Volume 9

Volume 9 is the ninth volume in the series.

This volume makes up the first half of Volume 5 in the English-language release of the manga.

Chapters

 * Chapter 57: Young Master
 * Chapter 58: The Men You're Allowed to Kill
 * Chapter 59: Snake
 * Chapter 60: His First Friend
 * Chapter 61: The Way of Blood
 * Chapter 62: Canute's Way
 * Chapter 63: I Need a Horse
 * Chapter 64: I Need a Horse, Part II

Cover Characters

 * Thorfinn
 * Einar

Plot Summary
Einar is pleasantly surprised to see a man as rich as Ketil is bothering to do manual labour in the fields. He and Thorfinn observe him getting into an argument with his son, Olmar, who is set to inherit the farm but would rather make his way up in the world with his sword. That night, Einar tells Thorfinn that Olmar does not realize how lucky he is and probably thinks that warriors are cool since he's never known war. He tells Thorfinn of the two times his village was attacked by different armies and comments that he hates warriors and that they are beasts in human masks. Elsewhere, on his way back from bedding the daughter of opportunistic parents who would love to become part of the Ketil family, a frustrated Olmar runs into two of Ketil's drunk guests, Fox and Badger. Eager to gain some favour with Ketil, they lead Olmar to come drink with them at the guests’ fortress. After getting drunk, Olmar tells Fox that he wants to test his skills with the sword. Fox easily gets Olmar at swordpoint and is surprised when Olmar starts crying. Reluctant to have Snake possibly get angry at him for making Olmar cry, he reassures Olmar that he can become a man by killing someone, and that it is lucky that he has men around he is allowed to kill. Back on the farm, in the morning, Einar wakes up Thorfinn when the latter screams in his sleep; he cannot remember his dream, but feels like it is something he should not forget. The pair meet a blonde woman by the name of Arnheid by the well. Einar is immediately smitten and bashful, and is surprised when she reveals she is another slave and Ketil’s personal maid, as he had mistaken her for part of Ketil’s family.

Fox and Badger arrive and tell Thorfinn and Einar to come with them. They are brought to the fortress, where they see Olmar holding a sword and are told they will be killed. Einar is shocked they'll be killed for no reason, but Fox says their lives belong not to them, but to the master. Einar replies that there'll be consequences for their deaths, as they belong to Ketil, not Olmar. Einar knocks Olmar down and yells at Thorfinn to run away and alert Ketil, but Thorfinn simply tells the men to let Einar get back to work and cut him down instead. Fox slashes away at Thorfinn with his sword, but Thorfinn doesn’t even flinch as he is repeatedly cut and bleeds. He asks Fox why he should be afraid to die, since he’s lived this long with nothing good having come of it. Fox angrily slices off the tip of Thorfinn’s left ear. A man named Snake, the leader of the guests, intervenes and tells Fox to stop. He introduces himself to Thorfinn and apologizes for the guests' behaviour, then suddenly attacks him, causing Thorfinn to reflexively go on the defensive. The guests, Olmar and Einar are dumfounded at Thorfinn’s impressive display of skill. Snake tells Thorfinn that his body clearly wants to live, and Thorfinn wonders if that is the case and what he’d accomplish by living. Snake tells the guests to see Einar and Thorfinn back safely. Pater tends to Thorfinn’s wounds and offers him a shirt to replace his ruined one. Back in the forest to work, Einar remembers Thorfinn skillfully dodging Snake’s attacks and asks him if he has ever fought on a battlefield before. Thorfinn confesses to his past as a warrior, and when Einar asks him how many people he’s killed, he admits he does not know the exact number, but has killed many. Later that night, while Thorfinn is sleeping, Einar is seemingly angry about this revelation, but is taken aback when he sees Thorfinn whimpering in his sleep. He wakes him up and tells him he was having a nightmare again. Thorfinn asks Einar why he wakes him up whenever he has nightmares. Einar explains to him that that's because two of them are friends. Thorfinn is at first confused by this statement, and Einer gets embarrassed by his lack of response, but Thorfinn eventually says thank you, prompting Einar to bashfully reply how slow Thorfinn is.

After King Sweyn's death in 1014, England is once again engulfed by war. Both Canute and Etheldred claim they are the rightful king. In 1015, Canute comes through Mercia with Gunnar to speak to Eadric of Mercia. On the way, he notices his own troops are pillaging despite it being outlawed, and orders all of them beheaded and their heads displayed as a punishment and warning. Canute comes across Floki, who reiterates Canute had no need of coming himself. Canute admits he also came to deal with Thorkell, who is upset that he was made to stop fighting when Mercia asked for a truce. Floki explains that Ethelred's son Edmund has been showing suspicious movement in the east, and that Thorkell will be needed to fight there. Thorkell reminds Canute that he is still a greenhorn and that he cannot keep avoiding his battles. Canute goes to visit Eadric, who presents him with an offering worth 4000 pounds of silver if he agrees to pull his troops back from Mercia. Canute tells him that his offering is much too cheap. Canute calls Eadric’s offering an insult, as he is the King. Eadric's son counters that their true king is Ethelred of Wessex. Canute points out that Eadric has already betrayed Ethelred by trying to withdraw from battle for the sake of territory. He tells Eadric he will grant Mercia peace if he agrees to assassinate Ethelred. Eadric refuses. Canute brings him outside and has a signal pyre lit, shortly answered by smoke in several spots in the distance. He tells Eadric it is to show him what will happen if he attempts to fight him — he could have all of Mercia burning within instants. A year later, in April of 1016, Ethelred the Second passes away due to "illness". His son Edmund takes over and wages war against Canute, before dying of an "illness" himself in November of 1016. Canute is officially crowned King of England in 1017. Eadric of Mercia betrays Canute shortly after, and is executed in December 1017.

In September 1015, Einar and Thorfinn start working on uprooting the stumps in their field. They realize that they will need a horse to get the work done. They approach a worker to ask for a horse, as they’ve asked several times in the past, but they are once again denied. The farmer insults Einar and Thorfinn and says it's ridiculous that a horse should ask for a horse to work, as slaves are no better than horses or cattle themselves. Einar proposes that they ask the master for a horse, but Thorfinn warns him that this would insult the farmers and make them despise them more. Einar gets upset at Thorfinn's dispirited attitude and tells him that he will buy his freedom no matter what the odds, and that he needs a horse to do so. An old man working in a field overhears them and bids them closer. He asks for their names, and asks if he shall lend them a horse. Einar enthusiastically says yes. Thorfinn and Einar perform various work for the old man, who introduces himself as Sverkel. After hours of work, Einar wonders if the old man is taking advantage of them and means to give them a horse at all; Sverkel assures them he will. He keeps his word and they are able to use the horse to easily and quickly uproot trees the next day. Einar is excited that the work is going quickly and tells Thorfinn that they may be able to sow by fall. When Thorfinn asks what they will sow, Einar realizes that Thorfinn has never farmed before and assures him he will take care of things. The farm workers approach them and ask who they stole the horse from. Einar explains it was lent to them by Sverkel, the old man who lives down the road, but the workers do not recognize the name and insist they must have stolen it. After Einar describes the old man further, they realize that they are talking about the most important man on the farm: the greater master, Ketil’s father.