Chapter 31

Chapter 31. Ego Weapon (2)

As his darkened vision brightened, what appeared before Balun’s eyes was a vast field.

It was a field dotted sparsely with trees and thick with grass. Beyond the horizon, the ridges of a mountain range could be seen, and streams of water wound their way through the land.

‘The Great Plains?’

If other people had seen it, they might have marveled that it looked like a scene from a painting or a film, but Balun instead furrowed his brow.

That was only natural. He had spent sixteen years looking at this very scenery.

‘Why am I here?’

I definitely escaped this place.

‘Is this a dream?’

Balun walked forward. He heard the sound of grass being crushed underfoot. He heard birds chirping and the wind sweeping through his hair. It felt far too vivid.

‘No way. Is this the real one, and was my escape the dream?’

Balun’s heart lurched.

Escaping to the civilized world, going through several brushes with death, meeting all kinds of people.

Had all of it really been nothing more than a mirage?

“What the hell is this…….”

Balun let out a hollow laugh. It felt absurd beyond words.

‘Ha. I really worked so damn hard…….’

How should he describe this feeling?

It felt like losing the save data for a game he had been playing for months on end.

In other words, it felt utterly miserable.

“Ah, my Ego Weapon…….”

What made it even more miserable was that he had not even gotten to swing his Ego Weapon.

Those three beautifully sleek axes, no less.

Feeling a wave of emptiness wash over him, Balun walked on. For now, he planned to return to the village. After that, he would come up with an escape plan. Just as he always had.

‘But where is this?’

Balun tilted his head. It was definitely the Great Plains. And yet, he could not figure out where he was.

It was truly strange.

Balun knew the geography of the Great Plains by heart. He could go anywhere with his eyes closed. And yet, he did not know where this place was?

‘Let’s just go somewhere first. I’ll find something.’

Perhaps he had simply come out too far. Sometimes, when he was in a good mood, he had wandered quite a distance.

Had he walked for about ten minutes?

Balun saw the silhouettes of people.

One boy and two girls.

The boy was large, and with his mischievous-looking face, he seemed rather impish. The two girls were truly tiny and adorable, almost dainty.

The boy was tightly holding the two girls’ hands as though protecting them, and judging by their appearance, they seemed to be an older brother and his younger sisters.

Balun tilted his head.

‘Why are children in a place like this?’

Had they run away from home? Or were they lost?

Balun grew worried. The Great Plains were a harsh wilderness. In other words, they were not a place where children could wander around alone without a guardian.

“Hey, kids! Why are you here?”

Balun shouted loudly. He did not know which tribe’s children they were, but he had to take them back. That was an unspoken rule among the Warriors of the Great Plains.

Even if they belonged to a hostile tribe.

“What village do you live in? I’ll take you back, so can you tell me?”

Balun hurried over and asked. The children did not answer. They only stared up at Balun, as though observing him.

“I asked what village you live in. Do you not know where it is?”

“…….”

“Can you not speak? Are you not children from around here? Then did you come from outside?”

Now that he looked at them, the children seemed strangely refined. Their skin seemed to shine, as though they had just washed and applied lotion.

“Ugh, this will not do. For now, you should come with me. It is dangerous to stay here.”

Balun held out his hand. The children did not react. They only gazed into Balun’s eyes with smiling faces.

Just as Balun flinched at that deep, mellow gaze, the three children suddenly rushed at him and hugged him tightly.

“Huh?”

Balun awkwardly embraced the three children. They smelled like milk. For some reason, they also seemed to smell faintly of metal.

As he felt their soft skin against him, the boy spoke.

“Balun.”

“Huh?”

“Balun. I like you.”

Balun was flustered. What was this? How did this child know my name?

“Come with us.”

“C-Come with you?”

“Yes. Come with us.”

“Uh, all right.”

Setting aside his confusion, Balun held out his hand. The three children took Balun’s hand.

At that moment, Balun’s vision slowly turned white, until it was completely dyed in pure white.

When he opened his eyes again, what he saw before him was a slender, long, beautiful hand.

A palm was waving mercilessly from side to side.

“Balun. Balun? Try to come to your senses.”

“Mm?”

“Ha, you are finally awake.”

Balun blinked. Seria stood before his eyes. She was letting out a dumbfounded chuckle, as though she could not believe him.

“Seria?”

“I have lived long enough, but I have never seen anyone like you. How did you spend thirty hours undergoing an Engraving Ritual? Just how high is your affinity for something like that to be possible? Even my kin could not do that.”

“Were you not fake?”

“What?”

“You were a person from my dream.”

“What in the world is he saying now?”

Only belatedly did Balun remember what he had forgotten. He had let his blood flow into the Ego Weapon. And then he had seen three children on the Great Plains.

