The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 154



Only Krnovel

Episode 154 At least one friend like that (9)

The Duncan family decided to leave Maltana.

It was an inevitable choice. Even though the house is fine, the surrounding area has been devastated. Currently, Duncan’s house looks like an uninhabited island in the open sea.

There was no regret. It was a town I had planned to leave anyway. I had no memories of my beloved neighbors. Since the office manager and his men had been annihilated, there was no need to worry about any aftereffects.

Besides, the destination to which we would move had already been decided.

“… … So, where are you going now, Duncan?”

“Delutana. We’re going to Delutana, Julia.”

“… … Is it Deluta? Why is the city suddenly so big? “Did you have some treasure buried there?”

Duncan smiled meaningfully. Treasure, that was an overly mild word. To express the wealth of a wealthy man who controlled a city.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to stop by the collapsed office mansion. It wasn’t hard at all to clear away the rubble. Kadim quickly pushed away the pile of bricks and retrieved the inventory and gold chest lying in the basement.

While searching through the wreckage, there was an unexpected find. A sword used by the mercenary leader, Aluven. Kadim looked at it closely for a moment.

Now that I see it, it is a weapon that is not unfamiliar to me. Didn’t Ilenia and the one-eyed person I saw in the demon cave use a sword with a transparent blade like this? Could this also be a relic of a forgotten god?

It was unknown. However, it was clear who would use it well. Kadim found an ornate scabbard and handed the sword to Duncan.

“Keep this for yourself, Duncan.”

“yes? uh? This knife… … .”

“It is the victor’s right to take the spoils under the law of the wilderness. And the spoils should be distributed according to the contributions made.”

“Ha, but your Majesty, you had a hard time defeating that mercenary leader… … .”

“You have not backed down from your fight, and have once again proven your worth. That alone makes you worthy of your share of the spoils. And this weapon is far more suited to your fighting style than mine.”

He let his mouth open for a moment, then Duncan quickly raised his sword. He did so solemnly, like a knight receiving new soldiers from an archbishop. His moved eyes shimmered with a soft light like a lake containing stars.

As time passed, it was the last night before leaving Maltana.

With so many things happening one after another, Duncan had no time to talk to his son for a while. He went out to the woods outside of town for a rare opportunity to have a cozy chat with his son.

“So, you’re saying that Dad fought the ‘Angry Horn of Agon’ and won? The Angry Horn of Agon sliced ​​off his chest and Dad fell, but he didn’t give up. He hid his weapon and waited for an opportunity to attack by surprise… … When he let his guard down and got close… … he suddenly got up and kicked his foot!”

“Wow… … Is it true, Dad?”

“Of course it’s real! I have proof! I’ll show you, there’s a scar on my chest… … Oh, that’s right. It all got better that day… … .”

It was different from his wife, who would complain about everything, saying, “Oh, it wasn’t you, it was that mercenary… …” Duncan believed everything his father said, even without evidence. Duncan was so excited that he kept telling stories of bravery.

By the time he had told her almost the entire story, Duncan suddenly felt a sense of solemnity. It was obvious to him how much this innocent, young thing had suffered while he had been away.

Duncan gently stroked his son’s hair.

“Dunsan… … I’m sorry. Did you have a hard time while Dad was away?”

“Um… … It was a little hard, but it’s not like that anymore. Dad came back, and Uncle Kadim showed me how to not lose my toes.”

“… … ?”

I wondered what he was talking about, but it seemed like he was talking about beating up the clerk’s son with Kadeem’s help.

Duncan sincerely advised that he should not do this to other friends in the future. Dunsen readily nodded his head, gave a blank look, and suddenly asked:

“Dad, didn’t you have a hard time while Mom and I were away?”

“… … Me? Oh my, why wouldn’t it have been hard! I missed you and your mom, and I wanted to rest comfortably at home instead of on the streets, so it was really hard and tiring!”

“Really? By the way, when my father told me about the trip he went on with Uncle Kadim, his eyes really sparkled.”

“… … .”

“Dad, just like when you first met Mom or when you told me about when I was born, your eyes were sparkling like that.”

“… … .”

Duncan paused for a moment. Then he silently raised his head.

The son’s eyes were not wrong.

The journey with Kadim was indescribably difficult, but it was also a valuable and special experience. A time when I grew from a weak peddler to a person capable of fighting, and the value of my life was recognized by a strong warrior. Perhaps you will never experience such amazing things again in this life.

But the moment he smiled vaguely and lowered his gaze, Dunsen stood up and said.

“Dad, I’m all grown up now. I’m much taller than you when you’re sitting, and I’ve got big arms. And now I know how to stand up to those bullies!”

“… … ?”

