Chapter 98

"Oh my god! Heavens above!"

The residents, who had been hiding behind the fence, rushed out all at once.

When the barbarians clad in beast skins swarmed in, they thought they were doomed.

But, what a surprise.

A wizard appeared out of nowhere and conjured a fiery whirlwind, burning the barbarians away!

Well, hardly anyone actually burned to death...

Even if it was just making them abandon their plunder and flee, the wizard's presence was a tearfully welcome sight.

Especially the village chief, who fell in love with Ian as soon as he saw him.

He wasn't gay, but fell in love nonetheless.

Ian's help was that welcome.

"Sob...! Thank you so much!"

Ian was startled as the chief tried to hug him.

Damn. Why does the crying sound like that?

In fact, Ian was more interested in driving off the barbarians than helping the village.

Helping the village was just a byproduct.

So, seeing the chief crying his eyes out didn't move him at all.

He was more worried that the remnants of the barbarians might return.

"Well. I just happened to pass by."

As Ian spoke, the chief cried even harder.

Given his sentimental tears, he was clearly a man going through menopause.

So maybe it wasn't about falling in love at first sight...

Receiving the love of an older man did not please Ian at all.

So, he subtly shifted the credit to someone else.

"God whispered to me. There are people in danger, so go and help them."

[Eh? I never said that...]

"No way!!!"

"It's truly the Lord!"

"I knew it, dammit!"

Since the villagers were devout believers, they accepted Ian's explanation.

Man, I was so annoyed during prayers every weekend!

And to think, God sent us a wizard!

Ah! This is why I pray!

"We have nothing to give, being poor, but we can offer a meal..."

"Bring a cow!"

"Let's have a festival of blood!"

The villagers, as if drugged, collectively got high on 'wizard euphoria.'

In fact, this is often the reaction when commoners witness magic.

Events that transcend human understanding.

The very person who performed such miracles!

Having such a wizard right in front of them, it was only natural they couldn't keep their composure.

Ian let the villagers run wild.

They're just happy.

Leave them alone, and they'll calm down on their own.

"We're a bit busy. If you really want to enjoy yourselves, go ahead and slaughter a cow or a pig."

"You can't just send a wizard away empty-handed! Come on in, don't be shy...!"

"I told you, I'm busy."

"..."

As Ian spoke calmly, the chief also quietly shut his mouth.

A wizard's voice carries their will.

In other words, others can easily pick up on Ian's 'mood.'

If you smile in front of an angry person or sigh heavily in front of a happy person, it was naturally annoying.

Thus, people naturally pick up on others' moods.

But Ian's voice, that of a wizard, exhibts these ques even more.

You might be able to play games in front of a crying neighbor, but not in front of a screaming mom. (If you can do both, congratulations. You're immune to magic!)

"I'm, I'm sorry."

The chief, feeling as though he had committed a crime, apologized unwittingly.

Ian quickly silenced the chief's rambling and got straight to the point.

"Select the fastest runner and have them contact the lord. We need to root out these barbarians."

"Ah, yes! Of course!"

The village was bound to the lord by a feudal contract.

They paid their taxes with their produce and in return received the lord's protection.

It was somewhat like dealing with primitive, ancient gangsters.

Once the village requested help, the lord was obliged to respond.

If he didn't? They could simply terminate the feudal contract.

Since the baron would have breached the contract first, termination was a perfectly legitimate right for the villagers.

Barons were plentiful anyway!

In the Middle Ages, a baron was basically like a village head—each village had one.

Running to another baron and saying, "Please protect us!" would suffice.

Then, the neighboring baron would happily lead his troops into the territory.

If the confused lord asked, "Why the hell are you messing in my territory?"

The response could be, "Your people couldn't stand it and came to me. From today, your village is mine."

The territory shrinks.

Although a noble's land is granted by the emperor, villages could certainly change hands.

Thus, the lord would surely respond to the villagers' request for help.

Soon, knights on horseback and pitiful soldiers would arrive to fight the barbarians!

"That should solve it."

Ian felt pleased and smirked.

I don't know who the local baron is, but surely he wouldn't be so inept as to lose to just ten barbarians.

The plan to assassinate Takarion was now up in smoke.

It was at that moment.

"Ian. There's a problem."

Belenka approached with a stern expression.

She was returning from interrogating a freshly captured prisoner.

As evidence, her gauntlet was stained with dark red blood...

"What's up?"

However, things weren't as straightforward as Ian had hoped.

"These barbarians. They weren't the ones chasing us."

"...What?"

Ian raised his voice.

He had assumed they were barbarians roaming around for the purpose of assassinating Takarion.

But it turned out, these barbarians were just nomads wandering the empire!

"Did I just waste my efforts?"

"Waste your efforts? What do you mean?"

"Hmm. You might not understand. Ian sometimes talks nonsense like this. It might bother you at first, but you'll get used to it."

Ian hung his head in disappointment.

But a moment later, he shook it off in just three seconds.

He might have exerted his energy in the wrong place, but he still did a good deed.

Doing good is always beneficial.

Who knows?

Maybe because of his good deeds, he might end up in heaven when he dies.

It would certainly suck to wake up in hell after dying in a tragic accident.

"Let's just count it as a good deed."

Neither Belenka nor Kira had any complaints.

