Chapter 60

First, I have something to say. What I'm about to show you is my ultimate trump card. I will only show this to you with the understanding that you will absolutely cooperate with me. If you are even a little bit scared, please speak up now.

I said this while looking at everyone with a serious gaze, staring into each of their eyes as if to pierce them. The atmosphere in the room became as cold as ice, and everything fell silent.

"I understand. If you, Sir Alus, say it's that serious, then I will stake my life on it."

"Are you sure? Once you say it, there's no turning back?"

"I was considering settling down here when this happened. Perhaps this is fate. Besides, I want to see your ultimate trump card, Sir Alus."

"Alright, then. What about the rest of you? Are you all in?"

"Yeah, no problem. Rather, what are you going to show us? Stop being so dramatic and show us already, Alus."

"Alright. What I will give to my allies is 'magic.'"

"…Magic?"

"Yes, not just any everyday magic, but my own unique magic. I will bestow my magic upon all of you."

"That's impossible. Alus, I don't understand what you're saying."

"I mean it literally, Father. From now on, I will be known as Alus Barka, taking the name of this village, Barka. And I will ask all of you to take the name Barka as well."

"The name of the… land… Alus, isn't that going too far? It makes us sound like nobles…"

"That's right, Madoc. From now on, we will be the Barka family. We may not be as large, but we will stand on equal footing with the nobles. That's the only path I can take. To negotiate with the Fontana family, we need to elevate our status to at least that level."

"But, Sir Alus, becoming nobles is no easy task. Just taking a name won't make us equal to nobles."

"That's why I'm going to bestow magic. Make your decision. Will you take the name Barka with me?"

I raised my voice.

They seemed bewildered by the sudden request.

But my eyes had been the same all along, looking through everyone in the room.

I wasn't just saying reckless things out of despair.

They must have sensed this.

After a moment, everyone in the room came to a decision.

To take the name Barka and receive the magic.

Seeing this, I took a deep breath.

Over and over, as if to replace all the oxygen in my body, I took deep breaths.

With each breath, I absorbed all the magic in the air.

I mixed the magic I absorbed from the outside with my own magic in my abdomen.

I imagined turning the thin, air-like magic into a liquid, and then further condensing it into a thick, viscous substance.

I filled every corner of my body with this magic, took another deep breath, and absorbed new magic.

Then, I slowly squeezed out the highly refined magic from my fingertips.

A magic circle.

I began to recreate the magic circle I saw for the first time during the naming ceremony.

I drew the magic circle in the air with my magic, just as I had memorized it perfectly with the [Memory Storage] skill, and fixed it so it wouldn't dissipate.

This was a much more difficult and delicate task than the earth magic I usually used.

It had been a while since I last did this.

After using it on Valkyrie, I never used this magic circle again.

I wasn't sure what would happen if I used it.

When I named my first servitor, Valkyrie, the magic manifested in all the subsequent servitors.

I didn't know what would happen if I used it on people who already had names.

But this naming magic, using the magic circle, was undoubtedly my best trump card.

For farmers, the magic I possess, especially [Land Leveling] and [Soil Improvement], should be something they desire more than anything.

I believed there would be no shortage of people who would want it.

That's why, despite the risks, I decided to use this magic circle.

Most importantly, the names people already have are recognized as blessings from the gods.

Therefore, without discarding their existing names, I decided to take the name of my birth village and create a new surname, Barka.

"Naming, Baito Barka"

"Naming, Assira Barka"

"Naming, Madoc Barka"

"Naming, Trion Barka"

"Naming, Gran Barka"

I extended the magic circle to each person, bestowing them with new names.

Thus, magic warriors who would fight alongside me were born in this Barka village.

Thank you for reading.

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