Berserk: The Prophet

.........

"We can only escort you this far; from here on, you'll have to proceed on foot."

After traveling for several days, bypassing the border outposts and war fortresses of Midland, and killing some clueless bandit groups, they have arrived at the border of Midland. There is still a small group of refugees at the foot of the hill. The defeat four months ago has made Midland even more impoverished. The surrounding area is dilapidated, with even the trees having little bark left. Everywhere there are refugees fleeing famine and war.

However, it's already April, and cities without war have already planted another round of crops. They can still harvest a crop before winter arrives, the most common being corn.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." The leader of the black-robed human was polite; his name was Kadi, and he was the captain of the spy team.

"It's our duty." "Giddy up!"

The lead cavalryman gave a brief reply, and once they had almost dismounted, he ordered his men to lead the horses back the way they had come, whipping them into a cloud of dust.

The group disguised themselves as refugees and mingled among the crowd. After several days of trekking, they arrived at the first place that could barely be called a place to rest—the Saint Albion Monastery, also known as the Tower of Judgment.

The place of judgment seemed very peaceful at this time, except that refugees occasionally quarreled over food, and the few people who came disguised as refugees were just to cover their tracks.

Their plan reveals that they were not the first wave to enter Windam. To enter the capital, having enough money to bribe the guards was the first step. Unlike ancient China, the backward system did not require ultimatums. As long as the guards were appeased and no one suspected them, there would be no problem.

The group walked through the densely packed refugee settlement and arrived at an inconspicuous little church. They changed into civilian clothes in the Midland style, where they would learn some of the unique ways of communication in the Midlands and gather intelligence.

There is not much of a language difference between Judas and Midland, and due to the frequent changes of countries caused by nearly a century of war, such an era has created all kinds of mercenary groups and thieves.

However, if you're going to the capital to do espionage, it's definitely safer to speak the local Midland dialect.

........

The group soon resumed their journey, and blending in with the merchants' caravan was a wise choice.

The campfire warmed everyone at night, dispelling the chill of approaching autumn. More than half a month had passed since they left the monastery, and in a few more days they would arrive in Wyndam, the capital of the Midlands.

However, the group's food supplies were running low. Although they could get food from the town, it was clear that they would need to pay for it.

Green had brought enough food himself, plus 10 silver coins from Gambino for emergencies. But the other two children were clearly not so lucky. The food provided by the army at the start of the journey was not enough, no matter how sparingly they ate. The older one, who was the fattest, looked much slimmer after nearly a month of travel. The naive girl was fed by the men in black robes, who often talked about how they planned to sell the helpless little girl once they reached the capital.

Green didn't want to meddle in other people's business; he just wanted to mind his own business. After all, he probably couldn't even protect himself.

Kadi and his men went hunting as soon as they set up camp at dusk. After all, why spend money when you can get something for free? Besides, this mission didn't have much advance payment, and they had to pay for their own expenses along the way. They were just a bunch of soldiers who risked their lives for money.

The caravan had already eaten, and Green's small group was now down to just the three kids. Seeing that Kadi and the others might return empty-handed tonight, Green took out his dried meat from his pack, skewered it with branches, and roasted it over the fire in preparation for dinner.

"Gurgle..."

The rumbling of his stomach was loud enough to reach Green's ears. Although the fat man had lost a lot of weight, he still looked very strong. He hadn't eaten much for three days. The army didn't provide much rations, and with the meager amount of water and soup that Kadi and the others had left, he had been starving for a long time, even though he hadn't eaten well since his family suffered a disaster.

Green saw the fat man's hungry eyes staring at the dried meat in his hand, as if he was about to pounce on it at any moment.

Green pretended not to see anything, continuing to eat his food while keeping a close watch on the fat man with great vigilance. With his current strength, Green didn't think he couldn't even protect his own food.

In this day and age, no meal comes for free. If you deliberately avoid it, people will only think you are weak and easy to bully! After all, people are superficial.

The important thing is that Green wants to see what this fat guy will choose.

Perhaps Green's gaze was too sharp, for the chubby man trembled slightly when he met Green's eyes, quickly lowered his head, and swallowed hard.

The chubby boy couldn't quite put his finger on what was in Green's eyes, but he was certain that this kid, who looked even younger than him, had already killed someone! Only someone who had killed someone would have that kind of look in their eyes!!

Fatty was suddenly filled with fear. He shook his fat body and broke out in a cold sweat. He had only seen that look in his eyes when his family was slaughtered!

But listening to the other person swallow meat was unbearable. Soon his stomach started growling again, and he could only desperately swallow his saliva and smell the aroma of meat in the air.

Seeing this, Green's hostility wasn't too great anymore; he wasn't too stupid.

The little girl didn't care about any of that. Smelling the aroma of meat, she ran to Green's side, grabbed his knees, and babbled, "Big brother...I want, I want to eat!"

Normally, all sorts of troubles this little one causes are taken care of by Green and Fatty in turns. Those in black robes don't care at all. Fortunately, the little girl is sensible; she only needs Green and Fatty to take turns carrying her when she can't walk anymore. It's really hard to understand how they managed to get such a young child through this. But it seems she was just like someone from the slums before, because she's always been so thin and malnourished.

Green wouldn't make things difficult for a child who was even slightly sensible. He casually gave her a piece of meat, and the little girl sat down on the ground to eat it, not caring about catching a cold.

Seeing that Green had given the little girl a piece of meat, the chubby guy couldn't sit still any longer, so he shamelessly walked over.

"Um... could I have a piece? Just a small piece... I haven't had meat in a long time." The chubby boy's face was a little red. He scratched his head shyly, too embarrassed to look directly at Green, and just stared at the fire.

Green re-examined the chubby boy. Since he was going to eat, he couldn't just eat for free. The fact that the boy hadn't tried to snatch the food meant he was a decent person and someone worth befriending.

"Sure, but you'll have to listen to me from now on, and you'll have to be my little brother." Green forked a piece of meat and continued grilling.

The chubby boy's eyes widened with surprise when he heard that he could have a piece of meat. He hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to. He patted his chest knowingly as he listened to the second half of Green's words.

"Don't worry, from now on you're my boss! If you see anyone you don't like, I'll take care of them for you!"

"Very good, here's your share."

Green nodded in satisfaction and handed the roasted meat to him. The fat man's eyes widened at the sight of such a large piece of meat.

"Since you're now my underling, tell me your name. I always hear them calling you Fatty, I can't very well call you Fatty too. My name is Green, what's yours?"

Although Fatty's mouth was watering, his upbringing prevented him from starting to eat before others had finished speaking. He simply tore off small pieces of the still-warm meat.

"My name is Bazso!"