Chapter 28. Wolf Blade (5)
An invitation to the Magic Tower.
Other people would have leaped for joy at such an offer, calling it a stroke of luck, but instead of being happy, Balun was suspicious first.
It had come far too suddenly.
They had barely even met, so why was this man inviting him out of nowhere? The man did not even know who he really was.
“What are you plotting all of a sudden?”
“It is not some grand scheme worthy of being called a plot. I have simply become interested in you. In you, who displayed overwhelming martial prowess against so many swordsmen.”
“Interested? In me?”
“That is right. I watched your entire battle. It was remarkable. You were truly a valiant Warrior. It felt as though I was witnessing the return of the Great Warrior spoken of in legend.”
“You know what a Great Warrior is?”
“Of course. A Great Warrior is the greatest of all warriors in the world. It is the dream of every Barbarian who leaves the embrace of the tribe and plunges into the civilized world. You must have entered the civilized world for that very reason as well.”
Banet spoke with complete confidence.
And it was only natural for him to be so certain. Every Barbarian he had ever seen had dreamed of exactly that.
To become the greatest Warrior.
Or to display their own strength to the world.
Every Barbarian he had met so far had been like that, so he was convinced the one before him would be no different.
But the Barbarian standing before him was very, very far from ordinary.
“No.”
“So that means... hm?”
“Balun does not need that kind of thing. What matters is wealth and glory. Lots of gold and treasure, and wide lands.”
“What?”
“A Han River-view apartment! The life of a landlord! A comfortable and happy life!”
Banet could only blink at the flood of incomprehensible foreign phrases.
Seeing Banet’s reaction a moment too late, Balun realized his mistake.
He had probably spoken a little too honestly.
“Ahem. That was a joke.”
“A-ah, as I thought.”
“The truth is, my dream is to become a strong Warrior.”
That was not a lie.
Balun’s current goal was indeed to become stronger.
He had already realized that things like law meant nothing in this world.
Only strength mattered.
He had to become strong to protect himself in this cursed world. Only then could he protect the wealth he would accumulate in the future, and the people who would one day become his.
But becoming strong could not really be called Balun’s true goal.
In the end, what really mattered was living well and eating well, was it not?
And doing so while enjoying civilized life.
That was why he had escaped from the tribe.
He might never achieve his dream of a Han River-view apartment, but he thought he might be able to buy a house with a similar feeling if he worked hard enough.
For example, he could live like a wealthy noble with a grand estate and a mansion built on it.
Or he could find a house with a fine view in a great city.
“Haha. So it was a joke. Well, of course it was. In all my life, I have never heard of a Barbarian who desired wealth and glory.”
This bastard must think barbarians are some entirely different species.
No, really, who in the world did not like wealth and glory?
“I strayed from the point a bit. To put it another way, I would like to have a more in-depth conversation with a powerful Warrior like you.”
“What kind of conversation?”
“Well, would that not be decided as we talk? What matters is that I am interested in a Warrior named Balun.”
What in the world is this old man saying right now? Is this some kind of blind date?
Perhaps he had noticed that Balun was not pleased, because Banet continued in a persuasive tone.
“I know it sounds strange. I also understand very well that you are wary of me. Barbarians dislike mages, after all. No matter what I say, you are unlikely to take it kindly.”
“But think it over carefully. I helped you. If it had not been for me, you would have had to face all the remaining members of Wolf Blade. Without me, you would have ended up in a very dangerous situation.”
“......”
“Well? Is that not enough reason for you to lower your guard, at least a little? Is it not?”
“That is true.”
Balun nodded at his words.
He agreed completely.
That was why Balun was not speaking rudely to Banet in the first place.
Whatever the case, the man had helped him, and it was clear he bore him some goodwill.
“Fine. We will talk.”
“I knew you would say that! You are far more open-minded than other barbarians. I like that you are actually prepared to converse. In that case, let us go to our Magic Tower at once and—”
“We will talk here.”
Banet’s words stopped short.
He looked at Balun in confusion.
“Hm? Here?”
“This place is good. The chair is soft. Comfortable. Conversation will go well.”
Balun patted the sofa and even made a little gesture of sitting down and getting back up. The feel of the leather sinking beneath him was truly pleasant.
