Chapter 313: Inheritance (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 313: Inheritance (2)
Her body froze like she had just come face-to-face with her natural predator. Her heart pounded like it was malfunctioning. Despite wanting to die every single day, Missha suddenly craved life.
Almost like he could read her mind, Baekho's smile grew bigger. "You know that Bjorn Yandel was a player, right?"
"I don't know. I have no idea what you're—"
Although Missha immediately denied it, Baekho didn't even hear her out to the end. "Oh, so you really did know?" He didn't sound like he was merely feeling her out—he sounded like he was already sure. Missha looked into Baekho's eyes, trying to gauge his ulterior motives.
Flinch.
Without her even realizing it, her breath caught. Eyes so empty that they were practically bottomless turned her way. It felt like he could see right through her insides.
Seeing as Missha was unable to speak a word, the man opened his mouth. "Bjorn Yandel. How did he die?"
His tone was calm and asked nothing more of her than for her to verify the facts, but Missha detected a strange undercurrent of anger beneath the surface. She had no idea why. Could it be that he and Bjorn were close? No, that made no sense. Then why was he taking out his anger on her?
"Word around the city is that he died while giving you guys time to escape..." At that moment, the air in the kitchen grew heavy. "Did you guys kill him?" The oppressive feeling was so intense that it became hard for her to breathe. At the same time, the anger seeping into Baekho's voice grew clearer. "Makes sense, since you knew he was an evil spirit. Did you stab him in the back to steal his fortune? I heard he even left his estate in your names. That's more than enough reason to kill him."
"What kind of nonsense—"
"How is that nonsense? You guys don't even see us as real people." His tone was mocking yet cynical.
At those words, Missha realized this man had had a similar experience in the past. Was that why? It suddenly felt like a blade was digging into her heart, not just because she was afraid of the man in front of her. Could Bjorn have thought the same thing when he looked at her? Was he anxious and hurt, fearing she would look at him with disgust if his identity were revealed? Had he been building up a wall all alone to protect himself?
In his final moments alone, what were the thoughts running through his head?
Just thinking about it made her lungs tighten. Even he would have been anxious and scared. That was probably why he didn't leave any words for them in his will. Though he always smiled in front of them, a deep loneliness would have been behind that smile.
"Answer me. Did you guys do it?"
One thing was for certain, though: despite it all, he cherished them more than anyone. That was why Missha met the man's eyes without flinching. "There's no way we would do that." Even though she knew this man would never truly hear her, she said, "Don't see him as a person... Bjorn...? How would that ever be possible?"
She, at least, could never see him as anything less. She regretted the fact that she hadn't told him that herself sooner. Then Bjorn wouldn't have been anxious around her. Missha closed her eyes, no longer afraid of this strange man. She waited out the waves of emotions that washed over her.
"He had a good comrade, then," Baekho said. "Unlike me."
Contrary to his previously tyrannical personality, his voice now sounded oddly sad. Missha opened her eyes again. A moment later, the pressure that pressed down on her skin to the point of pain disappeared without a trace.
"Was it Missha Karlstein?"
"Y-Yes...?" Missha replied in confusion at the drastic change in attitude.
Baekho smiled. "What if I told you there's a way to bring Bjorn Yandel back from the dead?" And this time, when he did, his eyes crinkled too.
***
Two weeks had passed since we first joined Felic Barker's clan.
Whoosh.
I sat in front of a blazing campfire on the second floor's Rock Desert. Behind me, four men and women were busy preparing camp. Oh, for reference, they were doing so per my orders. If all the work was left to the herder as usual because they couldn't be bothered to help, it would just end up taking way longer.
"Ugh, why do we have to do this?"
"Be quiet, he'll hear you over there."
I already heard it, punk.
I smirked and glanced at the four people preparing camp. When I did, I made eye contact with a lump of muscles.
To prove my qualifications to Felic Barker so I could join his clan, my first bloody battle to climb the ranks—no, what they called a duel—had been against this guy. He was a rank-six adventurer by overworld standards. After getting his head bashed in within the first three seconds of our no-skill fight, he narrowly escaped with his life thanks to potions. His name was...
