Barbarian Quest

Chapter 126

The birthplace of Serpentism was a barren desert. In that desert, they were discriminated against even by fellow southerners and starved at the bottom of life. There, where even a drop of blood or a morsel of flesh was precious, cannibalism was a familiar custom.

"Kylios, what are you doing here?"

Bahan's voice came from behind Urich, sending a chill down his spine. Urich instinctively reached for a weapon only to realize he was unarmed and clenched his fist instead.

"Bahan, who's that woman with you? I'm lonely at night too, why didn't you share?"

Urich jeered, eyeing the shabbily dressed woman standing beside Bahan.

Creak.

Before Bahan could even respond, the door opened. Trikee, who was inside, rolled his eyes and looked at Bahan and Urich.

"What are you doing here?" Trikee asked Urich first.

"I smelled something delicious. Is that the fine food you promised to treat me with? If so, I'm very disappointed. I don't enjoy human flesh."

Trikee and Bahan exchanged glances at Urich’s sharp words.

The atmosphere turned tense. Urich looked ready to subdue the situation at any moment with his fists.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding, Kylios."

"A misunderstanding?"

Urich twisted a smile.

They were kidnapping babies to eat them. Cannibalism was not a problem for Urich. If it was necessary to survive in poor conditions, it was justified.

'But not in this situation.'

Cannibalism was a last resort even for barbarians. Eating their own kind was instinctively repulsive. Even in Urich's homeland, the act of kidnapping children to eat them was unheard of.

"Then what's in that pot?"

Urich pushed Trikee aside and entered the room. He reached into the hot pot and pulled out a boiled piece of meat. The faint form of a baby was still discernible.

"That is human meat, just as you thought."

Trikee did not deny it.

"Trikee, your actions don’t align with what you’ve been telling me all this time."

"Watch your mouth when you’re speaking to the Ark!"

Bahan grabbed Urich's forearm, glaring at him.

"A cannibalistic savior, how unique."

Urich shook his head. The sound of his neck cracking was audible.

"...did my child enter safely?"

The woman beside Bahan suddenly sat down, speaking. She clutched Trikee's clothes, weeping sorrowfully.

"This child will move on to the next world with me. We have become one," Trikee consoled the woman.

'Is the child she's referring to the one Trikee just ate? But I don’t sense any hatred from her.’'

Urich, confused, put the child back in the pot. Trikee gave Urich a reproachful look.

"You shouldn't have shown that to the child's mother, Kylios."

Trikee scolded with slight but obvious anger. Urich looked around, not understanding the situation.

Bahan left the room, supporting the weeping woman. Trikee sighed and sat back down in front of the pot.

Chew.

Trikee kept eating the human flesh. Despite almost vomiting, he forced himself to swallow the baby. Urich watched this scene from behind.

"Why doesn't that woman hate the man who ate her child?"

Trikee didn’t even turn around. He gasped for air as if eating was a struggle.

"This child was already dead at birth. It’s quite common in brothels where health isn't cared for. Before being led by Lou into reincarnation without discernment... Eating the remaining flesh and blood with a soul is harvesting. It's part of the Ark's role. The Ark is a savior who saves every soul, taking them to the next world."

Trikee gagged several times. Despite a full stomach, he forced himself to eat. Even while gagging, he desperately covered his mouth and swallowed the meat.

What Urich was witnessing was the result of Serpentism's old cannibalistic culture and the new-found salvation belief. Trikee ate the baby who didn’t even get to open its eyes for its salvation. It was undoubtedly a bizarre scene to a civilized person, but it was a conclusion drawn after long contemplation for Trikee.

In Serpentism, it was believed that a human's soul and life force transfer through flesh and blood. Perhaps this belief stems from the faith birthed in harsh deserts and barren wastelands, where cannibalism was frequent.

"This child will go to a world without pain with me. U-ugh."

Trikee leaned over, gagging. He hastily drank water. His body was emaciated, but his belly protruded like a tadpole’s.

Urich quietly observed Trikee. If he were a civilized person or a Sun Warrior, he would have immediately struck Trikee down. To them, Trikee eating a baby would only be seen as monstrous.

Urich vacillated between disgust and an invading sense of reverence.

'Is this also a way of life?'

* * *

There was a man who was born with everything in his hands. Some might say it's impossible, but the third emperor, Yanchinus, was destined to inherit the world from the moment of his birth. The empire built by his grandfather and father was strong, and oddly, Yanchinus did not have a single sibling.

Yanchinus effortlessly attained the riches and glory that no ordinary person could even dream of achieving in a lifetime. He lacked nothing of this world's material possessions.

"People eventually die, but what matters is what they leave behind during their allotted time," Yanchinus said.

