Chapter 150: Barbarian Chief (2)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 150: Barbarian Chief (2)

Rotmiller was different from Missha and Hikurod. As a scout, he was attentive and quick-witted, and in many ways, he was a veteran from starting at the bottom like he had. I didn't expect him to ask so straightforwardly, though.

Since this is my lot, I guess I'll have to bear it.

Just one option immediately came to mind. The idea of admitting that I was an evil spirit and appealing to our friendship was complete nonsense, so the only thing I could do was bust his head open in a fit of rage because I had been insulted.

No matter how I think about it, though, this is strange.

It was not just because of affection that my judgment was clouded. I knew a lot about Rotmiller. If he truly thought I was an evil spirit, a conversation like this wouldn't even be happening. If I had to compare it to something, he was acting like an herbivore. Put simply, Rotmiller himself also wasn't confident in his theory. Besides that, I didn't sense a threat from him. I quickly settled on a game plan.

Just as I thought, it would be best to wait and see for now.

Of course, I had no intention of begging him to trust me by lying and saying I wasn't. That was not the way of a barbarian man. So, after a silence of about three seconds, I coldly opened my mouth. "Rotmiller, I hope you have a reason for insulting me." I wanted him to think that it was only because he was my precious comrade that I was letting this slide just this once and asking for his reasoning. When you looked at my track record, this wasn't a lie. If it had been anyone other than Rotmiller, my fist would have been flying at his head a long time ago.

However, the man only laughed. "You know, I would've believed you were genuinely angry. That is, if I hadn't gotten to know you so well."

"What?"

"Oaths, honor. You're not the kind of person to get caught up in ego. And you're not impulsive enough to be swayed by your emotions, either."

Rotmiller knew me too well for me to keep acting. The warrior's oath, which I used like a cheat code, wouldn't work here, either. So I changed my approach a bit. "...Even I don't like hearing that from a teammate."

"Hm, that is true." Rotmiller shrugged and gulped down his remaining liquor. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than before. "But you are much too special."

Rotmiller continued. A barbarian who could read, a barbarian who was not controlled by emotions, a pragmatic barbarian who valued other things above honor—most of these were things that could be glossed over as simply exceptional. Except for the last one: a barbarian who knew information that a warrior less than a year into his career could never know.

"Back then, in the labyrinth, you claimed you heard a revelation."

After we left Larcaz and returned to the Tower of Heavens, I told my suspicious teammates that I had heard the revelation of Behela, my ancestral god. This was a world where gods existed, right? Missha and Hikurod had taken the answer at face value. Even Rotmiller, whom I had been worried about, didn't say anything, so I thought I handled that incident well.

"Who would believe that? I couldn't believe it, either. That's why I thought you might be an evil spirit."

So that's what you've been thinking of me in secret.

Well, if you assumed that I was an evil spirit, everything strange about me could be explained. It was the truth to begin with. However, things seemed very favorable for me right now. "You mean you don't think that now?"

At my question, Rotmiller nodded without hesitation. "In a book I read, evil spirits were described as a being that treat everyone in the world as puppets. However, you do not."

Although I placed little value in honor, I cared for my own people enough to advise and lead our young warriors. I felt a sense of loss and anger at the death of a teammate, something that an ordinary evil spirit would never feel. The path I walked had become a shield that protected me without me even needing to come up with a clumsy explanation.

Well, it seemed there was something else that had completely removed Rotmiller's suspicions. "Besides, didn't the goddess of the stars give you a blessing? I saw it with my own two eyes, so how can I doubt it?"

A blessing given by Reatlas, the goddess of the stars herself—even though I had grumbled about the vine snapping within a day, this really turned out to be a godsend.

"Thanks to that, I realized how narrow-minded I was being. I thought you were an evil spirit because I was looking at you through normal eyes."

No, you were looking right...

I listened to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Rotmiller's words, beating down my squirming conscience.

"In this world, there are undoubtedly people who are especially loved by the gods. And history has called them heroes."

"...That's too much."

"Haha, I knew you would say that. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself. But I, at least, sincerely think so."

