Chunsik! Stop coming out!

Barkal.

I knew that this guy possessed an exceptional strength, even among barbarians.

He was even favored by Thrag, the god of the Red Wolf Tribe.

Was that the reason?

The God of Blood and Revelry and barbarian.

When the synergy of these two “lunatics” combined, it often brought about incredible results.

This incident was one of them.

“I am not guilty! I just rolled a boulder to shake off my hangover and train my strength! That’s our tradition!”

In a voice full of grievance,

Barkal insisted on his innocence.

He claimed that all he did was roll a “boulder” for training. Of course, that wasn’t normal, so it was only natural for the guards to chase after him.

Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

After chastising Barkal a bit more, it didn’t take long before he opened his mouth.

“I really did roll a boulder! It’s just that a statue was holding onto it, so I toppled the statue—but it was still a boulder!”

Because I kept probing with the focus on the “boulder,” he suddenly gave an unexpected answer.

He toppled a statue?

“What statue is there in the center of Iushil?”

When I asked Serena, she gave an embarrassed smile.

“L-Lormod’s statue… I think?”

Lormod.

The former head of the Steldian family, the noble who governs Iushil.

“Edmund! That coward foamed at the mouth when he found out his father’s statue was destroyed!”

Barkal laughed as if he found it utterly ridiculous.

“He didn’t care at all when they dug up his father’s grave! Hahahahaha!”

What’s so funny about that?

Anyway, I got the gist. So the guards were after Barkal because he toppled an important statue in Iushil.

According to Barkal, the Barbarian Respect Association was with him during the incident, but they hadn’t laid a hand on the statue; rather, they tried to stop Barkal.

Apparently, having been imprisoned before, their instincts told them to be cautious.

In any case, we slipped out of Iushil before the guards could catch us.

“Barkal.”

“Yes, brother!”

“Thanks to you, we were able to make a quick decision. I appreciate it.”

“Khaha! Sage, I’m happy I could be of help to you!”

That wasn’t supposed to be a compliment.

I barely managed to hold back those words.

* * *

Once we found out Barkal was wanted by the Iushil security, we immediately took out the wagon and left the city.

Our destination was Od Heim, a city in the region of Rozelia. I gave Barkal a brief explanation of why we were heading there, and he nodded.

“Wherever you go, I will follow the Sage. For his honor!”

As expected, Barkal didn’t really care. It was that very thoughtlessness that got us kicked out of Iushil in the first place.

“But, I’d like to know if there’s a particular reason we must go there!”

He finally showed some curiosity as he asked why we were heading for Rozelia.

So I simply explained the reason to Barkal.

And that Serena was searching for someone there.

― Also, there might be an item my master is looking for.”

In the middle of my explanation, a sudden voice interrupted and startled me.

It was Chunsik, the Dullahan.

The guy just suddenly appeared next to me.

Why did this brat pop out all of a sudden? I never even used Dullahan Summon.

“A-Amazing!”

Seeing that, Barkal recoiled in shock, quickly getting up and pointing at him.

That’s right.

This guy is an undead. Barbarians hate undead beings.

“What’s going on?!”

Whether luck or misfortune, Serena was holding the reins and didn’t recognize the situation, but just Barkal alone was giving off a tremendous sense of crisis.

Barkal instantly reached for his weapon. I was racking my brain, searching for an excuse to persuade him—

“It’s the head of Thrag!”

But what came out of Barkal’s mouth was unexpected.

What?

The avatar of Thrag?

I turned my gaze to where Barkal was pointing.

There sat the Dullahan’s head, chunsik, sitting all alone.

Considering how many Dullahans Barkal had witnessed, there’s no way he couldn’t recognize an undead.

The only distinctive feature was that, because I used a wolf’s corpse to summon him, he had a wolf’s head.

Ah.

Was it because of the wolf’s head?

“Our great god of the Red Wolf Tribe, and the first barbarian! After he ascended to godhood, only the wolf’s hide remained at his seat!”

So that really was it. I let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s right, brother, this is Thrag’s head.”

“To think you managed to summon Thrag himself!”

“Uh…”

I glanced out the window at the passing scenery.

Dullahans are undead.

If I said here that this undead was actually Thrag himself, the actual god might get extremely angry.

* 〈Mortis is bewildered.〉

Contrary to my thoughts, Mortis seemed flustered. Why was she so agitated?

While pondering this, crimson storm clouds began to gather in the sky.

Just like when it rained blood at the Red Wolf Tribe.

I could sense that Thrag was absolutely livid.

“Wow… It seems Thrag acknowledges it too!”

Seeing that, Barkal laughed loudly.

