The Barbarian of the Count’s Family Is Too Strong

Chapter 22: Journey with the Trading Company (1)

Agron led Baekun and Elena to the guild.

Now that urgent matters had been handled, it was time to receive a new mission.

To Agron, an F-rank guild mission was far more important than some noble banquet.

He had instructed his head butler, tax officer, and scribe to handle minor tasks efficiently and entrusted an emergency communication crystal to the head butler.

“Agron, do you intend to keep hiding your identity while working?”

“Yes, old man. Wouldn’t that be for the best?”

Agron had not revealed his status to the guild.

Of course, if he were being thorough, he would have used a false name and created an entirely fake identity. But for now, he simply chose not to disclose it.

In other words, he planned to utilize his countship whenever necessary.

“Well, that’s not a bad approach. What about Elena?”

“I will do whatever my master commands, brat.”

“Urgh.”

Baekun never knew how to respond when she called him a "brat."

Getting angry didn’t work, and fighting was out of the question—there was no way he could win against her.

Maybe Jacob would have a chance.

He had recently learned that Elena hadn't even been fighting at full power in the cave.

After centuries of dormancy, her mana reserves had been nearly depleted. It was only thanks to Agron providing her with blood that she had regained her vitality.

Upon arriving at the guild, Agron instructed Elena to register as an adventurer.

“There are a lot of eyes on us.”

From the moment they stepped inside, Agron could feel numerous gazes fixated on Elena.

Her beauty stood out too much in a place filled with rough adventurers.

Normally, one might feel tense or uncomfortable if their companion was drawing such attention, but neither Agron nor Baekun showed any reaction.

Even Elena herself didn’t appear the least bit nervous or frightened.

“Elena has been registered as an F-rank adventurer. As for you, Agron and Baekun, if you complete just one more mission, you’ll both be promoted to E-rank.”

The receptionist clenched her fists in encouragement.

“Our master is no mere F-rank.”

“Pardon…?”

“Rank him up to S-rank immediately, human female.”

“…Excuse me??”

At that moment, Agron stepped in and covered her mouth with his hand.

“S isn’t enough! Make him SSS-ra—mmph!”

“Apologies. She’s just very devoted to me.”

“O-Oh… I see….”

Agron dragged her away to the mission board.

Watching from the side, Baekun clicked his tongue and gave Elena a look of disapproval.

“Elena, there is a saying: ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’”

“Is that so…? No, if my master goes somewhere, then my master is the law. That makes sense. How admirable.”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

“This lowly servant will devote her life to witnessing the laws my master creates.”

“Hmm….”

Agron found it too troublesome to explain, so he simply nodded.

She obeyed his commands without question, so he could just instruct her as needed.

“But why is that brat reaching E-rank before me?”

“Well, the old man has completed a few missions with me already.”

“I see. Master, from now on, please take me with you. I will make sure you become an S-rank… no, a Great Super Ultra SSS-rank adventurer.”

“…Thanks. I’ll leave it to you, Elena.”

“Thank you!”

Overcome with emotion at Agron’s trust, Elena burst into tears.

Baekun, watching from the side, shook his head.

“Keh keh keh, what a sight. Truly, what a sight.”

At that moment, a group of rough-looking men approached them.

“Master, it seems that man has some sense. Saying we look good together means he has a keen eye.”

“Indeed. He appears to have good taste.”

“…What the hell are you two talking about?!”

The man who had spoken first looked confused for a moment but quickly shifted his expression, flashing a lecherous grin at Elena.

“Heh heh heh. Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you come with us instead of hanging around here? We’ve got plenty of money to have a good time.”

“Sweetheart…? Master, this person must be a woman.”

“I heard it too. It seems I still hold some narrow-minded preconceptions.”

“Y-You insane bastard! I was trying to be nice, but now—! You, come with me right now, and you—ugly bastard—you’re dead!”

The moment the man reached out toward Elena, she moved like lightning and drove an uppercut into his jaw.

Crack!

As he began to collapse, she placed a hand on his shoulder, using the momentum to spring up and deliver a powerful kick to the others beside him.

In an instant, three men went down, leaving only one standing.

Still confused about what had happened, he looked around blankly before taking a fist to the stomach and crumpling forward.

One punch or one kick—each was enough to leave their jaws shattered or ribs broken.

“Guh… Hngh…!”

“You pathetic worms dare to insult my master…?!”

Elena’s crimson eyes burned with fury.

“Damn it, stop her, Agron!”

“Huh? Stop what?”

“She’s about to kill them!”

“…Is that a problem?”

Baekun smacked his forehead.

What kind of lunatic couple is this?!

The ethics of life and death were vastly different for a Vampir and a barbarian, and Baekun found himself constantly feeling dizzy because of it.

“No noble just kills their subjects on a whim!”

“Oh… that makes sense. Elena, stop.”

“But Master! They insulted you and even tried to lay hands on your property—me!”

Elena protested, still fuming.

“Hmm, that’s true, but they are people of my domain. I cannot allow them to be killed so carelessly.”

“…I… I understand.”

“However, you may kill anyone outside my domain as you please, so let’s go somewhere else.”

“Yes, Master!”

“…???”

Baekun opened his mouth in disbelief, momentarily wondering how he could possibly fix his damn nephew.

***

The mission they had accepted was to escort a merchant caravan.

