Chapter 21

Chapter 21. If You Pay Enough, Everyone’s a Friend

After that, Balun further interrogated Morris, the captain of the Golden Fang, but no especially useful information came out beyond that.

The reason Morris had committed the crime really was as simple as money.

Even after gambling away every last coin he had earned as a mercenary, he had still gone on to rack up an enormous debt, and when he found himself utterly unable to repay it, he had plotted this crime.

He truly was a piece of trash beyond redemption. To think he had spent as much as half a year planning all this.

‘Whether it’s Earth or this place, people live the same way everywhere.’

Balun clicked his tongue. This was exactly why a person had to live honestly and diligently.

Look at this. Here was the end of someone who had chased a windfall.

“Morris. I only hope that in your next life, you stay away from gambling.”

“Marco. W-wait a second. Hear me out. Please?”

“You said it yourself. That since we were friends, you’d kill me at the end. Thanks to that, I survived, so I’ll think of you as a friend too, as a final act of mercy. That’s the last gift I can give you.”

“Marco. Please listen to me. Please!”

“Farewell, my friend. I will not resent you, so do not worry.”

“Marco! Wait! No—!”

Slash!

And so Morris died by Marco’s hand.

Marco was a ruthless man too. Balun had told him that he would kill Morris himself, so there was no need for Marco to dirty his own hands for nothing, but Marco had insisted on doing it personally.

Perhaps a man had to be at least that hard to survive as a merchant in this savage world.

Balun looked at Marco, who seemed somewhat dazed, and asked,“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. This sort of thing happens all the time.”

What kind of life had he lived?

To say this sort of thing happened all the time.

“I’m not going to think about him anymore. I need to look ahead.”

“You are strong.”

Balun truly meant that. With a mind of steel like that, Marco would do well in anything.

“Strong? Hardly. A man like me? I can’t even fight.”

“And yet you have traveled this dangerous world and survived. You are strong.”

“...Thank you. You really are a good man.”

“Didn’t you look down on me for being a Barbarian before?”

“That was my fault. I apologize.”

Even if everything involving the Golden Fang and Morris had now been settled, what came next was the problem.

Because so many mercenaries had died, a massive hole had opened up in their escort force.

Even after adding together the merchant company’s original exclusive mercenaries and the Golden Fang mercenaries who had not taken part in Morris’s crime, they only had nine men left.

Eight, if Balun was excluded.

That was nowhere near enough to escort no fewer than eight cargo wagons.

Of course, they could still press on as they were.

But who knew what might happen?

“There’s no helping it. Even if it means taking a bit of a loss, we have no choice but to hire more mercenaries.”

“Are we stopping by a city?”

“We have to. One of the wagons is completely wrecked, so it needs repairs. There is a lot to do.”

“Good.”

That was welcome news for Balun. If they were stopping in a city, he could do some shopping. He could rest at an inn and shake off some of his fatigue. He could also repair his broken hand axe.

In truth, it would make more sense to buy a new hand axe, but since he was going to get a new one in Pordel anyway, there was no need to buy one separately.

After all, a lady who was a Grand Smith herself was going to make it for him.

“And Balun, I’m going to revise the terms of our contract as well.”

“Revise them?”

“Yes. Instead of the original contract fee, I’ll pay you 10 gold. What do you think?”

Balun’s eyes widened. The original contract fee had not even been more than 1 gold. And now it was 10?

“Ah, don’t worry. This is separate from repaying you. This is my way of treating you as someone on the level of a Gold Badge Mercenary. You’re worth that much.”

“Good. I accept.”

Balun nodded in satisfaction, but inwardly he was thinking something else.

‘If a Gold Badge Mercenary earns 10 gold per job, then after ten jobs, can I buy that 100-gold house outside Milford?’

Balun was left speechless. There truly was no more absurdly high-income profession than this.

He had heard that in ordinary jobs, most people worked all day without even touching a single copper coin, let alone a silver one, yet here some people were handling gold. How utterly unbalanced was that?

The more he learned, the more he felt he could never take an ordinary job. With an income gap this extreme, how could anyone work an ordinary job?

Well, to begin with, it was doubtful whether Balun could ever get an ordinary job.

Would there even be any place willing to hire a Barbarian as an employee?

