Berserk: The Prophet

Akasha paused for a moment, then began to recount the myths unique to the Vanskerry people.

"Hoff-see-glah, the storm god of Vanskerry, whom the people of Vanskerry call with great pride, is the god who controls the storms. Legend has it that he always transforms into a powerful gale on the earth."

"In the extremely cold and barren Vanscery Islands, the people of Vanscery are mostly engaged in fishermen, sailors, and maritime merchants—professions that involve battling the sea day and night—and they pray for favorable winds that will enable them to reach their destinations safely."

The Vanskelles also believed that if they died heroically on the battlefield, they would be able to enjoy an eternal feast in the halls of Haf Sigra's "Hall of Heroes," and therefore the Vanskelles fought without fear of death.

"Legend has it that only the bravest can enter Valhalla after death. That's why I wanted to prove my abilities to my father, to make him look at me with new eyes, and to make him proud... I secretly infiltrated the raiding fleet to Barkley." As she spoke, Akasha's tears flowed uncontrollably. Green had never seen her shed tears on the battlefield, yet here at the campfire dinner... they fell.

Osman fell silent with Delai, Perry, and the others, for they were all from the same island. What had happened in the three years since Akasha left the island, on this barren land known for its fierce and competitive spirit, was self-evident.

"...and now I will never see him again."

She once stubbornly ran away from the marriage her father had arranged for her, which led to a conflict between her father and a large tribe on another island. Such a conflict would not even be interfered with by the queen.

Now, she is a sinner to the entire tribe.

"Hey..."

What a willful girl! She never considered the consequences. Green patted her on the shoulder; all she wanted was her father's attention.

“It’s not entirely your fault. The Hag tribe in the east may have had similar plans all along.” Osman leaned over to comfort her; at this moment, his silent companionship was more valuable than anything else.

Wolf and the monk were chatting casually, and they seemed to be getting along well. After all, they were two adults, and what children and teenagers had experienced was normal to them.

Everyone has things they want to do, so what do I want to do in this world? As a traveler from another world, Green felt that he didn't seem to have many desires. Perhaps he needed time to figure it out.

Green's gaze fell on the small box containing Ali's remains. Perhaps, what he hoped for was to save more people like Ali, bringing hope and peace to a land embroiled in conflict and chaos.

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

【Sword Wind】

Kadi's face was very gloomy. Since returning, he had locked himself in his room to study the latest intelligence.

Having followed Cardi for a year, Green naturally felt a sense of unease. It was best not to provoke him at this time, otherwise he would be the next one to die.

Everyone was silent.

However, it was clear that Cardi quickly made an arrangement for Green.

At night, Green was awakened by the pain of sandworm bites on his neck and was taken away by Kadi under cover of darkness. Meanwhile, Bazzo, due to fever and exhaustion from seasickness, was not chosen for the mission and was still fast asleep.

Green was taken alone by Kadi to a jungle far from the fortress, clearly with an unusual mission to undertake.

The nightingale's call echoed softly through the forest, seemingly nothing out of the ordinary, but upon closer listening, it was different and subtly different, the meaning of which could only be discerned by those who had long been engaged in espionage work in Juda.

Several dark figures darted out from the bushes without a sound. The dark gray fur of wolves and wild boars was revealed from the shadows, which made Green feel a little nervous. His hand unconsciously went to the throwing knife at his waist.

Only when my vision cleared did I realize that they were actually humans wearing animal skins.

“Madwood, he’s part of the mission,” Kadi said slowly to the man in the shadows.

"Understood." A man with a thick local accent stepped out of the shadows. His appearance was even different from many Judas, with blue tattoos on his face to enhance his camouflage.

“Go ahead.” Cardi pushed Green out, and his plan was beginning to take shape.

Despite being filled with confusion and trepidation about the unknown, Green had no choice but to follow the man named Madwood. He belatedly felt a gust of wind coming from the back of his neck, but unfortunately, his agility was no longer enough to avoid the heavy palm strike.

"Uh..." A strong dizziness came from the back of his neck, and Green immediately fainted. He was taken away by Madwood in the darkness.

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

Green was carried by Madwood like a sack to the eastern coast of the mountains. They would enter the interior of the Grand Duchy of Grant at the ice-free port of the outer mountain and head to Grant's capital, Norudkahuatti.

...Incidentally, complete the secret mission assigned by Grand Duke Grant.

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

When he woke up again, Green was in a dark and cramped dungeon.

The smell of blood... the damp, earthy scent...

In the other cells, pairs of eyes were fixed on the new "companion".

They were all children who had been captured, sons of commoners from the Duchy of Grant, or rather... they were homeless on the streets just a few days ago.

This is the narrow, secret passageway that connects Grand Duke Grant's bedroom in the royal city to the outside world, and the children who are the same age as Grimm are the next generation of the "Shadow Hands" who were secretly captured.

"Please... Ah!!"

The girl's heart-wrenching pleas and the sound of a whip lashing flesh echoed eerily from the depths of the secret dungeon.

"what!!!"

The faint sizzling sound of the hot tongs and branding iron burning the skin, accompanied by the girl's screams, echoed throughout the passage.

Where is this...?

Green couldn't help but wonder to himself. As his body regained sensation, his face was finally separated from the damp ground, and his weapons were nowhere to be seen. He was left with only a thin layer of clothing and linen trousers, and even his boots were gone.

The dungeon wasn't much warmer than outside at night; the dampness made the cold feel even worse, and my hands and feet were icy cold.

The girl's screams outside the cell seemed to come from to Green's right, deeper inside. The man's twisted and cruel laughter was as terrifying as a demon crawling out from the depths of hell.

Gradually, under the man's torment, the girl's voice became weaker and weaker. She even fainted and was then woken up by being splashed with cold water, uttering incoherent babbling as if someone was strangling her.

"...Ugh, how boring!!"

"Madwood, go and hang this pathetic slut on the archway in the city square for all to see!!"