Rothmiller was different from Misha and Hikuroda. As an intelligence officer, he was attentive and quick-witted, and in many respects he was an "old-timer", starting from the very bottom. However, I didn't expect him to ask so bluntly.

Since this is my karma, then I will have to put up with it.

Only one option immediately came to mind.

To admit that I was an evil spirit and to appeal to our friendship was foolish, so the only thing I could do was smash his head in a fit of rage because I had been insulted.

But...

To put it mildly, this is strange.

And my judgment wasn't clouded by attachment. I know Rothmiller. If he really thought I was an evil spirit, then there would be no such conversation. It is like a herbivore. In other words, Rothmiller wasn't sure of his words either. Besides, I didn't feel any malice. I quickly decided on a position.

As I thought, the best thing to do would be to wait and assess the situation for now.

Of course, I wasn't going to make excuses and beg him to trust me. This was not in the spirit of a barbarian. After a silence of about three seconds, I replied coldly:

"Rothmiller, I hope you have a reason to insult me.

I wanted him to think that since he was my dear comrade, I would let him get away with it this time and ask him why. In fact, it wasn't a lie. If it hadn't been for Rothmiller, my fist would have been flying to his head long ago.

However, he only chuckled.

"I'd believe you're genuinely angry if I didn't know you better.

"What?"

"Such things as an oath or honor do not seem to you to be something that should limit you. You are not attached to formalities, and you have enough patience not to succumb to emotions

I couldn't fool Rothmiller with my game because he knew me too well. The warrior's oath I used as a cheat code wouldn't work either.

Therefore, I changed my position a little.

—... Even I hate to hear that from a teammate.

"Hmm, that's probably true.

Rothmiller shrugged his shoulders and drank the rest of his drink. The situation has become much calmer than before.

"But you're too special," Rothmiller went on.

The Barbarian Who Reads

A barbarian over whom emotions have no power.

A pragmatic barbarian for whom there are things more important than honor.

Most of them can be classified as exceptional. With the exception of the latter:

The barbarian knew information that a researcher who was not even a year old could not know.

"Then, in the labyrinth, you said you had received a revelation.

When I returned to the Sky Tower, I told my skeptical companions that I had heard a revelation from Behella, the progenitress goddess. There were gods in this world, right? Misha and Hikuroda took this as an answer. Even Rothmiller, who I was worried about, didn't say anything, so I decided that I had gone through this incident safely.

But...

"Who would have believed that?" I couldn't either. That's why I thought you must be an evil spirit.

So that's what you secretly thought of me.

Well, if you were to assume that I am an evil spirit, then everything could be explained.

This was true in the first place.

However, the situation was very positive.

"So you don't think so now?"

To my question, Rothmiller nodded without hesitation and continued:

In the books I've read, evil spirits are described as beings who treat everyone in this world as puppets. However, you don't think so.

Though I did not value honor too much, I cared enough for my kin to advise and lead young warriors. The death of a teammate gave me a sense of loss and anger that an ordinary evil spirit would never experience.

Somehow, the path I was on became a shield for me, protecting me without having to come up with clumsy explanations.

However, it seems that something else completely removed Rothmiller's suspicions.

"Besides, didn't the Goddess of the Stars give you an oracle?" I've seen it with my own eyes, so how can I doubt it?

Oracle, given by the Goddess of the Stars Reatlas;

Although I grumbled that the vine broke off that day, it really turned out to be a blessing.

"Thanks to this, I realized how narrow-minded I was. I thought you were an evil spirit, because I saw you with ordinary eyes.

No, you saw it right...

I listened to Rothmiller's words, suppressing the pangs of conscience.

"In this world, of course, there are people whom the gods especially love. And history calls them heroes.

— ... This is too much.

"Haha, I knew you'd say that. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself. But, at least, I sincerely believe so.

I couldn't say anything to the flurry of complements. Isn't it ridiculous to admit it? I put my embarrassment aside and finally asked what I was interested in

"Then why did you say that?"

Rothmiller did not consider me an evil spirit. Maybe he had counted before, but not now.

Then why did he ask if I was not an evil spirit?

The answer was completely unexpected.

"I wanted to warn you and give you advice.

"To warn and give advice?"

— Yes. You are wise, but inexperienced in this area. No matter how much you trust your teammates, sometimes you need to hide yourself.

"I don't know what you mean.

"Aren't you going to create a new team?" Your peculiarity will inevitably manifest itself against the background of the rest. Perhaps there will even be those who will think of you, just like me.

Rothmiller said that as long as I could not reveal the oracle, I should try to hide myself as much as possible. This will help to avoid misfortunes in the future.

"As a person who has lived an ordinary life, I really wanted to tell you this.

— ... Got it. Thank you. I will always keep your advice in my heart.

"Hmm, the conversation dragged on. Let's end this meeting. I'll carry Murad.

Thus ended the last drunken party of the team of losers.

Unlike usual, we parted without promising another meeting.

"I hope that the path you are on will be full of light.

A team of losers. I really learned a lot from them.

***

The conversation with Rothmiller was instructive. Not because of the advice he gave, but because the situation itself was a wake-up call for me. Although everything went well this time, it could happen again at any time. There was no guarantee that it would be the same next time, so I thought about it. If a teammate to whom I was attached is convinced that an evil spirit lives in me, and even has evidence of this, then what should I do?

—…

I did not voice the answer aloud. It wouldn't change anything. I will try to survive, even if I become a terrible person.

... I have to be more careful.

To prevent this tragedy, I decided to be attentive to my every action, as when I first got into this strange world. I will calculate and move more carefully, knowing that I can only trust myself.

If they were really dear to me, then this was the right decision.

