Chapter 67

Chapter 67. That Is Not My Dream, Though?

It was fortunate that Count Rotenfeld’s interrogation had not been meant to reduce the request fee, but another problem struck Balun.

A sudden exclusive contract offer—no, a lifetime contract offer!

Balun could not help but be flustered by this drastic proposal that had not been part of his plans. That was why his poker face had unconsciously slipped, and his true feelings had come out as they were.

However, who was Balun? He was a man who had mastered managing his expression.

‘This is war. That man has challenged me to a one-on-one duel. This is a true contest with live blades…….’

Once he hypnotized himself, he quickly regained his composure.

It was truly a ghostlike skill.

“What in the world is that reaction? Do you like it, or do you dislike it?”

“It is good. But it is not a matter Balun can decide easily.”

“Why is that?”

“Balun is still young. Balun has many days left to live. Balun cannot decide his life so easily.”

“That makes it even better. Your life will bloom early. Now that I think of it, I am curious. How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“What?”

“Once the year passes, Balun will be seventeen.”

Before he knew it, the weather had grown noticeably colder.

Winter had fully arrived, so seventeen was just around the corner.

“That is a lie. How could you be sixteen?”

“It is true.”

“Impossible.”

For the first time, Count Rotenfeld’s composure broke.

As if he could not believe it, he widened his eyes and stared intently at Balun.

“Insane. Then you possess that level of skill at only sixteen? And you are even clever…….”

Only then did Count Rotenfeld slowly examine Balun’s face. When he looked closely, he saw a rather youthful and handsome face.

Even so, the reason he had not noticed it was because Balun had a large build and a great height far beyond this world’s average, and because he exuded his distinctive wildness and rough momentum.

‘He was a far greater find than I thought. I assumed he was in his early twenties. Honestly, even if he were in his early twenties, he would still be an incredible find, but this…….’

Count Rotenfeld thought that as his eyes gleamed. Greed flickered in his gaze.

At that look, Balun flinched.

What is this? Why is this man looking at me like that?

It was as though he had become a different person.

“I know what your dream is. It is probably to become a Great Warrior. Just like other Barbarians. The reason you are hesitating must be because you have that dream.”

‘Excuse me? That is not my dream, though?’

Wealth and glory, unearned income, living in luxury, fame and fortune, sudden riches, asset growth, dividend income, financial freedom, a path to success, turning his life around…….

Balun’s dream was that sort of thing. It was absolutely not that nonsense.

“But listen. Those are things you can accomplish sufficiently as a knight as well. You can live as a knight and still become a Great Warrior. In the end, whether one is a knight or a Warrior, both are martial artists who hone their martial skill. Is that not so?”

“That is true.”

“I shall support that dream.”

Count Rotenfeld continued.

“Unfold your grand ambition within the embrace of Rotenfeld. Defeat your enemies to your heart’s content with your axe. Stand endlessly on battlefields and defeat enemies. If you do that, you will absolutely become a Great Warrior. I guarantee it.”

He reached out with a benevolent smile. Balun shook his head. Who was this man trying to fool?

“Are you saying you dislike it?”

“As Balun said earlier, Balun cannot decide easily.”

“What exactly is the problem? Is there something you dislike?”

‘Of course there is. Would you not have any problems with this?’

Who in their right mind would sign a lifetime contract at sixteen?

No matter how good upward mobility was, this was not it.

“Tell me. If there is something I can accept, I shall generously accept it.”

“So, that is…….”

Dozens of questions circled in Balun’s mouth.

How much is the salary? Is it a fixed salary, or is there an incentive system? Can I have side jobs? Are food and lodging provided? How many days off do I get each week? Is knight armor provided for free, or do I have to buy it with my own money?

What are the welfare conditions? Do you have paid leave? If there is paid leave, can I use it freely? Am I treated as a soldier? If war breaks out, is participation mandatory, or will you generously overlook my absence? If participation is mandatory, can I be summarily executed if I refuse?

If it is a lifetime contract, can it be terminated midway? If possible, do I have to pay a penalty? What is the promotion system like? Is there irrational hazing? What about abuse of authority by commanders?

He wanted to ask all those things and was confident that he could ask them.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he did not think that noble lord would understand them, so he arrived at the following answer.

“If Balun becomes a Sword of Rotenfeld, Balun has no freedom. Balun wants to be free.”

“Freedom. Freedom, is it? Hah.”

