Chapter 202: Blessing (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Blessing (2)
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. These were the words of Confucius.
But the book I had read only had those words written inside—his intended meaning wasn't included. So what did Confucius really want to say? That it was important to forgive? Or just how self-destructive and dangerous it was to choose revenge? Twenty-first-century me had had no way of knowing, so I just chose to interpret it in the way that resonated with me more. Yes, Confucius knew that when you went to kick someone's ass, you had to be prepared to get your ass kicked too.
But I guess she didn't know that.
I stared down the kid who dealt me a personal blow the very first moment we met. She was currently staring out into space in a daze.
"That... what does that mean? I don't understand..." I hadn't used any difficult words there, so what she couldn't understand must have been the situation itself, not what I had said. Well, maybe not? "I-I have a mom!" the kid shouted, glaring at me.
"You do?" I replied.
"I mean, she passed away, but..." The little girl flinched as she trailed off. To be honest, I was a little taken aback too. I didn't think my insult would be so spot-on.
However, that was no problem. "Of course." I nodded as if I knew that already. She didn't have a mom? So what? The same went for Bjorn Yandel, who grew up without a mother. Moreover, considering the physiology of the dragon tribe, this kid was only young in appearance. She was probably older than me in real life, meaning there was no reason for me to stop punishing her for that preemptive attack.
"B-But how... did you know...?"
"It shows."
"It... shows?"
"Yes. If you were raised right, you wouldn't tell such lies."
When I responded like that was obvious, the kid ground her teeth. Although cursing someone else's parents wasn't a customary insult in this world, one couldn't help being sensitive about topics related to family.
Uh, or was I wrong?
"Apologize, barbarian! Lie? I didn't lie!" The kid, who had recovered mentally to some extent, let out an angry shout at the fact that she had been accused of telling a lie.
For some reason, a corner of my heart died as soon as I heard that. To think she would deny it so vehemently. That was how sincere she had been when she called me super ugly. Bjorn Yandel would have been hurt by this, but this wasn't a problem, either. A K-Barbarian always repaid an insult tenfold. That was me.
"Not even realizing you've lied, huh?" I gave the girl a sympathetic look. "How sad, to think you don't have a father either—"
"I do! I have a dad! You weird bastard!" The kid cut me off with a scream. I decided to stop provoking her here. This should be enough to convey that messing with a barbarian could lead to big trouble. Plus, this was the dragonian homeland.
Wait, but why is the elder staying silent?
Suddenly noticing the silence behind me, I turned around and spotted the dragon elder watching me in amusement. "Incredible."
Huh?
"I have never seen someone make Miss Penitaseauros this angry."
That told me that she was an overly emotional kid. Even at this moment, she was huffing and glaring at me, except I was focused on something else.
Miss?
The elder had attached an honorific to the name. That meant this kid's status within the dragon tribe was notable.
"Wait, is this the shaman?"
The dragonian shaman served a similar role to the one and only barbarian shaman. To put it simply, the Blessing could only be done by her.
"Oh, you didn't know?"
How was I supposed to know?
When I slowly turned back around, the kid was glaring at me even more aggressively. "What? You want to apologize now?" There was an obvious sneer lingering on her lips.
After thinking it over for a while, I decided to stick with my guns. "Kid, why should I apologize?"
"...Don't you want to get the Blessing?"
That was true, but even a shaman was below Mr. Dragon, the chief. If he gave the go-ahead, this kid would have no choice but to bestow the Blessing on me.
"That's for the Primordial Dragon to decide."
The kid smirked at those words. "Oh, you mean my dad?"
I froze mid-laugh. She was Mr. Dragon's daughter? The tribe's shaman and the daughter of the ancient Primordial Dragon... Indeed, she could not have a loftier status, but the option of apologizing was already erased from my mind. That was not barbarian-like. More than anything, if I apologized, I'd just be admitting that I was super ugly.
"...What are you looking at?"
"Nothing? I'm not looking at anything?"
After the kid's shocking identity reveal, she and I engaged in a bout of psychological warfare in awkward silence. After a long while, the elder arranged a truce on our behalf. "That seems to be enough."
No, it would be more accurate to call it a scolding.
"Bjorn Yandel, your remarks to the shaman earlier were very rude. The place where you stand is the temple in which our spirit dwells. Even if you are a barbarian, you need to show respect." The elder pointed out my mistakes calmly and logically, then shifted her gaze to the kid, who was snickering to herself. "The same goes for you, Miss."
"...Me too?"
