Chapter 150 - Barbarian Lord (2)

Rotmiller was different from Misha and the dwarf. As befitted a Scout, he was observant and quick on the uptake, and having worked his way up from the bottom, he had plenty of hard-earned experience.

Still, I hadn't expected him to ask so bluntly.

'... I brought this on myself. I'll have to deal with it.'

Only one option immediately came to mind. Admitting I was an evil spirit and appealing to his feelings was out of the question. My only choice was to fly into a rage at the insult and smash his head in.

But...

'Something about this doesn't add up, no matter how I look at it.'

It wasn't simply affection clouding my judgment. I knew Rotmiller well. If he truly believed I was an evil spirit, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If anything, he was more like a herbivore.

In other words, Rotmiller wasn't certain of his own claim either. Besides, for some reason, I didn't sense any malice.

I quickly settled on my approach.

'Yes, best to deny it for now and see how things play out.'

Of course, I had no intention of making excuses and begging him to believe me. That wasn't the way of a manly barbarian.

After roughly three seconds of silence, I spoke coldly.

"Rotmiller, I hope you have another reason for insulting me."

The implication was that, since he was a valued companion, I would let it slide once and hear him out. Strictly speaking, that wasn't even a lie. Had it been anyone else, my fist would already have been flying toward their skull.

But the man merely chuckled.

"I probably would have thought you were genuinely angry. Before I got to know you, that is."

"What?"

"Oaths, honor... You're not a man who lets empty formalities bind him, are you? Nor are you so short on patience that your emotions would get the better of you."

Rotmiller knew me too well for me to keep up the act. The warrior's oath, which had been practically a cheat code, wouldn't work either. So I adjusted my approach a little.

"... Even I don't enjoy hearing something like that from a companion."

"Hmm, fair enough."

Rotmiller shrugged and drained the rest of his drink. The atmosphere had softened considerably.

"But you are far too extraordinary."

He continued.

A barbarian who read books. A barbarian who didn't lose himself in his emotions. A pragmatic barbarian who valued other things above honor. Most of those traits could be explained away by calling me exceptional.

Except for the last one.

A barbarian who knew things no warrior with less than a year's experience could possibly know.

"Back in the maze, you said you had received a revelation."

After returning to the Sky Tower, I'd told my puzzled companions that our ancestral goddess, Vehella, had given me a revelation. This was a world where gods actually existed, after all. Misha and the dwarf had simply taken it at face value. Even Rotmiller, whom I'd been worried about, hadn't said much, so I'd thought I had gotten through it safely.

But...

"Who would believe a story like that? I couldn't believe it either. That was why I thought you might be an evil spirit."

So that was what he'd been thinking behind the scenes. Well, assuming I was an evil spirit would explain everything. It was the truth, after all.

Yet things were looking remarkably good.

"That was why? You mean you don't think so anymore?"

Rotmiller nodded without hesitation and continued.

"The book I read described evil spirits as beings who regarded everyone in the world as puppets. But you weren't like that."

Even if I placed little value on honor, I cared enough about my people to advise and guide their young warriors. I had felt loss and anger at a companion's death.

Things an ordinary evil spirit would never do.

Without my having to offer any clumsy excuses, the path I had walked became a shield protecting me. Though it seemed something else had dispelled the last of Rotmiller's doubts.

"Besides, didn't the Goddess of the Stars bestow an oracle upon you? Having witnessed it clearly with my own eyes, how could I doubt you?"

The oracle from Leatlas, Goddess of the Stars. I'd grumbled about a vine breaking within a day, but this had truly turned out to be a divine masterstroke.

"It made me realize how narrow-minded I had been. I thought you were an evil spirit because I was judging you through an ordinary man's eyes."

Actually, he'd seen me perfectly well...

Suppressing the stirrings of my conscience, I listened to the rest.

"There are undoubtedly people in this world whom the gods love above others. And history has called them heroes."

"... That's going too far."