I couldn't say anything in response to Rotmiller's barrage of compliments. Wouldn't it be weird to agree with all that? I tried to set my embarrassment aside and asked the last question on my mind. "Then why did you say that?" Rotmiller didn't think I was an evil spirit anymore. He may have in the past, but not now. So why did he throw a fastball at me and ask if I was an evil spirit?

His answer was completely unexpected. "I wanted to give you a warning and some advice."

"A warning and advice?"

"Yes. You are wise, but inexperienced in this area. No matter how much you trust your teammates, you need to hide yourself."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Aren't you going to form a new team? Your special nature will inevitably stick out like a sore thumb. There may even be those who evaluate you the same way as I did." Rotmiller said that as long as I couldn't reveal the blessing I had been given, I should try to lay low as much as possible. This would prevent issues in the future. "As someone who has lived an ordinary life, I really wanted to tell you this."

"...I see. Thanks. I will take your advice to heart, always."

"Hmm, this conversation went on longer than I intended. Let's wrap up this meeting here. I will carry Murad."

That was how Team Half-Wit's final drinking party ended. And unlike usual, we parted ways without scheduling our next gathering.

"I hope that the path you are walking on will be full of light."

Team Half-Wit. I really learned a lot from them.

***

The conversation with Rotmiller was informative, not because of the advice he gave, but because the situation itself set off alarm bells. Although things had worked out this time, it could happen again anytime. And there was no guarantee it would be the same next time, so I thought about it. If a teammate, and one I was attached to, ended up convinced that I was an evil spirit and even had proof of it, then what should I do?

I didn't bother to voice the answer out loud. That wouldn't change anything. I would try to survive, even if I had to become a terrible human being to do it.

...I'll have to be more careful.

In order to prevent that tragedy from coming to fruition, I decided to pay attention to each and every move I made, just like when I first fell into this strange world. I needed to operate under the assumption that I could only trust myself and be more systematic about my plans and actions. If I really cared for them, this was the right thing to do.

Although I placed little value in honor, I cared for my own people enough to advise and lead our young warriors. I felt a sense of loss and anger at the death of a teammate, something that an ordinary evil spirit would never feel. The path I walked had become a shield that protected me without me even needing to come up with a clumsy explanation.

Well, it seemed there was something else that had completely removed Rotmiller's suspicions. "Besides, didn't the goddess of the stars give you a blessing? I saw it with my own two eyes, so how can I doubt it?"

A blessing given by Reatlas, the goddess of the stars herself—even though I had grumbled about the vine snapping within a day, this really turned out to be a godsend.

"Thanks to that, I realized how narrow-minded I was being. I thought you were an evil spirit because I was looking at you through normal eyes."

No, you were looking right...

I listened to Rotmiller's words, beating down my squirming conscience.

"In this world, there are undoubtedly people who are especially loved by the gods. And history has called them heroes."

"...That's too much."

"Haha, I knew you would say that. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself. But I, at least, sincerely think so."

I couldn't say anything in response to Rotmiller's barrage of compliments. Wouldn't it be weird to agree with all that? I tried to set my embarrassment aside and asked the last question on my mind. "Then why did you say that?" Rotmiller didn't think I was an evil spirit anymore. He may have in the past, but not now. So why did he throw a fastball at me and ask if I was an evil spirit?

His answer was completely unexpected. "I wanted to give you a warning and some advice."

"A warning and advice?"

"Yes. You are wise, but inexperienced in this area. No matter how much you trust your teammates, you need to hide yourself."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Aren't you going to form a new team? Your special nature will inevitably stick out like a sore thumb. There may even be those who evaluate you the same way as I did." Rotmiller said that as long as I couldn't reveal the blessing I had been given, I should try to lay low as much as possible. This would prevent issues in the future. "As someone who has lived an ordinary life, I really wanted to tell you this."

"...I see. Thanks. I will take your advice to heart, always."

"Hmm, this conversation went on longer than I intended. Let's wrap up this meeting here. I will carry Murad."

That was how Team Half-Wit's final drinking party ended. And unlike usual, we parted ways without scheduling our next gathering.

"I hope that the path you are walking on will be full of light."

