I tore meat and drank alcohol. My dirty hands were roughly wiped on the tablecloth. The reason I had come this far was simple.

Whatever Baron Martoan wants, it will be to my advantage.

I was now in the Count's banquet hall. Since there were many people gathered here, it was right to act like a barbarian. The more barbarian rumors accumulated, the more they became a shield against someone suspecting me of an evil spirit one day.

"Excuse me, can I touch your hand?"

"Do what you want."

"Kyaa!" I really touched it!

While I was enjoying the banquet, possessed by the barbarian spirit, curious nobles came up and began to talk to me. It was like working part-time as a talisman.

"Hey, can you yell again like you used to?"

'Behellaaa

"Hahaha, that's great!"

While I was demonstrating professionalism commissioned by the baron, more and more people gathered. There were knights among them, only three, and all three had an irritated expression on their faces. They seemed jealous that everyone was paying attention to me and treating me favorably.

"They should call you the Little Clown, not the Little Balkan.

"I heard that he got his nickname primarily because he's a little one down there.

"To show off like this, it seems that the pride of a warrior is a thing of the past.

I pretended not to hear.

Not only was it said by the apprentice knights who had the power of 3rd floor explorers, but there was also nothing to earn by making a fuss.

"Hahaha, have you been here all this time?"

While I was filling my stomach and entertaining the nobles, Baron Martoan returned. He looked around and smiled as if he was very happy.

"I'm sorry to disturb this atmosphere. I have someone I'd like to introduce him to, so I have to pick him up.

"Oh...!"

The place where the baron took me was a banquet hall inside the mansion. The atmosphere was different from the one I had been in the open air so far.

There the orchestra played merry melodies, and the young men and women danced in the gardens, but what is it here?

Isn't this a gathering of real nobles?

The room was filled with quiet and soothing music. Those sitting at the table and talking looked imposing and majestic.

"Come here."

Moving along with the baron, I examined the surroundings. About two hundred people enjoyed the banquet in the covered hall. Most of them were direct blood relatives, such as the young son of Baron Martoan, or people of social status, such as bank presidents or branch leaders of the Guilds.

"Among the people I'm about to introduce you to, there are many of a higher rank than me, so I'd like you to refrain from being rude as much as possible.

After that, I followed the baron to make the acquaintance of the titled nobles.

"Baron Martoan!" Long time no see... Who is your friend?

"You may have heard of him, Viscount. He is the Little Balkan, a well-known figure among researchers today.

"yes, is that him?" I've heard that name before. But how did it happen that he is here with you?

Instead of answering the viscount's question, the baron looked at me and winked. This meant that he had to hurry up and spit out the prepared phrase.

"When I was in trouble, the baron helped me. In return, I decided to defend him for the time being.

"Hahaha!" To hear such a thing from such a strong-looking barbarian, I envy you!

"Nothing special. I've said many times that it's not necessary, but...

The baron interrupted his words and looked at me again.

— ... A warrior never forgets about a service.

"Ha!" True and noble conviction. Did you say Bjorn, son of Yandel? I'll remember your name.

A similar conversation was repeated 12 more times. And there were only 13 titled nobles here, not counting the count, who arranged the banquet.

Well, a titled nobleman with even the slightest fiefdom in this city was a rarity in the game.

Best Game Consoles

 

It turns out that now I have become acquainted with the nobility.

Initially, participation in such a banquet would have been possible only with a significant increase in the level of my reputation, but I decided to be just as careful. I was not allowed to participate in this event, which also meant that I did not have the strength to defend myself if I fell out of favor with them.

"Then now that the greetings are over, you can rest beside me until the Count comes."

After the greeting, I calmly stood next to the baron and served faithfully as a trophy. Was it because the Baron was by my side, or because the warning made earlier had worked?

— ... Clop.

I wasn't sure, but the butler just clicked his tongue and averted his eyes when I met his gaze, and didn't bother to find fault with me like he used to.

Is this really the life of a barbarian?