There was a reason so many Barbarians ended up in professions where they lived by the sword.

“I’m sorry. I still haven’t decided how I should repay this debt I owe you. But once we arrive in Pordel, I will absolutely make it up to you, so please wait.”

“Balun will wait. Take your time and think it over.”

‘I can wait as long as I need to for that.’

Balun’s heart swelled with anticipation.

Of course he would wait.

If Marco was giving him 10 gold plus extra incentives, anyone who would not wait was a fool.

***

After that, the Marco Merchant Company’s trade journey proceeded without any major trouble. They safely stopped by a nearby city, hired more mercenaries, and had enough time to calm themselves after the shock of the dawn massacre.

Because of that, their schedule ended up delayed by two full days, but was not safety more important than anything else?

It was only natural that Balun and merchants got along well, because both hated risk.

Any other mercenary would probably have said, “Do you not trust our skills? Stop dawdling and let’s move on,” but Balun had none of that nonsense in him.

What? You want to play it safe? Then thank you very much.

Balun obeyed without complaint. He accepted Marco’s judgment so readily that Marco was touched by it. He even said Balun was completely different from other Barbarians.

Marco’s initially brusque attitude was now gone. He treated Balun with the utmost sincerity.

“Everyone, stop! A pack of kobolds spotted ahead!”

They ran into monster packs now and then.

“Balun. There’s a pack of wolves over there. What should we do?”

“It seems they’ve already noticed us. We can’t avoid this. We’ve probably already been surrounded.”

As they dealt with wild beasts as well, time passed, and at last they arrived in Pordel, their destination in the Kingdom of Corint.

As Balun looked at the wide road stretching straight ahead, the people coming and going, and the long city walls visible in the distance, he could not contain his emotion.

‘At last, I’m getting it. My new weapon!’

Balun’s heart pounded.

How could he not be excited at the thought of finally having a new axe sturdy enough to endure even when he used Enhancement Art?

Over the past stretch of time, he had fought a total of eight times, including against Morris’s group.

And yet in all eight of those battles, there had not been a single time when he could use Enhancement Art through his axe. How tragic was that?

It would have been a lie to say he had not felt miserable.

Other people were making heat haze ripple from their swords and swinging around Beam Blades, while he had to throw away his weapon just to use his skill.

Honestly, it was ridiculous.

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

‘Not anymore.’

Today, Balun would be reborn. As Balun the warrior, owner of an awesome S-rank weapon.

“So you made it back alive. I thought for sure you were done for.”

“I know. It still feels like a dream.”

Only after they passed inspection and entered the city did Marco’s group finally relax.

Once they reached their destination, laborers rushed over, unloaded the cargo wagons, and began carrying the goods away. Marco exchanged a few words with the relevant people, signed the ledger, and then settled payment with the mercenaries.

After receiving their pay, the mercenaries left without a trace of hesitation, and only Balun remained behind.

“Here. 10 gold.”

“My thanks.”

Balun accepted the 10 gold. His money pouch, already fat enough, became even fatter.

When he counted it, the total came to 111 gold. It really was a lot.

“I thought about it on the way here, and in the end, I concluded that the only thing mercenaries truly like is money.”

“That is true.”

This was why Balun liked merchants.

‘Money really is best.’

They understood each other perfectly.

“Take this. It’s a small gift from me.”

Marco handed Balun a leather pouch. It was fairly heavy. Just how much was in it?

“It should be a little over 100 gold. I do hope you like it.”

‘Damn. Over 100 gold?’

Balun nearly cried out. To hand over enough money to buy a house without hesitation. Marco really was an extraordinarily generous man.

‘So the 10 gold was actually the tip.’

In an instant, Balun’s entire fortune had doubled.

“But I could not lighten the burden on my heart by ending things with money alone. So I prepared one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“Take this.”

Marco handed Balun a letter.

“It’s a recommendation for rank reassessment. If you take this to the Mercenary Guild, they’ll reclassify your rank to Silver Badge. It doesn’t matter which branch you go to. You can stop by any one of them.”

Balun tilted his head. From what he had heard, mercenary rank was not based on skill alone. He had understood that it only rose with accumulated experience.

And yet that could be solved with a single letter of recommendation?