"Dumbo."
"...It's Durbon, not Dumbo."
Oh, right.
I may have made a mistake, but the sight of his arrogant poker face pissed me off a little. Durbon had to be a pseudonym, anyway. I didn't see how it mattered.
"Haven't come to your senses, have you?" I jumped up from my seat and headed toward Dumbo. Then, as if the memory of getting beaten up had finally come back to him, he began to tremble.
Jeez, if you're going to end up like this just from me standing in front of you, why are you acting so tough?
"Dumbo." I placed my hand on his shoulder and spoke with all my authority as the third team leader of Clan Barker. "Do I look like a joke to you?" My grip tightened. "Your name is now Dumbo. That's easier to pronounce. Got it?"
Silence.
"Answer."
"...Sure."
Tsk, should've said that from the start.
I patted Dumbo on the shoulder and praised him for accepting the name change, then sent him off to finish preparing our camp. I, on the other hand, returned to the campfire and took out some jerky.
Chew.
Having fought three separate duels on my first day as a clan member, I became one of the clan's three team leaders with the approval of the clan's head. Since Noark was a faction of real men, the team leader's authority was absolute, especially inside the labyrinth.
Whew, is this the taste of power?
While I goofed around as everyone worked, one of the weaklings came over to let me know the preparations were complete. "Please, rest. We will take watch..."
This scrawny guy's name is... What was it again?
Anyway, he was our team guide—not a scout, and his navigation skills were slightly below Rotmiller's. But perhaps because he'd been looting for so long, he knew all the good places to plunder.
"Was it Missha Karlstein?"
"Y-Yes...?" Missha replied in confusion at the drastic change in attitude.
Baekho smiled. "What if I told you there's a way to bring Bjorn Yandel back from the dead?" And this time, when he did, his eyes crinkled too.
***
Two weeks had passed since we first joined Felic Barker's clan.
Whoosh.
I sat in front of a blazing campfire on the second floor's Rock Desert. Behind me, four men and women were busy preparing camp. Oh, for reference, they were doing so per my orders. If all the work was left to the herder as usual because they couldn't be bothered to help, it would just end up taking way longer.
"Ugh, why do we have to do this?"
"Be quiet, he'll hear you over there."
I already heard it, punk.
I smirked and glanced at the four people preparing camp. When I did, I made eye contact with a lump of muscles.
To prove my qualifications to Felic Barker so I could join his clan, my first bloody battle to climb the ranks—no, what they called a duel—had been against this guy. He was a rank-six adventurer by overworld standards. After getting his head bashed in within the first three seconds of our no-skill fight, he narrowly escaped with his life thanks to potions. His name was...
"Dumbo."
"...It's Durbon, not Dumbo."
Oh, right.
I may have made a mistake, but the sight of his arrogant poker face pissed me off a little. Durbon had to be a pseudonym, anyway. I didn't see how it mattered.
"Haven't come to your senses, have you?" I jumped up from my seat and headed toward Dumbo. Then, as if the memory of getting beaten up had finally come back to him, he began to tremble.
Jeez, if you're going to end up like this just from me standing in front of you, why are you acting so tough?
"Dumbo." I placed my hand on his shoulder and spoke with all my authority as the third team leader of Clan Barker. "Do I look like a joke to you?" My grip tightened. "Your name is now Dumbo. That's easier to pronounce. Got it?"
Silence.
"Answer."
"...Sure."
Tsk, should've said that from the start.
I patted Dumbo on the shoulder and praised him for accepting the name change, then sent him off to finish preparing our camp. I, on the other hand, returned to the campfire and took out some jerky.
Chew.
Having fought three separate duels on my first day as a clan member, I became one of the clan's three team leaders with the approval of the clan's head. Since Noark was a faction of real men, the team leader's authority was absolute, especially inside the labyrinth.
Whew, is this the taste of power?
While I goofed around as everyone worked, one of the weaklings came over to let me know the preparations were complete. "Please, rest. We will take watch..."