"Bjorn Yandel is the Primordial Dragon's guest and the savior of our tribe. It was disrespectful to criticize his appearance during your first meeting."
"But I didn't lie!"
"There are times when one should remain silent. Even if what they say is the truth."
The kid lowered her head despondently. However, I didn't derive any satisfaction from it.
What is this? An indirect insult?
"Be silent even if what you want to say is true"? That meant she agreed that I was super ugly, but just thought it was wrong to say it out loud.
"I must attend the meeting, so..." Soon, the elder left me and my wounded pride behind.
It was awkward to keep standing there so I just flopped down on the ground. A suffocating silence promptly fell.
It was the kid who finally broke it. "Tell me..."
"What?"
"I heard you're an adventurer. Any interesting stories?"
"...Why should I tell you?"
At my question, the kid shot me an annoyed look. "Words have power. And I can sense the nature of that power."
"I don't understand."
"Ugh, I need to get used to your wavelength so that I can bestow the Blessing on you later, or not. That's probably why my dad sent you here early."
This was my first time hearing about words having wavelengths, but there was something else that caught my attention more. "You speak as if a decision has already been made."
"Wait, is this the shaman?"
The dragonian shaman served a similar role to the one and only barbarian shaman. To put it simply, the Blessing could only be done by her.
"Oh, you didn't know?"
How was I supposed to know?
When I slowly turned back around, the kid was glaring at me even more aggressively. "What? You want to apologize now?" There was an obvious sneer lingering on her lips.
After thinking it over for a while, I decided to stick with my guns. "Kid, why should I apologize?"
"...Don't you want to get the Blessing?"
That was true, but even a shaman was below Mr. Dragon, the chief. If he gave the go-ahead, this kid would have no choice but to bestow the Blessing on me.
"That's for the Primordial Dragon to decide."
The kid smirked at those words. "Oh, you mean my dad?"
I froze mid-laugh. She was Mr. Dragon's daughter? The tribe's shaman and the daughter of the ancient Primordial Dragon... Indeed, she could not have a loftier status, but the option of apologizing was already erased from my mind. That was not barbarian-like. More than anything, if I apologized, I'd just be admitting that I was super ugly.
"...What are you looking at?"
"Nothing? I'm not looking at anything?"
After the kid's shocking identity reveal, she and I engaged in a bout of psychological warfare in awkward silence. After a long while, the elder arranged a truce on our behalf. "That seems to be enough."
No, it would be more accurate to call it a scolding.
"Bjorn Yandel, your remarks to the shaman earlier were very rude. The place where you stand is the temple in which our spirit dwells. Even if you are a barbarian, you need to show respect." The elder pointed out my mistakes calmly and logically, then shifted her gaze to the kid, who was snickering to herself. "The same goes for you, Miss."
"...Me too?"
"Bjorn Yandel is the Primordial Dragon's guest and the savior of our tribe. It was disrespectful to criticize his appearance during your first meeting."
"But I didn't lie!"
"There are times when one should remain silent. Even if what they say is the truth."
The kid lowered her head despondently. However, I didn't derive any satisfaction from it.
What is this? An indirect insult?
"Be silent even if what you want to say is true"? That meant she agreed that I was super ugly, but just thought it was wrong to say it out loud.
"I must attend the meeting, so..." Soon, the elder left me and my wounded pride behind.
It was awkward to keep standing there so I just flopped down on the ground. A suffocating silence promptly fell.
It was the kid who finally broke it. "Tell me..."
"What?"
"I heard you're an adventurer. Any interesting stories?"
"...Why should I tell you?"
At my question, the kid shot me an annoyed look. "Words have power. And I can sense the nature of that power."
"I don't understand."
"Ugh, I need to get used to your wavelength so that I can bestow the Blessing on you later, or not. That's probably why my dad sent you here early."
This was my first time hearing about words having wavelengths, but there was something else that caught my attention more. "You speak as if a decision has already been made."
"If they were turning you down, you wouldn't have been brought to this room in the first place."
"Then what are they discussing over there?"
"I don't know. I guess they thought they'd look like pushovers if they didn't do something."
Somehow, I thought that might be the case.
"Anyway, so say something. You have to keep talking for me to read your wavelengths. That way, the process will be less burdensome on your body."
I couldn't get used to this logical attitude because it differed from my first impression of her, but I obediently played along. "Anything you're particularly curious about?"
"Why you became an adventurer."
"You say strange things. We are born warriors. If we don't fight, we die."
"You mean you had no choice because of taxes?"
