The Honorable Barbarian

Jorian, the former king of Xilar, has spent his whole life getting into trouble. And though sometimes he got himself into scrapes, he also learned to fence expertly, pick locks, and lie brilliantly. Now it’s time to pass this experience on to Kerin—his younger brother.

A young adventurer heads for the Kuromon Empire to learn the secret of a clockwork mechanism needed for the family business. There’s no way Kerin can avoid enemy tricks: he will have to fight a treacherous sea captain, a two-faced sorcerer, and pirates.

And it would be nothing, if not for the named assistant—an annoying elf no bigger than a teacup, who knows only how to set up schemes.