Chapter 555: Deja Vu (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 555: Deja Vu (4)
It was our 109th day in the labyrinth. To put it another way, it had been two days since we linked up with the expedition group sent by the palace and entered the library.
Tarantantara! Tararan! Tarantatara!
A morning bugle call from the military band marked the break of dawn.
Hah, why do armies always do things like this...? If I told Baekho, he'd probably be pissed.
Well, we were all working toward the same goal, so whatever.
In any case, the trumpets woke us up and didn't give us an opportunity to roll over and stay asleep. As soon as the noise stopped, our day began.
"Distributing rations!"
As soon as the camp was packed up, the soldiers in charge of the kitchen started to hand out the breakfast they had prepared earlier in the morning. We then only had thirty minutes to finish eating.
"There is a morning meeting that the leaders of the squads will have to attend."
There was a meeting to brief the leadership team on our plans for today and discuss our course of action. I thought someone might say something interesting and kept an ear out, but there was nothing like that.
So we're just going to hunt like we did yesterday.
Of course, there were slight differences. Yesterday, we destroyed the gate and stopped it from regenerating to summon monsters at breakneck speeds, but as the monsters' ranks increased, we decided to hunt the usual way instead. Naturally, the wizards would be joining the battle now.
"All right, then let us have another great day of work in pursuit of our mission!"
I questioned whether there was even a need to gather us like this to hold this meeting, but stuff like this was probably what the military was built on. Sticking to protocol could be inefficient in some situations, but having an established custom like this could help us avoid issues and mistakes down the line.
"Take your positions!"
After that, the squads took up their assigned posts and we began clearing the library once more.
"Looks like we're going to alternate which groups are in active combat."
"That's the most efficient way."
We had over two hundred people here, so having every single person join the battle would be overkill. Thus, Jerome decided on a squad rotation.
"Stop! Squad One and Squad Two will now switch with Squad Three and Temporary Squad Four!"
When the time came, Squad One and Squad Two moved away from where they had been stationed in front of the stone gate, and Squad Three and Squad Four stopped ferrying the books from the bookshelves to take their place. From there, Squad One and Squad Two walked over to carry the books in our stead and recover their stamina and resources.
I guess I won't get to fight with Kaislan and Parav today either.
Those two were part of Squad One, which meant we also had our meals at different times as well. The fact that Raven was in Squad Three was a silver lining, but since she was a wizard, she stood at the very back of the pack, so I couldn't really interact with her during the day either.
...In the end, I guess I'll only be able to ask about the revelation tonight.
Our squads meshed together like cogs in a machine. As we worked, I noticed one of us getting pretty chummy with the knights from the expedition group.
"Hahaha! Do not lie! How could a mere wizard defeat a warrior like us?"
"That's why it was so humiliating! Who would've thought that one of us would lose to a wizard in a duel?"
"So when did this happen?"
"A month ago! But I guess you wouldn't have heard about it since you were in here, Wild Sword. It was the subject of quite a bit of gossip in high society."
How the hell did she get so buddy-buddy with them? I was still amazed by how easily she made friends. But to be honest, this habit of hers was to my benefit.
I approached them quietly, then interrupted so I could join the conversation. "What's so funny?"
"Oh! Lord B-Baron! Sorry, I'll focus on the mission—"
"I'm not telling you off."
"I'm sorry...?"
"We are all warriors here. I'm curious too. A warrior losing to a wizard? Who's the dunce who lost like that?"
The knight's eyes darted around for a second before he grinned and excitedly launched into his story. The other knights who were a part of Squad Three, perhaps noticing our amusement, also approached us to listen in, occasionally offering their two cents and correcting the storyteller at certain points.
I mean, working the factory line wouldn't be fun for these guys either.
Once I showed that I could be casual with them, even those who had a hard time talking to me because of my baron status began to feel a kinship with me, and some even asked me personal questions.
"So... Lord Baron, there is something I've been wanting to ask..."
"Go on."
"I heard that you challenged Baron Kypriot to a duel during your ennoblement ceremony. Could I ask what happened with that?"
