"First, we interrogate them. We need to obtain information."
I answered.
The enemy's plans, numbers, positions. We needed every piece of information. To prepare for war, we had to know the enemy.
"What is your name?"
I approached the leader. I crouched in front of him and met his eyes.
"...."
The leader closed his mouth. He turned his head away, did not answer, and pressed his lips tightly together.
"If you don't answer, I will kill you."
I brought the Bronze Sword to his neck. The blade tip pressed against his throat, and his skin sank in slightly.
"This is your last chance."
I lowered my voice. Coldly. Threateningly.
"...Sharp Tooth."
He answered reluctantly. His voice trembled, and humiliation was buried in it.
"Sharp Tooth. A warrior of the Tiger Tribe?"
I confirmed.
"That is right. I am the deputy captain of the Tiger Tribe scouting party."
Sharp Tooth nodded. Pride mixed into his voice. Even though he had become a prisoner, he still valued his position.
"What were you doing here?"
I asked.
"...Scouting. I came under orders."
Sharp Tooth answered shortly. He was trying to give only the bare minimum of information.
"What were you scouting?"
"The movements of your Peregrine Tribe. The size of your village, the number of warriors, your defensive posture, and so on."
An honest bastard. No, was he desperately trying to be spared?
His voice was trembling. He was afraid of death. The ends of his words shook, his eyes were uneasy, and his lips were dry. He was afraid of being tortured by having his skin peeled off alive. After all, that was a common method used by the Tiger Tribe.
"Did Blood-Soaked Claw order it?"
I asked.
"Yes. Our chieftain gave the order himself."
Sharp Tooth lowered his head. When he spoke of his chieftain, he made a gesture of respect. It was trained into him, and loyalty had been ingrained in his body.
"When do you plan to attack?"
I asked the key question.
"...I do not know that. We are only a scouting party. I truly do not know. The Chieftain does not tell us his operations."
Sharp Tooth shook his head. Sincerity showed on his face. It seemed he truly did not know. A scouting party only gathered information; they did not know strategy. It was reasonable.
"Know that if you lie, you die."
I brought the sword closer to his throat. The blade tip pressed into his skin, sank in slightly, and drew a red line.
"It's the truth! We were only ordered to look around your village! It is true! Even if you kill me, there is nothing I can do about what I do not know!"
Sharp Tooth shouted urgently. His voice trembled. Tears gathered in his eyes, fear showed on his face, and his voice cracked.
It certainly did not seem like a lie. His eyes were telling the truth. I looked straight into his eyes. His pupils did not waver. They were different from the eyes of someone lying.
"How will the Tiger Tribe respond if you are found here?"
I asked from another angle. I changed my strategy. Indirect information could be more useful than a direct question.
"...."
Sharp Tooth bit his lip. He tried not to answer. But the sword pressed against his throat.
"They will come looking, won't they? If you do not return?"
I pressed him.
"...Probably. They will definitely come. The Chieftain will send warriors to find us."
Sharp Tooth let out a sigh. In the end, he spoke.
"Then they will learn that we were here. And the war will be brought forward."
I nodded.
Sharp Tooth's face turned pale. He realized what he had said. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, and his expression said he had made a mistake.
He had leaked important information. A hint about the timing of the war.
"What will you do, Chieftain?"
Solid Rock asked.
He was holding his spear and was ready to thrust at any moment.
I thought for a moment. I organized the options in my head and calculated their advantages and disadvantages.
There were several choices. Kill the prisoners, release them, or take them with us. I predicted the result of each.
If we killed them, the Tiger Tribe would retaliate. If they found the bodies, they would be enraged and attack immediately. Any room for negotiation would disappear as well. Only hatred would remain.
If we released them, our information would leak. The existence of the bronze weapon would also be known, and our strength would be exposed. It would give the enemy time to prepare.
If we took them with us... we could continue obtaining information. We could use them as negotiation cards. And the Tiger Tribe would only know that their scouting party had gone missing. They would not know the exact situation.
"We take them with us."
I made the decision.
"Pardon?"
Solid Rock asked in surprise. He was flustered by the unexpected answer and blinked.
"We are taking them with us?"
"We will make them prisoners and take them to the village. It is the most rational choice."
I explained. It was the result of a cold calculation. I excluded emotion and weighed the benefits.
"Why? Would it not be simpler to kill them or release them?"
Fierce Eyes asked. Doubt was buried in his voice.
"We can obtain information. And...."
I looked at Sharp Tooth. I met his eyes, and he was trembling in fear.
