Chapter 464: Proof (4)
The Chaos Lord, Riakis, kill achievement reward was simple.
After the raid, you had to go to the Witch's Cabin and enter the flames. Your Mental Resistance would increase significantly, and you would be transported back to the Witch's Forest.
And...
「Achievement Unlocked」
Condition: Chaos Lord Riakis slain.
Reward: Mental Resistance permanently increased by +50.
The '???' in the achievement window had been replaced.
It was a unique hidden piece, even in [Dungeon and Stone].
The reward was given as an achievement, but you had to go to a specific location to claim it. And it was a time-limited reward.
And most importantly...
「Mental Resistance permanently increased by +50.」
The description was just one line.
There was no mention of an unknown power being bestowed upon you.
Or a hidden entity blessing you.
There were no fancy descriptions like the other hidden pieces.
I had experimented with it in the past, trying to find a hidden effect... but there was nothing.
So I thought there was nothing more to it...
「Error occurred.」
But where was I?
This wasn't the Witch's Forest.
「Character's location cannot be identified.」
「Character log transmission temporarily suspended.」
And who was this girl?
Tadat, tadat, tadat.
I looked around.
A dimly lit field, illuminated by a bonfire.
I asked the girl who she was, but she didn't answer.
And then she spoke.
[...Ellis Groundia.]
Her voice echoed in my head, not in my ears.
Her voice was surprisingly normal.
But...
"...What the fuck?"
I couldn't help but curse.
It was a name I could never forget.
"Sorry for the language. I'm a barbarian, you know. I get a little... expressive when I'm surprised."
I took a deep breath and looked at the girl.
She wasn't joking.
But I couldn't believe it.
'Is she really the Earth Witch?'
It was too absurd.
But I decided to accept it.
There was no reason not to.
I already knew that the Earth Witch was alive.
And it was highly unlikely that a random girl would appear in a place like this.
So...
'This is good.'
If she was really the Earth Witch, I had to take this opportunity to gather information—
[You mustn't open the Gate of the Abyss.]
Huh?
What was she talking about?
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
A cold wind swept through the area, and the scenery around me started to distort.
I reached out to the girl, but...
"...Yandel, what are you doing?"
Amelia's angry voice snapped me out of my trance.
______________________
「Character's location has been identified.」
「Character log transmission resumed.」
______________________
I was back in the Witch's Forest.
I felt like I had been possessed by a ghost.
I asked my teammates if they had experienced anything similar, but they didn't understand what I was talking about.
"...A fog-covered field? What are you talking about?"
"We were here the whole time!"
So it was just me...
"I must have seen something."
I didn't know what had happened, so I just brushed it off.
[23:50]
We decided to end the expedition and rest.
"Hey, Bjorn—!"
"Frenelin, leave him alone. He's thinking."
"Oh... Okay..."
Amelia gave me some time to think.
What I had experienced wasn't a dream.
I had met the Earth Witch.
I was sure of it.
But...
'You mustn't open the Gate of the Abyss.'
What did she mean by that?
And why did I experience that alone?
Auril Gabis, and now the Earth Witch... they all seemed to have strange expectations of me.
'...Is it because I cleared the original mode?'
I sighed.
The more I thought about it, the more questions I had.
「The labyrinth has closed.」
「Character is being transferred to Lafdonia.」
The labyrinth closed before I could find any answers.
We returned to the city.
"Wait, isn't that...?"
"It's Baron Yandel..."
The explorers in the Dimension Plaza whispered as they saw me.
I ignored them and looked around.
"...That was close."
"We're all alive. That's all that matters. Let's go home and rest."
The explorers who had been fighting on the 7th floor looked exhausted.
Their equipment was also in a terrible state.
'Something must have happened.'
I made a mental note to ask Bersil about it later.
I could get information from her offline now.
The Round Table was becoming less and less necessary as our influence grew.
'But I still need Clown and the GM's advisor.'
We headed towards the checkpoint.
I didn't have to rush anymore.
"Bjorn! Over here! Over here!"
The Integrated Checkpoint was only for explorers above 4th-grade.
And most of them were from clans, so there was no line.
Parties with over 10 members had to use a different checkpoint.
'I should upgrade our clan rank. I don't want to waste time at the checkpoint later.'
We passed through the checkpoint quickly.
We didn't have much to declare anyway.
"Ainar, are you going straight to the inn?"
"Yes, see you later!"
I said goodbye to Ainar and headed home.
'I have to sell this house this month...'
Even though I was finally home, I couldn't relax.
I had a lot of work to do.
"I'm going to take a bath. You guys can rest."
"Welcome back."
"Get some rest, Yandel."
I went upstairs and took a bath. Then I collapsed onto the bed.
"Phew..."
I needed to sleep.
I had to wake up early tomorrow.
______________________
The next morning, at 6:00 AM.
I got up and got ready, trying not to wake Amelia and Erwen.
"Haam..."
I was exhausted.
'I went to bed at 2:00 PM, so I slept for about 15 hours...'
It was thanks to the fact that we had only explored the 3rd floor for 15 days.
But I was still tired.
I usually spent the day after an expedition relaxing at home...
"It's an honor to escort you, Baron Yandel."
I arrived at the Public Transfer Station and boarded the carriage for nobles.
It had been a while since I had taken a carriage to the Imperial City.
The Marquis had provided transportation when I met him, and the royal family had taken care of it during the promotion ceremony.
