"Chief, I'm Neil Falcon. I'm willing to serve you faithfully until death. I hope I can become the sword and spear in your hands."
At noon on the day after the camps merged, Landen received a very interesting offer of allegiance. It came from Neil Falcon, a young Mana-Wielder from the Wandering Badger Tribe.
Neil's mother was a member of the Frost-Wolf Family of the Dragon Kingdom, and his father had once been one of the Wandering Badger Tribe's finest cavalrymen. But Neil's father had died in a tribal conflict two years ago. At the time, Neil had just turned twelve and awakened his Mana-Wielder Bloodline.
Neil was one of the best riders among the young Barbarian Mana-Wielders. What's more, having grown up with his mother, he understood both the situation among the Barbarians and the power struggles among Human nobles.
Landen did need someone who could work with him to manage the 35 Barbarian Mana-Wielders in the Right Camp, along with their more than 200 Mana-Less family members. Neil seemed like a suitable candidate.
However, Neil didn't stand out much in the Right Camp, so Landen needed to do something to raise his standing.
"Get up, Neil. I accept your allegiance." Landen helped Neil to his feet. "I'd like to know how many people you can gather in the Right Camp right now."
"Uh..." Neil froze.
"I mean, if I gave you a patrol mission right now, how many people could you gather to go with you?"
"Hmm..." Neil thought for a moment. "Big Stone, Yellow Ears, Lan Wa... About six people would follow me, sir."
"You mean your Patrol Squad, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then take your people on patrol and scout out the surrounding tribes. If a tribe is small, ask whether they'd be willing to join ours.
"If it's a larger tribe, find out how many people they have."
Neil listened carefully. "Understood, sir."
"You can tell the tribes that I'm willing to trade pack animals and Long-Haired Sheep for their Human Mana-Wielders. Two pack animals for each person.
"If they don't need pack animals, we can trade Long-Haired Sheep, sausages, or Black-Scaled Horses instead.
"If they're willing to merge with us, we can provide food and give them some Black-Scaled Horses."
"What if they don't want to join us?"
"I need more Human Mana-Wielders now. If they have Human Mana-Wielder slaves and are willing to sell them to us, we'll treat them as friends.
"If a small tribe doesn't want to become our enemy, I can also trade iron goods and horses with them. But if they have Mana-Wielders and refuse to sell them to me, I'll take them by force," Landen said.
Landen had outgrown the small tribes' handful of Mana-Less people and livestock. What he needed was to acquire as many Human Mana-Wielders as possible and build his own cavalry force.
In the past, Landen had been terrified of encountering a Barbarian tribe of medium size or larger, and could only pick off small tribes. Now that he had become the leader of a medium-to-large tribe, he felt that going after small tribes scattered his forces too thinly.
"Yes, sir."
"First, pick out a few small tribes that look like they're short on food and persuade them to join us. If you get results, I'll have some of the camp's experts give you special training." Landen leaned in and quietly told him a few things.
"Huh?" Neil looked as though he hadn't understood a word.
"..." Landen began to realize what was going on. "Why don't you tell me the truth? Who taught you those lines just now?"
Neil answered outright, "My mother."
"Right. Go tell your mother what I said and ask her to help you figure out what I meant."
"Yes, sir." Neil got up and left.
The Barbarians really were straightforward. He'd actually gone back to ask his mother.
...(Neil had already left camp to scout)...
After the camps merged, Landen's camp had grown to more than 600 people, making it one of the biggest tribes in the Southern Gallop Plains.
Landen now had 17 Human Mana-Wielders under his direct command: one Junior Knight, three Reserve Knights, and thirteen Mana-Wielders. He also had 300 Mana-Less people. They were all in the Left Camp, in front of Landen's main tent.
Farther to the left of the Left Camp were the old Territory Residents from the former Gallop Barony.
On the right side in front of the main tent was the camp of 35 Barbarian Mana-Wielders. Landen simply called the two camps the Left Camp and the Right Camp to tell them apart.
As Landen walked through camp, he saw two very different scenes.
Among the Human residents of the Left Camp, the numbers in Groups One, Two, and Three had grown after the Wandering Badger Tribe joined them, but their daily routines remained much the same.
The women took care of the children together, while the cooks set up large pots to boil mutton.