"They may become negotiation cards. There is always room for negotiation in war. Prisoner exchanges, armistice negotiations, and the like."
I applied a modern concept of war. Prisoners were resources. They were not something to throw away.
"Negotiation?"
Fierce Eyes tilted his head. He did not understand. The concept of negotiation was unfamiliar in the primitive age. War meant killing or being killed. Negotiation was considered the behavior of the weak.
"There may be a chance to negotiate before the war. Blood-Soaked Claw may want negotiation. He will want to get his subordinates back."
I explained.
A leader valued his subordinates. Especially key personnel like the deputy captain of a scouting party.
"Will the Tiger Tribe respond to negotiation? I heard they are cruel and merciless."
Running Deer asked.
"Who knows. But the more means we have, the better. Having one is better than not having one."
I shrugged.
We bound the prisoners' hands and gathered the ore sacks.
We tied their wrists tightly with vines. Thick vines. Tough vines. Strong even while dry. We pulled their wrists behind their backs and tied them, binding their elbows as well. Their movement was limited as much as possible. So they could not untie themselves. So they could not escape.
"Do not tie them so tightly that it hurts them. If blood does not flow, their hands will rot."
I instructed. If they were tied too tightly, blood circulation would stop. Necrosis would begin. We needed to keep the prisoners healthy. They had value as sources of information.
"Understood."
We began descending the mountain. The sun had tilted even farther, and red light seeped through the forest.
The sky was dyed orange, and the clouds were red as if they were burning. Birds cried as they returned to their nests, and a chilly wind began to blow. The temperature fell, and the clothes soaked with sweat turned cold. My body shivered, and goosebumps rose on my skin.
"It is getting cold."
Running Deer said. He wrapped his arms around himself and hunched down.
"Let's move quickly. We must reach the village before it grows dark."
I said. Walking a mountain path in the dark was dangerous. We could fall off a cliff.
"Chieftain."
Sharp Tooth called. He walked while trying to keep his balance with his bound hands, and he staggered. Because his hands were tied, it was difficult for him to balance.
"What?"
I answered without looking back. I kept walking while looking ahead and checking the path.
"That sword... what is it made from? I have been curious since earlier."
Sharp Tooth asked. Curiosity was buried in his voice. His curiosity had come before his fear.
"Why are you curious? There is no need to tell an enemy about our weapon."
I asked. It was the natural response. Weapons were secrets. If you told the enemy, they would devise countermeasures.
"It is a metal I have never seen before. It is not stone, and it is not copper... Copper is soft, but that sword is hard. It cut through our stone knife. This is the first time I have seen such metal."
Sharp Tooth said. Awe mixed into his voice. Surprise and fear.
"Well. I suppose it does not matter even if I tell you. It is called bronze."
I answered. Well, it did not matter if I told him. He would not be able to make it anyway. Without smelting technology, it was impossible. Knowing that such a thing existed was not enough to make it. Temperature control, ratio calculation, impurity removal. Everything required experience and technique.
"Bronze? That is a name I have never heard."
Sharp Tooth tilted his head. It was an unfamiliar word.
"It is made by mixing copper with another metal. It is called an alloy. You melt two metals and mix them together."
I explained.
Sharp Tooth's eyes widened. His mouth opened, and his expression said he could not believe it.
"That is possible? Mixing metals? How is that possible?"
He shook his head, unable to understand. To a primitive person, the concept of an alloy was like magic.
"As you saw."
I raised the Bronze Sword. In the sunset, the blade shone gold. The sword caught the light and sparkled like a sacred object. A beautiful and deadly weapon.
"...Incredible. Truly incredible. How did you think of such a thing?"
Sharp Tooth exclaimed in admiration. His voice lowered, and respect and fear mixed together.
"Your knife was cut like a sheet of paper, wasn't it?"
I asked.
"It was cut in one stroke."
Sharp Tooth nodded. Fear and awe mixed in his eyes, and he bit his lip as he looked at the sword. He had realized how powerless his weapon was. A stone knife was a toy before bronze.
"If you return, tell Blood-Soaked Claw. Tell him we have weapons like this. Tell him not to attack us carelessly."
I spoke. It was a warning. I was sending a message.
"...Are you releasing me? Are you going to send me to report to the Chieftain?"
Sharp Tooth asked. Hope mixed into his voice. The hope that he might live.
"No. For now, we are taking you with us. If the opportunity comes later, I may send you back. If negotiations are established."
I shook my head.
"...."
Sharp Tooth closed his mouth. He did not ask anymore and lowered his head. He seemed resigned.