Chapter 260: Clan (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: Clan (4)
A barbarian warrior had just left the holy land. At the sight of Bjorn Yandel, one man breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, he came out right away."
If Bjorn had intended to stay at the barbarians' holy land overnight, he would have had to try for the 15th of next month instead. Trying to infiltrate the holy land with this body would have been a bit...
Twist.
The man, who was following after Bjorn Yandel, lost his balance and staggered. Because this was his first time connecting his senses to this golem, some of the controls were still unfamiliar.
"Excuse me, are you okay?" When the man caught himself in a bizarre pose, eyes started to turn to him.
"I'm all right." The man felt a strange sense of embarrassment and quickly left the area. With a creaking gait, he followed after Bjorn.
"Mom, that man is funny...!"
...Baekho Lee, if it weren't for that man...
The reason why the man had had to leave behind his perfectly fine body and link up to a golem he was not familiar with was all because of Baekho, because he couldn't know when he would appear again. It was too dangerous to leave the Magic Tower as himself.
So, where is he going now?
It was still early morning and the sky was blue. The man continued to walk behind Bjorn Yandel.
He's going to drink this early in the morning?
Finally, he arrived at a famous pub in District Seven, a bar that operated twenty-four hours a day with three shifts of staff on rotation.
"That man... is Bjorn, son of Yandel?"
"Oh, that man?"
"We got lucky. To think we get to see the man from the rumors in person."
As soon as Bjorn entered the bar, the people around him turned to look. He was now famous enough that people recognized him wherever he went.
Smirk.
As if relishing in his fame, Bjorn grinned and sat at a table in the center of the room on his own. He then started tossing back drinks.
"Um, what would you like to order...?"
The man, who entered the pub at the same time and found a table nearby, ordered some food and kept a close eye on Bjorn. There was nothing significant to note.
"Ugh...!"
Just drinking, drinking, and more drinking. The table beside him, which had been empty, was now filled with drunkards who had followed the scent of alcohol.
"Haha! To drink something that strong in one go, you really must be a giant!"
People who at first just came over to talk to a celebrity eventually sat down once he proved to be more entertaining than they thought. Oh, there were quite a few women among them.
"Um, can I touch your arm?"
"...O-Of course!"
"Wowww, it really feels like iron! Oh, I'm Amy."
Interested in the body of a famous adventurer, these women who approached pretending not to be scared began trying to seduce the barbarian warrior. It wouldn't work, of course. That was because Bjorn Yandel already had three lovers and was known to cherish all three fiercely.
"I... am B-Bjorn, son of Yandel! Nice to meet you...!"
Huh?
"Ahem...!"
"Oh my! How manly."
As the women's hands got bolder and more mischievous, the barbarian warrior made no move to stop them at all.
"Can I touch your thighs too?"
"Ahem! If you want..." Although he acted like he had no other choice, the slight curl at the corners of his lips proved that he was enjoying this too.
This guy is supposed to be a hero...?
The man was incredulous, but none of the people seemed uncomfortable with his behavior at all. They didn't necessarily see it as an ethical problem. Anyway, their drinking continued into the evening.
"Behel-aaah! Drinks! Bring me more drinks! I have plenty of money!"
The closer it got to midnight, the more he was beginning to hope Bjorn was not a player. He couldn't not feel that way. Breaking tables by arm-wrestling out of the blue, trying to smooth it over by declaring he had a lot of money, threatening a drunken customer who shot him a glare for being too loud, etcetera. This went far beyond just a perfect barbarian act. This guy was the very definition of a brainless barbarian warrior.
This... cannot be Elfnuna...
Even with that thought in mind, the man still waited until midnight. He'd wasted too much time here today to leave without checking on the final result. A long while later, there was only one minute left until the community opened. That barbarian was still chugging down drinks with other people, something a community user would never do.
Tick.
