Hearing Nathaniel's solemn declaration, Castorice could only manage an awkward expression. Her toes curled inside her boots, pressing against the soles. "Please, don't be so formal," she mumbled. "Just call me whatever you want..."
It felt like someone getting drunk and bragging to their friends about being a Transformer from Cybertron, only to have those friends bow deeply and earnestly every time they met, declaring, "Greetings, Transformer Lord!" Utterly mortifying, right?
Castorice felt a similar cringe, except she hadn't been drunk when she'd made up the story—she'd fabricated it sober.
The Eternal Holy City Okhema? It didn't even exist! The Death Demigod part was true, but that didn't make the situation any less awkward.
Besides, this had happened days ago. Did he really have to remember it so vividly, word for word?
Yet Nathaniel remained deeply reverent. "Death Demigod Lord," he declared, "if all the barbarians of Chaos City pledge their loyalty to you, would you accept us?"
It was no exaggeration to say that Nathaniel was utterly captivated by Pollux the moment he laid eyes on the colossal dragon.
In his homeland, the Northern Territory, the concept of nations was nonexistent. Instead, society was organized into numerous tribes.
While some tribes maintained decent relations, most were hostile, constantly warring with each other. Every so often, entire tribes would be wiped out, only to be replaced by the emergence of several new ones.
Tribal extinction was easily understood. As for the emergence of new tribes, it often stemmed from a powerful tribe led by an exceptionally formidable chieftain who conquered vast territories. However, upon the chieftain's death, the once-mighty tribe would inevitably fragment.
In short, the Northern Territory was a chaotic place, and in such an environment, it was not uncommon for the weak to seek refuge with the strong.
"This..." Castorice was taken aback by the sudden arrival of a stranger seeking refuge.
Seeing her bewildered expression, Nathaniel pressed further. "If you don't trust me, I swear by my ancestors to offer you my unwavering loyalty!"
Aisha chimed in, "Barbarians from the Northern Territory take oaths sworn upon their ancestors with utmost seriousness. Breaking such a vow is practically unheard of."
"No, not 'almost'—absolutely never!" Nathaniel said gravely, turning to Aisha. "Under no circumstances will a Barbarian ever break their oath!"
This explained why the tribes of the Northern Territory fragmented after the death of their supreme warrior. Many swore allegiance to that leader personally, not to the tribe itself.
While the leader lived, their loyalty was absolute. But upon his death, his followers scattered. Their devotion stemmed from the leader's charisma and personal strength. Even if he left heirs, few would remain to serve them.
If that were the case, and considering Castorice's status as a Demigod with a theoretically limitless lifespan, could she conquer the Northern Territory by subduing its tribes and securing their allegiance? Could she then forge a vast Northern Empire?
The fragmented power of the Northern Territory was already formidable. Its continued existence despite bordering both the Empire and the Alliance proved as much. If the Northern Territory were truly unified, its combined strength would be a force to be reckoned with.
In fact, a century ago, the Northern Territory had nearly been unified under the rule of a legendary warlord. But for some unknown reason, this mighty figure suddenly died in the prime of his life, causing his three hundred tribes to fall into mutual suspicion and conflict. The Northern Territory plunged into fifty years of brutal warfare, with hatred fueling endless cycles of revenge, further fragmenting the region.
Returning to the present, Castorice paused, then asked, "What brings you to Chaos City, sir?"
Chaos City was a haven for exiled criminals, and Castorice had no desire to associate with such riffraff. She had chosen to stay with the Death Priests precisely because she knew they were merely there to collect corpses, not as exiles themselves—they were good people.
If these Barbarians turned out to be villains, no amount of loyalty could sway Castorice to support them.
Nathaniel answered without hesitation, "It's no great secret. My tribe clashed with another, and we lost badly—countless brothers fell. Then, that other tribe had the gall to send envoys to me, pretending to offer surrender terms—but only to me!"
It was clear they were after Nathaniel's strength, caring nothing for the other members of his tribe. They dismissed the rest as mere rabble.
Betray his brothers and surrender to the enemy? Nathaniel would never agree. Gritting his teeth, he declared, "I tore that messenger apart with my bare hands right then and there. Then, I led the remaining members of my tribe on a desperate flight, eventually reaching the northernmost city of the Alliance."
The Barbarians of the Northern Territory were all savages—well, that much was obvious. When food ran short, many would raid Alliance cities to the south, looting supplies.
The Alliance might vehemently condemn these raids, but the Barbarians would simply shrug and retort, "We're just Barbarians," completely ignoring the insults.
If the Alliance tried to retaliate with troops, the vast and harsh Northern Territory offered no fixed targets. The nomadic tribes had no permanent settlements, making pursuit impossible. The Alliance was left with no choice but to station large numbers of soldiers along the border to guard against further Barbarian incursions.
Under normal circumstances, Nathaniel's escape to the Alliance would have been impossible. Alliance border soldiers would never have allowed him through. Chaos City, however, was the exception. Located at the northernmost edge of the Alliance and unguarded, it provided a rare sanctuary.
To be more precise, the Alliance soldiers stationed south of Chaos City weren't there to defend the city itself, but rather to prevent exiles from fleeing back to Alliance territory. If Barbarians were to invade Chaos City from the south, hoping to plunder supplies, the Alliance soldiers wouldn't lift a finger. They'd likely mock the Barbarians, wondering if their heads had been crushed in a door.
And so, Nathaniel led his remaining tribesmen to Chaos City and managed to survive there.
"I see," Castorice nodded thoughtfully. So Nathaniel and his people were just a group of unfortunate souls. From their first meeting, she had sensed his simplicity and doubted he was a bad person. Now, her intuition seemed confirmed.
