Chapter 243 Branch Point (3)

Chapter 243 Branch Point (3)

Branch Point (3)

A man, observing the situation from afar, chuckled as the Marquis heir’s body tilted towards Bjorn Yandel.

‘The rumors were true.’

He was a wild one.

To pull something like that in front of the Prime Minister.

‘No, maybe he believes that the Prime Minister and the other nobles won’t blame him.’

Hmm, it wasn’t incomprehensible.

After all, there was a clear difference between a noble who was about to become a Marquis and a barbarian explorer who was about to become a Viscount.

And besides...

...there had been many instances of bullying that were even more blatant in the noble society, where hazing was rampant, and it was tacitly accepted.

It was a kind of taming.

But...

‘He’s certainly bold.’

The Marquis heir wasn’t a knight.

He just absorbed a few essences to build an intimidating physique.

But to pick a fight with an explorer who was known to have defeated the Corpse Collector in a physical confrontation...

‘Ah, come to think of it, he’s injured, right?’

The man belatedly remembered that Bjorn Yandel was still suffering from the aftereffects of the last battle.

He said the poison had even seeped into his brain.

He was sweating profusely just from walking normally at the last banquet.

That must have been why the Marquis bastard did that.

‘...This is going to ruin the mood.’

The man involuntarily frowned as he imagined what was to come.

The malice of nobles hidden beneath their glamorous facade.

And a hero being humiliated in front of everyone.

It wasn’t a scene he wanted to see on his rare outing—

“Huh?”

The man tilted his head.

Because an unexpected outcome had occurred.

The barbarian’s body didn’t even budge at the Marquis heir’s trick.

‘...Has he already recovered to some extent?’

Good.

That’s when...

...the barbarian’s shoulder muscles, which couldn’t be concealed by mere cloth, twitched.

And at that moment...

“Aak!!”

As if there was a reaction, the Marquis heir was thrown backward.

“.......”

The music stopped, and silence fell.

He couldn’t understand it at all.

‘...He pushed the Marquis bastard away here?!’

It was an act he wouldn’t have done if he had considered the consequences.

The man, feeling a sense of secondhand embarrassment, felt even more dizzy.

Although he was glad that the barbarian’s condition had improved and he wasn’t tricked by that pathetic scheme...

‘He should have just ignored it.’

If it were him, he would have said something like, ‘Haha, did my legs give out? I should work out more,’ and then gotten back at him later.

That was the less risky option.

Well, it was a barbarian-like action...

‘...That person wouldn’t have done it like this.’

Then was he really just a barbarian?

The man was disappointed, but he continued to observe the situation.

You never know.

This could also be part of a bigger picture...

And even if he wasn’t ‘that person’...

Bjorn Yandel was someone who was suspected to be a player due to his exceptional growth rate.

‘Let’s just watch for now.’

That’s when, as he was focusing his gaze...

“Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

...the Prime Minister called the barbarian’s name in a troubled voice.

He also already knew.

About the Marquis heir’s trick, and how the barbarian responded to it.

‘Now, how is he going to resolve this situation?’

The man waited for the barbarian to speak, not giving up on the possibility of a reversal until the very end.

It didn’t take long.

The barbarian shouted indignantly,

“...I, I didn’t do anything wrong!”

A protest without any logical defense, like a whining child.

“It’s true! I was just standing there, and he used me to do a forward roll!”

He even blamed the Marquis directly.

The man felt a sense of emptiness.

“Marquis! You tell me! You just wanted to do a forward roll, right?!”

He remembered the experienced players in the community who said that Bjorn Yandel couldn’t possibly be a player.

Now he understood what they meant.

‘This is a modern person...?’

The man’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the barbarian.

_________________________

The title bestowal ceremony was over.

Honestly, I don’t remember the details.

It was boring.

The Prime Minister gave a long speech, using all sorts of fancy words, and I officially became a noble of this country as he bestowed the title upon me on behalf of the royal family.

And then the banquet began.

‘Damn it.’

It was different from the last banquet.

Back then, many nobles approached me to build a relationship or out of simple curiosity...

“.......”

...but now there was no one around me.

Even Baron Martoan and the Count who tried to arrange a political marriage were just watching from afar.

It was a completely different treatment from the Marquis and the Viscount, who were surrounded by many nobles.

