## Chapter 1042 – The One With Many Questions

“Ohohohohohohohohoho!”
“Hahahahahahaha!”

Amidst endless laughter, we spun without end.

This was the true Beyblade. Never stopping, forever. And so, the honorable spinning top that leads its owner to victory. The spinning top doesn’t think. It merely spins and fights until it perishes in the given situation.

I was suddenly reminded of my childhood.

ㅡThree! Two! One!
ㅡLet it rip!

The spinning top launched with a cheerful starting sound. And the children, wielding the plastic string used to spin the top like a whip, attacked each other. It was incredibly painful, but the world of Beyblade was ruthless.

ㅡHe who makes the spinning top fight must fight himself.

We were young, but we understood this truth as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Those who make others fight must know that they too can suffer. No matter how high a ruler may be, anyone who commands others cannot escape this fate.

Therefore, we made the spinning tops fight, and at the same time, we fought each other with all our might.

Because that was the ideal.

Because we believed as a pure ideal the obvious truth that those who try to drive others to pain must also suffer themselves.

ㅡThe duel of pain.

Imitating the spinning tops created solely for the purpose of spinning and fighting. It was as savage as a spinning top duel, a violent struggle.

Isn’t the weapon itself murderous?

No matter how young a child wields it, getting hit with that plastic string was more painful than one could imagine, and so those battles were one of the most fierce and desperate rituals for the kids.

The match ended when one spinning top finally stopped, but the grudges of the kids who had been fighting like crazy until just now never disappeared.

And so, the resulting strife was clearly a microcosm of human history.

Beyblade may seem like just a spinning top cartoon for kids at first glance, but in reality, it was an extremely well-made animation that raised such proper questions.

How beautiful is a cartoon that makes people think?

ㅡSpinning top.

And this is.

A serious question that anyone who grew up watching Beyblade at the time would have thought about at least once.

ㅡQuestion.

The spinning top just needs to spin.

“Then.”

Then what about humans?

Then what on earth should humans do?

Can I now give a definite answer to the question I had at the time? I have lived for the past twenty years to answer that question. From the moment I first saw Beyblade and encountered that question until now. I have been thinking about it implicitly.

Is it because I recalled an old question?

ㅡWhirr.

It felt like the fire within me was burning. A clear energy spread throughout my body, infusing me with even greater strength. In a moment of unexpected awakening, I think.

The spinning top just needs to spin.

Then what about humans?

What on earth should humans do?

ㅡHalt.

At some point.

The spinning stopped.

“Oh no!!!!! The inside of the tent has been completely wrecked!!!! It’s going to be a pain to clean this up!! I was so happy that I forgot where I was and went wild!!!!”

ㅡRumble!!! Crash!!!

Lady Isvant’s thunderous shout shattered my thoughts.

This lady could be used as a siege weapon if she had a megaphone.

If the Lady brought out a megaphone in front of the enemy’s castle gate, even the strongest steel gate would crumble like the walls of Jericho. Ah, what’s needed at this time isn’t a megaphone, but a trumpet? Never mind that.

“Sir!!!!!!”

Certainly, the inside of the tent was completely wrecked. Even the hair of Claudi, who was sitting on the chair, was disheveled.

“This is a disaster!!!!! A disaster!!!! How could the inside of the tent be so wrecked!!!!!”

Unable to bear the sight, I immediately grabbed my head and shouted…! The inside of the barracks was wrecked by the crazy spinning!!!

“It doesn’t matter since I’m not the one who’s going to clean it up!!!! What do you take a noble for!!! Anyway, here!!! Please sit here, Barbarian Warrior!!! It’s unheard of to keep a guest standing!!!”
“Thank you for your kindness!!!!”

ㅡSqueak.

I immediately pulled up a chair and sat on it.

“Whew.”

I could feel my heightened emotions gradually calming down. I went berserk because I received such a passionate greeting as soon as I saw the Lady. Anyway, sitting on the chair, I straightened myself up.

ㅡSwish.

Claudi came and sat next to me, and so we greeted Lady Isvant happily. After all, we had met before.

The Lady hadn’t changed much. Her aura, her appearance, nothing was different from back then. The only difference was that she was now fully armed, and because she was far away and couldn’t get her hair done, she had her hair down normally instead of in her usual roll-bun hairstyle.

“Anyway, Barbarian Warrior!!! I am extremely pleased as the city’s future owner that you have come to help Isvant!!! You said you came as a Paladin!!! I welcome you greatly!!!”
“Hehe, I’m also happy to be able to come and help Isvant. I’ve lived here for quite a while!!”
“Truly a hometown of the heart!!”
“An unforgettable land of civilization!!!”
“A city where living technology and dazzling beauty reside!!!”
“That name is Isvant!!!”
“Ohohohohohohohohoho!”

Always covering her mouth with the back of her hand and laughing heartily, she was quintessentially Lady Isvant.

We continued the conversation in that manner. The background of my dispatch, and a brief story of what happened in the capital before coming here. Anyway, we were both happy to see each other after a long time, so we were able to talk quite pleasantly.

“Whew… Anyway, the Barbarian Warrior seems to have changed a lot!!! Just looking at your changed appearance, I can tell that you have become extremely strong!! It seems that you can no longer be compared to that Salverin Baron or whatever who you caught and killed back then!!!”

Comparing that bastard Salverin to me is a serious error.

Now I can take him down in 3 seconds with my bare hands.

“You see correctly, Lady!!! Ah! And I met Lormalza and Hylen again last time, and I beat them up mercilessly!!!”
“No!!! Such a thing happened!!!”

