Chapter 243: Turning Point (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 243: Turning Point (3)

The moment the prospective marquess' body leaned toward Bjorn Yandel's, a man watching the situation from a distance smirked.

The rumors were true.

Even "thug" wasn't a strong enough word to describe this guy. To think he would try to play a trick like that in front of the prime minister...

No, maybe he believes that the prime minister and the other noblemen won't blame him.

Hmm, it was an understandable assumption when you thought about it more carefully. There was clearly a difference between a born nobleman who would soon be a marquess and a barbarian adventurer who was only now being given the title of baronet. Due to the exclusive nature of aristocratic society, even more blatant bullying was common, and it was implicitly tolerated. It was a kind of hazing process.

You have to admit he's bold, though.

The prospective marquess wasn't a knight. He had taken a few essences for the sole purpose of appearing more intimidating. To pick a hand-to-hand fight against the adventurer who was known to have defeated the Corpse Collector...

Ah, come to think of it, he's injured, right?

Belatedly, the man remembered that Bjorn Yandel was still suffering from the side effects of the previous battle. Apparently, the poison had infiltrated even his brain. They said that at the recent banquet in his honor, he had been dripping sweat just from walking. That was probably the reason the marquess felt comfortable trying something like this.

...This is just going to ruin my mood.

At the potential future that came to mind, the man frowned. Malice hidden behind the splendor of nobility, a hero suffering humiliation in front of everyone... that wasn't something he wanted to see in his first outing in a long time.

"Huh?"

The man tilted his head as something completely unexpected happened. The barbarian's body didn't budge despite the prospective marquess' dirty trick.

Has he already recovered somewhat? That's good.

Just as he was thinking this, the barbarian's shoulder muscles, which could not be concealed by clothes made of cotton, twitched.

"Aaagh!" Right at that moment, the prospective marquess bounced backward. Even the music stopped and silence fell. His brain struggled to process what had just happened.

...Did he just push that asshole marquess?!

That barbarian would never have done something like this if he had remembered the consequences. For some reason, the man's secondhand embarrassment spiked and he felt rather dizzy. He was glad that the barbarian's condition had improved enough that he wasn't subject to lowly manipulations, but...

You should have pretended you didn't notice.

If it were him, he would've said, "Haha, did my legs give out? I should work out more," and gotten the marquess back later. It was less risky that way. Well, you could say he acted like a typical barbarian.

If it were really him, he wouldn't have pulled something like this.

Then was he really a native barbarian as suspected? The man was disappointed, but kept an eye on the situation. Still, you never knew. This guy may have been another big deal, even if it wasn't him. After all, Bjorn Yandel was suspected of being a player due to his meteoric rise.

Let's observe for now.

He refocused on the situation with those thoughts in mind.

"Bjorn, son of Yandel." The prime minister called out the barbarian's name in a troubled tone. He already knew about the prospective marquess' trick, of course, and also how the barbarian had reacted to it.

Now then, how will you get yourself out of this?

The man's anticipation didn't fade as he waited for the barbarian to open his mouth. It didn't take long.

Soon, the barbarian shouted, "I-I did nothing wrong!" like everything about this was unfair. It was a protest that lacked any logical defense, like a child throwing a tantrum. "It's true! I was just standing here when he used me to roll forward!"

He even went as far as blatantly placing the responsibility on the marquess. The man found himself growing disappointed.

"Marquess! Speak up too! Tell him you just felt like doing forward rolls!"

He recalled the people who had met Bjorn Yandel commenting in the community that he could not possibly be a player. Only then did he finally understand what they all meant.

This is supposed to be a modern man...?

The man's eyes dimmed as he stared at the barbarian.

***

The conferment ceremony was over. To be honest, I didn't really remember how it went. It was boring. The prime minister used all the rhetoric in the world to drone out a speech and with the words, "I confer this title on behalf of the king," I became an official nobleman of this country. And so the banquet began.

God damn it.

It was different from the appreciation feast. Back then, many nobles had come up to me to make friends or out of pure curiosity. There was no one around me now, though, Baron Martoin included. Even the count who had tried to pursue an arranged marriage only glanced at me from a distance. The treatment I was getting was completely different from the treatment of the marquess and viscount, who were surrounded by many people.

