The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 41



Only Krnovel

Episode 41 Brothers of Messen (1)

There comes a time in a person’s life when major events that would have taken a long time to happen suddenly hit like a storm in just a few days.

For Enrico, the councilor of Remtana, this was exactly the time.

“… … .”

As he toured the underground fortress, Enrico was speechless. It seemed like a novel to think that such a large fortress was hidden within his jurisdiction.

But in that underground fortress, after the Magic Tower had captured the monsters during the subjugation order and planned to train them into an army, he dispatched Ymir as his aide to actually carry out the plan, and sacrificed countless people to create an army of monsters, but this invincible barbarian single-handedly slaughtered all of that army of monsters?

“her… … .”

Even a novel couldn’t be like this. Even the trolls and arch paladins of Twin Canyon were complicated enough. And yet, such incidents kept happening? It was suspicious that the barbarian was lying to himself to make a fool of himself.

But the sight of the fortress proved that the barbarian’s words were not at all false.

We crossed the torn corpses of monsters along a narrow passage. The thick smell of blood and odor shook the posterior nerve. In one room, he saw the messengers and scribes he had sent gathered together and rotting away. Enrico felt nauseous and the top of his head heated up as if it were going to explode.

After looking around to the core where the ogre had fallen, we finally escaped the fortress. The outside was also a total mess, with burned corpses of harpies and goblins. I hurriedly turned away from them and headed toward the shade on one side of the rocky mountain.

After resting in a place without the smell of blood, I felt like my head had cooled down a bit. After gathering his thoughts for half a minute, Enrico cleared his throat and spoke.

“first… … Thank you for completing the job safely. This has turned into a much bigger problem than I asked for. I thought I would just have to kill Ymir, but I never imagined that the Mage Tower would be doing such heinous things in Remtana’s front yard… … .”

“… … .”

“The Empire thinks that the Magic Tower protects the entire alliance, but the reality is a little different. The only completely friendly force of the Magic Tower is the Vesta Council, and with the other councils, they only have a superficial cooperative relationship while actually keeping them in check. Even if they combined their full strength, it would be difficult to stand up to the Empire, but they were secretly building up the power to kill innocent people and invade other cities… … It is truly regrettable… … .”

Kadim wasn’t particularly interested in the politics of the alliance. He rested his chin on his hand and then changed the subject.

“So, can you decorate the picture well, Councilor?”

Enrico quickly changed his expression to a businesslike one and nodded.

“It won’t be difficult. As for the death of the Paladin and Ymir, just as originally planned, you can pretend that Ymir stopped the Paladin from trespassing on the border. However, the matter of this fortress will have to be treated as a separate incident revealed after Ymir’s death. If we are not careful, we may end up justifying the Paladin’s border invasion… … .”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I’ll do my best to make sure no trace of you remains, so don’t worry, just burn Ymir’s body with a new recruit later. “The body is already a mess, but we need evidence that he died because of a paladin.”

Kadim nodded coolly. He really doubted whether he could cover up this mess well, but this was the best he could do for now. From now on, he had no choice but to trust the inspector’s abilities.

While Enrico was lost in thought again, Kadim unloaded the spoils he had taken from the fortress: the Soul-squeezing Chains, which could extract the human spirit, and a sliver of the black stone dug from Ymir’s heart.

The chain was a magical tool that required ‘mana’ to be used, so it was not something that Kadeem could use. When he asked Enrico if he wanted to buy it, he readily accepted, saying that it would be good evidence to put pressure on the magic tower.

“I will give you 100,000 luden as a price. “How do you feel?”

“200,000 Luden.”

“… … 200,000 Luden is a bit of a burden. “How about 120,000?”

“200,000 Luden.”

“I can give you up to 125,000… … .”

“200,000.”

“130,000… … .”

“Maybe it’s because I killed a lot of monsters, but my shoulders are sore.”

“… … Okay, I understand. I’ll give you 200,000 luden.”

A simple and generous bargain was concluded. After that, Kadim lifted up a piece of broken stone.

“Do you know what this is, Commissioner?”

“that… … It looks like a crumb of ‘magic stone’. “Is it what was in Ymir’s heart?”

“Yes, that’s right. You told me before that a wizard never makes a pact with the devil. However, this stone clearly contained the energy of the devil. “Do you know how this happened?”

