Being a Viking Isn’t Fun – Chapter 8

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Shio
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
War was a long and terrible affair.

In movies, they often depicted just one departure scene, one arrival scene, and one strategizing scene before jumping straight into sword fighting—clang, clash, thunk! But in reality, war was a battle of supplies.

In reality, you had to prepare food to feed the men you gathered for your cause until departure. And for those with only a dagger and broken shield used by a distant ancestor, proper weapons had to be supplied.

Since the fall of the Western Roman Empire, there hadn’t been many proper expeditions on this European land.

And that was our goal, a proper expedition.

In the second month of summer, with weather ripe for harvest, we weren’t able to recruit too many, with everyone farming. So we gathered second, third, and fourth sons from various regions, taught them basic combat skills, and armed them with spears and shields…

The estimated time for this was immeasurable.

In an era without computers, we had to gather manpower and manually work out the logistics before doing anything. So, all we could do for now was collect the overflowing supplies from Aros in Uppsala, the assembly point, while I scouted Britain with Ivarr and some experienced warriors from the recent eastern expedition.

After crossing over, our first objective was to scout land suitable for the main force to survive the winter, leaving the final say to Ivarr’s discretion as commander.

And with the enthusiastic participation of the Norsemen, fueled by their unquenched anger, the vanguard was able to leave the port of Uppsala at lightning speed, just seven days after receiving news of Father’s death.

“Helgi, if you’re bored, why don’t you try rowing with that oar you’re holding?”

Did you know what the main advantage of a Viking longship, commonly called a dragon ship (dragon-headed ship) was? Surprisingly, it could move backwards. Of course, this might not be surprising information, but for someone ignorant of history and ships like me, the shock I felt when I first saw it was indescribable. “What? The ship is moving backwards!?”

Looking back, it was only natural that a human-powered ship with identical oars at the front and back could row backwards…

Anyway, the sight of 20 ships docked in Uppsala slowly backing out into the open sea one by one was something I would never forget. Especially since my ship was in the middle of that procession.

“Now? But the wind is good and the waves are calm?”

There were some exceptions, but a dragon ship typically had 16 pairs of oars and carried 40 warriors. Nineteen ships of Ivarr’s warriors, and one ship containing 40 of my Huskarlar from Aros.

A total of 20 ships, 800 warriors.

Ivarr, who had insisted that he join my ship of all ships, finally got on board. And as we passed through the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits, flowing between the lands of the Danes and Sviar, he sat next to me and initiated what he called “brother time.”’

“Ho ho, Helgi. Although I may be a pitiful brother, weaker than you and not as good at fighting, I know this sea much better than you. From what I can see, this ship is sticking out a bit from the formation, so if you row once, it should fit perfectly. What do you think, Hrolf!”

It seemed that the main purpose of this “brother time” was not to foster brotherly affection, but rather to tease his younger brother.

“Ah- That’s right, Jarl Ivar! If we continue like this, we might end up lost alone at sea! Jarl Helgi, you should hurry!”

“Hahaha-!”

The ship’s looming gloomy atmosphere lightened slightly. It was as if a tightly drawn bowstring had returned to its original position.

‘Was this his intention?’

Looking at Ivarr’s face, smiling and gesturing for me to row quickly, I couldn’t discern any hidden intentions. However, there was no way I could fathom the thoughts of this seasoned jarl, who already had children growing up in his own home. So, I had no choice but to follow his instructions.

“Alright, alright. Then…”

[Swish-]

I firmly grasped the long, sturdy wooden oar with both hands. [Creak-] A pleasant scream from the already dead wood was heard, and using my firmly planted legs and waist as support, I rowed the oar vigorously.

With the aim of stirring the water that lay peacefully beneath the waves in one swift motion.

‘Hup-!’

[Swoosh-!]

You weren’t supposed to oppose the water, but rather follow its path. Not in a hurry, but by releasing a long, steady breath—

“Ahhh! The ship is turning!”

“The other side! Row the other side quickly! Jarl Helgi! Stop! Stop!”

[Splash!]

“Storolf fell into the water!”

‘Huh? What’s going on!?’

Did I use too much strength? No, did it make sense for a ship to turn over just because I used a little bit of strength!? Wasn’t this poorly made?

In a state of complete focus, feeling no resistance, I had simply rowed the oar with vigor. But this light ship, unable to withstand my strength, suddenly spun around, sending the unfortunate Storolf overboard.

“Puhehuk-!”

“Oh no! Helgi! Row once more on the opposite side! Quickly!”

Flustered by the unexpected situation, I quickly released the oar, following Hrolf’s earnest instructions from the front. And like clockwork, I came to the profound conclusion that if turning left had caused this, I had to simply turn right to correct it. So, I grabbed the oar I had let go of and rowed in the opposite direction with all my might.

[Swoosh-!]

“Ahhh-!”

“Watch out-!”

[Splash! Splash!]

Soon after, the sound of a few more people falling into the water could be heard, but since I had restored the ship to its original position, the losses were minimal.

‘Phew- Thank goodness.’

I sighed inwardly with relief as I stood up on the light, elastic ship to assess the situation. About five people had been thrown overboard during the recent commotion, but fortunately, the supplies remained intact.

“Puhak-!”

“Puheb!”

As the warriors who had fallen into the water began to surface one by one, and Storolf, who was the first to fall in, climbed back onto the ship groaning, Hrolf’s head finally emerged from the water.

“Puhuheep!”

“Hahaha-!”

Ivarr, sitting beside me, held onto the ship and burst out laughing. Hrolf, who had been staring at me with a mix of embarrassment and coldness, soon threw his head back and joined in with hearty laughter

“Hahaha!”