Some people were washing clothes, repairing wooden furniture, smithing, tanning hides, and making sausages. Others had started spinning thread. When there was nothing else to do, they joined the girls from the Song and Dance Troupe in singing.
They sang Landen's "Gallop Folk Song," and from a distance the camp looked far more prosperous than the town beside Gallop Castle had in the past.
After merging two medium-sized camps, they had actually ended up with fewer Mana-Less people capable of managing others. In those tribes, Human Mana-Wielders had handled the actual administration, leaving the Mana-Less with little chance to contribute.
The Barbarian settlement in the Right Camp was much more monotonous. Each family cooked and ate on its own, and everyone stayed by their own tent. Some went to the fence to watch the people in the Left Camp singing, while others got into fights because they had too much free time.
Landen decided to give the Barbarians something to do. Among the many assorted items they had seized from them, he found hand drums and an instrument that sounded like clappers. He wanted the big Barbarians to practice making music.
Neil's patrol returned that afternoon. Landen watched Neil head straight back to his tent and figured the boy had gone to consult his mother again.
Neil later came to report to Landen. A small tribe had indeed expressed interest in joining them. He had also spotted three medium-sized tribes in the Eastern Region and the north, but hadn't had time to speak with them.
Landen wasn't in a hurry to launch a new campaign. Instead, he found a Mana-Less man who could sing and had Neil take a few of the cavalrymen who had patrolled with him to learn the song.
Landen held another campfire dinner, requiring everyone to attend, whether they were Barbarians or Territory Residents from Gallop.
As before, they had a group singing performance before the meal. The first to perform was the choir from Group Two in the Left Camp. After two singing competitions, Landen had decided it was his favorite choir.
Even the Barbarians were captivated by their singing. But perhaps because they had too much muscle, the Barbarians had a hard time following such a lilting melody.
"Everyone, my fellow residents!" Landen called out loudly after the choir finished. "Tell me, wasn't Group Two's performance wonderful?"
"Yes!" The crowd cheered, though they knew Group Two only knew that one song.
"I've written another song today. Neil and his Patrol Squad will sing it for us!"
"Whoa!" Everyone was astonished. No one had known Landen was writing a new song.
Everyone saw several Mana-Less people carrying hand drums, clappers, and a kind of eagle whistle. Then Neil's six-man Patrol Squad stepped forward.
The whistles and drums sounded. After three simple, rhythmic notes came the Barbarians.
"Ancestors, forefathers, the Royal Family, our fathers
Ancestors, forefathers, the Royal Family, our fathers
Eternal heroes, masters of Gallop
Black-Scaled Horse cavalry, riding across the plains in every age
Black-Scaled Horse cavalry, riding across the plains in every age
Gallop Banner, the walls of Night-Kirin City
Gallop Banner, the walls of Night-Kirin City
With all my heart, I sing your praises
Guard your cities, let your people roam the Grassland
Guard your cities, let your people roam the Grassland"
Landen had found inspiration for the melody in some country from his hometown whose symbol was an emerald Double-Headed Eagle. The tune was very simple and needed little more than a drumbeat. Better yet, Landen's lyrics never said whether the song was about Gallop or the Barbarians. After all, everyone rode Black-Scaled Horses.
You could sing about your ancestors, and I could sing about mine. Who knew what our ancestors' relationship had been? They'd probably fought side by side at some point.
Anyway, after all these years, they weren't going to climb out of their graves to set the record straight.
The lyrics repeated twice before the final drumbeat. When everything fell silent, the Barbarians were still stunned. Less than two seconds later, the first Barbarian roared, then every Barbarian and everyone in the Right Camp joined in.
Landen felt as if he'd returned to the ape enclosure at the zoo in his hometown.
A group of upright apes more than two meters tall roared until their voices gradually came together in the words, "Ancestors, forefathers."
Neil was looking at his mother, Makoto Frost-Wolf. As soon as he'd finished singing, he'd remembered his conversation that afternoon with Landen, the chief who was only a little older than him.
"You have three tasks. First, take your Patrol Squad and sing a song tonight. I'll teach it to you in a bit."
"Sing? I'm a Barbarian. I don't know how to sing."
"Who says Barbarians can't sing? You're going to do it. Tonight. No arguments." Landen had been imposing.
