When my duel with the boss came to an end, I came out of the pit. Outside there were countless warriors looking at me excitedly, their mouths open. Everyone looked at me like they were waiting for me to say something.
«¡Become-aaaaaa!»
I bellowed, and the warriors let out cries of response, satisfied with my speech. Hearing them up close hurt my ears.
Step.
I stepped aside and looked back at the well. The chief still lay in the background, forgotten while the warriors cheered my name and only my name. It was a pitiful sight, but no warrior here cared about the loser. It may seem cruel to some, but it was part of their culture. It was nothing more than the law of nature: the winners had to be rewarded and the losers forgotten. That was all.
¡Woo! ¡Woo! ¡Woo! ¡Woo!
Although no preparations had been made in advance, a festival immediately began. Warriors who knew how to beat the drum pounded their instruments as hard as they could while warriors who didn't know simply beat their chests. Everyone danced as they raised their glasses high. They had cut down some trees to make a large bonfire and start roasting meat, although he wasn't sure where they had gotten all the meat from in the first place. The celebration continued even after sunset.
«Great Warrior! Where are you going?»
«A quick ».
In the end I managed to escape my role as the center of attention in this rowdy celebration. As I headed to the residential area, the warriors I passed along the road exchanged a few words with me. Regardless of whether they were just having a good time or were really congratulating me, I didn't pay much attention to them.
Step step.
The further I got from the festival, the darker and quieter my surroundings became.
¡Woo! ¡Woo!
Drums and cheers faded into the distance as he walked along the forest path. Without warning, Ainar, whom he had not seen at the festival, appeared along the way.
«Bjorn? What are you doing here?» Ainar seemed confused that I, the star of the party, was walking away from the festivities completely alone.
«I thought about going to see the chief. Where is?»
«It's in the store».
«Is he awake?»
«I'm not sure. When I checked before, I was sleeping».
«I guess he just got back from there.»
«It's just that... no matter how I look at it, it still bothers me a little».
«Hm?» I didn't waste saliva asking him what was bothering him. After all, Ainar had been training with the boss since he found out about my death. Today must have been a strange day for her. I figured I must have a lot to say about it.
«Anyway, congratulations, Bjorn! I looked it up, and you are the first warrior to become the chief of our tribe at such a young age!»
«In other words, am I the youngest there has ever been?»
«Yes! The youngest! Isn't it amazing?»
Huh, I hadn't known that, but at the same time, it didn't make much difference to me.
«Now, if you are going to see the chief, let's go together».
«But didn't you just come from there?»
«Ha ha! And what does that matter? I was on my way to see you anyway!»
«Okay then».
Ainar and I struck up a brief conversation as we headed to the boss's store. We talked above all about grief and my new status as a boss. I wondered if his wounds were already healed.
«The old people are spiteful bastards! They scolded me for giving him a potion, saying that he would have cured 'in due time' even if I hadn't used any! What's the point of that? It was the same with the coming-of-age ceremony. I told them that they should at least send the warriors of our tribe with shoes on their feet. But these elders are stubborn in sticking to tradition. Even though I was being so reasonable!»
«Ainar.»
«¿Eh?»
«When someone acts like that, you should call them unreasonable. Not spiteful bastards.»
«Oh... ¿es así?»
When I corrected Ainar's language to prevent him from getting into trouble in the future, he scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.
Step step.
We walked along the quiet forest path for a while longer. When the boss's tent was finally seen, Ainar suddenly spoke again.
«Bjorn». He slowed down to get behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders as if he were about to push me forward. «No matter how I look at it, you are much better than me. You're smart. Strong. And the other warriors follow you without you even trying».
Well, sure, but it's not like you're that bad either.
«Ainar-»
I tried to turn around and say something, but she cut me off. «So please take care of me. I know you will do 150 percent better than me! All other warriors think the same».
I didn't know where I got the 150% from, but I nodded my head. «Okay».
«Really? Very good. While we're here, get going. I'm going to go back and celebrate with the rest of the warriors now«.
«Okay. See you later».
Ainar turned down the road as I entered the boss's tent.
«You're here».
To my surprise, I was awake. Not only that, but it seemed completely fine. Was it because Ainar used a potion? The only thing I had were some bruises and a little swelling.
Screech.
I didn't get permission from the store owner, but I acted like the barbarian I was and dragged a chair to sit next to him.
«How are your wounds?»
«Nothing I can't handle, don't worry».
«Really?» Well, I was just asking out of courtesy, so I didn't bother arguing. Anyway, that was enough subtleties: I got straight to the point. «When are you going to give me the position of chief?».
«Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises».
The answer surprised me. «I thought it would take longer, since we will need to contact the warriors who live abroad».
«For now, your story has spread throughout the city. Each one will return to the holy land on their own».
He certainly wasn't wrong. More and more warriors had joined the festivities as the news reached new ears.
«But... Um. I've noticed that you seem quite relieved after fighting so hard.» The second question I asked was mostly out of personal curiosity.
«I always felt that this position was not right for me. Oh, and I guess I was right since I lost».
«Ya veo.»
«So why did you come to see me?», asked the chief, apparently sure that he had come to visit him for something else.
I smiled as I told him the real reason for my visit. «I want to hear about the king».
«...¿El rey?»
«Yeah. What kind of man is he?»
After all, I was going to be the chief tomorrow, right? It was about time he finally heard some of the dark secrets plaguing this kingdom.
«The king...» The chief smiled wryly as he leaned against the wall. «Only once».
«¿Eh?»
«Only once. Those are the times I've met him».
I didn't expect it at all. Given how terrified the time he spoke of the king before me had sounded, I had been sure that the chief was well acquainted with him.