"Oh, that? Nothing really happened. I heard that goblin-like guy chattering away behind my back. I wanted to punch him, but since I couldn't do that, I challenged him instead."
"Haha... is that true? Baron Kypriot must've been terrified when you called him out."
"He deserved it. There are too many nobles who don't know how the world works. They need to learn that when you screw around without thinking, you get hit with the consequences."
This was a joke only I could make since I was also a noble. But the knights seemed to agree with me as they all nodded.
"Well... there's no way we could ever do something like that to them."
"There are too many people out there who don't realize that people like us are the ones keeping them all safe..."
Still, they maintained their mask of knightliness and didn't say anything too outrageous. However, as I continued to freely speak my mind and share my opinions with them, I could see a few people vicariously enjoying my story.
All right, I think this should be enough to gain their favor.
I continued to tell stories throughout our hunt and grew closer to the knights of the expedition group.
"Lord Baron... you are even greater than the rumors suggest! Ah, not to say the rumors don't do you justice! But I never knew that you were this easygoing and funny..."
I laughed off his nerves. "Haha! What are you scrambling to make excuses for? Don't worry, we're already friends!"
"F-Friends! Haha, don't say that! The commander will be pissed if he hears about this!"
"Hahaha! Do not lie! How could a mere wizard defeat a warrior like us?"
"That's why it was so humiliating! Who would've thought that one of us would lose to a wizard in a duel?"
"So when did this happen?"
"A month ago! But I guess you wouldn't have heard about it since you were in here, Wild Sword. It was the subject of quite a bit of gossip in high society."
How the hell did she get so buddy-buddy with them? I was still amazed by how easily she made friends. But to be honest, this habit of hers was to my benefit.
I approached them quietly, then interrupted so I could join the conversation. "What's so funny?"
"Oh! Lord B-Baron! Sorry, I'll focus on the mission—"
"I'm not telling you off."
"I'm sorry...?"
"We are all warriors here. I'm curious too. A warrior losing to a wizard? Who's the dunce who lost like that?"
The knight's eyes darted around for a second before he grinned and excitedly launched into his story. The other knights who were a part of Squad Three, perhaps noticing our amusement, also approached us to listen in, occasionally offering their two cents and correcting the storyteller at certain points.
I mean, working the factory line wouldn't be fun for these guys either.
Once I showed that I could be casual with them, even those who had a hard time talking to me because of my baron status began to feel a kinship with me, and some even asked me personal questions.
"So... Lord Baron, there is something I've been wanting to ask..."
"Go on."
"I heard that you challenged Baron Kypriot to a duel during your ennoblement ceremony. Could I ask what happened with that?"
"Oh, that? Nothing really happened. I heard that goblin-like guy chattering away behind my back. I wanted to punch him, but since I couldn't do that, I challenged him instead."
"Haha... is that true? Baron Kypriot must've been terrified when you called him out."
"He deserved it. There are too many nobles who don't know how the world works. They need to learn that when you screw around without thinking, you get hit with the consequences."
This was a joke only I could make since I was also a noble. But the knights seemed to agree with me as they all nodded.
"Well... there's no way we could ever do something like that to them."
"There are too many people out there who don't realize that people like us are the ones keeping them all safe..."
Still, they maintained their mask of knightliness and didn't say anything too outrageous. However, as I continued to freely speak my mind and share my opinions with them, I could see a few people vicariously enjoying my story.
All right, I think this should be enough to gain their favor.
I continued to tell stories throughout our hunt and grew closer to the knights of the expedition group.
"Lord Baron... you are even greater than the rumors suggest! Ah, not to say the rumors don't do you justice! But I never knew that you were this easygoing and funny..."
I laughed off his nerves. "Haha! What are you scrambling to make excuses for? Don't worry, we're already friends!"
"F-Friends! Haha, don't say that! The commander will be pissed if he hears about this!"
"Then we can be comrades."
"Comrades... Yes, if we're comrades..."
"Then in times of danger, I'll leave my back to you."
"...Please put your trust in us, Lord Baron!"
Making friends was always useful.
***
When night finally fell after a long day of fighting and chatting with the knights, I left setting up camp with my clan members and headed over to Squad One's camp to find Sven Parav. After asking for permission from the clergy members there, I pulled him aside.
