Barbarian Trophy (2)
I tear into the meat and gulp down the alcohol.
I wipe my dirty hands on the tablecloth.
The reason I'm going to such lengths is simple.
'It's what Baron Martoan wants, and it's beneficial to me as well.'
I'm currently at the Count's banquet hall.
Since it's a gathering with many people, it's only right to act like a barbarian.
The more barbaric rumors spread...
...the more it will serve as a shield when someone suspects me of being an evil spirit.
"Excuse me, could I touch your forearm?""Do as you please."
"Kyaa! I really touched it!"
As I'm enjoying the banquet, channeling my inner barbarian, curious nobles approach me and strike up conversations.
It feels like I'm working as a mascot.
"Hey, could you shout like that one more time?"
"Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!"
"Hahaha, how refreshing!"
As I fulfill my professional duties, having received a request from the baron, more and more people gather.
There are also knights among them.
There are three of them, and they all have unpleasant expressions.
They seem jealous that the attention is on me and that everyone is treating me favorably.
"With that behavior, he should be called Little Clown, not Little Balkan."
"In the first place, he got that name because of his small..."
"To be sucking up like that, the pride of a warrior is a thing of the past."
I pretend not to hear them.
It's pathetic to see 'apprentice knights' with the strength of 3rd-floor explorers acting like that...
And there's nothing to gain by causing trouble.
"Hahaha, you were here?"
Baron Martoan returns just as I'm filling my stomach and entertaining the nobles.
He looks around and smiles as if he's truly happy.
"Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone I'd like you to meet, so I'll take him with me for now."
"Ah...!"
The place I follow the baron to is the indoor banquet hall.
The atmosphere is completely different from the outdoor one I was in earlier.
There, a band was playing cheerful music, and young men and women were dancing in the garden. But here...
'Is this a gathering of real nobles?'
The indoor hall is filled with silence and soft music.
Those seated at the tables are maintaining their dignity, engaging in dignified conversations.
"Come this way."
I keep looking around even as I follow the baron. About 200 people are enjoying the banquet in the indoor hall.
Most of them are direct descendants of Baron Martoan, like his young son, or people with social status like bank presidents or guild branch managers.
"There will be many people with higher ranks than me among those you'll be greeting, so please refrain from being rude."
Afterwards, I follow the baron and meet various titled nobles.
"Baron Martoan! It's been a while... who is this friend?"
"Perhaps you've heard of him, Viscount? He's Little Balkan, a famous explorer among adventurers these days."
"Hoo, this is him? I've heard of him. But how did he end up following you?"
The baron looks at me and gestures with his eyes instead of answering the viscount's question.
It means I should say the line I prepared.
"The baron helped me when I was in trouble. In return, I decided to protect him for a while."
"Huhuhu! To hear such words from a barbarian who looks so strong, I'm envious!"
"It's nothing special. I told him several times that there's no need to burden himself..."
The baron trails off and looks at me again.
"...A warrior never forgets a favor."
"Huh! What a sincere and honorable belief. Bjorn, son of Yandel, was it? I'll remember your name."
This kind of conversation continues thirteen times.
It's because there are only thirteen titled nobles, excluding the count who hosted the banquet.
Well, even in the game, titled nobles who own even a speck of land in this city were rare.
'I ended up making an impression on the nobles.'
Originally, attending a banquet like this would have required a much higher fame stat.
However, I decide to be that much more careful.
The fact that I'm not qualified to be here also means that I don't have the power to protect myself if I get on the bad side of a titled noble.
"Then I guess we're done with the greetings, so rest by my side until the Count arrives."
After the rounds of introductions are over, I stand by the baron's side and faithfully fulfill my role as a trophy.
But is it because the baron is next to me?
Or did the warning earlier work?
"...Tsk."
I don't know, but the butler just clicks his tongue and turns his head away whenever our eyes meet. He doesn't nitpick and bother me like before.
Is this the life of a barbarian?
'I should have done this from the beginning.'
Anyway, it's quite comfortable afterwards.
Baron Martoan, a titled noble, never gets up first.
