Chapter 18

Chapter 18. Golden Fang (1)

Balun was already aware that rumors about him had spread through Milford after he wiped out the Vipers. What he had never imagined, however, was that he had acquired the vicious nickname Axe Massacrer.

That made sense, of course, because Balun had spent the last two weeks at Calrent’s house.

Calrent’s house stood on a lonely hill no one ever visited, and during those two weeks, Balun had not once gone down below the hill.

For Balun, those two weeks had been an endless cycle of eating, relieving himself, studying, and training, so naturally there was no way he could have known how things in Milford had developed.

‘No, but Axe Massacrer is a bit much…….’

Did that not sound far too much like a villain?

Still, he did not feel entirely bad about it. One way or another, he had become famous.

“What are you staring at? Are you idle?”

Balun shouted loudly. He could feel the mercenaries flinch.

“Got something to say? Then say it. Balun will answer.”

“…….”

“Nothing to say?”

Balun glared as he slowly swept his gaze around the room. The mercenaries who met his eyes quietly looked away.

‘Am I going too far?’

The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but he quickly steeled himself.

No, this was the right approach. He was already in a position where he had to deal with racial discrimination, so if he acted weak, they would only provoke him more.

“If not, then do your work. Balun will do his own.”

After announcing that to everyone, Balun strode over to the counter. A guild employee greeted him with an uneasy expression.

“What brings you here?”

“Good to see you. Do you remember me?”

“Pardon?”

“You do not know me?”

“I-I remember you. You came to collect a bounty last time, did you not? H-haha…….”

The employee stammered and let out an awkward laugh, clearly tense.

“It is good that you remember. Since we have met before, you will treat Balun better. If you make trouble for no reason, Balun will split your head open.”

Cold sweat broke out on the employee’s brow. It felt as though Balun had read his mind.

“Oh, come now, Mercenary. Why would I ever do such a thing? That would be unthinkable. But what brings you here today? Have you brought in another wanted criminal?”

“Balun came to register as a mercenary. How much does it cost?”

“Pardon? Ah, is this your first time, perhaps…….”

“It is the first time. Balun will pay the fee. How much?”

As he met Balun’s steady downward gaze, the guild employee hesitated for a moment.

Should he inflate the registration fee like usual?

The normal guild registration fee was five silver. But he usually charged at least ten.

It was an extremely common scam, and it worked very well. It was aimed at rookies who knew nothing about how the mercenary business operated.

To him, the barbarian standing in front of him looked exactly like such a rookie, but for some reason, he felt that trying anything here would be a very bad idea.

“Yes. It is five silver.”

“That is expensive.”

“There is some truth to that.”

Balun handed over five silver coins. The employee accepted them and quickly locked them away in the safe.

“Balun came here to earn money, but Balun has to pay money. Is that not unreasonable?”

“Well, that is true, but there are still many benefits. You can use guild services, and also…….”

“Here. A gift.”

Balun handed him ten more silver coins. The employee’s eyes widened.

“Why are you suddenly giving me this…….”

“You are honest. So Balun gives it.”

“Honest? What do you mean by that…….”

The employee froze. He had understood what Balun meant.

He was talking about the fact that the employee had charged him the proper registration fee. That had to be it.

‘So I made the right choice!’

The employee breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that he had trusted his instincts. If he had followed his greed, his skull might really have been split open.

This was the rumored Axe Massacrer. The backing of the Mercenary Guild would be of no use in front of a monster like him.

“Oh, Mercenary! Thank you! Thank you very much!”

“When does Balun get the wooden mercenary badge?”

Balun really had known all along. That much was certain.

He had been testing him.

Despite appearances, he was a sly snake of a man.

“Well, normally you would have to wait about a week, but for Mercenary Balun, I will personally notify the Carpenter’s Guild to make it their highest priority.”

“If it is the highest priority, can Balun get it today?”

“Yes. That should be entirely possible.”

“Good!”

Balun was inwardly impressed.