"We didn't finish our talk yesterday."
"Oh... Ah, about that..."
"The revelation you received. What was it about?"
He flinched at the word "revelation" and immediately looked around to see if anyone else was within earshot. After confirming that no one seemed to have heard me say it, he let out a big sigh. He then lowered his voice and offered a disclaimer. "I... First of all, I want to warn you that I may be mistaken..."
"You said you were sure of it yesterday."
"If I answered with yes or no, I could see why you might think that way... but there's a difference between me saying I believe something and another person believing it... so in that sense..."
Wow, this was getting frustrating. "I got it. I'll judge what I hear for myself, so you just give me the details."
"If you say so..." After that, he closed his eyes for a while as if to gather his thoughts before slowly opening them. "When I was in the city, I had a dream."
"A dream?"
"It's difficult to say what it was... but I heard a very holy voice. And suddenly, I instinctively knew that the voice... was hers."
"By 'her,' you mean Reatlas?"
"Yes... that's right."
A goddess had visited him in his sleep. I wondered for a moment why this guy thought something like a dream could be a revelation, but I decided to hear him out first. "So, what did she say?"
"She said there was something I needed to do and showed me a snippet of my future."
A prophetic vision. That was the most common form of revelation that saints received, and Parav was claiming he got one that day.
"There was a scene where the archbishop was telling me to join the expedition group."
That prophetic vision had come to pass the next day, and thanks to that, he was sure that what he'd seen wasn't a simple dream but a prophecy.
"And then?"
"That's... all."
"What?"
"She said that she would appear once more when it was time and for me to be ready for her."
Put simply, his main quest would only be given to him after he joined the expedition and entered the labyrinth.
To be honest, though, this still didn't make sense to me. "...Then why did you act like you had a stomachache and try to escape your duty? Even after getting that message from the goddess?"
"Uh, so, about that..." He trailed off before squeezing his eyes shut and blurting, "A revelation—! It's obvious that whatever is going to happen will be dangerous!"
"...What?"
I got whiplash from his sudden change in tone, but the guy continued to pour his heart out. "Even if it isn't dangerous, it'll be something troublesome. Th-that's what my gut feeling said."
"Then we can be comrades."
"Comrades... Yes, if we're comrades..."
"Then in times of danger, I'll leave my back to you."
"...Please put your trust in us, Lord Baron!"
Making friends was always useful.
***
When night finally fell after a long day of fighting and chatting with the knights, I left setting up camp with my clan members and headed over to Squad One's camp to find Sven Parav. After asking for permission from the clergy members there, I pulled him aside.
"We didn't finish our talk yesterday."
"Oh... Ah, about that..."
"The revelation you received. What was it about?"
He flinched at the word "revelation" and immediately looked around to see if anyone else was within earshot. After confirming that no one seemed to have heard me say it, he let out a big sigh. He then lowered his voice and offered a disclaimer. "I... First of all, I want to warn you that I may be mistaken..."
"You said you were sure of it yesterday."
"If I answered with yes or no, I could see why you might think that way... but there's a difference between me saying I believe something and another person believing it... so in that sense..."
Wow, this was getting frustrating. "I got it. I'll judge what I hear for myself, so you just give me the details."
"If you say so..." After that, he closed his eyes for a while as if to gather his thoughts before slowly opening them. "When I was in the city, I had a dream."
"A dream?"
"It's difficult to say what it was... but I heard a very holy voice. And suddenly, I instinctively knew that the voice... was hers."
"By 'her,' you mean Reatlas?"
"Yes... that's right."
A goddess had visited him in his sleep. I wondered for a moment why this guy thought something like a dream could be a revelation, but I decided to hear him out first. "So, what did she say?"
"She said there was something I needed to do and showed me a snippet of my future."
A prophetic vision. That was the most common form of revelation that saints received, and Parav was claiming he got one that day.
"There was a scene where the archbishop was telling me to join the expedition group."
That prophetic vision had come to pass the next day, and thanks to that, he was sure that what he'd seen wasn't a simple dream but a prophecy.
"And then?"