Well, it wasn't that I didn't get it. I'd been properly targeted by the marquess after what had happened.

Ha... all because of one weirdo.

Now that things had come to this, I tore through the piece of meat I was holding in my hand and recalled what happened earlier.

"Bjorn, son of Yandel."

How was I meant to navigate a situation where even the prime minister was looking at me with disapproval in his eyes? The solution I decided on was this, the thing that always served as a big help to me in times of trouble: Brainless Barbarian Mode.

"I-I did nothing wrong!"

Everyone already knew that the fault lay with the marquess, anyway. I just decided to be shameless. Political maneuvering didn't suit a barbarian in the first place.

"It's true! I was just standing here when he used me to roll forward!"

As expected, the prime minister couldn't say anything in response to that.

"...Roll forward?"

Guys who spent all day holding pens and sitting at desks were like this. No matter how smart and quick-witted they were, they were bound to have zero experience with conversations like these.

"Marquess! Speak up too! Tell him you just felt like doing forward rolls!"

Even the nobles who had interpreted my actions as a challenge changed their minds as Brainless Barbarian Mode continued. They had realized that barbarians were literally a different race from them.

"...Speak, Kariot Kudou. Is that true?"

The prime minister stared the marquess down, his eyes cold, and the marquess replied in fright, "O-Of course not, prime minister! That barbarian dared to push me without knowing his place—"

Now then, how will you get yourself out of this?

The man's anticipation didn't fade as he waited for the barbarian to open his mouth. It didn't take long.

Soon, the barbarian shouted, "I-I did nothing wrong!" like everything about this was unfair. It was a protest that lacked any logical defense, like a child throwing a tantrum. "It's true! I was just standing here when he used me to roll forward!"

He even went as far as blatantly placing the responsibility on the marquess. The man found himself growing disappointed.

"Marquess! Speak up too! Tell him you just felt like doing forward rolls!"

He recalled the people who had met Bjorn Yandel commenting in the community that he could not possibly be a player. Only then did he finally understand what they all meant.

This is supposed to be a modern man...?

The man's eyes dimmed as he stared at the barbarian.

***

The conferment ceremony was over. To be honest, I didn't really remember how it went. It was boring. The prime minister used all the rhetoric in the world to drone out a speech and with the words, "I confer this title on behalf of the king," I became an official nobleman of this country. And so the banquet began.

God damn it.

It was different from the appreciation feast. Back then, many nobles had come up to me to make friends or out of pure curiosity. There was no one around me now, though, Baron Martoin included. Even the count who had tried to pursue an arranged marriage only glanced at me from a distance. The treatment I was getting was completely different from the treatment of the marquess and viscount, who were surrounded by many people.

Well, it wasn't that I didn't get it. I'd been properly targeted by the marquess after what had happened.

Ha... all because of one weirdo.

Now that things had come to this, I tore through the piece of meat I was holding in my hand and recalled what happened earlier.

"Bjorn, son of Yandel."

How was I meant to navigate a situation where even the prime minister was looking at me with disapproval in his eyes? The solution I decided on was this, the thing that always served as a big help to me in times of trouble: Brainless Barbarian Mode.

"I-I did nothing wrong!"

Everyone already knew that the fault lay with the marquess, anyway. I just decided to be shameless. Political maneuvering didn't suit a barbarian in the first place.

"It's true! I was just standing here when he used me to roll forward!"

As expected, the prime minister couldn't say anything in response to that.

"...Roll forward?"

Guys who spent all day holding pens and sitting at desks were like this. No matter how smart and quick-witted they were, they were bound to have zero experience with conversations like these.

"Marquess! Speak up too! Tell him you just felt like doing forward rolls!"

Even the nobles ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had interpreted my actions as a challenge changed their minds as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Brainless Barbarian Mode continued. They had realized that barbarians were literally a different race from them.

"...Speak, Kariot Kudou. Is that true?"

The prime minister stared the marquess down, his eyes cold, and the marquess replied in fright, "O-Of course not, prime minister! That barbarian dared to push me without knowing his place—"

"Stop."

Cutting the bewildered marquess off, the prime minister plastered on a warm smile without a word. It was an unspoken threat to not turn this into a big scene.

"Yes... that's... right."

