The Baron's Request
[Baron Claude de Menil]
[Baroness Helene]
"Claude de Menil expresses his gratitude to the savior. This is my wife, Helene."
"I am Lee Jaeil."
"Thanks to you, we were able to defeat those creatures easily."
The Baron expressed his thanks, explaining that the barricades had been breached and the fortress was on the verge of falling; had it been overrun, many villagers would have perished. His greatsword was stained thick with goblin blood.
It seemed he had personally cut down a horde of goblins that had made it inside the wooden palisade.
I gave a rough explanation—that I had encountered Emily in the forest, saved her, and was heading to the village for supplies when I got caught up in the fight. The Baron nodded.
"You saw Emily? That is a relief."
Nobles and monsters. I shook the hand the Baron extended, thanking me for saving his daughter and the village. Despite his gauntlet being caked in blood, he didn't hesitate to take my hand.
"Mother!"
"It’s enough that you are safe."
Emily had appeared at some point and was talking with Baroness Helene. The Baron glanced at the mother and daughter, then called over a knight standing behind him to oversee the cleanup of the battlefield before turning to me.
"Let us move to a different location for now."
We passed through the wooden gate, which had been hacked and battered to the point of collapse, and the interior of a surprisingly large village revealed itself.
With hundreds of wooden houses, the population looked to be well over a thousand. A barony, indeed...
The goblins from earlier had only been pushing them back by using ranged attacks to minimize damage; it didn't seem like they were in any real existential crisis.
The Baron’s residence was a two-story stone building—not quite a castle, but a very spacious home nonetheless.
"I will assign a servant to you. If you need anything, please request it from them."
"I’d like to wash up. Is there a bathhouse?"
The Baron nodded and told the servant to fill the guest bath with water.
"I shall invite you to dinner. Please rest comfortably until then."
Claude, the head of the Menil family, was in a predicament.
He was the second son of a baronial house who had earned great merit in a war against a neighboring kingdom, for which the King had granted him the hereditary title and territory of Menil.
He had been granted the Menil region, a frontier area with little influence from the Elance Kingdom, and had married the daughter of another baronial house, with whom he had one son and one daughter.
The problem was that the village, home to some 600 households, had been under constant goblin invasion for several years.
The Forest of Darkness near the village was rich in resources like medicinal herbs and mushrooms, so children and women often went there to forage. In the past, monsters had frequently ambushed the villagers, causing casualties.
Goblins had started appearing even in places close to the village, and for several years, they had been launching continuous raids.
The village had long since lost its vitality due to the goblins pouring out of the Forest of Darkness.
The soldiers belonging to the territory were all veterans, but there were only about 50 of them. Including himself, there were only two knights.
He had even formed a subjugation party with his wife—a mage—along with the other knight and 30 soldiers to strike at the goblins' base, but the expedition failed due to the sheer number of goblins. Just as the territory was being slowly whittled away, a noble guest had appeared.
A warrior in black armor, wielding a warhammer, who ignored the goblins' attacks and ground them all into dust.
A true warrior with immense strength, tireless stamina, and the ability to manipulate mana.
As he wiped the blood from his greatsword, the Baron thought.
He didn't know why this person had come here, but even if it cost a significant sum, it would be profitable to keep him in the territory.
Even if that failed, if he could be persuaded to take on a goblin subjugation contract with a generous reward, they might finally be free of the monsters that had plagued them for years.
"Should I have my armor maintained?"
I told the male servant assigned by the Baron to leave the armor maintenance to me, then entered the guest bath. It was fascinating that a two-story stone house had a guest room, a bath, and a banquet hall.
When I went to bathe, a maid entered, offering to assist me. I adamantly refused, but she teared up, claiming she would be whipped if she failed to serve the guest properly, so I had no choice but to accept.
Medieval human rights, huh.
I looked for soap to wash off the blood and oil, but since there wasn't any, I asked the male servant waiting outside to fetch my backpack. I retrieved shampoo and soap.
Since high-floor climbers sometimes spend months on a single floor, the state produced various daily necessities using materials from the Tower. The shampoo in this steel bottle and the hard soap were no exception.
Nowadays, since most items are available, luxurious baths are possible during climbs if the situation permits.
The service didn't involve anything scandalous; the maid simply helped me clean areas like my back, which were hard to reach.
The maid’s admiration for the performance of the shampoo and soap was a bonus. She noted that the soap they usually used didn't have a fragrant scent and lacked this level of cleaning power.
By the time I finished washing off the blood, the sun was setting.
"The Master has invited you to dinner."
I followed the servant to the dining room on the first floor, where the Baron, the Baroness, Emily, and a boy younger than Emily were already seated.
With Emily looking like a high schooler and the boy like an upper-elementary student, they seemed to have few children for nobles... but given the size of the territory, perhaps that wasn't the case?
