Chapter 87: Baron Martoin (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 87: Baron Martoin (3)

Auril Gavis was the creator's alias, which always appeared at the bottom of the loading window. Well, I didn't know if it was an alias or a real name, but anyway.

Why is that name...

It was a bit unexpected, but there were two possible reasons for this. The Complete Book of Rifts II had either been written by a player, or by Auril himself. The thought that it might be the latter had me feeling restless. At the very least, that meant that the creators of the game were closely tied to the events that led to the awakening in this body.

Is that bastard really some kind of divine being?

Anyway, getting this clue was a good sign. Auril Gavis. If I followed this name carefully, I would be able to figure out a way back home one day. Though, again, I didn't know anything yet. I didn't even know whether reaching the last floor and opening the Gate of the Abyss once again was the key to returning.

Recklessly asking around will end with bloodshed, so I should look into this carefully.

With that thought in mind, I read the book closely. Nothing really came out of doing so. The only thing on the back page was the signature of the presumed author—not even the year the book was written was there. After confirming that Ragna was not around, I tore off just the corner and slipped it into my bag.

If I can just figure out what year this book was made it'll be a huge—

Wait, was it morning already? I cut my thoughts off there and got up from my seat. When I headed to the desk, I saw Ragna nodding off. Just as I was about to cover her with the blanket next to her, she woke up from the sound. "Mm."

"Why didn't you tell me? If I had known that this much time had passed, I would have left sooner."

"Don't misunderstand. I was just taking a break because it was taking a little longer to organize the books than expected."

A little longer? It was already almost close to opening.

"It's true. Don't take this the wrong way."

"...Okay."

Since she insisted, I just nodded and left the library. Before I opened the door, I glanced behind me and saw her stretching with a tired look on her face.

"What are you doing? Aren't you leaving?" she asked.

Maybe she was actually a nice person?

***

It was already morning, so I just started the day. I was a barbarian anyway, so it didn't make a difference whether I washed up or not.

But I'll still have to eat first.

I went to whatever nearby restaurant was open, grabbed a quick meal, and headed straight for the Magic Tower.

"What are you doing here so early, Mr. Yandel?" Raven asked.

"I have come to ask you something."

"Well, hurry up. I'm tired."

"There's a vacancy for a wizard on our team, and I wondered if you might join—"

Click.

She closed the door.

Fuck, if you don't want to, just say so.

Another failure. Whatever, I didn't expect her to agree, anyway. "Wait! I have another favor to ask!" I hurriedly shouted.

As I knocked on the door, it cracked open with a squeak. "Another favor?"

"I want to know when this paper was made."

"Hmm? Let me see." Raven carefully inspected the scrap of paper I handed over with obvious curiosity, but she couldn't find anything interesting on it. "It wouldn't be impossible, but why do you want to know?"

"Can't you just do it?"

"Well, all right. But I won't do this for free—I'll have to get something in return..." Raven trailed off and then continued when she thought of something appropriate. "My seniors are very interested in you, so go help out with their research. They've been bothering me about that for a while now."

Are you telling me to entrust my body to those perverts, now?

"...Just once?"

"Yes, it's not that difficult a favor. I'll have the analysis of this paper done by your visit next week. Ah! Right. And don't come looking for me at such an early hour if you can help it."

"...All right."

When I finished my business and left the tower, it was 9 a.m. It was a little early, but there was nothing to do, so I headed to the meeting place, a bar. To my surprise, someone had gotten there before me.

"Bjorn! What! I went to your inn and you weren't therrre!" Missha cried.

"Oh, I was at the library."

"W-What? All night...? Was that what you meant by business?!"

"What are you talking about? I was reading thanks to Ragna's generosity." I only spoke the truth, but Missha gave me a doubtful look. It wasn't like she was my mom...

"Is that trrrue...?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"That's... true. Okay." Surprisingly, when I looked her straight in the eyes and said that, she readily accepted my explanation. A good son wouldn't lie—was that the vibe she was getting? Anyway, when I sat down next to her, Missha handed me the drink she was sipping. "Drink some of this. It's made from a frrruit called tomato and it has a very interesting taste!"