In the end, the marquess had no choice but to admit that he wanted to roll forward, because the prime minister's response indicated he was siding with me. Any nobleman would be able to tell.

That prime minister guy makes me uneasy too.

Anyway, whatever. The conferment ceremony resumed as if nothing had happened, and it ended with the essence I had chosen two days ago being delivered to me in a luxurious box. Cut to now.

Should I just go home?

Sitting alone at a round table munching on meat, the desire to return home began boiling inside of me.

Hmm, one more dish, then.

Decision made, I asked the attendant placed at my table to bring me another plate filled to the brim with meat.

Hmm?

A while later, I turned around upon sensing a presence, but what I saw was a man instead of the meat platter I was waiting for. "Haha, nice to meet you, Baronet Yandel."

This was the first nobleman to approach me after hours of mistreatment. As soon as our eyes met, my barbarian intuition spoke to me. Something was off.

"I am Hans from the House of Baron Ifreia."

This man is dangerous.

Hans Ifreia. In short, Hans I.

"...You are more reserved than I thought." As the youngest of the baron's family, he didn't have a title, but his presence was still suffocating. An aristocratic Hans? This was a type of Hans I'd never seen before!

"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel." My plan was to briefly introduce myself and leave, claiming to be busy.

But just then, the meat platter I ordered earlier arrived. "Huff, huff. Here it is, Baronet Yandel." Considerate of my appetite, the attendant brought me mountains of meat on three different plates.

"...Thanks." The words of gratitude came out of my mouth absentmindedly. But what was this?

"This... is the first time..." The attendant looked at me, clearly touched. "No one has ever said that to me since I started this job..."

Oh, these aristocratic bastards. The attendant asked me to request whatever I wanted without hesitation, then stood behind me in wait.

I was just going to go.

For some reason, I got the sense that would hurt his feelings, so I grabbed a piece of meat with one hand.

"It seems you are still eating. If it's all right with you, may I join you?"

Had I been an ordinary noble, I would've readily granted that request or beat around the bush to reject it, but I was a barbarian from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠city. "That'd be kind of awkward." I straight-up told him I was uncomfortable.

Hans I's eyes narrowed. "Hmm, you're different from what I've heard." His tone and the look in his eyes were somewhat peculiar.

"Different?" I asked.

"Oh, please excuse me. I just thought that you wouldn't be uncomfortable with something like this."

Who the hell was this bastard? For the youngest member of a baron's family and someone without a title, he was strangely relaxed. Also, his name was Hans.

"Stop."

Cutting the bewildered marquess off, the prime minister plastered on a warm smile without a word. It was an unspoken threat to not turn this into a big scene.

"Yes... that's... right."

In the end, the marquess had no choice but to admit that he wanted to roll forward, because the prime minister's response indicated he was siding with me. Any nobleman would be able to tell.

That prime minister guy makes me uneasy too.

Anyway, whatever. The conferment ceremony resumed as if nothing had happened, and it ended with the essence I had chosen two days ago being delivered to me in a luxurious box. Cut to now.

Should I just go home?

Sitting alone at a round table munching on meat, the desire to return home began boiling inside of me.

Hmm, one more dish, then.

Decision made, I asked the attendant placed at my table to bring me another plate filled to the brim with meat.

Hmm?

A while later, I turned around upon sensing a presence, but what I saw was a man instead of the meat platter I was waiting for. "Haha, nice to meet you, Baronet Yandel."

This was the first nobleman to approach me after hours of mistreatment. As soon as our eyes met, my barbarian intuition spoke to me. Something was off.

"I am Hans from the House of Baron Ifreia."

This man is dangerous.

Hans Ifreia. In short, Hans I.

"...You are more reserved than I thought." As the youngest of the baron's family, he didn't have a title, but his presence was still suffocating. An aristocratic Hans? This was a type of Hans I'd never seen before!

"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel." My plan was to briefly introduce myself and leave, claiming to be busy.

But just then, the meat platter I ordered earlier arrived. "Huff, huff. Here it is, Baronet Yandel." Considerate of my appetite, the attendant brought me mountains of meat on three different plates.

"...Thanks." The words of gratitude came out of my mouth absentmindedly. But what was this?

"This... is the first time..." The attendant looked at me, clearly touched. "No one has ever said that to me since I started this job..."