"Bjorn, what are you thinking?"

"Nothing.

"I didn't say anything strange when I was drunk yesterday, did I?"

The next morning after the last dinner of the team of losers, I went out with Misha and headed to the Great Temple. We didn't have to go together, but later we still had to visit Commelby.

"Good to see you again." Are you having any problems?

As soon as I arrived at the temple, I called for Blood.

A young paladin in his 30s had a questioning expression on his face as I returned the next day.

I have said this directly.

"It's not a problem, rather I have a request.

"Please... Let's listen first.

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the Dragon Tribe. In the end, I thought it would be best to return everything as you said and ask for another reward.

The Dragon Slayer Sword was a valuable treasure, but I decided that if I kept it, it would only rust.

"May the blessing of the Twilight Star be with you. This will be very good news for them.

Did he think it was for the good of society? Krovits readily agreed and said that he would arrange a meeting with them.

For me, it was a burden off my shoulders. For a rank 6 barbarian, meeting with the leaders of the dragon tribe was not an easy matter.

Since we meet through the temple, it would not occur to them to rob us or deprive us of our reward.

"When the date is set, I will send a message to the address you left.

"Thank you for your help."

That's it, this issue was resolved. I left the church with Misha and got into the carriage to Commelbi. As soon as we got off, we headed to the Central Exchange for a simple reason.

First, I need to renew the Spiritual Imprint.

If it becomes known that I have received an oracle, then there is a possibility that I will be expelled from the tribe. Therefore, before that, it was necessary to move to the 6th stage. At the 6th stage, in addition to money, materials were needed.

– Would you like to register for the sale on a commission basis?

"I'm here because I'm looking for something," I said, and handed over the pre-prepared documents to the staff. I needed an Immortal Heart, a material that could be obtained with an extremely low probability from the Trolls' by-products obtained through [Distortion] magic. It was expensive, but if you had enough money, it was much more profitable to buy it. Even those who specialized in catching Trolls could only get it once every few months.

— There is only one subject that meets the criteria. Would you like to verify the information?

The cost of the search was 3,000 stones, and the confirmed price was 18 million stones. This is 1 million stones more than last time.

— ... I'll buy it.

It was a bit disappointing, but I just bought it dispassionately. There was so little of this commodity that there was only one on the entire exchange. If it had been sold, it is not known when it would have been on sale again.

If the 6th stage costs so much, then for the 7th stage, most likely, you will have to get the materials yourself.

Arriving at the warehouse with this thought in mind, I checked the item for defects and picked it up. With this, my goal for today was fulfilled.

It was Misha's turn.

"Let's change your sword again.

— ... So why did you bring me here?

Mike looked at me, as if asking why I was deciding, but she didn't resist. There was nothing strange about it. She must have felt the limitations of steel, too.

"With this new team, we plan to go up to the 6th floor, so don't skimp.

"If there's anything I'll like...

Since Misha was going to use a weapon, I searched for a suitable object, listening to her opinion.

It took longer than expected. We agreed to buy a Class 3 Long Sword made of Iryla alloy made of mithril and steel, but there was a problem with the choice of design.

"Oh, it's not a matter of choosing a prettier one!"

"Yes, as you say. In any case, come on, choose. By the way, I think this looks good.

"Oh, guess who isn't a barbarian here. You just think it should only be heavy, right?

Despite the grumbling, Mike chose her sword carefully.

Obviously, you had to pay attention to things like weight distribution and reach. Explaining this, she even listed the names of famous blacksmiths that she remembered, which surprised me. After all, she was a researcher.

"Wow, the day has come when I will be able to use a sword worth 12 million stones..."

"If you gave up the magic spell, you could save at least 4 million."

"Anyway, if you have to buy, then buy a good one!" I will use it for the rest of my life!

Having finished taking things from the pantry, Mike hugged the sword like a child, and resolutely muttered:

"Phew, I really need to save the remaining money..."

I shook my head.

"Why do you need to save?" Keep only the money you need, and use the rest to buy and consume Animal Blood.

— ... And?

If a barbarian has a Spirit Imprint, beastmen have a Spirit Beast. Spirit Creatures evolve over time, but Beast Blood is able to shorten this period.

"I've already told you. Don't even think about being economical.

— ... Is it really possible to spend it so recklessly?

"This is not recklessness, this is an investment in the future.

Misha asked if it would be better to buy the essence instead, but it didn't seem reasonable to me. Essences of rank 5 and above were worth tens of millions of stones. There was no point in buying anything lower than this.

"You haven't unleashed your Spirit Creature's power yet. I think it is worth focusing on this for now.

In the end, thanks to my persuasion, Misha spent all her money (not counting the reserve fund) to buy Animal Blood. She said she would see her later at home. Tomorrow we will find out if any ability has manifested.

"Then let's go."

After a few hours, we returned to the residential sector. The time was about 8 pm, when the day gradually darkens and twilight comes.

The Spiritual Imprint can be made tomorrow in the Holy Land and finished...

I sorted out the things that needed to be done before opening the next labyrinth. There were three things left:

1) Meet the Dragon Tribe and retrieve the Dragon Sword;

2) get information about Orcules and Noarka;

3) assemble a new team.

And come to think of it, I didn't ask her about it.

Remembering, I immediately asked her:

Misha, is there anything specific that you want when looking for a teammate?

I had a rough idea of the configuration in which the remaining three seats would be occupied. However, it was necessary to listen to Misha's opinion. Not only was she an original member of the team, but her career was more extensive than mine. I assumed that I could get advice on an element that I hadn't even thought about.

Thinking about it, Mike opened her mouth carefully. "This... Preferably not an elf.

It was an unexpected demand.