"Heh, I knew you would say that. You tend to underestimate yourself. But I, at least, sincerely believe it."

Rotmiller's unexpected barrage of praise left me speechless. It would be ridiculous to agree with him, wouldn't it?

Setting aside my embarrassment, I asked the last question on my mind.

"Then why did you bring it up?"

Rotmiller didn't think I was an evil spirit. Whatever he'd thought before, he didn't now. So why had he taken the drastic step of asking me point-blank?

The answer was completely unexpected.

"I wanted to give you a warning, and some advice."

"A warning and advice?"

"Yes. You're wise, but you can be rather naive about things like this. No matter how much you trust your companions, you need to keep some things about yourself hidden."

"I don't know what you mean."

"You're forming a new team, aren't you? Your exceptional nature is bound to show, like an awl poking through a pocket. Someone might judge you as I did."

Rotmiller told me to conceal as much of myself as possible, since I couldn't go around telling people about the oracle. It would help prevent unforeseen trouble.

"As someone who has lived an ordinary life, I felt I had to tell you this."

"... I see. Thank you. I'll always keep your advice close to my heart."

"Hmm, I've gone on longer than I meant to. Let's call it a night. I'll carry Murad."

And so the Outcast Team's final drinking session came to an end. Unlike usual, we parted without making plans to meet again.

"May the path you walk be filled with light."

The Outcast Team.

I really was leaving with so much they had given me.

* * *

My conversation with Rotmiller had been useful. Not because of his advice, but because the situation itself had put me on guard.

Things had worked out this time, but...

'It could happen again at any moment.'

There was no guarantee it would turn out the same way next time.

So I thought it through. If a companion—someone I had grown attached to—became certain I was an evil spirit... If they even had proof...

What would I do then?

"..."

I didn't bother putting the answer into words. It wouldn't change anything.

I would try to survive, even if it meant becoming a monster of a human being.

'... I'll have to be more careful.'

If only to prevent that tragedy, I resolved to watch my every action. Just as I had when I first landed in this unfamiliar world.

I would plan and act even more meticulously, assuming I could trust no one but myself. If I truly cared about them, that was the right thing to do.

"Bjorn, what are you thinking about, nyah?"

"Nothing much."

"I didn't get drunk and say anything weird yesterday, did I, nyah...?"

It was the morning after the Outcast Team's final gathering. Misha and I had gone out and were heading for the great temple. She didn't strictly need to come along, but we had to visit Commelby together later anyway.

"We meet again. Is something troubling you?"

As soon as we arrived at the temple, I asked for Crovits. The young paladin in his early thirties looked puzzled to see me returning after only two days.

I got straight to the point.

"Nothing's troubling me. I have a favor to ask."

"A favor... Well, let's hear it."

The Dragonslayer Sword—no, the Dragon Sword—was a valuable treasure, but I'd decided keeping it would do me no damn good.

"May the Twilight Star guide us. This will be most welcome news to them."

Perhaps he thought it served the common good. Crovits readily agreed to arrange a meeting with them.

That was one less worry for me. Getting a rank-6 barbarian an audience with the dragons' leadership would have been difficult enough in itself...

'And since we're meeting through the temple, they probably won't try to lowball the reward or just take it from me.'

"Once a date has been set, I'll send word to the address you provided."

"Thank you for your help."

Okay, that took care of that.

Misha and I left the temple and boarded a carriage to Commelby. The moment we got off, we headed for the Central Trade Market.

The reason was simple.

'First, I need to upgrade my Spirit Seal.'

If word got out that I'd received an oracle, I could be expelled from the tribe. So I needed to reach stage six before that happened.

And from stage six onward, it took more than money. I needed materials.

"Are you registering an item for consignment?"

"I'm looking for something."

With that, I handed the clerk the paperwork I'd prepared.

The Immortal Heart.

A material with an extremely low chance of appearing among troll remains obtained through spellbend.

It was expensive, but as long as I had enough money, buying it was much more efficient. Even those who specialized in hunting trolls might only find one every few months.

