#52
Harley (3)
The newly summonable avatar was named “Hubert.”
There had been countless agonies and conflicts before settling on that name.
Since sticking to the “Ha” sound as before would place limits on naming, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to break that mold and expand the boundaries to “H”...
...Such was the utterly pointless worry no one would ever recognize, and the name that emerged from it.
In truth, what mattered was the skill he had obtained.
Hubert’s initial skill was 「Appraisal」.
It was an excellent ability that allowed him to view information about objects.
“It really does feel like I’m playing an actual game.”
However, perhaps because his proficiency with the ability was still low, he could not see particularly precise information.
The current level of detail he could confirm was roughly general information about the object.
“Of course, he’s only just gained the ability, so there’s plenty of room for growth.”
The future magnate Hubert’s first mission was to prepare the items Harley would use while he was brawling in the Forest of Magical Beasts.
He toured the cities he could travel to, using 「Appraisal」 to select weapons Harley could use, and entrusted the processing of a magical beast’s head to a leather craftsman.
-A two-handed axe made by a highly skilled craftsman, forged by hammering heavy and solid black iron alloy. It is sturdy and does not break easily, but it is extremely heavy, making it impossible to lift with ordinary strength.
-A helmet made by an ordinary craftsman, fashioned from the head of a magical beast black panther. As the focus was on shaping its appearance, it would be best not to expect defensive power beyond the quality of the material itself.
Aside from that, Hubert put in a great deal of effort for Harley’s full-fledged activities.
With plenty of his personal taste reflected in it.
And the result of that effort...
Was standing here now.
In the middle of Tarak, in the northern Aonia County of the Tulk Kingdom, located in the western part of the continent.
Murmur, murmur—
“Good heavens, what is that?”
“A southern barbarian? What’s he doing all the way out west?”
“Mom— what is that?”
“Shh, don’t look! Let’s hurry home.”
The gazes of passersby all focused on Harley.
They were the same kind of looks he had received from the guards while passing through the city gate.
“Hoo, this body is rather magnificent, after all.”
Admiring gazes poured down upon Harley.
His appearance had that much power to draw in the attention of those around him.
A giant body over two meters tall, with eyes as fierce as a beast’s.
The leather attached to the black panther’s head he wore over his own draped over his shoulders and back like a cloak.
Around his neck hung strings of beast fangs, and on his bare upper body, intimidating muscles writhed.
There were incomprehensible patterns drawn in red dye across his face and body, and two large axe handles stuck out over both shoulders from where they were strapped to his back.
And yet, as for armor, all he had were scraps of leather reinforced with iron plates placed over a few vital areas.
A barbarian warrior, the kind one could no longer see these days and only encountered in stories, was here.
“Heh heh heh.”
Laughing quietly, he squared his shoulders and strode forward with confidence.
Those overwhelmed by Harley’s beautiful muscles hurriedly averted their eyes and moved out of his path.
In truth, aside from taste, there was also a legitimate reason for dressing so conspicuously.
His goal was to become a hero who could influence the continent.
Among the conditions for being a hero, fame held great weight in addition to one’s personal abilities.
A strong person known only to those in the know, and a strong person known by everyone.
There was no need to say which one was closer to being a hero.
Leaving an intense impression that could never be forgotten after a single glance was also an important matter for Harley, an aspiring hero.
“Mm, yes, of course. This definitely isn’t just because of personal preference.”
Having completed that self-justification, the bold barbarian warrior Harley received the attention of everyone around him as he crossed the main road and headed for the Mercenary Guild.
Baaang—!
The guild door swung open with refreshing force, as though it might break.
In an instant, all eyes focused on the entrance.
“I meant to push it lightly, but I forgot about Harley’s strength.”
He was inwardly embarrassed, but a real man like Harley did not concern himself with such trivial matters.
He confidently crossed the lobby and headed for the counter.
“What the?”
“A barbarian?”
Perhaps because it was a city with a developed mercenary industry.
The inside of the guild was clean and gave off a fairly sophisticated impression.
