Bjorn Yandel the Barbarian

Only then, as if the inexplicable tension had completely disappeared, my colleagues approached me.

“Sir, are you okay···?”

“You look quite tired······”

My face, stretched out on the floor, was surrounded by the worried faces of my colleagues.

“Bjorn Jandel·”

Amelia is seen in the middle of them, and her face looks a bit angry.

“How on earth did I end up here and why didn’t I come back? Why were I fighting those guys?”

Ah, I guess you’re curious. It’s been months since you disappeared without a word.

“that-·”

It was the moment when I was trying to somehow muster up my strength and get up before I could explain.

“I have a lot to ask, but you look tired.”

Amelia chuckled and gently pushed my shoulder, laying me back on the floor.

“Just rest for now. I’ll listen to your story after you rest.”

At those words, my heart felt relieved and my eyes slowly closed. I felt like I would lose consciousness and fall asleep at any moment. But on the other hand, my head was complicated.

Thump-! Just then, my colleagues came out of the castle walls and I was able to avoid the crisis. Also, I was able to gain a lot by pushing Baekho Lee back.

But even so, ‘We ended up meeting in the end…’ can this really be considered a good thing?

It was only after a few months that I was able to reunite with my comrades outside the walls. [The evil spirit from another world, ‘————’, finally realized the path he should take after losing three of his comrades.]

Can we really consider this a coincidence?

A feeble gait, a quiet atmosphere,

How much time has passed since the four men and women, with their expressions so hard that they feel scary and dark, and with various conditions that somehow reminded them of the backs of defeated soldiers, began walking through the forest?

The blond man standing at the front suddenly stops walking and mutters softly.

“It sucks”

The sound was so quiet that it was hard to hear unless you listened closely, and it was a short murmur of only a few syllables, but the three men and women did not say anything.

I know how angry and upset he is right now, and how hurt his pride is.

“······”

After a moment of silence, the large man, who had been looking around and not knowing what to do, opens his mouth as if he has to say something.

“I··· Baekho···?”

“······”

“It may be a meaningless question now, but… why didn’t you go all the way…?”

“Why didn’t you go all the way?”

When Baekho Lee asked in a cold voice, Aures showed a look of doubt as if he had brought up the subject for no reason, but soon continued speaking as if he had to satisfy his curiosity.

“Baron Yandel, isn’t it a well-known story to the world that he cares deeply for his comrades? If it had gone all the way, it would have been the Baron who would have backed down.”

It was something that Aureus would have been curious about. Of course, Baron Yandel and Baekho Lee are completely different people. Bjorn Yandel cares deeply for his comrades, but Baekho Lee is the opposite.

A cold-blooded person who wouldn’t even blink an eye no matter who was killed – that was Aures’ evaluation of Baekho Lee, and in reality, that evaluation was no different.

And if you think about this difference, it is obvious that Baekho Lee had the advantage in the ‘fight’ a little while ago. But why did the result turn out to be the exact opposite?

The answer could be heard through Jaina, who spoke instead of Baekho Lee, who remained silent.

“···I guess you haven’t seen it.·”

“You didn’t see it? What are you talking about?”

“It’s snow”

“Snow… you mean?”

Aures tilts his head as if he doesn’t quite understand. Jaina adds an explanation.

“If you had seen my eyes, Mr. Aureus wouldn’t have asked that question.”

“What on earth are you talking about? What happened to your eyes? Did you use some kind of supernatural power?”

“No, that’s not it… I could tell the moment I saw those eyes. Baron Yandell is a man who will never be broken. Even more so if the means are threats.”

Aures still looked unsure, and the ruinologist who was listening from the side added a word.

“There are many people in the world who are simply short-sighted and make bad choices, but today, Baron Yandel was different.”

“How was it different?”

Then the doomsday scholar created a small flame in his palm.

“Ordinary people don’t put their hands toward fire because they know how hot it is. But what would happen to someone who sees fire for the first time?”

“Well… I don’t know for sure, but if it were me, I think I would have tried it out of curiosity.”