Soon, the minute hand moved to midnight. Having made arrangements in advance not to enter the community this month, the man was able to observe Bjorn Yandel without missing a beat.
...So he wasn't.
Even though it was midnight, Bjorn was still laughing and chatting. No matter how quickly someone logged in and out, there was bound to be a brief moment of pause, but there was no such thing here. That at least meant he was not a part of the community.
If he's not a member even after the letter I sent back then... that must mean he's not a player, either. If he could read the letter, there'd be no reason for him not to join.
Soon, the man got up from his seat with a weight off his shoulders. Bjorn Yandel was not a player, and he felt a strange sense of relief at the thought.
Yeah, there's no way this guy is a modern man.
***
According to Kharon's account, his day yesterday was simple. That was because he'd spent all of it in a pub, drinking since morning.
No wonder he reeked of alcohol.
Of course, I didn't intend to scold him about that. I was the one who told him to go drink in the first place. I figured that if Kharon spent the day at a bar, that guy would be conscious of the fact that other people were around and wouldn't be able to try anything funny.
"So, what happened while you were drinking?"
"Oh, that? It's kind of a long story... But it was so much fun!"
I tuned out the story of a drunkard he'd made friends with at the pub, and how he accidentally smashed a table and had to pay for it, because I'd expected that much. The price of the table and the drinks didn't bother me as long as my goal had been achieved.
"Was there anyone strange at the bar? Hmm..." Kharon seemed to comb through his alcohol-soaked memory before giving me the answer I wanted. "Come to think of it, there was a weak-looking man sitting in the corner all day. He was a strange guy and kept ordering stuff without drinking or eating."
"Oh my! How manly."
As the women's hands got bolder and more mischievous, the barbarian warrior made no move to stop them at all.
"Can I touch your thighs too?"
"Ahem! If you want..." Although he acted like he had no other choice, the slight curl at the corners of his lips proved that he was enjoying this too.
This guy is supposed to be a hero...?
The man was incredulous, but none of the people seemed uncomfortable with his behavior at all. They didn't necessarily see it as an ethical problem. Anyway, their drinking continued into the evening.
"Behel-aaah! Drinks! Bring me more drinks! I have plenty of money!"
The closer it got to midnight, the more he was beginning to hope Bjorn was not a player. He couldn't not feel that way. Breaking tables by arm-wrestling out of the blue, trying to smooth it over by declaring he had a lot of money, threatening a drunken customer who shot him a glare for being too loud, etcetera. This went far beyond just a perfect barbarian act. This guy was the very definition of a brainless barbarian warrior.
This... cannot be Elfnuna...
Even with that thought in mind, the man still waited until midnight. He'd wasted too much time here today to leave without checking on the final result. A long while later, there was only one minute left until the community opened. That barbarian was still chugging down drinks with other people, something a community user would never do.
Tick.
Soon, the minute hand moved to midnight. Having made arrangements in advance not to enter the community this month, the man was able to observe Bjorn Yandel without missing a beat.
...So he wasn't.
Even though it was midnight, Bjorn was still laughing and chatting. No matter how quickly someone logged in and out, there was bound to be a brief moment of pause, but there was no such thing here. That at least meant he was not a part of the community.
If he's not a member even after the letter I sent back then... that must mean he's not a player, either. If he could read the letter, there'd be no reason for him not to join.
Soon, the man got up from his seat with a weight off his shoulders. Bjorn Yandel was not a player, and he felt a strange sense of relief at the thought.
Yeah, there's no way this guy is a modern man.
***
According to Kharon's account, his day yesterday was simple. That was because he'd spent all of it in a pub, drinking since morning.
No wonder he reeked of alcohol.
Of course, I didn't intend to scold him about that. I was the one who told him to go drink in the first place. I figured that if Kharon spent the day at a bar, that guy would be conscious of the fact that other people were around and wouldn't be able to try anything funny.
"So, what happened while you were drinking?"
