Player Who Became A Constellation [EN]: Chapter 14

The Player Who Became a Constellation – Episode 14 (14/250)

Episode 14

Kudan’s forehead veins bulged.

He had already heard the story from Aum.

That he had met someone named Loki, Aum returned with a curse, and Per returned with his right hand severed.

Because of that, within the Linia tribe, there was talk of punishing Valhalla.

Aum had told Kudan.

“…Loki, he said, is trying to tame Cancun.”

Hearing those words, Kudan almost lost his mind.

Thanks to Aum telling him to calm down, he was able to hear the story to the end.

“He said he was protecting Cancun, Kudan.”

“Protecting? Didn’t you just say he was taming him?”

“That’s just the guy’s way of provoking you. Kudan, be reasonable.”

“Aum, didn’t you just say he’s a con man pretending to be a god! And he cursed you? That arrogant monster can’t just leave Cancun alone. He’ll lock him in a cage and raise him like a parrot.”

“……”

That could also be considered protection.

Even if it means suppressing freedom and using him like a slave.

As there was a shaman’s prophecy, that con man would try to exploit Cancun as much as possible.

Aum had not been able to confirm Cancun’s safety.

However, rumors circulating suggested that Cancun seemed to be living relatively peacefully.

‘But that might just be because he is being deceived by a fake constellation.’

While he was harboring such doubts, Roden, the elder of the Ragna tribe, approached him.

He looked up at Kudan with a fearful expression.

“Kudan, we must eliminate or seal that demon!”

“……”

“That’s the only way to protect Cancun!”

Roden thought as he looked at Kudan.

‘Kudan must hold that demon back!’

Whether they leave this frozen land or not, that being might come looking for him.

So, when that constellation of sin turns its gaze elsewhere, he had to run away as far as possible.

And the bait was the Linia tribe and Kudan Ragna.

Kudan had survived a battle with Loki once.

Then he would be able to buy some time.

“…Roden, thanks to you, my hesitation has disappeared.”

The elder, Roden’s expression brightened.

“Then…!”

“I will kill that demon and take back Cancun.”

“Kudan! You are truly an honorable Nord warrior! Show that strength to everyone!”

“But your sin will not disappear.”

“……!”

“The elders who wanted to kill Cancun…”

Kudan raised his axe and glared at Roden.

“I will kill them all.”

“Ugh… Ughaaaaack!”

As Roden turned around and ran away, Kudan threw his axe at him.

Thwack-!

Roden, whose head was shattered, collapsed, and Kudan approached him and pulled out his axe.

“Kudan Ragna.”

Kudan turned his head to the side and saw a warrior from the Linia tribe.

“Chieftain Aum is calling for you.”

“……”

“Lead the army.”

Kudan moved forward, holding the axe.

The war between tribes that had built a huge force on the northern island, the frozen land, had begun.

***

In history, there were minor battles on the frozen land, but there were not many records of large-scale ‘wars’.

However, there remains a historical record of Elron von Ronia, the Iron Lord, the King of Iron Blood, who ruled the Kingdom of Ronia, one of the powerful kingdoms of the British continent 10 years ago, leading an army of 100,000 to conquer the frozen land.

The reason was to possess the mysterious land that no one had conquered, and to gain the numerous mineral resources there. It was an achievement that would spread his name widely in future generations.

That was all.

However, that army of 100,000 was annihilated by factors other than the Nord tribes of the frozen land.

The first was the extreme cold climate.

The soldiers of the Ronia Kingdom, who were not accustomed to the extreme climate where even animals and plants struggled to survive, suffered thousands of deaths from simply ‘sleeping’ in just one day.

The second was supply.

It was difficult to obtain food, water, and firewood in the frozen land.

The scattered trees had the property of not catching fire, so they could not be used as firewood, and body temperature continuously dropped due to the sweeping cold wind.

Even if they tried to obtain animal fur, the animals there were all agile and nimble. In addition, they were smart, so it was difficult to catch them, and since their numbers were originally small, it was very insufficient to overcome the hunger and cold of a force of 100,000.

As a result, thousands of people starved to death.

The third was monsters.

The more extreme the region, the more difficult it is for life to survive. But the creatures that adapted and survived there became stronger and more agile.

In particular, monsters adapted to the cold all had thick skin and were large.

The problem was that monsters were always hungry due to the barren land, and humans were extremely weak in comparison.

Monsters attacked the army day and night, and as a result, the royal army was exhausted from not being able to sleep day and night.

Hunger, cold, and the fear of being attacked by monsters.

As a result, the royal army withdrew only two months after entering the frozen land, and about half of the 100,000 soldiers were sacrificed and returned without fighting a proper war.

Since then, the frozen land has been called the ‘hell of the extreme’ or ‘an area where it is impossible to survive’.

But there were humans who made a living in such a frozen land….

Barbarian tribes who plundered each other while hunting monsters.

Each and every one of them was a Nord with superhuman strength.

Continentals feared the Nord and considered them the strongest beings among humans.

And if thousands of such people gathered, they would have a power that even the empire could not ignore.

“The Kirithia tribe, 150 elite warriors, arrived!”

“The Herar tribe, 200 elite warriors, arrived!”

“The Verni tribe, 125 elite warriors, arrived!”

…

Nearly 5,000 Nord warriors were gathering in the Linia tribe.

The tribal chiefs of the allied tribes were reporting on the soldiers they had selected.

Their arms and equipment were also diverse.

The Nord, armed with weapons developed according to the characteristics of each tribe, were gathering under the command of a single person.

Aum Linia.

The chieftain of Linia.

He looked at the warriors gathering on the hill.

And he turned his gaze to the ‘ultimate weapon’ of the Linia tribe, which was placed in the open space.

‘I traveled to the continent to get that.’

