Chapter 69
My Reflector Is Invincible 69
69. First Time?
Joo-yeon left the dukedom in a carriage right away.
He didn’t want to stay for no reason and get caught.
But Olson, the knight who was waiting inside the carriage, handed him something unexpected.
“The lord told me to give this to you.”
“……!”
What he handed him was a pouch.
Of course, it wasn’t just any pouch.
“He said it’s a subspace pouch. He also told me to serve you the best way I can so that you won’t be uncomfortable.”
It was filled with treasures.
Jooyeon brought out the things from the warehouse, the gifts he had received from the grim reapers.
It was not enough, so he also brought some of the Edmer family’s fortune.
It was said that a tremendous amount of wealth was packed inside.
That was not the end.
“I will serve you, Jooyeon-nim, on behalf of the Lord from now on. I ask for your favor.”
A knight called Olson was attached as an escort.
What he brought was a whopping eight-carriage wagon. It was a carriage that only the previous dukes could ride.
There were also mounted escort knights on each side.
Jooyeon tilted his head.
“I told you I didn’t need soldiers?”
“They are not soldiers for force. They are just an escort unit to guard the carriage whenever you move.”
“Well, if that’s the purpose.”
An escort unit just to guard the carriage.
However, it was natural when he thought about the紋樣 carved on the carriage.
The紋樣 of the [Knight King] was drawn on it.
Furthermore, there was more than one紋樣.
“Huh… gasp! Th… that紋樣!?”
Haken was the first to notice the紋樣.
His eyes widened at another紋樣, not the Knight King’s.
It was natural since it was a紋樣 that everyone on the continent knew.
<Winged Sword Piercing the Heavens>
Wasn’t it exactly the same as the one drawn on the [Holy Sword]?
It was identical to the one the hero of the past used.
There was only one meaning to it.
Olson nodded with a moved expression.
“The previous duke seems to have recognized Jooyeon-nim as a true hero.”
“That’s a big deal.”
“No, it’s a really big deal. The popes of the temple may not know, but the previous duke has not allowed anyone to use the hero’s name until now.”
“……!”
Even the emperor or the pope of the empire could not use the name of the hero lightly.
The Knight King did not allow anyone to deface or exploit the name of <Hero>.
No, it wasn’t just a matter of permission; he sent troops to punish them directly.
That was why there were no fake guys pretending to be heroes.
“In fact, that’s why it’s said that he’s not on good terms with the Grand Duke.”
Because the Grand Duke was a thief.
As a knight whose belief was justice, it meant that he could not forgive his colleague who was tarnishing the name of the hero.
“I guess he’s dealing with the hero’s death very strongly.”
However, Jooyeon, who knew the truth, tilted his head.
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‘Weren’t they enemies from the beginning?’
To be exact, it was because of the Knight King’s personality.
Because [honesty] and [integrity] were his main principles.
He couldn’t become friendly with a thief who openly committed crimes in the first place.
It was no wonder that he was speaking to Olson like he was now.
“The late Duke told me to tell you, if you ride in the carriage, you promise to stop stealing and become a new person…”
“It’s dirty, so I won’t ride in it! You guys!”
Daedo didn’t lie down inside the carriage, but on top of it.
He was showing that he would rather lie on top of it than ride in the carriage, even if it killed him.
The two of them were on extremely bad terms.
‘Well, that’s their problem to figure out.’
Anyway, he had asked the Hero King for a separate favor.
Rather, something else was more important right now.
It was natural for Haken to ask Joo-yeon.
“Where are we going now?”
“To the Great Forest.”
“Don’t tell me… The Krausen Great Forest?”
[Krausen Great Forest]
It was where one of his old comrades was.
Haken’s face hardened slightly.
“Why there of all places… Isn’t that a very dangerous place?”
It couldn’t be helped.
The Great Forest was the territory of the ‘savages’.
One of the hero’s comrades, the [Savage Chieftain].
It was the territory of the Great Chieftain, the only one the savage savages acknowledged.
Even Olson looked a little worried.
“Even though it’s where an old comrade of the late Duke is… They’re not a race that can be reasoned with.”
Even before the battle with the Demon King, the savages had always caused conflicts.
They were such a warlike people that they would have advanced into the continent by now if it hadn’t been for the Edmer Dukedom.
Rather, it was amazing that they had gone with the hero to defeat the Demon King.
In other words, no one could control them except for the hero and his comrade, the Savage Chieftain.
Above all, the biggest problem was this.
“You don’t know, but the savages…”
“Don’t let outsiders in carelessly?”
“……!”
“And only those who have received special recognition can enter?”
“……Did you know?”
Joo-yeon smiled instead of answering.
[Brotherhood Ritual]
They had to fight their way through the savages from the entrance of the Great Forest.
They were sensitive to hierarchy, so they never recognized anyone but the strong.
Olson knew that part quite well.
“You will have to fight for dozens, hundreds of nights before you can meet the Grand Chief. No matter if you have the seal of the previous Duke, he is not someone you can easily meet.”
Even if they were former comrades, the barbarians were old-fashioned in this regard.
Money or persuasion did not work.
They were a race that only pursued battle and honor.
So there was no choice but to just perform the ritual.