“So the Great Plains were the dream.”

Balun stroked his chest. A sigh of relief escaped him on its own.

‘Of course. Do you know how much hardship I went through to make it this far?’

A silly grin spread across his face.

“Balun. Just what did you experience during the Engraving Ritual for you to stay like that for thirty hours?”

“I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“A dream of my homeland. I saw three children there.”

Balun told Seria in detail about the dream he had just had. After hearing the story, Seria widened her eyes in surprise.

“That was not a dream.”

“It was not a dream?”

“It was your mindscape.”

“Mindscape?”

“Literally, the world within your heart that exists inside you. You glimpsed your own mindscape!”

Balun’s head naturally tilted to one side. He could not understand what she was talking about at all. Was this philosophy?

“No, someone who cannot even handle mana glimpsed his mindscape? Just how high does his affinity have to be for that to be possible?”

But this woman seemed strangely excited.

“Is it amazing?”

“Are you asking if it is amazing? Of course it is! Not just anyone can do that. It is a level only martial artists who have reached the realm of masters or high-ranking mages of the Seventh Tier or above can attain!”

Balun blinked. Talk of masters and the Seventh Tier did not really sink in, but the words “high-ranking mages” did.

It meant that only humans that extraordinary could experience such a thing.

Because of that, curiosity naturally rose in him.

“What does this mindscape do that only such amazing people can see it? Is it good to see it?”

“Of course it is! A mindscape is the symbol of an expert. It is something that can only be obtained when heaven-given talent is accompanied by bone-grinding endurance and effort. The fact that you saw yours makes no sense. Do you understand?”

“Roughly.”

To be honest, he could not quite accept it.

To Balun, who had the mindset of a modern person, those words only sounded like the nonsense of a shaman.

However, this was a world where things like magic existed, so it probably was not an absurd claim.

“Anyway, it is a good thing. That is enough.”

“It is not merely a good thing…… No, never mind. What am I explaining to a Barbarian for?”

“So is Balun also an expert? Since I saw that mindscape thing?”

“That is not the case. You cannot use Aura, nor can you use magic. How could you be called an expert?”

At Seria’s cold words, Balun grumbled.

‘No, does not being able to use Aura or magic mean I am not an expert?’

Saying he was not an expert just because he could not use those things was putting the cart before the horse, was it not?

In the end, all that mattered was smashing someone’s skull open.

Balun hated this unfair world.

If only out of resentment, he would develop his Enhancement Art even further.

Let the Aura bastards and magic bastards come out. I will split all their skulls open.

“I do not know exactly how you managed to see your mindscape. But I can guess the cause.”

“What is it?”

“Spirit Affinity and mental fortitude. It was probably because of those two. Those two seem to be especially outstanding in you.”

Balun tilted his head.

He could accept mental fortitude, more or less.

No, in truth, he did not understand that either, but if he thought of it as having exceptional endurance and perseverance, he could accept it roughly.

But what was Spirit Affinity supposed to be?

“The reason your Spirit Affinity is abnormally high is probably because you are a Barbarian. You grew up in the embrace of nature.”

“Ah, that is true.”

Balun’s current life had truly been that of a man of nature.

“Barbarians tend to have high Spirit Affinity in general. Among them, yours seems to be even higher than usual.”

Seria continued.

“You said there were three children, right?”

“I did. They were cute.”

“Those three children are your axes. They are the souls dwelling in your axes. Pure spirit souls.”

“What?”

Balun looked down at the axes.

These sleek, beautifully made things were those children?

“If it had been someone else, they would not even have seen those three children. They would simply have perceived them as a faint light at most. The Engraving Ritual would have ended in barely a minute too. But you clearly saw the three children, did you not? And it took thirty hours?”

Seria tapped the axes as she spoke.

“That means you saw through the essence of these three children. It means you immersed yourself sufficiently in the ritual. It means you communed with them.”

Immersed, my ass. It was a ridiculous dream.

Well, the children had been cute.

“It is amazing. You can be proud of it. Seeing their essence means you can draw out much more of the Ego Weapon’s potential.”

Balun gripped the axes.

The feeling of the handles fitting perfectly in his hands was good.

“It does not feel real.”

“What does not?”

“That these axes are those children.”

“I suppose it would not. To be honest, I am also a little bewildered. I have created many children until now, but there have been only a few customers like you who properly saw through their essence.”

Balun was about to swing the axes, but then he hesitated.

So, those children were inside these?

They did not even speak.

In that mindscape something-or-other, they had even spoken to him.

They had called his name too.

‘Is this big axe the boy, and are the two small axes the two girls?’

When he thought of it that way, it fit perfectly.

“I cannot swing them.”