Team Half-Wit. I really learned a lot from them.

***

The conversation with Rotmiller was informative, not because of the advice he gave, but because the situation itself set off alarm bells. Although things had worked out this time, it could happen again anytime. And there was no guarantee it would be the same next time, so I thought about it. If a teammate, and one I was attached to, ended up convinced that I was an evil spirit and even had proof of it, then what should I do?

I didn't bother to voice the answer out loud. That wouldn't change anything. I would try to survive, even if I had to become a terrible human being to do it.

...I'll have to be more careful.

In order to prevent that tragedy from coming to fruition, I decided to pay attention to each and every move I made, just like when I first fell into this strange world. I needed to operate under the assumption that I could only trust myself and be more systematic about my plans and actions. If I really cared for them, this was the right thing to do.

"Bjorn, what arrre you thinking about?"

"It's nothing."

"I didn't say something weirrrd while I was drunk yesterday, right?"

The morning after Team Half-Wit's last dinner, I left the inn with Missha and headed to the Great Temple. We didn't have to go together, but we had to visit Kommelby later, anyway.

As soon as I arrived at the temple, I called for Krovitz.

"Nice to see you again. Do you have another issue?" The young paladin in his early thirties had a curious look on his face, as I had returned after only two days.

I brought up the matter straightforwardly. "It's not an issue, but I have a favor to ask."

"A favor... Let's hear it, first."

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the dragon tribe. I decided it would be better to return this as you said and ask for a different reward, after all." The Dragon Slayer Sword was a valuable treasure, but I had determined that the only thing it would do if I held onto it was rust.

"May the blessing of the twilight star be with you. This will be very good news for them."

Did he think I was doing this for the public good? Krovitz readily agreed and said he would arrange a meeting with them. For me, this was a load off my shoulders. It would be tough for a rank-six barbarian to arrange a meeting with the leaders of the dragon tribe on his own.

And since we're meeting through the temple, they won't think about robbing us or stealing the reward.

"When the date is set, I will send a message to the address you left."

"Thanks for your help."

Okay, that matter was settled. I left the temple with Missha and boarded the carriage to Kommelby. As soon as we got off, we headed to the Central Exchange for a simple reason.

I have to upgrade the Spirit Imprint immediately.

If word got out that I had received a blessing, there was a possibility that I'd be kicked out of the tribe. So, before that, stage six needed to be undergone. And for stage six, you needed materials on top of money.

"Are you registered for consignment sales?"

"I came because I have something I'm looking for," I said, submitting the documents I had prepared in advance to the staff. I needed an immortal heart, a raw material that could very rarely be obtained from the remains of a Troll caught with distortion magic. It was expensive, but if you had enough money, it was much better to buy it. Even those who specialized in hunting Trolls could only find one once every few months.

"There is a total of one item that meets your criteria. Would you like to look at the description?"

The look-up fee was three thousand stones, and the confirmed price was eighteen million stones. It was up one million stones from the last time. "...I'll buy it." It was a little depressing, but I just bought it nonchalantly anyway. This item was so understocked that the entire exchange only had one. If this one got sold, there was no telling when it'd be in stock again.

If the sixth stage costs this much, from the seventh on, I'll probably have to find the materials myself.

Arriving at the storage room with that thought in mind, I checked the item for defects and took it. With this, I had accomplished my goal for today. It was Missha's turn next. "Let's change your sword again."

"...Is that why you brought me herrre?" Missha shot me a look that seemed to ask why I was the one deciding that, but she didn't really resist. This wasn't strange. She must have noticed the limitations of steel too.

"With this new team, the goal will be to reach the sixth floor, so don't think about saving money."

"...If there is something I like."

Since it was a weapon that Missha was going to use, I searched for a suitable item while taking her opinion into account. It took longer than expected. We agreed to purchase a grade-three Iril long sword made of mithril and steel, but choosing a design was the problem.

"Ugh, it's not about choosing the prettier one!"

"Yeah, let's just go with that. Anyway, go ahead and choose. By the way, I think this one looks good."

"Oh, well, guess who isn't a barbarrrian. You just think that all it needs to be is heavy."

