Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

Chapter 212: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (1)

"It seems each of you has come here with a desire regarding the dragon. Whether you like it or not, we're in the same boat, so it’s best to introduce ourselves first."

The mercenary took it upon himself to start the introductions.

"I am an S-rank mercenary, Blood Edge. I've come here for the dragon’s treasure."

An S-rank mercenary.

Their numbers were extremely few among all mercenaries.

Even reaching the level of an A-rank mercenary was the limit for most.

Being S-rank meant possessing power beyond that.

The magician stroked his beard and spoke.

"I know your name as well. I never expected to meet the famed Mercenary King here."

"Ohh."

Ketal exclaimed.

The Mercenary King—what an impressive title.

A middle-aged woman who appeared to be a priest chimed in.

"I know of you too. You’re the one who survived a solo challenge in an S-rank dungeon, a monster nest."

"I merely survived by sheer luck."

"Surviving by sheer luck is something no one else could do. Even my subordinate magicians tried several times but never returned."

The Mercenary King.

True to his title, his strength had reached the pinnacle of superhuman capability.

He was a legendary figure in the mercenary world.

The Mercenary King set the stage.

Next, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a magician stepped forward.

"I am the head of the Shadow Reflected in the Void school, Spellweaver. I’m here to obtain the dragon’s magic."

"The head of a school?"

The Mercenary King’s eyes widened in surprise.

A school leader was the head of a faction within the Magic Tower.

To become a school leader, one had to understand and wield all the magic of their school.

Someone capable of mastering all the accumulated knowledge over hundreds of years possessed great power.

Although there were differences in power, school leaders often held superhuman strength at the highest level.

‘The Shadow Reflected in the Void school. I’ve heard of it.’

Ketal also knew of the school.

He had met a magician apprentice headed there when solving a commission related to demons in the past.

"Then… I shall introduce myself next."

A middle-aged woman stepped forward.

Her priestly robes were familiar to Ketal.

She calmly introduced herself.

"I am Seraphina, the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God. I’ve come here for the dragon’s blood according to the church’s will."

"…Behold the blade of the mighty god."

The strongest church on the continent.

The chief inquisitor of that church.

Her strength was known to be at the highest level of superhuman capability.

In terms of pure power, she was said to be among the top three in the Sun God’s church. She wielded significant influence.

"Ohh!"

Ketal exclaimed in admiration.

The Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God!

She was an inquisitor like Aquaz from the same church.

He felt a sense of kinship.

Seraphina averted her gaze slightly from Ketal’s look.

"This is quite a luxurious gathering."

The Mercenary King chuckled.

Each person held the highest position in their respective fields.

"Then…"

Their gazes turned to Ketal and the young man.

The Mercenary King cautiously asked.

"Who are you?"

The aura Ketal exuded seemed at most second-rate.

On the surface, he looked like a mere second-rate barbarian.

However, the fact that the wandering merchant had brought him directly for the dragon hunt indicated otherwise.

They all assumed as much.

Ketal introduced himself.

"I am Ketal, a barbarian."

"…Hmm?"

Hearing his name, the Mercenary King tilted his head slightly as if it sounded familiar.

"I don’t belong to any group."

"What kind of power do you wield?"

Seraphina asked calmly.

Her demeanor puzzled Ketal.

‘Does she not know me?’

As the Chief Inquisitor, she could be seen as Aquaz’ superior.

Although Aquaz had kept his identity a secret, Ketal thought he might have mentioned him while explaining the journey’s events, but she showed no sign of recognition.

Ketal, puzzled, explained himself.

"First, I know alchemy."

"What?"

The school leader reacted, looking at Ketal with surprise.

Ketal continued.

"At most, at an apprentice level. And I can also use holy power."

Kiiiiing.

A golden light enveloped Ketal’s hand.

It was undoubtedly a divine miracle.

The Chief Inquisitor’s eyes widened.

"…The light of Lord Kalosia!"

"As a priest, you recognized it immediately. And I am also contracted with a highest-ranking spirit."

Ketal murmured briefly.

"Come forth, Piego."

Fwoosh!

Flames took form, and a bull made of fire appeared.

The mighty force of nature suppressed the surroundings.

They were astonished.

The previously quiet boy also opened his eyes wide.

"A highest-ranking fire spirit?"

"How can a human contract with a highest-ranking spirit?"

"Wasn’t it supposed to be impossible?"

Amidst the confusion, Piego spoke wearily.

[Why have you summoned me again?]

"To show my power. You may return."

[…]

The flames flickered in anger.

Piego’s form vanished.

"And I have personal combat skills. That’s what I’m most confident in. For now, that’s all."

In the stunned silence, Ketal grinned broadly.

"What I seek is a dragon heart. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

"Uh… pleased to meet you."

The school leader responded.

They had no knowledge of Ketal’s abilities.

But being contracted with a highest-ranking spirit was enough.