«It happened when the War of the Holy Relics was coming to an end... about thirteen years ago. By then, I had just become a chieftain, and I went to a conference held among all races, with the intention of returning our declining tribe to its former glory. That's when I met him». The chief's breathing became labored as he looked into space, lost in his memories of that day.
«That day... what happened?».
«At first, it was nothing unusual, just a normal meeting. The dwarves and beast people were discussing something I didn't understand. Meanwhile, I was busy arguing with the old man from the Magic Tower who represented humans.»
«The Magic Tower? Shouldn't it be the king who represents humans?»
«I thought the same. But since I have been a chief, it has always been someone else who has represented humans in these meetings, not the king.»
«I see...» That was new to me. Information about the discussions held between the representatives of each race was something that the normal warriors of the tribe were not aware of.
«Anyway, that day was special.»
Although it was supposed to be almost impossible to meet him in person, the king abruptly showed up at their meeting for a once-in-a-lifetime visit. The chief himself was still not sure why he appeared that day.
«I was busy arguing with that old man from the Magic Tower when, before I knew it, a man arrived. Nobody knew who he was. One of us even tried to kick him out, but...»
«...But?»
«He only said one sentence».
«Kneel, my servants.»
Apparently, the moment those words left his mouth, all the representatives went blank for an instant and then knelt before him. They had forgotten every question and every thought they had in their heads.
«We didn't even know who he was, but somehow, the words came out of our mouths by force».
«What words?»
«We greet His Majesty the King».
The boss continued to emphasize how chilling and creepy the experience had been. The feeling of absolute helplessness I felt. The total loss of any will to resist orders. Of course, I was more interested in another part of his story.
If he has the ability to control others... Does that mean he is a magician?
What could be the source of the king's power? An essence with the power to manipulate beings without touching them, or something similar, did not exist in the labyrinth. That's why I thought it might be magic.
However, when I mentioned my speculations, the boss shook his head in quick rebuttal. «It was nothing like magic or an essence. It was as if his voice had power. As if it were written in my blood and in my soul from the moment I was born that he is the king, my teacher».
The more I talked about his experience, the more confused I became. For now, I decided to listen to the rest of his story. «And what happened next?»
«Not much. He just glanced at us like he was looking for someone, then said, 'They're not here', and left. Only then were we able to breathe again».
That was the entire meeting of the chief with the king.
Before racking my brain to find some logical explanation, I had to clarify a few things.
«Are you asking me how strong the other representatives were back then? I'm not sure... probably as strong as me».
He didn't want to assume that the king's manipulation ability was unbeatable, but he did manage to control five high-ranking adventurers exploring the eighth floor or higher with just a few words. There also seemed to be no limits to the scope of his ability.
«Don't you think I would have resisted if I could? Don't make me laugh. I'd rather die than kneel before someone I've never even seen before».
The chief was convinced that if the king had ordered him to die at that moment, he would have ended his life right there.
If not an essence or magic... what kind of trick did the king use?
I did not know. Fortunately, there was something I could still pin my hopes on.
«Ah, now that I think about it, that old man from the Magic Tower only realized who he was and followed his example after the rest of us knelt down».
Maybe his power didn't work on humans? It was a possibility, but I couldn't be sure.
...In any case, I have at least confirmed that the king seems to have some kind of ability.
Although the chief didn't know much, it seemed to me that it wasn't bad loot. So I moved on to my last question. «What did the king look like? Did he look sick?»
«...I can't remember. I don't even remember how old I was, if I was a man or actually a woman, or even the voice I heard».
Hmm... Could the king also manipulate memories? No, maybe they used a spell or an item for that. Unlike the power to control others, there were definitely some abilities and items that could alter people's memories.
«Do you have more questions about the king?»
«No, that was all.»
«Well, that's good. Then...»
The boss waved his hand in the air as if saying goodbye.
That's a little strange.
His attitude was really confusing me. «Chief, can I ask you one last question?»
«Date prisa y enjoy».
«Why do you act so relaxed? It's not like you know what kind of chieftain I'll be, or what I'll do once you hand me over the position». In fact, the last time we spoke, we had an argument in which the chief told me that we would have nowhere left to live if we fell out with humans and that, even if things seemed unfair, we had to put up with it and deal with it. At the time I was a little frustrated with his logic, but in retrospect, it made sense when I looked at it from the boss's perspective.
«Why would I care about all that? I'm not the boss anymore». But today, the boss laughed as if I had told him a funny joke. «Starting tomorrow, I'm just a normal barbarian.»
True. He was no longer the chief, just a normal warrior.
«And...» that normal warrior said now, with fire in his eyes. «Since ancient times, we have always been one step behind the rest. Does that answer your question?»
«...Does it.»
«Okay, then go. I'm hungry».
I left the boss's tent and headed to another to sleep.
Without further ado, morning arrived.
«¡Woohoo!»
I stood in front of more than ten thousand warriors.
«Warriors, I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, swear this for the honor of a warrior!»
None of them would understand if I said something too complicated, so I decided to be brief.
«I'll make sure we get stronger, get back everything we've lost, and go even further!». I declared as I looked at the wall beyond the forest.
[Your position within the race you have chosen has changed from normal Warrior to Chieftain. The special Pass Grade statistic is now applied to your character.
That's how I ended up walking the path of a barbarian chieftain.
***
[Your approval rating has increased by +1.]
[Your approval rating has increased by +1.]
[Your approval rating has increased by +1.]
[Your approval rating has increased by +1.]
[Your approval rating has increased by +1.]
[Your approval rating... ]
[Your approval rating...]