Chapter 66

Chapter 66. Dunmore (8)

Amazing news spread through Dunmore. Word had gone around that the bandits of the Bled Mountain Range, long Dunmore’s greatest headache, had been subjugated.

Naturally, people were half-doubtful at first.

What kind of people had the bandits of the Bled Mountain Range been? They had been an impregnable fortress that had not allowed a single subjugation to succeed.

It might seem absurd to attach the word “fortress” to mere bandits, but that was how they had actually been perceived by the people of Dunmore.

How could it be otherwise when every time a subjugation force was sent out, only news of its annihilation returned, darkening the city’s atmosphere?

Because they had been such existences, no one believed the news of the successful subjugation at first. However, once the Lord declared that the subjugation had been completed, they had no choice but to believe it.

Then, when the heads of the bandit captain and Vice-Captain were hung at the city gate, Dunmore’s atmosphere boiled over in an instant.

Every corner of the city grew noisy. People gathered in twos and threes on the streets and expressed their joy, and taverns were filled with people drinking from broad daylight. In some alleys, cheers could even be heard.

Balun was feeling the rapidly changed atmosphere of Dunmore with his whole body.

“This is no joke.”

“What is?”

“The atmosphere.”

Balun clearly remembered the gloomy atmosphere from when he had first come to Dunmore.

People had certainly been moving around, yet there had been no vitality.

But now, that was not the case at all. Smiles had bloomed on the faces of people who had not even had a hint of one before. Perhaps because of that, the city even seemed brighter.

“It feels as if a festival has opened.”

“To these people, it is no different from a festival. Their greatest headache has disappeared.”

“Did they not say less than a year has passed since the bandits appeared in Dunmore?”

“In that one year, they went around committing every damned thing they could. There is probably almost no one here who has not suffered damage from them.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded at Belia’s words. Those soldiers from the neighboring country disguised as bandits must have truly tormented the people of Dunmore terribly, though he did not know just how much tyranny they had committed.

“The merchants in particular are overjoyed. Thanks to you, they can safely cross the Bled Mountain Range now. If they see you, they will probably charge over to kiss you at once.”

“That is rather horrifying. I will run away.”

“It will not be easy. Everyone is in an uproar trying to find you.”

“Why?”

“Are you seriously asking that? There is no one who does not know you are the one who eliminated Dunmore’s headache.”

It was exactly as Belia said. It was not simply that people knew. It was currently the biggest topic in Dunmore.

It would actually be stranger if the hero who had solved the city’s greatest problem did not come up in people’s conversations.

However, Balun found it strange. He had not particularly bragged about it, so how did they know it was him?

Lord Lothar had talked only about the bandit subjugation too, not about Balun himself.

“Why does everyone know Balun?”

“I cannot tell whether you are quick-witted or slow-witted. Do you not remember what state you were in when you returned to Dunmore?”

“What state? What do you…… Ahh.”

Balun nodded. He understood at once.

He had returned in that blood-soaked state, dragging along a leather bag containing severed heads and prisoners, and many people had seen it. Naturally, rumors could not help but spread.

“The Lord seemed to want stories about you to circulate within Dunmore as little as possible. He probably wants to attribute the bandit subjugation entirely to his own achievement.”

Belia took a sip of alcohol and continued speaking.

“But that will not happen. Rumors are not something one mere human can stop. Whether you like it or not, you will become famous.”

Balun silently nodded.

Balun had always wanted to enjoy wealth and glory. There was no reason for him to dislike fame.

Nevertheless, the reason Balun could not simply smile was that fame inevitably came with danger.

Balun had already experienced that.

The more famous he became in war, the stronger the threats against him grew. At first, the enemies had not cared about him at all, but they gradually began targeting him, and eventually, they even formed detached forces of Senior Warriors to deal with him.

If it had been that way even on the Great Plains, then in the civilized world, which was far larger than the Great Plains, it would be worse, not better.

“Moreover, you are the one who broke the Nightmare of the Greenwoods. Valtrien will do whatever it takes to find out who broke their legend. If they identify you, they may come to dispose of you.”

Belia smiled faintly, and Balun frowned. What was this ill omen?

“You are cursing me.”

“It is not a curse. It is a fact. It has no choice but to happen.”

“Tch.”

Balun clicked his tongue and emptied the alcohol in his cup into his mouth. A bitter yet sweet fruit flavor lingered in his mouth.