The power of a highest-ranking spirit was known to be equivalent to the highest level of superhuman capability.

As a contractor, it was reasonable to consider him an equal in strength.

There were many puzzling aspects, but in terms of power, he was a great asset.

Then only the young boy remained.

"And who might you be?"

No particular mystery could be felt from the boy.

However, since the wandering merchant had brought him directly, they thought he must have some hidden power like Ketal.

The boy stammered as he spoke.

"Uh, um, I am... from the Empire."

"The Empire?"

The Mercenary King was slightly surprised.

Humans affiliated with the Empire were extremely rare.

Even the Mercenary King, who traveled the world as a mercenary, had only seen a few.

The boy continued.

"My name is Ian. And my power is... um, I don't have any."

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"I-I don't have any power... I'm just an ordinary human..."

The boy spoke while trembling.

They were taken aback.

Someone who had come here through a direct deal with the wandering merchant, having no power at all?

But indeed, no matter how much they examined the boy, they couldn't sense any mystery from him.

"What is this?"

"Is this some kind of mistake?"

"Hey! Wandering Merchant!"

The Mercenary King shouted loudly.

A moment later, an annoyed voice echoed.

[What is it…]

"Who is this boy? Isn't there some mistake?"

A plain, powerless boy was included in their party.

It was natural to think something was wrong.

However, the wandering merchant replied indifferently.

[There's no problem…]

"What?"

[There’s no problem, so just proceed…]

With those words, the wandering merchant's voice disappeared.

The Mercenary King frowned.

"No problem?"

"…Does that mean the quest has been properly assigned?"

"Hmm. Boy, do you have any thoughts of going back? This place is too dangerous for you."

The school leader spoke gently to the boy.

But the boy shook his head vigorously.

"I-I don't plan to go back…"

"Hmm."

The school leader stroked his beard as if in a quandary.

"What do you think we should do?"

"…We can't just kick him out. The wandering merchant clearly said to proceed with this group."

"For now… let's take him with us. We can protect him."

The party to hunt the dragon was complete with five members.

Ketal smiled broadly as he spoke.

"Let's get along well during this short period."

* * *

"They said the location of the dragon’s lair is in that direction."

"It’s quite a distance. We should move quickly before it gets too late."

They headed towards the dragon's lair.

The boy hurriedly followed them.

On the way to the lair, the school leader laughed heartily.

"I never thought I’d see such distinguished individuals under such circumstances."

"I feel the same."

The Mercenary King said.

The Mercenary King, the school leader, and the Chief Inquisitor.

Each was the top expert in their respective fields.

They had never met in person, but they were famous enough to know each other.

They knew what the others had accomplished, how they had gained their power, and what kind of power they wielded.

Therefore, their attention was focused on Ketal.

They knew each other well.

Because they possessed reputations and positions befitting their power.

But they knew nothing about Ketal.

‘…Who is this guy?’

The school leader thought to himself.

To Ketal, Piego was no more than an amusing toy he never intended to let go of.

But to the inhabitants of the continent, he held immense significance.

A highest-ranking spirit was an incarnation of nature itself.

It was believed that humans couldn’t form contracts with such beings.

If a human contracted a highest-ranking spirit, their fame should have shaken the continent. Beyond that, their name would be etched in history.

But no such news had been heard.

‘It’s like he suddenly fell from the sky.’

A person with the power to alter the balance of power had appeared without any warning.

That wasn’t all.

He could handle alchemy and use divine power.

The powers he possessed showed no correlation with each other.

They couldn’t fathom how he came to possess such powers.

Seraphina seemed to share the same curiosity.

Only the Mercenary King watched with an uncertain expression.

They knew nothing about Ketal.

That was extremely unusual.

Ketal had accomplished significant feats in this world.

He had defeated demons, defended a sanctuary of a god, cleared a Forbidden Land in the deep sea, and protected the elven sanctuary.

Each of these feats was enough to shake the continent.

They were aware of the incidents Ketal was involved in.

Moreover, in Seraphina’s case, she was even the superior of Aquaz, who had a connection with Ketal.

As the leaders of their respective groups, they received a lot of information, making it very strange that they didn’t know about Ketal.

The reason was simple.

The Tower Master had deliberately disrupted information to obscure Ketal’s existence.

The Tower Master judged that it was not beneficial for Ketal’s existence to be known.

His intention had indeed been effective.

Except for places where Ketal was directly involved, few people currently knew about him.

His fame had been intentionally concealed.

But the Tower Master’s efforts were in vain.

Ketal had now met with the leaders of the Magic Tower, the Mercenary Guild, and the Sun God’s church.

Their attention was focused on Ketal.

And eventually, the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God couldn’t hold back and spoke first.

"Excuse me. Did you say your name is Ketal?"

Her gaze was fixed on the jet-black bracelet on Ketal’s wrist, a holy relic of Kalosia.