Chapter 232: Chapter 232 New Age (2)

New Age (2)

New Age (2)

A very, very, very big reward from the royal family.

Although I haven’t heard the details yet, my mouth is already watering.

But based on my experience, this is the most dangerous time.

It’s an unspoken rule of the world that you have to return a gift someday.

I need to check if it’s something I can accept.

“What exactly is the reward? And what do I have to do?”

Kyle kindly answered my questions one by one.

The reward hasn’t been decided yet.

And it’s not just for me, but for all the survivors from that day.

They said they would hold a banquet at the royal palace soon.

“What I can say for sure is that there will be a discussion about rewards and punishments, and your contribution will be recognized the most.”

“I see. Do you have any guesses?”

“Not exactly, but…”

Kyle trailed off and then listed the expected rewards, asking me to listen with the understanding that it was just his personal opinion.

“The first is a title.”

A noble title.

“Of course, the probability of you receiving a title is very low. And even if you do, it won’t be a hereditary title. And you won’t have any territory.”

I don’t have high expectations either.

That’s how nobles are in this world.

It’s not something you can achieve just by making a few contributions.

Hmm, at most, I’ll probably just be able to enter the Imperial City.

“The second is an essence. Since the royal family is even opening the Golden Treasury, you can expect something good.”

The Golden Treasury is the royal family’s treasure vault, where even 3rd-grade essences are stored.

“And the third?”

“Equipment.”

“That’s the most typical.”

The third expected reward was high-grade equipment or a Numbered Item. And the fourth was just money.

“They’ll probably distribute the rewards appropriately based on your contributions, excluding the title.”

I roughly understand what he means.

Those with small contributions will just get some money.

Those with significant contributions will get equipment or a 5th-grade essence.

‘Up to a 3rd-grade essence depending on the contribution…’

My mouth is watering even more now.

A 3rd-grade essence is a high-grade essence that you can only normally farm on the 7th or 8th floor.

And I can even choose what I want?

My growth, which has been stagnant for a while, will definitely accelerate.

But…

“So what does the royal family want from me? You haven’t said that yet.”

I haven’t heard the most important information.

What do I have to give in return for this gift?

The royal family would surely try to regain the people’s trust by taking down Noark.

If they want me to join the army and participate in the battle, I’ll have to refuse, no matter how tempting the reward is.

“There’s nothing major. You just have to show that you’re friendly towards the royal family during the discussion about rewards and punishments. The rest is up to them.”

“…That’s both easy and difficult.”

Kyle smiled bitterly at my answer.

“As expected, it seems like you don’t have a good impression of the royal family.”

I answered with silence.

“…….”

Well, it’s only natural.

How could I possibly have a good impression of them?

They took the easy way out and escaped through Dimensional Gate without even trying to find another solution, and then they all died.

“But please understand that what happened that day wasn’t entirely the royal family’s intention. Even among the royal knight captains, the values they pursue are different. There would have been a different outcome if another captain had been in charge.”

Although Kyle defended them, I still felt uneasy.

Maybe it was a sense of responsibility.

It felt like I was betraying those who fought with me after being abandoned by the royal family.

Like I was becoming a collaborator during the Japanese occupation.

I cautiously asked,

“…What do you think about the royal family?”

It was a question that could be considered blasphemy.

Kyle flinched and then chuckled.

“Honestly, I don’t have a good impression of them either.”

It didn’t seem like he was just saying that because I was there.

He wasn’t that kind of person.

But I didn’t expect a 3rd-grade military mage to say that, even in private…

“But the royal family is necessary for this world to be maintained. Well, I’m not really in a position to say that since I joined the army for personal gain, abandoning the Magic Tower.”

“Personal gain?”

“You’ve already noticed, haven’t you? My relationship with the Ruin Scholar, that old man.”

Hmm, that’s true.

“Can I ask in more detail?”

“He’s my master’s enemy. He harmed my master one day while we were researching together and completed that forbidden magic.”

“So you joined the army to take revenge?”

“That’s right. I was devastated when I heard that he had joined Orculus. I couldn’t do anything alone.”