“W-well, that is true. But this is not exactly a comfortable place, is it? Naturally, that must be the case for you, and to be honest, it is for me as well. I am only a guest here, after all.”
“It is fine. Balun is the winner. Winners have the right to enjoy things. It is fine to use this place.”
“Mm, that is true. It is true, but... mm.”
Banet scratched the side of his head.
He had not expected Balun to put up such a firm wall.
This was why barbarians were troublesome.
It was difficult to communicate with them.
They moved only according to strength and honor.
From a mage’s perspective, that made them absolutely unbearable.
Even so, this Barbarian was still the best among all the barbarians Banet had seen. At least they could speak to one another. His pronunciation was rough, but he handled the Continent’s Common Tongue quite well too.
“All right. I understand. We will speak here. This is not a bad place either. The sofa is comfortable, after all.”
“Exactly. What did you want to talk about?”
“It is about the battle earlier. That stomping attack you used. I do not know whether you remember it.”
Balun tilted his head.
A stomping attack?
“You mean when I struck the ground?”
“Yes! That one. How did you do it?”
“I put strength in my foot and stomped hard.”
Balun acted it out by stomping his foot.
“I did it like this. Stomped hard.”
“Well, yes, obviously. But that is not what I am curious about. What I want to know is the principle behind how that attack worked.”
“The principle?”
“Yes. How exactly were you able to shake the ground without even the action of mana? It clearly was not magic, and it did not seem like you used Aura either. So how exactly did you do it? That is what I mean.”
Banet explained eagerly, mixing gestures of both hands and feet as he spoke.
When Balun saw the deep curiosity in his eyes, he realized that Calrent’s advice had been correct.
Naturally, a conversation he had once had with Calrent came back to him.
It was advice Calrent had given him before they parted, and at the time Balun had not been able to understand it.
He simply could not grasp why anyone would covet an ability that was neither flashy nor pleasing.
But now that he thought about it, Calrent had been right.
Just look at the mage right in front of him.
That dense curiosity visible in his eyes.
Balun could feel it.
This mage was looking at him as a subject of study.
“I am not asking you to teach me how to use the ability. I am merely curious about the principle. How did you use that power? What force was acting there? Is it perhaps some new power I do not know of? If so, then what is it?”
“I do not know. Balun just stomped the ground. Went boom.”
“Urgh, as expected, this is not easy. How in the world am I supposed to explain it so that you understand?”
Banet let out a heavy sigh.
He thought Balun simply did not understand what he meant.
But that was a grave misunderstanding. Balun understood every word perfectly. He simply had no intention of playing along the way Banet wanted.
And besides, he was not even saying anything false.
He really had just stomped on the ground, so what else was he supposed to explain?
“Let me ask differently. What does it feel like when you use that power? For example, perhaps a hot sensation coursing through your veins, or something like worms crawling beneath your skin... explain it in whatever way you can.”
“When I use strength, muscles go BAM. I stomp the ground. It shakes. Strong!”
“That is enough. You may stop talking.”
Banet gave up on hearing more.
Instead, he asked the second thing he was curious about.
“Then what about when you tore the chainmail? How did you do that? That also looked as though it involved no action of mana at all. Can you tell me?”
“Ah, that is easy. When I use strength, muscles go BAM. I pull. It tears. Strong!”
Balun mimed pulling the cloth apart with both hands.
Banet let out a small sigh and nodded.
“Thank you. That was very helpful.”
“I am glad it helped. Haha! Conversation is good!”
Balun laughed heartily.
Watching him, Banet thought to himself, As expected, a barbarian is still a barbarian.
Not once did it occur to him that Balun was the one making a fool of him instead.
***
Banet looked thoroughly dissatisfied that he had not managed to resolve even the slightest bit of his curiosity.
“This is unfortunate. It has been a long time since I met such a valiant Warrior, and yet we must part.”
“I feel the same.”
“Say, if you ever wish to have a deeper conversation, come to the Blue Magic Tower and ask for me. I will come running at once to meet you.”
Even right up to the moment he left, he was still delivering his sales pitch.
“Understood. I will do that.”
Balun did not reject even that much.
He had judged that there was no reason to become openly hostile.
Just because something felt suspicious did not mean he needed to turn red-faced over it.