“… … !”

Enrico took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and made an incomprehensible face. Then, gradually, his complexion changed seriously.

“The manufacturing process of the magic stone is one of the top secrets of the Magic Tower. Since the magic stone is destroyed the moment the wizard dies, it is impossible to analyze it properly. I didn’t even know that there was demonic energy mixed in there. But how on earth did you find that out?”

“It smells fishy. “I can sense a dark presence.”

“… … To be able to know like that, you even have superhuman senses. In any case, if the magic stone really contains demonic energy, this is not normal. Even if we didn’t make a pact with the devil, if the Elgar Church finds out about this, they won’t just stay silent.”

“… … .”

“No, hmm, but how could you not know this yet…?” … ? Priests must also be sensitive to demonic energy… … . Maybe I already knew about it and neglected it… … . Hehe, I don’t even know the English text… … .”

Enrico roughly washes his face and wipes it down. There seemed to be no more information available to him. I felt like I would have to go to my destination and check it in person to get certain information.

The Magic Tower. A place established by Melissa to teach magicians, but now it seems to have been greatly distorted.

Kadim stuffed the magic stone fragments into his pocket and stood up.

“Let’s go back to Remtana and finish settling the compensation. “I will leave the rest of the work to you.”

“Huh? Are you thinking of leaving Remtana right away?”

“Okay, I’ll go to the Magic Tower first. “If you find a way to access the records, you can come and let me know. If you can’t, I’ll go find it later.”

“… … .”

Enrico swallowed dryly.

I was so out of it that I forgot about it for a while. In fact, helping to read the records of the first Mage Tower owner was just a hastily made promise to somehow entice Khadim. However, in order to save my life, I felt like I had to find a way to do everything from now on.

Even so, it was by no means a losing business.

The author proved his ability with superhuman feats. If the emperor of the empire had seen a warrior like him, he would have gladly given him a title and a fief. If the rich people of the big city had seen him, they would have offered him billions of dollars. If the warlords of the north had seen him, they would have brought him legendary dwarven relics. He had gotten a ridiculous amount of luck by making connections without much effort.

And once Enrico got his hands on a piece of luck, he tended not to miss it for as long as possible.

“Of course I will keep my promise. However, would you mind taking on one more request?”

“… … .”

“This isn’t something as difficult as this. I just need to escort you as you go your intended route. Now that I think about it, I think I need to visit the Delutana Council in person to make sure everything that happened here is handled as best as possible.”

“… … .”

“I will depart as soon as I have finished sorting out the situation here. I will accompany you until the ‘Golden Road’ where the road splits, and then I will go to Delutana, and you will go to Vestana as planned. I will pay you as much as you want, and I will even pay for the horses and travel expenses. It doesn’t seem like a bad offer to you. What do you think?”

What came back was an emotionless gaze that was hard to read. Enrico waited for an answer, calming down his nerves. Kadim, who seemed to be thinking deeply about something while rubbing his chin, soon said this.

“Did you say you were going to Delutana?”

“……exactly.”

“Then I guess it wouldn’t be a big deal if we had one more person in the group.”

Turning his back on the puzzled counselor, Kadim hurried his way back without any explanation.

*

Bang, bang, bang – !

A loud banging sound was heard from beyond the iron door. The bitter smell of iron powder was still wafting out, but the door was not locked like before. As I opened the creaking door, the rising heat of the forge covered my face like hot water.

“Welcome… … hmm? Ah, aren’t you a mercenary? “What brought you here?”

Kadim smiled faintly.

His wildly grown hair and white beard were trimmed short. She also wore clean work clothes with no holes. Her accent, which was full of dissatisfaction and nervousness, changed to that of a braggadocio. Nothing had changed except for the limp in her right foot. ‘Old Man Sledgehammer’ Gulak seemed to have become a different person during that time.

“Your appearance is more refined, old man. Much better than when I first saw you.”

“Now that I’ve started working again! I’m starting to wonder how I’ve been living like a wreck, doing nothing all this time. As soon as I finish my work, other work comes rushing in, so I’m really busy without a break!”

“That’s great. I’ll be able to gild the moru soon.”

“Hehehe… … It’s all thanks to Counselor Nauri and you. But it doesn’t seem like he came just to say hello, what did he come for? “Is there any problem with the weapon?”