Kyle, in his younger days, judged that he needed the help of the army and the royal family to take revenge.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

So he joined them.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“So don’t think too hard about it. What does it matter if you don’t like them? It’s rational to use them if there’s something you can gain.”

Kyle’s advice was perfectly valid.

What could I possibly do by antagonizing the royal family?

It was the same for the other survivors who had a grudge against them.

We had to get something out of this after all that hardship.

“Your expression has improved.”

“Thanks to you.”

“It’s almost time for my next appointment. I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you for coming. I’ll see you out since I can’t walk properly.”

“Haha, you were going to see me out? It’s fine, rest. You’ll be busy from now on.”

“Busy?”

Kyle, who was heading towards the door, turned around at my question.

And…

“You’ll find out soon.”

…he left with a meaningful smile.

___________________

「Character’s fame has increased by +10.」

「Character’s fame has increased by +10.」

「Character’s fame has increased by +10.」

「Character’s fame has increased by +10…….」

「…….」

「…….」

___________________

The day after Kyle left, we had visitors.

Raven and the bear-like man.

“Now that everyone’s rested, let’s do the loot settlement.”

“Shouldn’t you ask if I’m okay first?”

“You look fine. And besides, you’re the one who pushed yourself so hard, do we have to worry about you too?”

Uh, is that so…?

I feel a bit offended as a tank, but the following words make it all go away.

“So please stop getting hurt.”

She said it bluntly.

But she continued, as if embarrassed,

“It’s not Miss Kaltstein’s fault. It’s like she’s the only one taking care of everything.”

“Uh, me? I’m fine… well, it would be good if you didn’t get hurt, but…”

“Miss Kaltstein is too kind, that’s the problem. If we leave him alone, he’ll die before his time.”

“…Enough, let’s just take care of business. Loot settlement? Did you sell all the equipment?”

“Yes. I’m exhausted, but I endured it and sold everything, so be grateful.”

So Raven went to the city on the first day we returned.

In other words, she sold the loot as soon as the investigation was over, without even resting.

The reason why she sold it so quickly was simple.

“We have to sell it quickly to get a good price.”

There was a huge loss in the total explorer population.

It’s a fact that the price of equipment will drop since the demand has decreased. And besides, 99% of the loot the survivors brought back was equipment, so there would be an oversupply.

“Thank you. I didn’t even think about that.”

“…You would be a superhuman, not a barbarian, if you could think about that in that situation.”

Geez, she could have just said ‘you’re welcome’.

“What are you talking about?! Bjorn is a super barbarian!!”

What is she talking about again?

This everyday noise is strange, maybe because this expedition was so gloomy.

“Then let’s all sit down.”

I organized the situation before the introduction became any longer and had my companions sit on the sofa.

And we started the loot settlement.

It didn’t take long since Raven had organized everything.

We just had to listen to the details and receive the money.

The settlement ended quickly, and we were chatting and spending time when…

…the bear-like man brought up a new topic.

“Ah, by the way, I don’t know if you heard since you’ve been staying at home. Yandel, you got a new title.”

“Oh, really?!”

Ainar was excited, and even Misha and Raven looked curious.

It seemed like it wasn’t widely known yet, since even Raven didn’t know.

As expected of a bar owner, he’s quick on the uptake with this kind of information.

‘A new title…’

So I’m finally graduating from Little Balkan?

“Well, what do you think it is?”

“Huhu, what do you think?”

The bear-like man enjoyed the attention and didn’t answer right away.

Various guesses were exchanged among my companions, and then he finally asked me,

“What about you? Yandel, do you have any guesses?”

“Well, I hope it’s not Big Balkan.”

The bear-like man clicked his tongue slightly, as if disappointed with my reaction, and then told me my new title.

“Giant.”

“Huh?”

“It’s Giant. Your new title.”

Hmm, it’s simpler than I thought.

So now I’m Giant Bjorn, son of Yandel? I chuckled at the silly thought, and Misha commented,

“It’s a fitting title. It also represents [Gigantification], one of your essences.”