Despite grumbling, Missha chose her sword carefully. Apparently, you had to be attentive to things like weight distribution and reach. While explaining that, she even listed off the names of famous blacksmiths that she had memorized, which surprised me. It seemed she was also an adventurer, after all.

"Wow, to think the day has come that I can use a sword worrrth twelve million stones..."

"If you took off the enchantment on it, you could've saved at least four million."

"Still, if you're going to buy it, you should buy a good one! I will use it for the rest of my life!" Missha declared resolutely after she finished picking up the items from the storage room, hugging the sword like a baby. "Ughh, I rrreally need to save the remaining money..."

I cocked my head. "Why are you saving money? Leave only the money you need, and use all the rest to buy and consume Beast Blood."

"...Huh?"

Where a barbarian had a Spirit Imprint, a beastperson had a Soul Beast. Soul Beasts developed over time, but Beast Blood was able to shorten that length.

"I told you earlier. Don't even think about being frugal."

"...Is it really okay to spend it rrrecklessly like this?"

"It's not reckless, it's an investment in the future."

Missha asked if it wouldn't be better to buy an essence instead, but that didn't seem reasonable to me. Essences of rank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠five and above cost tens of millions of stones. And there was no need for her to buy anything below that.

"You haven't unlocked the power of your Soul Beast yet. I think it's right to focus on that for now."

In the end, with my powerful persuasion, Missha used all her money (excluding her emergency fund) to purchase Beast Blood. She said she'd take it home later. We'd know tomorrow if any unique abilities had manifested.

"Then let's get going."

After spending our fortune for several hours, we returned to the residential sector. The time was around 8 p.m. when the day slowly got darker and dusk began to fall.

I can do the Spirit Imprint at the holy land tomorrow and be done with that...

I organized the things I had to do before the next labyrinth opened. There were three things left: 1. Meet the dragon tribe and return the Dragon Slayer Sword; 2. Get information about Orcules and Noark; and 3. Build a new team.

Oh, come to think of it, I didn't ask her about that. When I remembered, I did so straight away. "Missha, is there anything you look for or do in particular when looking for a teammate?"

We had already roughly decided what roles would fill the remaining three seats. However, it was necessary to hear Missha out. She was not only an original member, but her career was longer than mine. I figured that I might get advice about something I hadn't even considered.

"Umm..." After seriously thinking it over, Missha carefully opened her mouth. "I... d-don't want an elf."

Well, that was an unexpected requirement.

"Bjorn, what arrre you thinking about?"

"It's nothing."

"I didn't say something weirrrd while I was drunk yesterday, right?"

The morning after Team Half-Wit's last dinner, I left the inn with Missha and headed to the Great Temple. We didn't have to go together, but we had to visit Kommelby later, anyway.

As soon as I arrived at the temple, I called for Krovitz.

"Nice to see you again. Do you have another issue?" The young paladin in his early thirties had a curious look on his face, as I had returned after only two days.

I brought up the matter straightforwardly. "It's not an issue, but I have a favor to ask."

"A favor... Let's hear it, first."

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the dragon tribe. I decided it would be better to return this as you said and ask for a different reward, after all." The Dragon Slayer Sword was a valuable treasure, but I had determined that the only thing it would do if I held onto it was rust.

"May the blessing of the twilight star be with you. This will be very good news for them."

Did he think I was doing this for the public good? Krovitz readily agreed and said he would arrange a meeting with them. For me, this was a load off my shoulders. It would be tough for a rank-six barbarian to arrange a meeting with the leaders of the dragon tribe on his own.

And since we're meeting through the temple, they won't think about robbing us or stealing the reward.

"When the date is set, I will send a message to the address you left."

"Thanks for your help."

Okay, that matter was settled. I left the temple with Missha and boarded the carriage to Kommelby. As soon as we got off, we headed to the Central Exchange for a simple reason.

I have to upgrade the Spirit Imprint immediately.

If word got out that I had received a blessing, there was a possibility that I'd be kicked out of the tribe. So, before that, stage six needed to be undergone. And for stage six, you needed materials on top of money.

"Are you registered for consignment sales?"