I didn't know about interesting, but that reminded me of something. "Before that, what did you want to tell me yesterday?" Judging by her tone, it had seemed like she was going to say something important, but because Hans B interrupted, I hadn't been able to hear the rest.

"Huh? What arrre you talking about?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Uh, uh... Could it have been that I misspoke?" Given the innocent look in her eyes, it seemed she really had been too drunk to remember. I even asked if there was something she had been meaning to tell me, but nothing came of that either. "Huh? I don't have anything like that."

"I see."

"...Are you mad?"

"No." There were two ways to make someone angry, but I didn't get angry from things like that. It wasn't like it was her fault. After that, as I was passing the time by using the quiet bar like a cafe, the others arrived.

"Oh, were you here first?"

"I'm sorry, you all had to come here this early because of me..."

As always, Hikurod and Dwalkie appeared as a pair. We waited for a while, and then Rotmiller arrived right on time. The meeting started. The topic was, of course, how to get rid of Dwalkie's ban from entering the labyrinth.

"Then let me know if any of you have any ideas. First... Yes, Bjorn, let's start with you."

Uh, me first? That was quite nerve-wracking, but I gave my presentation frankly and concisely. "I think it would be better to find a new party member."

"I want to know when this paper was made."

"Hmm? Let me see." Raven carefully inspected the scrap of paper I handed over with obvious curiosity, but she couldn't find anything interesting on it. "It wouldn't be impossible, but why do you want to know?"

"Can't you just do it?"

"Well, all right. But I won't do this for free—I'll have to get something in return..." Raven trailed off and then continued when she thought of something appropriate. "My seniors are very interested in you, so go help out with their research. They've been bothering me about that for a while now."

Are you telling me to entrust my body to those perverts, now?

"...Just once?"

"Yes, it's not that difficult a favor. I'll have the analysis of this paper done by your visit next week. Ah! Right. And don't come looking for me at such an early hour if you can help it."

"...All right."

When I finished my business and left the tower, it was 9 a.m. It was a little early, but there was nothing to do, so I headed to the meeting place, a bar. To my surprise, someone had gotten there before me.

"Bjorn! What! I went to your inn and you weren't therrre!" Missha cried.

"Oh, I was at the library."

"W-What? All night...? Was that what you meant by business?!"

"What are you talking about? I was reading thanks to Ragna's generosity." I only spoke the truth, but Missha gave me a doubtful look. It wasn't like she was my mom...

"Is that trrrue...?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"That's... true. Okay." Surprisingly, when I looked her straight in the eyes and said that, she readily accepted my explanation. A good son wouldn't lie—was that the vibe she was getting? Anyway, when I sat down next to her, Missha handed me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the drink she was sipping. "Drink some of this. It's made from a frrruit called tomato and it has a very interesting taste!"

I didn't know about interesting, but that reminded me of something. "Before that, what did you want to tell me yesterday?" Judging by her tone, it had seemed like she was going to say something important, but because Hans B interrupted, I hadn't been able to hear the rest.

"Huh? What arrre you talking about?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Uh, uh... Could it have been that I misspoke?" Given the innocent look in her eyes, it seemed she really had been too drunk to remember. I even asked if there was something she had been meaning to tell me, but nothing came of that either. "Huh? I don't have anything like that."

"I see."

"...Are you mad?"

"No." There were two ways to make someone angry, but I didn't get angry from things like that. It wasn't like it was her fault. After that, as I was passing the time by using the quiet bar like a cafe, the others arrived.

"Oh, were you here first?"

"I'm sorry, you all had to come here this early because of me..."

As always, Hikurod and Dwalkie appeared as a pair. We waited for a while, and then Rotmiller arrived right on time. The meeting started. The topic was, of course, how to get rid of Dwalkie's ban from entering the labyrinth.

"Then let me know if any of you have any ideas. First... Yes, Bjorn, let's start with you."

Uh, me first? That was quite nerve-wracking, but I gave my presentation frankly and concisely. "I think it would be better to find a new party member."

"...What?"

"Of course, finding a wizard seems unrealistic. I suggested it to two other wizards, but they turned the offer down."

