—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Though it was a bit sudden, I was not flustered.
When you thought about it, Ivarr and Ubba were my brothers, but my brothers were, in fact, all warriors united by ambition and ability.
Each one of them was no less than the renowned Hásteinn, or the Black King Halfdan, or Bagsecg here.
So, if anything, it was strange that these brothers, with their strong personalities and outstanding individual abilities, were united under the banner of a person like me.
Just look at the Frankish Empire across the sea, where borders changed with the passing of each year due to quarrels among kin.
Yes, we were the strange ones.
So, while it was surprising, it was not incomprehensible.
My brothers were not my toys, and the numerous lords were also beings who thought of their own interests.
We each had the freedom to pursue what we wanted.
My only complaint was, why did they have to drag me, who was just standing there, into it?
‘How about it? Helgi! Do you like my gift?’
Ivarr’s expression, as he stood with his arms spread wide in triumph, seemed to say to me.
What should I do with this crazy brother?
All the attention had been drawn to Sigurd, so I had forgotten for a moment, but the snake of snakes that had even devoured that Sigurd was none other than Ivarr.
Why had I thought that man would just stay quiet? It was my mistake.
Hoo-
As I let out the sigh that was creeping up to my lips with an unnoticeable whoosh, the man who had been dozing off next to Bjorn stood up vigorously, as if he had been waiting.
“Konungr Helgi! I am Jarl Hásteinn of Nantes! Congratulations once again on your wedding!”
Hásteinn of Nantes.
Not a man with much money, nor much inherited land, but a Jarl followed by numerous warriors solely on the strength of his own body and his loyalty.
Right now, in this place, there were many with more money than Hásteinn, and many with more land, but no one could treat that veteran warrior carelessly.
If anything, there were those who admired him.
As Hásteinn, revealing his imposing figure, shouted powerfully, the gazes of all the people focused on him again. He strode over to stand next to Ivarr, who was still in the middle of the hall, and at my reply of “Thank you, Jarl Hásteinn,” he grinned.
A very grim smile, with his spiky beard being impressive.
It seemed Hásteinn also remembered our first meeting.
“I personally agree with what Jarl Ivarr has said here…! What I felt while in the land of the Franks is that we are weak when scattered and strong when united! Among you, there will be those who remember the leader of those Franks, Charles.”
When the name of Charlemagne came out of Hásteinn’s mouth, the people’s reactions were split exactly in half.
The older ones who had heard his name or experienced him directly all flinched, while the younger Jarls who had not, let out defiant and challenging breaths.
What was impressive was the reaction of Konungr Halfdan and Bagsecg.
The Black King Halfdan, who had always been at a safe distance far from the Franks, only frowned slightly, but the eyes of Bagsecg, who was facing the Frankish king right across the Danevirke, were tinged with red.
How could they just stay still with a wall between them? I didn’t know how many times they had repaired that wall. They were probably still fighting whenever they had the chance.
Above the murmuring heads of the Jarls, Hásteinn’s booming voice resounded.
“But Charles of the Franks is already dead and gone! Now their land is in chaos because Charles’s sons and his grandsons can’t kill each other fast enough! So this is an opportunity for us! Let us not fight amongst ourselves over this barren…”
At this point, Hásteinn paused for a moment.
“…this once-barren land, which still becomes more barren the further one gets from Aros. I believe we should aim for a greater opportunity! But to do that, we need a strong Konungr! A Konungr as powerful as that Charles of the Franks!”
Because he was pointing at me with one arm the whole time he was speaking, no one in the hall could fail to know that the powerful Konungr Hásteinn was talking about was Helgi Ragnarsson.
“Let’s think carefully, brave Jarls! This life is fleeting anyway! To die honorably is the way to proudly enter the domain of Valhalla or the goddess Hel, and if there is someone who can lead us to the greatest glory, is there any reason not to bow our heads!?”
