The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 208



Only Krnovel

Episode 208 Omen of War (4)

Dunsen escaped outside, captured by Atalain warriors.

From the outside, it looks like he was kidnapped by some kind of assailant. But he was actually quite the opposite. The child was cheerful, as if he had met uncles who played well with him, and the barbarians looked perplexed, as if they had taken on a small animal that they did not know how to handle.

Goltarran, who had been watching from the reception room, stuck out his tongue and laughed in vain.

“He really seems like he’ll become a great man. It seems like the blood of that fearless peddler has not gone anywhere else.”

“I’m sorry every time, Goltarran. I cause trouble every time we meet… … .”

“No, it’s okay. Under the precepts of the barren wilderness, not being afraid of anyone you meet is also a virtue of a great warrior.”

Julia nodded and thanked me for understanding, then lowered her head again as if this wasn’t enough.

“Well, this is a new story, but… … I really don’t know how to thank Goltaran for everything. In fact, I visited him all the way to Delutana, and I was very worried, like what would happen if I told him I had never left such property in my care, and what if I was kicked out of the door… … .”

“… … .”

Goltaran kept his oath to Duncan.

Not only did he protect Duncan’s half of the treasures he received with his life, but when his relatives came and proved their blood relationship, he gave it all away without any hesitation. Not only that, he asked Enrico, the councilor, to provide all the conditions for his relatives to solve their food, clothing, and shelter issues, and even took on the role of a reliable supporter to prevent useless flies greedy for property.

From Julia’s perspective, he was a benefactor whose kindness she could never repay for her entire life. However, Goltaraan’s thoughts were the exact opposite.

“no. I shouldn’t be thanked, but rather I should be thankful. If it weren’t for my wife’s family, the peddler, I would have lost the warriors under my command and wandered around the alliance territory penniless. If you don’t have enough money, please tell me. I will even give away the surplus military funds I received… … .”

“No, no! The money I’ve already received is plenty! In fact, there are so many that I don’t even know how to use them all… … .”

Afterwards, the noble lady with the greatest wealth in Delutana and the head of Delutana’s largest military force exchanged warm words of gratitude, asking each other whether I am grateful or whether you are grateful. Compared to the grandiose label, the conversation between the two was simple, without any political calculations or secret struggles.

But Julia had a hunch. There’s no way a busy military leader like Goltaran would have come to ask how I was doing.

“So… … What brings you here, Goltarran? I don’t know what it is, but you seem very busy these days… … .”

“… … .”

Goltarran took a sip of his drink and paused, then glanced out the window.

“Madam, how about taking a trip to Untana for a while and getting some fresh air with your son?”

“……yes?”

“It’s not such a noisy big city, and it’s reasonably quiet and the surroundings are clean, so I thought it would be perfect for a rest.”

It was an unimaginable story. Julia closed her eyes blankly.

“Why is travel suddenly… … Rather, Untana is located further north than here, right? Go further north than Delutana in the middle of winter… … ?”

“exactly. I heard that there is a famous lake called Silver Mirror Lake right next to Untana, and the snow scenery there is very beautiful. “I’m sure Mr. Dunsen will like it very much.”

“No, I appreciate your consideration, but… … where we used to live was in the south, so it was warmer than here. Of course, it doesn’t matter when we’re inside because we light the fire plenty… … but I think going out or traveling far away during this time is a bit… … .”

“… … .”

Her copper-colored face hardened darkly. Julia flinched and shrugged her shoulders, wondering what she had done wrong.

Of course not. It’s just that the weight of the words inside is too heavy. After roughly wiping his face, Goltarran realized that he didn’t have the talent to talk nicely like the council members or the members of the National Assembly, and he had no choice but to speak out directly.

“War might break out.”

“… … .”

“So, the Lucaonia Empire might invade the Free Cities Alliance, Madam.”

The silence that completely takes away the warmth of the cozy fireplace.

For a moment, the strength in her arms completely left her, and Julia almost dropped the teacup. She barely managed to put the cup down and looked at the face that had no sense of humor at all. The tone was calm, but the content was not. The story continued on and on.

“It’s not confirmed yet. But it’s very likely. I heard that two archbishops of the Elgar Order were purged by one hardliner archbishop who wanted war. Under the power of the Order, the Emperor is nothing more than a puppet wearing a crown, so it wouldn’t be strange if the Empire’s knights and soldiers stormed the border at any time.”

“Who, who said that? Who, who said that… … .”

“They said it was information passed on by a trustworthy spy planted in the capital city. “I heard about it through Representative Pelico and Counselor Enrico.”

