before anyone noticed. Currently, the black sword was tipped against the back where the barbarian’s heart was.

“!@$@” the coachman hurriedly translated.

“Please understand the difference in our might. With respect to Legg, I don’t want any needless bloodshed. But if you still insist on dying, I wouldn’t mind obliging and killing you obstinate idiots!” Leguna pierced his sword into the back of the barbarian, but it still hadn’t harmed his innards yet.

Even so, the sword began to sap the barbarian of his strength nonstop. The barbarian leader weakened greatly within a short minute.

The coachman tried his best to translate Leguna’s words and awaited their response anxiously.

When Leguna proved himself, the barbarians behaved much better. They looked at one another and a temporarily picked representative stood out and said, “@!*%(…!(*%(*)”

“You are a brave. The ancestors instruct us to show braves due respect. We failed to do so earlier, so we apologize,” the coachman relayed, “But please have mercy and let Dodoro go. Even though he isn’t as mighty as you, he is still our leader. I hope you can respect his leadership.”

“If you don’t continue to cross me, then I will.” Leguna said as he retreated.

The barbarian he stepped on got up haggardly. He didn’t let his humiliation fuel his anger. Instead, he bowed and said, “!@#$$%”

“He said the barbarian king, Legg, has sent them to welcome us.”

“Tell them I want Legg to come here himself,” Leguna said plainly. Since he was going to negotiate with the barbarians, he couldn’t let himself be thrown around like that. He believed taking a hard stance was important, whether or not Legg would eventually show up.

“He said that we are a day’s travel from the barbarian settlement. They aren’t able to notify the king immediately and request your understanding.”

“I didn’t think we’re still that far away.” He didn’t think Legg would send a troupe to receive him that soon. Did that fellow yearn to see him that badly?

But since it was still far away, Leguna didn’t insist on getting Legg to come out to him. That was being unreasonable. He wanted to have a good talk with Legg and being unreasonable was plainly unwise. So, he told the barbarians to lead the way.