“Mom, you’ve also become incredibly strong. Even the ladies who always said something are now unable to move from mom. “She can’t say anything because she’s scared that everyone will slap her!”

“… … .”

I was wondering why he was suddenly like this, and then my shoulders trembled. Because he realized that his son was reassuring him that it was okay to leave again and that we shouldn’t worry.

Duncan broke his neck and cried out.

“No, no, no, Duncan. Daddy won’t leave again. Where would he go leaving you and your mom? No matter how special that time was, family is more important to Daddy… … .”

“dad.”

Duncan suddenly took on a dark expression. Hesitantly, hesitantly, swiping the dirt with his toes, he poured out the words he had been holding back inside.

“Uncle Kadim, I get weird sometimes when I’m alone… … . I secretly followed him and watched him, and he hit his head very hard on a rock, gulped something, mumbled something to himself, blew out something that looked like yellow smoke, and bent his fingers backwards… … .”

“… … !!”

“So, I’m very worried. If it weren’t for Uncle Kadim, my father and I would have been in a lot of danger… … This time, Dad can’t go and help you… … ?”

“… … .”

“If your ‘friend’ is having a hard time, be sure to go and help him, that’s what my dad told me a long time ago.”

The son’s voice was filled with pure concern and earnestness. But Duncan could not answer easily. He seemed to be suffering from aphasia and only gave blank, unfocused eyes.

Friends, friends… … . If you’re having a hard time, help me… … .

It continued like that until the moonlight that had risen high in the clear sky slid down to the west.

*

Early in the morning, not even dawn yet.

The Duncan family got ready to leave and went out of the house.

“Well, I packed all my clothes and food, and I packed all my other luggage…” … great. “Let’s get going soon, Duncan.”

“… … Huh? Oh, oh, oh, oh, I have to go. Oh.”

“hmm? What’s wrong with you since yesterday? Like someone who left his mind somewhere else… … .”

“Uh, no, no. Dunsen, let’s go. “Please come with us to the outskirts of the village.”

“… … .”

Duncan and Kadim took the lead, carrying the luggage. Julia followed, casting a suspicious glance.

I chose early morning as the time to leave so I wouldn’t have to run into any annoying neighbors. All residents who lost their homes were sleeping on the streets. Those who don’t have even that are covered with piles of fallen leaves, making them miserable figures.

Still, now was the best time. Winter would come soon, and they would have to endure much more bitter times than now. The Duncan family looked at their neighbors with mixed feelings for a moment, but soon turned away, thinking that it was karma.

I had to split up with Kadim as soon as we left the village. Delutana was to the northwest and the Great Forest was to the southeast, so the directions they were going in were completely different.

The Duncan family took turns leaving their farewell messages.

“Whew, really, there were a lot of twists and turns… … Still, thank you for taking such good care of my useless husband and son. I hope that the rest of your journey will be filled with only golden blessings from Remillion.”

“Uncle Kadim… … Thank you. … … For teaching me how to protect my toes, and for saving me when the bad adults took me away as promised… … Thank you so much.”

“I’ll be better… … I… … that… … I’ve been really indebted to you all this time… … Thank you for keeping all your promises and giving me a lot of money… … I, that, that… … .”

Although the peddler could not finish his sentence properly, the barbarian ended his farewell briefly as usual.

“Yes, goodbye. I hope Atala’s fighting spirit will be with you in your future.”

After saying just that, Kadim turns around and leaves without any regrets.

Duncan stopped in bewilderment.

It was an overly simple greeting. It was enough to make you think that we would meet again soon. However, this was definitely a permanent farewell. Unless fate was on our side, there would be no chance of meeting again in this life.

Even as he headed towards the other side, Duncan never knew how to turn his head. After staring at that scene several times, Julia finally sighed and spoke.

“Follow me, Duncan.”

“… … what?”

“Follow me, that mercenary. “Right now, before it’s too late.”

“Huh? Oh, no, no, no, Julia! What are you talking about? We have to go to Delutana. Come on, let’s go, Dunsen!”

Duncan thought that his wife was just whining because she was neglecting her family. But that wasn’t Julia’s intention.

“Duncan, this is not an empty remark, nor is it sarcasm. I’m unfamiliar with the men’s world, so I don’t know exactly what your reason is. Well, is it out of loyalty, envy, worry, or all three? … .”

“… … .”

“But I’m familiar with the look in your eyes now. Exactly, the look in your eyes is similar to when I first met you. “The look in your eyes that says if you miss that person and this opportunity, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Duncan blinked with a bewildered expression, as if wondering if he really did that. Julia shrugged her shoulders lightly, as if her mouth was hurting when she spoke.

