Barbarian’s Dark Fantasy Strategy Guide

Chapter 10: Rule （2）

Even after leaving the mansion, Becky was still immersed in the afterglow of the dinner.

『Ah, I’ve been misunderstanding the meaning of a feast all this time. This is what a real feast is.』

‘It’s nothing special, why are you so impressed?’

『Nothing special? Is there something wrong with your taste buds? I’ve tasted a lot of food in my life, but this is the first time I’ve ever had such a luxurious meal. If a mere Baron’s meal is this good, what do the royals and the imperial family eat?!』

‘I don’t care how it tastes. As long as food can replenish my strength to fight, that’s all that matters. Stop talking nonsense.’

『Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. You’re the guy who thinks of food as nothing more than firewood. Ugh, my fate.』

Khalid and Becky’s reactions to the same food were polar opposites.

It wasn’t bad in terms of experiencing various flavors, but there were many dishes that were a bit too stimulating and greasy for Khalid.

It felt too excessive for the purpose of filling his stomach. If he ate like this every day, his body would surely become sluggish and lazy.

『Now that we have a lot of money, you should start eating delicious food instead of just jerky.』

‘I’ll consider it. If it’s more efficient than jerky.’

『Efficient? Seriously, are you a car? Worrying about fuel efficiency?』

Ignoring Becky, who was babbling nonsense again, Khalid quickened his pace.

Clank, clank.

Every time Khalid walked, the money pouch on his waist swayed heavily. It was a bundle of money mixed with coins, silver, and even gold coins.

As the attention-grabbing barbarian from the north was carrying a lot of money, people’s eyes naturally turned to Khalid.

“Is that all money?”

“It’s probably just coins.”

“But that barbarian, I heard he defeated an ogre a while ago and took all the bounty. There must be gold coins in there.”

The residents swallowed their saliva enviously.

It seemed that coveting other people’s belongings was a common trait of the fenced-in people.

『Hey, are you going to keep carrying all that money around?』

‘Hmm.’

Khalid was also concerned about it.

It hadn’t been long since he arrived in Windfall, but he had earned much more money than expected.

He didn’t care much about the surrounding gazes, but the volume was considerable. It wasn’t heavy, but it was a cumbersome amount to carry around all the time.

『Ask people where the bank is. How long are you going to carry that around?』

‘Bank?’

『You know, the bank run by the elves. There’s one in most villages.』

A bank. According to Becky, there was a depository where you could deposit and withdraw money at any time. He seemed to have heard of it somewhere. Anyway, it was a good idea.

Khalid set out to find a bank.

But as he was passing through an alley, several mercenaries blocked his way. Three in front and behind, and two more on the buildings on either side.

They looked like a band of thieves, drawing their swords and waiting before even starting a fight.

“Hey, mister. We’ve been looking all over for you. We were so surprised, thinking you might have left town.”

“Do you have business with me?”

They were probably interested in his money pouch.

It was needless to ask, but since they were ‘fenced-in people’, he couldn’t just smash their heads in without a word inside the village.

“We’re mercenaries from out of town. We heard there was a big score, so we came all the way here, but you snatched our prey quickly, didn’t you? Thanks to you, we’ve suffered a great loss, both in time and money.”

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

Khalid said calmly.

Veins bulged on the mercenaries’ foreheads.

“Hey, barbarian mister. You don’t seem to understand the situation yet, but it’s best not to test our patience.”

“We don’t want to kill anyone unnecessarily. Let’s settle this amicably.”

The mercenaries spoke harshly.

But they chose the wrong opponent.

He wasn’t someone they could intimidate with cheap threats.

Khalid wished they would just attack him quickly if they were going to.

“We’re not heartless, so we won’t ask for everything. Just hand over the gold coins in there. That’s what we came for.”

As expected, the fenced-in people were obsessed with gold coins, willing to risk their lives for it. Khalid let out a chuckle.

“T, This bastard is laughing?!”

“Even the wolves in my homeland didn’t touch the livestock we raised. Even if it meant starving to death.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Because they knew that if they even touched a hair, they would all be hunted down. Even a newborn wolf cub can do that much calculation, but there are those who are worse than that.”

Khalid bared his fangs and grinned at the mercenaries, whose faces were filled with bewilderment.

“It seems the fenced-in people really lose all sense when it comes to money.”