"I came because I have something I'm looking for," I said, submitting the documents I had prepared in advance to the staff. I needed an immortal heart, a raw material that could very rarely be obtained from the remains of a Troll caught with distortion magic. It was expensive, but if you had enough money, it was much better to buy it. Even those who specialized in hunting Trolls could only find one once every few months.

"There is a total of one item that meets your criteria. Would you like to look at the description?"

The look-up fee was three thousand stones, and the confirmed price was eighteen million stones. It was up one million stones from the last time. "...I'll buy it." It was a little depressing, but I just bought it nonchalantly anyway. This item was so understocked that the entire exchange only had one. If this one got sold, there was no telling when it'd be in stock again.

If the sixth stage costs this much, from the seventh on, I'll probably have to find the materials myself.

Arriving at the storage room with that thought in mind, I checked the item for defects and took it. With this, I had accomplished my goal for today. It was Missha's turn next. "Let's change your sword again."

"...Is that why you brought me herrre?" Missha shot me a look that seemed to ask why I was the one deciding that, but she didn't really resist. This wasn't strange. She must have noticed the limitations of steel too.

"With this new team, the goal will be to reach the sixth floor, so don't think about saving money."

"...If there is something I like."

Since it was a weapon that Missha was going to use, I searched for a suitable item while taking her opinion ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into account. It took longer than expected. We agreed to purchase a grade-three Iril long sword made of mithril and steel, but choosing a design was the problem.

"Ugh, it's not about choosing the prettier one!"

"Yeah, let's just go with that. Anyway, go ahead and choose. By the way, I think this one looks good."

"Oh, well, guess who isn't a barbarrrian. You just think that all it needs to be is heavy."

Despite grumbling, Missha chose her sword carefully. Apparently, you had to be attentive to things like weight distribution and reach. While explaining that, she even listed off the names of famous blacksmiths that she had memorized, which surprised me. It seemed she was also an adventurer, after all.

"Wow, to think the day has come that I can use a sword worrrth twelve million stones..."

"If you took off the enchantment on it, you could've saved at least four million."

"Still, if you're going to buy it, you should buy a good one! I will use it for the rest of my life!" Missha declared resolutely after she finished picking up the items from the storage room, hugging the sword like a baby. "Ughh, I rrreally need to save the remaining money..."

I cocked my head. "Why are you saving money? Leave only the money you need, and use all the rest to buy and consume Beast Blood."

"...Huh?"

Where a barbarian had a Spirit Imprint, a beastperson had a Soul Beast. Soul Beasts developed over time, but Beast Blood was able to shorten that length.

"I told you earlier. Don't even think about being frugal."

"...Is it really okay to spend it rrrecklessly like this?"

"It's not reckless, it's an investment in the future."

Missha asked if it wouldn't be better to buy an essence instead, but that didn't seem reasonable to me. Essences of rank five and above cost tens of millions of stones. And there was no need for her to buy anything below that.

"You haven't unlocked the power of your Soul Beast yet. I think it's right to focus on that for now."

In the end, with my powerful persuasion, Missha used all her money (excluding her emergency fund) to purchase Beast Blood. She said she'd take it home later. We'd know tomorrow if any unique abilities had manifested.

"Then let's get going."

After spending our fortune for several hours, we returned to the residential sector. The time was around 8 p.m. when the day slowly got darker and dusk began to fall.

I can do the Spirit Imprint at the holy land tomorrow and be done with that...

I organized the things I had to do before the next labyrinth opened. There were three things left: 1. Meet the dragon tribe and return the Dragon Slayer Sword; 2. Get information about Orcules and Noark; and 3. Build a new team.

Oh, come to think of it, I didn't ask her about that. When I remembered, I did so straight away. "Missha, is there anything you look for or do in particular when looking for a teammate?"

We had already roughly decided what roles would fill the remaining three seats. However, it was necessary to hear Missha out. She was not only an original member, but her career ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was longer than mine. I figured that I might get advice about something I hadn't even considered.

"Umm..." After seriously thinking it over, Missha carefully opened her mouth. "I... d-don't want an elf."

Well, that was an unexpected requirement.