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Chapter 9 – First Encounter (2)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 9 – First Encounter (2)
The territory that came into Ketal’s view was quite large.
The outer walls surrounding the territory.
And within, a castle of decent size.
Fundamentally, it resembled the architecture of the medieval era.
But being a fantasy setting, it looked somewhat different.
“Satisfactory.”
What about the interior?
Ketal was quite curious.
Ketal strolled leisurely.
The tips of the spears held by the guards trembled.
The captain of the guard glared at Ketal, gritting his teeth.
‘…Big.’
The captain of the guard had never looked up to someone before, and now, for the first time, he found himself doing so.
And that someone had a head that was gigantic.
Not just tall, but the physique was also massive.
Yet, it didn’t feel bulky.
It was like a perfect sculpture.
Leather vest.
And the scar on the chest.
‘…Ashen Barbarian?’
A legendary figure flashed by the captain of the guard’s mind.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
One of the trembling guards shouted.
It was an outcry that came out unintentionally, fueled by fear.
Ketal’s gaze turned towards him, and the guard’s face turned as white as a sheet.
‘He’s going to kill me!’
But contrary to expectations, Ketal stopped in his tracks.
“I am not your enemy.”
“Y-You speak?”
“I have no intention of being hostile to you, so there’s no need to worry. Relax.”
“A-Are you civilized?”
The guards mumbled foolishly.
Ketal grimaced.
“…Is it common for the barbarians of this world not to speak?”
“No. Not really, but…”
The captain of the guard muttered unintentionally.
Barbarians were not exclusive to the snowy plains.
There were several tribes on the continent.
It’s just that the ashen barbarian was special.
Interest sparked in Ketal’s face.
“Are there other barbarians?”
“W-Well…”
The tips of the spears still showed no sign of lowering.
Ketal calmly spoke again.
“I am not your enemy.”
Most of those who encountered him were afraid and panicked.
In fact, there were more than a few outsiders who panicked and attacked him on the White Snow Plains.
Now, he was accustomed to it, feeling nothing much.
Ketal calmly continued to try to talk, and it had an effect.
The trembling of the spears gradually subsided.
It reached a level where conversation was possible, so Ketal looked at the captain of the guard.
“You must be their leader.”
“H-How did you…?”
“It’s quite obvious from your attire that you’re the leader. I don’t mean to be blunt, but I have no intention of being hostile to you.”
“…What do you want from us?”
“My purpose is simple.”
Ketal raised a finger.
The guards flinched, but Ketal paid no attention and pointed to the territory behind them.
“I want to visit your territory.”
* * *
Guided to the checkpoint, Ketal sat down and the chair creaked and screamed as he settled in.
“…It hasn’t been long since it was built.”
The captain of the guard, who looked at the chair with an anxious face, slowly spoke up.
“You mentioned you wanted to visit the territory. Is passing through your goal?”
“I’d like to stay a little if possible. I’m not sure how long.”
“A stay?”
The captain of the guard groaned.
The barbarian wanted to stay in their territory.
The captain of the guard was conflicted.
Should he refuse here, or accept?
There was no compelling reason to refuse.
There were manuals for such situations.
But the captain of the guard was afraid of the barbarian before him.
It was a fear driven by the instinct that naturally comes with life.
He didn’t want such a creature to exist in their territory.
As the captain of the guard pondered, Ketal spoke.
“I am not your enemy.”
The quiet yet powerful words calmed the captain of the guard’s mind.
“I am a visitor to the territory. And you are the captain of the guard managing the visitors. That’s all. You just need to do your job.”
“I-I see.”
Only then did the captain of the guard come to his senses.
Upon reflection, there had been a few occasions when barbarians were allowed to stay in their territory.
There was hardly any difference now.
“I-I apologize.”
“It’s fine.”
Ketal showed no particular reaction.
He was already accustomed to it, feeling nothing much.
