BXBX NOVEL Chapter 16 – Barkan Territory (4)
Chapter 16 – Barkan Territory (4)
Chapter 16 – Barkan Territory (4)
“This is the guild hall.”
“Ah, thank you for bringing me here.”
The head of guard glanced at him briefly before stepping back.
“I’ll leave it to you from here. You can ask the receptionists directly for the rest.”
“Got it.”
The head of guard continued, addressing Ketal.
“Isn’t it better to earn the lord’s approval than to become a mere mercenary?”
But Ketal was determined.
He said he would become a mercenary.
It seemed as though he had a romanticized view of the title “mercenary”.
But he wasn’t some naive nobleman, and this wasn’t some fantasy tale.
Eventually, the head of guard quietly withdrew.
“Hmm.”
Creak.
Ketal entered the guild hall.
The already unstable floor creaked under his weight as if it were about to give way.
Thud. Thud.
His steps echoed forward.
The overheated atmosphere of battle was suddenly cooled by an eerie silence.
Mercenaries are simple and ignorant.
But this much can be certain.
That barbarian, if provoked, could literally crush heads.
The once noisy guild hall was now filled with an unfamiliar silence.
Ketal found it strange.
His image of mercenaries was that they were noisy.
‘Mercenaries can be quiet too.’
Can’t mercenaries be as quiet as gentlemen?
Isn’t being loud and uncouth the image associated with mercenaries?
He decided to accept everything about fantasy without prejudice.
Mercenaries can be quiet and polite.
He implanted that information into his mind.
He walked forward, approaching a mercenary.
The mercenary’s eyes were shaking as if possessed.
“Sorry to bother you, but can I ask you something?”
“Yes, yes! Please, go ahead!”
“Where are the receptionists?”
“They’re over there!”
The mercenary hastily pointed with his finger to where the receptionists were sitting.
Ketal grinned.
“Thank you.”
“Ah, uh…”
The mercenary nodded vigorously with a pale face.
Thud.
Ketal walked towards the desk.
The receptionists hesitantly pushed their chairs back, but soon hit the wall.
Then they prayed.
May the barbarian not come to me.
May he go to another receptionist.
Thud.
And the barbarian arrived at the desk.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ah…”
Rosa’s face, chosen by the barbarian, turned pale.
***
Why her of all people?
Rosa felt like screaming.
Was it wrong to dream of a prince on a white horse?
Dreams can come true, right!
But instead of a prince on a white horse, there was a barbarian who seemed twice her size.
The barbarian sat quietly on the chair, which seemed to scream in protest.
“Pleased to meet you.”
Ketal greeted with a smile.
Rosa closed her eyes tightly.
“Um, hello….”
Ketal realized from her attitude that Rosa was scared.
He didn’t want to admit it, but his appearance seemed to intimidate people.
“I don’t intend to cause any trouble. You can relax.”
“Oh, yes. Of course….”
Rosa calmed down a bit at his calm words.
Yeah.
She’s a receptionist.
A recognized citizen of the territory.
If he messes with her, the barbarian will become an enemy of the territory.
So he can’t touch her.
Because then he would become a criminal!
So she’s safe!
She hypnotized herself with those thoughts.
Rosa regained her composure with rational thinking, and Ketal thought his words had an effect.
“I’m a mercenary at heart.”
“Um, a mercenary…do you happen to have any form of identification?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“I see.”
Rosa swallowed her saliva and began to proceed with the procedure.
“May I ask what your purpose is in wanting to become a mercenary?”
“There are several reasons, but… first and foremost, it’s about confirming my status. I’ve heard that by working as a mercenary, one can gain recognition of their status. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes, that’s correct. However, it requires quite a few accomplishments to achieve that. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m fine with it.”
Ketal nodded.
After some miscellaneous questions, Rosa spoke up.
“Verification is complete. Now, for the mercenary registration fee, you’ll need five gold coins.”
Ketal took out the coins.
He had plenty of money from clearing dungeons and dueling knights.