"That's... all."
"What?"
"She said that she would appear once more when it was time and for me to be ready for her."
Put simply, his main quest would only be given to him after he joined the expedition and entered the labyrinth.
To be honest, though, this still didn't make sense to me. "...Then why did you act like you had a stomachache and try to escape your duty? Even after getting that message from the goddess?"
"Uh, so, about that..." He trailed off before squeezing his eyes shut and blurting, "A revelation—! It's obvious that whatever is going to happen will be dangerous!"
"...What?"
I got whiplash from his sudden change in tone, but the guy continued to pour his heart out. "Even if it isn't dangerous, it'll be something troublesome. Th-that's what my gut feeling said."
Hah, what was with this guy? So that was the reason he hid the fact that he received a revelation. The moment other people found out, the clergy would bully him into fulfilling the prophecy.
A paladin trying to dodge his responsibilities over something like that?
Every word coming out of his mouth was unbelievable, but in another sense, I was grateful for each one. He had told me truthfully what he had hidden from everyone else.
In terms of loyalty... he's passed the test.
"So... can I go now? They're looking right at me," he said, glancing at the group of clergy to the side. While they were in fact staring at us, I could sense that rather than glaring at him, they were looking at him with worry—the same way someone might keep an eye on a child standing precariously close to a lake.
So he's treated like this even in the church...
"Got it. Tell me immediately the second you have another dream like that."
"Got it."
"Have a good night."
"Yes. You too, Your Lordship."
After finishing my conversation with Parav, I returned to my camp to get some shut-eye. However, sleep didn't come easily today either.
A revelation...
The information he gave me wasn't anything special. However, just like how Parav threw that tantrum to try to avoid entering the labyrinth, I too couldn't escape a powerful sense of foreboding.
Something huge was coming. And if so, there was only one thing I could do.
Whether whatever was on the horizon was a tsunami or a hurricane, I needed to prepare for the worst to avoid getting swept away.
I honestly wanted to save it as long as possible before using it...
But in this situation, it couldn't be helped. With that, I came to a decision while under my blankets that night.
The essence of Bellarios.
I needed to get my hands on one as soon as possible.
***
By our 111th day in the labyrinth, we had progressed quite far into the library and were now fighting mostly rank-three monsters.
It only took us five days to get here.
Once more, I was struck by just how powerful the palace was. Knights, wizards, priests—they were able to pick and choose the best of the best of those precious classes and create the perfect army. Their capability was off the charts.
If I had known they were this strong, we could've gone straight to the chief's island.
I hesitated because I didn't know how powerful of a group this was, but in hindsight, we should've gone to Chief Island and killed the village chief first. Even if he possessed the same essences he had while he was human, none of that would mean anything in the face of military might like this.
"Lord Baron! There's a book with Bellarios inside!"
I was in the middle of eating lunch, my mind wandering, when a piece of good news reached my ears. The person who had relayed the message was one of the knights from Squad Three, whom I had asked to notify me if a Bellarios was discovered.
"Is it in that book you're holding right now?"
"Yes! I brought it straight here as soon as I found it!"
"Thanks."
"It's nothing. We're comrades, after all!"
This was my reward for having gained their favor.
I showed the greatest respect a barbarian could bestow to a knight as I handed him a handful of jerky.
Changing the color of the fountain pen to green, I quickly opened the book and scribbled over the picture of Bellarios before going off to find Commander Jerome Saintred.
"Hmm, you want to fight this one with only Squad Four?"
"It's an essence we need. You said that anything we acquire ourselves would be ours, right?"
"That is true. But is this really necessary? We're short on time, so fight it with the other squads. Ah, of course, you can have the essence either way. If one appears, that is."
Jerome thought that the possibility of an essence dropping was low, as he easily allowed me to hunt it with their help.
"Summoning!"
I immediately went over to summon Bellarios.
"Defeat it!"
The shiny scales of the Bellarios that appeared through the stone gate were quickly tenderized by the knights and archers, and less than a minute later, it disappeared in a flash of light.
Shine!
A huge mana stone dropped where it had been standing. As did an essence.
