Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 139

139―――――

If You Don’t Want to Stand Alone

Did Zion’s shocking appearance affect all the warriors of Kalta?

Absolutely not.

The story of the unexpected and highly unusual guest only spread among the warriors led by Jalan, who was responsible for him, and the tents around them.

Other than that, the only information about Zion was what the warriors with him told other warriors close to them.

Still, more than half of Kalta’s warriors don’t really know anything about Zion.

However, even if it was just a portion, public opinion is public opinion, and those sitting at the top, the tribal chiefs, couldn’t ignore it.

“I hear that Temujin’s guest, Zion Claussen, is making quite an impression.”

“Is he really a noble from the kingdom?

It’s strange that he’s with the warriors.”

“…They say he’s a war hero.

If he really was with the soldiers, it’s not surprising that he’s used to such hardships.”

Before Zhan and the warriors entered, the tribal chiefs were talking among themselves.

After three years of relative comfort, the north was returning to its old ways, and the dissatisfaction of the tribesmen grew.

And when people become dissatisfied, the first to be directly affected are those in charge, like themselves.

To divert that dissatisfaction and anger elsewhere, they wanted to turn their spears and swords against the kingdom.

They said that if they drove them out and took their land, they could enjoy even more than they had before.

So far, so good.

The problem was that, unlike before, the tribesmen were more focused on losing everything they were currently enjoying than on the fear of the kingdom, so they didn’t show their original lukewarm reaction but instead rose up, ready to push down into the kingdom immediately.

On top of that, the number of young warriors eager to make a name for themselves increased as a new generation took over, further overheating the atmosphere.

‘A situation where we can’t go forward or backward.’

That was the tribal chiefs’ inner thoughts as they watched those they had incited suddenly turn into a raging fire.

While they were caught in their own trap, unable to do anything, a commotion was heard from outside.

It seemed that Zhan, having finished her mobile training, was coming to the tent with the warriors.

Soon, the tent entrance was pulled back, and a woman entered with the warriors.

“Have you arrived, Temujin.”

“Temujin.”

All the tribal chiefs rose from their seats to greet her.

Zhan wordlessly raised her hand to accept their perfunctory greetings, then moved to her seat.

Then, as if she didn’t care about the gazes of others, she sank deeply into her chair, closed her eyes, and said nothing.

A reaction so full of annoyance that anyone who didn’t know better would say it was too arrogant towards the elders.

However, neither the veteran tribal chiefs nor the young, hot-blooded warriors dared to say anything in front of her.

Even if she seemed calm now, she could turn into a raging fire at any moment, and her anger could spread everywhere.

As the tribal chiefs, who had personally experienced Zhan’s terror, remained silent, it was the relatively young warriors who spoke first, as always.

“Temujin.

Have you heard the stories circulating among the warriors?”

“…What stories?”

“About the noble from the kingdom who came as Temujin’s guest this time.

Unlike his appearance, he gets along too well with the warriors.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ve also heard stories from the warriors around me.

They say he’s no ordinary person.”

Zhan shrugged her shoulders as if to say, ‘Really?’

The reaction was so calm that it made the person who brought it up feel awkward.

However, none of them knew that Zhan was secretly watching Zion from afar.

“Don’t get too carried away.

It’s just a brief spring breeze brought by a curious guest.

That doesn’t mean Kalta’s will has changed.”

As expected, the warriors who advocated for war were visibly dissatisfied.

Zhan, the strongest warrior in the north, was leading them, and Kalta’s momentum was as sharp as a sword.

Now was the perfect time to launch a preemptive strike, when the kingdom still couldn’t let go of its attachment to peace.

But suddenly, a man, a noble from the kingdom, came as a guest and got along so well with Kalta’s warriors, as if they had known each other for a long time, creating a strange atmosphere.

“Hmm.”

There was no way the tribal chiefs hadn’t noticed the strange atmosphere flowing within Kalta.

Not all of them were skeptical about the war yet.

Rather, there were still far more who wanted war.

However, there was a clear increase in those who were somewhat skeptical about the war.

The thought that if the kingdom sincerely wanted to talk to them like this, and if they could fill the brief wait with corresponding compensation, it might be better than fighting a battle where they would die whether they won or lost was slowly spreading.

‘That noble from the kingdom is quite something.

He knew everything about what the warriors disliked, who they distanced themselves from, and at the same time, what they liked and who they were fond of.’

If that man had been one of the northern nobles adjacent to them, it wouldn’t have been so surprising.