"...W-What are you saying right now? You already spoke with other wizards?"

"Is there a problem?" I asked confidently. Hikurod may have been saddened that I was trying to find any solution possible, but the difference between selfishness and altruism was always a fine line. I was just assuming the worst and trying to find a realistic alternative for the team. "One of us had to say it. Isn't that right, Rotmiller?"

"That's... true." When I singled him out for an opinion, Rotmiller nodded with a rather uncomfortable look on his face.

At that, the dwarf sobered.

"M-Murad! I'm all right, so don't look like that. Bjorn didn't say anything wrong, did he?" When even Dwalkie agreed, Hikurod shut his mouth.

Missha raised her hand brightly as if to try to dispel the tension. "Th-then I'll go next!"

"G-Go ahead, Miss Karlstein."

Of course, it was nothing I needed to genuinely hear out. "I looked into it and I heard the Mozlan are weak against brrribes. What if we collect some money and give it a shot?"

Soliciting bribes with that innocent tone. There was no doubt Baron Martoin or whatever his name was must have offered the Mozlan money to take care of Dwalkie too.

"Miss Karlstein, the Mozlan never do business with people who are not nobles," Brown explained.

The Mozlan thoroughly excluded commoners. Although most of them were without titles themselves... No, rather, that was probably why that was their last point of pride.

"I-Is that so...? I didn't know that. Then, Rotmillerrr, you go next." Missha passed, embarrassed.

Since it was Rotmiller's opinion this time, I also waited to hear him out. "To be honest, I don't know how to get what you want from a noble... especially a titled one. I'm sorry..." It seemed Rotmiller hadn't found a proper solution, either.

However, unlike earlier with me, Hikurod sighed and comforted him. "How could that be your fault? In truth... It's only natural."

Then why did you glare at me?

As I grunted inwardly, the dwarf opened his mouth to voice a suggestion of his own. "So I wanted to ask... Last night, Dwalkie and I put our heads together."

"Get to the point."

"I wonder if we should go speak with Baron Martoin in person."

In other words, a face-to-face match. But there was a serious problem here. "How are you going to meet with him?"

Most nobles lived in Sector One, the capital of Karnon. That area was not even accessible to low-level adventurers like us. A conversation? We lived in two different worlds to begin with.

However, it seemed that Hikurod had already devised a detailed plan. "There is a teahouse that Baron Martoin visits regularly. If we wait for him there, we will definitely be able to run into him."

Well, in that case, that definitely wasn't a bad idea. The problem was that the baron was unlikely to change his mind. But there was nothing to lose by trying. "Then there's no issue with that. You two go."

"W-What kind of cold reaction is that! Come with us!" urged Hikurod.

What was he talking about? "You're just going there to beg, at best. Why should we all go?"

"...What?"

"Of course, finding a wizard seems unrealistic. I suggested it to two other wizards, but they turned the offer down."

"...W-What are you saying right now? You already spoke with other wizards?"

"Is there a problem?" I asked confidently. Hikurod may have been saddened that I was trying to find any solution possible, but the difference between selfishness and altruism was always a fine line. I was just assuming the worst and trying to find a realistic alternative for the team. "One of us had to say it. Isn't that right, Rotmiller?"

"That's... true." When I singled him out for an opinion, Rotmiller nodded with a rather uncomfortable look on his face.

At that, the dwarf sobered.

"M-Murad! I'm all right, so don't look like that. Bjorn didn't say anything wrong, did he?" When even Dwalkie agreed, Hikurod shut his mouth.

Missha raised her hand brightly as if to try to dispel the tension. "Th-then I'll go next!"

"G-Go ahead, Miss Karlstein."

Of course, it was nothing I needed to genuinely hear out. "I looked into it and I heard the Mozlan are weak against brrribes. What if we collect some money and give it a shot?"

Soliciting bribes with that innocent tone. There was no doubt Baron Martoin or whatever his name was must have offered the Mozlan money to take care of Dwalkie too.

"Miss Karlstein, the Mozlan never do business with people who are not nobles," Brown explained.

The Mozlan thoroughly excluded commoners. Although most of them were without titles themselves... No, rather, that was probably why that was their last point of pride.

