"Kramsh, you bastard! What happened to my Ram???"
The moment Granny Karom stepped outside, she saw Chief Kramsh carrying Solam toward her. Solam lay unconscious in his arms, his eyes tightly shut. She exploded at once.
Granny Karom was taking her anger out on him, plain and simple. But what could you do? Women were like that. Besides, for all these years, whenever anything happened to Solam, the old man was always the one who got blamed. Everyone was used to it by now. The old man could only sigh helplessly. Was a grown man really going to argue with an old woman?
The old woman snatched Solam from the old man's arms as if he had hurt him.
She hurried to carry Solam to his own tent, not giving the old man a chance to explain. If she hadn't been worried about Solam's injuries, she certainly wouldn't have let him off so easily. A thorough scolding would have been unavoidable.
After checking Solam's injuries, the old woman immediately cast a Rejuvenation Spell on him. His wounds healed at an astonishing speed, scabbing over before long. (A Shaman's healing abilities weren't especially strong; they couldn't restore an injured area to its original state the way a Cleric could.) Solam still didn't wake up, though. He continued sleeping like the dead.
Just then, Solari came in and asked, "Granny, how's Ram? His injuries aren't serious, are they?"
"He'll be fine. He's just a little tired. Sigh, how can such a little boy be made to suffer like this? It's all that bastard old fossil in your family. He's always thinking about making the child suffer, talking about how he has to become a warrior and all that. What could a child this young possibly understand? That old coot put the idea in his head." As she complained about the old man, Granny Karom had Solari change Solam out of his filthy clothes.
Solari's mouth twitched as she listened. She wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't. To be honest, she thought the old woman doted on Solam a little too much. She didn't entirely agree with her father-in-law's desire to raise Solam into a great warrior, but she did think there was no harm in letting the child toughen up a little. Still, looking at the old woman, she didn't dare say any of that.
Solari stripped all the clothes off Ram, cleaned him with warm water, then gently laid him on the fur bedding.
"Zaira was just about to come over and look after him, but I talked her out of it. No wonder she was so worried. Those two boys actually sneaked out to catch a few Alpine Goats for Zaira, and now they've ended up like this. Of course she'd be worried sick." Solari hurriedly changed the subject. After all, it was awkward for a daughter-in-law to hear someone badmouthing her father-in-law.
"Mm. She hasn't even recovered herself yet. Her coming over now would only cause more trouble. They're both good kids. They just never let anyone relax."
That evening, the old woman didn't leave. She joined the old man, Karut, and Trick in the chief's tent to discuss what had happened that day.
After all this time, the old woman had calmed down. Now she could talk things over with the old man in a level-headed way.
"Did Ram really go Berserk back then?"
"Mm. Given the circumstances, that's the only possibility," the old man said, his brow furrowed.
"Those two kids really are blessed by the Heroic Spirits. If Solam hadn't been so young and unable to withstand the Berserk state, causing him to pass out, Krum would have been in danger too." Granny Karom spoke with lingering fear.
Once an Orc went Berserk without a Shaman nearby to soothe him, it was incredibly dangerous. If he succumbed to madness, he could kill every living thing around him.
"Mm. But I don't know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that Ram has a talent for going Berserk at such a young age." The old man wasn't concerned about whether it was lucky.
"It's definitely not a good thing. The earlier the talent for Berserk manifests, the more likely one is to lose oneself to that violent power," Granny Karom said worriedly. "Even we Avalon Orcs can only resist its ravages on the mind once we're adults with firm resolve, thanks to the blessing of the prophet Garul. Solam isn't a pure-blooded Avalon Orc, and he's much too young. There's no way he can control that power."
The old man's brow furrowed even more as he listened to Granny Karom. He said nothing.
"Kramsh, you need to think carefully about what path Ram should take in the future," Granny Karom said earnestly when the old man had remained silent for some time. "His best path is to study the ways of the Shaman and use the Shaman's power to suppress that violent force. Even the prophet Garul once lost himself to that fury when he was young. In the end, it was the power of the Shaman that helped him overcome it. You don't want Solam to become like those Orcs outside, confused and brutal, do you?"
"Of course I don't, but—"
"No buts, Kramsh. I know you want Ram to become a warrior, but for his future, he can't take that path. Besides, even as a Shaman, he can still fight like a warrior." Granny Karom cut him off decisively.