"I accept your fealty," Castorice declared, switching from formal address to familiar. Previously, with no established relationship, she had maintained polite formality. But now that he was to become her subordinate, continuing to use honorifics would feel unnatural.
Nathaniel's face lit up with excitement. He drew a short knife from his belt, swiftly slashed his right palm, and raised his bleeding hand high. Crimson blood trickled down his wrist.
"I, Nathaniel of the Grey Wolf Clan, hereby swear to you..." Just a moment ago, Nathaniel had been swearing with solemn grandeur, his movements radiating undeniable coolness. But then he paused, his voice fading. "Um... I don't even know your name yet? Should I just repeat that whole long list of titles from the oath?"
Castorice quickly interrupted. "Just call me Castorice."
Nathaniel nodded and resumed, "I, Nathaniel of the Grey Wolf Clan, hereby swear allegiance to you, Lady Castorice! I will never betray you, never waver! From this day forward, I will do whatever you command!"
As an uncultured Barbarian, Nathaniel was incapable of flowery language. Clarity was more than enough.
With that, the territory of Chaos City's second local tyrant fell under Castorice's command. Nathaniel asked, "So, Lady Castorice, what would you have us do now?"
Castorice's most pressing task was naturally to investigate the centers of the other blue mists and search for the corpses of the other Heroes. But as she looked at Nathaniel before her, she couldn't help but feel that these Barbarians were ill-suited for such delicate work.
For anyone else, gaining the loyalty of a group of Barbarians would be a tremendous boon, given their formidable combat prowess. But for Castorice, it seemed almost pointless; she was hardly lacking in frontline strength.
Still, one could never have too many absolutely loyal subordinates, right?
After a moment's thought, Castorice said, "For now, there's nothing specific I need you to do. Just go about your own business."
Then, almost as an afterthought, she asked, "How are your supplies holding up?"
As her new subordinates, it was only natural to show some concern. Nathaniel replied bluntly, "Almost nonexistent!"
Castorice blinked her adorable purple eyes in genuine surprise.
"We don't have any cold-weather clothing," Nathaniel explained, "but my brothers are hardy. We can sleep shirtless even in this weather. As for food, I was just about to head out and find some merchants outside the city."
After a brief pause, Castorice asked, "Do you... have any money?"
"None!" Nathaniel replied decisively. "But it doesn't matter—I never intended to pay anyway."
Castorice sighed. Just as you'd expect from a Barbarian, she thought. Turning to Aisha, she asked, "I seem to recall we still have plenty of food supplies, right?"
"To be precise, we have enough to last two months, Holy Maiden," Aisha replied. "Are you planning to share it with these Barbarians?"
If they did, it wouldn't simply be dividing the food in half. These Barbarians would undoubtedly eat far more than the Death Priests, likely reducing their two-month stockpile to barely twenty days.
Before Castorice could answer, Nathaniel spoke up. "But... is that really okay? I swore allegiance to you, and I haven't even done anything yet, Boss Castorice, and you're already sharing food with us?"
"It's just some food," Castorice dismissed.
After all, Cipher and the others would arrive in less than ten days. She was confident she could resolve the blizzard within twenty days, making the difference between two months and twenty days of food supplies irrelevant.
Aisha clicked her tongue and addressed Nathaniel. "Since the Holy Maiden has given the order, you'll come with me later to collect your share."
With the incident resolved, Castorice hopped onto Pollux's back and began her return journey. Naturally, Nathaniel and the others couldn't ride the dragon, so Pollux departed with only Castorice aboard, while the rest of the group, including Aisha, walked toward the Death Priests' headquarters.
Along the way, Nathaniel suddenly turned to Aisha and asked, "Hey, now that we've all sworn loyalty, does that mean we're Death Priests too? Will you give us priest robes?"
Aisha froze, momentarily unable to process what he was saying. "Huh?"
Nathaniel elaborated, "Faith and loyalty are basically the same thing, right? You have faith in Lady Castorice, and I'm loyal to her. Since you're Death Priests, doesn't that make us Death Priests too?"
What kind of bizarre logic is this? Aisha thought, speechless. "Faith is faith, and loyalty is loyalty. They're not the same! Besides, we worship the Death God, not the Holy Maiden."
Nathaniel countered, "How are they different? Faith means unconditionally obeying a god's commands, and loyalty means unconditionally following the boss's orders. What's the distinction?"
Aisha retorted, "No! Faith is that feeling of salvation when a god extends a hand in despair, as if everything has been redeemed!"
"I was completely out of food and utterly desperate," Nathaniel said. "Then Boss Castorice suddenly appeared and generously gave me a whole bunch for free. It felt like I was being saved!"
Aisha was speechless at Nathaniel's twisted logic. "..."
Nathaniel continued, "Oh, right! You said you worship the Death God. If I worship Lady Castorice, the Holy Maiden of the Death God, wouldn't that technically count as worshiping the Death God too?"
Aisha was dumbfounded. "I... You... This..."
Nathaniel pressed on, "Also, does the Death Church allow its followers to have multiple faiths? I still honor my ancestors and the Icefield Wolf God of the Northern Territory. Of course, my ancestors are dead, and the wolf god is just a legend. But Lady Castorice is someone I can actually see, so my faith in her is naturally stronger than in the others."
"If the Death Church forbids multiple faiths, I can ditch the Icefield Wolf God and stop making annual offerings. But honoring ancestors is a core tradition for us Barbarians. Could you make an exception for that?"
Aisha's lip twitched slightly. She took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to curse, and snapped in exasperation, "Impossible! Don't even think about it! You'll never become a Death Priest!"