Berserk: The Prophet

Jacob returned to the group and told Green everything he had learned from the bearded man.

After listening, Green pondered for a moment and said, "It seems we are on the right track. The Fierce Bear Gang is indeed camped on the northwest coast."

Green glanced at the sky and estimated the time.

"Everyone, take a break and wait for the horses to recover their strength before continuing our journey."

"Understood!!" the group responded, taking turns resting and guarding the vicinity of the camp.

The Fierce Bear Regiment is almost upon us. Forcing our way through is not a solution. It's hard to say whether their operation involves some kind of secret deal with that Duke of the North. We need to conserve the soldiers' energy to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.

...After all, the Fierce Bear Gang is no longer under Gambino's control.

.........

At dusk, the Northling Bears camped in an open area, and the tents on the wagons were taken down and set up one by one.

Green and his group arrived at the Fierce Bear Clan. It wasn't a good thing for a child to be dressed too extravagantly, so they changed into the Vanscare chainmail and Vanscare helmet from their spatial storage and rode their hunting horses toward the Fierce Bear Clan.

...I'm back, Guts.

He was only six years old when he left home, and it's been three and a half years. I wonder how happy Guts will be to see him again.

A long line of soldiers slowly approached the camp of the Fierce Bear Gang, which was obviously noticed by the mercenaries of the Fierce Bear Gang.

Several mercenaries immediately mounted their horses and blocked their path, looking at Green and his group warily, and shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Green dismounted, removed his helmet, revealing his youthful yet resolute face, and shouted, "I am Green, and I want to see Guts and Gambino!"

The mercenaries looked at each other, clearly unfamiliar with the name; the newly enlisted soldiers didn't know that Guts had a brother.

Just then, a tall figure walked out of the tent. It was Nors, the current leader of the Fierce Bear Gang.

Having originally been an archer, he recognized Grin with a squint and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He quickly stepped forward, exclaiming, "Grin, you're still alive! You're incredibly lucky!"

Upon hearing this, the mercenaries gradually lowered their guard, but they still looked at the guards behind Green with hostility.

Green recognized North at a glance. This uncle had helped Green and Guts a lot in the past. It was North who spoke up when Guts fainted and scolded Gambino for hitting the child without restraint.

"Mr. North, where are Guts and Gambino now?"

Green's tone was slightly anxious. After all, he had been away from here for so long and missed Guts very much. Even if Gambino had broken his leg, he shouldn't leave the Fierce Bears so soon, right?

North's smile slowly faded, replaced by a somber expression. After all, a lot had happened in the past three years, especially Gambino's broken leg. His expression darkened. "Gambino... he lost him in a battle. Your brother Guts is taking care of him."

Green was stunned, his eyes filled with shock and grief; his acting was so convincing that even he himself was starting to believe it.

However, hearing North say it with his own ears wasn't entirely without its impact. After all, he had taken in and raised North for six years, but... he remembered very clearly how North had betrayed him and Guts.

They say old people are cunning, and old horses are slippery. Even if he didn't hold a grudge against Gan Bi Nuo back then, now that he's been wandering outside and has experienced so much, how could he, with a mental age of over 30, not understand what Gan Bi Nuo was up to?

Perhaps for Gambino, raising two sons is no different from raising two dogs; they're not even considered pawns.

"...Green?!"

Just as Green was trying to squeeze out a few tears to make it look real, Gus's voice rang out from the camp ahead.

That's great, he tried so hard to squeeze out tears that he was almost constipated, but not a single tear came out.

"Guts!!"

Green looked in the direction of the sound and saw Gus walking quickly toward him. After confirming it was Green, Gus gradually turned into a runner and ran toward him.

In the three and a half years, Guss had grown much taller and stronger, and his eyes showed more maturity and determination. Even at such a young age, he exuded a fierce and intimidating aura.

Green immediately dismounted to greet Gus, and he pounced on Green like a small cannonball. The two of them fell to the ground in the snow, playing and frolicking like two little dogs.

"You bastard, you're still alive."

Gus held Green for a while before placing his hands on the snow and carefully examining Green, his eyes reddening.

Green's face and hair were covered in snowflakes from the ground. He blew some of the snowflakes away and wiped his face before playfully cupping Gus's face in his hands. It seemed he had been thinking too much about the child.

"Of course I'm still alive, I came back to find you."

Hearing these words, Gus could no longer hold back his tears, which fell onto Green's face.

"...You've grown quite a bit taller, and your hair has grown longer too."

"I thought...I thought...I would never see you again." Gus's voice quickly choked up, and he could barely form a sentence.

...Guts really looks like a puppy.

...No one has ever cared about me this much before.

Green's eyes also welled up with tears. Ugh, it's been so long since I've cried. Emotions really are contagious.

"...You too, Guts, you've grown so much."

The two embraced and wept in the snow, as if releasing all the longing and yearning they had endured over the past three and a half years. The mercenaries around them were also moved by the scene, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

However, just standing there isn't a solution, as it's quite awkward for two groups of strangers to be standing there.

"Ahem, are these people your friends?" North interrupted their reminiscing at the opportune moment.

Green then remembered that he was being followed by his guards, and quickly stood up to introduce them: "Yes, Mr. North, they are all my companions. I was able to return safely thanks to their help along the way."

Gus also stood up, looking at Green's guards with a hint of wariness in his eyes, but more so with trust in Green.

North nodded meaningfully. "Since we're all friends, let's go into the camp together. Everyone's exhausted, let's eat something hot to warm ourselves up first."

The group followed North into the camp. Green and Guts walked side by side. Along the way, Guts kept asking Green about his experiences over the past three and a half years, and Green patiently answered them one by one.

Upon entering the camp, steaming hot food was already laid out. Everyone sat together, eating and chatting, but it was clear that the soldiers Green had brought had not yet been accepted by the Fierce Bear Regiment.

North also instructed Reno to increase security, since the job they had taken on now could not afford to make a mistake.

"...I never thought your brother would be so lucky. Now you two should take good care of Gambino," the old soldier beside him said casually.

"Mm," Gus replied casually, wiping away his tears.

Green noticed that although Guss seemed to be chatting and laughing with everyone, a hint of worry would occasionally flash in his eyes. He knew that Guss must be hiding something in his heart.

"...They're really lucky. How did that child born from the corpse end up alive? It's even brought misfortune upon Gambino!" Some of the veterans whispered among themselves.

This naturally did not escape Green's ears. His eyes turned bloodshot in an instant as he looked toward the source of the sound, and scales grew on his hands beneath his arm armor.

...An uncontrollable killing intent rose from the bottom of his heart.

The old soldier who had been muttering to himself felt his hair stand on end under Green's gaze. Why did Green's eyes seem to turn bloodshot for a moment? Was it just his imagination?

How could they possibly hear that from so far away? They must be seeing things.

"What bad luck!" the old soldier muttered, and moved to another spot.

Green suppressed his murderous intent. He knew it wasn't the time to act impulsively, but he would remember this grudge.

Green turned to look at Gus, only to find that Gus seemed to have heard the veteran's words as well. He looked somewhat uneasy, his head lowered, his lips pursed, and he silently cooked the meal.

Green walked over to Gus and whispered, "Ignore those people, what do they know?"

Gus forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm used to it."

Green felt a pang of heartache. He knew that Gus must have suffered a lot of grievances in the Fierce Bear Clan over the years, and it seemed that staying in the Fierce Bear Clan was not a long-term solution.