“W, What! Guys, just kill him!”

The mercenaries all rushed at Khalid at once. Even Becky, who disliked fighting, felt sorry for the mercenaries.

『Are you going to kill them all? I feel a little bad for them.』

‘There’s no need to stain my heart with the blood of these rookies. But I need to teach them a lesson, that’s my rule.’

『Rule? What rule?』

‘Inscribe a lesson on those you don’t kill.’

Khalid didn’t even bother to take out his hand axe. He subdued the charging men with his bare hands, grabbed them by the scruff of their necks like cats, and tossed them away.

“Ugh, Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Khalid threw four cats, and eight men tumbled to the ground in a neat pile.

The sight of them colliding with their flying comrades and stabbing each other with their own swords was too gruesome to bear.

It was a wonder how they managed to stay alive as mercenaries with such pathetic skills.

Looking back now, Fang Kyle and Sharpshooter Bill, who had managed to inflict even minor wounds on Khalid, seemed like incredibly skilled individuals.

Khalid stood squarely in front of the most talkative mercenary. The mercenary, startled by Khalid’s shadow, wet his pants.

“H…… H-Help! My lord, please spare my life……”

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“Y, Yes?”

“Where is the bank in this town?”

◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈

『Ah! There it is.』

There was a sign that read on a building that looked similar to the Mercenary Guild.

When he opened the door and went inside, Khalid was greeted by beings that resembled humans but were somehow different. He guessed it was probably because of their pointed ears.

“Welcome. Are you here to deposit or withdraw?”

“I’m here to deposit.”

“I see. Please come this way.”

They were city elves.

Slender figures in neat, uniform attire. They seemed even more hierarchical than the lord’s mansion.

Their hair was as fine as silk, and their faces were all fair and beautiful, but the downside was that it was difficult to distinguish between men and women. He could only guess based on the curves of their bodies.

『Wow~ It’s like a model convention. They’re really something else in person. What’s with that male elf, he’s prettier than me?! Ugh, if only I were a few years younger……』

『Oh my! Look at that unni’s waistline. But why are her breasts so…… Ugh! Hey, Khalid. Go ask her what she eats and how she manages her figure! Hurry!』

Becky was rambling on about the elves’ appearances. Her tone was envious but also somewhat angry.

Ignoring her noisy chatter, Khalid followed the elven guide into a small room.

A room barely big enough for one person to sit in. On the other side, a bank employee bowed politely to Khalid.

“Welcome.”

Double iron bars separated Khalid and the employee. Dealing with customers one-on-one in an enclosed space was their basic customer service protocol.

“Is this your first visit to our vault?”

Khalid nodded.

“Then we need to collect a small amount of blood for identification registration. Would that be alright?”

“Blood?”

“Yes, just a few drops will do. Once you’re registered in the system, you can freely deposit and withdraw from anywhere on the continent…… Oh, customer?!”

The employee was startled when Khalid suddenly took out his axe and lightly cut his forearm.

She hurriedly handed a glass container and a towel over the counter. The prepared blood collection needle had to stay put, unused.

『Ah, shit! If you’re going to do something crazy, at least warn me first!』

It wasn’t just the bank employee who was surprised by Khalid’s sudden action. Yet, Khalid calmly dropped a few drops of blood into the container and stopped the bleeding with the towel.

“Th, Thank you. Please wait a moment.”

After that, the authentication process was completed by providing the employee with some basic personal information.

“Khalid-nim, you can now freely deposit and withdraw from anywhere with a Morris Credit Union.”

“Then I’ll deposit all of this.”

Khalid placed the money pouch on the counter.

The employee received the pouch and began counting the amount.

『Hey, hey, what are you doing giving it all away?! You need to have some living expenses!』

‘Don’t worry. I still have a few silver and copper coins.’

『But……』

Becky’s plan to buy equipment and eat delicious food was thwarted by Khalid’s strong self-control.

It seemed he was determined to save 10 gold coins no matter what.

“The total amount deposited is 2 gold, 10 silver, and 30 copper. Also, since you deposited a Doren gold coin, your credit rating has been set to Gold.”

“Credit rating?”

“Yes. Credit ratings are divided into five levels, from Bronze to Diamond, and you can receive various benefits we offer depending on your rating. This rating is also used by the Mercenary Guild, so please refer to this leaflet for details.”