As he savored the taste, Belia asked, “By the way, I heard you received a rare gift from the Lord.”

“How do you even know that?”

“Because I have information sources.”

Balun let out a snort. How good was her information network that she already knew about something that had happened that morning?

“What did you receive? Did you receive an Artifact?”

“No, I received a little money.”

“Money?”

“One hundred gold.”

A reward of one hundred gold. That was the true identity of the “great gift” Lord Lothar had said he would give.

For a “great gift,” the amount was a bit small, so it was disappointing, but it was still satisfactory enough. It was free money he had not even expected, after all.

“Oh. You received quite a lot. That is surprising.”

“Is that a lot?”

“Yes. Lothar is known as a miser. If someone like him paid one hundred gold, he truly went out of his way for you. Almost to the point of treating you as a benefactor.”

“I see.”

Balun nodded. Now that he thought about it, the Lord did look rather like a miser.

“But Lothar will not view you only favorably. Even so, the fact that he handed you that much money means he probably thought that giving at least that much would preserve his dignity.”

Belia muttered that, rested her chin on her hand, looked at Balun, and asked,

“So, are you returning now?”

“I should.”

“To Rotenfeld Grand Castle?”

“Yes.”

“The people here are looking for you that desperately, yet you will not go and greet them?”

“Is there a need?”

‘What greeting? It is not as if I am running for election.’

Besides, Balun had not subjugated the bandits to campaign in front of people. He had just come to earn money.

However, to Belia, who did not know that, Balun looked impressive.

Others were crazed for honor and were desperate to wave their hands at people at least once, yet this Barbarian did not care about such things at all…….

“The Hero of Dunmore is truly simple and unaffected.”

“The Hero of Dunmore?”

“Yes, you. People are calling you that.”

“Huh.”

What was with that grand title?

“Anyway, then this is farewell.”

Belia smacked her lips and waved her hand.

“Go well. I will not see you off.”

“I am not leaving yet. I will leave tomorrow. Today, I am going to drink until dawn.”

Balun stretched out his palm.

“So bring more alcohol. It is sweet and good.”

Belia looked at Balun with incredulous eyes.

“Did you leave your alcohol with me or something?”

“No, but you said you would treat me. You were definitely the one who promised to drink with me.”

“I should not have said that.”

“Prepare yourself. Balun will not get up until his nose is crooked.”

“Do not say such frightening things.”

Belia had to regret her past self for saying they would drink when he returned.

Because the drinking session continued until the morning sun rose.

The excessive drinking that lasted all through dawn made her stomach churn and made her head feel as if it would split, yet Balun remained perfectly calm. It was truly detestable.

***

The next day, Balun gathered the bandit prisoners he had brought and left Dunmore early. If he had ridden a horse, he would have arrived at Rotenfeld Grand Castle in three days, but because he had prisoners with him now, his speed was slowed somewhat.

When he crossed the bridge toward the firmly closed castle gate, a guard looked at Balun and shouted,

“Who are you?”

“I am Balun the mercenary. I have completed the Count’s request and returned.”

“What are those men tied up beside you?”

“They are the portion of overachievement.”

“The portion of what?”

The guard tilted his head. Balun realized his mistake.

Ah, right. If he said it like that, the man would not understand.

“They are prisoners.”

“Prisoners?”

“If you tell the Count that, he will understand.”

“Wait there!”

One guard entered the castle, and about three minutes later, he gestured for Balun to come inside.

“Follow me. The Count has called for you. He says to bring those prisoners with you as well.”

“Very well.”

When Balun followed the guard into the hall of the Central Castle, Count Rotenfeld, who was sitting in a chair, looked at Balun with his characteristic relaxed expression and opened his mouth.

“I heard you killed every last bandit. Is that true?”

“It is.”

“Without missing a single one?”

“I killed them all except these prisoners.”

“Impressive. You handled the work better than I expected. Honestly, I never thought you would go this far.”

He abruptly stood and approached the prisoners kneeling behind Balun.

Then he examined them, pointing here and there with the wooden cane in his hand. The way he did it looked as if he were rummaging through a pile of trash.

“So these are the bandits of Dunmore.”

“That is right. I brought them just in case.”

“What does that mean?”

“I thought the Count might need them.”

More precisely, he had brought them as insurance in case the Count might not believe that he had subjugated the bandits.