“… … .”

Those two men, brothers of the Turis family, were currently politicians at the center of the ‘City of Gold’. If that was the source, then the possibility that the information was unfounded rumor was extremely low.

“If war breaks out, Delutana will undoubtedly be the Empire’s top priority. It is not only the closest major city to the border, but also a bridgehead for reaching other cities via the Golden Road.”

“… … .”

“I heard that the council is doing their best to negotiate with the empire, but the outlook doesn’t look very bright. I’ll give you an escort, so it would be best for you to take refuge in Untana for the time being and observe the situation, my lady. If by any chance you and the Dunsen Army stay here and something unpleasant happens… … I will have no face to face with the Grand Master and the army.”

Julia’s hands tremble with anxiety as it surges like a tide. However, she is worried about someone else, not her own safety.

“But, he, he… … ? My husband, Duncan, and I promised to meet again here… … .”

“Some of the warriors of the ‘Unstoppable Army’ will remain stationed in Delutana. I will tell them to tell the army of their wife’s whereabouts when they meet her.”

“Oh, no! You said that the Paladins might invade Delutana! If he were to encounter the Paladins of the invading sect… … .”

“Don’t worry, Madam. Your majesty is with the great warrior of Atala, who is acting as your agent.”

“… … .”

Julia was not unaware of the might of the warrior who threw himself bare-handed and laid waste to Maltana. Nevertheless, a faint sense of unease remained within her. Goltarran stared at the sight, and then recalled the life-or-death struggle he had with a certain merchant in the ruins where high-ranking demons had run rampant, and spoke as if muttering.

“Besides, he himself is much stronger than you think. He is a warrior as solid as a rock, and will never be defeated by the likes of Elgar’s hounds.”

“… … .”

“As Dunsen said earlier, Hoo… … Didn’t you say that you fought me and won once?”

Julia opened her eyes wide and looked at the Atalain man right in front of her, who looked like he could bend a person’s spine with just two fingers.

Even though I heard it from my husband’s mouth, I received certification from the great warrior I was with, and I even heard the defeated party admit it in person… … She couldn’t imagine her husband, who was as small as a pea, defeating that fearsome warrior and winning.

*

The ‘Golden City’ Delutana also has a highly developed metallurgical industry thanks to its abundant capital and demand.

The problem is that the direction is focused solely on making ornaments or precious metal crafts.

Weapons and armor are items that are limited to those in high demand only for the military. Moreover, no matter how well they were made, they could not beat the dwarven artifacts imported from the North. On the other hand, crafts and luxury items were sought after by many rich people and noble women, and the profits were not comparable to other metal items.

Due to this situation, blacksmiths only tinker with shiny items, and it has become harder to find blacksmiths who are skilled in weapons in Delutana than even wizards. Still, in peacetime, the supply was adequately covered, but the situation was different now. The demand for all kinds of weapons and equipment has skyrocketed due to the empire and its sinister atmosphere.

So, in a way, the great boom in the newly created workshop could be seen as inevitable.

Ca-Ang, Ca-Ang! Grumble, rumble… … .

“Hey, you idiot! Who told you to attach the elbow joint like this? How many times did I tell you to attach it tightly like a steel tendon, not loosely like your asshole?”

The old man’s voice boomed in the noisy workshop filled with the sound of metal and fire. Despite being subjected to considerable personal attacks, the young blacksmith humbly bowed his head without showing any sign of displeasure. The blacksmith and his apprentices who were subsequently criticized by the old man were no different.

However, the reaction of a middle-aged blacksmith who had until recently been considered a renowned craftsman in Delutana was different.

“Damn you, old man with a limp! If you’re that good, eat it all by yourself! “Well, once I get hit so hard, I won’t even be able to use the anvil comfortably!”

The old man responded without taking a breath, as if he was used to the reaction.

“Oh my, shit! Why is a crippled child who has never done a proper job since birth blaming others? Do you think your skills, which used to be used to making women’s clothes, will improve even a little bit just by hammering nails into the mouths of ten crippled guys like me?”

“What, what, what! What the heck! Then where, let me see you ‘do a proper job’! If you do even one sloppy job, I’ll break the other leg of your remaining leg!”

In the case of steel plate processing, which blacksmiths are currently doing, ‘proper anvil cutting’ is a tremendous amount of hard labor. This was only possible when two strong men clung to a piece of iron and a skilled ironworker pounded it with all his might for a long time.