The old man was deeply troubled. He had always wanted Solam to become a warrior, but this unexpected incident had ruined his plans. What kind of warrior could an Avalon Orc be if he couldn't control his Berserk state? He knew plenty of powerful warriors elsewhere never went Berserk, but in the Avalon Orcs' eyes, anyone who couldn't control Berserk wasn't a worthy warrior. They also looked down on their kin who let fury and chaos corrupt their minds, believing them to be more beast than warrior.
If Solam really became as dazed and mindless as those Black Orcs outside, the old man wouldn't be able to face his youngest son, who had died young, after his own death. Nor would the Heroic Spirits of his clan's ancestors forgive him.
Karut and Trick were both sitting in the tent, but neither had any right to speak. After all, they were only Solam's uncles and had no say in his future.
Besides, to be honest, both Karut and Trick thought there was nothing wrong with Solam becoming a Shaman. It meant less work, staying close to home, and no danger.
(Shamans were provided for by the clan. They didn't have to hunt or herd livestock, and had their own herds, which the clan helped care for. They only helped the clan with things like weddings and funerals, ancestor worship, and the like. To them, none of that counted as hard labor.)
The old man sat there thinking for a long time. In the end, he reluctantly gave in. He had been stubborn all his life and never knew how to compromise. But when it came to his beloved grandson, even he had to yield. He couldn't treat his grandson's future as if it didn't matter.
"Fine. I agree. But he absolutely cannot neglect his martial training. That's my final demand." Though he gritted his teeth as he agreed, he still needed to save face. He knew that if Solam really became a Shaman, he probably wouldn't have much time to practice martial arts.
"No problem. I absolutely won't stop him from practicing martial arts." Having finally achieved her lifelong wish, Granny Karom was all smiles. If she hadn't seen how upset the old man was, she might have danced and sung right then and there.
Seeing her like that made the old man feel extremely annoyed. After all these years of standing firm, he had still let the old woman have her way. Thinking of all the years she had scolded him over this, he felt so aggrieved that he couldn't help taking a jab at Granny Karom.
"Hmph. Don't get too pleased with yourself. If Ram doesn't pass the Spirit Communion Ritual, I'll still make him become a warrior. I'll just be stricter with him then. I refuse to believe I can't help him control Berserk."
After finally winning their years-long "battle," the old woman was in such a good mood that she didn't care about the old man's last "bark" as a defeated dog. She had to maintain a winner's dignity, after all. So she ignored him completely and happily left with Karut supporting her, leaving the old man alone to sulk.
Granny Karom left in high spirits, and the tent fell quiet. Trick was miserable. He didn't dare speak, but he didn't dare leave either. He couldn't sit still, afraid the old man would use him as a punching bag. This had happened countless times over the years: whenever Granny Karom made the old man furious, he took it out on Trick and his older brother, cursing them both half to death.
Karut, the eldest, was clearly the clever one. Seeing trouble coming, he had run off with Granny Karom. Trick cursed his brother for being a sneak while silently repeating, "You can't see me. You can't see me."
But he was obviously overestimating his luck. How could the old man fail to see a grown man sitting right there?
"What are you sitting there like an idiot for? Do you expect your old man to keep you company? Tell me, what use are you if you can't even keep an eye on a child?" The old man saw his son sitting there stupidly without saying a word. The sight irritated him more and more until anger surged up, and he began to curse him out.
Trick felt a river of sorrow welling up inside him. What did this have to do with him? His wife had just given birth. How was he supposed to watch the child? But the old man's authority weighed heavily on him, and Trick didn't dare make a peep. He could only hang his head and listen obediently. If he dared let even half a word slip, he'd be beaten half to death on the spot. There was no exaggeration—the old man could beat him as easily as playing around.
And so Trick was berated by his father for nearly half an hour. Only after the old man had vented to his satisfaction did he chase him out. "Why are you still standing there? Zaira gave birth today. Why aren't you with her, sitting here like an idiot instead? Are you trying to piss me off? Get out!"
As if I wanted to be here. If I could've gotten away, who'd be bored enough to sit around and get yelled at? Trick grumbled inwardly as he darted out of the tent.
But when he thought of the chubby baby boy who had just been born, his mood immediately lifted. He hurried back to his own tent, full of energy. Seeing his wife and his son nursing in her arms, he felt that this was the happiest moment of his life.
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