That was why he had deliberately brought them here without handing them over to the Lord of Dunmore.

How could he know whether the Count would question whether he had truly subjugated them?

“Need them? I would?”

“That is right.”

“You thought I wanted mere bandits as prisoners?”

“I said yes.”

Balun’s tone naturally became blunt.

Why did he keep asking that?

Surely he was not trying to avoid paying him, was he?

Balun found himself harboring a reasonable suspicion.

“Haha. What a very commendable thought!”

Whether he knew what was going through Balun’s mind or not, Count Rotenfeld suddenly laughed aloud.

“You were a far better man than I expected. I thought you were only good at swinging an axe, but you know how to use your head too!”

He continued speaking with a smile.

“Yes, that is correct. I did think it would be good to have prisoners. If there are prisoners, then I can strike a great blow against the Valtrien bastards who dared to commit underhanded schemes on my land.”

For an instant, Count Rotenfeld’s face twisted viciously before returning to normal.

“However, I did not expect that. Not only did I not think you could devise such a plan, but even if you did, carrying it out would be extremely difficult.”

Balun tilted his head.

Plan?

‘What plan?’

“So this is how worldly affairs flow. A stone I threw out of simple curiosity has stirred the river. Then again, if that stone is a boulder the size of a house, perhaps it could indeed stir it.”

‘No, what the hell is he saying?’

Balun could not understand what this man was muttering about.

“I shall ask you one more thing. Can you answer?”

“I can.”

“Why did you not tell Lothar the bandits’ true identity? That they were not bandits, but were in fact rangers of the Shadow Claw Unit.”

“Ah, that is.”

Balun trailed off. The reason was rather unimpressive.

The reason was simple. He had thought he might suffer retaliation if he mentioned it for no reason.

Think about it. If the Lord learned that Balun had single-handedly killed those supposedly incredible special forces called the Nightmare of the Greenwoods or whatever, just how excitedly would he go around talking about it?

Then, of course, rumors would spread. And if rumors spread, he had thought it would only be a matter of time before the Kingdom of Valtrien learned of his existence.

However, he could not honestly state that true reason.

How could he say that he had not mentioned it because he did not want the matter to grow for no reason? That would be embarrassing.

“That is because the request Balun received was bandit subjugation. Balun only completed the request.”

Balun spoke as if it were nothing. However, he was not calm inside.

‘Damn it. Am I going to get scolded because I did not say that? What if he makes a fuss and asks why I did not report something I obviously should have reported?’

His heart burned with anxiety.

‘Could he possibly use that as an excuse to reduce the money…….’

Balun squeezed his eyes shut.

Reduce the money? What kind of nonsense was that?

‘Ah, no. Absolutely not.’

The thought of money made his mind snap awake.

From the look of things, the Count seemed to be searching for an excuse to nitpick, but no chance.

‘Just try it. Count or not, I will fight you. Do you know how hard I worked to catch those bastards? Honestly, even giving me a larger incentive would not be enough.’

“So you are saying that you merely completed the request. Is that correct?”

Count Rotenfeld’s gaze shot toward him. It was an infinitely serious gaze. Normally, it would not have bothered him at all, but now that he had something to feel guilty about, it was a little burdensome.

‘Ah, I do not care. Let whatever happens happen. It is not as if I did anything wrong. I am just claiming my rightful due.’

Balun decided to act even more shamelessly. In times like this, momentum was important, was it not?

Balun nodded firmly.

He straightened his shoulders too. The more moments like this came, the more dignified he had to be!

“That is right.”

“For only that reason?”

“Is more reason necessary?”

“No, it is not necessary.”

Count Rotenfeld stroked his chin.

Soon, the corners of his mouth rose again, and his lips opened.

“You pass.”

“Huh?”

‘Pass?’

Pass what?

“I have no choice but to acknowledge it. You possess an excellent virtue as a knight. You do not harbor doubt toward your master’s orders. You carry them out exactly as commanded. That is precisely what I desire from my swords.”

Balun blinked.

What was this supposed to mean now?

“You accomplished that. Though your origins are poor, you possess enough qualification to surpass that. You also possess martial power.”

Count Rotenfeld smiled broadly.

At the words that followed, Balun could not help but doubt his ears.

“Good. I shall bestow the title of a knight upon you, so serve me for the rest of your life as a Sword of Rotenfeld.”

“????”

“Why is there no answer?”

“Uh, that is a little…….”