Oh, these aristocratic bastards. The attendant asked me to request whatever I wanted without hesitation, then stood behind me in wait.

I was just going to go.

For some reason, I got the sense that would hurt his feelings, so I grabbed a piece of meat with one hand.

"It seems you are still eating. If it's all right with you, may I join you?"

Had I been an ordinary noble, I would've readily granted that request or beat around the bush to reject it, but I was a barbarian from the city. "That'd be kind of awkward." I straight-up told him I was uncomfortable.

Hans I's eyes narrowed. "Hmm, you're different from what I've heard." His tone and the look in his eyes were somewhat peculiar.

"Different?" I asked.

"Oh, please excuse me. I just thought that you wouldn't be uncomfortable with something like this."

Who the hell was this bastard? For the youngest member of a baron's family and someone without a title, he was strangely relaxed. Also, his name was Hans.

...Why did he come up to me?

It looked like I should suss him out. After a moment of thought, I spoke casually. "You should have a plate. It's awkward eating alone."

"Aha, that's what you meant." At my words, Hans I ordered the food he wanted from the attendant. That was how our alone time began.

"Nice to meet you. I was bored sitting here by myself." I held out the hand that had been holding the food without wiping it down. Hans I hesitated for a moment before grabbing it. Ah, that disgusted expression...

Ha, this makes him even more suspicious.

What reason did he have to stay in this seat, going so far as to shake my greasy hand? I opened my mouth to find out, wide enough that it wouldn't be strange if the pieces of meat I was chewing on landed on his face. "So! Hans Ifreia? I like you! Let's be friends!"

Hans didn't answer.

"Why, do you not want to be friends?"

At my question, he laughed awkwardly as he removed flecks of meat from his face one by one. "No, of course not..."

"Haha, I'm glad!"

Soon, the meal he ordered arrived, and we ate and chatted together. Congratulations on the title. The weather is nice today. Most of it was small talk like that, and at some point, Hans I stopped touching his plate. That was because the meat chunks flying from my mouth ended up on it.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"...My stomach doesn't feel well."

"Hmm, it's awkward eating alone." That meant, get to the real reason you're here quickly or get lost. So, how would this guy react? The answer was really simple.

"If you are uncomfortable, then I will take my leave." Hans I rose from his seat without hesitation. "Have a nice meal." He immediately left the table.

What was that?

Did he really just want to be friends? The fact that he just left made me more uneasy.

***

By early evening, the sun was slowly starting to set. After sending away Hans I, I half ran away from the palace and boarded the carriage heading home. That was because I had met a Hans, and I had no idea what kind of trouble I might end up in while spending time in a place riddled with nobility.

Let's start with the essence first.

As soon as I got out of the palace, I greeted Keplow, who started guarding me again, and opened the Magic Vial.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I'm absorbing one without breaking the vial.

Corpse Golem, Orc Hero, Manticore—each situation was different, but in the end, I had to crack the vial open to take them. Well, it wasn't like they could be reused either way.

Whoop.

Putting the Magic Vial to my nose and breathing in deep, the essence flowed into my body like smoke.

[The Essence of the Bayon is seeping into your soul.]

There was one reason I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ended up choosing this guy. In fact, right now it would have been more advantageous to take the essence of Vol-Herchan to prepare for auras and increase my combat power, but... there was a vast difference in how difficult it was to acquire each.

Now that I have this, I can just take the experience points from the Land of Immortality and skip it.

Vol-Herchan traveled in groups and was easy to run into, while Bayons were hard to even come by and their area was very tricky. My choice this time around was made with the future in mind.

The only difference between them is the characteristics of the essence—there's no significant difference in terms of stats.

Besides, considering the effect of the next Spirit Imprint, this choice made more sense.

[Your Soul Power has increased by +100. Your Soul Regeneration has increased by +30. Your Strength has increased by +25.]

A sensation of fullness rose from the depths of my chest, a new feeling of vitality delivered by smaller, rarer physical stats. After enjoying the afterglow for a minute, I opened my eyes. Keplow smiled and offered words of congratulations.

It's late today, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go to the training grounds.

Disappointed about not being able to use my newly acquired ability right away, I closed my eyes again. A long while passed.

Creak.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped in the middle of the street. Did a wheel fall off?