“…Besides, if that person’s name is Helgi Ragnarsson, it is no shameful thing to follow the strongest one.”
It was Jarl Thorgnýr of Orkney who quietly added a hand to Hásteinn’s passionate speech.
Thorgnýr gave me a slight nod, and I nodded back in acknowledgment of his greeting, but I still couldn’t understand what benefit there was for him to be praising me like this.
Was my brother Halfdan also involved in this? I didn’t think so.
Well, I had only been paying attention to the east, and now I realized that the west was in a state like a ticking time bomb.
My lords who had come a long way from the east, Knyaz Rurik and Jarl Hastein, were sitting with my subordinates Oleg and Djur, whom they had met again after nearly a month, and were whispering something intently.
Since a very tired smell was coming from that direction as well, I quickly turned my head.
And just at that timing, the Black King Halfdan, who had been sitting quietly, finally opened his mouth.
“No one can deny that Konungr Helgi Ragnarsson is the strongest among us.”
The something that had been boiling up, starting from Ivarr and passing through Hásteinn and Thorgnýr, felt like it was calming down again due to Halfdan’s heavy voice.
Ubba frowned slightly, but I was rather glad that Halfdan had come to the forefront.
“But we have a tradition to uphold. There will be no one here who does not recognize Konungr Helgi’s strength and authority. But no matter how much the Konungr of Aros is loved by the gods, our society has a law that has been observed for a very long time.”
The voice of Halfdan, who slowly rose from his seat and spoke quietly, contained a different kind of power from that of Ivar and Hásteinn.
A voice that carried more of the weight of time.
At that voice, the law-speakers who were sitting in a corner and recording the contents of this meeting especially nodded their heads, and several older lords also showed signs of agreement.
Confirming the change in the hall, Halfdan continued to speak.
“The Karl (warrior, freeman) goes to the battlefield and cultivates the land. The Jarl (lord) leads the Karls and rules the domain. And the Konungr (king) is the head of those Jarls and leads the Things of the various villages.”
Slowly walking forward to stand before Ivarr and Hásteinn, Halfdan, the Konungr of the west, glanced at the two warriors who were staring at him with heated gazes, then slowly turned and made eye contact with all the Jarls one by one.
“This is our tradition and our law, my dear Jarls. There is no law for a Konungr to rule another Konungr.”
Halfdan’s piercing blue gaze, which had made a show of turning around, finally came to rest on me, and I too bowed my head to him as he gave a slight nod.
Well done, Black King! Make them all kneel with that silver tongue of yours!
As if energized by my support, it was Bagsecg, who had been sitting quietly until now, who stopped Halfdan as he was about to continue speaking.
[Screeech-]
Since a person who couldn’t fight couldn’t become a Jarl or a Konungr in the first place, when the particularly burly Bagsecg rose to his feet, the sound of the wooden chair dragging on the wooden floor was heard, and Halfdan, who had missed his timing to speak, looked at Bagsecg.
“Tradition and law are important, but they are not there to block our path, Konungr Halfdan.”
At those words, which were a direct refutation typical of these straightforward, tough men, it would have been natural to be offended, but Halfdan’s poker face was beyond imagination, and Bagsecg’s hide was thicker than I thought.
“A Konungr cannot rule a Konungr? If that is the problem, can we not just create a new title above Konungr? In fact, I have been meaning to say this for some time, but now that he has the Konungr of the east, Rurik, as his subordinate, can we any longer call Helgi Ragnarsson a Konungr like ourselves?”
What’s this now?
I knew that the relationship between Konungr Halfdan and Konungr Bagsecg wasn’t so good, but no matter what, it didn’t seem like he had thrown out such a bombshell just to undermine his rival’s dignity.
Wondering if this had also been arranged in advance, I quickly scanned Ivarr, Hásteinn, Ubba, and Thorgnýr, but seeing their dumbfounded expressions, it seemed clear that this was an unexpected, impulsive remark from Bagsecg that was not part of the plan.