There are plenty of people who come to greet him just to get acquainted, and all I have to do is show off some tricks whenever the baron wants.
"Ooh!"
"Indeed, he lives up to the name Little Balkan, Baron!"
Things like bending a steel rod with my bare hands or arm wrestling.
That's when...
I see a familiar face among the approaching crowd.
"May the star that rises at twilight guide us. Greetings, Baron Martoan, and..."
"I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."
"Haha, I apologize. Mr. Yandel, I'm not good with names."
The paladin in white armor smiles kindly as I introduce myself.
He's the one I met after finishing the sewer request the other day.
I briefly met him when I delivered Elisa Behenk's corpse late at night.
His name was definitely...
"You know Captain Krovitz?"
Pal Krovitz.
That was definitely his name.
But...
'...Captain? Him?'
As I look at him with a surprised expression at the baron's words, the man scratches the back of his head sheepishly.
"Although I'm lacking, I'm fortunate enough to be the captain of the 3rd Paladin Order."
"I see..."
I'm quite taken aback.
I didn't expect him to be the captain of a paladin order since he came to collect a corpse late at night.
The captain of a paladin order?
Doesn't that mean he's a monster with the strength of at least an 8th-floor explorer?
"If you need help, please visit our church. As I said before, we will never forget your contribution and will always remember it."
Hmm, I thought it was just empty words back then...
But for a man who holds the position of captain to say this... I should visit sometime.
Who knows?
Even if it's impossible now, maybe if I build a better relationship with him, he might send a priest to our team later on.
"Hmm, contribution? Captain Krovitz, what do you mean?"
The baron interjects with a curious voice during our conversation.
His eyes are filled with curiosity.
Well, it would be hard to imagine a barbarian making a contribution to the church.
"Ah, I haven't told you about that yet."
Krovitz looks at the surrounding people as well as the baron and starts telling a story as if reading a children's book.
To summarize, it's nothing special.
That I discovered a priest of Karui in the labyrinth.
And on top of that, I found and defeated that evil woman who was hiding in the sewers.
Although that's all there is to the story, Krovitz is quite a good storyteller.
"Huh! I've heard about that. That a follower of the evil god appeared. But to think that it was this man who defeated her."
"Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel. They say he's born with the fate of a hero, and it seems to be true..."
As the story ends, the people around us, starting with the baron, let out exclamations.
"It's a fortunate encounter bestowed by the stars. Our church also cherishes our connection with Mr. Yandel. Ah, then I'll be on my way, I have somewhere to be..."
Krovitz, who has been boosting my reputation until the very end, leaves, saying he has business to attend to.
And...
"You, you're much more amazing than I thought."
The baron's gaze softens as he looks at me.
________________________________
「Character's fame has increased by +10.」
「Character's fame has increased by +10…….」
「…….」
________________________________
"Oh, so that's what happened?"
"For Captain Krovitz, who's known for his ability to read people, to say such things, he must be someone who will achieve great things in the future."
While the story told by Krovitz is spreading among the nobles...
The banquet begins in earnest as the Count appears.
"Count Perdehilt arrives!"
He descends the central staircase leading to the 2nd floor, the center of everyone's attention.
Next to him is his daughter, who seems to be in her late teens.
In a way, she's the main character of this banquet.
"I thank everyone for coming to celebrate my daughter Arabella's birthday. I've prepared various entertainments, so please leave your worries and enjoy yourselves today!"
At the count's words, the music changes to a more lively tune, and the quiet indoor banquet hall starts to liven up.
The quiet conversations become louder, and laughter that's far from dignified erupts here and there.
Well, I guess they're all starting to feel a bit tipsy.
They've been sipping alcohol since before.
"Lady, may I have the honor of kissing your hand?"
The young people take the hands of the people they like and go outside to dance.
The older people sit and have vulgar conversations, using the clowns' show as a topic.
That's when...
"Let's go too."
The baron gets up from his seat.
He has a somewhat nervous expression.
When I ask where we're going, the baron answers,
"You haven't met the Count yet, have you? I mentioned you to him earlier, and he said he really wants to meet you."
