The light slowly returned to my darkened vision.
This is my room.
Bjorn Yandel's inn room, not Hansu Lee's. When I checked my watch, exactly twelve seconds had passed since I'd been taken there.
Does one hour there equal one second here?
The time difference itself wasn't surprising, because the labyrinth was like that too. No matter how many days I spent there, when I returned to the city, it was always noon the next day.
I don't know what the principle is, but it is certainly a convenient phenomenon.
Even so, I had to be careful. In other words, this meant I'd be defenseless for up to 12 seconds. Of course, in an emergency, I could log out and leave, so that wasn't a problem… but what if it wasn't an emergency? What if it happened in the blink of an eye? What if something happened in those 12 seconds?
It would be difficult to answer adequately.
Well, I didn't intend to avoid using the community for this reason. I was just storing that danger in my subconscious mind. That way, when something actually happened, I could make a judgment as quickly as possible.
"Phew..."
I stretched and let out a long sigh. A slight fatigue was washing over me, not physical but mental.
True, technically I had been awake for twelve hours.
I closed my eyes, thinking that if there was someone who tended to fall asleep only on this day, it would be reasonable to suspect they were a gambler. I didn't want to go to sleep right away; I needed time to organize my thoughts.
Thank goodness I got in early.
Ghostbusters was a place that was more polished and well-run than I had expected. There was also no doubt that it served as a source of information, just as I had hoped. Thanks to it, I was able to obtain information about the dimensional collapse.
Just a rumor, huh?
It was a good thing. That was for sure. Yet, for some reason, a feeling of dejection and anxiety grew at the same time. When I first heard it, I thought it was this. But if not, what on earth was about to happen?
I'll have to be more careful.
With that thought in mind, I fell asleep. Time passed, and it was morning the next day. The day dawned to fulfill my promise to Baron Martoin.
***
"Good luck! Tell me all about it when you get back!" Missha said goodbye and I went outside.
After changing carriages several times on the platform, I arrived at Baron Martoin's house.
"Come here. There's no time."
As soon as I entered the spacious mansion, I was ushered into a splendid room and changed my clothes. Apparently, my appearance wasn't wild enough to attend the count's banquet today.
Damn.
Being a barbarian, one experiences these kinds of things. Normally, I would have dressed more neatly for the opposite reason.
"My God, look at those muscles..."
With the help of the maid, I took off my breastplate and shirt and put shoulder pads on my naked body, with thorns on one side and a beast skull-shaped design on the other.
«Could you please get off a little?».
«Clear».
The maid climbed onto a stool and whimpered as she wrapped something around my stomach, a championship belt that was thicker than the length of even my hand. Damn, why did I have to wear something like that? A shell could protect the entire torso.
«Please raise your arm».
Even after that, several trendy teams focused on intimidation rather than defense were added to my body regardless of my will. The balance of the weight was also arbitrary, to the point that each movement was uncomfortable, and the hair that the maidens untied continued to fall and obstruct my vision.
But I see what they want.
When I looked in the mirror, there was a barbarian warrior who probably drank dragon blood and ate ogre meat as a snack. I suddenly had an idea: So what if I lacked defense or practicality? Damn, if he walked around like that, everyone would be busy pissing on himself and running away. In that sense, the bullying was great. I called him «(True) Barbarian Mode», but I guess it still wasn't enough in his eyes.
«Tsk.» A twig with a goatee looked at me disapprovingly. This bastard's name was... He hadn't told me yet.
«What's your name?»
At my question, the butler frowned and gave a short answer, as if he didn't want to talk to me. «I attend...»
«Okay, butler».
«...Tsk, ignorant barbarian.»
The butler was a guy I didn't like for many reasons. They say that those who grow up with less turn out to be worse. From beginning to end, he spoke to me in a tone as if addressing someone inferior to him. Not even the baron treated me like that.
Who does he think he is? After all, he is still a commoner.