"I-Is that so...? I didn't know that. Then, Rotmillerrr, you go next." Missha passed, embarrassed.

Since it was Rotmiller's opinion this time, I also waited to hear him out. "To be honest, I don't know how to get what you want from a noble... especially a titled one. I'm sorry..." It seemed Rotmiller hadn't found a proper solution, either.

However, unlike earlier with me, Hikurod sighed and comforted him. "How could that be your fault? In truth... It's only natural."

Then why did you glare at me?

As I grunted inwardly, the dwarf opened his mouth to voice a suggestion of his own. "So I wanted to ask... Last night, Dwalkie and I put our heads together."

"Get to the point."

"I wonder if we should go speak with Baron Martoin in person."

In other words, a face-to-face match. But there was a serious problem here. "How are you going to meet with him?"

Most nobles lived in Sector One, the capital of Karnon. That area was not even accessible to low-level adventurers like us. A conversation? We lived in two different worlds to begin with.

However, it seemed that Hikurod had already devised a detailed plan. "There is a teahouse that Baron Martoin visits regularly. If we wait for him there, we will definitely be able to run into him."

Well, in that case, that definitely wasn't a bad idea. The problem was that the baron was unlikely to change his mind. But there was nothing to lose by trying. "Then there's no issue with that. You two go."

"W-What kind of cold reaction is that! Come with us!" urged Hikurod.

What was he talking about? "You're just going there to beg, at best. Why should we all go?"

"...We need courage! The opponent is a man of nobility!"

At my command to figure it out on their own, the dwarf started to whine. I was already sighing at that hopeless reaction, but considering everything we'd been through together, I began weighing the practical benefits of this.

Finding a new wizard with just nine days left would be unreasonable...

Even if we were able to find someone regardless of their job in the city, if it wasn't someone who had their head screwed on right, that would only result in us having a hard time. It was still best for Dwalkie to stay on this team.

And if we send just these two, they won't be able to say anything and will cause more problems. No matter how I look at it, it seems that we only have a chance if I go myself. But... I don't really want to go meet a nobleman.

The iron rule in the game had been to avoid getting entangled with nobles as much as possible since none of them were sane.

"However this ends, I'll give you three hundred thousand stones! Per person!" Hikurod offered.

Hmmm, that was a bit tempting. If there were motivations other than loyalty on the table, there was no one I couldn't meet, even a nobleman. "If that's the case, then it wouldn't hurt to meet him."

"Really?" At my acceptance, Hikurod's face noticeably lit up.

However, rather than being swept up in his tactics, I calmly asked what I needed to know. "So, when can we go?"

This man may have been nobility, but this was not a world where you could just kill someone on a whim, especially a respected adventurer. In any case, this meeting would pose no serious threat, but this would still be my first time seeing a real noble since waking up in this body. I also wanted time to prepare myself.

"T-Today."

"What...?"

"I-If not today, he won't be visiting that teahouse again until next month."

Huh, no wonder I had wanted to refuse. Still, I had agreed to do it, so I asked about the other things one by one: how old the baron was, whether he was really a man, if there was anything he didn't like, and anything else I should know. Time flew by quickly as I familiarized myself with all this.

"L-Let's go," said Hikurod. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"If we want to pretend we ran into him by coincidence, like you said, we should be there in advance!"

The baron's visits to the teahouse were usually between three ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and four o'clock in the afternoon, so we arrived at the teahouse at two o'clock and waited for his arrival. How much time had passed since?

Dwalkie suddenly pointed. "Th-that man is my second eldest brother."

Baron Martoin appeared with his attendants. Apparently, he visited the shop himself to enjoy tea made directly by the owner. If he entered the private rooms, there would be no time to talk, so I quickly got up and took the lead.

"Who goes there?" When I got close, a gigantic knight blocked my way.

As planned, Dwalkie stepped forward. "B-Baron Martoin! It's me! Riol Warb Dwalkie! Please listen to me just this once!" Dwalkie fell flat on the floor to show submission, as I'd advised.