I should have done it a long time ago.

Be that as it may, after that it became quite comfortable. Baron Martoan, a titled nobleman, was never the first to rise. A lot of people came to see him, even if he just stood still to get to know him, and I could only entertain them whenever the baron pleased.

"Oooh!"

"As expected, the name of the Little Balkan is not inferior, Baron!

I did things like bending a prepared steel rod with my bare hands and arm wrestling. So a lot of time passed.

Then I saw a familiar face in the approaching crowd.

"May the blessing of the twilight star be with you. Nice to meet you. Baron Martoan, and...

"Bjorn, son of Yandel."

"Haha, my apologies, Sir Yandel, I'm not good at names.

When I said my name, the paladin in white armor smiled good-naturedly. This was a man I met the other day after completing a mission in the sewers. Later in the night I brought the body of Eliza Behenk to him and got to know him for a short time. His name was...

"Do you know Captain Krovitz?"

Paal Krovitz. That was his name.

... Captain? That boy?

When I looked at the baron in surprise, he scratched his head as if embarrassed.

"I am unworthy, but I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to serve as a captain of the 3rd Division of the Paladin Order.

"I see...

I was extremely shocked. It wouldn't have occurred to me that a paladin captain could come in person to retrieve the body.

Didn't that mean that he was a monster with more strength than an 8th floor explorer?

"If you need a place to rest, please visit our church. As I said last time, the church will never forget Sir Yandel's achievements.

Hmm, then I thought that these were empty words. But since the chief has said that, I'll have to pay a visit some day. You never know; Even if that's not possible now, if I make a little more connections, he might even send a priest to the team.

During the conversation, the baron intervened in a soft voice.

"Hmm, achievements?" Captain Krovitz, what do you mean by that?

His eyes were full of curiosity. True, he probably could not easily imagine what a barbarian could do for the Order.

"I don't think I told you.

Krovits looked at the people around him, as well as at the baron, and spoke as if he were reading a children's story. Nothing special: I found the priestess of Karui in the labyrinth, not to mention that I then found and punished an evil woman hiding in the sewers. That was the end of it, but Krovits was a rather clever conversationalist.

"Ha!" I've heard that name before. A representative of the evil god appeared. But to think that it was this man who got rid of him.

"Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel. They say he was born with the fate of a hero...

When the story was over, everyone around, led by the baron, burst into exclamations.

"It's a divine bond blessed by the stars. The Church also values our relationship with Sir Yandel. Oh, I've got to go somewhere, then...

Krovets, who had covered my face with flattery to the end, said that he had business to attend to, and left.

The baron's eyes softened a little more.

"You turned out to be a much bigger person than I thought.

***

[Your reputation has been increased by +10.]

[Your reputation has been increased by +10.]

[...]

***

"Oh, damn me.

"Captain Krovitz, who is well known for his good understanding of people, said this, so it's clear that he will become a great figure in the future.

While the story that Krovitz had told was spreading among the nobles without my knowledge, the count appeared, and the banquet officially began.

"Count Ferdehilt has arrived!"

Seeing everyone off, a man with a majestic appearance went down the central staircase leading to the 2nd floor. Next to him stood his daughter, a girl about 10 years old. In a sense, she was the main character of this banquet.

"Thank you to everyone who came here for my daughter Arabella's birthday. We've got a lot of fun in store, so I hope you leave your worries behind today and enjoy!

At these words of the count, the music changed dynamically, and the static banquet hall began to come to life. The quiet voices grew louder, and here and there came laughter that was far from decent. I was sure it was partly caused by alcohol, since up to that point everyone had been sipping drinks.

"Would you do me the honor of allowing me to kiss the back of your hand, milady?"

The young men, each holding his hand of the sex he liked, began to dance. Those who were older sat down and started a vulgar conversation over the clown performance.

"Let's go."

The baron rose from his seat. His face seemed tense. When I asked where we were going, he replied:

"You haven't met the Count yet, have you?" When I saw him before, I was talking about you, and he said he had to meet you.