Count Rotenfeld let out an empty laugh. He had thought of countless proposals, but that was the one thing he had no answer for.

As a great lord who had commanded countless people, he knew it well. It was not easy to tame people who valued freedom.

And among those, the greatest examples were Barbarians.

They were beings who had lived freely their entire lives. They would not welcome belonging somewhere.

“It cannot be helped. If that is your will, then I shall not forcefully hold you…….”

“Perhaps something like a Free Knight would not be possible?”

“What?”

“Being a knight is good, but not becoming the Count’s subordinate…… Mm, no. Never mind.”

Balun quickly changed his words. He felt that if he brought that up for no reason, the Count’s favorability would plummet dramatically.

‘As expected, that will not work. Honestly, even I think that sounds a bit like a thief’s mindset.’

Balun boldly gave up his greed.

He wanted to receive a knight’s title but not swear loyalty. What was that if not shameless thievery?

Unless the Count was mad, there was no way he would accept such a thing.

‘I should just squeeze out a lot of money instead. Money really is the best.’

Balun was about to open his mouth with that thought when Count Rotenfeld spoke first.

“Very well. Since you dislike it, I shall pretend this never happened. In exchange, I shall convey my goodwill to you in another way, so do not refuse that alone.”

“Goodwill?”

“Answer me. Will you refuse it, or not?”

Balun accurately read the look Count Rotenfeld was shooting at him.

It was a look that said he would kill him if he did not agree.

At the eerie feeling he somehow sensed, Balun nodded.

“Understood.”

Of course, even without that look, he would have nodded.

If someone said they would give him something for free, what reason did he have to refuse?

“If you give it, Balun will accept it.”

“Good.”

At Balun’s acceptance, Count Rotenfeld finally stroked his chin with a satisfied expression.

***

Count Rotenfeld conveyed his goodwill to Balun without delay, and that goodwill was a full one thousand gold.

In other words, an enormous sum totaling 1,801 gold!

Balun felt as if he could fly because his entire fortune had swelled in an instant, but in contrast, the atmosphere inside the castle was not very good. It was because what had happened during his meeting with Count Rotenfeld had spread throughout Rotenfeld Grand Castle in an instant.

The fact that he had received a knight offer, the fact that Balun had rejected it, and even the fact that Count Rotenfeld had given Balun an enormous sum of one thousand gold as a gift.

Because of this absurd, excessive-seeming favor, the atmosphere of Rotenfeld Grand Castle heated up.

“No, does this make any sense? What is that Barbarian bastard for him to make such an offer!”

“I heard he subjugated the bandits of Dunmore this time. It seems that moved the Family Head’s heart.”

“Even so! He is a man whose origins are unknown! And what? One thousand gold? This is insane!”

Everyone murmured, but the knights in particular were enraged. Winning Count Rotenfeld’s favor was an entirely different matter from winning Heinrich’s favor.

Count Rotenfeld was the master of a great territory and the Family Head of a prestigious family. In other words, he had the power to instantly turn a barbarian of unknown origins into a powerful figure in Rotenfeld. From the perspective of knights who had devoted their entire lives to loyalty for the sake of advancement, it was impossible not to lose their tempers.

Of course, they had heard vaguely. The bandits Balun had caught were not just bandits.

Rumors were quietly spreading that the bandits of Dunmore had not actually been bandits, but elite rangers that the Kingdom of Valtrien prided itself on.

It was certainly true that he had succeeded in a difficult mission that even most knights could not have accomplished, but did that mean they could acknowledge Balun?

It did not.

The sense of authority they had enjoyed their entire lives as nobles did not disappear easily. That was especially true for knights of a famous family like Rotenfeld.

Their pride as knights of one of the most prestigious families in the kingdom was truly extraordinary. With the exception of a very small number of cases like George, who had come from common birth, the majority had been born as the children of nobles and were a privileged class who had grown up without lacking anything their entire lives.

And people like that were supposed to stand shoulder to shoulder with a commoner mercenary nobody of unknown origins, and a stinking Barbarian at that?

That was truly unimaginable.

What companion? Even sharing a table with him would be horrifying.

Of course, because of Balun’s refusal, the knight investiture had fallen through, but the knights did not feel that way. They took it as meaning Balun could become a knight at any time.

Who knew? That barbarian might change his mind one hundred and eighty degrees and accept Count Rotenfeld’s offer.

It was only natural that complaints burst out every day, and that those complaints grew larger with each passing day.

