Berserk: The Prophet

“...Gambino.” The voice, though slightly childish, was filled with determination; it belonged to Guts.

"What is it, kid?" Gambino's voice carried a hint of impatience, but his eyes softened.

"...A messenger claiming to be from the Judagirsh family asked me to give this to you, saying that if you're interested, go to him." Little Guts handed Gambino a letter; the sealing wax on the envelope bore a badge he recognized. Gambino frowned; he knew this letter might change his and the Fierce Bear Clan's fate.

With years of experience as a mercenary, Gambino suspected that this involved internal strife among the Juda nobility.

"I understand." Gambino scratched his head. "Sigh, what a troublesome task."

Unable to read, Gambino decided to hold an internal meeting of the Fierce Bear Clan tonight.

.........

Gambino gathered the members of the Fierce Bear Company, and they sat around the campfire, listening to North recount the contents of the letter. Each person's face wore a different expression: some expectant, some worried, some angry.

The letter was simple: an invitation from a prominent nobleman, hoping the Fierce Bear Company would serve him in the coming year. Gambino was conflicted; they needed the job to support themselves, but he was also unwilling to risk getting involved in the pointless infighting among nobles.

Based on the intelligence he knew, the head of the Gilsh family was Landon of the Black Wolf Rush Knights, one of the five richest men in the country of Juda.

Landon and Heron, the captain of the Serpent Rush Knights, are old rivals. It is these two wealthy and well-connected nobles who have the power to fight each other. Because they are far from the capital and their territories are adjacent, they are always fighting each other openly and secretly, and the size of their territories is always changing.

"...We can't just sit here and waste our skills and strength." A veteran's voice echoed in the night.

“But we cannot become tools in the infighting among nobles again,” another veteran countered.

"But the price he offered was indeed very generous..." The heated discussion continued under the campfire.

Gambino listened quietly to their discussion, having already made his decision. They needed the job, but they also needed to uphold their principles; otherwise, if they offended some powerful figures, their future in Judas would be very difficult.

After a heated discussion, Gambino stood up, his gaze firm and powerful.

“We will accept the job, but we will not be anyone’s pawns.” His voice sounded particularly firm in the light of the campfire.

The members of the Fierce Bears exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting trust in Gambino and anticipation for the unknown.

.........

The next day, Gambino and his party arrived at the command post in the city. As soon as they entered, they saw a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes.

"This must be Captain Gambino of the Fierce Bear Clan," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

“Yes, and who is Your Excellency?” Gambino bowed.

“I am the steward of the Gilsh family. This town is my master’s territory. I have come to invite the Fierce Bear Legion to serve as our guard,” the middle-aged man explained his purpose.

Gambino's heart skipped a beat; this was a good opportunity. However, as a guard, the possibility of offending the enemy lord would be extremely small, and the risk factor would not be very high. For the Fierce Bear Legion, which had undergone numerous battles and constant changes in its members, their 500-strong force was just right as a guard.

Although attacks can earn a lot of gold coins, the risk of the entire group being wiped out is also very high, especially when nobles use mercenaries' lives as pawns, since... if they unfortunately die, they don't have to pay out gold coins.

The duties of a guard are mostly to defend the town, manage the transport of supplies, and patrol. Usually, if there is no enemy attack, the job of the defending side is relatively easy, with a knight stationed there to make decisions. As long as they don't offend anyone, if they defend the town well, they can even make a name for themselves as mercenaries.

Gambino thought for a moment and then said, "Thank you for your invitation. However, I would like to know more details about the duties and benefits of the guards."

The butler smiled and nodded, gesturing for his attendant to hand over a document. Gambino took the document and had North read it carefully before engaging in a brief discussion with the others.

The document detailed the guard's duties, salary, and other benefits. Gambino was secretly pleased; the terms were considerably more generous than the kingdom's contract.

He looked up at the butler: "I'm very interested in this job. However, I have a few questions I need to confirm."

The butler expressed his willingness to answer any questions, and the two sides discussed some specific matters further. In the end, Gambino decided to lead the Fierce Bears to accept the mission.

Furthermore, the butler paid Gambino two hundred gold coins as a deposit after Gambino signed the new mercenary contract, handling the matter very efficiently and decisively.

Gambino carefully put away the gold coins and arranged a departure time with the steward. The group returned to the Fierce Bear Gang's camp in high spirits and shared the good news with the gang members.

Everyone was thrilled to hear about the generous benefits. Now all they had to do was enjoy their drinks and quietly wait for next spring.

Following Gambino's decision, the Bear Clan began preparing for the upcoming mission. They checked their equipment to ensure sufficient protection would be available by spring, trained newly recruited mercenaries, and prepared for the new challenges to come.

.........

Deep within Grant Island, in a damp and dark prison, Green awoke with only a throbbing headache and aching limbs.

His consciousness slowly returned from the chaos, the pervasive stench of blood making his stomach churn. He tried to recall what had happened, but his memories were like torn pieces of cloth, scattered and blurry.

My head is throbbing... and my limbs are a little sore. The stench of blood that permeates the surroundings has long since overpowered the normal dampness of the soil.

"...Did you do all of this?" A voice broke the silence of the cell, carrying a hint of ruthlessness and disbelief.

Green was still in a daze, wondering if he had been locked up by Cardi again. After a brief period of amnesia, he realized that the accent seemed to be from Grant. ...It sounded like Madwood.

Green turned his head and, through the dim light, saw the figure of Madwood, the one who had brought him here.

Green propped himself up, his mouth tasted salty and fishy as if it were rusty, and he felt an unnatural fullness in his stomach. He wiped the mud off his body.

His gaze fell on a severed hand not far away, his "trophy" from the previous night. His memories began to clear; the madness of the previous night was like a nightmare, but now he knew it... was not a dream.