Well, sure, to put it another way... "Our status is not as great as yours."
"Oh, I see..."
The dragon tribe did not pay taxes. This was because they had made a big contribution to the war thousands of years ago. The other races, on the other hand, struggled to pay their taxes every day.
"I heard that you can borrow money based on your race, though. Is that not the case for barbarians?"
I smiled bitterly at the genuine curiosity behind her question. "Yes, it's not the same for us."
Dwarves got a tax cut when they became blacksmiths. Beastpeople and elves had financial security because they helped with agricultural and livestock work in Gnometree. The palace handed out interest-free loans for adventurers up to their second year in the trade, so they weren't put to death for failing to pay their taxes. But barbarians? Well, they had awesome weapons, for one.
Once I become chief of the tribe, the first thing I'll do is round up donations and fix everything.
Objectively, barbarians were the furthest behind. Improvements were needed in many areas. And I guess that not-so-great vibe showed on my expression because the kid changed the subject.
"...Enough of this, now tell me about that."
"What?"
"I heard you fought Uncle—no, the Dragon Slayer?"
Oh, that. That was my sole point of contact with the kid, so I slightly dramatized what happened back then and told her about it. I didn't make that many changes—I just removed the parts that could put me in a tough spot, like how we got the ogre's essence, things that could make her suspect me of being an evil spirit, et cetera. It was an interesting story even without all that.
"Riol Warb Dwalkie... That's a name I think I'll remember for a long time."
Like everyone who heard this story, the kid focused the most on the part about Dwalkie. This sort of reaction made me feel proud because it felt like he was finally being recognized by other people, too.
"The sword... So that's how you got it. You truly are ridiculous. Anyway, and then? What happened after that?"
When the story about the Dragon Slayer ended, I naturally brought up the part about finding a new team member. At this point, I heard some interesting news.
"Did you know? My sister could have joined your team."
It sounded like she was talking about the two-year teammate contract Mr. Dragon had proposed. "What kind of person is your sister?"
"If they were turning you down, you wouldn't have been brought to this room in the first place."
"Then what are they discussing over there?"
"I don't know. I guess they thought they'd look like pushovers if they didn't do something."
Somehow, I thought that might be the case.
"Anyway, so say something. You have to keep talking for me to read your wavelengths. That way, the process will be less burdensome on your body."
I couldn't get used to this logical attitude because it differed from my first impression of her, but I obediently played along. "Anything you're particularly curious about?"
"Why you became an adventurer."
"You say strange things. We are born warriors. If we don't fight, we die."
"You mean you had no choice because of taxes?"
Well, sure, to put it another way... "Our status is not as great as yours."
"Oh, I see..."
The dragon tribe did not pay taxes. This was because they had made a big contribution to the war thousands of years ago. The other races, on the other hand, struggled to pay their taxes every day.
"I heard that you can borrow money based on your race, though. Is that not the case for barbarians?"
I smiled bitterly at the genuine curiosity behind her question. "Yes, it's not the same for us."
Dwarves got a tax cut when they became blacksmiths. Beastpeople and elves had financial security because they helped with agricultural and livestock work in Gnometree. The palace handed out interest-free loans for adventurers up to their second year in the trade, so they weren't put to death for failing to pay their taxes. But barbarians? Well, they had awesome weapons, for one.
Once I become chief of the tribe, the first thing I'll do is round up donations and fix everything.
Objectively, barbarians were the furthest behind. Improvements were needed in many areas. And I guess that not-so-great vibe showed on my expression because the kid changed the subject.
"...Enough of this, now tell me about that."
"What?"
"I heard you fought Uncle—no, the Dragon Slayer?"
Oh, that. That was my sole point of contact with the kid, so I slightly dramatized what happened back then and told her about it. I didn't make that many changes—I just removed the parts that could put me in a tough spot, like how we got the ogre's essence, things that could make her suspect me of being an evil spirit, et cetera. It was an interesting story even without all that.
"Riol Warb Dwalkie... That's a name I think I'll remember for a long time."
Like everyone who heard this story, the kid focused the most on the part about Dwalkie. This sort of reaction made me feel proud because it felt like he was finally being recognized by other people, too.
"The sword... So that's how you got it. You truly are ridiculous. Anyway, and then? What happened after that?"
When the story about the Dragon Slayer ended, I naturally brought up the part about finding a new team member. At this point, I heard some interesting news.
"Did you know? My sister could have joined your team."
It sounded like she was talking about the two-year teammate contract Mr. Dragon had proposed. "What kind of person is your sister?"
