Berserk : The Deviant

The victory of the hawk's band and the recovery of Doldrey traveled like the wind to Wyndham where the king was in a mad joy, the defeat of General Boscogn in a duel against Guts was told as a fantastic tale by those who were not even there and all without forgetting that he had killed more than 200 men by himself in a forest while he was already wounded.

While waiting for the arrival of the regular army to occupy Doldrey, Griffith had allowed the men of Tudor to come and recover their dead and that Boscogn be buried with dignity on his native land.

This battle would hopefully certainly be the last against Tudor and mark the end of the 100 years war. 

More than a week after this victory, rumors began to be heard. Some said that the Holy Emperor of Tudor was actively looking for Barkha to return to his service and wash away the honor of the empire and that Duro, the former second in command of the Black Wolves and close friend of Barkha was received in Olio, the imperial capital of Tudor.

This rumor stressed the King of the Midland and put the hawks on a certain alert, they had already faced Barkha and knew that this guy was extremely capable but everything calmed down when it was announced that the request of the Emperor was rejected.

The most interesting was the actions that followed this rejection… 

The Emperor, not happy with the refusal of his proposal had ordered that Duro and his men be arrested but it didn't go very well for them. Apparently, Duro and his men were members of the Brotherhood of Shadows created by Barkha and at the palace, they shocked everyone by slaughtering the guards and soldiers who tried to stop them.

Witnesses to the tragedy said they had never seen a human move and fight like them, but the most shocking thing was that they were fighting with normal weapons at first, it was when more guards arrived that Duro and his men used what people called magical weapons, flaming swords capable of melting armor and burning an adult man in a very short time. 

This tragedy shocked everyone, Barkha and his men had disappeared more than two years ago and when they reappeared, they were completely changed. It was said that their eyes were like Silver, their skin slightly darker and their horses strangely scary.

This rumor called for another concerning Barkha's actions in the city of Lavys, rumors that shocked for a while.

Ros, listening to all this, was even more anxious to find Barkha to join him, but for Guts it was different, he didn't feel like he had evolved compared to his sworn brother.

He spent the last few years helping Griffith pursue his dream but he himself had paused in his own even though he had made progress. 

When the regular army came to occupy the fortress, a messenger brought Griffith news. The king wanted the falcons to return to Wyndham to grant Griffith a new title of nobility, news that delighted everyone and they set off for the capital the next day.

After several days of traveling, they finally arrived in Wyndham to a great cheer from the crowd. Shouts of joy, declarations of admiration or love and flower petals were thrown at them by the joyful crowd.

"GRIFFITH..." 

"LORD GRIFFITH..." The crowd shouted as he passed by while Guts was near him as usual on his right, people immediately guessed who he was thanks to his long sword, the legendary commander of the black hawks, the one who single-handedly defeated more than 200 men, Guts.

Unlike Griffith who was popular and regularly seen, Guts was usually more discreet and preferred training to exhibitions which meant that physically, he was practically unknown to the people who had only heard of him.

Today, they could finally put a face to this legend and the women were not disappointed. 

Contrary to the main reality, Guts had grown his hair to a medium length and the truth was that he was really handsome.

Griffith was inhumanly handsome but for the norm, even in the main reality, Guts was far from ugly and his longer hair that were actually wavy in addition to his well defined jawline sublimated his face.

Where Griffith had an almost feminine beauty, Guts was the closest thing to a handsome manly man who exuded confidence and strength, they shouted his name and he had an embarrassed expression, it was after a few words from Griffith that he waved to the cheering crowd. 

As they were received at the palace for the king's reward ceremony, Guts and Ros slipped away without anyone knowing, they had no desire to attend such events and left Griffith and his original commanders to enjoy what they had shed blood for all these years.

That evening, the king, so happy with his victory over Tudor and the end of this century-old war, did something crazy and awarded the title of Duke to Griffith.

The shock was general for everyone, especially Griffith who thought he would logically obtain the title of earl but the king had his reasons. 

He declared that the band of the Falcon would now be that of the white phoenix, the protective army of the Midland and the greatest military honor of the kingdom. 

An outcry almost broke out among the nobles because at the base, they were only mercenaries from the plebs but now, Griffith was a Duke, a real madness of this euphoric king. 