The captain of the guard regained his composure and began to do his duty.
His duty was to ascertain the status of the outsider and assess the danger.
He asked cautiously.
“What is your name?”
“I am Ketal.”
“Ketal. There… I have something to ask about the commotion.”
“Commotion?”
“When you approached here, there was a commotion that increased at regular intervals. Do you know anything about that?”
Ketal shrugged.
“I don’t know. I simply ran here.”
“I-I see.”
The captain of the guard swallowed hard.
If the commotion happened because of the sprinting, then…
‘No. No way.’
The captain of the guard separated his consciousness.
If it wasn’t related to the barbarian, there was no need to worry.
They could send scouts later.
And even if it was related to him, there was no need to worry.
It was something beyond what he could handle.
“Then, do you have anyone to confirm your identity or any identification?”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
Ketal suddenly grabbed a necklace as if remembering.
“Does this not suffice for confirmation?”
“What is that?”
“It’s the emblem of the Akasha family. I received it from one of their family.”
The captain of the guard cautiously took the necklace.
A merchant family that visited the White Snow Plains a few years ago.
They had pleasant conversations, and he remembered them well.
He received the emblem from her.
“If it’s the Akasha family… are they a merchant family from the Kingdom of Denian?”
“Do you know of them?”
“They have been gaining prominence recently. Since the change of the head of the family a few years ago, they have been rapidly expanding their influence.”
“I see.”
It seemed the bluff was successful.
The captain of the guard muttered as he examined the emblem.
“It doesn’t look fake, but… it’s difficult to confirm.”
“Is this not the right kingdom?”
“This is the Kingdom of Gahentra.”
The captain of the guard handed back the necklace.
“It cannot be confirmed, but… it’s still helpful.”
This barbarian didn’t seem dangerous.
Even if the emblem was a well-made fake, it didn’t matter.
At least it meant he had some intellect to attempt deception.
So, he wasn’t an uncontrollable element.
What was truly frightening were beasts without intellect.
Those with intellect could be bound by laws and rules.
The captain of the guard believed this without doubt.
“Alright. You can come in. But there’s a condition.”
“Oh?”
Ketal chuckled.
The moment he saw that chuckle, the captain of the guard felt his trust crumbling like dominoes.
‘…Can he really be controlled?’
A beast with intellect, after all isn’t that more dangerous?
Wasn’t that more dangerous?
Ketal was merely laughing out of joy, but a myriad of arrogant thoughts passed through the captain of the guard’s mind.
“What is the condition?”
“…Confirmation is necessary.”
* * *
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
“A party?”
Ketal murmured as he listened to the captain of the guard’s explanation.
The captain of the guard’s words were simple.
There were three others besides Ketal who were trying to enter the territory without clear identification.
The condition was to clear the dungeon near the territory together with them.
“Just to let you know, if you don’t accept this condition, you cannot enter. This is the minimum requirement.”
The captain of the guard spoke like a player making a move.
Most barbarians disliked and avoided complicated matters.
And they abhorred fighting alongside warriors they didn’t acknowledge.
For a barbarian to form a party and conquer a dungeon with someone else.
Many would rather go in alone, raging.
But Ketal simply nodded obediently.
“Alright. I accept.”
“I-Is that okay?”
“Isn’t that the rule? Then I’ll follow it.”
“…Thank you.”
The captain of the guard was slightly moved.
Following rules that were troublesome and disliked.
It was the first time he had seen such behavior from a barbarian during all his encounters.
Of course, that wasn’t the reason for Ketal’s behavior.
Outwardly dumb, he was actually quite excited.
A party!
Dungeon!
Conquest!
Wasn’t it one of the romances of fantasy!
Being able to do it in reality, not as a game.
He couldn’t contain his excitement.
It already felt like all the hardships he had endured were being fulfilled.
Ketal chuckled, and the captain of the guard forcibly calmed his trembling body.