This scrawny guy's name is... What was it again?
Anyway, he was our team guide—not a scout, and his navigation skills were slightly below Rotmiller's. But perhaps because he'd been looting for so long, he knew all the good places to plunder.
"I'm not tired now. Later. That kid is on first watch, right? If I'm tired, I'll leave it to him and go to sleep. You guys rest first."
"Ah, right..." When I gave them permission to sleep, Scrawny relayed the news to his friends and got into his sleeping bag.
"Can I sit?"
"Of course."
A red-haired woman sat in the chair across from me. Although she gave off a mature air despite her age, the young woman was our team's herder, Amelia's older sister.
"What was your name again?"
"Laura Rainwales." Laura obediently answered, her clipped tone implying she was wary of me, the newly appointed team leader. Which felt strange.
They look so alike—how can they give off such different vibes?
Their overall facial features were similar, but the sister had a much gentler air about her, even knowing she once slaughtered a famous adventurer to save her younger sibling at the age of twelve, and even though she was speaking in a stiff tone.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, I just figured you must be having a hard time as well."
"Ah..." Laura's lips parted a bit in surprise. I guessed she never thought someone who hounded his subordinates as much as I did would say something like this.
"Your sister is a herder too, right?"
"Yes, she is working under Team Leader Martis."
"Aren't you worried?"
Laura clammed up in response to my question and glanced at me. She seemed suspicious of my intentions, but it seemed she decided it was not wise to ignore a question from the new team leader. "I'm not worried at all. I believe Team Leader Martis will take good care of my younger sister, so I am unconcerned." Laura gave me a fake answer.
Yikes, this makes me feel like a snake or something.
"You can tell me the truth—it's okay. You're sisters. It's normal to be worried."
When I pressed, Laura couldn't help but confess some of her feelings. "I am worried, but I don't believe Team Leader Martis will maliciously bully my sister or send her to her death."
"Your rationale?"
"...Because I am worth that much."
"Hmm? Explain that in more detail. I'm the leader of this team, after all. I should know the situation."
Laura seemed to ponder whether or not to tell me this before opening her mouth. "I may be a herder, but after many years of expeditions, I've grown strong enough to pull my weight."
This was a fact. Though low-ranking, I heard she had four essences too. But Laura was still a herder. Though she was treated well by the team, no matter how hard she worked, she was no different from a slave to the clan and couldn't even claim her share of the loot.
"In exchange for giving up your share, you asked him to take good care of your sister."
"Just because I earned it doesn't mean I can have it. To be honest, when my father tried to sell my sister off as a herder, I was the one who brought her here."
"Your reason?"
"At least in this clan... she won't have to go through the things most others do."
"You're kind."
Laura didn't respond to that, and a brief silence ensued. It wasn't particularly awkward. I sat there quietly staring into the fire to organize my thoughts, and when I got tired enough, I got up from my seat.
"I'm going to sleep now."
"Sure."
"That should have been about an hour of your watch. After another hour, switch shifts."
"Pardon? But my shift is—"
"If you take a double, how are you going to fight tomorrow? You just said earlier you can pull the weight of one person. So, after an hour, hand it over to the next person and go to sleep. If they argue, tell them I ordered it."
After that, I went straight to my sleeping bag. Laura seemed uneasy and tried to say something, but when she heard my snores, she fell silent.
Laura Rainwales, huh?
I had one thought on my mind until I fell asleep.
How can I save this girl?
***
After our first day of camping in the Rock Desert, we hastily resumed our journey the next morning. On the second day, we were able to arrive at Pilgrim's Path on the third floor. Passing through Twilight Slope on the Rock Desert route, we continued traveling to the clan's gathering place, Thorn Reed Field. This was a hunting ground that spanned from the Witch's Forest, which lay in the center of the third floor, to parts of the western field.
When we arrived there on the fourth day, the rest of the teams had already arrived. After briefly acknowledging Amelia with eye contact, I headed over to the clan's leader.
"Any trouble on the way?"
"None. Everyone is skilled."