To shorten a week into a single day. That was magic in itself, was it not?

This was exactly why bribery was so useful.

Praise could make even a whale dance. But money worked even better than praise.

“One more favor.”

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

“If there is an escort request going to Pordel in the Kingdom of Corint, call Balun. A nearby city is fine too.”

“That will not be difficult. The moment such a request comes in, I will come find you at once.”

“Good!”

Balun nodded in satisfaction. This was why people needed money. Give someone a few coins, and suddenly they were willing to provide quick delivery service on top of everything else.

***

The guild employee came to find Balun in less than half a day.

Balun had rented a room at an inn and was practicing Mana Cultivation when someone knocked on the door.

It was honestly baffling. Balun had never even told him which inn he was staying at.

“How did you find Balun?”

“I have been doing this in Milford for ten years. I know this town like the back of my hand.”

“Excellent!”

“Shall I guide you there right now? Or would you prefer to go on your own later, Mercenary?”

“Guide Balun now.”

They said to strike while the iron was hot. Balun did not hesitate.

Following the employee, he arrived at a spacious lot.

At the far end of the center stood a three-story building, while several cargo wagons were lined up neatly in the middle.

The man Balun met there was a merchant named Marco, who said he was the head of the Marco Merchant Company.

“John. Surely the mercenary you mentioned is not a barbarian?”

“Yes. That is correct. He is a highly capable mercenary.”

“This is disappointing. Are you really asking me to trust a barbarian as a mercenary? Is that what you are saying?”

“Ah, he may be a barbarian, but he is someone you can trust! His skills are extraordinary as well! He single-handedly wiped out an entire Rogue Guild.”

But somehow, the situation felt like it was taking a strange turn.

This Marco fellow clearly did not look pleased.

Balun simply stood there blankly, watching the two of them talk.

“That is not important. I do not trust barbarians. Their heads are full of dung, and they are all fools. Stubborn brutes who do not possess even a shred of flexibility. I do not want to entrust the safety of my Merchant Company to idiots like that.”

“Please, if not for anything else, then at least do it for the sake of our branch. Have we not done you many favors up to now?”

Marco seemed to think for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

“……Since you put it that way, I have no choice. I will allow it this once.”

“Thank you! I knew it. The Company Master is generous, just as always!”

Balun had wondered if some ugly incident might break out, but thanks to the guild employee John bowing and scraping until his back nearly folded, it thankfully did not come to that.

“John. You should go now. You cannot leave the guild unattended for too long.”

“That is true enough. Then I will be off. Have a safe journey, and Mercenary Balun, I wish you a safe return as well!”

John made a gesture of clenching his fist in encouragement before turning back, leaving only Marco and Balun at the scene.

Marco approached Balun with a cold expression.

“Barbarian. Can I trust you? I am asking whether I can trust you with the safety of my Merchant Company.”

“If Marco says trust, will Marco trust? If Balun says do not trust, will Marco not trust?”

Marco did not answer.

Balun continued.

“The contract is already done. Like it or not, Marco and Balun must travel together. Then Marco must trust.”

“There is still a way to break the contract now. I could leave without you.”

“If Marco breaks contract, Marco pays penalty. Trust takes damage too. For merchants, trust is life.”

At those words, Marco’s expression turned strange. He was surprised to hear such a thing from a barbarian.

Barbarians generally understood almost nothing about merchants. They belittled them as vile and greedy creatures and treated them with hostility. Every barbarian Marco had ever met had been like that.

But this one was different. He could tell just from the way he spoke.

There was one more thing Marco wanted to ask.

“That is true. For a merchant, trust is life. You understand that well.”

“It is common sense.”

“What do you think a merchant is?”

“A merchant is a great person.”

“What?”

Marco’s mouth fell open.

“Balun respects merchants. Merchants risk their lives on trade journeys. They are the best.”

“Do you… truly mean that?”

“Balun does.”

Balun was, down to his bones, a slave to capitalism.

Naturally, he meant every word.