“…Another condition is that you have to report what happened during the dungeon clearing process afterward. Any incidents or anomalies. If you pass that, then you can enter the territory.”
“…I see.”
Ketal nodded his head.
“Are we supposed to watch each other?”
“What?”
“Aren’t we? For those whose identities aren’t certain, confirmation about their true selves is necessary. But it’s not easy to trust each other’s words blindly.”
There’s nothing as untrustworthy as the words of an untrustworthy person.
They carry no weight whatsoever.
“But if it’s the word of someone who cleared the dungeon with you, then the story changes.”
Though he didn’t know much about dungeons, they wouldn’t be easy.
He would have to use his strength to the fullest.
Moreover, party play.
Having to coordinate with strangers he had never seen before.
Those who couldn’t adapt to groups would stand out immediately.
Those whose identities weren’t certain would be forced to watch each other.
In the process, troublemakers would be weeded out.
There were limitations and many problems, but it served as a sieve adequately.
“Not bad. You used your head quite well. Did you come up with this?”
“…No, not me.”
‘What?’
The captain of the guard was astonished.
Unless it was a noble or a monk, there was no way to verify the births of children.
There were plenty of individuals with uncertain identities, and among them, the number of troublemakers was not small.
Yet, it wasn’t feasible to reject them all.
There were too many.
To solve this problem, the kingdom’s excellent administrators had struggled for days and eventually devised the verification procedure.
Those with weak strength were simply let in, while those with enough power to cause trouble were forced into parties and made to clear dungeons.
At first, the captain of the guard doubted the usefulness of this method, but when it was implemented, it proved to be excellent.
Vicious mercenaries and rogues with black hearts were automatically filtered out when forced to cooperate with each other.
There were cases where they died in the dungeons themselves, but it didn’t matter.
Deaths of unknown individuals were quite common in this world.
Only those who didn’t cause trouble and could consider others would be allowed into the territory.
After implementing this procedure, the problems caused by outsiders in the territory had significantly decreased.
So, this was why they ate up those expensive taxes!
The captain of the guard marveled.
It was a method no one would have thought of easily.
Indeed, even the captain of the guard hadn’t realized its significance until a few weeks ago.
Most of the guards still didn’t fully understand it.
Upon hearing this solution, Ketal understood it perfectly.
“…Are you really a barbarian?”
“I am. Unfortunately.”
“You’re the first barbarian like you I’ve met.”
“Seems like there are barbarians even here.”
“Indeed. They’re troublesome.”
The captain of the guard shook his head and stood up.
“Then let’s go. Including you, we can start right away.”
The captain of the guard stood up from his seat.
Ketal followed with a smile.
“You should speak first. You have to conquer the dungeon with three others. Be careful, as it might be difficult to stay if someone dies or gets injured.”
“Who am I going with?”
“First… a thief.”
A thief.
Ketal was satisfied.
It was only natural for a party to have at least one thief.
“And someone who claims to be a warrior.”
“Claims?”
“It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand when you meet him.”
A warrior.
That was also satisfying.
There should be at least one person to stand shoulder to shoulder with in the front lines.
“And a priest.”
A priest.
That was good too.
There should be at least one healer in a party. It was a perfect combination.
Ketal smiled with satisfaction.
But there was one thing he regretted.
“Is there no Magic?”
“Magics are valuable assets. All of them are managed in the Magic Tower. Those who aren’t managed by the Magic Tower are dealt with there.”
“I see.”
The Magic Tower.
That was also an attractive word.
His heart raced.
But then there was one thing that puzzled him.
“Are you unsure of the priest’s identity?”
Believers. Priests.
Usually, the god they believe in itself serves as proof of their identity.
The captain of the guard said with a vague expression.
“Most priests are like that, but… her case is a bit different. Now that we’re here, we should check for ourselves.”
“Fair enough.”
It was time to meet the party members who would conquer the dungeon together.
The captain of the guard opened the door.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]