Chapter 48

Chapter 48. Because I’m Going to Become a Building Owner

What method could drain the soul right out of a person in a short amount of time?

There were many ways, but among them, Balun thought that performing a trick was by far the best. At least at a banquet.

A trick that delighted the eyes. How many things in the world could entertain people more than that?

Fortunately, Balun had one trick he knew how to do.

A strongman show.

“Watch closely. Balun will only show this once. Balun will not show it twice.”

A large boulder stood before Balun.

It had taken no fewer than eight soldiers clinging to it to barely carry it over from the Stonemason Guild, and its grandeur felt as impressive as its size.

“Mage. Is the magic ready?”

“It is ready.”

“If stone dust flies and gets on the food, it will be ruined. So use magic and block it well.”

“We will handle that ourselves, so do not worry and simply try it. We will look forward to seeing just how impressive a trick you intend to perform.”

At the Mage’s words, Balun nodded and took a deep breath. When he tensed his upper body around both arms, his muscles bulged prominently.

Then he lifted the boulder high.

The boulder, which looked three times larger than Balun, was raised as lightly as a piece of Styrofoam, drawing gasps of admiration.

“G-good heavens.”

“To think he lifted something that huge……”

“Even eight soldiers struggled to move that……”

Balun grinned. When he glanced over, the reactions were fairly good.

“Barbarian! Is that the end? Do you have anything else?”

“Something else?”

“Yes. I understand that you are strong, but that cannot be called a truly impressive trick, can it?”

It was a Knight under the Lord’s command who said that. Balun nodded.

“Something else, then. Good. Balun will show you something more interesting.”

Balun picked up his axe. Originally, he had intended to show them how he could crush the boulder little by little with his palm, but judging by their reactions, it seemed he truly needed to show them something more astonishing. Something that would make their eyes widen.

However, even Balun could not assume this would work one hundred percent.

That was because he had never tried it before.

To be precise, he had never tried it with stone.

‘Whatever. Why would it not work? Wood or stone, it is all the same.’

Since he had already gone too far to turn back, he had to do something. Balun held two hand axes in both hands and took a deep breath. What should he make?

Yes. This should do.

“My Lord. Is there an animal you like?”

Balun asked the Lord. The Lord seemed not to have expected to be called upon, and he blinked before asking back.

“An animal?”

“Yes. An animal, a monster, anything is fine. Just say it. I will make it.”

“You will make it……?”

“Yes.”

The Lord narrowed his eyes. Make it? An animal? How?

“Hmm, a wolf. A wolf would be good.”

“A wolf. Understood. Wolves are also Balun’s specialty.”

“But how exactly are you going to make it?”

“You will know when you see.”

Balun pictured a wolf in his mind. It came to him quickly. He had seen wolves to the point of exhaustion since he was young.

He had also beaten a great many of them to death. In the tribal village, there were many clothes and crafts made from wolf pelts.

“Hooop!”

Balun drew in a deep breath.

And then.

CRACK!

He struck the boulder with his axe without hesitation.

A fragment of the boulder split apart like tofu.

Shards and stone dust flew everywhere, but there was no problem. The Mages had cast magic to prevent the dust from scattering.

Then Balun’s hand axes began to move.

Each time the hand axes fell, the boulder was mercilessly carved away.

The vassals’ expressions filled with shock as they watched the boulder rapidly shrink. Only then did they realize what Balun was doing.

“S-surely not……”

“He is carving a statue with axe strikes……?”

Soon, their mouths fell open. Good heavens, he was carving a stone statue with axes. How was that possible?

From the beginning, it was strange enough that he could hack away at stone with axes, but the fact that the result was taking proper shape was even more astonishing.

It was not as though he was carving delicately either. His movements were far too rough. It was axe work swung wildly and without hesitation, as though he were striking at an enemy.

“Does that make any sense?”

“Th-that is what I would like to know.”

“Are those magic axes?”

The statue was completed in an instant under his hesitationless axe work.

The crude boulder slowly became a four-legged animal, and at last, the shape of a wolf appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Now, it is complete! What do you think?”

“…….”

“Why is no one speaking? You should say something……”

“It is magnificent!”

The Lord’s voice broke through the silence.

“It is truly magnificent! That is indeed axe skill close to divine craftsmanship! Hahaha!”

The Lord laughed loudly. Following that laughter, smiles spread here and there.

“It is truly a splendid wolf! It may look somewhat rugged, but that ruggedness instead reveals a raw quality. How could this not be the work of a master craftsman?”

“Does the Lord like Balun’s work?”

“Of course! I have seen a truly rare trick. It feels as though my eyes have been opened. Haha!”

It was a relief that it worked.

That old man loved it a lot.

“That is good! Then Balun will give this as a gift!”

“What? You will give it to me?”

“Yes. From the beginning, Balun planned to give it as a gift to the Lord.”

“Is that true?”

Of course, it was a lie.

“Yes. The Lord is a true ruler. A magnificent wolf suits you.”