“What’s your name and age?”
“Ketal. Just plain Ketal. As for my age… I’m not sure.”
“…I’ll just write down something reasonable.”
Rosa finished the registration.
“Your mercenary registration is now complete. Take this badge. It’s a symbol of being a mercenary, so make sure not to lose it.”
Ketal received a wooden necklace.
He put it around his neck and smiled satisfactorily.
“Nice.”
With this, he became a mercenary.
And as a mercenary, there was work to be done.
“What missions are available? I’m eager to get started.”
“Missions… you say.”
As Rosa handed him a familiar form, she realized something.
Her face stiffened.
Ketal waited with anticipation.
What missions would there be?
What adventures awaited him?
He felt excited beyond measure.
Rosa closed her eyes tightly.
“You said you could read, right… Ketal, the missions currently available for you to handle are listed here.”
“Ah, I see, I see.”
With a joyful expression, he received the mission form.
As he briefly read the contents, Ketal raised an eyebrow.
“Hmm? Is this all there is?”
The missions listed on the form were simple.
Gather herbs outside.
Clean the basement.
Clear the sewers.
Just menial tasks, almost like errands.
Rosa hesitated as she spoke.
“That, that’s not all, but… the missions available for you, Ketal, are… because you’re currently ranked as an F-grade mercenary…”
It was to be expected.
Anyone could become a mercenary.
But to truly be recognized as one, it took time.
Starting with simple missions, completing dozens of them, gradually building up accomplishments, and raising one’s rank to take on more difficult missions.
Even the current Mercenary King went through that process.
No mercenary could take a shortcut.
So, the missions given to the barbarian before her were barely above errands.
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin.
Seeing Rosa’s awkward acceptance of his reaction, he closed his eyes.
[You dare give me tasks like this! Do you think of me as a mere errand boy?]
There were countless times when such outbursts occurred.
Each time, the guards came and subdued the rampaging individuals.
But could the guards really subdue the barbarian in front of her?
Even though his arm was thicker than her waist?
The barbarian, who revered strength, couldn’t just sit still with such missions.
Trembling, she pressed her body as far back as possible.
And as Ketal looked at the mission form, he raised a finger.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Huh?”
Rosa opened her eyes.
At the tip of his finger was a mission to gather herbs.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s a mission that needs to be done, isn’t it? There’s no problem.”
“Well, if you say so.”
“I know. Right now, I’m not trusted by you guys.”
She couldn’t entrust important missions to the suddenly appeared barbarian.
“For now, I’ll gradually earn your trust by taking small steps. Isn’t that just common sense?”
“Yes, yes. Of course…”
Rosa blinked.
It was a rational and sensible, indeed, common sense statement.
But coming from the barbarian, it felt incredibly awkward.
“Where can I find these herbs?”
“Oh, yes. If you go outside the village, you’ll find them. They look like this.”
“Ah, I see. I’ll be right back.”
Confirming the sample, Ketal stood up from his seat.
He left the guild hall.
With the closing of the door, the tension that had been taut relaxed.
Mercenaries exhaled and slumped down.
* * *
The outer gate guards saw Ketal and stepped back in shock.
Ketal casually took out his mercenary badge.
“I’ve received a mission to gather herbs. There aren’t any within the territory, so I need to go out for a bit. Is that okay?”
“I-it’s okay.”
The guard hastily opened the gate.
Ketal felt a slight pang of hurt at the attitude that seemed to say they didn’t want to be even slightly associated with the barbarian.
“I hope you realize I don’t intend to cause any trouble.”
“C-clear, sir…”
The guard let out a groan.
Ketal stepped outside.
The vibrant green and brown earth greeted him.
A smile crept onto Ketal’s face.
“Nice. Very nice.”
He made his way to the location where the herbs grew.
There, several herbs resembling the sample were growing.
“Are these herbs for healing wounds? They look fascinating.”
Although he wasn’t very knowledgeable about botany, they looked quite different from the plants on Earth.