At that, the baron's interest shifted from the tea shop owner to Dwalkie. His reaction was completely different from what we'd expected. "Dwalkie...? That sounds familiar." His murmurs suggested he couldn't even remember who Dwalkie was.

A man who looked like a butler spoke into his ear. "The Dwalkie family is the family of the former baron's third wife, Karlina."

"Ahh, that's right! So, what business does he have with me?"

"I-I... i-it's just that..." Unlike what I had planned, Dwalkie struggled to get the words out from the onset.

It was earlier than I had expected, but it was my turn to step forward. "Nice to meet you. I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."

Nobility or not, I spoke proudly. If I had been of a different race, that alone would have resulted in a charge of contempt for nobility, but a large, valuable barbarian was an exception. In the past, my ancestors had accomplished something very impressive and had received such allowances from the king.

Fortunately, the baron looked interested. "It's been a while since I've spoken to a barbarian. It's always a strange feeling." True, when would someone like him run into a barbarian and get spoken to so casually? "So, what's your business with me?"

"After he was dragged out by the Mozlan yesterday, this guy was banned from entering the labyrinth."

"How unfortunate. But why are you telling me this?"

Because you were the one who ordered them to do it. What is this? Why do you look like you have no idea what I'm talking about?

At first, I thought he was just acting, but at this point, I was starting to have doubts too. Just then, the butler whispered to the baron again.

"Hmm, a bastard? Was there such a thing? I see. It was your doing..."

"Yes, my lord. I did not feel it was something to bother you with."

"Well done. Something as trivial as that would have been a waste of time to learn."

Now I was seeing that the baron didn't know anything about this. It seemed that the butler had taken care of everything.

"Something... as trivial?" Dwalkie muttered. Despite his shock, if you only looked at the outcome, this wasn't so bad. It meant that the possibility that we'd achieve our goal had increased, as long as the other party regarded this matter as insignificant.

"Could you possibly withdraw the ban on entry into the labyrinth?" I asked.

"Hmm, why should I do that?" The baron cocked his head as if he didn't understand. What was annoying here was that I didn't sense any malice from him. His way of thinking was just completely different from ours.

This mighty fucking noble...

As I was inwardly cursing the baron and wondering what to do next, the butler once again whispered in his ear. I was not sure how he was doing it, but once again, I couldn't hear a single thing. Still, I had a rough idea of what he was saying.

"Huh? What did you say? This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is that barbarian?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Huh, Little Balkan... I have heard of that name. At a banquet two days ago, the count mentioned that an interesting adventurer had appeared." The baron looked at me in a completely different way from earlier. As if he had discovered an interesting toy, his eyes were full of life. "Did you say your name is Bjorn? If I grant your request, can you do me a favor?"

Ah, uh... um... I didn't expect this to happen...

"It's not a big favor. Besides, I'll offer a fitting reward for it! How about it?"

Somehow, I received my second quest.

"...We need courage! The opponent is a man of nobility!"

At my command to figure it out on their own, the dwarf started to whine. I was already sighing at that hopeless reaction, but considering everything we'd been through together, I began weighing the practical benefits of this.

Finding a new wizard with just nine days left would be unreasonable...

Even if we were able to find someone regardless of their job in the city, if it wasn't someone who had their head screwed on right, that would only result in us having a hard time. It was still best for Dwalkie to stay on this team.

And if we send just these two, they won't be able to say anything and will cause more problems. No matter how I look at it, it seems that we only have a chance if I go myself. But... I don't really want to go meet a nobleman.

The iron rule in the game had been to avoid getting entangled with nobles as much as possible since none of them were sane.

"However this ends, I'll give you three hundred thousand stones! Per person!" Hikurod offered.

Hmmm, that was a bit tempting. If there were motivations other than loyalty on the table, there was no one I couldn't meet, even a nobleman. "If that's the case, then it wouldn't hurt to meet him."

"Really?" At my acceptance, Hikurod's face noticeably lit up.

However, rather than being swept up in his tactics, I calmly asked what I needed to know. "So, when can we go?"

This man may have been nobility, but this was not a world where you could just kill someone on a whim, especially a respected adventurer. In any case, this meeting would pose no serious threat, but this would still be my first time seeing a real noble since waking up in this body. I also wanted time to prepare myself.