‘What? He was even more impressive than I thought.’

“I’m sorry. If it were up to me, I would make it Gold Badge, but that is beyond my ability. This is the limit of the connections I have.”

“It is all right. This is more than enough.”

Balun truly meant it. He had already received rewards far beyond what he deserved. He had been given money on the scale of a house price, and now even his certification rank was being raised. It was almost enough to say he felt like he might die from overeating.

“Marco is my friend. He helped Balun friend. That is all. Nothing more needed.”

He meant that sincerely as well.

Granted, Marco was old enough to be his father.

But so what? If you pay enough, everyone’s a friend.

Right now, Marco looked like an angel in Balun’s eyes.

“Balun. Meeting you was truly a stroke of luck. I mean that. I hope we get to see each other again.”

“Life is long. Many chances. If we meet again, then we meet again.”

“Haha. That’s true. You’re right.”

Marco laughed heartily and went on.

“If the opportunity comes, visit our merchant company. I’ll treat you lavishly.”

“That sounds good.”

“Now that things have turned out this way, would you like to come with us? We’ll be leaving Pordel tomorrow, so you could go with us then.”

“That won’t do. I have business in Pordel.”

“That is a pity.”

Marco smacked his lips in disappointment.

“Well, there’s no helping it. Where there is meeting, there is parting. Let us meet again next time, my brave Barbarian friend.”

Marco held out his hand. Balun clasped it and shook it. It was the moment their eventful long journey came to an end.

***

The moment he parted ways with Marco, Balun headed straight toward Pordel’s northern gate. His destination was somewhere nearby.

‘This place really is ridiculously huge.’

As he looked around the bustling city, Balun clicked his tongue.

Pordel was a fairly large commercial city even within the Kingdom of Corint. As such, it was enormous.

Compared to Milford, it was probably at least twice as large.

Everywhere he looked, there were people wearing brigandines and leather armor. That meant there were an incredible number of mercenaries here.

‘Housing must be expensive here too, right? Would 200 gold even do it?’

Thinking that, he walked on until he reached the area near his destination.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A place where intense heat and the resounding noise of hammers rang out without cease.

It was Workshop Street, one of Pordel’s famous attractions.

Just as the name suggested, Workshop Street was a street lined with workshops, and it was famous for having many highly skilled craftsmen. It was so famous that supposedly there was not a single adventurer who did not know of it.

Seeing it in person, Balun felt he understood why people said that.

The entire street was a workshop.

Blacksmiths hammering iron, tanners working leather, weavers making clothes, jewelers handling gemstones—craftsmen of every kind had gathered here.

Balun stepped into one of the shops and asked,

“Do you happen to know a blacksmith named Seria?”

“Who doesn’t know that crazy bitch?”

‘Crazy bitch?’

For that to be the first thing said the moment he asked, she probably was not an ordinary woman.

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t know. If you’re asking that, then you’re obviously not from around here. Though seeing as you’re a Barbarian, I suppose that’s only natural.”

No, how could he tell he was a Barbarian? He was wearing proper clothes and everything.

“Is it that obvious?”

“That you’re a Barbarian? Of course. Anyone can tell at a glance.”

Balun felt like he might burst into tears. No wonder people pointed at him and called him a Barbarian wherever he went.

“Anyway, where is Seria?”

“Go straight from here, then turn right. At the very end, tucked away in the corner, there’ll be a smithy.”

“My thanks. May fortune smile on you.”

After offering his blessing, Balun followed the merchant’s directions at once. Just as he had been told, there really was a smithy tucked away in the corner.

The heat coming from it was noticeably fiercer than from the others.

Balun approached and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

No response.

When Balun knocked several times in a row, the door finally swung open from inside along with an irritated voice.

“Damn it, which bastard is making a fuss when an elf is trying to sleep... Hmm? What’s this? Who’s the huge brute-looking guy?”

“So you’re Seria, then... Huh.”

Balun stopped short in the middle of speaking. It was because of the woman’s appearance as she opened the door.

Not because she was breathtakingly beautiful. Not that.

Her ears were long.

Incredibly long. So long that he wondered if that was even allowed.

For a moment, Balun panicked and thought,

‘Whoa. What do I do? I think her ears are deformed.’