“No, there is no problem with the weapon. “It held up very well, that dagger.”

“Ah, then I guess I can’t forget the taste of the alcohol from last time… … .”

“If you bring me that dirty milk liquor again, I will make you eat only soft food for the rest of your life.”

“… … Wow, you look like an uneducated savage.”

Kadim and Gulak burst out laughing at the same time. The atmosphere did not become cold like last time. After making weapons, a strange bond developed between the warrior and the blacksmith.

Gulag put down his hammer for a moment. The two sat facing each other across a small table. Khadim quickly pulled out his heavy pouch as soon as he could. The wrinkles on Gulag’s forehead deepened with question.

“… … What is this? I remember already receiving the compensation.”

“I tried using the dagger and it was better than I thought. I feel like the penny I gave you last time wasn’t enough. “If you make a good product, you should get paid for it.”

Gulak takes out a gold coin from his pocket and examines it. Irises speckled with red feet trembled slightly. But he slowly shook his head and held out his pocket.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to give me something like this. Just the fact that I’ve gained the strength to start working again is a gift enough for me. And what would this old man do with that much money? It’s not like I’m going to gild the anvil, as you said… .”

“I could use it as a settlement fund to build a new home in a big city where my family is.”

Gulag raised his white eyebrows in surprise. A bitter smile spread across the old man’s chapped lips.

“… … Did you hear anything about me from Counselor Nauri?”

Kadim didn’t even agree. She just said what she had to say.

“The commissioner said he had some business to attend to and was going to Delutana. That’s why I decided to escort him to the Golden Road. Since he was going anyway, I thought it would be okay to bring one more person, so I told him in advance that my father-in-law would be going with him.”

“what? “Is that really true?”

“The departure time is as soon as the commissioner finishes his business in Remtana. I don’t know exactly when, so it would be a good idea to start organizing the area. Make sure to pack only the essentials.”

“Ah, no, but I can’t go that far with you because I limp… … .”

“The commissioner promised to give me a horse. Fortunately, the horse wasn’t lame.”

Gulak’s eyes fluttered.

The well of emotions that had been so dry and cracked, without even a single drop of dew, suddenly became moist. He bit his swollen lips and stared at the floor, then barely raised his eyes and asked in a high-pitched voice.

“Why are you showing me this kindness? I am… … I am… … To the extent of receiving overflowing kindness from such a person… … I haven’t been nice to you… … .”

reason?

There was no reason. The misfortune of an old man who was separated from his family, had his heel cut off, and lost all his life savings was common in this world. Making a few decent weapons was not a reason why this old man should be pitied more than other poor people.

However, Kadim thought.

In order to survive, they don’t mind crossing bloody mud and drinking sewage. However, if it is not a matter of life or death, give the piece of bread in your hand to someone who is hungrier.

It seems that there are not many days left until I can keep this final creed to avoid becoming a demon who has lost my humanity.

So, even if only when we can protect it, let’s reach out to those who are falling into the abyss around us.

“… … There is no such thing. “Just think of it as a whim of fate.”

After hearing the answer and looking dejected for a moment, Gulak let out a shrieking laugh. Then he rubbed the area around her reddened eyes with his forearm.

“Damn, in the meantime, Adari is going crazy… … . It’s been a while since I’ve been exposed to a fire in the oven… … .”

“… … .”

“Anyway… … Thank you. I can’t express it in words, I’m truly grateful. I don’t know how to call it a thank you, but before I die, I will definitely create a ‘masterpiece’ for you… … . If you get the chance, please stop by Delutana sometime in the future.”

Kadim got up without answering. There was no telling when he would arrive at the top of the tower. It was best to listen to such empty promises with one ear and let them go out the other. Fate would decide whether he would hear them or not.

But just as he was about to leave the forge, Kadim discovered something on the workbench.

“… … ?”

A familiar olive-colored glow. He frowned as if he had seen something hideous. I couldn’t help but ask.

“Why is that here? What on earth are you working on, old man?”

“Ah, the soldiers of the Disaster Corps all asked me to put these on their armor. I heard they’re the spoils of war from some terrible monster… … I guess I have to make about a dozen more of these. Phew, I have to hurry if I want to finish them before Remtana leaves.”

“… … .”

Kadim shook his head. He glanced at the armor covered in Hydra scales once more, then chuckled and left the forge.