As I growled to myself, under the butler's instructions, I even put insoles on my shoes, flat boots that weighed 15 pounds due to their excessive design. With the uncomfortable object, it was truly agonizing.
«Now it's worth looking at you. You used to be too short», said the short son of a bitch.
Ha... it's just one day.
No wonder he agreed to pay me a million stones for a day. It really was the cost of a real job. In any case, after the unscrupulous butler explained the details about the order of movement and where to stand while the baron talked to the others, it was time to leave.
«Time is up. Let's go».
I left the palace hall and headed to the main doors. A luxurious carriage was already waiting. Maybe the baron he hadn't seen all day was traveling in it.
«Why are you standing? Your place is there».
I placed myself at the head of the procession of carriages. Did you plan to follow me?
«This is an important mission, so make sure you keep your eyes forward and maintain your posture...» The bastard butler kept scolding me until we left, as if he couldn't trust me.
«Get out!» It didn't take long for a knight on horseback to shout right behind me, raising a flag, and I led the procession at a moderate pace.
Walk, Walk.
As we walked out the front door, I could see the wide, cobblestone street at a glance. They were the streets of Karnon, the royal capital of District 1, which I would not have been able to enter with my status. Even the shop buildings were grand, and the attire of the people was equally noble. The Imperial Palace, which he could not see from where he lived, stuck his head out into the distance.
I have to quickly find a way into this place so I can use the auction house of heaven...
The butler told me to just look forward, but I didn't miss the opportunity to look around. Maybe that was the reason.
«Stop!» Taking a wrong turn, the procession stopped immediately. The bastard butler ran up to me, red-faced, and shouted something, but I grabbed my ears confidently. Whose idea was it to leave this in the hands of a barbarian?
***
The distance between the baron's mansion and that of the count, where the banquet was being held today, was about four miles. Although I had experience crawling a greater distance than that on three legs, I overlooked the fact that I was wearing full equipment which was the essence of irrationality.
Damn sea.
Sweat was pouring down. If it hadn't been for the squads that were put in at the end, it wouldn't have been so hard.
«Baron Martoin has entered!»
While cursing the butler, we arrived at our destination. As soon as the front doors of the count's estate opened, curious eyes entered from everywhere. They must have been nobles who were not satisfied with seeing any spectacle, but it seemed that it was the first time they had seen a barbarian leading a procession of chariots.
«Putting the barbarian in charge must have inspired that anecdote!».
«It's a great environment of intimidation. It seemed like a giant was coming in».
«Wow, father, can we make an entry like that next time?».
The nobles gathered in the outside room where the banquet was being held and warmed the atmosphere by spitting out their impressions one by one. I guess you liked the reactions. When the baron got out of his chariot, he laughed like he had never seen him do.
«It's the first time I've received so much attention just for standing. When I return, I will give you generous compensation». The baron was so happy that he even promised gratification. «I'm going to greet the count, so in the meantime you can enjoy the banquet».
Shortly after, the baron entered the mansion accompanied only by a few servants. Then, naturally, the knights dispersed and mingled at the banquet. Only then did I realize that I had been left alone in this large banquet hall.
«Oh, look at that helmet's horns. How scary!»
«It looks modeled after the ancient demon Parseira!»
Suits, tuxedos, dresses with bare backs, knight's armor that boasted white luster and precious metals that shone like fluid waves, and me: the only one that looked wild. Was this some kind of zoo?
«Oh, he's walking. I wonder where it's going».
Just by taking a step, words of curiosity erupted here and there. I felt like the post-traumatic stress disorder I thought I had overcome was about to come back.
Just then, a man approached me. «Good job». He was a gentleman who acted as the flag bearer in line right behind me. «You really are a monster, carrying that and walking so far without rest». The gentleman, who must have watched my hardships more closely than anyone, chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. «How about you sit there with me until the baron comes back?».
What was this? Was this man god? «Okay». Shortly after, I sat in an empty seat with the gentleman. All kinds of delicacies surrounded me, but they did not awaken my appetite. The same thing must have happened to the gentleman, because he only sat down to quench his thirst with alcohol. Suddenly I was curious and asked: «Is it okay that you're not with them?».
