Chapter 229
On the 1st floor of the Magic Tower, there was someone drawing the attention of countless people.
He had a massive build, a ferocious-looking appearance, and an outfit that exposed a torso covered in scars. He was someone who made you think that if the word barbarian were turned into a person, it would look exactly like him.
Though he actually was a barbarian.
Franz approached him.
“Gro Man, it’s been a while.”
“Oh-! If it isn’t the great warrior and Great Sorcerer, Fran… whatever-!”
His booming voice echoed through the lobby. It was the kind of voice typical of those who believed a loud voice meant a strong warrior.
The problem was that there were quite a few people in the lobby.
“Hyaaaak?!”
A woman passing by Gro Man screamed and collapsed to the floor. Judging by her attire, she wasn’t a Mage but a guest who had come to submit a request.
It wasn’t just her; everyone in the lobby was staring at Gro Man.
What on earth should I do with this idiot…
Franz sighed and narrowed his brow.
“Gro Man, your voice is too loud.”
“Hahat-! Thanks for the compliment.”
“I meant that people aren’t used to it, so please lower it a bit.”
“I-is that so? I apologize. It’s an unfamiliar place, so without realizing it…”
As expected, barbarians were the epitome of the saying: 'They’re good people at heart.' Every action of theirs was nerve-wracking, but there was absolutely no malice.
Afterward, Franz headed to the Magic Tower Lord’s Office with Gro Man.
Of course, Arian was with them as well, but she was shrinking back as much as possible, seemingly still unaccustomed to him.
“Just take a seat.”
Arriving at the Magic Tower Lord’s Office, Franz sat on the sofa. It was plush yet supported the body well, which he really liked…
Creaaak-.
As Gro Man sat on the sofa, it began to scream under his massive weight.
“Oho, I quite like this chair.”
“It’s an item I got from the Elves.”
“Are you saying those knife-ears have this kind of talent? I wondered what they were doing hiding gloomily in the forest, but they were doing exactly what suited them.”
Creaaak-, creaaak-.
Gro Man shifted his body this way and that. It seemed he wanted to check the chair’s durability.
At this rate, it might actually break…
Thinking that, Franz hurriedly opened his mouth.
“What brings you here? It couldn’t have been easy coming all the way here from Roman.”
“Mhm, that’s true. Actually, I came because I have something I want to ask you, the Great Sorcerer.”
“Is there something you want to ask?”
“It happened a while ago. Something with powerful energy appeared. It was shaped like a blue vortex…”
“Did it happen to look like this?”
Franz used the surrounding magic particles to project the shape of a gate like a hologram. It was a blue vortex, as if sucking things into its center.
Seeing that, Gro Man widened his eyes.
“That’s it! As expected of the Great Sorcerer! There’s nothing you don’t know! Coming to find you was the right answer!”
“I can hear you even if you speak quietly.”
“S-sorry. I was just so happy…”
It was a truly booming voice. Nevertheless, he didn’t know just how happy the man was.
However, Franz wasn’t the only one affected by that voice.
“…”
Arian, who was bringing out tea, had her eyes wide open.
Franz conveyed his apologies to her with a glance. He was responsible for his guest, after all.
Soon calming her startled heart, she let out a short sigh and took a step forward again.
“Excuse me.”
Two steaming teacups were placed on the table.
“Oho, it has a fragrant smell. Great Sorcerer, you have a wife who brews tea well.”
Saying that, Gro Man picked up the teacup. His fingers couldn’t fit into the handle, so he just grabbed the entire cup.
'She’s not exactly my wife, though…'
Thinking that, Franz checked Arian’s expression out of the corner of his eye.
Arian had her usual businesslike expression, but the corners of her mouth were constantly twitching.
It was a relief that she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.
Just as a relieved Franz was about to take a sip of his tea.
Gro Man’s teacup was completely empty.
“Where did the tea go?”
“I drank it all.”
He drank all that hot tea in one gulp? Is his esophagus made of steel or something?
Franz was quite bewildered, but he decided not to pay it any mind.
Expecting them to have the same common sense was absurd in the first place; they were barbarians, after all.
Sluuurp-.
The taste of the tea was as good as always.
“Gro Man, I’ll go and help you this time.”
Franz said, silently setting down his teacup.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ll explain the details once we go to Roman.”