Ketal squatted down incongruously and carefully plucked the herbs.
Carefully plucking herbs.
It was a rather tedious task of simple repetition.
But Ketal enjoyed it.
To harvest herbs with mystical effects from a fantasy world with his own hands was just too enjoyable in itself.
After about an hour of harvesting, Ketal returned.
The bustling assembly area quieted down once again.
“Here you go.”
“Wow, that’s a lot…”
With a surprised expression, Rosa checked the pouch of herbs that Ketal offered.
It was five times more than she had expected.
After examining each one, Rosa was astonished once again.
“They’re in very good condition.”
Harvesting herbs wasn’t simply about grabbing the roots and pulling them out.
It required delicate work to ensure the roots weren’t injured while digging into the soil and the leaves weren’t scratched while being handled.
That’s why most mercenaries’ harvested herbs were of significantly lower value.
They just dug them out roughly without much care.
So Rosa hadn’t held high expectations for the herbs Ketal would bring.
Ketal was a barbarian.
He had some common sense, but he was fundamentally a wild being who worshipped strength.
She didn’t think such a being would carefully harvest herbs.
But she was wrong.
Among the many herbs he brought, it was hard to find ones with damaged roots or leaves.
It was as if he were a skilled herbalist.
“I have confidence in my delicate hands.”
Ketal proudly remarked.
“Uh, yes…”
Rosa, flustered as she checked the herbs hurriedly, soon brought the reward for the mission.
“Here you go.”
A silver coin was placed in Ketal’s hand.
A silver coin.
If he remembered correctly, it was barely enough to cover a day’s meal at the cheapest restaurant.
Considering the fact that he had brought back significantly more herbs than the average mercenary, it was really just a small amount of money.
But Ketal smiled satisfactorily.
Completing a mercenary mission and receiving a reward appropriate for it gave him a sense of satisfaction separate from clearing dungeons.
“Nice. So, what’s the next mission?”
“Y-you’re taking another one?”
“Of course. It’s still midday. There’s plenty to do.”
As Ketal looked at the mission form, he raised a finger.
At the tip of it was a task to clean the warehouse.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Yes, yes. Please do…”
‘…Does he like cleaning?’
Rosa nodded with a tired face.
* * *
Cleaning the warehouse was simple.
Moving heavy objects wasn’t a problem for Ketal.
Except for the warehouse keeper who, upon seeing him, panicked and begged for his life while swinging a club, the mission was resolved without any issues.
Next was street cleaning.
He swept the ground with a broom.
Aside from initially misjudging his strength and causing a dust storm that engulfed people, the task was completed without major problems.
And then, onto the next mission.
He continued to receive and complete new tasks.
“What’s going on?”
Meanwhile, from atop a roof, Cain, who had been secretly observing, couldn’t help but feel perplexed.
The barbarian was seamlessly integrating into the territory.
Despite the initial shock from the residents due to his appearance and size, he wasn’t causing any significant issues.
Nevertheless, it felt unsettling.
“Why is he doing this?”
Considering his disciple’s current state, he was at least a superhuman-tier powerhouse.
With the right mindset, he could influence entire kingdoms with his strength alone.
In other words, if he were to showcase his power, he could be welcomed anywhere.
Moreover, considering he was facing a barbarian, known for their logic of power explaining everything, Cain had experienced enough of them to be fed up.
Yet, here was the barbarian, cleaning warehouses or picking up trash—mundane tasks anyone could do.
And he wasn’t just doing them haphazardly.
He was doing them with utmost seriousness and dedication.
“Why is he doing this?”
Cain couldn’t understand.
There was no need for such mundane and meaningless tasks.
He could simply display his strength.
That alone would garner worship from everyone, granting him power and fame.
But Ketal, with a cheerful expression, continued to clean the floor as if he found joy in it.
And on that day,
Ketal completed fifteen tasks, received a few silver coins as rewards, and returned to his lodging seemingly satisfied.