Just as I was thinking that, Keplow, who was a human-born knight with an aptitude for mana that my barbarian self lacked, shouted, "I can sense mana below us! You have to get off—!"

There was a huge explosion and flames surrounded us from all sides.

CRASH!

The carriage shattered into pieces in an instant.

Beeeeeeep!

Through the ringing in my ears, I could hear the knights shouting. "Assassin! The assassin is here!"

Damn it all.

...Why did he come up to me?

It looked like I should suss him out. After a moment of thought, I spoke casually. "You should have a plate. It's awkward eating alone."

"Aha, that's what you meant." At my words, Hans I ordered the food he wanted from the attendant. That was how our alone time began.

"Nice to meet you. I was bored sitting here by myself." I held out the hand that had been holding the food without wiping it down. Hans I hesitated for a moment before grabbing it. Ah, that disgusted expression...

Ha, this makes him even more suspicious.

What reason did he have to stay in this seat, going so far as to shake my greasy hand? I opened my mouth to find out, wide enough that it wouldn't be strange if the pieces of meat I was chewing on landed on his face. "So! Hans Ifreia? I like you! Let's be friends!"

Hans didn't answer.

"Why, do you not want to be friends?"

At my question, he laughed awkwardly as he removed flecks of meat from his face one by one. "No, of course not..."

"Haha, I'm glad!"

Soon, the meal he ordered arrived, and we ate and chatted together. Congratulations on the title. The weather is nice today. Most of it was small talk like that, and at some point, Hans I stopped touching his plate. That was because the meat chunks flying from my mouth ended up on it.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"...My stomach doesn't feel well."

"Hmm, it's awkward eating alone." That meant, get to the real reason you're here quickly or get lost. So, how would this guy react? The answer was really simple.

"If you are uncomfortable, then I will take my leave." Hans I rose from his seat without hesitation. "Have a nice meal." He immediately left the table.

What was that?

Did he really just want to be friends? The fact that he just left made me more uneasy.

***

By early evening, the sun was slowly starting to set. After sending away Hans I, I half ran away from the palace and boarded the carriage heading home. That was because I had met a Hans, and I had no idea what kind of trouble I might end up in while spending time in a place riddled with nobility.

Let's start with the essence first.

As soon as I got out of the palace, I greeted Keplow, who started guarding me again, and opened the Magic Vial.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I'm absorbing one without breaking the vial.

Corpse Golem, Orc Hero, Manticore—each situation was different, but in the end, I had to crack the vial open to take them. Well, it wasn't like they could be reused either way.

Whoop.

Putting the Magic Vial to my nose and breathing in deep, the essence flowed into my body like smoke.

[The Essence of the Bayon is seeping into your soul.]

There was one reason I had ended up choosing this guy. In fact, right now it would have been more advantageous to take the essence of Vol-Herchan to prepare for auras and increase my combat power, but... there was a vast difference in how difficult it was to acquire each.

Now that I have this, I can just take the experience points from the Land of Immortality and skip it.

Vol-Herchan traveled in groups and was easy to run into, while Bayons were hard to even come by and their area was very tricky. My choice this time around was made with the future in mind.

The only difference between them is the characteristics of the essence—there's no significant difference in terms of stats.

Besides, considering the effect of the next Spirit Imprint, this choice made more sense.

[Your Soul Power has increased by +100. Your Soul Regeneration has increased by +30. Your Strength has increased by +25.]

A sensation of fullness rose from the depths of my chest, a new feeling of vitality delivered by smaller, rarer physical stats. After enjoying the afterglow for a minute, I opened my eyes. Keplow smiled and offered words of congratulations.

It's late today, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to go to the training grounds.

Disappointed about not being able to use my newly acquired ability right away, I closed my eyes again. A long while passed.

Creak.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped in the middle of the street. Did a wheel fall off?

Just as I was thinking that, Keplow, who was a human-born knight with an aptitude for mana that my barbarian self lacked, shouted, "I can sense mana below us! You have to get off—!"

There was a huge explosion and flames surrounded us from all sides.

CRASH!

The carriage shattered into pieces in an instant.

Beeeeeeep!

Through the ringing in my ears, I could hear the knights shouting. "Assassin! The assassin is here!"

Damn it all.