Chapter 45: Journeying West Together
Uldin rejected Hikigaya's suggestion.
While migration was a frequent occurrence for nomadic peoples, it didn't mean they would move for no reason. Even if Uldin was a Campione, the moment his tribe left, this pasture would be occupied by other tribes. If the place Hikigaya spoke of turned out to be subpar, wouldn't that be a massive headache?
Therefore, Uldin decided to act as a scout himself first, accompanying Hikigaya to the West to take a look. Hikigaya didn't mind; he had intended to head west regardless. He had seen enough of Western Rome and had lost interest in it.
Since he had arrived in this era, he naturally wanted to observe its true protagonists. The protagonists of this age were neither the Romans, whose sun was setting, nor the Huns, who appeared mighty, but the Germanic peoples.
This group—initially seized by the Romans as slaves and later slapped around by the Huns—was beginning to show its prowess. The active Vandals and Goths were having a grand time, especially the Goths. In comparison, the progress of the Franks was quite slow among the Germans, but their ultimate achievements would be the greatest. By the time Western Rome collapsed, the Franks would occupy almost all of Gaul, eventually defeating the Alamanni in the east and the Visigoths in the south during the era of Clovis to hold Gaul exclusively.
By the time of Charlemagne in the 8th century, the Frankish Kingdom would become the largest and strongest nation in Western Europe, with the Low Countries, France, Western Germany, and Northern Italy all falling within its territory. By the mid-9th century, it would split into West, Middle, and East Francia. The Middle Frankish line died out first and was partitioned. West Francia's line ended in 987 AD, succeeded by Hugh Capet, Duke of the Île-de-France, beginning the Capetian Dynasty. East Francia eventually transformed into the Holy Roman Empire.
In short, the Franks were the most successful among the Germans, largely due to the territory they initially chose.
Hikigaya and Uldin first headed to Lauriacum. This wasn't for anything else but to fulfill Hikigaya's promise to the Roman army there to protect them, so he came to settle that matter. Additionally, there was the matter of Aisha.
While Uldin didn't accept the immediate migration plan, he did accept Hikigaya's mediation. The lecherous King stated that since Aisha was also a Campione and, more importantly, a friend of Hikigaya, he agreed to give up the idea of adding her to his harem.
This time, neither of them rode dragons. They traveled on horseback instead, specifically to avoid causing excessive panic among the people of Lauriacum. However, as they neared the city, they noticed it seemed to be in a state of high tension once again.
"What's going on? It looks like an emergency?" Uldin gazed toward the end of the road, where Roman cavalry was charging toward them.
Or rather, messengers. They were sprinting at full speed; at that pace, the horses wouldn't last long. At the gates of Lauriacum, Roman soldiers were already coming out leading fresh horses. This was why Hikigaya identified them as messengers; the relay stations in the East operated the same way.
Hikigaya intentionally blocked the path. Seeing this, the rider began to slow down.
"We are allies of the legion stationed here. What information do you carry that makes you so anxious?"
"The e-enemy... gathering in the North... A man has absorbed the Frankish tribes and formed a powerful alliance...!" The messenger spoke with the breath of an ox, exhausted. He wasn't particularly surprised by the foreign appearances of Hikigaya and Uldin; after all, the Western Roman army was currently comprised of more foreigners than Romans. Many commanders were non-Romans and performed far more reliably.
"Who is this man?"
"His name is Doni... Salvatore Doni... origin unknown. But that man—no, that monster—broke through the fortress of Agripina by himself... Ugh!" Remembering something unbearable, the messenger actually wept in frustration.
However, Hikigaya was focused on a different aspect.
"So he really did run off to become a barbarian chieftain..." Hikigaya muttered with a look of realization.
Uldin also looked as if a light had turned on. "Oh, I've heard that name. He's the fellow kin who was wandering around my forest three months ago."
"What a coincidence."
"I told him the forest was my hunting ground, so he said he'd go play in the North. He even told me that once he got used to the environment here, he'd like to have a duel with me." Uldin spoke of his impression of Doni with an air of genuine admiration.
The two continued into Lauriacum. Upon entering, there was a minor commotion because of Uldin's presence, but Hikigaya felt the Roman soldiers here were already deeply influenced by Aisha's Authority. Following the principle that "as long as he isn't an enemy of the Saint, everything is OK," they happily accepted the setting that Uldin was no longer an enemy without any hesitation.
However, it was Aisha, who arrived upon hearing the news, that gave Hikigaya a headache. He had learned from the Roman soldiers on the way in that Aisha intended to go and resolve the chaos caused by Doni.
They met in the church. "Mr. Hikigaya, and Chieftain Uldin, welcome." Even though one of the men before her was the creep who had wanted to bed her, Aisha still greeted them with a smile. "If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared lunch to entertain you first."
"Please, don't trouble yourself, Madame," Hikigaya said. "Regarding the previous misunderstanding, I have communicated fully with Chieftain Uldin. But I just heard from the Romans here that you plan to deal with the trouble Doni is causing?"
"Ah, yes, I did say that."
Agripina, which Doni had captured, was an important Roman stronghold in Gaul. Now, the previously disorganized Frankish tribes were flocking there to assemble. They were awestruck by Doni's prowess; it seemed the unification of the Frankish tribes invading Gaul was about to happen far ahead of schedule.
But one Campione claiming they wanted to "correct" another Campione's behavior... Hikigaya just wanted to laugh.
"I've already made up my mind. Someone has to handle this," Aisha said firmly, clenching her fists while sitting upright. She clearly didn't share Hikigaya's skepticism. "Like him, I am a Campione from the future. I cannot sit by and watch Mr. Doni's evil deeds disrupt this era!"
Hikigaya: "..."
'There she goes again, completely lacking self-awareness.'
"Speaking of disrupting the past, aren't we all about the same?"
"Uh, well... I didn't do it on purpose..." Aisha's voice grew small.
Hikigaya nodded, indicating that since she put it that way, he'd believe her. "So how do you plan to stop him?"
"I will persuade him to stop."
'I see...'
Hikigaya didn't force Aisha to listen to his advice. They were all God-slayers; no matter how different they appeared on the surface, once they made a decision, they wouldn't change it easily.
"In that case, let's travel together. I also have business over there with Chieftain Uldin."
Aisha looked toward Uldin, who flashed what he considered a dashing smile. It seemed that in his heart, he still wanted to "salvage" the situation and see if he could win the favor of his female kin.
'He's dreaming' Hikigaya thought.
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