BXBX NOVEL Chapter 14 – Barkan Territory (2)
Chapter 14 – Barkan Territory (2)
Chapter 14 – Barkan Territory (2)
Ketal politely observed the etiquette and bowed deeply.
The fact that he, a barbarian, adhered to the formalities surprised the lord.
Barbarians never bow to those they do not acknowledge, especially if they are nobles.
To them, power was everything.
Nobles who held power only through lineage were objects of contempt.
Therefore, the lord didn’t expect Ketal to observe the proper etiquette.
No matter how dignified he appeared, he was still a barbarian.
However, Ketal’s demeanor was more refined and perfect than most nobles.
At the moment when the lord was surprised, Ketal was inwardly cheering.
‘I greeted him! A real noble!’
He was a true noble, acknowledged despite his lineage.
Of course, there were still countries where the feudal system existed, but it was a distant tale in South Korea.
Meeting a noble, shaking his hand, and observing the manners he learned, Ketal found the situation itself enjoyable.
Unable to contain his laughter, it leaked out on his face.
The lord, who was gazing at him with a grim expression, spoke.
“…Please, have a seat.”
Responding would almost make him burst into laughter.
Ketal silently nodded and sat on the sofa in the reception room.
The sofa, which could accommodate four people, was already full.
The lord sitting across from him ordered a servant.
“Go and fetch some tea.”
“Yes, sir!”
The servant hurriedly left.
Ketal remembered and spoke up.
“Oh, would you like me to use honorifics?”
“No. Forget it. You’re not one of my people.”
“Still, I am your guest. And your lord’s guest. It’s proper to show that level of respect to the host.”
“…No. Just use casual speech. I find it uncomfortable.”
Barbarian honorifics.
Just imagining it made his body cringe.
Casual speech was more comfortable, after all.
“Then I won’t insist.”
Ketal leaned back against the sofa’s backrest leisurely and surveyed his surroundings.
Ornate medieval decorations.
But they were subtly different from what he knew.
This was not the medieval era but a fantasy world, so there were bound to be some differences.
Examining those subtle differences was also fun.
As Ketal looked around, he noticed a knight behind the lord.
The knight was gripping the hilt of his sword and sending hostile glances towards Ketal.
At least he wasn’t a friendly opponent.
But Ketal’s eyes lit up.
‘A knight!’
The knight was clad in neat but luxurious armor.
The suit of armor made of plate enveloped his chest.
A real knight!
A human-shaped monster wielding a sword and roaming the battlefield!
Ketal’s passionate gaze focused on the knight.
Unknowingly, the knight tightened his grip on the sword handle.
‘He’s threatening me!’
That seemed to be the knight’s judgment as he was about to unexpectedly lunge forward.
The lord spoke up,
“You’ve learned the etiquette.”
What Ketal had shown to the lord was clearly the etiquette of someone educated.
And it was quite sophisticated.
“Because I learned it from someone.”
“…Which kingdom’s etiquette is this?”
It was slightly different from here.
Ketal shook his head.
“I don’t know. I learned it when the opportunity arose.”
As he tried to gauge the truth of those words, the door opened.
A maid entered pushing a cart.
“I-I’ll serve tea now…”
She trembled as she approached.
She served the lord tea first and then approached Ketal.
Her face turned even whiter against her already pale complexion.
And Ketal felt a slight thrill.
Receiving tea from a real maid.
This, too, was meaningful to him.
But the maid seemed too nervous.
As a gesture to ease her tension, Ketal smiled lightly.
“Thank you.”
“Ah…”
The moment she saw his smile, the tension drained from the maid’s body.
The teapot she was holding slipped from her grasp.
Hot tea spilled over Ketal.
“Ah!”
The maid’s face couldn’t get any paler.
If this continued, the barbarian’s attire would get soaked with tea.
And then the enraged barbarian would surely break her neck.
A flash of horror passed through her mind.
Ketal picked up a teacup.
He gently moved his arm holding the cup.
The cup caught all the spilled tea.
He then reached out with his other hand to grab the teapot.
Plink.
A very slight clinking sound echoed.
The lord was astonished, and the knight’s pupils dilated.
Ketal poured all the spilled tea into the cup and even held the teapot.
“Nicely done.”
Smelling the fragrance of the tea, Ketal smiled satisfactorily.
“Oh, ohhh…”
The maid, who had been wide-eyed in amazement at the miraculous feat, barely managed to regain her composure.
She quickly stood up and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please! Please forgive me just this once!”
“It’s fine. You only spilled some tea. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Ketal spoke calmly.
“Or perhaps you seek forgiveness from your master?”
“…No. Her rudeness was directed towards you. If you forgive her, that settles it.”
The lord was surprised not only by Ketal’s miraculous feat but also by his attitude.
It was clear that the maid had been rude to Ketal.
While he had managed to prevent the tea from spilling with his miraculous movement, it was still a clear act of rudeness.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if the enraged barbarian had snapped the maid’s neck right then and there.
No.
Not just the barbarian, but most nobles and knights would have likely reacted the same way.
Angered by the maid’s behavior that had tarnished their dignity, they would have sought to punish her.
But the barbarian forgave the maid with a nonchalant attitude.
‘Indeed, he’s different.’
He wasn’t your typical barbarian.
The lord dismissed the maid and got to the point.