They had quite a bit of information about the tribes, and they weren’t too afraid of this land where fierce cold winds blew.

But the noble, Zion Claussen, was not from the north.

He had traveled all the way here from a warmer and more livable land, a journey that took almost a month.

Yet he spoke and acted as if everything here was familiar to him.

“Temujin.”

When a tribal chief called out to her, Zhan slightly turned her head to look at him.

He looked quite nervous, and after looking around at the warriors and other tribal chiefs, he continued.

“Shouldn’t we make a decision soon?”

“A decision.”

“You know the characteristics of the tribes well, don’t you?

Right now, their momentum is at its peak and very sharp, but they are people who could lose that sharpness and scatter at any moment.”

“…”

“A war without certainty, or a wait without promise?”

At that, Zhan slowly looked around at the tribal chief who had asked that question, and at everyone gathered there, with a cold, sinking gaze.

Those gathered there roughly sensed that it was an unspoken question of whether they would follow whatever decision she made.

However, they simply hoped that their leader would say something that they all wanted to hear.

‘Here we go again.’

Zhan’s chest felt heavy.

It was this situation again.

She had only taken this position for the sake of the tribes, but an immense pressure seemed to weigh down on her entire body.

As her brother, Eos, had said, she was not really suited for this position of leader.

She could be a sharp sword or spear that flew fiercely towards the enemy, like an excellent warrior or commander, but being a ‘leader’ who led so many people was not her forte [strength or skill].

‘I thought I just had to fight the enemies of the tribe in the front lines for them, and that’s why I accepted their recommendation as leader.’

She was not used to this kind of thing, even though she was good at cutting down enemies or killing monsters.

It was too difficult for Zhan to argue over war or peace in a situation where it was uncertain who was the enemy and who was the ally.

“Not only the warriors but also the tribesmen are becoming more and more confused.

If people start to leave, saying they will fight the kingdom in this situation…”

“The number will increase exponentially.

Isn’t that what everyone gathered here is worried about?”

“So we must hurry.

Today, I saw that the warriors were at their peak.

Temujin saw it too, and all the warriors here confirmed it.”

“On top of that, it will snow and the weather will get colder, so it’s a good time.

Once the weather warms up and the land near the kingdom’s territory starts to melt, it will be difficult to fight even if we want to because the horses will be in danger.”

As various stories came and went, the inside of the tent quickly became noisy again.

The warriors were mainly the ones talking, and the tribal chiefs listened to their stories, pondering which method would be the best in the current situation.

The fate of the entire north was important, but what was most important to them was the future of their tribe.

If fighting was the only way to survive, they would fight without hesitation, but they didn’t want to push their warriors and tribesmen into a battlefield where death was obvious, even if there was another way.

The downfall of the tribe was their own downfall, so it was only natural.

“Temujin.”

“Temujin, what are your thoughts?”

“I want to hear Temujin’s thoughts.”

In the end, when opinions could not be narrowed down, they turned to Zhan again.

Thanks to that, Zhan, whose confusion had only increased, stared blankly at the warriors and tribal chiefs, and the gaze in her eyes was so terrifying that those gathered in the tent almost simultaneously closed their mouths.

“…”

Zhan looked at them, wondering what to say.

Should she say to fight, as the first opinion suggested?

Then what about Aigiour, what about Eos?

If she couldn’t join them, they were a dangerous enemy no different from the kingdom, but she couldn’t advance with them at her back.

Then should she attack them first?

What would be the damage there?

What if she accepted Zion Claussen’s proposal and waited a little longer?

But what if everything was really a trick by the kingdom, as the warriors feared?

If the kingdom’s army pushed in and attacked the tribes that were gradually tiring and becoming dull, then it would be impossible to hold out?

She felt suffocated.

This situation, those who kept expecting things from her, and herself, who couldn’t fully meet their expectations, were all so frustrating.

‘I’m really not the right person for this position.’

Just a warrior fighting for the tribesmen, an existence who doesn’t deserve the name of Temujin, the legendary hero of the north!

Bang!―.

As her heart grew heavy, Zhan unknowingly slammed the table to vent her frustration.

She thought she had hit it with moderate force, but it seemed that was not the case for the table.

Crack, Thud!―.

“Ugh.”

“Hic?”

The new table, which had been replaced after being torn off by Zhan when she faced Zion before, met its sudden demise again.

The tribal chiefs and warriors, who were looking at the table that had neatly split in two and collapsed to the floor, swallowed hard as if they had made a promise, then immediately lowered their heads.