"Oh, that? It's kind of a long story... But it was so much fun!"
I tuned out the story of a drunkard he'd made friends with at the pub, and how he accidentally smashed a table and had to pay for it, because I'd expected that much. The price of the table and the drinks didn't bother me as long as my goal had been achieved.
"Was there anyone strange at the bar? Hmm..." Kharon seemed to comb through his alcohol-soaked memory before giving me the answer I wanted. "Come to think of it, there was a weak-looking man sitting in the corner all day. He was a strange guy and kept ordering stuff without drinking or eating."
As soon as I heard this, I knew it was him. "So, what did you do? Did you speak to him?"
"Of course not. He seemed kind of empty in the head so I didn't go up to him first."
"When did that man leave the pub?"
"I don't know about that... I think it was around midnight."
A smile appeared on my face. He was at the pub all day and left as soon as midnight came and went. It seemed my trick had worked. The sight of Kharon having a good time with the pubgoers must have cleared all of his suspicions about me. That meant my plan had gone off without a hitch.
"Mm, yes. Midnight should be about right. Because it was around one o'clock that I saw that shifter woman."
Huh?
"...Shifter woman?" Anxiety rose inside of me. And as always, it was well-founded.
"That daughter of Karlstein!"
Missha had run into Kharon in my body. "What happened when you saw her?"
When I urgently asked what happened next, Kharon explained what went down. "She may be a shifter, but she was a fierce woman. I can see why you like her."
To summarize, it went down like this: Missha had dragged Kharon out by the neck while he was flirting with the women and they exchanged a brief conversation.
"Sorry. No matter what I said, nothing worked."
Before long, Kharon got caught. Of course he did—how would he hide the fact that he was an entirely different person from her? But the important bit started here. So, what had happened?
"She asked what you were doing so I just answered honestly."
"...You answered honestly?" I bit out through gritted teeth.
Kharon flinched at my tone, but he must have really wanted to say this because he pressed on. "Bjorn, you are the hero of our tribe. You are just doing your duty. Why do you have to hide that? So I just told her honestly! That Bjorn is fulfilling his duties with the female warriors of the tribe, so don't even think about interfering!"
I didn't respond.
"Haha, she didn't seem to know what those duties were so I explained it to her in detail. And then it seemed like she finally understood and left. You should thank me! Now you can fulfill your duties in the holy land whenever you want! But... why are you so quiet?" Kharon asked cautiously, and I once again responded with silence.
I just didn't know what I should say here. Damn it, how did things end up like this? Even getting angry at Kharon would be pointless.
"Kharon, son of Tarson. Make a warrior's oath that you will keep everything that happened today strictly confidential."
"Oath? If you want, I can do it a hundred times."
Inwardly whimpering, I asked him to make an oath and Kharon agreed without an inkling of hesitation. That was the reason why I couldn't get angry at the guy.
"Oh, but what does 'confidential' mean?"
"...It means do not tell anyone."
"That's not difficult! I am famous in the tribe for being tight-lipped!"
Yeah, what would getting angry at him do? Like a natural disaster, it was wiser to consider what had happened an inevitability. No one got angry at storm clouds for bringing rain, right? Kharon had already done his job. Thankfully, we were able to successfully trick the GM.
Now I have no choice but to deal with the aftermath.
After parting with Kharon, I headed home.
Trudge, trudge.
Unlike usual, my steps there felt very heavy.
***
When I arrived home, Missha was sitting on the sofa in the living room. I couldn't see any hint of emotion on her face. Yeah, none at all.
"Oh, you're herrre?" Missha asked as if nothing was wrong. But her fingernails, which were always neatly trimmed, were jagged, and her eyes were bloodshot. Did she spend all night on the sofa like that?
"Y-Yeah..." My heart constricted. I couldn't bring myself to say any of the lines I had prepared and just stood there.