That ‘weapon’ became the strongest asset of the Linia tribe, and now it would be a decisive move to fight against that demon!

“Are you really going to fight that guy?”

Aum said to Per, who was standing next to him.

“Yes.”

By now, Loki, who is in Valhalla, must be aware of this movement.

And he will try to come forward himself.

In fact, he heard news that the undead army had begun to mobilize in the city of Valhalla.

‘He will come to strike at me and Kudan. Then we must lure him to terrain that is favorable to us.’

It’s war.

He had to take advantage of environmental factors as much as possible.

And that place was on the frozen lake.

The firmly frozen lake was like a flat plain. Above all, it was covered with snow, so it wasn’t slippery, and he was planning to train them to adapt to that place.

Overwhelming numbers, diverse arms, and training using the terrain.

Even though he had prepared all the conditions for victory, Aum was seized by an inexplicable sense of unease.

Many warriors. And if you use appropriate strategies, you can overwhelmingly crush even the strongest enemy. That is the basic principle of war.

But… what if the enemy is capable of breaking even such common sense?

‘No, he said he wasn’t a constellation. Don’t be afraid.’

“…I’m reminded of the shaman’s prophecy.”

In the past, a shaman had prophesied to Aum.

“You must die. Otherwise, disaster will strike this world and the Linia tribe will disappear!”

It was a simple statement that was easy to understand, but the content was absurd. At that time, Aum was only 15 years old.

As Aum muttered softly, Per, who was next to him, approached.

“…Isn’t that a very old story?”

“That’s right. But if that prophecy applies now… I will die, and many of these warriors will leave this world because of my foolish choice.”

“…My brother said before that religion is the will of humans created by faith, and if you force it, it is no longer religion but superstition.”

“……”

“I think the shaman’s prophecy is superstition. I… I will trust and follow my brother.”

Aum smiled bitterly at Per’s words and shifted his gaze to the side.

A man carrying a huge hammer was standing there.

“Still, I can rest assured that he is there.”

Aum smiled bitterly and recalled the contents of a fairy tale book from the south, the British continent.

It was the story of a hero who killed the Demon King who had descended 50 years ago and became king.

“Kudan is like a hero from a fairy tale.”

“He has to be. He must be a hero who kills demons so that we can survive….”

“Yes.”

Aum nodded.

“Now, little by little… should I send a letter and call out that demon?”

The preparations were coming to an end.

Now all he had to do was call out that demon.

***

The splendidly decorated Valhalla Palace, and at the end of it, the king’s audience chamber.

Loki, sitting on the throne, unfolded a letter.

It was a declaration of war.

-No matter how much I think about it, I can’t just let Kudan go. I will wage an all-out war. Come to the frozen lake. The period is one week. Kudan will be there to meet you with five thousand soldiers. –

After skimming through the contents, he narrowed his eyes.

“…The deadline is one week, and the location is the frozen lake?”

Loki clenched the letter. The letter caught fire, leaving ashes and disappearing.

Next, Loki looked at a map that the Nord had been investigated.

Among them, he focused on the location of the lake shore that connects the frozen land that Aum had mentioned with the southern continent.

Loki checked the location of the battlefield and tapped his fingers on the armrest, as if he didn’t understand the meaning.

‘Why did those guys choose this place as the place of war? From what I can see, this place is a flat plain with no obstacles. Why in such a place?’

Could it be that they believe only in numbers?

If so, it was a very foolish choice.

The undead monsters that Loki commands number about 500.

Each and every one of them was strong enough to slaughter dozens of Nord.

If the Linia tribe pushes with numbers, they will have a chance of winning, but that is only possible on the assumption that their morale does not drop and they do not run away.

Humans are animals that are swayed by emotions and get caught up in the atmosphere. The battlefield is a place where that influence is extreme. It is easy to run away because you cannot overcome the pressure of death that comes in real time.

Especially if the opponent is the undead who are not afraid of death.

Saying hundreds versus five thousand… In fact, Loki’s army had an overwhelming advantage.

“…Well, it doesn’t matter. I just need to prepare thoroughly. And I have something to test.”

Loki looked at the dwarf in front of him.

The short, muscular dwarf was bowing his head and waiting for Loki’s command.

“Is the city construction going well?”

“Of course!”

“Isn’t it difficult?”

“We are just grateful for you giving us this opportunity!”

“I see. Then… I have two requests.”

“If you call it a request…?”

“I want you to make armor.”

“……?”

“It’s the armor of a girl.”

Loki waved his hand in the air. Then, in his hand was a lump of iron the size of an adult’s face, and in his other hand was a large scale of leather.

The lumps were emitting a faint cyan glow.

“Th, that is…?”

“Eltera metal [a rare, magically conductive metal]. Nidhogg’s dragon leather [leather from a dragon, known for its exceptional durability].”

“…!”

The name of the metal he heard for the first time. And dragon leather? Ruran’s eyes lit up.

He had never seen a metal that shone with such a subtle glow like that.

Loki threw it away without hesitation.

Ruran screamed and threw his whole body forward to receive it.

Ruran was holding the object, but he couldn’t help but admire the feather-light weight once again.

Loki opened his mouth, looking at Ruran.

“Make it.”

Just one word.

Ruran understood the meaning contained in that word, but now he was staring at the ore and leather as if he had been possessed by the ore he was seeing for the first time in his life, without even answering.

“…If there’s any left over after making it, you can take it.”

“Re, really?”

Only then did Ruran’s face quickly turn and look at Loki.

“If you want.”

“Th, then I will do my best to make it…!”

“Of course. If you make it carelessly, I will exile you.”

“……”

Ruran shut his mouth tightly.

“And one more thing.”

Loki said in a playful tone.

“Make what I asked for out of cheap scrap metal.”