At Balun’s flattery, which he did not mean in the slightest, the Lord’s eyes grew round.

Then he burst into hearty laughter.

“I have received a very precious gift unexpectedly. Khahahaha!”

Seeing him laugh so hard, Balun thought he had done well to take the risk.

It seemed to have been far more effective than simply showing his axe techniques.

Some of the vassals’ expressions did not look good, perhaps because they were jealous, but he decided to lightly ignore that sort of thing.

In fact, it did not bother him at all.

What did it matter if all kinds of miscellaneous small fry were jealous? As long as he caught the eye of the man at the top, that was enough.

***

The Lord seemed to have taken quite a liking to Balun’s wolf statue.

Otherwise, why would he have thought of displaying it in the very center of his garden?

After having workers complete the installation, he reportedly showed it off to his subordinates. Honestly, even Balun had not expected it to work that well.

What was so special about it?

“Of course he would like it. It means that a strong Barbarian Warrior like you personally acknowledged the Lord enough to even make and give him a statue.”

“Is that impressive?”

“Of course. It means that he received the recognition of a proud Barbarian Warrior. For rulers, that is more than enough to be something worth boasting about.”

“I see.”

“Moreover, are you an ordinary Barbarian, Lord Balun? You are the Warrior who stopped Black Moon’s attack.”

According to Gregory, that was the reason. After hearing it, Balun roughly understood, but he could not exactly sympathize with it.

“Anyway, I heard that the Lord prepared a special gift for the expedition team.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Let us go together.”

They received gifts as well.

They were pouches.

Jingling pouches.

One for each person.

“This is a reward bestowed by the Lord upon the heroes of the expedition team.”

Balun opened his.

Only fifteen gold.

“Huh, only fifteen gold……”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“Ah, no! Nothing!”

Balun had complained without thinking and nearly panicked.

He had almost caused a serious incident.

Why would he lose the points he had worked so hard to earn?

Saying “only” right to the face of someone who had gone out of his way to give a gift?

‘Ahem. Have my standards risen too much? To think fifteen gold looks like pocket change to me now.’

This was all the Blue Magic Tower’s fault.

He would have to scold them by receiving five hundred and fifty gold.

“Lord Balun. Please come separately.”

“Me?”

After suddenly calling him aside, Hans said,

“Yes. There is another gift the Lord has prepared. This one is specially for you alone, Lord Balun.”

“Oh.”

Balun followed Hans.

It was the stable.

When he waited in front of it, Hans led out one horse. It was a pitch-black horse.

“Please accept it.”

“This?”

“Yes. It is a breed called the Eisenfield Blackhorn. It lives only on the Eisenfield Plains of Ancress, and it is a famous steed among famous steeds. The warhorses ridden by the Royal Guards are this very breed.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded with a rather reluctant expression and thought,

‘What is a Royal Guard?’

Since it had the word royal in it, it seemed to be something related to the royal family or the imperial family.

‘Are they like the palace guard?’

“The Lord says he gives it to you because the merit you earned in the expedition team and the sincerity you showed by gifting him the statue are both commendable. He hopes you will gladly accept it.”

“Thank you! Is it really all right for Balun to accept such a good gift?”

“Of course, it is valuable even from the Lord’s perspective, but how could it compare to Lord Heinrich’s life?”

“Is that how it works?”

“Yes. Since you saved the legitimate heir of Rotenfeld, it is only proper for a member of a vassal family serving Rotenfeld to express gratitude.”

In other words, this was the price of Heinrich’s life.

“Thank you. I will use it well.”

He was grateful, but honestly, it did not really hit him.

That was because Balun did not usually ride horses.

‘What should I do? I do not need a horse.’

Should he secretly sell it off?

If it was a famous steed, it had to be expensive.

“Ah, right. The Lord also said that if he has work to entrust in the future, he would like to commission you, Lord Balun. He also said that a reliable Warrior like you would be welcome at any time. What do you think?”

“Ah, of course. Balun is a Mercenary. If he pays, Balun will take the commission.”

“Good. I will relay that.”

‘Hmm. It is not as though having one horse is a bad thing.’

He felt he would have to think about it a little.

***

In that way, Balun succeeded in opening up a reliable business connection with the Lord of Pordel.

After that, he was about to head to the Blue Magic Tower’s Pordel Branch with Gregory when Patem called him to a stop.

“What is it?”

“Take this.”

“Mm?”

Patem handed him a pendant.

Balun accepted it and examined it. In the center was a pattern of a crescent moon hidden behind clouds.

“What is this? It looks good.”

“It is our guild’s token.”

“Token?”

“Yes. The Crescent Moon Blade. It is the Rogue Guild I belong to.”

“The Crescent Moon Blade.”

“If you have that, you will be treated as an honored guest anywhere in our guild.”

“Oh.”

“That thing is expensive. Our guild may not look like much, but we are one of the top five guilds in the kingdom.”

