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Chapter 15 – Barkan Territory (3)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 15 – Barkan Territory (3)
“Ugh…”
The knight groaned in pain as he lay there.
His expression twisted in agony, clearly suffering.
At that moment, the door opened, and the lord entered.
“Is your body alright?”
“I-I should be fine in a few days. I apologize, my lord.”
“You should be apologizing to me. Losing to a barbarian who knows nothing.”
Behind the lord, an old man appeared.
The knight’s face stiffened.
“M-Master!”
He tried to rise to bow but only exacerbated his pain with the sudden movement.
The old man seemed to understand.
Cain waved his hand.
“That’s enough. You probably can’t even get up.”
Cain looked the knight over with interest.
The knight felt as if his whole body was being scrutinized.
“Your insides are damaged. Not too severe. You’ll heal in a few days. Take off your clothes.”
“Yes, yes…”
The knight clumsily removed his clothes.
Beneath it, his skin was smooth without a single scratch.
“No wounds at all.”
Cain muttered with interest.
Before he came here, he saw the armor completely shattered, as if it had been hit by a ballista.
Looking at the condition of the armor, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the knight had died.
But the knight’s body had not a scratch on it.
His injuries were superficial and would heal in a few days.
“Not just some ignorant barbarian. He can control his strength, and quite precisely.”
“Is that so?”
“And he seems to have consideration.”
“Consideration… what do you mean?”
“Yes. You said it was a duel. Even if he could have spoken rudely, he chose not to.”
They had agreed not to inflict wounds upon each other, but there was no guarantee that agreement would be kept.
That was the nature of a duel.
However, the barbarian managed to control his strength to the point where he only dented the armor and inflicted no wounds, injuries that would heal in a few days.
“A barbarian’s consideration. Remarkable.”
And to be able to show consideration surpassing the knight’s level of skill meant something.
“At least first-rate, perhaps even surpassing that.”
His foolish disciple was still first-rate.
There was a significant gap between them even at the same level, but he wasn’t at the level where he could easily be defeated.
The lord swallowed and asked cautiously.
“Forgive my impertinence, but with Cain, is it…?”
“He seems quite formidable, but… I am a Swordmaster.”
One who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, creating and mastering their own style.
“Even if he can handle the strength of a first-rate, he cannot reach me.”
“Is that so…?”
The lord breathed a sigh of relief.
If they could control this uncertain factor, it was something to be grateful for.
“But it seems he hasn’t used aura. To wield such power without it… It’s impossible by conventional means. Is this the power of a barbarian from the White Snow Field?”
Cain knew about the fact that Ketal hailed from the White Snowfields.
At first, he thought it was a lie, but seeing these traces made him think otherwise.
“Hmm.”
Cain seemed troubled as he shook his head.
It was as if the existence of the White Snowfields itself was the problem.
“Why so?”
The lord couldn’t understand.
The White Snowfields were practically a disregarded place.
Apart from adventurers willing to risk their lives, no one paid any attention to it.
There were occasional reports of people entering and coming back alive, but they never brought back any substantial information.
Milena had succeeded in trading during her travels, but she had to keep it secret because she sold weapons to a country at war.
In other words, at the current moment, the White Snowfields were excluded from human society.
But Cain spoke as if the existence of the White Snowfields was a problem.
Cain clapped his hands.
“It’s a story for another time. Even the Emperor seems to be interested. He wants strange things. But for now, there’s no need to worry.”
“Is he here on this territory?”
“He’s said to be staying here temporarily.”
“…It might be worth confirming.”
With those words, Cain disappeared from his spot.
* * *
Having received his reward, Ketal exited the lord’s castle.
It had been an enjoyable time.
Meeting nobles, being treated by servants, and even fighting with knights.
He had even witnessed some fascinating swordsmanship.
And on top of it all, she had received gold coins, so it had been a very satisfying time.
“Now, what to do next?”
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin in response to the head of guard’s question.
“There’s nothing specific in mind, but… I’d like to establish my status. I don’t plan to leave anytime soon, but it might be problematic to enter dungeons every time I go to a new territory without proper identification.”
He was someone whose status was uncertain.
If that was the case, there must be a way to confirm his status.
