Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 13 Hunting Ground
The emperor is only one and a half years old and can't even speak yet, so why is he looking for us?
Vig muttered to himself as he and his companion squeezed into the carriage under the urging of the cavalry. Gazing at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window, he suddenly realized that the carriage was heading out of the city.

"Strange, the palace is located on the seaside of the southeastern city, so why are we being led to the west?"

With a bewildered look on Vig's face, the carriage drove through the bustling city and arrived at the towering walls of Constantinople. After passing through the city gate, the caravan traveled a distance further, finally reaching the outermost defensive fortification of Constantinople—the Theodosian Wall.

This world-famous defensive fortification has two layers, an inner and an outer one. The inner wall is about twelve meters high and is made of large blocks of limestone. Every fifty meters there is a square gate tower, which is about twenty meters high.

The outer walls were relatively low, only about eight meters high, and there was a moat outside the city that was twenty meters wide.

Vig swallowed hard. "Such sturdy fortifications."

If you were the attacker, without heavy siege artillery, neither catapults nor ballistae would be enough to destroy this defensive fortification. You would have to force a siege with tens of thousands of infantry or attack from the sea.

However, upon closer examination, naval attacks were far more difficult, as the Eastern Roman Empire's secret weapon—Greek fire—was remarkably effective against wooden ships. During the height of the Arab Empire's power, its navy held an overwhelming numerical advantage and twice besieged Constantinople, only to suffer heavy losses from this secret weapon, forcing them to abandon their conquest of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Two hours later, the convoy arrived at its destination. Vig jumped out of the carriage and saw many purple tents on the western hills. At the foot of the hills, a large number of Imperial Guard soldiers were scattered, with banners fluttering and spears like a forest, as if they were holding their annual autumn hunt.

"You've finally arrived."

The steward appeared out of nowhere and led the Vikings toward the hill, giving a brief explanation of the situation along the way.
"At the beginning of this year, the master planned to send envoys to contact the Rus' people and invite them to fight against the Penecheg tribe on the steppe, so that these nomads would not harass our settlements on the northern coast of the Black Sea every now and then, which would seriously affect our grain imports from the north. Unfortunately, the envoys were killed en route. Given that you are very capable fighters, the master wants you to escort the next group of envoys on your return journey."

After listening to him finish speaking, Rurik explained to his companion in Scandinavian, and Vig finally relaxed.

"So it was just an escort for envoys. Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me worry and be afraid."

After being searched, the caravan members were taken to the top of the hill and, led by the steward, bowed to the one-year-old baby in a purple robe on the throne.

For some reason, His Majesty the Emperor was not afraid of the group of tall Vikings. He clapped his chubby little hands and chuckled, which made the surrounding nobles laugh along with him, thus easing the tense atmosphere.

Vig kept his head down, using the corner of his eye to observe his surroundings, secretly guessing...
"To the emperor's left sat a middle-aged woman in a purple robe, with a reserved smile, surrounded by many noblewomen; she must be the Empress Dowager Theodora. To the right, a middle-aged man exchanged glances with his steward; this must be Baldas. Further to the right, a man with an arrogant expression stood behind him, with a group of well-dressed nobles behind him; this must be the minister Dioctestos."

At this moment, the Dowager raised her wine cup, gesturing for Rurik to recount the events from beginning to end. Soon after, when she learned that Vig had single-handedly fought the nomads, killing ten and scaring away the remaining four, she suddenly turned her head and whispered something to Baldas.

The next moment, Baldas' smile faded considerably. "Since the Queen Mother suspects the Vikings are lying, why not pick a soldier to fight him? I bought a Damascus steel sword last month, which will serve as a thank-you gift to the victor."

"Very well, let's have a match then." The Empress Dowager glanced at the nobles present and asked who was willing to participate. Behind her, a noblewoman from Patra recommended her guard, and the Empress Dowager agreed, allowing the two to duel with blunt swords.

From Vig's perspective, his opponent, named Basil, looked to be in his thirties, of medium build by Greek standards, and about seven or eight centimeters shorter than him.

Judging from this person's gait and eyes, he doesn't seem like a master swordsman. Could he be deliberately hiding his skills?
"Let's begin, don't keep His Majesty waiting too long," the Empress Dowager said lightly, then raised her right hand to the wine cup, signaling the eunuch to pour the wine.

Seeing this, Vig's eyes sharpened, and he took a big step forward. Using the force, he slashed diagonally downwards with his sword. His opponent raised his sword to block, but he did not expect this Viking barbarian to be so strong, and he staggered.

Taking advantage of the moment, Vig instinctively used the blade to stir the enemy's sword, then gently flicked it upwards like a viper spitting its tongue, the blunt tip of the sword swiftly striking the opponent's right wrist.

Before anyone could react, the man's blunt sword had already fallen to the ground, signaling the end of the contest. The speed was so fast that even the Empress Dowager's wine cup hadn't been filled yet.

Amidst numerous astonished gazes, even Vig himself was stunned. "Am I really that good? Surely not?"

He looked around blankly, staring at the bronze mirror not far away, and realized that he had grown much taller in the past six months. The few remaining traces of childishness had disappeared, and he had grown into a tall and strong Viking man.

"Good, I knew the Scandinavians weren't good at lying. Quick, bring me that Damascus steel sword." Ignoring the slight displeasure on the Empress Dowager's face, Baldas burst into laughter, and Emperor Michael laughed along with him.

In the ensuing discussions, Bardas's proposal to support the Rus' people was largely agreed upon. For him, not only had he achieved his goal, but he had also curbed the Queen Mother's arrogance; the autumn hunt couldn't have been more perfect.

Back at the warehouse, Vig carefully examined the newly acquired Damascus steel sword. It weighed about the same as a regular one-handed sword, with a blade about 80cm long. There was a blood groove near the hilt, and the surface was covered with winding and intricate patterns. A crimson garnet was inlaid at the end of the hilt.

Beside him, Rurik clicked his tongue in amazement. "You're very lucky. These kinds of swords combine toughness and sharpness, making them some of the world's finest weapons. Have you thought of a name for them? I think 'Oath Keeper,' 'Slayer,' and 'Widow's Wail' are all pretty good."

Vig gazed at the dazzling and beautiful patterns on the sword's blade, feeling as if the sword had been scorched by the breath of a dragon from a fantasy novel. After much deliberation, he decided to name it "Dragon's Breath."

"What a strange name. Oh well, this sword belongs to you anyway."

Rurik yawned and told everyone to count the gifts Baldas had given them, or more accurately, the payment for hiring them to escort the envoy.

After taking stock, he looked up at the starry night sky and sighed, "The profit from this trip is equivalent to eight ordinary trips. With this wealth, I can end my trading career early and pursue the ideals that my heart truly yearns for. Whew, I didn't expect this day to come so soon."

(End of this chapter)