The Genius Necromancer of the Barbarian Race

Chapter 74 : Still Living the Lottery-Winning Life

Still Living the Lottery-Winning Life

Not long after, Serena's "physical therapy" ended.

The man who received her treatment was a mess of tears and snot, looking wretched, but once she was done, he was able to move his shoulders and legs again.

During the process, there was a minor misunderstanding that Serena was torturing him, but thankfully, it was cleared up by the man who had been treated.

"Th-thank you for saving me."

Maybe because the whole process was rather intense, he seemed frightened.

"I am called Lendorn. I serve as an attendant to Young Master Marcus here, so please feel free to address me as such."

The man who introduced himself as "Lendorn" trembled as he gave thanks. Once he spoke, the "young master" who had been treated also tried to speak.

"Muh... Mah-cus..."

His pronunciation was extremely slurred. It must have hurt quite a bit.

Afterward, we started a brief conversation.

We talked about why the wagon had overturned in the road, and how they ended up being attacked by a doppelganger.

Lendorn, it turned out, had been a knight and was supposedly skilled enough to take on a doppelganger as a guard.

However, due to the wagon overturning, he hadn't been able to ready his sword or get into position, and so became easy prey for the doppelgangers.

The reason the wagon overturned was multifaceted.

First, the road was steep and rough.

Second, there was a slight incline.

And lastly, they had been in high spirits and had drunk some wine.

That's drunk driving, you lunatics.

I nearly spat out curses, but held my tongue for now. In this world, drinking wine while driving a wagon might not be a problem.

"That's drunk driving! Did you want to die?!"

Serena said, clenching her fist.

So, it seems that "wine driving" is an issue even in this world.

Serena, small and beautiful, didn't actually look threatening as she balled her fist and spoke, but the two men shivered nonetheless.

"Our young master managed to open a new trade route with the Duchy of Elias, you see. You know, of course, how closed-off the Duchy of Elias is!"

Even as they trembled, the merchants managed to blurt out what they needed to say.

That's just another way of saying, "It's okay to drink if you're working for the country."

These kinds of excuses really never change, no matter the era.

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

"It means, please don't be angry anymore, even just a little."

"I could give you some other things to make it up to you."

At Serena's deadly joke, the young master named Marcus's pupils widened.

"Brother, there's a strange smell in here!"

Barkal started sniffing the wagon Marcus was in.

Just as Barkal said, there was a fragrant smell coming from the wagon. It was kind of a floral scent.

"Oh, if it's that, it's because of what we brought."

Lendorn hurried to explain.

"It's rose oil produced by the Young Master's merchant guild. It's considered one of Odheim's finest products."

Odheim?

At Lendorn's words, I looked at Marcus, who was wiping away tears and snot and regaining his composure.

This guy.

He was draped in jewelry, so I thought he was someone important, but he's actually the young master of a merchant guild.

And Odheim...

That's the name of the city in the "Rozelia region," where we're headed.

Since introductions were made, we should give our own names as well.

"We are the adventurer party 'Dungeon God'."

When I introduced myself, Barkal, and Serena, marcus's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Dungeon God...? The Dungeon God?"

He seemed to know of the adventurer party, Dungeon God.

Could it be that Barkal's incidents have become that notorious?

"One of the adventurer parties that rescued Iushil, are you really that Dungeon God?"

Luckily, it wasn't the trouble that reached their ears.

"And the party of lunatics, that Dungeon God?"

Of course, not all the rumors they'd heard were good.

"Ahem."

Before things got any worse, I cleared my throat to change the mood. Lendorn also nodded, seeming to wish for the same.

"If you are heading to Odheim, we can give you a ride—we are on our way there as well."

I decided to show kindness to Marcus and Lendorn.

Also, I needed to collect a reward.

At my offer, lendorn looked at Marcus, and they seemed to exchange some secret words.

Anyway, the wagon had tipped over and the horses had run away. They really had no choice, so let's get moving.

"On behalf of the Young Master, allow me to thank you, adventurer party Dungeon God."

* * *

When the wagon crested a steep hill, a deep-pink city spread out before us.

The closer we got to Odheim's gates, the richer the scent of roses that wrapped the city became. Roses clung to the old walls, as though alive.

"My goodness... I've heard people say it was beautiful, but I never imagined Odheim was this stunning."

Serena's eyes sparkled as she stuck her head out the wagon window. Barkal responded to her pure admiration with his booming laughter.

"Kahahaha! I like this city!"

That was unexpected.