“Why?”

“If I swing these, it will be child abuse.”

“What?”

“Child abuse is a crime. A very serious crime!”

Balun carefully set the axes down.

He did so with the care and caution of someone who had just bought a new car.

As Balun gazed at the weapons with affectionate eyes, Seria laughed in disbelief.

“You really are a funny one. So are you going to enshrine them like treasures for the rest of your life?”

“That probably will not happen.”

“Then just swing them. They were born for that in the first place.”

Seria added.

“Think of it this way. If you were a Knight, would you refuse to ride a horse because you were afraid it would feel burdened?”

“I would ride it.”

“What you are thinking is exactly like that. What? Abuse? It is not like that, so just use them to your heart’s content. Those children will want that too.”

At those words, Balun looked at the axes and asked inwardly.

‘Are you all battle maniacs mad for blood like the people of my tribe?’

Then, to his surprise, the axes vibrated.

THRUMMM!

The three axes trembled finely at the same time. Balun’s eyes widened.

“Oh! Did you see that just now?”

“I saw it. They must like you. They do not usually even tremble like that. Normally, you would have to diligently commune with them for about five years before they might answer or not…….”

“A vibration function. How cutting-edge!”

“What?”

“Is there an on-off function, by any chance?”

“……?”

Seria’s face filled with confusion.

***

After handing over the Ego Weapon, Seria returned to the Smithy, adding that he could come by anytime if he had questions.

After parting with Seria, Balun headed straight for the Drill Yard. It was to test the performance of his newly obtained Ego Weapon.

‘Heh heh. I wonder how amazing they are.’

Balun’s heart pounded. When he thought that these children would withstand his Enhancement Art, he could not shake off his anticipation.

Ah, how long had he yearned for this weapon?

The idiotic past, when he had to throw away his axe to use his Enhancement Art, was over.

Now he would reach the realm where the Enhancement Art, the axes, and he became one.

‘Let’s start with the hand axes.’

Balun gripped the hand axes in both hands. He took a deep breath and prepared to awaken his muscles.

“So this is where you were, Balun.”

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out. It was Philip.

“What is it?”

“A guest has come to see you.”

“A guest? For me?”

“Yes. He specifically said he wanted to see you.”

Balun tilted his head.

“I am sorry for interrupting your training, but it seems you should go.”

“Understood. I will go at once.”

Balun put his clothes back in order, stored his weapons, and went to the reception room.

There was a mage in a blue robe.

Judging by the fact that he wore the same clothes as Banet, Balun could guess that they belonged to the same organization.

‘He looks ridiculously greasy.’

With a face that seemed as though oil might drip from it, his first impression was not good at all.

‘Does the Blue Magic Tower have that few decent-looking people?’

One guy had a eunuch beard, and the other was a greasy bastard.

“Did you ask to see me?”

“Yes. Allow me to introduce myself first. I am one who walks the path of magic. One who seeks to behold the essence of magic. My name is Gregory of the Blue Magic Tower. It is truly an honor to meet the subject of the rumors.”

Gregory bowed politely with a smiling face. Balun tilted his head.

“The subject of the rumors? Me?”

“Yes. You crushed Wolf Blade, did you not? That story has spread beyond Pordel. Countless Adventurers are curious about you, Lord Balun.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded roughly. Since he had been holed up in the guild headquarters all week, he had not known that.

‘But is saying I crushed them not a bit much?’

The people involved would probably feel offended if they heard it.

“So, what is this about? Are you inviting me again?”

“We at the Azure Tower would indeed like to invite Lord Balun. But that is a personal courtesy. The reason I have come this time is to formally propose a request.”

“A request?”

“Yes. We need Lord Balun’s strength. Please help us. We will pay you well enough that you will not feel disappointed.”

At the word “pay,” Balun became interested.

If it was a fair transaction, then that was a different story.

“I suppose I should hear it first. Speak.”

“Since you are a mercenary, I should begin with the matter of money. If you successfully complete this request, we will give you three hundred gold.”

“What?”

“What do you think? Is it not somewhat tempting?”

Gregory’s smile deepened. He looked full of confidence.

That was only natural. What mercenary would dislike such an enormous sum?

Even if he was a Barbarian, a mercenary was still a mercenary, so it would be hard for him to refuse. Gregory was convinced of that.

A matter of trust?

There was nothing to worry about.

Who were they?

They were the Azure Tower. One of the seven great Magic Towers of the world.

No one doubted the Azure Tower.

However, that was a judgment made without understanding Balun at all.

Azure Tower or whatever else, why would he care?

‘This bastard is suspicious.’

The excessive payment triggered Balun’s suspicion.

Just how dangerous was the task for them to offer such a huge sum?