"She's kind. But she's so busy, I don't see her often."
No, I'm asking how strong she is, not her personality.
I was always a bit curious about stuff like that so I moved to ask some more questions, but ended up not being able to. The door opened just in time. "I heard you fought, but you two seem to be getting along." Mr. Dragon entered and smiled at the sight of us chatting. Thanks to that, I learned one thing: the elder didn't tell him what I said to her earlier. If he'd heard about the whole 'being raised right' thing, he wouldn't have been able to smile at me like that.
"So, is the verdict in?"
"It is."
Geez, you could've just started with that.
"What is it?"
"We have decided to grant your request."
"I see." I nodded and glanced at the kid. She might've been right on the money earlier—the decision had already been made but they had held an hour-long meeting purely because of pride.
Is this why they asked those weird questions?
Reasonable suspicions filled me, but before I could examine them, Mr. Dragon spoke softly. "However, there is one condition."
"Condition?"
"It was confirmed through the Church of Reatlas that you have received a blessing. One day, you will probably be reunited with Regal Vagos, the Dragon Slayer."
"Okay, get to the point."
"If you can kill him when that time comes, bring me his heart."
"...Heart? Why do you need that?" Since this was a weighty condition, I decided to ask for the reason behind it first.
The answer came from the kid. "It's because of me. When all that happened back then, I was the one who cursed Uncle."
"Curse..."
That curse, which had made it so that the dragon Regal Vagos was no longer a member of the dragon tribe—this was why his use of Dragon Speech was restricted, and he could not even properly use the Dragon Slayer Sword he had stolen by betraying his own people.
"Wait, wasn't the curse left by the previous Primordial Dragon?"
"That's the story that has been told to the public. But in truth, it was my daughter who placed that curse."
"...I see." I felt like I was hearing the secret history of the dragon tribe, but that wasn't important right now. "So, what does the heart have to do with the curse?"
"As payment for placing the curse, I've been frozen in time. I've become unable to step out of this temple for the rest of my life."
"You mean you'll be able to go back to normal if you have his heart?"
The kid didn't answer my question. "At least, that's what we believe," Mr. Dragon said, his voice soft and sorrowful.
I suddenly had a thought. Perhaps this was why he had proposed providing me with a teammate for two years, so that she could follow me around and, once the Dragon Slayer appeared, kill him and bring his other daughter the heart.
Then how old is she?
At first, I figured she was a few years older than me, but now that I knew what I did, I didn't think so, since the former Primordial Dragon had died more than thirty years ago.
Well, her words and actions still don't match her real age... but if she's only ever lived in a temple, that makes sense.
"So, what will you do?"
"All right. If I kill the Dragon Slayer, I will make sure to take out his heart and bring it to you."
"Then it's done."
This wasn't a particularly difficult condition, so I skipped further negotiations and accepted the offer. Now it was time to receive prepayment of the reward. "Then, when will it be possible to receive the Blessing?"
"You can do it tonight if you want," the kid said in response to my question. "But I must ask this before that. What kind of Blessing do you want to receive? I need to know that so I can prepare."
"What are the Blessings?" I asked just to confirm, figuring that there might be a difference from the game.
"You don't know? I thought you asked for it because you already did."
"I only know one for sure."
"Really? Then I guess I'll have to explain the rest." The kid looked annoyed yet still explained each one in detail. Based on what she was saying, it seemed there were no significant differences from the game.
"The first is the Earth Dragon's Blessing."
When you got this essence, any additional stats you got from an essence rose by 20 percent. The Earth Dragon's Blessing had good compatibility with me since default stats were important to me. Though in truth, there were no options here with bad compatibility.
"The second is the Volcano Dragon's Blessing."
If the first one was good for stats, this was a type of Blessing that increased the performance of all skills. From what I could remember, it was about 30 percent. If I chose this, my Giantization size would grow even larger and the performance of Ironskin and Swing would significantly improve too.
"Lastly, there is the Sea Dragon's Blessing."
Unlike the other Blessings, this was the only one in which a specific stat went up. The effect of the Blessing was +100 Soul Power. Bearing in mind that Soul Power rose by ten each time you leveled up until level five, you could get a sense of how high that number was. If I chose this, the duration time of Giantization would go up several times at once. This meant that I wouldn't ever run out of MP until I absorbed a few more core essences.
"Okay, that's the end of the explanation. So, what will you choose?"
Which of the three would I choose? The kid even kindly offered me more time to think, but I firmly refused. "I'll go with this one." I already had something in mind.