Moreover, that Barbarian had even been staying in Rotenfeld Grand Castle for over a week since his return…….

“That Barbarian bastard. It seems he intends to stay inside the castle all winter.”

“He has been staying quite a while. Has it already been a week?”

“Is he not planning to settle down here entirely? There is no reason for him to stay when he has no work. Since our liege has shown him favor, he must be trying to seize some position somehow.”

The knights’ complaints continued today as well. Over the past week, sales at the castle tavern had noticeably increased, because knights belonging to the Rotenfeld Knight Order came every day to drink heavily.

“Is that not too much conjecture? It is entirely natural for a guest-retainer to stay at a family’s residence for a time.”

“That may be true, but he is a mercenary who has not even been contracted. What qualification does he have to do so?”

“Did he not do many things? He completed a request and saved Heinrich as well.”

“I heard he was rewarded for those matters. And that bastard even received an additional one thousand gold from our liege. But, Commander, do you know this? I have never touched that kind of money once in my life. Have any of you?”

At the knight’s question, his fellow knights shook their heads. In truth, several among them had touched such money before, but they were not so tactless as to say so in this atmosphere.

“Damn it!”

The knight who spat out the curse harshly gulped down beer again and again. After emptying two cups in succession, he continued speaking with his face flushed red.

“Our liege is truly too much as well. He gives that stinking Barbarian one thousand gold, while we receive nothing.”

“Jeffer. Watch your words. How dare you speak so rudely of the Family Head?”

“It is not rudeness. It is a reasonable complaint. It is not as if what I said was wrong. Listen, all of you! Am I the only one who thinks this?”

The knights did not answer his words, but they all nodded slightly. In effect, they were all of one mind. All except Werner, the Commander of the Rotenfeld Knight Order and Count Rotenfeld’s younger brother.

“On top of that, that bastard even arrogantly rejected our liege’s favor. And yet why did our liege find him so endearing that he gave him one thousand gold? That is what I am saying. Honestly, if it were me, I would have been so offended that I would have cut off his head on the spot.”

The knights’ complaints flowed out, mixing with their emptied cups of alcohol. They were words they would not dare utter normally, but even so, Werner could not harshly rebuke his subordinates.

He knew that defending his elder brother and scolding them in this atmosphere would be like pouring oil onto a fire.

Dissatisfaction was not something that could be solved by suppressing it. Rather, the more one did that, the more backlash would arise. He knew that well.

Moreover, before he was a man of Rotenfeld’s noble blood, he was the commander who led the Rotenfeld Knight Order. He had a duty to generously embrace and soothe his subordinates’ complaints.

Yes, he knew that.

The problem was that his position was quite awkward.

He knew. Count Rotenfeld had deliberately given Balun an enormous sum of one thousand gold, and had deliberately spread the rumor so that it would reach the ears of his vassals.

On top of that, he had even made arrangements so Balun could stay for a long time.

He knew that, but how could he say it to these men?

‘Damn it. That accursed elder brother of mine. I do not know why he puts me through ordeals like this. He should not have told me at all.’

Werner cursed Count Rotenfeld again and again. He respected his cautious, calculating elder brother, but at times like this, the man was unbearably hateful.

‘I do not know anymore either.’

Werner recalled what Count Rotenfeld had said. He had told him not to try to settle things for no reason, but to let them flow as they would. He had said it would be interesting to watch.

Over the past few days, Werner had racked his brain wondering what in the world his elder brother’s intention had been when he said that, but now he did not care anymore. When had he ever lived while worrying about such things?

To begin with, his personality was not that complicated. If he had worried about such things, he would not have become a knight.

‘Let whatever happens happen.’

“This is not something to complain to the Family Head about. Should you not confront that man instead?”

“Pardon?”

At Werner’s words, after he had maintained his silence until then, the knights looked at him. He casually began to speak.

“Think about it, all of you. Imagine that a single loach has accidentally entered a pond where carp play and is muddying the water, while the owner of the pond is feeding the fish without knowing that. If the pond is being ruined because of that, should you blame the owner who gave the feed, or should you blame the loach that muddied the water?”

“That is…….”

“I think this is a question where the answer comes out quickly after just a little thought.”

“Mm, that is certainly true. I understand what you mean!”

The knights nodded as they chewed over those words.

Soon, a certain resolution settled over their faces.

***

For the past week, Balun had felt as if he could fly.

Because his assets had grown to 2,800 gold.