I briefly told the surprised Lady about the incident involving the otherworld dungeon that occurred near the western border.

“That can’t be…! In fact, there have been intermittent attacks by demons and undead here as well, but such transdimensional events have not occurred…!!!”
“But now a Demon Gate has opened like this, and it’s screwed, no. Isn’t it a big deal? I think this is a similar phenomenon.”
“That’s right, Barbarian Warrior!!! Even now, the situation in the city cannot be said to be good!! If this happens twice, it will be a very big deal!!”

Shitty incidents are continuously erupting in various parts of the kingdom.

No, there had already been signs for several years.

“Verily, the age of shitstorms has arrived…!”
“The age of shitstorms!!! I never knew such a concise phrase existed!!!”

In that way, we had a brief tea time while pouring out a torrent of stories about our recent situations.

Ah.

Still.

It’s almost time to leave.

I’m very happy, but now is not the time to share this joy.

If a flare goes off while we’re doing this, we won’t be able to notice it.

“Ah, and Lady. I have one more shocking piece of news.”
“What on earth!!!”

Let’s just tell her this last thing and wrap it up. I immediately took out the Baron’s insignia from my chest. I should definitely tell her this.

“Please call me Barbarian Baron from now on.”
“C, could it beeeeeeeeee!!!!”

ㅡSpring!

Lady Isvant, who had sprung to her feet, grabbed her head and shouted as if she were very surprised.

“Not only a Paladin, but you’ve even obtained a title!!! I don’t know if a Mirkesha Warrior has ever received a noble title in history, but it’s a great thing to celebrate!!! Congratulations, Barbarian Baron!!!!”
“Hahahahaha!!! Thank you!!!!”
“Such a thing could happen!!!”

She seemed very surprised.

“Ah… But!!! It suddenly occurred to me! The reason why the Barbarian Warrior came all the way here is!!!”

No, why do you call me Warrior right away.

“You mean to go inside the besieged area.”
“Indeed! Was that it! I thought so for a moment!! You were going to investigate inside there!!!”

That’s right!!!!

“Maybe I’ve taken up too much of your time! In other words, an obstruction! I apologize!!”
“Hehe, it’s okay. More than that, have you found anything inside there?”

At my words, Lady Isvant shook her head.

“I’m currently defending this place… so I haven’t really explored the inside. But it seems clear that the culprit of this incident is inside there.”
“I see.”

Everyone seemed to think so.

Claudi and I got up from our seats.
It’s almost time to go.

“Anyway, Lady. I’d like to talk a little more, but I’m in a very busy situation right now. I have to go inside and investigate as soon as possible.”
“Oh! Ah… Then, Barbarian Warrior! I will formally invite you after the situation is resolved! I’m busy now, but if the situation is resolved, I can make time whenever you want!”
“Thank you for your consideration!!!! Then I’ll see you next time!!!!”
“I’m looking forward to that day!!!!”
“Me too!!!! Same here!!!!!”

It was a pity, but with that as the last, we left the forward base while being seen off by Lady Isvant. It seems that I’m seeing all the familiar faces, but I don’t have time to properly share my joy.

Let’s do it all at once after work.

It wouldn’t be an empty promise that Lady Isvant would invite me.

In that way, Claudi and I passed the forward base and entered the inside of the encirclement. From here, the real search begins. Let’s try to find the main gate as quickly as possible.

“Katt.”
“Hmm? Why, Claudi.”
“You seemed more friendly than I imagined? You seem to get along very well with Katt.”

Claudi, who was next to me, wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Hehe, it’s a similar feeling to Copson.”
“Oh my, are you going to say that?”

Claudi, who had grasped my intention to change the subject, said that.

“Ah, really, Claudi. Our Mama needs to change her perspective on women a little, huh? Not all women in the world are such objects.”
“…Sniff.”
“Hmm?”

Suddenly, Claudi made a crying sound.

“Sniff… Lately, Katt doesn’t listen to Mama…”
“Ah, ah! No! No, Claudi! It’s not like that! I’m sorry!!!”

I can’t stand this!!! I immediately lifted Claudi up and sat her on my shoulders. Claudi, who was sitting on my shoulders, smiled and said to me.

“Hehe, just kidding.”
“I almost had a heart attack.”
“Haa… Still. I naturally think in that way. Is this bad?”

When she sees a woman, she naturally thinks about it in relation to me.

“I can’t say it’s bad. Anyway, let’s focus on the search today.”
“Okay. I will.”

Now is the search.

* * *

In the end, we ran around busily that day and looked at the scene with our own eyes, but we couldn’t find anything about the main gate. Well, it wasn’t something that could be done in a day in the first place.

But it wasn’t meaningless.

If we exclude the places we’ve already been and operate, it seems that we can find it within two days at the latest. It was a good thing just to know that it wasn’t in the places I looked.

“Oh, you’re back.”
“Yeah. Sis. You couldn’t find it, right?”

Karin and Liztina had already returned.

“I marked it on the map. I thought it would be in the central area, so I went around there, but it wasn’t there. My husband went east with Claudi, right? It wasn’t there?”
“Let me see the map.”

As soon as I matched the map with Karin, the remaining western area, excluding the central area that Karin had confirmed and the eastern area that I had confirmed, appeared.

“Then we just need to look around that western area.”
“Right? Let’s not scatter tomorrow and go together.”

I wondered what would happen if it wasn’t there either, but whatever the case, we would definitely be able to find the answer by tomorrow.

Let’s prepare for the final battle with the Great Demon.