『Platinum for more than 10 gold, and Master rank for the top ten depositors.』

The elven employee continued her kind explanation.

“Khalid-nim, you are at the third level, Gold rank, and since you are currently working as a mercenary, you can also take on special requests offered by our vault if you wish.”

“Special requests?”

“Morris Credit Union has a variety of clients, including royalty, nobility, and even the imperial family, so we sometimes receive requests directly from them. We act as an intermediary, connecting them with excellent mercenaries.”

“Isn’t this a vault?”

“Think of it as a kind of supplementary business.”

“So, you’re saying I’m an excellent mercenary because I deposited a lot of money?”

Khalid chuckled.

From the mercenaries who attacked him to the bank, the fenced-in people’s love for gold was a sight to behold.

“Do you judge skill by the amount of money one possesses?”

“Of course, we know that wealth and skill are not always proportional. However, it is a very difficult goal for mercenaries who only deal with low-level monsters like goblins to accumulate gold coins. It’s a condition to filter out mercenaries who lack the minimum qualifications.”

『That makes sense. If you have the ability to save gold coins, you’ve passed either diligence or skill.』

“Hmm.”

As Khalid nodded, the elven employee naturally moved on to the next matter.

“Khalid-nim. There happens to be a special request in this town. Are you interested? There are no Gold rank or higher mercenary clients in Windfall, so we were going to transfer it to another town soon, but if you’re interested, I can introduce it to you.”

“Is there no one else but me?”

“Yes…… that’s the case at the moment. There were originally two people in this town, but they were confirmed to have died in the recent ogre subjugation request.”

『Could it be the mercenaries you killed?』

The faces of Fang Kyle and Sharpshooter Bill came to mind.

It’s hard to believe that such incompetent guys were Gold rank mercenaries.

“What are the details of the request?”

“I can’t tell you the details until you accept it for confidentiality reasons. However, the reward is 1 gold, and once you open this sealed request form, you must fulfill it. If you don’t take any action by the deadline……”

The elven employee gently moved her lips, holding the request form in her hand.

“If I don’t?”

“……various sanctions will be imposed on Khalid-nim.”

“Heh, a bank is quite an interesting place.”

Khalid smiled.

Becky’s mind started racing at the mention of gold coins.

“I’ll take the request form for now. I’ll decide whether to accept it or not later.”

“As you wish. But if you refuse, you’ll need to be prepared for the consequences.”

The elven employee pushed the request form over the counter with a meaningful look.

Khalid took the request form and opened the sealed envelope without hesitation, examining its contents.

It contained a request he hadn’t expected.

━Assassinate the blacksmith ‘Melissa Smith’ in Windfall. Method of assassination is irrelevant. To be carried out by the end of this month. Reward: 1 gold. Payment upon confirmation of the body.

Even Becky, who was excited about the gold coins, froze after seeing the request form.

『M, Melissa?! Why that child…… Who would make such a request?』

Khalid’s face darkened.

He glared at the elven employee with his golden eyes flashing.

“Who made this request?”

“Naturally, I cannot tell you that.”

“So, banks also handle contract killings?”

“We do get such requests from time to time.”

“Even if the target is an ordinary resident who knows nothing?”

“As long as the target is not our client or a member of their family, we do not consider any other circumstances.”

Khalid frowned.

“I don’t kill people for no reason.”

“Regardless of your values, Khalid-nim, once you have received the request form, we consider it accepted.”

“What if I refuse? Will you show me what your ‘sanctions’ are right here and now?”

Unlike Khalid, who seemed ready to fight at any moment, the elven employee maintained her usual smile as she dealt with the customer.

“The deadline for the request is the end of this month. As I mentioned earlier, separate sanctions will only be imposed if you do not take any action by then.”

“Then let me ask you one more thing.”

“I will answer sincerely if it’s something I can tell you.”

“Is there anyone else who received this request besides me?”

The elven employee replied.

“Special requests are one-on-one contracts between the client and the mercenary, so strict confidentiality is essential. For your information, sanctions will also be imposed if you disclose the contents of the request to others, so please be careful.”

“I see. Then I’ll be going.”

Khalid turned around, his fighting spirit ignited. He wasn’t afraid of sanctions or anything else.

As the customer was about to leave, the bank employee immediately stood up and bowed politely.

“We look forward to your next visit, Khalid-nim.”