“Damn right, I also thought of it as soon as I heard it. Ah! But why did you get that title before? Did you not have that essence back then?”

The bear-like man, who was smiling happily, expressed his doubt.

It was Raven who answered.

“No. I heard he had it back then. He was probably even bigger than he is now. Right?”

I nodded.

Back then, I was 1.5 times bigger than I am now, using the Vampire skill [Blood Master] to borrow [Unholy One] from Misha’s brother.

But the title I got was ‘Little Balkan’.

“Hmm, bigger? Then why was it called that?”

The bear-like man tilted his head in confusion. Raven answered again.

“I think… I know.”

“Huh? You know?”

“Yes. It must be… because he didn’t seem this big to people back then. Mr. Yandel’s back.”

My face flushed at her words.

Especially since everyone seemed to agree.

“So you’re saying he looked bigger even though he was smaller… Right, right, that could be it.”

“Yeah, I think I understand.”

“Bjorn is a great giant!! He’ll definitely leave the biggest footprint in this world someday!”

Ah, I wish she wouldn’t do that.

I quickly changed the subject.

It was the conversation I had with Kyle.

Everyone except for Ainar listened with interest, forgetting about my new title, ‘Giant’, since it was related to the royal family.

“A banquet… I wonder how many people will attend.”

“Mr. Urikfrit, you’re so naive. It would be faster to count how many people won’t attend.”

“What?”

“They’ll badmouth them behind their backs, but realistically, who would want to antagonize the royal family? And they’re even offering to reward us for our hardships.”

“Bu, but we have our pride as explorers. Yandel! Say something.”

“Honestly, I agree with Raven.”

“…What?”

“If we’re not going over to Noark, it’s only natural to take what we can get.”

Explorers never lose money.

Although it wasn’t to this extent, most explorers were very sensitive to losses.

Anyway, we finished our conversation and disbanded after having a meal together.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“See you next time. Contact us if anything comes up.”

Raven and the bear-like man left.

Ainar went out, saying she was going to the sanctuary, and Misha also left to go grocery shopping.

The house was suddenly quiet.

But soon, I heard a knock on the door.

“Teterud…?”

“Haha! I heard you’re still bedridden, so I came. How are you? Can you drink?”

“…Don’t tell Misha.”

Although it was broad daylight, I let him and his clan members in and drank with them, catching up.

But as it was coming to an end…

“Oh, you’re here too?”

…there was another visitor.

“Melter Pend.”

“Just call me Melter. It’s been a while, Bjorn. I was originally going to visit sooner, but I was busy with the funerals of the clan members who died. Ah, can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Teterud and his clan members left after a while, saying they had another appointment, and then I had a private conversation with Melter.

The main topic was the battle against the wolf bastard.

And I heard something surprising.

“You awakened Aura…?”

“Haha, it wasn’t a complete awakening, I just saw a glimpse of it and was able to use it a little.”

He, who was once an apprentice knight, had manifested Aura during the battle.

Well, it still seemed unstable…

‘A 3rd-grade explorer who can use Aura…’

I could already imagine Melter’s name echoing throughout the city.

It wouldn’t even take long.

After all, countless high-ranking explorers had died.

Bang, bang, bang!

Anyway, the visitors didn’t end with Melter.

“Yandel! Are you there! I heard you can’t even walk properly yet?”

The warriors I had met that day.

Or explorers who came to thank me.

They came to my house one after another.

We drank.

Misha served them meals.

“I wish Elbertin was here too…”

And sometimes we had a moment of silence.

And the visitors weren’t just them.

“So, you’re called Giant now? This dwarf can’t even live with this much humiliation. Hahaha!”

The dwarf and Rotmiller came after hearing about me.

“It seems like you won’t be able to come to the library for a while… I’ll bring you some books to read next time I visit.”

Ragna and Shabin, the members of the friend gathering.

“You did something big, didn’t you? I’m proud of you.”

The chieftain even came all the way from the sanctuary.

Ah, for reference, he also knew about the banquet and gave me a warning.