The baron's expression is completely different from when we were going around greeting the titled nobles.
It's as if he's facing his direct superior.
'The Count...'
I'm also getting nervous, but the Count, when I finally meet him, turns out to be a rather cheerful man.
And he's very friendly towards me.
"Haha! So you're the one? I've been wanting to meet you in person."
The Count even gets up and offers me a handshake when I go to greet him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!"
I shake his hand in the barbarian way, but I can't shake the feeling that something is strange.
Bjorn, son of Yandel, Little Balkan.
I'm aware that I've become famous recently.
But...
'Is this really the kind of treatment I would get from a Count?'
If you ask me that, well...
I don't think so at all.
It's because there are less than a hundred nobles with the title of Count in this vast city.
He's on a completely different level compared to the Explorer's Guild regional manager I met before.
He's a powerful figure with absolute authority.
Even in the game, events involving big shots like counts rarely happened unless it was in the very late stages.
But...
"You're taller than I expected? At this rate, we should call you Big Balkan, not Little Balkan. Keke!"
The Count compliments me.
As if he wants to gain my favor.
"But what's with that weapon? I heard you use a mace."
He keeps subtly mentioning things that he wouldn't know unless he had been paying attention to me for a while.
'Why?'
I don't understand.
If he wanted to, he could easily control even 7th or 8th-floor explorers with reputations far exceeding mine...
So why is he interested in me?
'Damn it, this makes me feel uneasy...'
Some people might be happy to receive attention from a big shot like the Count, but at least I'm not.
And it's not like I haven't been worrying about something happening soon.
'...If something happens, what is it?'
Just as my learned anxiety starts to imagine the worst-case scenarios involving the Count...
"Suddenly, I have an interesting idea after seeing you."
The Count claps his hands and looks at me as if he's found the answer.
And he makes an unexpected suggestion.
"There will be a tournament among the apprentice knights later. Would you like to participate?"
"...Wouldn't the knights dislike it?"
"I'll take care of that. What do you think?"
"I'll think about it..."
I don't give him a definite answer with an ambiguous tone.
After all, it would be less problematic to express my intentions later through the baron than to refuse him directly.
"Hmm, alright. Do as you please."
The Count seems to have reached his limit and loses interest in me. And he starts chatting with the baron.
A shallow conversation about praising each other's wives and children and wishing for the future of their families.
"Haha, the conversation was so enjoyable that I kept you for too long. Go and enjoy the banquet."
"Yes."
As soon as I return to the table after leaving the Count's side, the baron immediately speaks to me.
"So... what are you going to do about that?"
"About what...?"
"The tournament!"
So that's what he was talking about.
I tell him I'm still thinking about it, delaying my answer.
After all, even if I'm going to refuse, it's better to do so after showing some consideration.
"Think about it carefully. Who knows, this might even be beneficial to you."
As expected, the baron tries to persuade me by mentioning the advantages of participating in the tournament.
That he'll give me an additional 2 million stones just for participating, that it's a good opportunity to gain fame...
Or that the prize for winning the tournament is a Numbered Item in the 7000s.
"What? Garpas's Necklace?"
"...Why are you so surprised? Do you know about it?"
The baron, who is not an explorer, tilts his head at my reaction.
It's actually a good thing.
If he were an explorer, my reaction would have been even more suspicious.
"Hmm, I heard from Lord Elta that it's not that attractive of an item."
No. 7777 Garpas's Necklace.
It's an item with an extremely high acquisition difficulty since it only drops in 5th-floor rifts, and even then, the probability is ridiculously low.
In many ways, it's an item similar to the Frost Spirit Ring.
A low item number.
An item effect that's unique but not particularly valuable to explorers.
That's why it's considered a dud despite its rarity.
And...
'There's a hidden special event, too.'
My contemplation doesn't last long.
An ominous premonition that something bad is about to happen?
A resolve to be cautious for a while?
Smirk.
So what?
Being cautious and calculating the pros and cons in everything doesn't mean I should be a coward and avoid what needs to be done.
That would be putting the cart before the horse.
"I'll do it."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
"That tournament the Count mentioned, I'll participate."
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