 Casca, Pippin and Judeau were made Phoenix Knights but he noticed Guts' absence and Griffith apologized saying that Guts was injured and resting, an excuse to avoid the king's anger over Guts' absence.

Tonight, Griffith found Guts and he saw him in the distance talking to Ros and when they saw him approaching, they stopped talking and she left them congratulating Griffith as she passed.

"Duke Griffith himself ! I heard the news, it's really a shock..." Guts said as he sat down to start sharpening his sword. 

Griffith : I was more shocked than you, believe me. Ros, she seemed weird. Can I ask what you were talking about ? 

"It's nothing, his usual worries. So, what else happened at the ceremony ?" 

"Casca, Pippin and Judau were knighted. He wanted to reward you and Ros but you were absent. Why, Guts ? You can't just leave like that, I had to lie and tell him you were injured." Griffith said as he sat down next to him. 

Guts : I have my reasons, this kind of event is not for me.

Griffith: But you are a falcon and certainly the best swordsman known in the kingdom, you must start getting used to this kind of event. In two days, a banquet will be organized in our honor so absenting yourself is not an option. 

Guts:… 

"Actually, I have something else to tell you. I think someone is going to attempt on my life, I am even fully convinced of it" He told Guts who asked him who he suspected and he told him about his discussion with Minister Foss before going to war but also about the reports that his spies had given him, the servants he had bribed.

Griffith shared his plan with him exactly and it was totally the same as that of the main reality. Two days later, the royal ball in honor of the falcons finally took place in the evening and once again, Guts and Ros were nowhere to be found since the beginning of the afternoon so Griffith had to come with Casca and the other high-ranking officers without them.

For an event like that, a refined outfit was necessary and they were all very well dressed. The king and his entourage were already there unlike in the main reality where he arrived later to make his speech.

The falcons arrived and as soon as Griffith entered the room, he was noticed by everyone and went straight to greet the king.

They mingled with the crowd while an army of noble girls rushed towards him to start talking to him, the nobles and other generals who saw this burned with jealousy towards him and gathered to start criticizing his commoner origins.

Casca looked at Griffith in the middle of these women and sighed, Judeau, Rickert, Pippin and the others also attracted the attention of these noble girls to her amusement but she herself did not escape the attention of the high-born men who approached her to start discussions.

Casca was beautiful and very feminine tonight in her dress, knowing that she was a warrior and a fighter of good level according to rumors, these men were both charmed and curious, she was definitely different from the boring girls of the court.

Guts and Ros finally arrived, their matching black clothes and their beauty easily caught the attention of the crowd.

Ros was an incredibly rare beauty and her green eyes were like jewels that seduced the nobles who would have approached her if Guts wasn't there.

Guts himself was handsome with his longer hair and very elegant in those luxurious black clothes.

He had not the same outfit as in the manga for the ball but a much lighter ensemble that would have allowed him to move with more ease to fight in times of crisis. 

Tall, dark and elegant, Guts sucked in the attention just like Ros and people couldn't help but think that they made a beautiful couple, Casca looked at them without saying anything while Griffith immediately walked over to his friend.

He asked Guts where he had been all day and apparently he had left because Ros wanted to buy clothes for them and shopping with a woman was more of a divine punishment than a favor. 

Ros left Guts to go chat with Judeau and instantly all the other girls surrounded him and Griffith. The two young men represented two very different sides of beauty, one manly and the other delicate.

It was like having a young Henry Cavill with one of those effeminate Kpop singers next to him. 

The herald began to announce the arrival of the more important guests from the surrounding small kingdoms and one particular announcement caught everyone's attention. 

"Ser Giorgio De Vandimion and in his company, the black wolf of Tudor, Barkha..." the herald announced as Guts, Ros and everyone else turned their gazes towards the arrivals.

Giorgio was dressed in rich clothes of the Italian nobility, he looked a lot like his father Frederico the head of the richest noble family of this continent .

Barkha walking next to him attracted attention for several reasons but mostly out of curiosity, he was a legend but few people saw him and today they could all see who he was talking about and the women were not disappointed. 