"Haha, they may not be as good at fighting as you, but they can each pull their own weight."
Did this bastard have trouble distinguishing empty words from actual compliments? I smirked and sat on the empty chair next to him.
"Now, it would be best to move straight away since we're all here, but since some of our friends are here for the first time, I will explain how this works again."
Clan Leader Felic Barker smoothly briefed us on our plans, but there was no real strategy to speak of. The only plan was to split up and loot people, using this forest of reeds as our base.
"I'll say this in advance but if you encounter an enemy that looks like they'll give you even the slightest amount of trouble, make contact with the other teams through your guide. They will drop everything and rush over to help straight away." The clan leader finished the briefing as quickly as a flash and asked if there were any final questions, to which I immediately raised my hand.
"But isn't this a very inefficient method?"
"...Inefficient?" The leader of the clan looked at me like I was some sort of strange creature. I guessed that word sounded out of place coming out of a barbarian's mouth, but that was a bit unfair. What other race out there valued efficiency as much as the barbarians did? "If you wish to say something, say it."
As soon as permission was granted, I confidently opened my mouth. "The first problem is using the herders. Why do such a thing?"
"As I said before, planting an ally on the inside is a huge advantage in an ambush. It can reduce the need to use consumables too."
"What are you saying? I'm not talking about that."
"Huh?" the clan leader demanded, his eyes narrowing.
I spoke slowly like I was trying to explain something to someone particularly thick. "If you do that, you will only kill the adventurers who are nice enough to let the herders into their group. And those nice adventurers are usually poor."
"...What on earth are you trying to say?"
"We should hunt those who plunder, just like us. Then we can seize all the equipment they've looted!"
When I explained my plan in earnest, a momentary silence fell. Then, before long, laughter broke out.
"Hahaha!"
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ah, sorry if that offended you. I've lived in Noark for over ten years but I've never heard an idea like that before."
"So, your answer?"
"On the surface, your idea has merit, but your suggestion fails to take into account a key factor. We're not all-knowing. How can we identify plunderers?"
Haha, I thought you'd say that.
I grinned. "Okay, hear me out. I have a way."
"I'm not tired now. Later. That kid is on first watch, right? If I'm tired, I'll leave it to him and go to sleep. You guys rest first."
"Ah, right..." When I gave them permission to sleep, Scrawny relayed the news to his friends and got into his sleeping bag.
"Can I sit?"
"Of course."
A red-haired woman sat in the chair across from me. Although she gave off a mature air despite her age, the young woman was our team's herder, Amelia's older sister.
"What was your name again?"
"Laura Rainwales." Laura obediently answered, her clipped tone implying she was wary of me, the newly appointed team leader. Which felt strange.
They look so alike—how can they give off such different vibes?
Their overall facial features were similar, but the sister had a much gentler air about her, even knowing she once slaughtered a famous adventurer to save her younger sibling at the age of twelve, and even though she was speaking in a stiff tone.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, I just figured you must be having a hard time as well."
"Ah..." Laura's lips parted a bit in surprise. I guessed she never thought someone who hounded his subordinates as much as I did would say something like this.
"Your sister is a herder too, right?"
"Yes, she is working under Team Leader Martis."
"Aren't you worried?"
Laura clammed up in response to my question and glanced at me. She seemed suspicious of my intentions, but it seemed she decided it was not wise to ignore a question from the new team leader. "I'm not worried at all. I believe Team Leader Martis will take good care of my younger sister, so I am unconcerned." Laura gave me a fake answer.
Yikes, this makes me feel like a snake or something.
"You can tell me the truth—it's okay. You're sisters. It's normal to be worried."
When I pressed, Laura couldn't help but confess some of her feelings. "I am worried, but I don't believe Team Leader Martis will maliciously bully my sister or send her to her death."
"Your rationale?"
"...Because I am worth that much."
"Hmm? Explain that in more detail. I'm the leader of this team, after all. I should know the situation."
Laura seemed to ponder whether or not to tell me this before opening her mouth. "I may be a herder, but after many years of expeditions, I've grown strong enough to pull my weight."