As the situation was getting more and more out of hand, I heard Halfdan’s voice in my ear as I was rubbing my forehead.
His somewhat dumbfounded voice represented my own feelings.
“What do you mean by that? Konungr Bagsecg. To create a position above Konungr?”
“It’s simple, Konungr Halfdan. When we are united under the banner of Helgi Ragnarsson, no one will want to step down from their own position, so we can just raise Konungr Helgi’s status by one. This does not conflict with tradition or law, does it? Am I wrong?”
The law-speakers in the corner, surprised as if their eyeballs would pop out at the sudden attention focused on them, hastily shook their heads, and Bagsecg, with a satisfied smile, proudly puffed out his chest.
“While we have so many Jarls and Konungrs (Fylke) gathered here, let’s decide it right now, in this place. As one who represents the will of the gods, one who gathers and unites the people, a leader, I think we should call Helgi Ragnarsson the Fylkir! The Konungr of Konungrs, the ruler of all Northmen, the Fylkir!”
“…Fylkir?”
“The gatherer…”
“The uniter…”
“Fylkir Helgi Ragnarsson.”
At Bagsecg’s words, which had set off a missile after a bomb, everyone, including me, could not think straight.
In the midst of that, Bagsecg, the only one moving and speaking, seemed to get even more excited by his own words and continued speaking in a loud voice, waving his hands passionately and spitting.
“I, Bagsecg, Konungr of Jutland, agree with what Jarl Ivarr, Hásteinn, and Thorgnýr have said here! How long must we only deal with those poor country bumpkins from the east? How long must we Jutes only defend against the provocations and attacks of the Franks from across the Danevirke? Do you all know that it is with our blood that everyone here raids and trades across the sea and fattens their wives and children!?”
[Clang!]
Bagsecg, who had clashed his two golden bracelets together to make a sound, once again drew the attention of the hall and stood facing Halfdan.
“Halfdan. Your Kaupang did not come when our Ribe and Hedeby asked for help. But Ragnar of Uppsala did not hesitate to take our hands. So now, I will take the hand of his son.”
In the gazes of the two kings who were glaring at each other, there was a mix of enmity, admiration, regret, hatred, respect, and wariness that had been built up over many long years.
“…Kaupang and the Northmen of the west will not agree to this Fylkir business.”
The upright and heavy voice had now turned threatening.
Before Bagsecg, who had snorted away that frosty gaze and voice, could even open his mouth, Ivarr, who had been watching, threw out his words as if stabbing a dagger into the Black King’s heart.
“That’s something we don’t know, Konungr Halfdan.”
“…Jarl Ivarr, how dare you in a conversation between Konungrs-”
“Olaf of Dublin sends his regards.”
Putting aside the displeasure of having his words cut off, Halfdan firmly sealed his lips at the name of Olaf that came from Ivarr’s mouth.
“And, about those Jarls of the west. Their thoughts seemed to be different. Isn’t that right?”
After Ivarr’s words ended, Halfdan’s gaze turned to the Jarls who were sitting behind him.
Under that heavy gaze, surprisingly, the Jarls of the west coast beyond Kaupang began to rise from their seats one by one.
“I agree with Konungr Bagsecg’s words.”
“Me too.”
“The Thing of Trøndelag is also of the same mind.”
“Us too…”
As they opened their mouths one by one, even without directly seeing the expression of Halfdan, who had his back turned to me, I felt I could know it.
And I decided to intervene at this point.
“Enough.”
“..I agre…”
Leaving behind the Jarl who even hiccuped from cutting off his words so abruptly, I looked down intently at the hall, which had instantly quieted at my words.
It was necessary to suppress the fiercely boiling momentum a little.
“The atmosphere has become too heated, so let’s take a break. The two Konungrs, please come with me to my private chambers.”
There will be no sword-fighting at a wedding.
With only that thought in mind, I massaged my throbbing temples and headed for my private chambers.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