It was enough money to buy twenty-eight of the cheapest houses in Milford!

Of course, 2,800 gold was a small amount that could only install nine magic elevators, but still, was that not something? Before receiving this money, he could only install three.

He could live while spending freely with this alone, but Balun’s dream had changed into gathering enough money to buy a grand building like a massive fortress or a Magic Tower and then enjoying wealth and glory, so he could not be satisfied.

The method?

He had to diligently save money. He had to save until he dropped dead.

Business did not suit his constitution, and the only thing he was good at was using his body, so in the end, the only thing Balun could do was mercenary work.

To gather a lot of money through mercenary work, being strong was best. Therefore, no matter how he looked at it, the first thing Balun had to do was training, the second was training, and the third was training.

That was the reason Balun had decided to stay at Rotenfeld Grand Castle for a while.

They gave him lodging for free, food for free, and a training ground for free. What could be better than that?

With the weather already growing colder, if he could spend the winter warmly in a place like this while devoting himself to training, it would truly be the greatest paradise.

And so, on his eighth day as a guest-retainer, Balun came out to the Small Drill Yard after filling his stomach with a free meal as usual.

This modestly sized Drill Yard located in a corner of the castle had been made for guest-retainers, so it was fairly good at protecting privacy.

‘For some reason, I feel as if my axe technique has been improving rapidly lately.’

Even though he had only been training intensively for a week, it felt as though his axe technique was improving rapidly, which was truly fascinating.

What was the reason? He thought about it, and there was only one answer.

His body had become absurdly better than before.

His strength, stamina, and agility all had.

To exaggerate slightly, it felt as though he might be able to fight and defeat a Rock-Cleft Troll without Enhancement Art.

Since the foundation of his body itself had improved, the output of his axe technique naturally improved in a way that was clearly noticeable. Because he could see the degree of that improvement, training was enjoyable every day.

“I will be in your care again today, Black Moon.”

BZZZ!

As always, Black Moon vibrated.

Now, it trembled no matter what he said to it. It would not be an exaggeration to say they were communicating smoothly.

“When exactly will you all be able to speak? I want to talk even outside the Mindscape.”

BZZZZZ!

A fierce vibration.

“I do not know what you are saying.”

He wanted to unlock the conversation function quickly, but it seemed he was being too impatient.

Balun shrugged and was about to swing his axe, but he had to stop because of the sudden words he heard.

“So you were here, Barbarian.”

“Hm?”

From the entrance on the opposite side, men wearing light equipment were approaching. They were knights.

“What is it? Balun was training.”

“We have a proposal for you. Since you were training, this is perfect timing.”

“What is it?”

“There will be a public sparring event for the Knight Order in the afternoon. We came to ask whether you intend to participate.”

“A public sparring event for the Knight Order?”

Balun tilted his head.

What was that?

“Yes. It is a regular public sparring event. Anyone who has received our liege’s grace ought to stand there at least once.”

“I see.”

“Do you intend to participate?”

“Can I participate? Is that not your event?”

“It is our event, but it is not closed off. Occasionally, guests also attend and liven things up.”

Balun nodded. That sounded like a decent event.

This place was unexpectedly open-minded, it seemed.

“We would like you to attend. We are curious about the skill that made you worthy of receiving our liege’s grace.”

“Mm.”

“What will you do?”

“May Balun ask one thing?”

“What are you curious about?”

“Do they pay money if Balun does that?”

“What?”

At Balun’s question, the knights’ faces turned incredulous.

“Money. Balun is asking if there is a daily wage for doing that.”

“Money at an honorable event where people compare each other’s skill? Of course there is no such thing. How could you even ask that?”

The knight continued.

“There is no money. Instead, you can gain honor. The honor of being a strong knight. Ah, in your case, it would be that of a very strong Warrior. If you gain such honor, you will draw even closer to becoming a Great Warrior. How about it? Does that not tempt you?”

The knight spoke with a confident smile. The reason he wore such a smile was because he thought Balun would definitely accept.

Naturally so. Barbarians valued honor as much as knights did. If there was a method to raise that honor, they would participate no matter what the conditions were.

However, what they had overlooked was that Balun was not an ordinary Barbarian.

“I will not do it.”

“What?”

“Balun said he will not do it.”

“Why not!”

As Balun looked at the knight who shouted angrily, he thought with an incredulous expression, ‘No, why else? Why would I do something like that when they do not even pay me?’