This was a fact. Though low-ranking, I heard she had four essences too. But Laura was still a herder. Though she was treated well by the team, no matter how hard she worked, she was no different from a slave to the clan and couldn't even claim her share of the loot.
"In exchange for giving up your share, you asked him to take good care of your sister."
"Just because I earned it doesn't mean I can have it. To be honest, when my father tried to sell my sister off as a herder, I was the one who brought her here."
"Your reason?"
"At least in this clan... she won't have to go through the things most others do."
"You're kind."
Laura didn't respond to that, and a brief silence ensued. It wasn't particularly awkward. I sat there quietly staring into the fire to organize my thoughts, and when I got tired enough, I got up from my seat.
"I'm going to sleep now."
"Sure."
"That should have been about an hour of your watch. After another hour, switch shifts."
"Pardon? But my shift is—"
"If you take a double, how are you going to fight tomorrow? You just said earlier you can pull the weight of one person. So, after an hour, hand it over to the next person and go to sleep. If they argue, tell them I ordered it."
After that, I went straight to my sleeping bag. Laura seemed uneasy and tried to say something, but when she heard my snores, she fell silent.
Laura Rainwales, huh?
I had one thought on my mind until I fell asleep.
How can I save this girl?
***
After our first day of camping in the Rock Desert, we hastily resumed our journey the next morning. On the second day, we were able to arrive at Pilgrim's Path on the third floor. Passing through Twilight Slope on the Rock Desert route, we continued traveling to the clan's gathering place, Thorn Reed Field. This was a hunting ground that spanned from the Witch's Forest, which lay in the center of the third floor, to parts of the western field.
When we arrived there on the fourth day, the rest of the teams had already arrived. After briefly acknowledging Amelia with eye contact, I headed over to the clan's leader.
"Any trouble on the way?"
"None. Everyone is skilled."
"Haha, they may not be as good at fighting as you, but they can each pull their own weight."
Did this bastard have trouble distinguishing empty words from actual compliments? I smirked and sat on the empty chair next to him.
"Now, it would be best to move straight away since we're all here, but since some of our friends are here for the first time, I will explain how this works again."
Clan Leader Felic Barker smoothly briefed us on our plans, but there was no real strategy to speak of. The only plan was to split up and loot people, using this forest of reeds as our base.
"I'll say this in advance but if you encounter an enemy that looks like they'll give you even the slightest amount of trouble, make contact with the other teams through your guide. They will drop everything and rush over to help straight away." The clan leader finished the briefing as quickly as a flash and asked if there were any final questions, to which I immediately raised my hand.
"But isn't this a very inefficient method?"
"...Inefficient?" The leader of the clan looked at me like I was some sort of strange creature. I guessed that word sounded out of place coming out of a barbarian's mouth, but that was a bit unfair. What other race out there valued efficiency as much as the barbarians did? "If you wish to say something, say it."
As soon as permission was granted, I confidently opened my mouth. "The first problem is using the herders. Why do such a thing?"
"As I said before, planting an ally on the inside is a huge advantage in an ambush. It can reduce the need to use consumables too."
"What are you saying? I'm not talking about that."
"Huh?" the clan leader demanded, his eyes narrowing.
I spoke slowly like I was trying to explain something to someone particularly thick. "If you do that, you will only kill the adventurers who are nice enough to let the herders into their group. And those nice adventurers are usually poor."
"...What on earth are you trying to say?"
"We should hunt those who plunder, just like us. Then we can seize all the equipment they've looted!"
When I explained my plan in earnest, a momentary silence fell. Then, before long, laughter broke out.
"Hahaha!"
"Why are you laughing?"
"Ah, sorry if that offended you. I've lived in Noark for over ten years but I've never heard an idea like that before."
"So, your answer?"
"On the surface, your idea has merit, but your suggestion fails to take into account a key factor. We're not all-knowing. How can we identify plunderers?"
Haha, I thought you'd say that.
I grinned. "Okay, hear me out. I have a way."