[Lady Emily]
[Victor, Heir]
Now that I knew their titles, the names floating above their heads had changed. The eldest son and heir, huh... The children’s eyes were sparkling, perhaps because meat wasn't a frequent part of their diet.
When Baroness Helene widened her eyes and gave them a look, Victor, who had been fidgeting as if he wanted to eat quickly, flinched.
The Baron’s family washed their hands in small bowls of water placed before them, then placed both hands on the table. I followed suit, watching them carefully.
"Welcome. My thanks to the hero of this territory. It isn't much, but if you need more, please say so."
"Thank you."
The meal consisted of a thick soup with chunks of meat—presumably chicken—along with half a boiled chicken, potatoes roasted in sticks, and fresh vegetables.
The meat was a bit bland, perhaps because there was no pepper.
Still, after a fierce battle and a bath, my appetite was piqued, and I finished it in an instant.
After dinner, the Baron invited me to his office.
He gestured for me to sit, then took his seat at the head of the table and spoke.
"Is there some business that brings a warrior as exceptional as you to the frontier?"
"Nothing in particular... I'm just traveling."
"Traveling? In times like these?"
His reaction was one of bewilderment. Emily had reacted the same way when I told her I was traveling. Information, I need more information.
"Well, with your skills, you could likely survive even in the Forbidden Zones, so I suppose it doesn't matter."
The Baron nodded. Don't just satisfy yourself with your own assumptions, give me some intel...
Just as I was thinking that, he thanked me again for saving Emily and helping the village, and handed me a necklace.
Grade: High
Details: A necklace engraved with protection magic. Made of silver, it provides resistance to mana-based attacks.
Durability: 20/20 | Mana Resistance: 25
*Resistance: Absorbs mana to reduce damage from mana attacks by 10%.
*Protection: Nullifies one fatal blow. (Recharges 12 hours after consumption)
Requirement: Mana F or higher
'Oh, an artifact.'
Since I only have basic knowledge of artifacts, analyzing this item would allow me to craft even better ones. Once I return, I'll have to tear this thing apart and study it thoroughly.
"I have a request. Would you be interested?"
The Baron said this while showing me an ingot with a black sheen.
◈ Details: An ingot smelted from ore found in certain regions. Extremely durable.
"Black Iron, I see."
"Indeed. We used to mine it in a specific area of the Forest of Darkness."
The territory had been very wealthy from mining, smelting, and selling Black Iron equipment, but a few years ago, goblins seized the open-pit mine, halting production. The miners had lost their jobs and scattered.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with the goblins pouring out of the Forest of Darkness."
The Baron coughed and continued.
"I promise a generous reward if you drive the goblins out of the open-pit mine area and the Forest of Darkness. What do you say?"
The Baron slid a contract toward me. It was written in an unknown language, but as I stared at it, it automatically translated into Korean. Once I finished reading the contract, a notification window appeared.
The Baron's Plea
📍 Location: Menil Territory
🎁 Reward: Artifact, Mining Rights, Baron's Trust
Difficulty: Hard
Hmm.
If hundreds of goblins swarm them every time, does that mean there's a village with thousands of them?
"What kind of support can you provide?"
"Due to the goblin raids, all soldiers and knights are currently deployed for security, so military support is impossible."
The Baron glanced around before continuing.
"I can provide unlimited supplies. Including the magic scrolls my wife crafts."
"You have magic scrolls?"
"My wife is a skilled mage. Though she focuses more on research than practical application."
Super expensive magic scrolls that just need to be torn to unleash magic? Even if I don't use them, selling them would be a huge profit. It didn't look like a quest that would end in a day or two, either...
I picked up a pen and said.
"I see no reason to refuse. Baron, would it be possible to receive my share of the mining rights in ore?"
"Of course. Once you sign the contract, all support will begin immediately."
As I signed the contract, the paper glowed and vanished.
You have chosen: 1. Goblin Hunting.
If the goal is not achieved, you may still proceed to the next floor, but you will suffer penalties.
If you abandon the quest, it will lead to the next quest, and a random stat will decrease by one level.
"The Divine will guarantee this contract. I beg of you. May the blessings of the gods be upon you."
The Baron expressed his gratitude and politely signaled for me to leave.
As I stepped out of the office, the servant approached.
"Greetings. Please let me know if you need anything in the future. I will have all requested supplies prepared for you."
"You must request the magic scrolls directly from the Baroness," the male servant added.
I suppose I should meet the Baroness before I leave, then.
"I would like to see the Baroness regarding the supply of scrolls."
"It is late in the night, so I believe you will be able to see her after breakfast tomorrow."
Ah. I suppose he wouldn't let me meet a noblewoman at night.
"Return."
-Whoosh.
The scale of things even from the lower floors is really...
I have to clean out a village crawling with thousands of goblins... Is "Hell" difficulty for real?
With a familiar light, I returned.