Barbarian’s Dark Fantasy Strategy Guide

Chapter 18: Tutorial Complete （2）

The lord’s manor was undergoing extensive repairs. The ground was being tilled, the collapsed walls were being rebuilt, and the broken windows were being replaced. Many residents volunteered to help, so there was no need to hire additional workers.

It showed how much the people of Windfall followed Hojae.

“Master, I have brought Khalid-nim.”

A servant guided Khalid to the office. It was said that Hojae had been immersed in official duties since yesterday morning.

『To have the spirit to work after going through such an ordeal, this guy has a strong mentality.』

Perhaps he was trying to forget the painful events. Looking at Hojae’s complexion, it seemed like that thought was correct.

“Come in. I’ve been waiting.”

Hojae, who welcomed Khalid, looked exhausted. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, it seemed like he hadn’t slept properly since that day.

“Khalid-ssi……”

“Melissa.”

Melissa, sitting next to Hojae, greeted him with a somewhat awkward expression. It was understandable that she would be flustered by the sudden events.

There was one more person in the office besides Hojae and Melissa.

“Hey! My friend Khalid.”

“Victor?”

『Why is he here?』

Victor waved cheerfully from behind Hojae. His spot was where Dominic had been standing until recently.

“I heard the details from Victor. You and this friend made the greatest contribution in the canyon.”

It was true that thanks to the ambush he had prepared, they were able to stop Dominic’s rebellion more easily. There was no need to kill many people unnecessarily.

“The lord…… no. My lord listened to my request and appointed me as an advisor. This is all thanks to you.”

Becky snorted, “Hmph!” only now.

『This was your goal! I knew something was fishy.』

Victor was a member of one of the most prominent forces in the underworld. Although it wasn’t something Khalid should be involved in, Becky was right to be concerned about whether he was a dangerous figure.

Noticing Khalid’s subtle reaction, the quick-witted Victor laughed heartily.

“Aha, you mean this?”

He unhesitatingly rolled up his sleeve.

He revealed the spiderweb tattoo on his arm to everyone.

“I already told my lord that I’m a member of the Underweaver. I shouldn’t have any secrets from the one I swore allegiance to.”

Hojae accepted Victor after hearing about his past deeds.

“It’s alright. No matter where you’re from, it’s true that you helped save my life, and above all, you’re experienced and knowledgeable. It’s hard to find someone to fill the role of an advisor, so I’m grateful that you came to me.”

If he thought so, there was no reason for others to argue.

“So, what did you call me for? Do you want to know about that night?”

Mila Arik.

On the night the baroness turned into a demon, everyone in the mansion lost consciousness due to her scream. Hojae probably called him because he wanted to hear what happened after that.

“No, I heard all about it from the servants.”

“You heard about it?”

『Huh? Didn’t everyone faint except you?』

It seemed there was a deaf servant. He took care of the collapsed Hojae and secretly watched Khalid’s fight with the Banshee. In any case, there was no need to explain it to Hojae separately.

“I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve helped me. You saved this town from demons, protected me and my bloodline, and even eradicated the hideous secret I didn’t know about. I will never forget this favor…… Thank you sincerely.”

Hojae bowed deeply to Khalid.

It was an expression of genuine gratitude, which was rare to see from a Fenced-in person. It would have been better if Becky hadn’t ruined the atmosphere with her lack of tact.

『Hey, hey, mister. You’re not thinking of getting away with just a thank you, are you? We almost went to the River Styx this time too!』

“So, it’s not much of a reward, but……”

『Aha! As expected! You’re quick-witted.』

Did he hear Becky’s voice? Hojae immediately brought up the topic of compensation.

“Khalid, would you consider staying in Windfall? I may not be good at other things, but I can certainly provide you with financial support.”

Hojae’s straightforward offer.

This was a topic that had been discussed several times with Becky. She wanted to live comfortably, saying that revenge was meaningless, but Khalid’s answer was always the same.

Hojae also seemed to know what Khalid’s answer would be. Still, he asked in the hope that he might change his mind.

“I’m sorry, but I decline.”

Hojae was inwardly disappointed but accepted it calmly on the surface. Khalid was not a man who could be swayed by money. That’s why he wanted to keep him by his side even more.

“I understand. Then I’ll have to offer you a different kind of reward…… Victor.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Hojae instructed Victor to bring the prepared item. Victor handed Khalid a luxurious-looking wooden jewelry box.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Click.

When he opened the palm-sized box, there was an ornament that looked like a bracelet inside. Countless glittering grains of sand were embedded in a black, transparent piece of metal. It was like the Milky Way in the night sky.

“It’s a bracelet made of Runesteel（Runesteel）. It’s a token given only to the most special people in the Arik Trading Company. Anywhere in the Dunhelm Kingdom, if you show it to someone from our company, they will treat you with the utmost respect.”

As expected, Becky was the first to react to the gift.

『Wow! This is purple, an Epic item! An Epic item as a tutorial reward, that’s awesome.』

Becky was babbling in incomprehensible words again.

『Huh? But what’s this?』

‘What’s wrong?’

『I see some letters…… Don’t you see it says ‘VIP’ here?』

‘Letters?’

