Chapter 38: Dividing the Bread

Kamal returned to the Iron Jaw Tribe’s temporary camp with the donkey cart.

The Iron Jaw Tribe had already set up their encampment on the plains, 5 miles away from Border City. They were currently lighting fires to prepare meat porridge for dinner.

“Master Kamal, we’ve already eaten. This bread is safe. Can we distribute it to the others?”

The young soldiers from Kamal’s centuria approached the donkey cart and asked him.

“Go ask Priestess Kasia. If she confirms there’s no problem, you can do whatever you want with it.”

Kamal waved them off. He was still considering how to inform Chief Gros about the dangers of Border City and how they were supposed to take a fortified city garrisoned by such heavy troops.

With Kamal’s permission, the young soldiers quickly went to find Priestess Kasia, asking her to use a Blood Secret Art to check the safety of the cartload of bread.

“Where did you get so much bread?”

Kasia was startled when she saw the large cart of bread.

“Sister Kasia, the Lord of that city across from us gave it to us,” the boys answered truthfully.

“A human gave it to you!”

The moment she heard their answer, Kasia’s hand stopped inches from the bread.

“You didn’t already eat it, did you?! How could you dare eat something given by humans?”

Kasia’s azure wolf eyes widened instantly, and the wolf ears nestled in her hair stood straight up. She shouted at the boys, her voice a mix of worry and anger.

“We… we’re sorry, Sister Kasia. We were just so hungry.”

“Yes, we were starving. The bread smelled so good; we couldn’t help ourselves.”

The boys lowered their heads under Kasia’s scolding.

“I know you’re hungry, but still… Do you feel any discomfort right now?”

Hearing the boys cry out about their hunger, Kasia’s anger was extinguished like a flame doused in ice water.

“Yes,” the boys looked at one another before one of them stepped forward.

“Is it pain?”

“No. It’s been so long since we’ve eaten our fill that our stomachs feel a bit tight. Burp—”

“You kids… please, give us a break. And you, Kamal! Why didn’t you keep an eye on these children? If you bring them away from their homes, you must take responsibility for them!”

While Kasia complained, she activated her Blood Secret Art to check if the bread had been poisoned or cursed.

“My apologies. I was thinking about other matters at the time,” Kamal replied in a low voice.

“Fortunately, the humans didn’t resort to foul play this time. There’s nothing wrong with the bread. Let the children eat their fill, but don’t let them have too much. It’ll be easy for them to hurt themselves by overeating.”

After finishing her inspection and confirming it was safe, Kasia gave Kamal the final word.

With Kasia’s safety guarantee, the young soldiers from Kamal’s centuria quickly ran through the camp to find their friends, inviting them to share the free, delicious bread.

Usually, the other young soldiers in the camp could only watch as the veterans drank warm meat porridge, waiting until the older men finished so they could fight over the leftovers in the pots.

Now, hearing that there was bread to be had, a crowd surged forward, surrounding the donkey cart until it was completely blocked.

Fearing that the large crowd might cause trouble, Kamal chose to stay behind and help Kasia maintain order during the distribution. He planned to report to Gros only after the bread was gone.

However, too many people came for the bread. Eventually, even some veterans who hadn’t eaten enough had the thick skin to join the line. One cart of bread was simply not enough.

“It’s gone! There’s no more bread! Everyone, stop lining up!”

Kamal and Kasia shouted at the crowd. The veterans and the more obedient young soldiers left once they heard there was nothing left.

But some were so hungry that they were unwilling to leave empty-handed.

“Wait, it’s already gone? What are we supposed to eat?”

“Yeah, what about us?”

“Are you hiding bread for yourselves?”

“We really aren’t! It was just one cart, and it’s finished! It’s truly gone! Children, stop waiting!”

Kasia shook her head helplessly.

The starving young soldiers wouldn’t listen to her explanations. Fortunately, just as things were about to spiral out of control, Gros arrived.

“What is going on here? Why is it so chaotic? And you children—if you know you’re hungry, why aren’t you lying down quietly? Don’t you know that the more you move, the hungrier you get?” Gros barked at the young soldiers.

“Chief, it’s like this,” Kamal stepped forward and explained the situation regarding the bread distribution.

“What! You’re saying you brought a cart of bread back from Border City? Did you charge into the city and take it? Well done, Kamal! You are as brave as your father and your grandfather!”

Gros patted Kamal’s shoulder in pleasant surprise. Finally, there was some good news.

“No, Chief. I didn’t enter Border City. This bread was given to me voluntarily by the city’s Lord.”

Kamal shook his head.

“He gave it to you voluntarily?”

Gros’s smile froze on his face.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that for now. You children, what is there to fight about? If you split one loaf into two halves, then everyone can eat!”

Gros could see that Kamal didn’t want to discuss the matter in public, so he proactively changed the subject to resolve the distribution issue.

Since the Chief had spoken, the young soldiers who already had bread thought about it for a moment before following his orders. They split their loaves in two and shared them with those who had nothing.

The young soldiers under Kamal’s command went a step further, giving up their bread entirely. They had already eaten their fill and wanted more of their kin to be sated.

With the distribution problem solved, Kamal followed Gros back to the main tent to report the intelligence he had gathered during his foray.

“The Lord of Border City is extremely arrogant. He has at least 8,000 elite armored infantrymen under his command, as well as a significant number of cavalry. Otherwise, he would never be so calm and bold.”

Kamal shared both his observations and his conservative guesses with Gros.

“That many troops…”

Gros felt a headache coming on. If those numbers were real, the Iron Jaw Tribe wouldn’t stand a chance unless the God of Thorny Rocks himself performed a miracle.

“You’re all overthinking this! All this guessing—if you ask me, we should just go over there and have a real fight with them!” Big Barton slammed his hand against the table impatiently.

“Calm down, Big Barton. We cannot be reckless,” Gros said, rubbing his temples while trying to settle him.

“Calm? I can’t be calm! When have I ever fought a war like this? All of you, one by one, why have you become so cowardly!”

After shouting, Big Barton stood up and stormed out of the tent.

Gros assumed Big Barton just needed to vent his frustration, so he didn’t stop him.

However, it wasn’t long before a soldier rushed into the tent, reporting to Gros in a panic.

“Chief, this is bad! Centurion Big Barton has led his men out of the camp and is charging toward Border City!”

“That brute! How many brothers is he trying to get killed? Old Gula, Kamal, you two stay and guard the camp. Everyone else, gather all the veterans in the units immediately! Follow me to save that idiot!”

Gros stood up and barked his orders.

By the time Gros issued his command, Big Barton’s centuria had already sprinted to within 2 miles of New Border City.

..

“Only 100 men. And by the looks of it, a hothead has arrived.”

Atop the city wall, Anke set down his bread and raised a telescope to observe the enemies rushing toward them.

“His Highness, do you need me to deal with them?”

Vera questioned Anke. If the barbarians only numbered 100, she could easily handle them if she led the charge.

“Of course. After all, a hothead like that won’t care about traps. Oh, and if possible, capture these barbarians alive. I have a great use for them.”

“I understand, His Highness.”

Vera nodded, gripped her Flag Lance, and turned to walk down the city wall.