“There’s poison in the King’s smile. Don’t get too close to the royal family.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s drink!”

Those visits continued for several days.

Ah, and there were many repeat visitors.

Because the royal family had sent out invitations to the banquet a while ago.

“…Are you going to fight back?”

“We have to fight back! If we let this slide, we’ll just be under their feet forever!”

Some came and asked me to join them in fighting against the royal family, and some gave me sincere advice.

No, to be precise, the latter was much more common.

“Put aside your anger for now and think rationally.”

“You were the one who suffered the most. Who could possibly say anything if you receive a reward?”

“If the discussion about rewards and punishments is canceled, even the explorers who died won’t receive any compensation. You have to think about their families too.”

“To be blunt, this is a great opportunity for you. Please don’t miss it. I’m truly saying this for your sake.”

Those conversations made me think.

My choices now affect not just me, but many others.

I listened to their opinions one by one, feeling a sense of responsibility.

Ah, until Misha exploded.

“Hey! Tell them to stop coming!! No, just go out and meet them!!”

It was understandable for her to be angry.

____________________

May 10th.

A little over a week had passed since the disaster. We woke up early in the morning and got ready.

Today was the day of the banquet.

“Ack! Ti, tighter!”

“You, you’ll die, Misha!”

“It’s fine, just… ugh!”

Misha came out of her room, wearing a dress with Ainar’s help, while I was waiting on the sofa.

Her face was flushed.

“…Is, is this… weird?”

“…No, not at all. It looks good on you.”

I meant it 100%.

It was a fancy dress, completely different from the tight pants or plain skirts she usually wore.

It was white with red accents, and the length was just above her knees, so it didn’t seem to hinder her tail movements.

Did they even consider the fact that she’s a beastman?

‘I should thank them later.’

“St, stop staring.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“So that’s all…?”

I quickly added,

“…The pin in your hair is pretty.”

“Hmm, what about the necklace?”

“That too.”

“Hmm, okay?”

Misha didn’t say anything else, as if I passed.

The atmosphere was awkward, so I changed the subject.

“Where’s Ainar?”

“Right, Ainar! What are you doing? Come out!”

“Bu, but…! I’m embarrassed too! Can’t I just wear my armor?”

“I told you you can’t wear weapons or armor to the royal palace! Come out. It’s not weird at all!”

Ainar was eventually dragged out by Misha.

For reference, she wasn’t wearing a dress.

It was a slim-fit men’s suit that looked like it was tailored for her.

‘It looks like a uniform.’

She was wearing tight white pants, a shirt, and a long coat made of high-quality fabric.

But it had a fancy feel to it because of the various emblems and embroidery on the coat and shirt.

“Th, this is weird, right?! Right! Th, this kind of clothes wouldn’t suit a warrior like—”

“It looks good on you, why are you being like this?”

“Ugh, don’t tease me…”

It’s been a while since she’s acted like this.

“Tease you? I’m wearing similar clothes.”

For reference, I also received a suit similar to Ainar’s as a gift. It was navy blue with brown accents, the same color as my hair.

But the color scheme, embroidery, and emblems were much more masculine than Ainar’s.

Well, the biggest difference was something else.

“It’s tight.”

I adjusted my tight clothes and looked in the mirror for a moment.

It’s the Tailcoat Barbarian Mode.

In a way, it looked even more intimidating than when I was wearing armor.

Did suits always accentuate muscles this much?

This is like a gangster.

“Bjorn! There’s a carriage outside!”

“Really? Then let’s go.”

We finished getting ready and left the house, and the waiting coachman greeted us politely.

“Welcome, Mr. Bjorn Yandel, Miss Misha Kaltstein, and Miss Ainar Frenelin. It’s an honor to escort you to the royal palace, I’m Jack Haynes. Please don’t hesitate to pull the string if there’s anything you need.”

I feel like I’m someone important.

“Wow, so this is a private carriage…”

“Ooh! Candy! Free candy!!”

The carriage started moving as the wheels rolled on the road.

Towards the center of Lafdonia.

Where the King resides.