“Ignorance is like that. Some people feel fear because of ignorance, but some people gain courage because of ignorance.”

“So what are you trying to say?”

“Baron Yandell knew how hot the fire was and what the consequences would be if he put his hand on it. But he did not back down.”

“Because I thought it was something I had to do.”

The last one to speak was Lee Baek-ho. However, the destruction scholar showed no sign of discomfort at the interruption and simply uttered words that felt out of place.

“They are not fearless beings. They just learned how to overcome it and move forward. And people called them ‘warriors.’”

“···?”

“This is what is written in the autobiography written by Pebrosk.

“······”

“Seeing you today, I think I understand why the barbarians call Baron Yandell a great warrior.”

“So, whose side are you on, Grandpa?”

“For now, I am on your side. That is why I am giving you advice so that you can understand the reasons for your failure. The Baron’s eyes a moment ago were the eyes of a determined man. But you were not.”

“Then what should I do? Should we fight until the end to the death? Just to solve one question?”

“It just means be careful from now on, the ‘leash’ you thought you had on him is no longer enough to control him.”

“I know, I know… So stop talking. I’m not trying to offend anyone.”

However, Baekho Lee, who had regained his usual way of speaking as if his emotions had been somewhat sorted out, sighed exaggeratedly and muttered as if grumbling.

“Oh, I’m really worried. If threatening my colleagues doesn’t work, then what on earth should I do to control them?”

Did the resentment pass by now? It seemed like that was the biggest problem on earth. Baekho Lee was lost in thought without saying a word, and the three men and women who had been watching each other for a while continued their conversation among themselves.

“By the way… you are really strong”

“Baron?”

“That’s right. I never thought that it would last for hours even if we combined our full power… I never dreamed that such a monster existed in this world.”

“You just don’t know about it, but it’s not like it doesn’t exist at all.”

“Are there more monsters like that in the world?”

“Of course, there are only a handful of them, but I’ll tell you what.”

As the ruinologist spoke, Aures began to fold his fingers one by one, trying to think of people who came to mind.

One, two, three, four, five, six… The folding speed was slow, and even after it was all over, there weren’t many folded fingers… But…

“Maybe in a few years, I won’t even have to go to both hands.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Baron Yandel will become stronger in the future.”

At those words, Jaina and Aures said nothing, but there was one question in their eyes.

The doomsday scholar quickly turned his gaze to the question of whether it was realistically possible to become stronger here, and…

“He who has nothing to lose will only become poisonous······”

He continued speaking while looking at Baekho Lee’s back, who seemed to be lost in thought and not even listening to the conversation.

“Those who have much to protect become strong.”

It was the providence of this world that I learned naturally as I lived for a long time.·***

When I opened my eyes, I saw a tree. A huge tree that seemed to reach the sky. Through the gap, I could see the night sky, with stars spread out like the Milky Way.

And then… the crackling sound of a bonfire can be heard… ‘It’s chilly…’ Only then can you feel the cold air rising from the bare ground and the moisture in the bushes…

‘Did they cover you?’ There was a blanket over his body, as if his colleagues had covered him.

My own extra-large blanket that can cover the entire body of a Bavarian who is over 2 meters tall.

‘Did he just cover me with a blanket instead of moving me because he was afraid I’d wake up?’ Thinking about it made my heart feel warm for some reason.

Well, if it was Baekho Lee’s team, it was a feeling that I couldn’t feel even after being together for decades.

“You’re awake.”

As I was rustling around under the blanket, I heard a voice next to me, as if it had noticed that I was awake.

I raised my upper body slightly to check and saw Amelia sitting in front of the campfire.

“How long has it been?”

“It’s been two days since you fell asleep as if you were fainting.”

“···what?”

So you’re saying I slept on the floor for two days? I felt like my shoulders were really stiff.

“What about the other kids?”

“I was sleeping. I was standing guard…”

I tilted my head at the mention of standing guard.

“I don’t think it’s a clone?”

