Barbarian in a Failed Game

Al-Ranzas was orderly, just as it had felt from the beginning.

The soldiers in charge of the city wall inspection were neatly controlling the people, not neglecting the inspection even if it was a city-affiliated merchant. It was almost a state of martial law, demonstrating how chaotic the northern region was at the moment.

“…A mercenary?”

“I’m Ron Ironhammer. Quite a famous veteran in the industry. Grab any mercenaries nearby and ask; they would have at least heard of my name.”

“I’m not interested in how famous a mercenary you are.”

The middle-aged man responsible for the gate inspection, called the ‘Watch Commander’ by those around, curtly dismissed Ron’s words.

“You have quite a unique composition. It’s hard to see your group as a mercenary party. A female lancer, a young man with a green behind his ears, and then…”

The Watch Commander’s gaze slowly swept over the group and stopped when it reached Khan.

“A barbarian. I’ve heard rumors that the notoriety of barbarian mercenaries is terrible in the Al-Loren region to the east of here. It just so happens that you have a barbarian mercenary in your group.”

“Well, rumors are always exaggerated, aren’t they?”

“That’s true. Rumors are indeed not always reliable. But if you’re a mercenary, you shouldn’t be ignorant of the recent situation in the north. The rumors are not something that can be easily dismissed in such a situation.”

“Commander! The inspection is complete! There’s a huge amount of goods inside. There’s as much cargo as a merchant guild’s wagon!”

At the shout from the guard searching the group’s wagon, the Watch Commander’s eyebrows twitched.

“Hmm. Not a mercenary but a merchant?”

“Those are the rewards for our tasks.”

“What kind of remarkable task was it, that my subordinate is surprised at the amount of goods stacked… You must be quite the exceptional mercenary.”

There was skepticism underlying the mockery. Despite this, Ron maintained a smooth smile, as Khan had important business in Al-Ranzas.

“I may just be a nobody with a long career. But the others in the group are quite remarkable. Look at this barbarian fellow here. Doesn’t he look brave enough to slap an orc?”

“…”

After hearing Ron’s words and scrutinizing Khan’s body, the Watch Commander nodded with a sour face. Indeed, he looked more fearsome than an orc, he thought to himself.

“And this young fellow here is a mage. This lady is…”

“A mercenary of the Mercenary Guild, Maya Eldred.”

“Eldred…?”

When the Watch Commander inquired with a puzzled tone, Maya threw a mercenary badge embroidered with her name and affiliation in gold thread. Khan called it a ‘free pass.’

The Watch Commander carefully examined Maya’s mercenary badge, and indeed, it had an effect worthy of being called a free pass.

“Eldred’s badge, a gold-badge mercenary, surely…”

The gold mercenary badge was only given to those close to the leadership of the guild, almost equivalent to the seal of the guild’s guild master. It could be wielded almost like a carte blanche in cities of a certain size or larger where the guild’s influence reached.

The significance held by her family name was not small either.

“So, is your visit to the city on official business?”

“Even if it were, I have no obligation to inform you.”

At Maya’s bluff, the Watch Commander furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before exhaling through his nose.

“There’s no need to go to such lengths. Just remember one thing.”

The Watch Commander stepped back and threw back Maya’s mercenary badge.

“Don’t stir up trouble and just see to your business before leaving. The situation in Al-Ranzas is not any less dire than the turmoil in the north.”

***

“That little twerp really had the nerve to show off…!”

No sooner had they entered the outer district of the city, Maya spat out a colorful curse. Despite the possibility of being overheard, given their not-so-great distance, she spoke loudly, almost as if inviting listeners.

“Well… he was a bit overly meticulous.”

“Tch. I wish he was part of that suspicious group. Then, I could just stab him with a spear…”

“Eek!”

Jan flinched unnecessarily at Maya’s aggressive comment, and Maya’s lips remained twisted, showing her still displeased mood.

Ron, realizing just how severe Maya could actually be despite her usual courtesy, smiled and pacified her.