But the old man grabbed the iron hammer from his waist and limped to the anvil alone.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Then, the anvil work was completed in an instant, more perfectly than if three skilled workers had stuck together.

A masterful skill that could rival the legendary dwarves. The middle-aged man had only recently come to the workshop to see the old man’s skills for the first time. The old man smiled and approached the absent-minded blacksmith, patting him on the shoulder.

“Did you see it well? Please tell me if you couldn’t see it properly because you were too lazy. “I will personally use iron tongs to pull out the sparks that have sprung from your eyes.”

“… … .”

“Now, what are you all doing! By today, I have to pick out fourteen polearms, nine more sets of armor, and make as many arrowheads as I can! “It’s strict, but don’t pay attention. Since it was a good sightseeing, everyone should pay for the sightseeing and work hard today!”

This was the reason why the blacksmith and his apprentices could not utter a single word.

The old man in charge of the workshop was not just an old man in the back room who liked to find fault, but he was a master of metallurgy, and it is no exaggeration to say that he was the best in Delutana.

It wasn’t for nothing that orders were skyrocketing in a workshop that had only been open for a short time. It was thanks to the support and influence of the Turis family, but if the workshop manager hadn’t been this great, this kind of prosperity would have been impossible. What’s even more surprising is that the equipment he usually makes is nothing more than a hand-made item.

There was a separate work that the old man created with all his sincerity.

A masterpiece, created with all the skills, sincerity, and soul accumulated over a lifetime as a blacksmith, to repay the benefactor who gave him new life.

‘I’d rather have something big. The weapons I have now are too small and light.’

“… … Phew.”

The old man rolled up his sleeves again today to complete his ‘masterpiece’, with the end in sight.

But suddenly, his granddaughter ran out from inside and stopped him.

“grandfather! “Wait a minute, wait a minute!”

His granddaughter, whom I had never known existed for half my life, was very friendly. Thanks to that, I was able to treat my own grandfather, whom I had only recently met, without hesitation, and I received help in various ways, such as running errands for the workshop and serving guests.

“There’s an important guest in the break room! The, the… … leader of the ‘Unbreakable Forces’… … .”

“… … What? “That guy came again?”

The old man gently stroked his granddaughter’s head with his calloused hands, then received support and headed inside.

Indeed, as he said, a familiar figure was sitting in the workshop break room. He was once the most famous figure in the alliance, and now a symbol of fear and awe for many Delutana people, but to the old workshop manager, he was nothing more than a symbol of a spell bomb, the leader of the ‘Unbreakable Army’, Goltaran.

The old man looked at his biggest customer and biggest troublemaker as if he were fed up.

“Oh my… … What’s the matter now, Agon’s Merci? I heard there are a lot of backlogged orders, so I won’t be able to take any additional orders from you for the time being.”

“… … Even if I double the amount?”

“Even if you give me three or four times the amount, it won’t work. Do you know that three of my men were sick in bed last time because I had to meet the deadline for the order you gave me?”

“… … So how about ten times that?”

“I, Woncham, don’t give you 100 times as much… … . Ugh, all the barbarians I met had so much money… … . Oh, no, hmmm, okay. “If you’re going to drink this all in one go, I’d like you to reconsider.”

The old man reached for a leather canteen. A foul odor rising from a sloshing liquid. Goltaran, who had already tasted this once, expressed without hesitation the disgust that came from deep within his soul.

“Okay… … . Rather than drink that damned dog milk wine again, I’d rather drink the devil’s urine… … .”

Gulak, the ‘old man with a sledgehammer’ who prevented the disaster with a special truth repellent, grinned, revealing his broken front teeth.

*

Duncan’s family is there, so there’s no way I can avoid going to Delutana.

However, there was no reason not to receive compensation from the high-ranking paladin who came to make a deal.

Kadim asked, “If you stop the innocent sacrifices against the Imperial Knights, what will you offer in return?” Hendark answered the question without hesitation.

“The foremost spear of Elgar, the asymmetrical power of the Empire, the ten brilliant stars that hang over the firmament, the ten Archpaladins specially selected by the Order… … ‘Decagram’.

“… … .”

“All of them, including me, are overwhelmingly superior to other Holy Knights in terms of their inaction. But more than anything, the key element that makes them unrivaled is the ‘stigmata’, the mark that gives them this transcendent ability. So, if you want to defend the weak against them, first… … .”

A tragic and continuous assertion, clearly revealing the stigmata that guarantee the truth.

“… … I will tell you all the information about the abilities and limitations of the ‘Stigmata’ that I know.”