I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 168
âIf your conversation is finished, may I begin the explanation now?â
Ulbach asked with a smile that seemed halfway to resignation.
Startled, Nisha quickly nodded.
âSorry.â
âNo, itâs fine. It just looked like Her Highness kept getting caught up in whatever the Kagan was doing earlier.â
Hearing Ulbachâs kindly spoken jab, laying all the blame at Kaganâs feet, Nisha gave a small shiver as she glanced toward Kaganâs face.
This country really does seem to defy its king without fear.
Had it been in Roshan, someone like Ulbach wouldâve been executed at least ten times already, or had his head cut off.
In Roshan, the Emperorâs word was law.
Granted, the Emperor was no tyrant, but the moment you displeased him or crossed a line he had drawn in his mind, your head would not remain attached to your shoulders.
Yet Kagan merely clicked his tongue at Ulbachâs remarks and didnât say much else.
â…I really donât get it.â
Sheâd been in Xieman for quite some time now, and yet she still couldnât fully adjust to the lightness of its atmosphere.
âAnyway, this is the field you saw earlier. Itâs also the one closest to my estate.â
âAh, may I?â
âOf course. By all means.â
There were crops growing, but as Ulbach had said, none of them were lush or full.
Nisha quietly walked to the center of the field.
Kagan stepped up beside her.
â…Youâre going to stay here?â
âOf course. If you collapse, Iâm the one who has to catch you.â
âWell, thatâs true…â
Still, having him stand this close was a bit overwhelming in its own way.
Unable to voice the thought, Nisha swallowed it down her throat and gave a small nod.
Then she placed both hands on the ground.
The moment she slowly closed her eyes, a pale white light spread from her and began to soak into the brittle earth.
Ulbach stared blankly at the sight before him.
Through the light soaking into the ground, he watched.
The withering crops, once barely holding their heads above the soil, began to straighten all at once.
The parched, brittle earth transformed instantly, its surface now glistening, as if saturated with rich fertilizer.
Seeds that hadnât even managed to sprout greedily absorbed her light as if it were life-giving nectar, and in a blink, they burst open.
Roots dug deep, deeper, and deeper still, firmly anchoring themselves before pushing upward.
The light encircling the field swiftly spread further outward, toward the more barren earth.
A tree that had appeared all but lifeless suddenly began to unfurl its leaves.
It had never once borne fruit, and Ulbach had never even considered the tree capable of doing so.
But now it bloomed.
And in a matter of seconds, its branches were heavy with fruit.
ââŚAh.â
The sight was so astonishing that Ulbach could do nothing but gape, frozen in place.
The very vision he had longed to see, small, yet unmistakably real, had unfolded right before his eyes.
So many had mocked him.
Called him a coward.
Said he was a loser running from battle just because he hated to fight.
That he clung to foolish hopes in a land that would never yield, using that hope as a shield to excuse his refusal to take up arms.
Not only Ulbach, but his father and grandfather before him had lived under such accusations.
They had disliked fighting, yes, but not because they were afraid.
It was only because fighting would once again contaminate the land and destroy everything they had built up over so many years that they avoided it.
If they had truly wanted to, they could have fought.
For this land, for the territory of Sharman, and for the sake of protecting Xieman, he would become a greater warrior than any other.
ââŚâŚItâs a shame that my father and grandfather passed away without ever seeing this sight.â
Amidst the lush green leaves that had sprung to life in an instant, the woman stood.
The woman foretold by the oracle said to have been given by the god they believed in, Adin.
He hadnât had much interest.
A Katun was certainly necessary to Xieman, but not to the territory of Sharman.
What he needed was someone to work the land with him, someone with knowledge and information, not the sacrifice of a Katun.
But Ulbach thought that this one sight, this miraculous scene, was something he would never forget.