“Thank you. I will keep it well.”

Balun smiled brightly and put away the pendant.

‘So this is a VIP ticket?’

“When you need help, come to our guild and show them that. Then you will be able to make good use of it.”

“Understood.”

“It is shabby compared to the value of saving my life, but I hope you will understand.”

“Yes.”

As Patem said, if he kept it, there would probably come a time when it would be useful.

“But how do I find your guild?”

“Our guild’s branches are usually located in the slum districts of each city. If you search the slum district in any city of the kingdom, you should be able to find one of our guild branches.”

“Understood.”

“Then I will be going. Let us meet again someday.”

With that, Patem left Pordel.

“You have received something valuable, Lord Balun.”

“So it seems.”

“The Crescent Moon Blade is a large Rogue Guild whose influence stretches across the entire Kingdom of Corint. If you receive their protection, it will be of great help.”

“I see.”

Hearing that, Balun felt that saving his life had been worth it.

Of course, he had not done it expecting this.

“Now, let us go.”

“Yes.”

Balun began to move.

Gregory, who was walking ahead toward the blue spire visible in the distance, looked rather excited.

“At last, I am able to invite you properly, Lord Balun.”

“At last?”

“Yes. Our Senior Mage already invited you once, did he not? Although you refused, Lord Balun.”

“Ah, that is right.”

Had it been the Mage Banet?

When that man had invited him, Balun had not been able to trust him at all.

Even his gaze had felt quite unsettling.

But things were different now, since trust had been earned.

Most importantly, he had to receive his money.

“Now, please come inside.”

They arrived at the Blue Magic Tower’s Pordel Branch.

Looking at the towering blue spire, Balun muttered without thinking,

“It looks like a high-rise building.”

“A high-rise building? What is that?”

“It means it is impressive.”

“Hehe. Our Blue Magic Tower is indeed impressive.”

How should he put it?

It was like a high-rise building from a medieval fantasy setting.

“How did they build it this high? Is the construction technology that advanced?”

“It is the result of combining Dwarven technology and the power of magic. Is it not amazing?”

“It certainly is.”

Balun had never imagined that a building with more than ten floors would exist in this medieval-ish fantasy world.

“This way. Please come inside.”

They entered the spire.

As soon as Balun crossed through the wide-open doors, his jaw dropped.

“Wow.”

An exclamation slipped out on its own.

‘What is all this?’

What surprised Balun was not the interior, which was far wider than it had appeared from outside, nor the geometric patterns carved all throughout the lobby.

It was something that existed in the very center of the lobby.

A large, blue, polygonal crystal was floating in midair, wrapped in a cluster of light, and the sight was simply beautiful.

It was enchanting and mysterious.

“What is that?”

“Ah, that is a Mana Core. It is the central power source that operates the spire’s defensive devices.”

“Do all Magic Towers have something like that?”

“Yes.”

“It is fascinating.”

“It is a great product of magic. It is one of the reasons humanity has been able to prosper.”

Gregory said this proudly. Balun nodded and roughly agreed with him. If something like that was possible through magic, then it certainly seemed impressive.

How was it floating in midair like that without any special device?

‘It is a shame there is no camera.’

That was something that ought to be preserved in a photograph.

As Balun continued looking around, he discovered something.

A large device that looked strangely familiar.

“Gregory. What is that, perhaps?”

“Ah, that is a device used to go to the upper floors.”

“Ah! An elevator!”

“Oh! You knew about it! To think you know what an elevator is.”

“Of course I know. It would be impossible not to.”

Balun’s expression turned deeply moved. To think he would hear the word elevator in this world. To think he would even see one.

“Is that also powered by magic?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I should have come here earlier.”

“Pardon?”

No, if he had known this place was so entertaining, he would not have refused back then and would have come to visit sooner.

“Does this perhaps sell?”

“Sell? Do you mean the Mana Core? Of course, that is not something we sell……”

“No, not that. This.”

Balun tapped the elevator lightly with his finger.

It hummed and emitted a blue light, and then a long rope pulled taut as a large carriage-like platform descended from above.

“Ah, do you mean the elevator? If you have money, there is nothing particularly impossible about it. Of course, since it is a magic device, the price would be extremely high. No, but I have never in my life heard of someone buying one of these……”

“Good. Balun will buy one later.”

“Pardon?”

Gregory’s face became utterly dumbfounded. What kind of sudden nonsense was this? He was going to buy an elevator?

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you trying to buy this?”

“Because Balun is going to become a building owner later. Think about it. Does it make any sense for a building not to have an elevator?”

Balun did not care whether Gregory was confused or not.

He merely stared at the elevator with an excited expression and threw out questions one after another.

“Anyway, if I buy this, will installation technicians come? Will they take care of it?”

“Pardon? T-technicians?”

“It would be good if after-sales service is included too. If there is no after-sales service, it will not be very appealing. Ah, are there maintenance fees?”

Gregory could not understand at all what this muscle-headed man was saying.