Chapter 239 (Patreon)

“It’s been a while, Father.” Adam stood straight before Argon, chest puffed out with a mixture of pride and tension, his posture rigid with respect as he faced the current chieftain of the wandering [Barbarian] nomads, a man whose presence alone carried the gravity of leadership and battle-earned authority.

“It has been a while indeed,” Argon replied, his deep voice steady as his eyes slowly scanned Adam from head to toe, taking in every detail, every change, every mark of growth, before he finally nodded. “I thought city life would consume you, just like it did my brothers, but it seems that hasn’t happened yet,” he said thoughtfully, a faint edge of approval in his tone. “Not yet, at least.”

His gaze shifted, moving from face to face among the group, observing them with calm assessment before finally locking onto Kana, his eyes lingering with quiet scrutiny. “Are these the ones you call your classmates?” he asked.

Adam cleared his throat slightly, adjusting his stance. “Not all of them,” he said carefully. “Schoolmates is the more accurate term.”

Argon nodded once, “Then since they walk with you, they will be treated as honored guests,” he said simply, the words carrying the weight of tradition rather than ceremony.

Lex raised his hand slightly in a respectful gesture. “I am Lex Tah, one of the royal knights of the North Kingdom,” he said, his voice calm but formal. “Your people are usually seen in these lands during the summer season. Why are you here in the middle of winter?”

Argon touched his chin, eyes narrowing in recognition as he studied Lex more closely. “If my memory serves me right, one of the royal knights,” he said slowly, “a close and trusted man of your king. Is that correct?”

Lex nodded.

“Feeding large people is never simple,” Argon said, his voice turning practical, grounded in the reality of survival rather than politics. “We do not practice agriculture, and winter does not forgive inefficiency. One of my men proposed earning coin, then buying grain and other food supplies from nearby towns and cities. To earn enough coin quickly, we hunted the most wanted roaming men across the continents and we are also selling the carcasses of dangerous beasts.” He paused, eyes steady on Lex. “Does that answer your curiosity?”

Lex nodded. “Thank—”

He was cut off as one of the [Barbarian] entered suddenly, his expression serious and urgent. “Chief, we have them,” the man said. “But two of them have already died,” he added, his eyes flicking briefly toward Kana.

“Bring them in,” Argon said calmly.

One by one, the cloaked figures from the empire were dragged into the tent, ropes tied around their bodies and wrists, each of them bound to a [Barbarian] who hauled them forward with ease. Dirt, bruises, and scrapes covered their faces and clothes, their cloaks torn and tattered, their bodies marked by the long, brutal drag across the frozen ground. Yuri, Elle, Rin, and Toby flinched at the sight, instinctive reactions to the rawness of it, the violence implied rather than shown.

Kana could easily imagine what it had taken to bring them here.

The distance alone was enough to tell the story.

They had been dragged the entire way.

“I know that man,” Toby said suddenly, pointing at one of them, his voice tight with recognition. The man wore a different cloak, plain black, now shredded and filthy. “He’s the one who visited us at the inn a few days ago.”

The man immediately lowered his head.

“You’re right,” Leo said grimly. “He must’ve been working with them.”

“We’ll speak with them,” Aman said calmly as he checked their condition, his tone professional, almost clinical. “Since they targeted you, they were likely planning to sell you, just like the others. Their group is notorious even within the empire. They’ve kidnapped and trafficked countless people.” His gaze shifted briefly to the man from the inn, whose body sagged weakly. “These ones are tough. Still fierce, even after being dragged all this way. Well… except for that one.”

Argon stood.

The simple motion made the tied figures flinch.

“We will handle them here,” he said, his voice steady and absolute, carrying the finality of command. “We will also inform you of anything we uncover that concerns you.” Then he turned slightly toward Kana and the others. “For now, you may enjoy the feast outside.”

Suri's eyes brightened after hearing the word feast. And with those words, the matter was settled.

……

Kana let out a slow, thoughtful sigh as her eyes drifted back toward the chief’s tent, her gaze unconsciously analyzing Argon for anything she might have missed, any hidden sign of or trace of dungeon items or enchanted items that could explain his strength. She saw nothing unusual. 

No rings humming with mana. No armor etched with runes. He didn’t even wear one, it was just a simple clothes.The only ornament he wore was a large earring carved from bone, but it carried no magical signature, no ambient mana, no resonance that marked it as a dungeon item. It was just simply a bone.. And that only deepened the mystery. How, then, had he reached such a level of power? She doubted he spent his life raiding dungeons, diving into layered floors and boss chambers like adventurers did, grinding levels through constant combat. His strength felt different. Older. Earned in another way.