Amelia’s specialty is using the clone she summoned through [Self-Replication] as a sentry while she sleeps. But why is she doing this with her main body?

“···I thought it would be nice to have someone next to me when I wake up·”

Wow… I really did have a good colleague.

“I heard the general story from the magician. He acted recklessly again and caused an accident.”

“accident?”

“If you hadn’t gone out alone with the magician in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened, right? What on earth were you thinking?”

Amelia began to scold him in a tone that sounded like she was scolding a reckless child.

“Wasn’t the option of consulting us even an option in your head? What would we do if you died outside, why would you act so irresponsibly?”

I had nothing to say. I couldn’t have known it would turn out like this, but it ended up making things hard not only for me but for them as well.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, I trusted you and entrusted my life to you.”

“······”

“Please don’t make me regret that choice.”

“···I will make sure that this never happens again·”

Amelia pressed her forehead and let out a long breath as she spoke with the most pitiful expression possible. And then…

“···The scolding ends here·”

Amelia, who soon returned to her usual voice, looked at me and said,

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, so let me start by telling you what happened on our side.”

Amelia then gave me a brief rundown of what had happened in the city since I disappeared.

Well, it was a bit long as it lasted for several months, but it was a kind of clan war competition held during the 13th month festival.

Originally, our Anabada Clan was scheduled to participate, but due to my absence, they were unable to attend.

“The royal family opened the Golden Marriage Report to 10 members of the winning clan···?”

“In the case of the captain, a report of sexual intercourse was opened, which is one level higher than the report of abstinence from marriage.”

Looking at this kind of Nimiral and Seonghonbo, it seems like he’s storing a double number in the second-class essence. For some reason, my stomach is starting to hurt, but I’ve decided to think positively.

Not only was I able to gain a lot of things by exploring outside the walls, but I also hit the jackpot by receiving a settlement from Baekho Lee in the end.

Anyway, after listening to the story, contrary to my worries, there were no major incidents.

Although there have been a few problems due to my absence, my business in the city seems to be going smoothly····

“No one has heard of my disappearance yet···?”

This part was really interesting to me too.

“How was that possible?”

“Because most of the tasks you were doing could be handled by us.”

“But I bet there were a lot of people who had doubts?”

“I explained to those people that you had obtained a new essence and were living in seclusion studying it.”

“···But I guess it’s better to assume that everyone who should know that I’m gone already knows.”

“I guess that’s how it is. It’s that kind of city. They probably suspect us even though they can’t say anything. We even disappeared all at once like this.”

“···Ah! That’s right! How did you guys manage to get out? Did the magic circle get fixed?”

I asked with anticipation whether I could go home now, but Amelia shook her head. Then she started explaining why she was able to come out.

‘It’s only possible to get out of the city, but it’s blocked from returning.’ My heart feels warm again.

“···Why are you looking at me like that?”

I’m just grateful, but unlike me, they came out of the castle walls, which are the ‘unknown land’ itself, to find me even though they knew there was no way back.

“So what happened to you?”

As I was laughing silently, Amelia changed the subject with an awkward look on her face.

“Oh me? Um, where should I start with this—·”

“As I said before, I heard the general story from the magician. What I’m curious about is the other parts.”

“What other part?”

“The real reason why I ended up in conflict with Baekho Lee, with whom I was coexisting well”

Oh, that····

“I heard that you met Auril Gavis and that you came out late at the end.”

Well, I think you already know that much…

“What happened that made you hide it while fighting Baekho Lee in such an unfavorable situation?”

I snickered as I looked at Amelia, who had a serious expression on her face.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding… The reason I hid it from Baekho Lee is different.”

To be honest, there was no reason to keep it a secret from Baekho Lee. In fact, if he had offered a price first and asked politely, I might have told him. But…

“Because he was being so forceful, I decided that I absolutely could not give in here.”

“···I see·”

Amelia, who was born and raised in a world where the law of the jungle prevails, fortunately seemed to understand what I meant without a long explanation.

But was it still the same question?