“I called you here to assess you as a person.”
“Have you assessed me enough?”
“Enough, I suppose. So now, I have a few questions.”
The lord’s gaze softened.
“Where do you come from?”
“From the coldest place in this world. From a world painted white.”
“….”
The lord let out a small groan.
The barbarian before him was claiming to have come from a snow-white wilderness.
‘The legendary barbarian.’
Such a being was now standing before him.
“You speak of things that are hard to accept.”
“It was indeed a grim place. But whether you accept it or not is your choice.”
“…Then let me change the question.”
Ketal’s origin as a barbarian wasn’t important.
What mattered was how much power he possessed.
“How strong are you?”
“That’s a wrong question. I don’t know the standards outside.”
“Is that so?”
The lord glanced briefly.
The knight nodded.
“In that case, how about sparring with my knight? I’ll provide adequate compensation for it.”
“A spar, you say.”
“Yes. Of course, it won’t be a fight to the death. I believe you can maintain a proper line.”
“A spar with a knight….”
Ketal chuckled lightly.
“That sounds good.”
At that laughter, the lord instinctively clenched his armrest.
It was a moment of heart-wrenching sensation.
‘…Indeed, a barbarian is a barbarian.’
A barbarian who seeks battle and dedicates his life to it.
No matter how dignified and courteous, that fact remains unchanged.
Of course, Ketal wasn’t there for that reason.
A spar with a true knight.
Moreover, a knight of fantasy who use mysterious powers and aura.
A being who wields mystical powers and represents true chivalry.
It was an excellent opportunity to confront such a being, not to be missed.
* * *
They moved to the training grounds.
After clearing out the soldiers practicing there, Ketal received his axe again.
On the opposite side, the knight eyed him with a sword in hand.
Ketal stretched his body lightly.
“Then let’s begin. Hopefully, there won’t be any bloodshed.”
After the lord’s words, the knight slowly approached.
He revealed his intent as if he had been waiting for it.
“Consider it an honor to witness my swordsmanship as a barbarian.”
“I hope so.”
Ketal smiled sardonically.
Though sincere, Ketal’s smile seemed to be taken as an insult by the knight.
“Hmph!”
The knight stomped his foot.
His body charged towards Ketal at a rapid pace.
Now, how will this turn out?
Ketal calmly held his axe and watched the knight.
And in that moment, the knight’s sword moved.
Ketal thought for a moment that the tip of the sword was shaking.
But it wasn’t the tip of the sword.
The sword was splitting apart.
Ketal’s pupils dilated.
The sword split into three branches.
Head, left, right, the three swords swung towards Ketal.
‘An illusion?’
No.
It wasn’t an illusion.
Astonishingly, all three split swords had substance.
‘Is this swordsmanship?’
Ketal looked in awe at the trajectory of the swords.
The knight chuckled in delight.
Indeed, a barbarian.
He was enthralled by his noble swordsmanship.
As the knight, filled with superiority, was about to stop swinging his sword.
As expected, the lord’s attention was captivated by the barbarian’s noble swordsmanship.
Just as the knight was about to stop his sword in a moment of superiority, Ketal’s hand moved.
*Ting!*
The swords that had swung in three directions simultaneously were all deflected by the light movement of Ketal’s fingers.
“…Huh?”
What?
What just happened?
As the knight tried to grasp the situation, Ketal’s fingers struck his chest.
*Thunk!*
With a tearing sound, the breastplate warped.
“Kuk!”
The knight’s body flew backward.
He was pushed back and fell to the ground.
“What, what!”
The lord, who had been watching quietly, rushed over to the knight in alarm.
Seeing him trembling, it seemed that his life wasn’t in danger.
“Fascinating.”
Ketal lightly felt moved as he recalled a memory.
The sword truly split apart.
Was this swordsmanship?
Curiosity surged within him.
And the lord was in shock.
‘…A single blow.’
His knight was definitely not weak.
He had his feet on the threshold of the first class.
To defeat such a person in a single blow…
Ketal said calmly.
“Is it over?”
“…Yes.”
The lord nodded reluctantly.
* * *
Afterward, Ketal received permission from the lord not to interfere with his actions, took the gold coins, and left the estate.
Meanwhile, the lord sat in his study, pondering.
The barbarian who felled his knight in a single blow.
It was a monstrous strength.
‘At least superhuman.’
That was the minimum.
The extent of that power couldn’t be fathomed.
A barbarian with such power could influence the balance of the world.
‘He said he’d be here soon.’
A figure passed through the lord’s mind.
The mentor of the fallen knight.
A swordsman with the title of Swordmaster, given to only a dozen or so in the vast world.
“…Interested, aren’t you?”
Someone with great interest in strong individuals would surely show interest.
The lord felt a slight headache.
“I need to prepare.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The lord stood up hastily.
Even his maid, who usually helped him organize his thoughts, was not here.
No one could be in the room.
But suddenly, at the open window, stood an old man.
He grinned mischievously as he looked at the lord.
Relaxing upon confirming his identity, the lord sighed.
“Your hobby never changes.”
“As I grow older, teasing young people becomes more enjoyable. So you were having quite interesting thoughts.”
The old man asked with a face full of laughter.
The lord sighed.
This headache was going to worsen.
Calmly, he bowed respectfully.
“I greet the esteemed Swordmaster, Master Cain.”