What’s his secret?

Her attention shifted.

Nearby, Suri, and the small lizard were already happily devouring the well-roasted meat the [Barbarian] nomads had served, gathered around the bonfire as flames crackled and fat hissed into the coals. Adam stood a short distance away, speaking with a few men who looked close to his age, their body language relaxed, familiar, the posture of people who shared a history that didn’t need explanation.

As Kana watched, she noticed the glances.

The whispers.

The subtle attention of passing [Barbarian] who slowed as they walked nearby, curiosity in their eyes as they studied the rare outsiders in their camp. She had heard that the nomads were wary of strangers, guarded, slow to trust, yet she felt none of that tension here, no hostility, no suspicion pressing against her senses. It made her wonder if the reason was simple.

Was it because Adam was one of them?

Lex approached her quietly, his presence no longer hidden, his footsteps audible, his posture open. “I’ll be leaving tonight,” he said calmly. “I’ll use my skill to deliver this information to the king. This concerns the kingdom’s national security.”

He continued without waiting for a response. “Do not enter any dungeon without me present. I can return within two days.”

Kana nodded without hesitation. She knew Lex’s skill, the one that allowed him to teleport through selected shadows, and for a moment she found herself wondering if her new class would eventually grant her something similar, because the convenience alone was tempting. 

They weren’t really in a rush, and she had already planned to spend the night familiarizing herself with her new abilities, testing their limits, and understanding their mechanics. She was also planning to deliver the skill book to one of the Saltrain villagers and recruit Edar, the [Treefolk].

Then curiosity nudged her, “Why aren’t you hiding in the shadows now?” she asked quietly.

Lex smirked, a knowing curve to his expression. “I thought you already understood everything,” he said, “but it seems not.”

He continued, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. “It would be rude to hide when someone invites you into their home, especially when the host is someone who can detect your presence anyway.”

Kana’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She hadn’t been able to detect Lex before, even with her [High Awareness], and she wasn’t sure if she could now, not yet at least, but the implication was clear. Someone here, whether Argon himself or someone among the [Barbarian] nomads, possessed the ability to sense hidden presences, to pierce stealth and shadow without effort.

It was a quiet realization.

But Kana simply forced a small smile, masking her surprise, because she hadn’t even known Lex was aware of the rude word and its meaning.

One of the [Barbarian] nomads approached them quietly, moving from person to person with steady confidence, offering water in simple wooden cups carved smooth by use and time. She was young, clearly close to their age, but taller than all of them, her presence carrying a physical solidity that made her seem older at first glance. Her skin held a warm tan, though Kana couldn’t tell how much of it came from the firelight and how much from the natural tone of someone who lived under open skies, and her long blonde hair was braided neatly into two thick plaits that rested over her shoulders like ropes of gold.

“Thank you,” Kana said as she accepted the cup, then hesitated, curiosity tugging at her. “I’m just a bit curious,” she added gently, her voice careful, “and you don’t have to answer, but… how old are you?”

Elle, Rin, and Yuri all glanced toward them at the same time, their attention sharpening with shared curiosity, clearly interested in what the young [Barbarian] woman would say.

The girl’s voice was deep, calm, and steady, carrying a tone surprisingly similar to Kana’s own. “I’m ten years old this year, sister,” she said simply.

Kana almost spat out the water.

She stared at the girl in front of her, taking in the height, the muscle definition in her arms, the solid posture, the quiet physical presence that radiated strength even at rest. This wasn’t just a tall child. This was a body shaped by labor, training, and a harsh environment. And she wasn’t even awakened yet. Kana didn’t need to guess. She was almost certain of it. When this girl awakened, her class would be [Barbarian]. There was no doubt in her mind.

“I heard you’re the same age as Adam,” the young girl asked, her eyes studying Kana with open curiosity. “Is that true?”

Kana nodded.

“I heard people outside were short,” the girl continued casually, tilting her head slightly, “but I didn’t know they were this short.”

For a heartbeat, there was silence.

Then Kana, Yuri, Elle, and Rin all burst into laughter at once, the tension breaking into warm, genuine amusement that carried across the firelight.

As the girl walked away to continue serving others, Rin watched her go, eyes lingering thoughtfully on her broad shoulders and towering frame. “I wonder what kind of food they eat,” she muttered under her breath, half-joking, half-serious, as if trying to imagine a diet capable of forging someone like that at ten years old.

Post note:

You are a dwarf in my eyes.—[Barbarian] kid.

First chap of the week.Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