The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 12: Guild (2)

The royal palace was in a state of confusion as the third prince, Lawrence, unexpectedly presented them with an unusual object.

The corpse of a troll warrior.

"How in the world did you capture this?"

King Decker Danor von Crownguard looked at his son with deep skepticism.

In his eyes, the third prince, Lawrence, was not someone capable of such an accomplishment.

"Your Majesty, I hunted it down alongside my knight, Hunts, and the new head of House Veilain, Count Agron."

"Hmm... Summon Knight Hunts."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

At the king’s command, one of the attendants went outside the audience chamber to fetch Hunts.

"You summoned me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Sir Hunts. It has been a while. Now, I wish to hear the truth."

"The truth, Your Majesty?"

"Lawrence claims he captured a troll warrior alongside you and this new count. Tell me what really happened."

King Decker’s tone was grave.

Hunts glanced at Lawrence, who was looking at him with desperate eyes.

It was clear he wanted the truth—but a heavily seasoned version of it.

"That… is correct, Your Majesty."

"To what extent is it true?"

"The third prince, His Highness Lawrence, and the new lord of Veilain, Count Agron, stood against the troll warrior together. This includes myself, my lieutenant Harkin, and several other knights."

"Are you saying there is no falsehood in this claim?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. It is the truth."

Hunts lowered his head, unable to meet the king’s gaze.

Strictly speaking, he had not lied.

While Lawrence had not bravely wielded a sword, he had accompanied them in facing the monster.

For someone who had watched Lawrence for years, even that was enough to warrant a reevaluation of the prince’s character.

"The third prince… truly fought?"

King Decker stroked his chin, twisting his lips in thought.

"He truly did, Your Majesty! However, the one who actually slew the troll warrior was Count Agron."

Hunts described the battle as recounted to him by Baekun, adding as much detail as possible.

As they listened, the king and his advisors exchanged incredulous glances.

"Y-Your Majesty! This must be a lie! There is no one in this world who can kill a troll warrior with their bare hands!"

"I concur. Sir Hunts, you said you did not see it yourself?"

"B-But His Highness Lawrence witnessed it firsthand."

All eyes turned to Lawrence, whose face turned red as he stammered.

"I… I saw it with my own eyes… Count Agron tore it apart with his hands…"

"Hah…"

King Decker let out a chuckle, more a scoff than a laugh.

"The prince must have imagined things. That Taoist is merely an associate of the count, is he not?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. He appeared to be a long-time acquaintance of Count Agron."

"They must have used some other method—cannons, magic, something. No human could kill a troll warrior, let alone a troll, with their bare hands."

The king’s words earned nods of agreement from his advisors.

The idea of a human fighting monsters without weapons was simply absurd.

"But, Father—no, Your Majesty! I saw it myself!"

"Enough. Regardless, you fought and helped bring down the beast, and for that, I am pleased. Send additional rewards to Count Agron beyond the agreed price."

King Decker, seemingly satisfied with his son’s progress, ended the discussion there.

"Sir Hunts."

As the court began to disperse, someone called out to Hunts.

"Ah… Baron Wolfgang."

"Tell me honestly. Did the count really kill it with his bare hands?"

Hunts sensed the unmistakable fire of competition in Wolfgang’s eyes.

"Yes, without a doubt."

"And how do I compare to him?"

Hunts swallowed dryly as he looked at Wolfgang’s massive frame and the veins bulging on his hands.

"I wouldn’t dare compare you two. I can only speak of what I witnessed."

"…I see."

Wolfgang nodded and exited the audience chamber.

Hunts watched his towering figure and fell into thought.

‘The royal family’s strongest warrior, Baron Wolfgang, won’t stay quiet about this. I should inform Count Agron.’

***

Agron and Baekun left the mansion and headed toward the city’s guild.

As they walked, Baekun struggled to understand why he had to go along but eventually gave up—understanding Agron was impossible.

"Shouldn’t you at least see Prince Lawrence off?"

"Why would I do that?"

"…So dragging an old man to the guild against his will is fine, but seeing off a prince isn’t?"

Baekun stared at Agron in disbelief.

"He is a count, just like me. You, on the other hand, are my retainer. Did you finish making the medicinal supplies I requested?"

"No, I did not, you brat!"

"Tsk, you should finish them when we return. You’re being lazy."

Baekun gripped his staff tightly, resisting the urge to smack Agron on the head.

By the time they reached the city, the sun was setting.

Their first stop was the inn—to leave their horses.

"Welcome. What do you need? Food? A room?"

"We’ll eat and stay the night after we finish our business. For now, we’d like to leave our horses."

"Yes, that’s possible."

The innkeeper stepped outside to put the horses in the stable but hesitated upon seeing them, his gaze shifting back to Agron.

He had expected shabby travel horses, not two well-groomed, high-quality steeds.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh… What exactly are you people? You don’t seem like nobles or knights…"

The innkeeper’s voice carried suspicion.

Normally, he wouldn’t pry into his guests’ identities, but his gut told him these men were trouble.

"I am not a knight—I am a proud warrior of the north."

"Oh… So your profession is a warrior?"

"Now, I am a noble."

"……"

‘One lunatic confirmed.’

The innkeeper turned to Baekun.

