Chapter 32

Chapter 32. Verbal Promises Are Trash

Of course, Balun knew just how great an organization a Magic Tower was. He also knew that no one doubted that name.

But that fact did not matter to Balun at all.

Just because everyone else trusted them, did that mean he had to trust them too?

No, thank you. He could not trust them.

They would not scam anyone because they were a great organization?

Balun thought that was the most ridiculous nonsense of all.

Who in the world could guarantee that?

The reason Balun’s thoughts were so firm was that he had been Korean in his previous life.

It had been a life where personal information had become public property, and dozens of voice phishing calls came in every day.

Whether it was a 070, 010, or 02 number, he had maintained an extremely defensive attitude of flatly blocking every unregistered phone number.

Because Balun had lived such a life, even the reputation of a Magic Tower could not give him trust.

“Why me? There must be many great Warriors.”

“Because we saw Lord Balun’s ability. Even among countless enemies, you were not intimidated in the slightest. Instead, you overwhelmed them all with that tremendous presence, and with the outstanding skill to support that presence. Our Senior Mage Banet was deeply captivated by such a Lord Balun.”

‘He is good with words.’

That somehow made him seem even more unpleasant.

“Understood. Let’s hear the details of the request.”

“Very well. Then please look at this first…….”

“Before that, prove it.”

“Pardon?”

“You. Do you have something like identification?”

Gregory froze.

He soon understood what Balun meant and widened his eyes.

“Are you doubting me?”

“It is not doubt. I am making things certain.”

“Ha, in all my life, this is the first time I have ever been treated like this!”

Gregory fluttered his collar.

“Look at this. This blue robe and the blue spire emblem engraved on the chest are the symbol of the Azure Tower.”

Balun had certainly seen that emblem before. It had been on the blue robe Banet wore.

“Only those from the Azure Tower wear this. No one else does. Do you understand now?”

“How can you guarantee that?”

“Pardon?”

“Does no one impersonate you? Not a single person in the world? Truly?”

Gregory could not continue speaking. It was because he could not refute him.

How could there be no impostors? That was impossible, no matter how great the Azure Tower was.

“You truly are relentless. Yes, I will show you my identification plaque.”

Gregory let out a hollow laugh, as though admitting defeat, and took an identification plaque from his inner pocket to show him. It bore the same spire emblem as the one drawn on the chest of his robe, and beneath it were written his name, affiliation, and other details.

Only after seeing that did Balun feel relieved.

At the very least, he was not an impostor.

“That is certain. I will believe you.”

“I say this out of concern, but you should refrain from such behavior in the future.”

Gregory spoke as he put the identification plaque back into his inner pocket.

“Why?”

“I am fine with it, but mages from other Magic Towers would take it as an insult. They may think you are insulting their Magic Tower and bear a grudge against you.”

Balun nearly let out a hollow laugh.

‘Is that not because you are not fine with it?’

His intent was obvious.

“Understood. I will keep that in mind.”

“Good.”

In truth, he had no intention of keeping it in mind.

‘Azure Tower or whatever the hell else, if I do not trust you, what business is it of yours?’

Did belonging to a great organization mean he had to trust them unconditionally?

Of course, he had no intention of revealing his true feelings.

He did not intend to make enemies of the Azure Tower’s mages.

“Tell me the request. What is it?”

“Do you happen to know of ancient ruins?”

“Ancient ruins?”

Balun’s head tilted to one side. Was he not asking something far too basic?

“Is there anyone who does not know that?”

“Oho. You are quite intelligent for a Barbarian. To think you know of ancient ruins.”

Now he was making racist remarks as naturally as breathing.

“We know that much too.”

Rather, Balun wondered if it even made sense not to know the concept of ruins.

“Good. Then this will be quick.”

Gregory took a sip of water and began explaining.

“There is an ancient ruin we are currently exploring. Its difficulty is quite high, so we are having considerable trouble with it. We would like you to help us explore that ancient ruin.”

After hearing those words, Balun’s expression turned somewhat uneasy.

“Explore ruins?”

“Yes.”

“Is that allowed?”

“Of course it is. That is why I am asking you to help us.”

Confusion suddenly rose on Balun’s face.

‘Even if I am at the site of a ruin exploration, would I not be completely useless? I am not an archaeologist.’

If it was a ruin exploration, then it should involve excavating relics, preserving the site, digging into the ground, and gently brushing dirt away with a brush.

What could an axe-wielding Warrior who only knew how to use strength do in a place like that?

Of course, that was Balun’s misunderstanding.

The ancient ruins Balun imagined and the ancient ruins understood in this world were somewhat different concepts.

“Is it valuable?”

“Pardon? What do you mean by valuable?”

“The ruin.”

“Of course it is. It is an ancient ruin, after all. Tremendous Artifacts must be lying dormant inside.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded. Now, he felt as though the picture was finally coming together.

He did not know what kind of ruin it was, but it was probably a historical site of enormous value.

He was certain there would be plenty of wicked people like tomb raiders.

They must be trying to hire guards in preparation for such dangerous people.

‘So that is why they are trying to pay as much as three hundred gold. A ruin is precious enough that no price can be placed on it.’

It had been the same in his previous life. Even a broken jar that looked like nothing special could be worth hundreds of millions just because it was a relic.

If it was a ruin where a tremendous number of such expensive relics were buried, they could afford to hire guards for a large sum.

‘When investing, you are supposed to invest boldly. There are so many cases where people try to save on labor costs and end up taking much bigger losses instead.’

Balun’s suspicion, which had been protruding above the surface like an iceberg, gently melted away.

But that did not mean he suddenly felt like accepting on the spot.

Balun was the type to tap even a stone bridge before crossing it.

“Is it dangerous there?”

“I should answer honestly. Yes, it is.”