There were counters set up like a bank, and people standing in line in front of them.
Harley, who was tough but not without manners, quietly stood at the end of the shortest line and waited.
Since he had some leeway, if he distracted himself for a bit, time would pass quickly.
“Hoo, hoo.”
At the rough breathing that escaped him without his realizing it, the shoulders of the person standing in front of him flinched.
“Ahem... come to think of it, I had something urgent to take care of...”
Then he muttered for no particular reason and carefully left the guild.
While, for some reason, keeping an eye on Harley’s reaction.
“Ah, I haven’t eaten, so I’m hungry. I should eat first and come back.”
“Look at me. I forgot I had an appointment.”
The people standing ahead of him left one by one, and the line shortened in an instant until his turn arrived.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. People are so forgetful these days.”
Clicking his tongue lightly at the unfortunate reality, he shook his head.
Still, if they had urgent business, there was nothing to be done about it.
Harley released the barbell squat posture he had been holding by overlapping the two axe handles while waiting and stood up.
“Since there are two axes, if I put the blades on both sides, the weight balances nicely. They’re two-handed axes, so the handles are long too.”
Of course, this much weight would not even make him shed a single drop of sweat.
He tidied up the axes with practiced motions, slung them back onto his back, and headed to the counter.
“Um, what brings you here...?”
As a mass of muscle over two meters tall stood before her, the female employee asked cautiously.
“Ha ha ha! Naturally, I’m heading to the Steel Citadel to hunt! Isn’t that what this city is for?”
A hearty laugh burst out.
This was the reason Harley had gone out of his way to come to Tarak.
To hunt the various monsters that appeared in the mountain range above the Steel Citadel, acquire more genetic information, and grow even stronger.
In truth, he also did not know much about the southern Tribal Alliance and the barbarians, so it would have been unreasonable to head there right away.
If one was going to impersonate someone, was it not more advantageous to do it somewhere without locals?
“Once I get stronger and become famous, a way will appear somehow.”
For the time being, all the other avatars had also become busy, so they could no longer help Harley, but now that things were already somewhat on track, he would be more than enough on his own.
And since it was better to follow formal procedures for the sake of fame, he had come to Tarak first in order to enter the mountain range after receiving a request as a mercenary.
There were two paths in mind for Harley.
Either he would make a name for himself as someone from the barbarian tribes and become a big shot capable of moving the southern Tribal Alliance nations, or he would build fame in the mercenary world as a warrior and become the Mercenary King.
“He could become both.”
In truth, that was the goal.
“Pahahaha—!”
For now, he was just a newcomer who had only just become a mercenary...
And so, the barbarian warrior Harley became a mercenary and headed for the northern mountain range.
***
Heinrich was standing guard inside the Roselia Grand Temple today as well, leisurely as ever.
As expected, his previous days of duty had been peace itself.
“They say there’s a need to prepare for emergencies, but what are the odds of something like that happening inside this Grand Temple?”
Perhaps they were infinitely close to zero.
He was allocating his surplus mental energy to other avatars with that thought in mind.
“Mm?”
From inside the passage he was guarding, he sensed something bustling.
The place where he now stood was the corridor leading to the quarters where high-ranking clergy stayed.
It seemed something had happened in the Order.
He was curious as to what it was, but just as he was about to stop paying attention, thinking he would learn of it someday if it was something he was allowed to know—
“Ah! Sir Heinrich, hello! The weather is lovely today!”
The Saintess appeared from the inner passage.
For the record, it was currently raining steadily outside.
“When it rains, earthworms come out, you see. They’re so cute, wriggling around!”
He could not understand this young lady’s sensibilities at all, but one should respect personal tastes.
“Yes... Those long, glossy, squirming things... They are very cute. Yes.”
“I knew Sir Heinrich would understand! You know exactly what’s cute about earthworms. That little life wriggling about is just so lovable!”
“Hahaha... By the way, has something happened in the Order? Everyone seems rather excited...”