The baron's expression was completely different from when he had previously greeted titled nobles, as if he was dealing with his immediate superior.

Count, right?

I was nervous too, but the Count I met turned out to be a rather cheerful guy and was very kind to me.

"Haha!" Is it you! I wanted to see you in person.

When I came up to greet him, the Count stood up and even asked me to shake hands.

"Nice to meet you!"

Even when I responded to the handshake in a barbaric way, I couldn't help thinking that something was strange here. Little Balkan, Bjorn, son of Yandel. I was definitely aware of my recent fame.

But is this enough for the Count to behave in this way?

I wasn't so sure about it. At least, I didn't think so.

After all, there were less than a hundred nobles with the title of count in this huge city. He was no match for the Explorers Guild District Leader I'd met before, an all-powerful man indeed. Even in the game, events related to counts or magnates of a higher level only happened in the second half of the game.

"You're taller than I thought. You should be called the Greater Balkan, not the Little Balkan. Haha!

Someone like him complimented me as if he wanted to please me.

"By the way, what kind of weapon are they?" I've heard that you usually use a mace.

He kept subtly mentioning things that would have been unknown if he hadn't paid attention to me.

Why?

I couldn't understand it. If he had wanted to, I was sure that he could make even the best explorers of the 7th and 8th floors, whose fame was no match for mine, do whatever he wanted.

Why was he interested in me?

And made me worried...

Someone may be pleased with the attention of such a big guy as the Count, but not me, especially in an anxious time when something may explode in the near future.

... If something happens, what could it be?

It was just when my learned anxiety naturally began to suggest the worst related to the Count, that he clapped his hands, looked at me, and suggested something unexpected.

"An unexpected meeting with you gave me an interesting idea. After a while, a duel between the knights-apprentices will take place. Would you like to take part in them too?

— ... Wouldn't that anger the knights?

"I will solve this problem. How about this?

"I'll think about it...

I did not give a definite answer. It would be less problematic to reveal your will through the baron later, rather than denying him to his face.

"Hmph, if that's what you say. Do what you want.

At this point the Count ceased to pay attention to me. Then he began to talk to the baron about this and that, a quiet conversation in which they praised each other's wives and children and blessed the future of their families.

"Haha, the conversation was so pleasant that I delayed you for a long time. You should go and enjoy the banquet," the Count suggested.

"Yes, sir.

After that, when I left the Count and returned to my former table, the Baron spoke to me at once.

"So... What are you going to do?

"With what?"

"Congratulations!"

Of course. I evaded the question, saying that I was thinking about it. I was going to refuse, but I decided that it would look more sincere.

"Think carefully. You never know if this feature will be useful to you in the future.

As expected, the Baron tried to convince me by telling me about the benefits of participating in the tournament, saying that the prize even for participating was 2 million stones, or that it was a good opportunity to make a statement. The Count even gave out a numbered item of the 7000 series as a prize for winning the tournament.

"What?" Garfas's necklace?

— ... Why are you so surprised? Do you know about it?

The baron, not being a researcher, shook his head at my reaction. It was quite successful. If he had been a researcher, my reaction would have been even more dubious.

"Hmm, I've heard from Sir Elta that it's not such an attractive prize.

No7777 - Garfas's Necklace, only dropped in the Chasms on the 5th floor, and the drop rate was terrible, making it extremely difficult to obtain. In many ways, it was an item similar to the Frost Spirit Ring: an item with a low number and a strong personality, but not of much value to researchers. Because of this, despite its rarity, it was treated as a kind of dummy.

It even hides a special event.

I didn't have to think long. An ominous feeling that something is about to happen? My determination to sit on the sidelines for a while?

*Smirk*

So what? I have to carefully calculate the benefits and losses in everything, but that doesn't mean I have to be a coward like an idiot and refrain from what needs to be done. This was called "putting the cart before the horse."

"I'll do it."

"Huh?" What did you just say?

"The duels of which the count spoke, I will take part in them.