I thought he wouldn't like such showy flowers as roses, but surprisingly, Barkal was taken with Odheim's scenery.

"A city the color of blood! You'd never know if someone died here!"

... So that's the reason.

What a barbarian way to think.

"How dare you insult our Odheim! You uncouth barbarian...!"

Perhaps unable to let Barkal's words go, marcus shot up from his seat.

He seemed to have recovered enough to speak more clearly on the way here.

"Kahahahahaha!"

Barkal laughed mockingly at Marcus and approached.

"If you lay a hand on me, my father won't reward you for anything!"

Marcus, trembling with fear, did not give up his pride. Since I brought them here for a reward, I had to stop Barkal.

"Barkal."

"What is it, my brother?"

"Until we receive the reward, he's a guest."

At my words, marcus brightened.

"This barbarian is at least reasonable."

"So I'll only do it halfway."

"Kahahahaha!"

At that, Barkal burst into laughter and immediately began to apply a Guillotine choke to Marcus.

"Kk... Kkkuuuuh...!"

"Hmm... It's harder than I thought. Serena, your technique is quite difficult!"

"The guillotine choke is a move that compresses the carotid artery. You can't do it as if you're trying to just tear off someone's head!"

It seemed the two were using Marcus as a sparring dummy to practice the move.

Watching this, marcus's guard, lendorn, simply closed his eyes, pretending to see nothing.

As the wagon passed through Odheim's gates, the city inside was even more colorful than what we had seen from outside.

It wasn't as bustling as Iushil, making it feel more peaceful and pleasant to walk around.

"Um, hmm..."

Upon entering Odheim, Serena began to squirm, unable to stay still.

"Brother! Serena looks like she needs to use the bathroom!"

Barkal, seeing Serena's state, made a blunt report to me, who was holding the reins.

"N-no, I'm fine!"

"Serena."

"I really am fine!"

"If you want to go to the Adventurer's Guild, you can go ahead."

Serena had come here to get information about someone she was searching for through the Adventurer's Guild.

I also came because of the possibility of retrieving the "Rune of the Abyss", but I should respect her privacy too.

"Are you looking for family?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

At my question, the look in Serena's eyes said, "How did you know?"

She had been especially serious whenever the topic of the "adventurer with the scent of roses" came up, so it wasn't hard to guess.

"Take care of your personal matters first. I'll see you at the Adventurer's Guild later."

At my words, Serena stared at me blankly. In her expression, surprise and gratitude both flickered by.

"Thank you. Then I'll wait for you at the Adventurer's Guild!"

She bowed politely and, after getting directions from Lendorn, started running toward the Adventurer's Guild.

Watching her leave, I grabbed the reins again and moved the wagon.

Following Lendorn's guidance, we soon arrived at a large mansion.

"Isn't it amazing? This is the manor of one of the two merchant guilds that divide Odheim's rose business—home to the head of the 'Golden Chain' guild."

Saying this, lendorn glanced over at Marcus's face.

So this guy is the heir of a massive merchant guild that splits control of Odheim?

He was an even bigger deal than I thought.

As I entered the mansion, the subtle scent of roses tickled my nose. A brilliant chandelier adorned the ceiling, and a carpet with a rose pattern covered the floor.

Roses.

Roses everywhere.

If nothing else, it's clear that roses signify wealth and power here.

Now I see why Marcus got so worked up when Barkal called the roses "blood red."

"Please wait here for a moment."

Lendorn led us to the parlor, then disappeared with Marcus.

I had come here to find the "Rune of the Abyss", but I still didn't have any real information.

All I knew was that the "White Knight" had appeared, and that the Rune of the Abyss, which activated them, was in this city.

Well, I could figure that out as I went. With Chunsik as my navigator, I could take my time.

Right now, the important thing was the reward.

What kind of gold and jewels were we going to get?

After saving the young master of a fabulously wealthy household, surely we'd get enough to buy a house.

If not, maybe we'd get some powerful gear.

The thought alone made my mouth water.

"Brother, your expression looks strange."

Oops.

It seemed my thoughts showed on my face.

While I was busy getting my hopes up about the "reward," not much time passed before the door to the parlor burst open.

The people who came in were not Lendorn.

Nor Marcus.

They were guards clad in iron armor, emblazoned with the rose crest.

"We're from the Odheim security force."

The lead guard said in a cold voice.

"We're here to arrest you for violating security laws."

Ah...

I let out a short sigh.

Is this the "reward" they mentioned?

Where's my gold and jewels?

My equipment?

All my hard work, wasted just like that?

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