"Okay, then. Go sleep." As if to give me time to say something, Missha took a moment to look at me in silence before turning around and going into her room. Even then, I just watched.
What could I say? That what Kharon told her wasn't true? To explain that, I'd have to tell her about the GM. Of course, I could possibly make up another excuse, but...
It could make the situation worse.
Maybe if this had happened a few months ago, I would have gone that route. But now, Missha already suspected me of being an evil spirit. This was better than being suspected of that. Fulfilling the duties of the tribe? At least that didn't sound like something an evil spirit would do. This was for the best.
...My ass.
I quickly climbed the stairs and knocked on Missha's door. There was no answer. Did she not want to speak with me?
"I'm coming in." I ignored her wishes and did what I wanted like the barbarian I was.
Crack!
Thankfully, the door wasn't locked as it easily flew open. I could see a Missha-sized lump on the bed with the blanket over her head.
So you don't want to even look at me.
It was a good thing I came after her, because everything had its proper place. A tank was a person who protected their teammates, not harmed them.
"If you don't want to talk, just listen," I said. I still didn't have the courage to reveal I was an evil spirit. With no plan in mind, I opened the mouth of my borrowed barbarian body. "Nothing happened at the holy land."
Missha pulled down the blanket a bit at my words. "...Why are you telling me this?"
She asked like she was confused like I had no reason to make excuses, whether she believed them or not. She wasn't wrong. Missha and I were only teammates. There had been an opportunity for us to have a more intimate relationship, but I had been the one to push her away. I thought it would be difficult to make rational decisions at future crossroads if romantic feelings got in the way.
"Bjorn, is this because you think I'm uncomforrrtable? If that's why you're being considerate, you don't have to—"
"It's not for you. It's for my own peace of mind. Unlike Dwalkie, I'm a selfish bastard." I cut Missha off and spoke. "Missha, nothing happened last night at the holy land, and I don't want you to misunderstand that."
"Why don't you want me to misunderstand...?" The eyes poking out of the blanket were filled with a distinct brand of hope and desire, one I couldn't ignore forever.
I took a breath before continuing. Even if I may just have been a wicked evil spirit dwelling in Bjorn Yandel's body, this was a truth I couldn't run away from forever. "Because I don't just consider you my teammate anymore."
As soon as I heard this, I knew it was him. "So, what did you do? Did you speak to him?"
"Of course not. He seemed kind of empty in the head so I didn't go up to him first."
"When did that man leave the pub?"
"I don't know about that... I think it was around midnight."
A smile appeared on my face. He was at the pub all day and left as soon as midnight came and went. It seemed my trick had worked. The sight of Kharon having a good time with the pubgoers must have cleared all of his suspicions about me. That meant my plan had gone off without a hitch.
"Mm, yes. Midnight should be about right. Because it was around one o'clock that I saw that shifter woman."
Huh?
"...Shifter woman?" Anxiety rose inside of me. And as always, it was well-founded.
"That daughter of Karlstein!"
Missha had run into Kharon in my body. "What happened when you saw her?"
When I urgently asked what happened next, Kharon explained what went down. "She may be a shifter, but she was a fierce woman. I can see why you like her."
To summarize, it went down like this: Missha had dragged Kharon out by the neck while he was flirting with the women and they exchanged a brief conversation.
"Sorry. No matter what I said, nothing worked."
Before long, Kharon got caught. Of course he did—how would he hide the fact that he was an entirely different person from her? But the important bit started here. So, what had happened?
"She asked what you were doing so I just answered honestly."
"...You answered honestly?" I bit out through gritted teeth.
Kharon flinched at my tone, but he must have really wanted to say this because he pressed on. "Bjorn, you are the hero of our tribe. You are just doing your duty. Why do you have to hide that? So I just told her honestly! That Bjorn is fulfilling his duties with the female warriors of the tribe, so don't even think about interfering!"
I didn't respond.