“Don’t be too harsh. That fellow, I haven’t seen him around before. Probably got assigned to gate inspection relatively recently. That might explain why he’s being so tight-lipped, considering the northern situation.”

“If that’s the case, it’s the city’s mayor who is at fault. To give him such a responsibility.”

Skirting the voices of two that sounded like a conversation meant to soothe an angry child, Khan keenly observed the state of Al-Ranzas, letting their words lightly pass through one ear. Compared to the bordering towns, it seemed to lack stamina.

Though the people’s complexions didn’t suggest they were starving, an undeniable shadow of something not fully concealed had settled on their faces, giving off a strong impression of repression. Khan recalled having seen similar expressions back on Earth, ‘Just like those corporate drones who do nothing but work.’

He probably would have looked the same had he remained there. Khan couldn’t help but smile bitterly at his now vaguely remembered reflection.

The monastery was situated at the very outskirts of Al-Ranzas’ outer district. Naturally, questions arose as to why a monastery, usually accessible, was positioned so remotely, but the answer quickly became apparent—it was a matter of politics. While people might serve the Goddess of Justice by necessity, they couldn’t extend the same service to its priests. Likely, it was one of several measures taken by the city’s nobility to diminish the abbess’s influence.

“So, were you sent here on a mission from a Paladin, then? To find the Al-Ranzas monastery?”

Khan shrugged nonchalantly at Maya’s ongoing curiosity, “Not on a mission, I’m here to collect a reward.”

“A reward…? You mean you were given a mission by a Paladin from Argon?”

“Something like that. It wasn’t explicitly stated as a mission, though.”

While Khan’s reply was indifferent, Maya looked shocked, ‘A natural reaction,’ he thought.

The Church of the Pantheon considered all gods not of the Pantheon as heresy, thus treating those who worshiped their ethnic gods as tantamount to barbarian. This stance was especially strong among Paladins who faced heretics and demons on the frontlines. It was hard to imagine a Paladin resorting to seeking help from what they considered a barbarian, regardless of the urgency.

“…For a warrior of your caliber, I suppose it’s plausible to ask for help without losing face. But what kind of situation was it?”

“The usual stuff Paladins deal with. What else is there besides crushing the skulls of dark mages?”

“Hehe, a truly formidable dark mage it was. I still can’t believe I survived that. Don’t you think so, Jan?”

“Uh… I mostly remember frantically casting spells. But you were indeed incredible at the end, sir. It reminded me of the ‘Great Warrior.'”

Khan grimaced at Jan’s nonsense. The ‘Great Warrior’ was a figure even he was familiar with, a hero who saved humanity during a time when the transcendent beings derived from mythical entities waged war over the dominion of Midland. Although the existence of such a perfect warrior in reality was doubtful, ‘The Great Warrior’s equipment exists, so it can’t be all lies. Even the Pantheon Church acknowledges it.’

Regardless, whether the ‘Great Warrior’ was a real person mattered little to Khan.

He was merely discontent with having the title of ‘warrior’ associated with himself, a faux barbarian mulling over how to abandon this detestable world for Earth, “Enough with the nonsense. We’re nearly at the monastery.”

True to his words, as the building came into sight, the chatter within the group died down, and their attention turned towards the monastery in view. Positioned in a desolate clearing, with nothing surrounding it, the monastery would seem eerily ghostly at night. Unlike the downtrodden faces of Al-Ranzas’ people observed along the way, those around the monastery—clad in priestly gowns, both the young girls and the old man with an impressively unwrinkled face—were filled with smiles, as if the monastery’s vicinity was a secluded space, immune to the chaos of the north.

“A sanctuary under the watch of the Goddess of Justice…”

Khan muttered his impression plainly as he stepped forward to lead the group. Sensing their approach somehow, the upright old man turned to face Khan’s party. The elder’s cloudy white eyes locked with Khan’s ashen ones in a silent confrontation. Noticing the tense atmosphere, the young nuns stopped their tasks and turned their attention towards the scene.