"An essence...really did appear. Huh? Lord Baron, where are you going? Ah, wait... so the person who needed that essence—!"
"Yeah, it was me."
I left behind a befuddled Jerome to speed-walk over to the essence and absorb it.
[The Essence of Bellarios is being absorbed into your soul.]
Yeah, it was finally mine.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
My perfect shield barbarian wasn't too far off.
Hah, what was with this guy? So that was the reason he hid the fact that he received a revelation. The moment other people found out, the clergy would bully him into fulfilling the prophecy.
A paladin trying to dodge his responsibilities over something like that?
Every word coming out of his mouth was unbelievable, but in another sense, I was grateful for each one. He had told me truthfully what he had hidden from everyone else.
In terms of loyalty... he's passed the test.
"So... can I go now? They're looking right at me," he said, glancing at the group of clergy to the side. While they were in fact staring at us, I could sense that rather than glaring at him, they were looking at him with worry—the same way someone might keep an eye on a child standing precariously close to a lake.
So he's treated like this even in the church...
"Got it. Tell me immediately the second you have another dream like that."
"Got it."
"Have a good night."
"Yes. You too, Your Lordship."
After finishing my conversation with Parav, I returned to my camp to get some shut-eye. However, sleep didn't come easily today either.
A revelation...
The information he gave me wasn't anything special. However, just like how Parav threw that tantrum to try to avoid entering the labyrinth, I too couldn't escape a powerful sense of foreboding.
Something huge was coming. And if so, there was only one thing I could do.
Whether whatever was on the horizon was a tsunami or a hurricane, I needed to prepare for the worst to avoid getting swept away.
I honestly wanted to save it as long as possible before using it...
But in this situation, it couldn't be helped. With that, I came to a decision while under my blankets that night.
The essence of Bellarios.
I needed to get my hands on one as soon as possible.
***
By our 111th day in the labyrinth, we had progressed quite far into the library and were now fighting mostly rank-three monsters.
It only took us five days to get here.
Once more, I was struck by just how powerful the palace was. Knights, wizards, priests—they were able to pick and choose the best of the best of those precious classes and create the perfect army. Their capability was off the charts.
If I had known they were this strong, we could've gone straight to the chief's island.
I hesitated because I didn't know how powerful of a group this was, but in hindsight, we should've gone to Chief Island and killed the village chief first. Even if he possessed the same essences he had while he was human, none of that would mean anything in the face of military might like this.
"Lord Baron! There's a book with Bellarios inside!"
I was in the middle of eating lunch, my mind wandering, when a piece of good news reached my ears. The person who had relayed the message was one of the knights from Squad Three, whom I had asked to notify me if a Bellarios was discovered.
"Is it in that book you're holding right now?"
"Yes! I brought it straight here as soon as I found it!"
"Thanks."
"It's nothing. We're comrades, after all!"
This was my reward for having gained their favor.
I showed the greatest respect a barbarian could bestow to a knight as I handed him a handful of jerky.
Changing the color of the fountain pen to green, I quickly opened the book and scribbled over the picture of Bellarios before going off to find Commander Jerome Saintred.
"Hmm, you want to fight this one with only Squad Four?"
"It's an essence we need. You said that anything we acquire ourselves would be ours, right?"
"That is true. But is this really necessary? We're short on time, so fight it with the other squads. Ah, of course, you can have the essence either way. If one appears, that is."
Jerome thought that the possibility of an essence dropping was low, as he easily allowed me to hunt it with their help.
"Summoning!"
I immediately went over to summon Bellarios.
"Defeat it!"
The shiny scales of the Bellarios that appeared through the stone gate were quickly tenderized by the knights and archers, and less than a minute later, it disappeared in a flash of light.
Shine!
A huge mana stone dropped where it had been standing. As did an essence.
"An essence...really did appear. Huh? Lord Baron, where are you going? Ah, wait... so the person who needed that essence—!"
"Yeah, it was me."
I left behind a befuddled Jerome to speed-walk over to the essence and absorb it.
[The Essence of Bellarios is being absorbed into your soul.]
Yeah, it was finally mine.
"Behel—aaaaaah!"
My perfect shield barbarian wasn't too far off.