Five days had passed. Five days of barely scraping by, gathering what little food they could to survive the winter. Aeren sighed as she looked at the makeshift village, a patchwork of temporary lodgings.
Erik’s soldiers had turned Hazart Palan into ruins, or nearly flattened it. This was a move aimed at political and military gains. A warning to nearby clans and a tactic to cut off resources and supply routes to the scattered survivors of Hazart Palan.
But it was excessive. In clan wars, the clan’s capital, the food storage that ensures winter survival, is considered sacred. Starving clan warriors would raid other clans sporadically before winter ends, leading to the eventual collapse of nearby villages.
Moreover, the warning that they could burn down clan storages would only provoke resistance. The kind of warning that if defeated, the clan could be annihilated. This is a bad move that must be avoided to unite tribes without battle. If they wage war against all northern clans, no tribe would survive.
“Sigh…”
Their bad move should have been our opportunity, but looking at the shivering, starving warriors, that opportunity seemed distant. Aeren let out a deep sigh.
“Hey, Shieldmaiden. You’re going to collapse the ground with all that sighing.”
“Gunnar.”
“You seem really worried. It’s time to leave, so why are you sitting here like this?”
“The southerners haven’t returned yet.”
“That guy’s probably dead. And if we stay here, we’ll all follow him. Aeren. I didn’t bring our entire tribe here to starve to death while staring at the winter sea.”
Gunnar grumbled as he approached. Aeren brushed her hair back and looked at the distant, rolling sea. Still, that man hadn’t returned.
“If we leave, those warriors will all desert. It’s a force we can’t afford to lose. Staying a few more days won’t cause more significant losses. Anyway, wherever we go, if their main force pushes in, we won’t be able to stop them.”
Gunnar nodded at Aeren’s words and slowly approached her. He glanced around and whispered in a low voice.
“Let’s go to your lodge. I have something important to discuss.”
+
Gunnar sat down by the tactical map, campfire, and table in the middle of the lodge. Aeren closed the curtain and crossed her arms. Gunnar hesitated before speaking with difficulty.
“This is just a guess, but the situation is serious.”
“What is it?”
“Well, last night your warriors returned. I gave them some drinks and listened to their stories.”
It had been a day since the warriors who left with Fernandez returned. At that time, Aeren was struggling to gather the scattered warriors and villagers at the clan’s borders.
Exhausted, they only reported that Fernandez had gone deeper and left to rest, so Aeren hadn’t fully grasped the expedition’s details.
Gunnar slowly began to speak.
“It seems Erik’s goal isn’t unification.”
-Thud!
“Can you stop that?”
[I’m worried you might get lost!]
Fernandez sighed as he watched flowers pop up in the middle of the snow. Ever since their last conversation, this goddess had been trying to prove her usefulness at every plausible moment.
Honestly, it was annoying. The ability he wanted from her wasn’t to bloom flowers or act as a nature-friendly compass.
“I already know the way. I can read the stars.”
[Congratulations on having eyes!]
“Just get down and walk with your own feet, witch.”
[Thud!]
Now she was throwing a tantrum, making clear sounds with her own mouth. Soon, flowers popped up at his feet as if protesting.
[The warriors you sent back have rejoined the tribe. It seems the tribal chief is preparing to leave.]
“That’s not good. Erik’s goal isn’t a unification war. It would be better to stay put.”
[What do you mean?]
“It means they won’t send troops back to areas they’ve already passed. Their goal isn’t complete annihilation or domination of the enemy.”
[No, not that. What do you mean about Erik’s goal?]
“They polluted their own capital.”
Freya tilted her head and then suddenly slapped the back of Fernandez’s head. It didn’t hurt, but it was annoying. When Fernandez growled, she shouted in a bold tone.
[It’s a bad habit to skip steps in a conversation!]
“Thanks for the lecture. Fine. You should know too… Do you know why northerners only raise armies in the summer?”
[Because winter is cold. The sea is rough, making sailing difficult…]
“Half right. But there’s a bigger reason. Winter in the north is a decent hunting season. Animals preparing for winter are fat and defenseless. In spring, crops need to be grown, and in autumn, they need to be harvested. Summer? Except for fishing, there’s not much labor-intensive production.”
[…So?]
“They raised an army in winter. This is a surprise attack aimed solely at northern clans. Other clans are preparing for winter, fattening up, and defenseless. If you consider clans as beasts, war is an excessively calorie-consuming exercise. Building a supply chain to feed the tribe’s warriors, even if they win, they’d be exhausted after two or three wars.”
Fernandez stepped on the frozen snow with a crunch. Walking firmly, he spoke softly to the goddess on his back.
“Winning every war? Difficult but not impossible. But what remains after the war? Only the corpses of countless starved clans. A large-scale unification war? Starting by polluting their own capital? Now, do you see their goal?”
[Yes. This is…]
“Before Erik went crazy, I had some acquaintance with that old man. He was rough but cared for his clan. He wasn’t the type to gamble.”
“So?”
“So what? Their clan had fishermen, farmers, even blacksmiths and carpenters.”
Gunnar lifted the teapot warmed by the campfire. He poured tea into a cup…