"T-Today."

"What...?"

"I-If not today, he won't be visiting that teahouse again until next month."

Huh, no wonder I had wanted to refuse. Still, I had agreed to do it, so I asked about the other things one by one: how old the baron was, whether he was really a man, if there was anything he didn't like, and anything else I should know. Time flew by quickly as I familiarized myself with all this.

"L-Let's go," said Hikurod. "If we want to pretend we ran into him by coincidence, like you said, we should be there in advance!"

The baron's visits to the teahouse were usually between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, so we arrived at the teahouse at two o'clock and waited for his arrival. How much time had passed since?

Dwalkie suddenly pointed. "Th-that man is my second eldest brother."

Baron Martoin appeared with his attendants. Apparently, he visited the shop himself to enjoy tea made directly by the owner. If he entered the private rooms, there would be no time to talk, so I quickly got up and took the lead.

"Who goes there?" When I got close, a gigantic knight blocked my way.

As planned, Dwalkie stepped forward. "B-Baron Martoin! It's me! Riol Warb Dwalkie! Please listen to me just this once!" Dwalkie fell flat on the floor to show submission, as I'd advised.

At that, the baron's interest shifted from the tea shop owner to Dwalkie. His reaction was completely different from what we'd expected. "Dwalkie...? That sounds familiar." His murmurs suggested he couldn't even remember who Dwalkie was.

A man who looked like a butler spoke into his ear. "The Dwalkie family is the family of the former baron's third wife, Karlina."

"Ahh, that's right! So, what business does he have with me?"

"I-I... i-it's just that..." Unlike what I had planned, Dwalkie struggled to get the words out from the onset.

It was earlier than I had expected, but it was my turn to step forward. "Nice to meet you. I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."

Nobility or not, I spoke proudly. If I had been of a different race, that alone would have resulted in a charge of contempt for nobility, but a large, valuable barbarian was an exception. In the past, my ancestors had accomplished something very impressive and had received such allowances from the king.

Fortunately, the baron looked interested. "It's been a while since I've spoken to a barbarian. It's always a strange feeling." True, when would someone like him run into a barbarian and get spoken to so casually? "So, what's your business with me?"

"After he was dragged out by the Mozlan yesterday, this guy was banned from entering the labyrinth."

"How unfortunate. But why are you telling me this?"

Because you were the one who ordered them to do it. What is this? Why do you look like you have no idea what I'm talking about?

At first, I thought he was just acting, but at this point, I was starting to have doubts too. Just then, the butler whispered to the baron again.

"Hmm, a bastard? Was there such a thing? I see. It was your doing..."

"Yes, my lord. I did not feel it was something to bother you with."

"Well done. Something as trivial as that would have been a waste of time to learn."

Now I was seeing that the baron didn't know anything about this. It seemed that the butler had taken care of everything.

"Something... as trivial?" Dwalkie muttered. Despite his shock, if you only looked at the outcome, this wasn't so bad. It meant that the possibility that we'd achieve our goal had increased, as long as the other party regarded this matter as insignificant.

"Could you possibly withdraw the ban on entry into the labyrinth?" I asked.

"Hmm, why should I do that?" The baron cocked his head as if he didn't understand. What was annoying here was that I didn't sense any malice from him. His way of thinking was just completely different from ours.

This mighty fucking noble...

As I was inwardly cursing the baron and wondering what to do next, the butler once again whispered in his ear. I was not sure how he was doing it, but once again, I couldn't hear a single thing. Still, I had a rough idea of what he was saying.

"Huh? What did you say? This is that barbarian?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Huh, Little Balkan... I have heard of that name. At a banquet two days ago, the count mentioned that an interesting adventurer had appeared." The baron looked at me in a completely different way from earlier. As if he had discovered an interesting toy, his eyes were full of life. "Did you say your name is Bjorn? If I grant your request, can you do me a favor?"

Ah, uh... um... I didn't expect this to happen...

"It's not a big favor. Besides, I'll offer a fitting reward for it! How about it?"

Somehow, I received my second quest.