“Ah!”

“Oh, sister. The orc has gray skin…!”

“You fool! That is not an orc, it’s a barbarian. Come here!”

While the other members of the party were nowhere to be seen, the girls screamed in horror upon seeing Khan, whose size vastly differed from that of an average continental.

Normally, Khan would have at least frowned at such shrill screams, but at the moment, such minor nuisances didn’t even register to him.

‘It’s different.’

An elder who didn’t seem elderly, with a neat face, upright posture, but cloudy eyes. These could indeed point out how the old priest was different from ordinary people, but what Khan felt was something else.

An intangible aura emanating from the elder seemed to bind Khan. Despite seeming frail, Khan couldn’t easily envision the elder falling to his hands.

“Boss? Why have you suddenly…”

“Continue with what you’re doing. I need to welcome these guests. Can you manage?”

Interrupting Ron’s words that broke the silence, the elder calmed the frightened girls.

Khan, internally chewing over what he had just felt, resumed walking. The perplexed party members followed him.

“Khan here. I assume Aries has informed you.”

“I did suspect the person Aries spoke of would be a gray-skinned barbarian… It would actually be harder not to recognize you.”

“May I enter?”

The elder… former deputy commander of the Paladin Order, berta nodded slightly before turning her back without a word. Khan told his party members to bide their time and followed her into the depths of the convent.

Thud- Thud-

“I was quite surprised when I first heard the news. It’s a joy that the child has fulfilled her long-cherished wish, but she claimed she couldn’t have done it without help… and that’s why she asked for your assistance. Being someone who rarely shares her thoughts only added to it.”

“Troublesome, isn’t it?”

At Khan’s brief remark, berta let out a gentle chuckle.

“Troublesome… That child really hated to cause trouble for anyone.”

“It wasn’t troublesome. Just felt a bit busy, like taking care of a young niece. We never really got along before.”

“In my opinion, you’re an excellent guardian.”

“Can someone who can split a man’s head in two be considered a guardian?”

“Even the most villainous under the heavens can be a precious parent to someone.”

‘Wow, what an agile tongue for an old woman.’

Feeling uncomfortably entangled in her words, Khan’s nose wrinkled in annoyance.

“Please, come in. I don’t have much to offer due to our circumstances.”

“It’s fine. I can drink goblin blood like water, after all.”

“There’s no need for such jokes; I can offer you a simple tea.”

It wasn’t a joke.

During a so-called warrior’s trial, when he was thrown alone into the frozen peaks, there was a time he had to drink goblin blood as a substitute for water.

Of course, he later realized that it was as insane as drinking poison for lack of water.

Had it not been for his barbarian’s constitution, he might have died from dysentery.

Scratching the back of his head, Khan casually sat down. The old chair creaked, and Berta quickly prepared a drink, placing it before him.

“I’ve heard the gist. You mentioned needing purification.”

“This here. It fell from Darkin Perayas’s corpse.”

Khan laid the Blood Vessel he’d diligently kept safe on the table.

Berta examined the blood bowl, which looked like a red orb the size of a human eyeball, and said with her characteristic gentle smile,

“This won’t be too difficult. However, we have a small favor to ask…”

“A favor?”

It seemed like a joke. Coming to receive payment, only to be asked for something in return, twisted Khan’s mouth into a wry smirk.

Sensing his discomfort, berta quickly explained while waving her hands,

“It’s not a difficult favor. Just… if you could spare a moment for a conversation with someone who wishes to speak with you, that’s all.”

“A conversation?”

Khan was bewildered, but he nodded anyway. Just a conversation can’t be too hard, he thought.

However, he would come to regret that decision the next moment.

‘This is…!’

The presence he felt upon first making eye contact with Berta suddenly surged, as if exploding. Instinctively reaching for his axe, the weight crushing down on his shoulders twisted Khan’s face.

“You wanted to have a conversation… with me?”

『Presumptuous. A mere young warrior of the Warrior God.』