Khalid tilted his head. He couldn’t see any letters anywhere.

Becky had been judging items by colors that only she could see, such as white and blue, since they first met. Seeing her call it purple this time, it seemed like she had her own unique criteria.

（’VIP’? That’s an option I’ve never seen before…… Maybe it gives you a discount at the store? Anyway, it’s Epic, so it must be good.）

In “World of Pandora,” items don’t have complicated option lists. Instead, items of Rare grade or higher have one “exclusive option,” and the grade is determined by this effect.

Additionally, if there are sockets, you can equip Runestones to increase the number of options, and you can also directly imbue magic or divinity into rune material equipment like Runesteel.

In other words, it meant that there was room to add options to this Runesteel bracelet.

『Hehehe, it’s a jackpot from the start. It was worth all the hard work.』

Becky muttered and laughed slyly, as if she was pleased with something.

In any case, the bracelet was a gift that showed Hojae’s consideration. The fact that he had prepared something that would be helpful for the journey meant that he had anticipated Khalid’s refusal of his offer.

“Thank you. Then I’ll be going now.”

“Goodbye, Khalid. Windfall will always welcome you.”

Khalid nodded at Hojae’s farewell.

“W-wait a minute, Khalid-ssi! I’ll go with you.”

As they were about to leave the mansion, Melissa followed Khalid.

“It’s my turn now.”

“Your turn?”

“I promised to make you a new axe, didn’t I? I finished it last night.”

Khalid headed to the blacksmith’s workshop with Melissa. As soon as they left the mansion, Melissa breathed a sigh of relief.

“Phew.”

“Was it uncomfortable?”

Melissa had been sitting tensely in the office the whole time. The confident figure from the dinner table was nowhere to be seen.

“It wasn’t…… uncomfortable. It was just a bit sudden. I don’t know. It doesn’t feel real yet.”

“Hojae is a good man.”

Khalid expressed his honest opinion. If it weren’t for him, he might have thought all Fenced-in people were the same.

“Yes, he’s a great man. He’s respected by everyone, and I’m so grateful that the people of Stoneberry accepted us so readily. But……”

Melissa bit her lower lip slightly.

“If he’s my biological father, why did he only look for me now? We were so close…… My deceased grandfather never talked about my father.”

A childish complaint mixed with resentment. Even though she had become independent and capable at a young age, she looked like a child of her age now.

Khalid suddenly saw his own situation reflected in her.

“Indeed, I also had a sudden strong connection with someone like you. Completely against my will.”

“Khalid-ssi too?”

“Yes. Not a blood relative, but perhaps closer than one.”

Did he have an unwanted arranged marriage or something? Melissa thought so.

“S-so, how did you get along with that person?”

“I’m not sure if I can say we get along well even now. He’s a guy I can’t understand at all……”

“Everyone has a different personality. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get along with your family just because they’re family.”

Melissa’s expression turned gloomy.

“But I chose to coexist with him. I’m trying to understand him as much as possible, even if we clash here and there.”

“Isn’t it hard?”

“Not really. He’s such a unique guy that it’s never boring being with him.”

“I see. Can I do it like Khalid-ssi?”

“If you’re willing to face it, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other.”

Melissa seemed to gain some confidence from Khalid’s advice. But for some reason, Becky, who had been listening to the conversation silently, felt uneasy.

『Wait. Is this about me?』

‘……’

Khalid pretended not to know.

By the time they arrived at the blacksmith’s workshop, Melissa had returned to her usual cheerful self. She said she wouldn’t quit blacksmithing even if she became the lord’s heir.

She came out with the axe she had been working on since the day Khalid left for the expedition.

“Ta-da! What do you think? The axe I made?”

As soon as Khalid saw the axe, this thought came to his mind.

‘It’s beautiful.’

An axe as black as night from head to toe.

It was quite large for an axe, almost as long as an ordinary longsword.

Moreover, with the large crescent-shaped axe head taking up half of it, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to even lift it with both hands.

It was just the right weight for Khalid, who had been wielding only light hand axes until now.

“With this, I could cut through a thick ogre’s neck in a single stroke. It’s perfect.”

“Hehe.”

Melissa’s face beamed with pride.

The level of perfection was unimaginable for a weapon forged by a sixteen-year-old girl. It was truly the skill of a descendant of a master craftsman. Even Khalid, who wasn’t particularly interested in good weapons, couldn’t help but admire it.

“The previous owner had stockpiled good materials in the warehouse. I made the axe head and handle entirely out of Blacksteel. It’s much stronger than an ordinary steel axe. You probably won’t see it getting dull easily.”

Melissa confidently placed her hand on her hip, brimming with pride for the axe she had created after dozens of failures.

Becky was also deeply impressed.

『Whoa. An Epic weapon too?! A sixteen-year-old girl making a masterpiece like this. She’ll be a true master craftsman in a few years. Or is she already one?』

It was undoubtedly a magnificent axe to anyone’s eyes.

But Becky saw one more thing that Khalid couldn’t. The exclusive option corresponding to the Epic grade shimmered before the Blacksteel Axe.

The two words ‘Immortality’.