“Mhm-! Then this is no time to be sitting around!”
Gro Man kicked off his seat and stood up.
At the same time, with a craaack, the sofa broke.
Haa…
A sigh naturally escaped Franz’s lips.
“As expected of the knife-ears' items. You can’t trust them.”
“Right, let’s just go.”
Right, he doesn’t have any malice.
He doesn’t, right…?
Franz slowly began to grow suspicious of the barbarians.
* * *
Roman, the nation of barbarians built upon a desolate land.
With a flash of light, Franz and Gro Man appeared.
“W-what on earth is this…! Is this truly a human Great Sorcerer…!”
“It’s not sorcery, it’s magic.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Sorcery and magic were similar yet distinctly different, but…
Well, there was no need to force him to understand. Someday, the barbarians would naturally realize it as they caught up with the times.
Anyway…
“What on earth is this…?”
“Isn’t it amazing? All the scattered tribes gathered to build a single city.”
Gro Man looked down at the city with a pleased expression.
At the end of his gaze was a veritable metropolis. The construction methods were still as outdated as before, but the scale had grown incomparably larger.
In the center of that city was a pit full of water. It was the pit where behemoth had emerged, which leviathan had filled with water.
“This is all thanks to you, Great Sorcerer. I sent you off without even properly expressing my gratitude back then, but I won’t let you go this time.”
Gro Man burst into hearty laughter and slapped Franz’s back with his palm. The force was so considerable that it made Franz’s body stagger.
“So which way is the gate?”
“Mhm, it’s this way.”
Gro Man took the first step, and Franz moved to follow him.
A smile spread across Franz’s lips. He didn’t feel too bad, as it seemed his actions had been helpful to them.
How much time had passed since then?
Franz arrived in front of the gate that had appeared on the barren field.
'Is the gate’s grade itself similar to a snow mountain…?'
It was at a weaker level compared to the gate he had experienced in Nostra, but that was strictly by his own standards.
If he imagined a party made entirely of barbarians facing that snake bastard, it would be at the level of requiring a large-scale raid.
“Gro Man, how long has it been since this appeared?”
“Including today, it’s been about 30 days.”
The longest time among the Gates he had seen so far was 30 days.
He didn’t know if the phenomenon of Monsters pouring out of a gate truly existed, but since the possibility couldn’t be denied, it seemed best to resolve it quickly.
“Let’s head back to the city for now. Gather some warriors and sorcerers for me. The smartest ones possible, if you can.”
“Understood.”
Franz planned to teach them the method for clearing a gate this time.
Countless Gates would appear in the future, and he couldn’t come to Roman to help them every single time.
Afterward, Franz moved to the city with Gro Man.
“Tell the warriors and sorcerers to come to the temple immediately!”
Those who heard Gro Man’s command moved swiftly, and it wasn’t long before the barbarians began to gather.
However, there were truly a lot of them…
“I am a warrior too…! I am ready to lay down my life for the tribe at any time…!”
Even those who hadn’t yet shed their childishness ended up flocking over.
Of course, he had no choice but to send such people back.
“L-let go of me…! I can fight too…!”
Even so, he had no desire to put kids in danger.
After Franz sent them back one by one according to his strict standards, a total of 10 people remained: 6 warriors, 4 sorcerers. The ratio could be said to be just right.
Snap-.
As Franz snapped his fingers, everyone present was transported to the front of the gate.
“W-what kind of sorcery is this…!”
“The Great Sorcerer who killed a god is different…!”
“Are you saying that the Godslayer is him! I’m seeing him for the first time today!”
The barbarians, startled by the Spatial Movement Magic, each showed their own reactions.
Thinking there would truly be no end to it if he left them like this, Franz clapped his hands, clap, clap-, and drew their attention.
“From now on, we will clear the labyrinth beyond the gate. You all just need to listen carefully to what I say and pass it on to the other warriors and sorcerers.”
“If it’s that, it won’t be difficult!”
“It’s a very easy task for us warriors!”
Perhaps because he had gathered the smart ones, it felt like they communicated quite well.
Everything was great, except for the fact that their voices were loud.
“Everyone, please lower your voices. There are dangerous guys beyond here.”
Then, we will enter.
Just as Franz said that and was about to take a step forward.
The gate, which had definitely been blue, began to be dyed red.