"There is one item matching your criteria. Would you like to view its details?"

I paid the 3,000-Stone search fee and checked the price: eighteen million Stones.

Whew. A million more than last time.

"... I'll buy it."

It stung a little, but I bought it without fuss. The item was so scarce that the entire market only had one. Once it sold, there was no telling when another would come in.

'If stage six is already like this, I can pretty much assume I'll have to gather the materials myself from stage seven onward.'

With that thought, I arrived at the storage facility, checked the item for defects, and collected it.

That finished my business for the day. Next was Misha's turn.

"Let's replace your sword while we're here."

"... Is that why you brought me along, nyah?"

Misha gave me a look that said, Who are you to decide that? But she didn't put up much resistance. That wasn't surprising. She must have been starting to feel steel's limitations herself.

"Our new team's goal is to reach the sixth floor. Don't try to pinch pennies."

"... If I find something I like, nyah."

Since Misha would be the one using it, I sought her input as we looked for a suitable weapon. It took longer than expected.

We agreed on a longsword made of ayril, a stage-three alloy of mythril and steel, but choosing the design was a problem.

"Oh, I told you, I'm not picking one because it's pretty, nyah!"

"Sure, let's say that. Just hurry up and pick one. Personally, I think this one looks good."

"Ugh, such a barbarian. You really think anything's fine as long as it's heavy, nyah?"

Despite her grumbling, Misha chose her sword carefully. Apparently, you had to consider things like weight distribution and reach. I was rather surprised to hear her discuss all that and rattle off the names of famous smithies.

She really was an explorer too.

"Wow. I never thought I'd see the day I'd use a sword worth twelve million Stones, nyah..."

"You could have saved four million without the enchantment."

"Still, if I'm buying one, I might as well get a good one, nyah! I'm going to use it for life, nyah!"

After collecting it from storage, Misha cradled the sword like a baby. Then she muttered as if making a vow.

"Ugh, I really need to be careful with the money I have left, nyah..."

I tilted my head.

"Why would you save it? Keep what you need for expenses and spend everything else on Beast Blood to drink."

"... Huh, nyah?"

Where barbarians had Spirit Seals, therianthropes had spirit beasts. Spirit beasts grew over time, but drinking Beast Blood shortened that process.

"Didn't I tell you earlier? Don't try to save money."

"... Is it really okay to spend it all like this, nyah?"

"It's not reckless spending. It's an investment in the future."

Misha suggested it might be better to buy an Essence to absorb instead, but that didn't seem very sensible to me. Most rank-5 Essences and above cost tens of millions of Stones. And there was no need to buy anything below that.

"You haven't even unlocked your spirit beast's powers yet. I think that's what you should focus on for now."

In the end, my persistent persuasion convinced Misha to spend everything she had left, apart from an emergency reserve, on Beast Blood. She said she would drink it once we got home...

We would know by tomorrow whether even one of its powers had manifested.

"Let's head back, then."

After spending hours burning through our fortunes, we returned to the residential district. It was around eight in the evening, and dusk was beginning to settle as the daylight faded.

'I just need to visit the sanctuary tomorrow morning for the Spirit Seal...'

I went over everything I needed to do before the Labyrinth opened again. There were three things left.

1. Meet with the draconic humans and return the Dragonslayer Sword.

2. Obtain information about Orculus and Noark.

3. Form a new team.

Oh, come to think of it, I hadn't asked her about that.

Since it had occurred to me, I asked right away.

"Misha, is there anything in particular you want when it comes to finding teammates?"

I'd already roughly decided how to fill the three remaining slots, but I needed to hear Misha's opinion too. She was a founding member, after all, and she'd been an explorer far longer than I had.

I thought she might have advice on something I hadn't even considered.

"Uh..."

After giving it serious thought, Misha spoke cautiously.

"Well... I'd rather it wasn't an e-elf, nyah."

That was a requirement I hadn't expected.