Barkha was tall, very handsome and his tanned skin gave him an exotic charm. He wore an elegant ornate black dress, the exact model of Olgierd Von Everec's dress in the Heart of Stone expansion of The Witcher III. He was elegant, very elegant and had a long dagger on his belt. 

"Big brother..." Guts murmured looking at Barkha in disbelief, it had been years since he had seen him and when Barkha met his gaze, he only smiled before continuing on his way. Ros left the gathering of men around her to get closer and see Barkha once again after so many years, her gaze changed upon seeing him.

The whispers began to be heard, Barkha had exploded in popularity at lightning speed in just a few years in Tudors and he had been a formidable enemy of the kingdom and it was only after he left that they were able to resume the offensives against Tudor and win thanks to the hawks.

For the women in the room, Barkha's physical appearance came as a surprise as he was much more pleasing to the eye than they had imagined.

Griffith looked at Barkha with a fixed gaze, it was him, the one who had defeated them almost effortlessly years ago and the only being to have made him feel inferior.

Giorgio and he went to greet the king but in truth, only Giorgio greeted the king as Barkha didn't care about all that protocol.

He was criticized for his manners but he didn't care and went to eat some appetizers on a nearby table. 

"That old fox Frederico got me well , (eats) All that to give me a discount on one of his best ships ?! 10,000 gold pieces, he thinks we're picking that up (eats) ? " Barkha complained as he ate, he had gone to Frederico Vandimion to buy one of his best ships to go to Ragnar but the rates were way too high for him even though he had MORE than enough to pay for those ships.

When Frederico told him that in exchange for a partnership with his family he would give him a discount, Barkha's ear twitched and now he found himself on an escort mission for the Vandimions.

He continued to complain when a man approached him... 

"You are the filthy Kushan dog who commanded the black wolves against our kingdom. What nerve do you have to come here..." The man said to him with contempt as Barkha just looked at him carelessly before continuing to eat.

He moved closer to face Barkha who looked him up and down before starting to laugh and it irritated the man who was actually Reno, the general of the white tigers.

Griffith was already annoying him enough and the hawks had stolen all the honors but now, Barkha was right in front of him and he had to get noticed. 

"Stop that right now, Reno. This is a royal ball..." Laban intervened and Reno pushed him away. 

Reno : How dare you, Laban ? This man caused the death of how many of our soldiers against Tudor ? Today he is at ease within the walls of our royal palace ! 

"Hmm, is that why ?! In my defense, slaughtering your men with my black wolves was just a job I left behind, don't take it personally and wars are caused by kings, not fighters so no hard feelings old man..." Barkha told him happily before taking a sip of wine.

Ros watched the scene as a smile spread across her face, Barkha hadn't changed in attitude and was still acting like nothing and no one could touch him. 

Reno : YOU SON OF A BITCH ! 

"How do you know ?" Barkha asked him provocatively and it caused a noise in the room where people were murmuring in amusement. 

"WHAT THE MEANING OF This ?!" The king asked and everyone else bowed down except Barkha, Ros, Guts and Giorgio.

Giorgio looked at Barkha who just shrugged his shoulders, he had been provoked and there were witnesses, he was not the source of the problem.

"My king, I beg you to forgive my actions. However, as a fervent patriot of this kingdom, my heart cannot rest in peace while the one who caused so much loss among us eats and drinks as if none of this had happened." Reno said while looking at Barkha with hatred and it amused Barkha even more who almost spat out his wine to laugh.

In truth, the king thought like Reno but out of consideration for the Vandimion, he had not said anything. He asked Reno to calm down or be punished or use his right as a knight to challenge Barkha to a duel of honor.

It was actually a trick for the king to give Reno an opportunity to kill Barkha, Reno wasn't just anyone but one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom who had never known defeat and had even beaten Julius.

"I challenge you to a honor duel, If you know what honor means ..." Reno said as he took off his glove to slap it on Barkha's face who didn't even want to react and looked Reno in the eyes with a smile. 

Barkha: How much ? 

Reno: What ?! 

"How much can you offer me to spare your life ?" Barkha said as his smile widened, Griffith looked at Barkha with a fixed and intense gaze, the same question had already been asked by Barkha years ago as his scar began to itch again .