“I’m sorry, Temujin.”

“I will respect your will.”

“You are the true strongman of this Kalta, so we will follow your will, not ask for it.”

Ah, no.

That’s not it.

She wanted to say that, but the atmosphere was too stiff, so Zhan could only sigh without being able to do anything.

The problem was that the people in the room became even more stiff and tense at that sigh.

Zhan pondered something for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from her seat.

“Te, Temujin?”

“Everyone has worked hard today.

Let’s gather in this place again tomorrow morning.

Let’s finish the official schedule with this today.”

With those words, Zhan left the tent as if she had something urgent to do.

―

Splash!―.

“Gyaaaaaak!”

He had endured snow removal, tents, and even all-nighters, but this was really hard to bear.

Even though it was daytime when the sun was up, the temperature and the wind were terribly cold.

Pouring lukewarm water on his body in that situation was enough to make him jump.

The warriors said there was no need to wash and just wandered around with an unpleasant smell, but Zion was, strictly speaking, a modern person who was neither a northerner nor a noble of the kingdom.

He couldn’t bear to be covered in dust and smell without splashing water on himself.

Even this was a part that he could enjoy by getting a small space thanks to Jalan’s consideration.

For them, who carried only the minimum amount of equipment to avoid burdening the horses, a personal shower room was out of the question.

Zion quickly wiped off the water with the cleanest cloth he had, changed into the spare clothes he had brought in advance, and quickly entered his tent.

If it froze and turned white after he had bothered to wash, he might hear the warriors’ ridicule from all directions.

“Oh, you’ve come, Kyaaaaang!”

Lishikida had already heard the order from Zion, ‘I’m going to wash, so light a fire and wait!’, but she immediately exploded with girlish sensibility at the sight of Zion, who had rushed in without even buttoning his buttons properly.

Thanks to that, Zion even looked down to see if he had forgotten to wear something underneath, wondering, ‘Did I forget to wear something underneath?’

Fortunately, he wasn’t such an idiot, so he was sure he had put on his underwear before entering.

“He, here, you can sit here!”

“…Calm down.

It’s not like you’re seeing my body for the first time, why are you like this?”

“I’m seeing it for the first time!”

“You saw it when you did it with me, right?”

“I, I don’t know!

Anyway, it’s the first time I’ve seen it!”

“…Okay.

Let’s just say that.”

It seemed that no matter what else he said here, it would only repeat like a Möbius strip [a one-sided surface].

Zion looked at the flames burning in the simple brazier and fell into thought.

Excluding today, he had two days left.

He had to come to a conclusion within that time.

Zhan was still silently doing her own thing, and the conflict between Kalta and Aigiour was ongoing.

Not knowing how things would turn out, Zion had sent a letter summarizing the general situation to the kingdom through the knights before heading to Kalta.

One to the royal family, and the other to the Heiness Merchant Guild, which would be busy paying the transaction fee.

‘I told them that if there was more than the transaction fee, I would pay it back later, so I hope Helen moves as quickly as possible.’

It takes two weeks from the royal castle to the north, and three weeks for a procession including a baggage cart.

Considering the time it takes for the person delivering the letter to reach the royal castle, or the time it takes for the Heiness Merchant Guild to prepare to head to the north, it will take much longer.

In other words, it would take at least a month or more to deliver the food that Zion had mentioned to the north.

‘I have to somehow fill that empty space of more than a month with other means, but I can’t see a way to do it.’

He had managed to get through a week somehow, but the remaining time was the problem.

He needed something that the various tribes of the north could accept, but the problem was that he had nothing in his hands right now.

It was the moment when Zion, who was worried that Zhan might shout ‘It’s war, you bastards!’ and turn the horses towards the kingdom, was trying to find another way.

“Zion.

Are you inside?”

It was the voice of Jalan, who was in charge of the tents in this area.

When Zion answered, someone entered after a while.

Zion, thinking it was Jalan, didn’t bother to close his clothes any further and was just getting up from his seat when he couldn’t help but exclaim, ‘Huh?’

“Zion Claussen.

I have something to say to you for a moment…”

The one who entered was none other than Zhan Temujin, the strongest in the north and a woman who could be called ‘Khan’ [a title given to rulers and officials in some Central Asian countries].

She made eye contact with Zion and said nothing after seeing Zion half-naked.

Just when that moment of uncomfortable silence was about to continue.

“…”

Zhan turned around without saying a word and left.