He craved immortal achievements. He felt the need to leave his name in history like his grandfather and father. He refused to be remembered as just another emperor who luckily inherited the world. He, too, was a man of ambition, with the fierce blood of his predecessors flowing in his veins.

Step.

Yanchinus took a step forward.

In a secluded chamber of the Palace of White Night, also known as the Palace of Ten Pleasures, a tremble was felt from the dark shadows.

"The beauty of the Porcana Royal Family has finally fallen into my hands. But even the most famous beauty fades with time. A woman's prime is short, and they must desperately bear children in that short window."

Yanchinus lit a candle. In the chamber, Damia was hanging from the ceiling by her arms. She looked at Yanchinus with a tired expression.

"You have a nasty hobby, Your Majesty."

Damia muttered. She was wearing a dress as she hung from the ceiling with her slender body stretched long by her uplifted arms.

"There are two types of princesses. They are all either well-educated and submissive or foolish enough to think they are true royalty. Only men can be true royalties, and even those men often become pawns, let alone women who are simply just political tools. Yet they act all high and mighty, thinking they are true royalty."

Yanchinus unbuckled his leather belt. He held it like a whip and swung it hard.

Slap!

The belt struck Damia's side fiercely. She clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes, suppressing any moan.

'Madman.'

Emperor Yanchinus's sexual preferences were far from normal. He must have been with countless beauties even before he reached puberty, indulging in every kind of extravagant pleasure, so developing bizarre sexual inclinations was inevitable.

Squeeze.

Yanchinus grabbed Damia's cheek and pressed hard.

"I like you, Damia. The more finely crafted a doll is, the more satisfying it is to shatter it. Treasure that petty pride like a jewel. If it shatters, unable to withstand my desires, you'll be thrown down to the other women below, used merely to entertain guests."

Slap!

Yanchinus raised his palm and slapped Damia's cheek. Her head whipped around, and blood spilled from her mouth.

'Monster.'

Damia feared Yanchinus, but she did not show it.

'If I submit to him out of fear, he'll just lose interest in me.'

That was the kind of man Yanchinus was. A man like him could never love a woman. In fact, it seemed he didn't regard anyone but himself as human.

'Every man is his tool, every woman his toy.'

Damia saw through Yanchinus. Even in their intimate moments, there was no warmth in her under region, only coldness.

"Blonde hair shining like the sun, blue eyes brighter than jewels."

Yanchinus gently stroked Damia's hair as if he hadn't just hit her.

"You seem excited."

Damia opened her eyes half-heartedly. Life in the empire was more brutal than she had thought. She knew she was going to be used as a sexual object, but this was beyond that.

'Varca, did you know I would be treated like this? If you did, then you are already a great king.'

Damia thought of her one and only brother.

"Ah, I ran into an interesting man. You’d be happy if I told you who it was."

"An interesting man?"

Damia responded, hanging from the ceiling. Her arms were starting to ache as if they were only moments away from popping out of the sockets of her shoulders.

"Urich."

Yanchinus uttered the name and watched Damia's reaction.

'Urich.'

Damia concealed her expression, but Yanchinus had already noticed the slight twist on her face.

"A man you truly despise."

Yanchinus' smile widened, corners of his mouth almost hanging by his ears.

"It is in the past."

Damia replied calmly. She had once whispered in his bed before the emperor had revealed his true form, hoping to use him, not knowing it was Yanchinus' trap.

"I've given that man a troublesome task. If he does well, he deserves a reward."

Yanchinus slipped his hand under Damia's dress.

Rip.

The dress tore, revealing Damia's bruised body. It was clear evidence of their nightly activities.

"What if you were given to Urich? How would you cry then?"

"I am Your Majesty's concubine. To be given to such a barbarian would tarnish Your Majesty's honor..." Damia spoke desperately.

"Shut up. I simply want to see you cry in the arms of your archenemy. I don't care about the rest."

Yanchinus laughed. Just the thought alone excited him. His sadistic desires flared for the first time in a while.

Damia's face turned cold and hatred filled her eyes.

"That's the face I wanted to see. That's what whets my appetite. To hold a woman who truly hates me is a conquest for a man."

Yanchinus took out a knife and cut the rope connecting the ceiling, dropping Damia to the floor.

Thud.

Damia barely had time to gather herself before Yanchinus unleashed his desire upon her. Despite her body bruising from the fall, Yanchinus showed no consideration, choking her in his pursuit of pleasure to show that there was nothing more important than his own desire.

'A terrible monster who lives in the heart of the empire.'

Damia gasped for air. Her mind flickered between pain and pleasure, her head muddled.

‘I’m going to kill him someday.'