«Even if I go, I won't be well received there. Before I was an explorer like you».
No wonder it looked so desolate. «I am Bjorn, son of Yandel. What is your name?»
«Soy Carls Erimor».
After a few brief introductions, we continued talking. I felt it from the beginning, but Carls was a good guy. He was an explorer, so we communicated well, and although he was a gentleman, he did not show his characteristic arrogance. That bastard butler should learn from this.
«What are you doing? Who told you to sit down?» The butler, who had entered the mansion with the baron, found me and came running towards me immediately. He seemed upset that he was resting.
«Look. No need. I told this guy to take a break».
As Carls stepped forward, the butler shuddered and lowered his voice. «...Is that so? If you have finished resting, get up. What will people think if they see a barbarian sitting and resting?».
«...What is resting?».
«No, people will think you are weak. So get up. Regardless of your true nature, today you must be an iron blood warrior».
At the butler's urging, I rose from my brief rest.
Yes... just one day.
Didn't I promise to become the baron's trophy and pride? I was determined to do my part fully. Of course, this was far from resignation. A warrior of iron blood, a savage in this world whose fists preceded the law, a barbarian. Yes, if that were me...
«¡Behell-aaaaaaaaaaah!»
As soon as my mind control was over, the scream broke out on its own.
«W-what are you doing?! Do you know how much it cost to customize the equipment you were wearing today, or how pitiful you looked when you got lost earlier?». The butler, who was making these insulting comments, frowned.
Seeing it, I wondered why I had endured it all this time. Wasn't he a barbarian? «I just wanted to do it!» With that spirit, I took a piece of meat that I had next to me in a barbaric way. Was it a taking falcon? The meat was attached to the bone like a mango. «Yes, this is what I wanted».
As he tore the flesh with his bare hands like a savage, the butler nodded. However, the expression on his face hardened when he saw me chewing the bone as well.
Given that, I spoke respectfully, maintaining my dignity as a barbarian warrior. «Butler, I want to crush your skull».
"...¿Which?"
He had never heard those kinds of words in his entire life. Looking at the butler while doubting his ears, I kindly added an explanation. «I just feel like doing it for some reason!»
Crujido, crujido.
Even as I said that, the bones of an unknown animal were being crushed in my mouth.
«Your jokes go too far».
«Jokes?» When I tilted my head as if to ask what that meant, the butler's complexion turned white. It seemed like he had just realized it. After all, I was a barbarian. «Did you think it was a joke?».
The barbarians were simple and ignorant and faithful to their feelings. Of course, the butler may not have had knowledge of barbarian physiology.
But if you've researched my background, you'll know what happened in the guild.
Of course, I made my excuses. At that moment, he had no choice. Except for looting, non-payment of taxes and some laws related to the nobility, most things in this world could be fixed with a fine. As long as you proved you weren't a looter, you could get by with the rest somehow. But that was something only I knew. To the others, he must have just looked like a crazy bastard.
«...I have something to do, so I'm leaving. Rest a little». The butler hurried away with an awkward expression, as if he had really investigated me.
Carls, who was observing the situation, laughed out loud. «Hahaha! I didn't know that man could put on that expression». For some reason, he seemed to like my actions. «But are your teeth okay?»
«Are well. They are quite hard». More than an innate ability, it was a remnant acquired with the increase in my bone strength. For some reason, that gave me an appetite, and I started eating for real.
"Look at that!"
"My God, that's incredible!"
The noble ladies looked at me as if they were seeing a new kind of creature, but it didn't matter anymore. Who cared if I looked barbaric? If I could ignore the humiliation, there was no more comfortable position than this.
"Behell-ahhhhh!"
"Why are you suddenly shouting again?"
"Delicious!" The time for hesitating in the elegant atmosphere was over. Now I began to enjoy the banquet in earnest.