"Second, here are ten pounds of Magic Beast Meat. Starting today, come here every day and eat half a pound.
"After that, go find Raul and train. But today, you have to practice singing."
"Third, tomorrow or the day after, take your Patrol Squad and bring me a small tribe. You can use words or a knife. That's up to you."
"No problem. A small tribe has already agreed to join us." The Gallop Plains were harsh in winter, and many small tribes gathered together during the season. So plenty of small tribes were willing to accept Neil's offer.
"Good. If you have several options, pick the one with more people and a stronger presence. If it's a medium-sized tribe, don't act rashly. Wait for me to deal with it." Landen glanced at Neil, guessing what he was thinking. "If you want to go back to your tent, go ahead. Come back later to learn the song."
"Yes, sir." Neil actually ran back to his tent to ask his mother.
"Is that really what he said?" Neil's mother, Makoto, asked after hearing him repeat everything. "Didn't he ask you for anything?"
"No. He didn't ask for Gold Coins or horses, or even a sister."
"Hmm. That means he wants something you can't give him."
"Huh? What should I do, then?"
"He wants you to grow stronger and give it to him then." Makoto looked at her clueless son, trying to guess what Landen really had in mind.
Landen watched Neil with satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted. That afternoon, Neil and six big Barbarians had hollered away inside their tent. It was only four lines, yet they'd needed to try it four times before they could match the drumbeat. After that, they practiced over and over.
Landen wanted to turn this boy into a Barbarian leader with the power to rally people. He needed Neil to earn the respect of all the Barbarians, and he needed the Barbarians in his camp to accept his so-called claim to Gallop's legacy.
So Landen wanted to adapt the song and get every Barbarian singing about the connection between Night-Kirin and Gallop without even realizing it. Night-Kirin City was the jewel of the Gallop Plains, while the spirit of his Gallop Tribe was embodied by the Night-Kirin Banner. He wanted to strengthen his ties to Gallop and Night-Kirin.
"Everyone!" Landen stood and shouted. Everyone fell silent. Their chief and lord was about to speak. "Gallop is our name, and Night-Kirin is our banner!" Landen pointed to his flag.
"My ancestors were once kings of this thousand-mile plain. Today, I'll lead you in uniting every tribe, great and small!"
The camp fell utterly silent. The Human residents couldn't believe Landen had called for the unification of the Gallop Plains in front of so many Barbarians. The Barbarians simply thought Landen couldn't possibly come up with that much money and food.
"I know that the tribes on the Gallop Plains are now more numerous than the branches of a river, and their riders more numerous than the stars in the sky.
"Unity will be difficult, but it must be achieved." Landen's voice was firm. He looked at Neil.
"Neil!"
"Yes!"
"I want you to carry this song from tribe to tribe. Take my command and Gallop's goodwill to them. Let them know that the great Gallop Tribe is different from the Grey Goose Tribe.
"We won't lead our riders into bloody battles against the people of the Dragon Kingdom. I'll lead the warriors of the Grassland into a new life!
"You won't have to worry about harsh winters or fear ice disasters and plagues. I'll bring together all the Human Mana-Wielders in the tribes. I'll bring order, stability, and victory to these plains!"
Neil was utterly stunned. Even the chiefs of the Grey Goose and Wandering Badger Tribes had never dreamed so big. He didn't know what to say. The whole camp was silent.
"What are you waiting for? Sing of our ancestors and forefathers! Let Gallop's banner fly beneath the heavens!" A woman suddenly shouted. At once, all the Barbarian Mana-Wielders began to roar.
"Ancestors, forefathers, the Royal Family, our fathers
Ancestors, forefathers, the Royal Family, our fathers
..."
The drums and whistles sounded again, and everyone in the Right Camp was swept up in their chief's grand vision.
It wasn't just the Right Camp. Many residents and old residents from the Left Camp joined in too.
To them, the ancestors and forefathers of the Gallop Plains were Landen's ancestors from the Gallop Royal Family.
Landen noticed the woman who had just spoken. He also noticed Neil looking at her.
Landen was very pleased with the evening. But when he turned to Albert, he saw a somewhat frightened expression on his face. Not understanding why, Landen smiled at him.