“Puhaha-!”

“… Hurry and come up. The water must be quite cold?”

“Haha! Jarl Helgi! Only cowards look for warm water! This water is fine to stay in all day!”

As Storolf wrung out his wet clothes to drain the water, he chuckled proudly. The Aros warriors, climbing onto the ship one by one after him, playfully bantered with their comrades who had rescued them from the water, before settling back into their positions.

“Jarl Helgi.”

Hrolf, my long-time Huskarl who boarded the ship last, was still agile despite his considerable age.

“From now on, I hope you will refrain from touching the oars. We cannot keep up with that strength of yours.”

“… I understand.”

Even if I had a hundred mouths, I would have no words to say.

“Oh, Helgi! Don’t be too disheartened. If it doesn’t work out, we could just make a longer oar so you can row both sides at once, couldn’t we?”

‘You’re the real devil.’

Ivar’s face, patting my shoulder as if to cheer me up, wore a mischievous smile.Was this the true nature of a Viking lord? Good heavens. Somehow, it seemed like dark clouds were gathering over the future of our vanguard.

“Hurrah-! Jarl Helgi! Glory of Hel!”

“Jarl Helgi!”

Suddenly, loud cheers erupted all around me. Wondering what was happening, I quickly stood up and glanced around to see warriors from the long line of ships ahead and behind me all looking in my direction and shouting.

It was natural for them to be surprised when the flagship in the middle of the procession suddenly executed a 180-degree turn before returning to its original position. And when they realized it was my strength that had accomplished this feat, the warriors’ impressed spirits soared.

“Helgi. We should use this often, shouldn’t we? There’s nothing better than your strength for raising the morale of the warriors.”

Amidst my bewilderment and embarrassment, Ivarr’s face nodding seriously beside me couldn’t have looked more hateful.

“Hrolf. Let’s move forward again. Storolf, sound the signal.”

“Understood, my Jarl!”

However, having toughened my resolve in front of cheering crowds during the duels of Aros, I remained stoic, silently standing and making eye contact with each of the warriors who cheered for me.

“He looked at me!”

“No, he was looking at the clouds behind you!”

“Helgi! Helgi! Helgi!”

“Ragnar! Ragnar! Ragnar!”

[Woooong-!]

Finally, the horn vigorously blown by Storolf resounded majestically over the Kattegat sea, and the cheering warriors returned to their positions, pushing the ships forward with vigor.

Soon, large sails spread brightly, and warriors proudly puffed out their chests in the pleasant breeze, singing songs that praised Father’s achievements

[Tap-]

Ivarr touched my shoulder as I silently watched the scene. His eyes, smiling at me, were filled with deep trust. It was then that I could feel the tension I hadn’t even known I was holding finally melting away.

“We will win, Helgi. We will also achieve revenge for Father.”

After patting my shoulder again, Ivarr soon sat down and hummed along with the warriors’ tune.

“Ragnar, son of Sigurd, wore hairy breeches (Lodbrok) to protect against the poison of a giant serpent-”

The 20 ships, riding along the wind in song, glided across the waves.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

865 AD, Land of the Franks, Calais.

It may sound improbable, but this land—the Frankish territory of Calais—was peaceful. Its natural harbor made it an ideal stopover for us Northmen, where we engaged in cultural—economic exchanges with the Frankish people.

Therefore, in an era where raiding Village 1 to trade with Village 2 was commonplace, there must have been an implicit agreement for why Calais remained intact. Perhaps it was something like, “We’ll need to use this place for a long time, so let’s refrain from plundering it and strive for good relations with its people!” This trend was set to strengthen in the future…

‘We’re going to use this place as a stopover for our revenge on Northumbria.’

It was possible to sail directly from the Scandinavian peninsula to Albion, or Britain, in just 2-5 days with favorable winds and calm seas. However, both our vanguard and the main force that would follow opted to move along the Frankish coast to minimize the uncertainties of the sea.

In this era without compasses, while it was possible to cross the North Sea in a straight line, the exact landing point on the British island remained uncertain. For raiding purposes, we could disembark anywhere, roam briefly, and retreat eastward when pursued by local forces. However, such tactics were impractical for a large-scale invasion force like ours.

So we followed the coastline, relying on land as our most reliable landmark, staying close to familiar shores. Above all, from Calais, we could glimpse the shores of Albion with our own eyes.

“White cliffs…”

My extraordinary body possessed inhuman eyesight. My vision, that rivaled birds of prey soaring in the sky, effortlessly gazed upon the majestic white cliffs that stood beyond the rolling waves.

“Ah- the land of the Angles and Saxons. It’s been a long time. The memory of crossing that sea with Father for the first time is still vivid.”

Today was finally the day to raise the curtain on our revenge. Having rested for a day in light armor in Calais, we were ready to cross the channel just 4 days after leaving Uppsala.

“Are you ready, Helgi?”

“Of course.”

After this brief exchange, as casual as asking “Have you eaten?”, we brothers promptly boarded the ship that had completed all preparations.

And the sound of waves being pushed aside accompanied the procession of departing dragon ships, as a raven let out a long cry above us.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Wow, just wow. First off, Ivarr is hilarious. And, did Helgi seriously think that his “little bit of strength” would be comparable to other people’s LOL?

Anyways, we’re only 8 chapters in and I just can’t wait to see what happens next. Don’t know if y’all have noticed, but these little notes at the end of the chapters are my live reactions after translating and editing. I’m seriously enjoying this so far.

Okay okay, thanks for reading! And as usual, if there are any errors, hit up Oihs in the Arcane Translation discord! Also! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter, did you enjoy it?