As his devotee and an Apostle, Barkal, witnessing Thrag’s fury, said that, and the sky that looked like it was about to destroy the world gradually began to clear.

* 〈Thrag lets out a sigh.〉

Thrag sighed. It seemed that the Apostle’s cluelessness had dampened his anger.

You find it extraordinary too, don’t you? Next time, try educating the barbarians as a basic requirement.

“But why has Thrag’s head appeared here?”

After the sky returned to normal, Barkal’s curiosity turned back to Chunsik.

“Perhaps the god sent his avatar to bless our journey.”

“Thrag! I will repay your kindness! I will make Thrag even greater!”

With Barkal’s excited commotion behind me, I turned back to Chunsik.

Why did you show up on your own?

Looking at him with questioning eyes, chunsik slowly opened his mouth.

― I came to collect a survey, master.”

This insane Dullahan. He showed up to collect a survey, even though I never summoned him?

― I’m sorry for appearing on my own like this. But please do not disable the auto-summon function. It is supposed to activate when master is in danger.”

Thanks to your “auto-summon” function, my head almost got split in half.

Unbelievable, but what he said was reasonable in its own way.

I did say to bring me a survey form. How do I even give it to him?

While puzzling over it, chunsik opened his mouth wide as if asking me to put it in. So I did.

― Thank you, master.”

“Chunsik.”

― Yes.”

“That energy I mentioned before—do you sense it drawing any closer?”

To my question, chunsik shook his head. Strange, considering he didn’t even have a body to move.

― I do not sense it.”

I see. That’s unfortunate.

― Well then, since I’ve received the survey form, I’ll be going now.”

You really come and go as you please, don’t you.

A faint light rose from Chunsik’s head. Then, like smoke, it slowly dissipated, and the wolf’s head vanished without a trace.

“Avatar of Thrag, until next time!”

Barkal bid farewell to the disappearing Chunsik.

But the words Barkal had said a moment ago lingered in my mind.

That Thrag was the first barbarian of the Red Wolf Tribe.

That must mean, Thrag was once human, wasn’t he?

When I spoke with Mortis in the Imaginary World, what I felt wasn’t the reverence of a “god”, but rather, humanity.

Perhaps she, too—

Before becoming a “god”, had been human.

That led me to wonder.

If all of today’s “gods” had gathered Runes of the Abyss to ascend—

Why, then, did Thrag react so sensitively to the Rune of the Abyss?

“Sage, what are you thinking about so much?”

He can be clueless sometimes.

But Barkal was quick to notice that I was lost in thought.

“It’s nothing.”

In any case, there’s nothing I can do by worrying now. As long as we keep gathering the Runes of the Abyss, we’ll solve it eventually.

* * *

“Huh?”

Rattle.

With Serena’s sudden, flustered voice and a jolt, the wagon came to a stop.

Was something wrong? Worried, I looked out front through the window of the cargo area and spotted a wagon that had toppled over onto its side.

“Sleeping lying down like that—the wagon must have been very sleepy.”

To think one could say that about a crashed wagon.

I was in awe of Barkal’s imagination when, alongside a strange voice, I sensed Serena feeling awkward.

“A-Aren’t you a follower of Liberas? Good heavens! What luck!”

They seemed to be travelers, owners of the overturned wagon.

Upon seeing Serena’s clothes, they must have recognized her as a follower of Liberas, the god of virtue and love, and approached without hesitation.

In this sort of situation, asking for Liberas must mean they want to ask for healing.

“There’s an injured person in the wagon! You look like a cleric—could you help us?”

“Uh…”

Serena, too, seemed to know what they wanted, and couldn’t answer easily.

Why couldn’t she, when she was a cleric?

That’s because she’s a cleric who can’t heal others.

“We’ll definitely reward you!”

“Where is the injury?”

Oops.

At the mention of a reward, I reflexively spoke up.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off the traveler’s ring and necklace.

Judging by the number of jewels, those were goods made of extremely valuable gems. I doubt even selling a C-rank mana stone (spirit stone) could buy anything like that.

― Master.”

At that moment—

Chunsik appeared again, speaking to me.

I was startled. Why do you keep coming out? Didn’t you need a medium every time you were summoned?

Sensing the question on my face, chunsik opened his mouth before I could ask.

― As long as my soul is connected to master, I don’t need a medium unless I use power.”

So that’s what being soul-bound meant. Then why did you come out—didn’t I just give you the survey form?

Chunsik’s gaze swept over the travelers, then he spoke.

― That person is not a human, but a monster.”

It was quite the bombshell.

***

**New Names/Locations/Techniques**

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