Chapter 47

Chapter 47. Talent Show

Balun had thought that if he returned safely, the way he was treated would be different from before.

That was only natural. He had saved the lives of the expedition team several times, so he had earned a great deal of merit. If rumors of that spread, he thought he would probably hear quite a bit of praise, at the very least.

However, that had only been a prediction within the bounds of common sense. He had never imagined something this far beyond common sense.

To think he would receive such an extravagant welcome.

Anyone watching might think he was a state guest.

In truth, he was not even close to being an honored guest. He was nothing more than a defeated soldier.

“Please come this way. A banquet has been prepared for you.”

“A banquet? For us?”

“That is correct. It is a gift from the Lord for all of you.”

“No, this is too sudden…… gah!”

As soon as they entered Pordel, an old butler approached and welcomed the expedition team.

Following the head butler of Pordel, the members of the expedition team arrived at a vast restaurant located inside the inner castle.

From the chandelier on the ceiling to the various artistic decorations, the place was so splendid that it resembled a banquet hall. Long tables stretched out in rows, and all kinds of food were laid out abundantly upon them.

“We prepared plenty, so please eat and drink to your hearts’ content. If it is not enough, simply ask for more.”

“A-all of this?”

“That is correct.”

“No, is this a dream or reality?”

The expedition members were dumbfounded, but only for a moment.

Soon, they surrendered themselves to the feast of pleasure spread out before their eyes.

“Hey, everyone! Look at this! The meat just melts in your mouth!”

“Hey, hey. The bread is sweet. What did they put in this bread to make it taste this good?”

“Ah, the liquor tastes good. What kind of liquor is this?”

“You do not even know that? It is wine.”

“Ah, so this is wine. I had no idea.”

“Phew, you country bastard. You drink cheap beer every damned day, so of course you do not know what other kinds of alcohol exist.”

“Damn, I am jealous. Truly jealous. Noble lords must eat things like this every day.”

“They probably do. Damn it, I am jealous.”

“Hey. Stop saying depressing nonsense and eat. If you do not eat, I will eat everything.”

“What? Absolutely not!”

In an instant, the restaurant grew noisy with the sounds of the expedition members eating, drinking, and talking. The expedition members held wine cups in their left hands and meat in their right hands as they tore into the food, drank, and enjoyed the banquet. Balun was no exception.

If there was any difference, it was that Balun did not make a fuss like the other expedition members.

“Brother. Why are you so quiet? What, is it not to your liking?”

“It is good.”

“Your expression does not look very good for someone saying that.”

“That is not true. I am enjoying it.”

There was no special reason he was quiet. It was simply a habit.

From the beginning, Balun was the type who did not speak loudly while eating. He had been unable to discard the habits of his previous life as a Korean.

Of course, that was not the only reason Balun was quiet now.

The expedition leader, the Knights, and the Mages were not at this banquet. Balun had been concerned about that for a while.

Rather than bothering him, it was more a matter of simple curiosity.

“Where are the others?”

“What others? Who?”

“The Knights and Mages. The expedition leader too.”

“Ah, the lords were probably invited separately.”

“Separately?”

“Yes. They are probably meeting with the Lord. They are distinguished people, after all. They must be eating something even better.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded at Patem’s explanation.

‘Ah. So because they are distinguished people, they do not share a table with lowborn rabble?’

Balun’s expression turned sour. No, was that not going too far? Everyone had suffered together, yet they would not even share a table with them.

Well, even if he accepted that they might not share a table, he still thought they could at least show their faces, but it seemed noble society did not work that way.

“Do you not feel offended?”

“About what?”

“We all suffered the same. But they are treated better, while you are treated worse.”

“It does not feel particularly good. But it cannot be helped.”

“It cannot be helped?”

“Yes. It is only natural.”

“Why is it natural?”

“Because they are noble lords, and we are mere commoners. How could we be the same?”

“So that is how it is.”

“Even so, the Lord here is a fairly decent person. Look at this. He prepared so much that the table legs might break. He is trying to treat us well.”

Patem spoke with a shrug. His expression showed that he did not consider it a particularly serious matter. Not just Patem, but the others as well.

To Balun, that seemed utterly unfamiliar. It was as though he had discovered that their ways of thinking were vastly different, even though he had thought they had become fairly close after sharing hardships together.

In Balun’s eyes, the expedition leader, the Knights, the Mages, and the Mercenaries were all more or less the same. But in their eyes, there seemed to be an enormous wall that could not be crossed.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No. I was just curious.”

“You are oddly bland.”

Balun erased his thoughts and tore into the meat. It was absurd, but he had no intention of expressing dissatisfaction. What could he do when the social structure itself was built like this?

However, his thoughts did grow more complicated. He realized that this was a world where status was as important as strength.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, the door opened with a knock, and someone entered. It was the head butler who had guided the expedition team. Had he said his name was Hans?

Hans looked around the room and asked, “May I ask if anyone here is named Balun?”

“That is me. What is the matter?”

“The Lord is calling for you. Please follow me.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Balun. As Balun tilted his head and stood, Patem murmured,

“Oh. He is finally calling you. I was wondering why he had not.”

“What do you mean, finally?”

“You accomplished the most, did you not? I naturally thought he would call you. Am I not right, Head Butler?”

Even at Patem’s question, Head Butler Hans merely smiled in silence.

The place Balun reached after following Hans was a tall, spacious mansion.

It was the kind of house where, at a glance, one could tell that someone important lived there.

“My Lord. I have brought him.”

“Let him in.”

