Berserk: The Prophet

.........

"The situation is critical. We need two thousand of Barkley's elite troops, a hundred carts of provisions, and ten carts of weapons. Hmm... the newly developed arquebus has performed exceptionally well in the war against the Vanscare pirates. We are dispatching 500 Barkley arquebusiers, selected from the Barkley infantry, to accompany you to the front lines at Rose Castle. The Holy Dragon Knights will also be with you. I will handle the heretics within Pence myself."

Casarian frowned as he carefully observed the battle route of the Serpent Cult army on the map in his hand. The atmosphere in Barkley was tense. Not a single Barkley man wanted to repeat the mistakes of the Barks Empire. This was the bottom line for every Barkley man... and a shared sentiment.

The entire country can at least remain united for now, after all, the old king is just old, not dead yet.

This conversation took place after what seemed like a simple family gathering. Casarian had dismissed all the servants and attendants in the house, leaving only the elite of the Holy Dragon Knights and the old man's own trusted confidants.

The vice-commander of the Holy Dragon Knights, Wilder, was also there, along with Fetnas, Grin, and Trunks. Of course, the old man's words were directed at Trunks.

"No problem, I'll handle it."

Trunks nodded solemnly in agreement. He hadn't participated in such a major battle for several years, but Barkley's reputation as the God of War was well-deserved; he was indeed capable of this task.

The Snake Worship Cult...

Aside from heretics, there's the Serpent Cult. Grimm racked his brains before remembering that there was such a thing in the game. Before, he only cared about how fun the game was, and he didn't care about any settings. Moreover, this world is not as low-end as his previous life. For example, now, the scale of the war is completely beyond the scope of Mount & Blade. It's as if this world is alive, and the death toll is not as simple as a string of code.

"Ryan, Ryan..."

The old man called Green twice but didn't respond, still lost in his own world, until Trunks kicked him from below and he finally snapped out of it.

"Oh! You called me?"

"...What are you thinking about so intently? Let me ask you if you want to go with Trunks to broaden your horizons."

"Of course!! It's my duty to contribute to Barkley." Green immediately said something nice to make up for his momentary lapse in concentration, and it worked wonders.

“Indeed, this is the kind of person from my Demiares family…”

...............

"...Ryan, why did you go to the battlefield with Trunks? That's..."

"Isn't that a very dangerous thing?"

As soon as he came out of the old man's room, Fertness surrounded Green and kept nagging, trying to persuade Green to stay.

“It’s so dangerous, it should still be in time to ask Father for help…” Green stopped walking only when Fertness grabbed Green’s sleeve.

“Sigh, Fertnas, I know all this, but I have to go.” Green put his hands on Fertnas’s shoulders with a serious expression. Although they were the same age, Green was much taller than Fertnas.

"...Why?"

Fertnas couldn't understand what Green was thinking, because going to the battlefield at such a young age was just sending him to his death.

He was worried about him, his eyes filled with the concern and reluctance between children, and he seemed about to cry if he continued talking.

Feeling a little awkward and guilty under such concern, Green scratched his head. After all, few people would show such concern for him, and even if he was in pain, he wouldn't die under the system's protection... But how could he explain all this to Fetnas? At least, in other people's eyes, Green did indeed possess a bravery that was beyond his years.

"It's for justice!! To protect everyone from being harmed by those heretics." Green could only respond to Fertnas's question with a serious tone. At least he was right about that. After all, every night, the wailing sounds sweeping across from the south were always chilling and made everyone feel uneasy.

"...justice?"

Fertnas certainly knew about Barkley's beliefs, but... he didn't quite understand them. His fear of heights stemmed from a childhood memory of climbing the giant dragon at the top of a castle on a summer night, falling and getting badly injured, and fainting in terror.

That night, he seemed to have a dream, a dream where someone claiming to be the Goddess of Justice appeared to him. But it was just a dream. Reality wasn't a dream; going to the battlefield meant death, and if you died, you lost everything.

But if death could save more people from death...

"Don't worry, the goddess of justice will protect us and bring us back safely. Astalia's light is with us, for Barkley."

Green patted Fettnas on the shoulder, telling his companions to pack their bags tonight, as they would be setting off tomorrow. After all, the distance from Pence to Rose Castle was quite long, reportedly nearly 500 miles. However, given that one was on the northernmost and southernmost border of Barkley, such a distance was not surprising.

.........

Night fell, the sky outside was covered with dark clouds, and a light rain began to fall. Green had packed his luggage and was preparing to go to sleep. The dark ceiling and the atmosphere of the stone castle still felt very unfamiliar, especially since he was sleeping alone in this unfamiliar land.

Even though I'm alone no matter where I am, I still feel a strange sense of loneliness when I have free time, even though I've gotten used to being alone.

There's no time for a phone to pass the time in these situations. I'd be content just to listen to some old music I've downloaded when nothing's happening. Besides, there's been so much going on lately, I really need to get some rest.

I didn't have time to think too much, so I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

.........

Late at night, thunder and rain raged.

The rumble of thunder and the occasional flashes of lightning made Fetnas huddle under his blanket. He was afraid of thunderstorms, especially at night; it was alright when his mother was still alive, as he could hide in her arms.

What is Father doing now? Trunks and Ryan are leaving tomorrow, so he should be in the alchemist's lab preparing things, right?

Ryan... Although we haven't known each other for very long, he's one of the few kids I can play with. His arms look very strong. The scene of him saving Vegas that day flashed through my mind, and my fear was instantly dispelled.

"Rumble"

Dark clouds rolled in, a warning before thunder and lightning. Fertnas shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. Was Ryan sleeping now? With the thunder so loud, he wondered if he was awake. Would going to find him now be disturbing him? Would he dislike him...?

"Boom! Crack!!"

A flash of lightning was followed by a deafening roar that seemed to split the sky open. It was unclear which house was unlucky enough to be cracked open, or perhaps some trees.

"Wow!!"

Without a second thought, Fetnas broke out in goosebumps. Startled by the thunder and lightning outside the window, he grabbed his small pillow and blanket and ran frantically out of the dark room to find Ryan.