"She's kind. But she's so busy, I don't see her often."
No, I'm asking how strong she is, not her personality.
I was always a bit curious about stuff like that so I moved to ask some more questions, but ended up not being able to. The door opened just in time. "I heard you fought, but you two seem to be getting along." Mr. Dragon entered and smiled at the sight of us chatting. Thanks to that, I learned one thing: the elder didn't tell him what I said to her earlier. If he'd heard about the whole 'being raised right' thing, he wouldn't have been able to smile at me like that.
"So, is the verdict in?"
"It is."
Geez, you could've just started with that.
"What is it?"
"We have decided to grant your request."
"I see." I nodded and glanced at the kid. She might've been right on the money earlier—the decision had already been made but they had held an hour-long meeting purely because of pride.
Is this why they asked those weird questions?
Reasonable suspicions filled me, but before I could examine them, Mr. Dragon spoke softly. "However, there is one condition."
"Condition?"
"It was confirmed through the Church of Reatlas that you have received a blessing. One day, you will probably be reunited with Regal Vagos, the Dragon Slayer."
"Okay, get to the point."
"If you can kill him when that time comes, bring me his heart."
"...Heart? Why do you need that?" Since this was a weighty condition, I decided to ask for the reason behind it first.
The answer came from the kid. "It's because of me. When all that happened back then, I was the one who cursed Uncle."
"Curse..."
That curse, which had made it so that the dragon Regal Vagos was no longer a member of the dragon tribe—this was why his use of Dragon Speech was restricted, and he could not even properly use the Dragon Slayer Sword he had stolen by betraying his own people.
"Wait, wasn't the curse left by the previous Primordial Dragon?"
"That's the story that has been told to the public. But in truth, it was my daughter who placed that curse."
"...I see." I felt like I was hearing the secret history of the dragon tribe, but that wasn't important right now. "So, what does the heart have to do with the curse?"
"As payment for placing the curse, I've been frozen in time. I've become unable to step out of this temple for the rest of my life."
"You mean you'll be able to go back to normal if you have his heart?"
The kid didn't answer my question. "At least, that's what we believe," Mr. Dragon said, his voice soft and sorrowful.
I suddenly had a thought. Perhaps this was why he had proposed providing me with a teammate for two years, so that she could follow me around and, once the Dragon Slayer appeared, kill him and bring his other daughter the heart.
Then how old is she?
At first, I figured she was a few years older than me, but now that I knew what I did, I didn't think so, since the former Primordial Dragon had died more than thirty years ago.
Well, her words and actions still don't match her real age... but if she's only ever lived in a temple, that makes sense.
"So, what will you do?"
"All right. If I kill the Dragon Slayer, I will make sure to take out his heart and bring it to you."
"Then it's done."
This wasn't a particularly difficult condition, so I skipped further negotiations and accepted the offer. Now it was time to receive prepayment of the reward. "Then, when will it be possible to receive the Blessing?"
"You can do it tonight if you want," the kid said in response to my question. "But I must ask this before that. What kind of Blessing do you want to receive? I need to know that so I can prepare."
"What are the Blessings?" I asked just to confirm, figuring that there might be a difference from the game.
"You don't know? I thought you asked for it because you already did."
"I only know one for sure."
"Really? Then I guess I'll have to explain the rest." The kid looked annoyed yet still explained each one in detail. Based on what she was saying, it seemed there were no significant differences from the game.
"The first is the Earth Dragon's Blessing."
When you got this essence, any additional stats you got from an essence rose by 20 percent. The Earth Dragon's Blessing had good compatibility with me since default stats were important to me. Though in truth, there were no options here with bad compatibility.
"The second is the Volcano Dragon's Blessing."
If the first one was good for stats, this was a type of Blessing that increased the performance of all skills. From what I could remember, it was about 30 percent. If I chose this, my Giantization size would grow even larger and the performance of Ironskin and Swing would significantly improve too.
"Lastly, there is the Sea Dragon's Blessing."
Unlike the other Blessings, this was the only one in which a specific stat went up. The effect of the Blessing was +100 Soul Power. Bearing in mind that Soul Power rose by ten each time you leveled up until level five, you could get a sense of how high that number was. If I chose this, the duration time of Giantization would go up several times at once. This meant that I wouldn't ever run out of MP until I absorbed a few more core essences.
"Okay, that's the end of the explanation. So, what will you choose?"
Which of the three would I choose? The kid even kindly offered me more time to think, but I firmly refused. "I'll go with this one." I already had something in mind.