“A warrior of the Great Plains always speaks only the truth.”

Balun thumped the left side of his chest with his fist.

For the record, Balun did not think of himself as a warrior of the Great Plains.

He thought of himself as a proud, first-rate citizen of the Republic of Korea.

“Amazing.”

Marco’s gaze changed.

His narrowed eyes returned to normal, and the coldness in his face softened slightly.

“In fifteen years of trade journeys, I have seen more than a hundred barbarians. Every last one of them was trash. They pursued nothing but strength and despised money. They took our money while looking down on us and treating us with contempt. Truly absurd creatures.”

‘That is true enough. Those barbarian bastards really are hopeless.’

For some reason, Balun almost felt sorry for Marco.

Just how much had he suffered at the hands of barbarians to hate them this much?

Seriously, those damned barbarian bastards.

“But you are different. You know how to respect us. I do not know about anything else, but I do like that one thing about you.”

“Then does Marco trust Balun?”

“Not yet. But I will try. Do not disappoint me.”

Marco held out his hand.

Was he asking for a handshake?

Balun extended his hand and shook it lightly.

“The road to Pordel is a long one. I will rely on you to keep us safe.”

“Balun will rely on Marco as well.”

“I heard you are called the Axe Massacrer. May I look forward to your abilities?”

“Of course. Do not worry. Balun will split all enemies apart.”

Balun made a chopping gesture with the edge of his hand and put on a show of bravado, but inwardly he was thinking something entirely different.

‘Please let nothing happen. Please.’

***

Early the next day, the Marco Merchant Company set out.

It was a fairly large trading caravan. There were eight cargo wagons alone, and more than fifty people in total.

There were twenty-five mercenaries altogether. Of those, twenty-four belonged to a mercenary company called Golden Fang, and the remaining one was Balun.

In other words, Balun was the only outsider.

How should he describe the feeling?

It was something like entering high school and realizing that not a single one of his friends from middle school had ended up in the same class.

Still, he did not shrink back like some loser. Even when he did nothing, the mercenaries came over and started talking to him on their own.

“Since we are traveling together, let us at least exchange names. I am Charlie. And you?”

“Balun.”

“Balun. That is an unusual name.”

“It means Wolf’s Fang.”

“Oh ho. That is fate, then. We are Golden Fang.”

The introductions came naturally, and the conversation continued in a fairly friendly atmosphere, but then it suddenly stopped.

When Balun looked up, he saw someone walking toward them from the front of the line. It was Morris, the captain of Golden Fang.

‘Oh? What is with that presence?’

Balun could not help being impressed by the natural force the man carried, and Morris soon approached.

“Marco gave his permission, so I was curious to see you. You certainly look like a reliable warrior.”

Morris smiled and held out his hand to Balun. Balun took it.

“Nice to meet you. I am Morris, the captain of Golden Fang.”

“Balun.”

“Yes. Balun. I look forward to working with you. If you cooperate, we will be able to complete this journey safely.”

“Of course.”

“In that case, I would like to give you a gift. Will you accept it?”

“A gift?”

“Here, take it.”

Morris handed him something. Balun accepted it without thinking.

“What is this?”

“A charm. It contains the spirit of the Great Earth.”

“The spirit of the Great Earth……?”

“Yes. I heard barbarians like things like this. Do you like it?”

“Uh, well, it seems all right.”

It did not seem all right.

How was he supposed to like being handed a piece of bone that looked like a tiny skull?

Still, he did not show it.

The man had given him a gift. He could not exactly act like he hated it.

“Haha! Excellent! We shall be splendid companions!”

With that, Morris returned to the front line.

Watching his back, Balun tilted his head.

Something about the feeling he got from Morris was deeply unpleasant.

Why?

His skin prickled. It felt as though alarm bells were ringing in his head.

And that was despite how kind Morris had been.

‘Ah, something feels off.’

Balun gripped the hand axe at his waist tightly. Somehow, it felt like he had to.