Well, it was understandable.

It seemed like I needed to test him.

I spoke naturally after a brief moment of contemplation.

“Why don’t you have a plate too? I’m a bit uncomfortable eating alone.”

“Aha, so that’s what you meant.”

Hans A. ordered food from the servant at my words.

And so, we had some time alone.

“It’s nice to meet you. I was actually bored because I was alone.”

I extended my hand, which was still covered in meat juice, and Hans A. hesitated for a moment before shaking it.

Geez, that disgusted expression.

‘Phew, this is even more suspicious.’

What was his reason for staying here, even shaking hands with my greasy hand?

I opened my mouth to find out.

Wide enough that I wouldn’t feel awkward even if bits of meat I was chewing on flew onto his face.

“Right! Hans Aiphreya? I like you! Let’s be friends!!”

“.......”

“Why don’t you want to be friends?”

He smiled awkwardly, picking off the bits of meat on his face one by one, at my question.

“No, there’s no way...”

“Haha, I like you!”

The food he ordered soon arrived, and we ate and chatted.

He congratulated me on receiving a title.

He said the weather was nice today.

Most of it was meaningless small talk, and at some point, Hans A. stopped eating.

Because the bits of meat that flew out of my mouth had all landed on his plate.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

“...I don’t feel well.”

“Hmm, I’m uncomfortable eating alone...”

It was a subtle way of telling him to get to the point if he had one, or leave if he didn’t.

Then how would he react?

The answer was simple.

“If you’re uncomfortable, then I’ll excuse myself.”

Hans A. got up from his seat without hesitation.

And...

“Enjoy your meal.”

...he immediately left.

‘What was that about?’

Did he really just come to be friends?

“.......”

I felt even more uneasy because he just left like that.

__________________

Early evening, as the sun began to set.

I left the royal palace as if running away after Hans A. left and got into a carriage heading home.

After all, I had met a Hans.

I couldn’t even imagine what kind of incident I might get caught up in if I stayed in this place full of nobles.

‘Let’s absorb the essence first.’

I asked Keplo, who resumed his close protection as soon as we left the royal palace, for his understanding and then opened the test tube.

‘Come to think of it, this is my first time absorbing an essence without breaking the test tube.’

Corpse Golem, Orc Hero, Manticore.

Although the situations were all different, I had to break the test tube to absorb the essence.

It wasn’t like it could be reused anyway.

Whoosh.

I took a deep breath, holding the test tube to my nose, and the essence inside was absorbed into my body like smoke.

「The essence of ‘Bion’ seeps into the character’s soul.」

The 3rd-grade monster, Bion.

There was one reason why I chose him in the end.

Honestly, absorbing ‘Vol-Herchan’s’ essence and preparing against Aura while increasing my combat power would have been more advantageous right now...

...but the acquisition difficulty was vastly different.

‘Since I absorbed this, I can just skip ‘Land of Immortality’ later and just get experience points.’

Vol-Herchan was a common monster that appeared in groups, and it was easy to encounter if you went to its field, while ‘Bion’ was difficult to encounter, and the characteristics of its field were very tricky.

This essence choice was a more long-term investment.

‘And besides, there’s not much difference in terms of specs, even though the essence’s characteristics are different.’

And if you consider the effect of the next Spirit Engraving, this was the more rational choice.

「Soul Power increased by +100.」

「Soul Regeneration increased by +30.」

「Strength increased by +25.」

「.......」

「.......」

I felt a sense of fulfillment deep down.

A new vitality from the minor physical stat increases.

I opened my eyes after briefly savoring the afterglow, and Keplo congratulated me with a smile.

‘It’s late today, so I guess I can go to the training center tomorrow.’

I closed my eyes again, feeling disappointed that I couldn’t use my newfound strength right away.

After some time...

Creak.

...the carriage suddenly stopped in the middle of the street.

Did a wheel fall off?

That’s when, as I opened my eyes with that thought...

“I sense mana from below!”

...Keplo, a human knight with a talent for mana, unlike a barbarian, shouted.

And...

“You have to get off qu—”

...a giant explosion engulfed us in flames.

Kwaaang!

The carriage shattered in an instant.

Beeeeeeeep!

I heard the knights shouting amidst the ringing in my ears.

“Assassin! An assassin is here!!”

Damn it.