‘I performed the ritual with Ryujin too.’
That was when I didn’t have a single proper item.
Back then, my only companion was [King of Knights], so it was incredibly difficult.
‘Well, that time it took about a week.’
It wasn’t simply a matter of strength.
I had to compete in strength with thousands of barbarians and climb my way up.
I had to step on each and every rank from the bottom, so it took a while.
But this time was different.
‘I have Counter.’
My had especially good相性with barbarians.
Why?
‘Most barbarians are melee fighters. And they give their all in every attack.’
That meant that I just had to turn on and climb my way up.
I didn’t have to waste my energy fighting each and every one of them.
I didn’t even need to rest like I did when I came here with the Hero.
‘A week? Hell, a day is enough.’
No, maybe I could do it in half a day?
I might set a new record this time.
That’s why I was looking forward to it, but Haken was still anxious.
“The barbarians are said to be very ferocious. If it weren’t for the previous Duke and the Hero, they would have been subjugated before the Demons……”
“Don’t worry so much. They’re nicer than you think.”
“Ni, nicer……?”
Joo-Heon chuckled.
They were just fond of showing off their strength, but the barbarians themselves were innocence personified.
‘You could say they have a timeless purity. They’re the kind of guys who get happy over a single present.’
They were also honorable warriors who valued gold like it was a rock.
Because of that, they got along especially well with [King of Knights].
After all, birds of a feather flock together.
And that wasn’t all.
‘It’s not for nothing that they’re the number one choice for recruiting.’
Barbarians would never betray their comrades first. Once they became close, they would blindly trust the other person.
They were comrades you could truly trust your back to.
‘Unlike that thieving geezer.’
Of course, if you only looked at his abilities, Dae-Ho was圧倒的and useful.
Even now, you could see that.
Knock, knock!
The Great Shaman signaled from the ceiling of the carriage.
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“Are we there already?”
“No, not the Great Forest yet, but near the entrance. Carriages are forbidden from here on.”
If we don’t leave the carriage, we’ll be ambushed by the barbarians.
It was a warning not to waste our energy before the [Brotherhood Ritual].
As expected of the Great Shaman.
‘The complete opposite of the barbarians, who are clueless and only follow orders.’
Nevertheless, Joo-yeon favored the barbarians.
He preferred colleagues he could trust completely over those who might betray him at any moment.
‘Well, that doesn’t mean the Great Shaman would betray me first.’
It’s comforting to have a barbarian chieftain with high credibility.
So Joo-yeon got out of the carriage. The familiar sight of the forest came into view.
‘It’s been a long time.’
Now, declare the Brotherhood Ritual on the mountainside, and fight the barbarians who know nothing but muscle and strength.
Defeating them one by one and reaching the top of the Great Forest. That was the only way to build camaraderie with the barbarians.
Yes, starting from that entrance…
“Huh?”
Joo-yeon tilted his head.
The entrance Joo-yeon remembered was an ordinary village.
Yes, a sweaty place where barbarian warriors fought each other for honor…
“Wow, let’s play, hyungs!”
Instead of sweat…
“Damn it, I’m out of chips! Bring me more money!”
…smelling of money…
“Oh my gosh! I lost again! You damn idiots!”
“Lend me some money, kid!”
…smelling of money instead of sweat.
‘…What the?’
Is this really the Great Forest?
The barbarians were definitely known to be a hardworking and honest race.
Flash, flash!
A golden signboard I had never seen before was bursting with brilliant light.
Drunkards shouted along with the music from all sides.
It seemed like they were making some kind of bet.
‘Those who didn’t even care about money.’
They were enthusiastically watching something like people in a dogfighting ring.
There were also many people dressed in revealing clothes, which could be seen as a red-light district.
Joo-yeon grabbed a nearby person, inwardly flustered.
“Didn’t you originally hold the Brotherhood Ritual near here?”
Then, the reply that came back was amazing.
“Go back. We no longer accept brethren.”
“……!”
A muscular warrior that looked like a gatekeeper blocked Joo-in’s group.
At first glance, he had a ferocious expression.
Haken stepped forward at that sight.
“We are the delegation that brought the letter from the former Duke Edmer, no, Knight King. We came to see the chieftain.”
“If you wish to meet the chieftain, write your name in the reservation book over there and wait.”
Reservation book?
Next to the gatekeeper was an incredibly thick book, even at a glance.
Haken looked through the reservation book with a fed-up expression.
“How long will it take if we make a reservation here? A week…”
“You’ll have to wait about ten years.”
“Yes?!”
Ten years?
Haken tried to slip the gatekeeper a money pouch.
“No. Don’t do that, and take this…”
“Visitors without reservations cannot enter. Don’t you even know that? You guys are too barbaric.”
“……!?”
Being called barbaric by barbarians?
Haken immediately gave up on persuading the gatekeeper.
“It seems like something has changed with those guys.”
“It doesn’t seem like a good change.”
I was going to try shortening the record for once.
This couldn’t be helped, it was an annoying situation.
And even the name of the [Knight King] didn’t work on those barbarians.
If that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do.
‘We have no choice but to use the desperate measure.’
Joo-in’s eyes glinted.