'I should get some sleep.'
I felt better, knowing that I had saved 700,000 stones by using the carriage instead of the teleportation magic.
[13:10]
The carriage arrived at its destination a little after 1:00 PM.
Chew, chew.
I ate some jerky to satisfy my hunger and headed towards the mansion.
A rabbit-eared guard approached me.
He recognized me immediately.
"Greetings, Baron Yandel."
He welcomed me and escorted me inside.
His hospitality was impressive.
'...This is what it's like to be a noble.'
Everything was so refined and elegant.
It would take decades for my clan to reach this level.
"Welcome, Baron Yandel."
I was escorted to a room, and the Rabbit Baroness greeted me.
"It's good to see you again, Baroness Lirivia. Your house is impressive. And your servants are very kind."
"Thank you. You don't seem nervous at all."
"Should I be?"
"No, of course not. I was just surprised. And honestly, I can't imagine you being nervous."
"I get nervous too. When my life is on the line."
"You sound like a true explorer."
She was a smooth talker.
The conversation flowed naturally.
"Oh my, look at the time. I have to go greet the other guests. They'll be arriving soon."
"Where should I go?"
She tilted her head and chuckled.
"You don't have to worry about that. Someone will come and escort you when it's time. Just relax and enjoy yourself."
"...Alright. See you later."
About 30 minutes later, a servant came to escort me.
"The guests are waiting."
We arrived at a large study.
It reminded me of the Round Table.
There was a large, round table in the center of the room.
'Do all meetings in this world take place around a round table?'
I chuckled to myself.
"...."
Everyone was staring at me.
They were curious about the new member.
'They could have at least greeted me at the promotion ceremony.'
Ah, right, they couldn't come because they didn't want to attract attention.
I sighed.
They were a cautious bunch.
"Baron Yandel, can you please stand there for a moment? It won't take long."
"Alright."
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin the meeting."
The Rabbit Baroness, sitting at the head of the table, acted as the moderator.
"The first item on the agenda is Baron Yandel's membership application. According to our principles of equality, everyone is free to express their opinions before the vote. Once a decision is made, we will all accept the outcome."
So that's how they operated.
It made sense, considering the round table.
"I have a question for Baron Yandel."
A fairy with a mustache raised his hand.
His blue hair made his family obvious.
"Go ahead."
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm Baron Heskaira. It's an honor to meet you, hero."
"It's good to see you too, Baron Yandel."
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
"I've heard a lot about you, so I'll get straight to the point. I heard you became the chieftain of the barbarian tribe. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is."
I didn't bother hiding it.
Everyone knew.
They were just waiting for me to confirm it.
"I understand that you're a unique individual, Baron Yandel. But why? Did you not know about our unspoken rule?"
"I knew."
"Hmm..."
They were intrigued by my honesty.
"You knew, but you still did it...?"
"Because it's a useless rule."
"...That's a bold statement."
It was time to make a statement.
"Don't you all realize?"
I cut him off and looked around the table.
It was the perfect opportunity to make a first impression.
"You've been trying so hard to distance yourselves from your tribes... but it's pointless."
They weren't even doing a good job of it.
They were all secretly maintaining ties with their tribes.
'They're only supporting me because I can give them access to the barbarians.'
They were trying to have it both ways.
They wanted to be accepted by the nobles... but they also wanted to maintain their tribal connections.
"So, are you done with your questions?"
"Yes, I am. At least... I know what kind of person you are now."
Good. That was exactly what I wanted.
The Mustache Fairy finished his turn, and the Rabbit Baroness took over.
"Does anyone have any other questions or objections?"
"...."
"Then we'll begin the vote. All those in favor of Baron Yandel's membership, please raise your hands."
The voting process was unexpected.
It wasn't a secret ballot.
"...."
They just raised their hands.
It was an archaic method, but the outcome was as I expected.
"Thirty-one votes in favor. Baron Yandel's membership application has been approved."
Unanimous.
"From this day forward, Baron Yandel's enemies are our enemies. We will support him, no matter what."
The Rabbit Baroness declared, and the nobles applauded.
But I wasn't happy.
I was the first barbarian noble in 600 years.
And the first barbarian Baron in the history of Lafdonia.
Even if I had taken off my pants and defecated on the table, the outcome wouldn't have been different.
They were desperate.
They would have accepted me, hoping that my son wouldn't inherit my mental deficiencies.
"Baron Yandel, you may take your seat."
I sat down at the empty seat. The applause stopped, and the Rabbit Baroness gave me a brief welcome speech.
Then the meeting continued.
"The second item on the agenda is the support for Baron Yandel's family."
The outcome was already decided.
Melbeth had already agreed to support my family.
They just had to decide on the details.
And...
'They're being very generous.'
Thanks to the Rabbit Baroness's efforts, the support was even more substantial than I had expected.
So we moved on to the next item.
"The third item on the agenda..."
The Rabbit Baroness glanced at me and then continued.
"Is the official support for Baron Yandel and his clan, Anabada."
"...Clan Anabada? You mean his clan?"
"Yes."
The nobles were surprised.
"We accepted his family's support because it would benefit us... but this is a different matter."
"Supporting an individual instead of a family! It's unprecedented!"
They demanded an explanation.
"Why should we do that?"
"That's—"
I stood up, cutting her off.
'I can't let her handle this alone.'
It was time for me to prove my worth.