Gregory nodded with a serious expression.

“To be precise, it would be closer to unpredictable. How could those of later generations know exactly what is buried in an ancient ruin?”

“That is true.”

“But that is why it is worth challenging, is it not? One cannot turn back with treasure right in front of them simply because it is dangerous. Would you not agree?”

“That is true.”

Balun nodded. He was right. It must have been thanks to such courage and spirit of challenge that history had been able to develop.

Of course, that applied to ordinary cases, and if Balun were in that situation, he was confident he could leave any treasure behind without hesitation.

What good was treasure? If you died, it was over.

“That is why I believe Lord Balun is perfect for this request. You are an indomitable Warrior who knows no fear.”

“No. Balun is a coward.”

“Pardon?”

“I will ask one more thing.”

“Please speak.”

“Is there a risk of death?”

Gregory thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Not really. In the end, the most important thing is human life. We will not explore while throwing lives away.”

“Can you guarantee that?”

“Yes. Of course I…….”

“With everything on the line?”

Gregory’s head tilted.

What did he mean, everything?

“Your name, honor, parents, siblings, ancestors, all of it?”

“Pardon? No, what is that supposed to…….”

“Stake them quickly. If you do not, Balun will not do it.”

“I will stake them. I guarantee it with everything I have. There will absolutely be no situation where you die. Are you satisfied?”

“No.”

Balun firmly shook his head.

“We need to write a contract.”

“Pardon?”

“Verbal promises are trash. Only records remain. Take out a pen.”

Gregory could not hide his bewilderment.

What kind of Barbarian was this damn meticulous?

***

In the end, Balun accepted Gregory’s request.

Not under the original conditions, but under the condition that two hundred gold would be added to the payment, making it five hundred gold.

After watching Balun succeed in negotiating the amount to nearly double, then meticulously writing more than ten contract clauses before finally accepting the request in satisfaction, Gregory could not help shuddering.

“Now that I see it, I think Lord Balun should be a merchant rather than a Warrior.”

“Why is that?”

“Are you asking because you truly do not know?”

Gregory clearly said it as an insult, but there was no way those words would sound like an insult to Balun.

Balun had come from a world where merchants were the supreme powers. How could such a remark possibly work on him?

“Oh, thank you for the compliment.”

Naturally, it did not damage him in the slightest. Instead, Balun merely smiled broadly and nodded.

‘I will become rich in no time. Heh heh.’

Balun’s mood was currently at its peak.

His total fortune had increased by more than threefold all at once, so how could he not be in a good mood?

At this rate, living in a splendid house in the busiest district would not be just a dream.

Balun forcibly lowered the corners of his mouth, which kept trying to rise, and thought.

‘Do not be too happy. This is the price of my life. It is dangerous work.’

“Then I will take my leave. I will see you in front of the East Gate Plaza two days from now.”

With that, Gregory withdrew.

The request would be carried out two days later. He said the exploration party would gather at Pordel’s East Gate Plaza.

When Philip heard this news, he could not stop admiring it.

“The Azure Tower must have evaluated you very highly. To entrust you with an ancient ruin exploration request? You landed a complete jackpot.”

“Is it that impressive?”

“Of course it is. It is not a request just anyone can take. Ancient ruin exploration requests are the kind of requests even fairly skilled Mercenaries get rejected from.”

“I see.”

“They do not only look at skill either. What is more important than that is trust.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Mercenaries cannot be trusted.”

Philip continued speaking.

“Think about it. What if a Mercenary ran off with treasure during an ancient ruin exploration?”

“That would be troublesome.”

“That is why, when hiring Mercenaries for ruin exploration, they only hire people they can trust.”

“Does the Azure Tower trust me?”

“That is how you should see it. I am envious. I could not gain their trust even after offering them so much money…….”

Balun could not say anything as he looked at the envious Philip.

It was because he had recently heard that Philip had given the Blue Magic Tower many bribes.

He had poured more than several hundred gold into them, yet there had been little result. How sorrowful was that?

And yet someone else was about to pocket hundreds of gold from that very Azure Tower…….

‘I absolutely must not tell Philip that I am receiving a lot of money.’

If he said he was receiving five hundred gold, he might be murdered in his sleep.

“Be careful. Ancient ruin exploration is dangerous. Even skilled Mercenaries cannot guarantee their lives.”

Philip gave him that warning.

Suddenly, Balun became curious.

“Why is it dangerous? Are there that many tomb raiders?”

“There may be that too. But that is not the problem.”

“Then?”

“It is because of your allies.”

Philip’s expression grew serious.

“An ancient ruin exploration party is a gathering of snakes. Mercenaries and Knights glare at one another, each looking for a chance to strike.”

“Why do they target one another?”

“To distinguish themselves.”

“…….”

“So please be careful. A Warrior as strong as you must be especially cautious. You will become the focus of envy and jealousy. If that jealousy reaches its peak, no one knows what might happen.”

Balun nodded. He roughly understood what Philip meant.

‘He means if I step forward for no reason, I will be envied and things will become troublesome.’

If that was all, Balun was confident he would not get dragged into it.

‘Then I just have to avoid stepping forward, do I not?’

If it were any other Barbarian, he would make a huge fuss about standing at the vanguard no matter what, either to distinguish himself or to make his name known.

Philip had probably thought of that when giving Balun such advice.

But Balun was not an ordinary Barbarian.

Why would he step forward into danger? Balun was certain that would absolutely never happen.

***

And so, two days later.

When Balun went out to the East Gate Plaza, he was shocked.

It was because the number of people gathered there as part of the exploration party was far too large.

No matter how conservatively he looked at it, there seemed to be more than two hundred people.

Moreover, most of them were armed with armor and swords.

‘Why are there so many swordsmen?’

Were they perhaps not going on an exploration, but to war?