The head of guards replied,
“There are several ways… but the simplest is to find a patron. If someone of high status acknowledges you, that serves as proof of your status.”
“And?”
“Alternatively, you could pay a significant amount of money. The most common option is becoming a mercenary. By accumulating achievements as a mercenary and gaining recognition from guilds, it’s possible.”
However, mercenaries were typically individuals with no backing.
They were highly inconvenient and gained no recognition from anyone.
Unless they reached a certain level, they were nothing more than errand runners.
For someone like Ketal with his strength, finding a patron was the most conventional method.
That’s why the head of guard had intended to ask if being acknowledged as a patron by the lord would be acceptable.
“Mercenary!”
But Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
“There’s such a thing?!”
Mercenaries.
The epitome of fantasy, taking on commissions and defeating monsters.
It was a lump of romance itself.
“Can we hire mercenaries here?”
“Uh, uh. There’s a guild hall, but…”
“Then please guide me there!”
Kettal said with a wide grin.
The head of the guards nodded absentmindedly.
* * *
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Mercenaries.
Individuals who traveled the world completing missions.
Some people saw romance in them, traveling the world and exploring its mysteries.
In fact, there were often cases of naive nobles idolizing mercenaries and running away from home.
But mercenaries weren’t actually such figures.
They were not about romance but rather the lowest rungs of society.
Those who didn’t have stable jobs and were unrecognized by anyone were at the very bottom.
They were errand runners doing all sorts of dirty work.
Even those with a certain level of strength often died attempting to conquer uncharted dungeons.
It was natural.
There was no way to send guards with confirmed status into such risky endeavors. Mercenaries became sacrificial lambs in such cases.
Only a tiny minority at the top received recognition, and they were rewarded accordingly, but that was only a very small number.
In other words, mercenaries were the dregs of society, and as such, they were lowly, dirty, and noisy.
The gathering place for mercenaries.
It was incredibly noisy.
People drank heavily during the day, and those already drunk staggered around.
Broken tables and chairs were scattered everywhere.
Someone bumped into another while staggering.
The offended party got up with an angry expression and swung a punch.
“How dare you touch me!”
“Want to try me?!”
The one who was punched also got up without backing down.
The onlookers who either joined the fight or watched with snacks in hand.
A brawl broke out in an instant.
And the receptionists were organizing documents as if they were familiar with it.
“Rosa, how are the new recruits this time?”
“They’re screwed.”
The receptionist named Rosa shook her head.
Her blonde hair swayed.
“Strength aside, there are only weirdos here. A lunatic who calls himself a holy knight, and even a thief. The priest lady seems alright, but… since she serves someone like that, she’s not trusted.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame.”
But the speaker didn’t seem too hopeful.
After all, a perfectly fine mercenary was as alien a concept as a kind demon.
At that moment, a mercenary approached with hesitant steps.
After a moment of contemplation, he took a deep breath and approached Rosa.
He revealed his yellowed teeth and smiled.
He seemed to be trying to produce a charming smile, but it came off as rather creepy.
“Rosa. If you have time tonight, how about…?”
“I don’t want to.”
Rosa rejected him with a sly smile.
The mercenary deflated his shoulders and backed away with a disappointed expression.
A nearby receptionist chuckled.
“That’s the fifth time already. Rosa, why don’t you at least have a meal with him once? Poor guy.”
“I don’t want to. Those mercenaries are all ignorant.”
Rosa shook her head as if she were fed up.
She disliked mercenaries.
They were rude, lacked manners, and didn’t accumulate knowledge.
They just engaged in pointless fights and didn’t think about the future.
In fact, Rosa had been in danger several times because of their fights.
Rosa twirled her hair.
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if a prince on a white horse appeared?
A handsome prince appearing one day and whisking her away from this receptionist job.
She dreamed.
Of course, it was a frivolous dream she knew all too well.
But without dreaming like that, it was hard to endure reality.
The fights were escalating gradually.
The faces of the receptionists grew more serious.
“Shouldn’t we intervene soon? Should I call the guards?”
“Should we?”
Just as Rosa was about to call the guards.
Creak.
With a small sound, the door opened.
And there he appeared.
The barbarian with a massive physique.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]