"Me? I am a Taoist from the Eastern Continent."

"A Taoist?"

"And now, I serve as a noble’s retainer."

"Uh…"

Baekun gestured toward Agron with a nod.

The innkeeper hesitated.

Agron’s attire was far from noble. He wore a leather vest exposing his muscular arms, animal tooth necklaces dangled from his neck, and the weapon on his back wasn’t a sword but a heavy iron mace.

‘Bandits… or worse…’

The innkeeper made up his mind.

"Ahaha, new law states I have to report more than two horses to the city guards. I’ll be right back."

As he turned to leave, Agron struck the back of his neck with a sharp chop.

"Ack!"

The innkeeper collapsed to the ground.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"Huh? Weren’t you going to report us?"

"If I report you, I can just explain to the guards, can’t I?"

"The guild is about to close soon. Are we supposed to wait around for that?"

"…What?"

"Let’s go, old man! See, I told you to dress normally. It’s your appearance that made him suspicious."

"You…! You…! Aaaagh!!"

Baekun clutched his head, feeling his blood pressure spike.

Agron shook his head and dragged Baekun toward the guild.

"Next time, just listen to me. Got it?"

‘I swear, one day, I’ll hit him. I mean it.’

Baekun resolved to get back at Agron as he followed behind.

***

The guild building was larger than expected and well-maintained.

Being in the heart of the Veilain territory, it made sense that the guild here was sizable.

"Hmm."

Agron looked around the interior in fascination.

Seeing the guild, just as described in the books he had read, was a thrilling moment.

"So this is the guild? It’s grander than I imagined."

Many heroic tales he had read began in places just like this.

Agron walked toward the reception desk.

A neatly dressed young woman sat there.

"Welcome, adventurer. How may I assist you?"

"I’m here to register as an adventurer."

"Ah, one moment, please."

She retrieved the registration forms and placed them in front of Agron before asking,

"What is your name?"

"Agron."

"Your age?"

"Seventeen."

"Excuse me…?"

The receptionist blinked in surprise.

Broad shoulders, thick arms, sharp features, and a deep voice—he looked well past his twenties.

"Um… You’re not lying about your age, are you?"

"Why would I lie about that?"

"Uh… Good point."

She realized that usually, people lied to raise their age, not lower it.

"Alright… What is your position?"

"Position?"

"Like a mage, priest, swordsman, that sort of thing."

"I am a warrior."

"A warrior? Oh, you mean a swordsman."

Before Agron could correct her, Baekun clamped a hand over his mouth.

Without a doubt, Agron was about to lecture her on the difference between warriors and swordsmen.

"Here’s your F-rank adventurer’s badge."

The receptionist handed him a crude wooden pendant.

"You’ll need it when accepting or completing quests. You should always carry it with you."

"Got it."

Agron hung the badge over his beast-tooth necklace, feeling an odd sense of excitement.

He had taken his first step into a new world.

"Hah, is this a newbie?"

A man sitting at a distant table called out to him.

"Yeah, I am."

"A newbie should greet the veterans first, don’t you think?"

The man dragged his chair back with a loud screech and stood up.

"Time for a proper newbie initiation."

"Initiation?"

"Hah, you better brace yourself."

He grinned and led Agron to his table.

"Newbie initiation! Everyone, drinks ready!"

"Woohoo!!"

At his call, the surrounding adventurers filled their mugs with beer.

He handed Agron a massive mug and gave him a sharp look.

"First drink’s gotta be downed in one go. Got it?"

"Oh, is that so? Understood."

Agron grabbed the oversized mug with both hands and gulped it down in one go.

Those who had initially been smirking were now cheering loudly.

Agron set the mug down and wiped his mouth, his expression completely unaffected.

"Whoa! This newbie is insane!"

"Has anyone ever managed a one-shot before?!"

"Hahaha! To the new guy!"

"Cheers!"

The adventurers surrounded Agron, pouring him drinks and offering high-fives, delighted by the newcomer’s endurance.

‘So this is the guild initiation I read about. Interesting.’

For Agron, this wasn’t just drinking—it was an opportunity to experience firsthand what he had only read in books.

When the man first called for an initiation, Agron had expected a brawl or a one-on-one duel with the strongest fighter.

‘Drinking as an initiation, huh? This is a great tradition. Maybe my tribe should adopt it.’

Satisfied, Agron continued drinking.

As the mood reached its peak, the guild entrance opened.

A towering man walked in.

He had a powerful build, reminiscent of a wolf.

Without warning, the atmosphere in the guild shifted. The room fell silent.

Step. Step. Step.

His long coat brushed the floor as he approached Agron.

Even without speaking, his mere presence turned the adventurers pale.

"You the new guy?"

A deep, metallic voice rumbled from behind his thick beard.

"Yeah, I’m the newbie."

"Yeah, you’re the newbie…?"

The bearded man tilted his head as if caught off guard.

His gaze moved from Agron to the pile of empty mugs around him.

"Another one of those damn newbie initiations, huh?"

He picked up a mug and smashed it over Agron’s head.

Crash!

"That’s the real initiation, you little shit."

Agron licked the beer dripping down his face and grinned, baring his teeth like a beast.

"Now that’s an initiation."