"Haha, she didn't seem to know what those duties were so I explained it to her in detail. And then it seemed like she finally understood and left. You should thank me! Now you can fulfill your duties in the holy land whenever you want! But... why are you so quiet?" Kharon asked cautiously, and I once again responded with silence.
I just didn't know what I should say here. Damn it, how did things end up like this? Even getting angry at Kharon would be pointless.
"Kharon, son of Tarson. Make a warrior's oath that you will keep everything that happened today strictly confidential."
"Oath? If you want, I can do it a hundred times."
Inwardly whimpering, I asked him to make an oath and Kharon agreed without an inkling of hesitation. That was the reason why I couldn't get angry at the guy.
"Oh, but what does 'confidential' mean?"
"...It means do not tell anyone."
"That's not difficult! I am famous in the tribe for being tight-lipped!"
Yeah, what would getting angry at him do? Like a natural disaster, it was wiser to consider what had happened an inevitability. No one got angry at storm clouds for bringing rain, right? Kharon had already done his job. Thankfully, we were able to successfully trick the GM.
Now I have no choice but to deal with the aftermath.
After parting with Kharon, I headed home.
Trudge, trudge.
Unlike usual, my steps there felt very heavy.
***
When I arrived home, Missha was sitting on the sofa in the living room. I couldn't see any hint of emotion on her face. Yeah, none at all.
"Oh, you're herrre?" Missha asked as if nothing was wrong. But her fingernails, which were always neatly trimmed, were jagged, and her eyes were bloodshot. Did she spend all night on the sofa like that?
"Y-Yeah..." My heart constricted. I couldn't bring myself to say any of the lines I had prepared and just stood there.
"Okay, then. Go sleep." As if to give me time to say something, Missha took a moment to look at me in silence before turning around and going into her room. Even then, I just watched.
What could I say? That what Kharon told her wasn't true? To explain that, I'd have to tell her about the GM. Of course, I could possibly make up another excuse, but...
It could make the situation worse.
Maybe if this had happened a few months ago, I would have gone that route. But now, Missha already suspected me of being an evil spirit. This was better than being suspected of that. Fulfilling the duties of the tribe? At least that didn't sound like something an evil spirit would do. This was for the best.
...My ass.
I quickly climbed the stairs and knocked on Missha's door. There was no answer. Did she not want to speak with me?
"I'm coming in." I ignored her wishes and did what I wanted like the barbarian I was.
Crack!
Thankfully, the door wasn't locked as it easily flew open. I could see a Missha-sized lump on the bed with the blanket over her head.
So you don't want to even look at me.
It was a good thing I came after her, because everything had its proper place. A tank was a person who protected their teammates, not harmed them.
"If you don't want to talk, just listen," I said. I still didn't have the courage to reveal I was an evil spirit. With no plan in mind, I opened the mouth of my borrowed barbarian body. "Nothing happened at the holy land."
Missha pulled down the blanket a bit at my words. "...Why are you telling me this?"
She asked like she was confused like I had no reason to make excuses, whether she believed them or not. She wasn't wrong. Missha and I were only teammates. There had been an opportunity for us to have a more intimate relationship, but I had been the one to push her away. I thought it would be difficult to make rational decisions at future crossroads if romantic feelings got in the way.
"Bjorn, is this because you think I'm uncomforrrtable? If that's why you're being considerate, you don't have to—"
"It's not for you. It's for my own peace of mind. Unlike Dwalkie, I'm a selfish bastard." I cut Missha off and spoke. "Missha, nothing happened last night at the holy land, and I don't want you to misunderstand that."
"Why don't you want me to misunderstand...?" The eyes poking out of the blanket were filled with a distinct brand of hope and desire, one I couldn't ignore forever.
I took a breath before continuing. Even if I may just have been a wicked evil spirit dwelling in Bjorn Yandel's body, this was a truth I couldn't run away from forever. "Because I don't just consider you my teammate anymore."