It was a sizable procession consisting of the caravan master, knights, mercenaries, adventurers, porters, prostitutes, gamblers, and a few wandering peddlers.

“But is it necessary to bring knights, mercenaries, and adventurers all together?”

At Agron’s question, Baekun stroked his long beard and answered.

“The knights are probably the caravan master’s personal guards. Since their numbers alone aren’t enough, they must have hired mercenaries. As for the adventurers, they serve a different purpose. There have been cases where a caravan would falsely report being completely robbed in order to claim insurance from the merchant guild. So, they assign randomly selected adventurers to monitor the situation and ensure accurate reports.”

In other words, the adventurers sent by the guild acted as watchdogs.

Of course, they would still fight if bandits or raiders appeared, but they weren’t there at the caravan master’s request.

“The adventurers’ guild profits from it, and the merchant guild gains objectivity. It works out for both sides.”

“But the caravan master must dislike it.”

“Not necessarily. After all, they do help in case of trouble. However, since the adventurers are assigned randomly by the guild, the caravan master can’t verify their skills, which sometimes makes it feel like a waste of money.”

“I see.”

Agron’s group decided to travel on foot alongside the procession.

Baekun advised against riding horses, as low-ranked adventurers flaunting such status could invite unnecessary trouble.

Of course, Baekun himself had bad knees, so he arranged to ride on a peddler’s mule cart instead.

Naturally, it wasn’t free—the deal cost him two silver coins, and Elena’s beauty played no small part in sealing it.

“My apologies. I get to ride while you two walk.”

“If you feel bad, then get off, brat. And give your seat to my master.”

“Ugh, you’ll understand when you get old—”

“I am over five times older than you, child.”

“……”

Elena, who was always dressed in elegant gowns, now wore a thin robe over her clothes at Agron’s command.

Her beauty simply stood out too much.

The wandering peddler driving the mule cart, Wutan, clicked his tongue inwardly as he observed them.

To him, it looked like a group of misfits drawn together by a single woman’s charm.

“Pardon me, but what rank are you folks?”

“Haha, we’re just humble F-ranks.”

Baekun responded with a friendly smile.

“Hmph, that brat might be F-rank, but my master and I are different. Especially my master—he possesses SSS-rank abil—”

“Elena, that’s enough.”

“Yes, Master!”

Wutan let out an audible sigh, now convinced they were an even bigger mess of a party than he had initially thought.

Merchant caravans sure are entertaining.

Agron found the long procession of over a hundred people fascinating.

In the snowfields, such large groups rarely moved together.

The only time something like this happened was when a terrifying monster wiped out a village, forcing a mass migration—but even then, they didn’t form such an orderly line.

As they ascended the mountain path, some people began falling behind.

If they were hired by the caravan, mercenaries or adventurers would begrudgingly help them.

However, if they were stragglers who had tagged along uninvited, they were left to fend for themselves.

Some small-time peddlers and travelers followed merchant caravans for safety, but while the caravan didn’t drive them away, it didn’t offer them protection either.

“Master, it looks like they’re preparing to stop for a meal.”

Elena, whose physical abilities were as heightened as Agron’s, observed the very front of the caravan—something an ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to see.

“Hm, so it seems.”

Wutan, overhearing their conversation, smirked.

He thought Agron and Elena were just boasting.

“Hah!”

But sure enough, about five minutes later, a mercenary ran down the line, shouting, “Meal break!” before returning to the front.

The people who had been listening to Agron and Elena earlier widened their eyes in shock.

“How the hell…?”

“Did you actually see that far?”

“Are you crazy? No human eye can see that distance!”

Stopping at the base of the mountain, the caravan members began preparing their meals.

Fortunately, those hired by the caravan were provided with food.

However, only the caravan master, key merchants, and a few knights received full service.

Mercenaries and adventurers had to either stand guard, gather firewood, or fetch water until the meal was ready.

“I’ll go find some firewood.”

“Master! You should make the brat do it!”

“The brat… I mean, the old man should rest because of his bad leg. You’ll stand guard instead.”

“Understood. Hey, brat! Be grateful to the Master!”

“Th-Thanks…”

“…Fine.”

Agron accepted the awkward gratitude and headed into the bushes.

“Elena, here, try this.”

“M-Mine too.”

“This is some exquisite wine I’m planning to sell. It’s truly delicious!”

“Hah! The best pairing would be the finest jerky from my shop!”

The moment Agron left, the men around them eagerly approached Elena, offering her food and drinks in an attempt to win her favor.

It seemed that they had been hesitant to approach her while the gorilla-like man was still around.

“Leave it there. I will not eat anything until my master returns.”

Elena didn’t even glance at the food they brought her, keeping her gaze fixed in the direction Agron had disappeared.

The men smacked their lips in disappointment but, reluctant to take back what they had offered, eventually walked away empty-handed.

Just then, a strange sound reached Elena’s ears.

The rustling of numerous people moving through the grass.

The faint scrape of metal against leather.

“Hey, brat. Get ready.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“We’re about to be ambushed.”

Her crimson eyes gleamed as she braced herself.

And then—

“WAAAAAHHHH!”

“Hehehe! Kill the men and rape the women!”

“Slaughter them all!”

“Hahaha! Take everything they have!”

From all directions, dozens of armed bandits charged toward the caravan.