“I should be going. I have left the Magic Tower unattended for too long.”
“Can you leave? Were you not a guest of Wolf Blade?”
“I am a guest, not a prisoner. Whether I leave is my own choice.”
“That is true.”
“Until next time, valiant Barbarian.”
“Go, mage.”
“But you truly will not come? If I could invite you to the main tower, I feel we could have a truly meaningful conversation...”
This old man was absurdly persistent.
He had no idea why the man was clinging so stubbornly over some crude axe-wielding Warrior.
“Balun does not hate the idea of going. But Balun has many things to do. So Balun cannot go.”
“In that case, it cannot be helped. Ah, right. Philip has awakened. Go see him in the treatment room upstairs.”
“He woke up?”
“Yes. He said he had something to tell you. I do not know what it is, but he looked quite solemn.”
“Understood. I will go.”
And so Banet left the Wolf Blade guild headquarters.
Balun left the reception room and went upstairs to the treatment room, where he found Philip.
Philip was sitting on the bed in a reclining position, propped up by a large pillow at his back, and greeted Balun.
“Ah, you came.”
“You called?”
“Yes. I did.”
Balun tilted his head.
For some reason, Philip did not seem hostile at all.
If anything, he seemed friendly...
“Would you like something to drink?”
“It is fine. I had tea with the mage.”
“I see. I thought that might be the case. Master Banet seemed to like you very much. He wanted to take you with him, but it seems you are not going.”
“I am not. Balun has many things to do.”
‘That is not him liking me. He wants to use me as an experiment subject.’
Balun had no desire to become an experimental subject.
If he followed him to the Magic Tower, he would probably end up as a victim of human experimentation before he even realized what was happening.
The very thought was horrifying.
“But why did you call me?”
“Ah, I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me...?”
Just as Balun was staring in confusion, Philip rose from the bed, stepped down, and knelt before him.
Balun’s eyes widened.
Why was he suddenly doing this?
“What is this?”
“Thank you. For sparing my life, and for saving our Wolf Blade.”
Philip bowed his head and continued speaking.
“I tried to take your life, yet you spared mine instead. And you did so in a duel fought with our lives at stake. Therefore, you are my benefactor. That is what I wished to say.”
Hearing those words, Balun wanted to ask him this:
‘No, how does that logic work?’
Should he not be furious instead?
“And I am sorry. In truth, that is what I most wanted to say.”
“All of a sudden?”
“I heard the full story of what happened between you and my subordinates. Our Wolf Blade wronged you. I was told that all you did was use a Smithy, and because of that, you were put in mortal danger.”
“That is true.”
“On behalf of Wolf Blade, I apologize. If I do not say this, I do not think I will be able to hold my head high and go on living.”
Philip bowed his head once more.
“I truly knew nothing. I had no idea my men were doing such things to the adventurers of Pordel.”
“You did not know?”
Balun tilted his head.
Was that possible? For the man at the top?
“I do not manage the guild. The Vice Guild Master and the five Wolf Leaders handled the guild’s operations, while I spent the entire day swinging a sword. That is why I did not know.”
“I see.”
“But that is only an excuse. No matter what, I am still their leader. That does not change. This is my fault. I am not even worthy of being a Knight.”
“I understand what you mean. But there is no need to go this far—”
“As a sign of apology, I will give you suitable compensation.”
“Hm?”
Balun was struck speechless.
Then his eyes widened.
He was going to compensate him? Really?
“If it were someone else, I would give money. But since you are a Barbarian, I assume you do not care for money. So I was thinking perhaps I should present you with a fine set of equipment suited to you—”
“No, give it to me in money!”
Balun shouted at the top of his lungs.
‘If you are going to compensate me, then of course it should be money! Is that not obvious?’
Who in the world compensated damages with goods instead of money?
This was not some secondhand barter deal.
“Money?”
“That is right!”
“Are you serious? Ah, no, of course not. You are only saying that out of courtesy. Naturally, you must feel embarrassed too. After all, it is awkward to accept a gift from someone you were just fighting to the death.”
“No, Balun really likes mon—”
“I anticipated that, so I have already ordered a fine set of armor for you. I truly hope it pleases you.”
No, not goods. I said money.
Rainy Lotus
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