“Well, after being with that person, you became a little more manly and handsome. I mean, when I picked up the guy next door who was talking nonsense, I thought he was a different person? After seeing that, I’ll let you see it just this one more time, so hurry and chase after me before I change my mind. “Don’t waste it and regret it later.”

“… … .”

“Don’t worry about Dunsen and me. What is Delutana… … You can either find an escort in a nearby city or join the top caravan. It’s a big city anyway, so there’s probably a lot of people going there. Oh, of course, since I’m already lending it to my husband, it would be better if I get a lot of rental fees this time too.”

Julia pretended to be calm and threw away her joke. Duncan stared at his wife, then hugged her tightly as his emotions surged. Julia pretended to be disgusted, but eventually hugged her back and patted her on the back.

“Julia, when you go to Delutana, find a person named ‘Goltaran’. He’s as big as me, and he’s probably leading a band of Atalan warriors. If you say my name and call me his wife and child, he will treat you well… If you don’t seem to believe me, you can name me or tell me the story of your fight with ‘Agon’s angry horn’ that I mentioned earlier… .”

“Okay, okay. You too, take care of yourself and never do anything dangerous. Dunsen, Dad is going again. “I have to say hello to my dad.”

“Thank you, Dad… … . Have a nice trip.”

I relaxed for an hour and hugged my son, who was smiling brightly. No, he lifted his son up and the three of them hugged each other. A moment when we engrave each other’s warmth deep in our hearts so that we will not forget it even if the long years pass by mercilessly.

After saying goodbye to his family, Duncan started running until his feet got sweaty.

“Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!! Your Majesty!! Huh, huh, huh… … .”

Fortunately, he hadn’t gone far yet, and he was able to catch up with him before it even passed a second. Kadim looked down at Duncan, who was panting as if he had discovered a strange creature.

“What’s going on? “Is there something left to do?”

“Oh, no! Heo-eok, Heo-eok, Naeuri-wa, I came back to continue our journey with Naeuri!”

“… … What nonsense are you talking about? Your duty is over. Go back and protect your family.”

“Ugh, ugh, kekeke, keke! No! My family will be okay without me for the time being! But you, ugh, ugh, I don’t think you’ll be okay at all… … .”

“… … “What is not okay?”

A heavy voice rang into my ears. Duncan squeezed his eyes shut and took a hard breath. As he was contemplating how to get his point across, he first came up with a plausible excuse.

“Your Majesty, do you need the best guide? I will be your guide all the way… … .”

“No need. Just follow this path until you reach Daesurim.”

“Well, then, do you need a porter? It would be cumbersome to carry a bag all the way to the fight… … .”

“Not required. “I just need to put it down for a moment.”

“Well, then, don’t you need a servant to do all the dirty work like receiving the devil’s blood, cooking, gathering firewood…?”

“Not required. “It’s all something I can do.”

Every word he spoke was met with a sharp reply. Anxiety coursed through his veins, burning like a wick toward his pounding heart. If this continues, if this continues… … If I really get rejected and kicked out… … If that happens… … .

When the lord goes wild, who will calm him down?

Who will prove to me the value of my life in the future?

Duncan ended up pretending to be crazy for a moment and screaming.

“Then, my lord!!! When you’re running wild like a mad dog because of a chronic illness!!! When you’re banging your head against a rock, breaking your fingers and carving swords all over your arms!! When you’re trying to kill everyone without even noticing anything and causing a fucking mess!!! Don’t you need a ‘friend’ who’ll slap you in the ear and pour a bucket of cold water on you to bring you back to your senses!!!”

“… … .”

The devastating silence that comes after the shouting ends.

The fierce, copper-colored face instantly hardened like a fossil.

Reason returned belatedly. Duncan’s face cracked like a dry ground. It was a slip of the tongue. No matter how urgent it was, how could he say such a crazy thing in front of someone who could easily break a person’s head than a walnut…

But Kadim wasn’t angry. He was lost in thought.

‘Friend, friend… … .’

Not colleagues, not companions, but ‘friends’.

It was a childish and awkward sound. It was an unfamiliar word that I had rarely heard since falling into this world. It was a word that did not fit at all with the berserker who created a bloody sura by killing all humans and demons.

But Kadim didn’t really dislike that childishness.

If you are truly determined to stop yourself from going mad.

“… … It wouldn’t hurt to have a friend like that.”

“… … !”

“It’s going to be a tough journey. Be prepared, Duncan.”

With those words, the two people take a step forward.

The peddler sighed in relief and took out a map. The barbarian burst into laughter and adjusted his luggage. Before we knew it, dawn had broken, and the sun, which had been locked on the other side of the world all night, was slowly raising its gaze above the horizon.

The bright sunlight fell on the two people facing the sunrise.