Belenka was a knight eager for good deeds, and Kira naturally enjoyed helping others.

Kira even shed a few tears.

"The fact that I was able to help these people... I'm so happy, Ian."

"Really?"

"I've only watched from a distance until now... Sniff. Now I'm truly a wizard..."

Though Kira had been playing at being a wizard, her roots were on the streets. She was a down-to-earth woman.

Kira was satisfied that she had helped people in difficult situations.

Ian looked at Kira and lightly nodded.

Well. It's a good time.

He still shuddered when he remembered the seven long years he endured while learning Maronius.

But when he actually used magic after all that hard work, Ian felt an indescribable emotion.

Studying was a b*tch, but the fruits of that labor is sweet...

"?"

Ian tilted his head as he thought that far.

But Kira uses magic withing having to study.

Damn, I really feel the talent difference.

Of course, that was Ian's misconception.

While Kira was indeed a talented wizard, she couldn't possibly use magic on her own without Ian's help.

A fire wizard who doesn't know the Maronius language just playing with fire?

Perfect recipe for getting burned.

No matter how tame.

For instance, even if a pet tiger is docile and safe, one bite could send a fragile human to the afterlife.

Being friendly with a tiger and actually communicating with it are completely different things.

The same goes for the relationship between mysteries and humans.

That's why Eredith emphasized the importance of the Maronius language to Ian.

Besides, Kira was a pretty pathetic wizard who couldn't handle anything but fire magic.

"I need to get back quickly."

"Yeah. The monks will be waiting."

Ian considered it a good deed done and hurriedly left the village without taking any payment.

What they offered as payment were things like bantam chickens and honey liquor.

How could he possibly carry all that around on his travels?

Upon returning to the monks' temporary campsite, Ian was horrified at the sight of the devastated camp.

It was a complete mess.

"F*ck…"

It didn't seem like it had taken even half a day.

It had already been razed?!

A disheveled monk spotted Ian and burst into tears.

"Lord Ian…! Wahhh!"

"They did this? They've already come and gone?"

Those damn barbarians.

A woman in a nun's habit with a daring design approached.

It was Sister Mionia.

"While you were away, Lord Ian… they stormed in."

"...What about Takarion?"

Mionia said sorrowfully.

"He's been kidnapped."

Not long after Ian had left, a group of barbarians had stormed in.

Luckily, since the monks had set up camp on an open hill, they had been able to escape in time.

Except for one.

Except for Takarion.

'Brother! Run!'

'Gasp... Huff! I can't run!'

'Damn! I'll help you!'

The monks tried everything they could to take Takarion and escape.

But Takarion was too slow...

It was the fate of a writer who lacked exercise.

"Sh*t."

Ian was dumbfounded.

It was absurd that the barbarians had attacked so quickly and that only Takarion had been caught.

Was he just doomed to fail?

If you needed an excuse, it was likely that those who came for Takarion targeted him first.

But even taking that into account, it was a headache-inducing situation.

"Waah waah..."

Ian tried to console the monks.

"Calm down. Takarion isn't dead, right? They took him alive?"

"Yes... Sob sob..."

"Then don't worry. The empire's brave young ones will surely rescue Takarion!"

Ian would never say he'd do it himself.

"But…"

The atmosphere was grim, but there was nothing the monks could do.

They were meant to pray, not to fight.

Just surviving an encounter with the barbarians was enough to be thankful to the gods for.

"Belenka. If you go after Takarion…"

"Hmm. It'd be difficult. We need to solve the supply issue first. And if we're ambushed, it'd be a headache."

Belenka was also lukewarm in her response.

"Don't worry too much. The rumors about the barbarians must have spread by now, knights will be dispatched."

Defeating barbarians and rescuing monks was a feat any knight would covet.

A rescue team for Takarion would form voluntarily.

"We have tasks to complete, don't we?"

"Indeed."

They were headed to the monastery to deliver a bird that had hatched from a sacred relic.

Their mission was not to escort Takarion.

It's the Middle Ages, where people drop dead like flies.

Takarion's death (not yet confirmed) is unfortunate, but...

Those who are alive have their own futures to think about.

"Right. Let's deliver the bird first and then think about the rest."

Urging on their unwavering steps, Ian and his companions continued their journey.

A few days later, Ian safely arrived at Takarion's monastery.

"This is the Blue Key Monastery."

"Oh."

Despite its location in the suburbs, far from the city, the monastery radiated a certain splendor.

Originally, the Blue Key Monastery wasn't very wealthy.

But Takarion, the man in question, had changed everything.

The mega-hit of the Gospel of St. Marcus led to an explosive increase in donations!

Sadly, Takarion was no more.

It had become the Takarion Monastery without Takarion.

"What do you mean by that!"

A thunderous shout hit their ears.

A timid-looking man and a sly-looking man were seen walking side by side through the garden.

The monk led Ian in front of the two men.

"Say that again! What happened to Takarion?!"

"Calm down, please! Abbot! We have guests!"

"Shut up! Do I look like I'm in any state to calm down?"

Ian observed the abbot of the monastery, who was throwing a tantrum without even looking at him.

Ah, I see. The standard here.

'What a mess.'

It seems that the money Takarion brought in had only served to grease their bellies.

The abbot treated guests like they were worthless.