When the large door was pushed open and Balun entered, he saw several tables in the middle of a spacious hall. Around twenty people were sitting together, each dressed in fine clothes.

As expected, there were familiar faces.

Heinrich, the three Knights who served him, and three Mages, including Gregory.

Among them, Heinrich was sitting beside what appeared to be the seat of honor. When he saw Balun, he waved.

“Oh, you are here! My Lord. This is the Warrior I spoke of.”

“That Barbarian?”

“Haha! That is correct. Balun, come this way. Closer, yes.”

Balun entered hesitantly. He was not intimidated or nervous, merely awkward. Unlike the expedition team’s banquet hall, which had been noisy and without any formality, this place was quiet and ceremonial.

Moreover, everyone was dressed splendidly, with polished, refined faces.

When Balun stood in the middle of the hall, he felt gazes pour toward him. Those expressions, full of curiosity, were quite familiar to Balun. They were the kind of eyes that looked at a monkey in a zoo.

“Balun. Would you introduce yourself?”

“Here?”

“Yes. After I spoke of your achievements, the Lord grew very curious about you. I also very much wished to introduce you.”

“Understood.”

In that instant, everyone’s expressions changed sharply. It was because Balun had spoken casually to Heinrich.

“You insolent bastard. How dare you speak so rudely! Do you know who that man is? No matter how much merit you have earned, you cannot possibly…….”

“Enough. Do not scold him. I permitted it.”

Heinrich cut off the “you insolent bastard” attack that had burst out almost like a seizure.

“But, Lord Heinrich. That man is far too lacking in manners…….”

“He is a man unskilled in the Common Tongue. How can we force our etiquette upon him? Is that not so?”

“Th-that is true, but……”

“Moreover, Balun is a Warrior I have acknowledged. He saved all our lives. If not for him, I would not be here, and neither would the Knights of my family. Even so, is it right to force private etiquette upon him?”

“I-I apologize!”

As Balun watched the man who had barked, ‘You insolent bastard!’ lower his head and sit down, one question arose in his mind.

‘Why are they making such a fuss? The actual superior is staying still.’

Even the Lord seated at the place of honor was saying nothing and remaining still, so why was a subordinate reacting so violently?

No matter how he looked at it, the man seemed like one of the Lord’s underlings.

“I am Balun, a Warrior of the Red Fang Tribe. I am the son of Senior Warrior Ktam and Senior Warrior Rana.”

As Balun struck his chest with his fist and introduced himself, the Lord stroked his chin and nodded.

“I see. You are the one who saved Lord Heinrich?”

“That is right.”

In that instant, Balun saw the Lord freeze slightly.

It was because of his casual speech.

Of course, Balun did not care.

To be precise, it did bother him, but there was nothing he could do about it.

From the beginning, he did not know how to use polite speech in the Continent’s Common Tongue.

No, how was he supposed to speak politely when he had never learned honorifics?

Looking back now, the “Language of the Ironclads” he had learned from Ulan had all been combat-oriented phrases.

It was truly fitting for a tribe of madmen who lived and died for battle.

“Ahem. Perhaps because he is a Barbarian, he certainly has something of a wild air, Lord Heinrich.”

“That is true. But that is his charm. He is a very rough man, but he is genuine at heart. That is why every member of the expedition team has fallen for him.”

He had heard that praise roughly three hundred times by now, and every time he heard it, it was unbearably embarrassing.

His face felt hot.

At the same time, his chest swelled with pride. Was this truly the same person who had not even known whether Balun was part of the expedition team at first?

“Well then, Barbarian. After hearing all your exploits from Lord Heinrich, I grew very curious about you. To think you slaughtered around a hundred Second-Class Assassins of Black Moon alone in the dead of night. And while poisoned by Mana Poison, no less.”

Gasps of shock spread here and there at those words.

Judging by the exclamations of “Hup!” that came from around the hall, it seemed he had not told everyone that part.

“I cannot hold back my curiosity. Could you show me your skill?”

“Skill?”

“Yes. Since I hear you handle axes so well, you may show us your axe techniques.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

For a moment, silence fell. The vassals seated in their chairs gulped, and tension settled over their faces.

Unable to ignore it, they quietly rose from their seats, approached the Lord, and whispered into his ear.

“M-my Lord. You should not say it that way.”

“Why not?”

“Barbarians do not like showing off their skills without reason. They will likely consider it an insult. They will think you are mocking a Warrior’s honor.”

“Mocking? What do you mean?”

“If things go wrong, he might immediately start a swordfight. Barbarians are more than capable of doing such a thing. Then the atmosphere of the banquet will be ruined.”

“I-is that so?”

The Lord nodded. He had not known that.

It was understandable that he did not know. Why would he know anything about Barbarian customs?

“You should say it this way instead.”

“How?”

“Tell him that we have a strong Warrior, and ask him to face that man. If it is a friendly duel, even a Barbarian will not ruin the atmosphere.”

“Oh. That sounds good!”

Of course, their conversation was completely meaningless.

That was because Balun was very different from an ordinary Barbarian.

Who was Balun? He was a man who possessed the soul of a Korean.

‘So he is asking me to do a talent show, right? Fine, I will do it.’

To ordinary Barbarians, those words might have sounded like an insult, but to Balun, they looked more like an opportunity.

A chance to earn points with a noble!

A chance to build even the slightest connection with high society!

Where else could such a golden opportunity be found?

“Good! Balun will show his skill! May I bring my axes?”

“What? You will do it?”

“That is right! I will show it properly!”

The expressions of the vassals looking at Balun, who had become all smiles, seemed extremely confused.