Before the conversation could flow in a direction he could not possibly handle, he hurriedly changed the subject.
If it was something Heinrich was not allowed to know, the conversation would end here, but that would not be bad either...
“Ah! Cooperation with another force was decided this time.”
It seemed it was something he was allowed to know after all.
No matter how immature the Saintess might seem, she was still the Saintess in name and reality, so she would thoroughly keep what needed to be kept.
...Surely.
“A high elf is to be dispatched from the Elven Kingdom on the Enamel Continent. They may be of help in tracking the heir of the Immortal King.”
The Enamel Continent was a small continent only a quarter the size of the Ion Continent, where they were now.
The vast majority of its inhabitants were nonhuman races, excluding humans.
In truth, one could practically regard the entire Enamel Continent as an alliance of nonhuman races.
“If it is a high elf, I understand they are quite high-ranking within the Elven Kingdom... Are you saying they are coming all the way across the sea to help us?”
The Enamel Continent had never once been invaded by the Immortal King throughout history, and the elves were worshippers of the World Tree, a minority faith with very few adherents in Auterica, making it even harder to understand.
“Of course, they also have something they want from us, which is why this joint operation was established. The Elven Kingdom tends to dislike humans, but they maintain friendly relations with our Main God Order!”
Just because the elves served the World Tree did not mean they denied the Main God.
Acknowledging and respecting the existence of the Main God, and deciding upon the object of worship, were separate matters.
As the Main God Order did not reject other religions either, they respected each other and even held regular exchanges.
“However, this seems to be a matter that was only recently decided. Is it all right for me to hear about it?”
“It will be announced soon anyway. We have to prepare to receive the envoys from the Elven Kingdom too.”
Fortunately, it seemed the Saintess had considered what needed to be considered before telling him.
“And it’s fine for someone like Sir Heinrich to know this much! It hasn’t even been a year since you received baptism, yet you’re already approaching bishop-level holy power! Perhaps later on you may even rise to the level of a Saint!”
...She really had judged properly before telling him, right?
The Saintess he had experienced until now had shown a strangely favorable attitude toward Heinrich.
They did say she felt close to those with strong holy power, but even taking that into account, there was a large difference compared to how she treated others.
“It’s not exactly bad for me, though. If I say the Saintess told me herself, no one can complain.”
Even so, he was deeply worried that this innocent young lady might be deceived by some wicked villain and blurt out important information.
“I just have to stay by her side and watch over her so that doesn’t happen.”
He absolutely could not tolerate anyone taking advantage of their kind Saintess!
“Ah! My break time is ending! I lost track of time talking with Sir Heinrich. I have to go see the earthworms, so I’ll be going now! Keep up the good work~!”
Leaving behind that one-sided farewell, the Saintess disappeared again like the wind.
“...Mm. To use that kind of ability to observe earthworms.”
He had once encountered the Saintess on a rainy day.
He had been thoroughly drenched despite holding an umbrella, yet the Saintess had been crouched in a flower bed with her bare body, observing earthworms while remaining perfectly dry and fluffy.
As if blocked by something transparent, raindrops could not trespass within a certain range around her.
“And she was pouring holy power into the earthworms, even applying healing and blessings.”
Earthworms that had received the Saintess’s blessing.
He had no idea how flustered he had been when he first witnessed that.
It was a luxury even believers could not easily receive.
There was no point thinking about her any further.
He let out a light sigh and shifted his thoughts.
“Anyway, a high elf from the Elven Kingdom...”
He could not know what kind of variable their existence would become.
There was no information he could particularly access, after all.
“Surely I won’t be found out?”
He had escaped the Saintess’s gaze, but if a high elf whose abilities were unknown were to join in, he could not know what would happen.
“...Should I reinforce the barrier a bit more?”
It seemed he would have to put in more effort, mixing in more techniques from other dimensions.
***
And only a few days later.
When about half of Heinrich’s working period with the Radiant Guardian Paladin Order still remained.
The delegation from the Elven Kingdom visited through the Grand Temple’s gate.