Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 367

Responsibility (5)

Almost 2 meters tall.

Yet, due to her well-proportioned body and lean muscles, she doesn’t come off as overly bulky.

But still…

‘It’s a strange feeling to be the one looking up.’

Has she lost her Bone Knight essence?

It was strange to see Aynar after a long time.

Ever since her physique shrank, I’ve only seen that version of her. Well, if I trace back my memory, her face from then still remains, but…

‘…Back then, she looked completely baby-faced.’

She has become much more mature than I remember.

Hmm, maybe it’s not so much a change in her face but a difference in her aura?

‘Haha, a person can fall asleep with a book. Are you discriminating against me because I’m a Barbarian?’

“N-no, that’s not it. I, really—”

“I’m just joking! Just a joke! I promise I won’t cause any more trouble, so please let it slide this once, okay?”

Her tone was carefree and she’d improved her speaking skills. She skilfully maneuvered the conversation so that it was hard to say no.

I was honestly impressed.

Now she could utilize the traits of the barbarian tribe.

“…If you say so, I understand.”

“Haha, thanks! Oh, would you like some jerky?”

“…No, thank you. Also, consuming food inside the library is—”

“I know! I just thought you looked skinny. Alright, get going! You must be busy with your work!”

With that, Aynar practically shoved the librarian out of the room, and as if to prove she was serious, she opened her book and started reading.

‘So… she’s reading now?’

For some reason, my chest swelled with pride.

So, while pretending to read my book, I kept sneaking glances at Aynar.

“Umm…”

Aynar frowned.

It seemed like she was stuck on something in the text.

Even here, I could feel how much she had changed.

“Hey, friend!”

Aynar called out to me casually.

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Haha, you’re a strange friend! Who else would I be talking to? Could you come here and read this for me?”

What the— I can’t believe she’s not only calling a human ‘friend’ but also asking for help.

Does she… perhaps see me as a barbarian?

“Don’t be scared! I’m not going to hurt you!”

“…I’m not scared; I was just surprised. I heard barbarians dislike humans.”

“That’s just a stereotype! I used to think that way too, but over time, I’ve realized there’s no reason to hate you.”

Well, it seems she didn’t mistake me for a barbarian after all.

And it didn’t seem like she was confusing me with Bjorn Jandel either, so I quietly moved over.

“I’ve been reading here, but I can’t figure out what this word means. Could you explain it?”

“This… is ‘logistics.’ It refers to a military branch responsible for managing or supplying resources.”

“A branch? Sounds like something tasty.”

Wait, how can she be reading military books when she can’t even read this?

I was dumbfounded but answered her question anyway.

As I looked at the piled-up books beside her, I saw that they were various types, not just military books.

Most were history-related books.

‘…She’s reading these kinds of books?’

“Anyway, thanks! Now I can continue reading!”

After the explanation of the word, Aynar immersed herself in reading again, and I returned to my seat.

And after some time had passed.

I couldn’t hold back and asked.

“By the way… why are you reading such books?”

“Hmm? Are you picking a fight with me?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Haha! Don’t make that face. I know I’m unusual!”

What’s this, she’s really playing with people…

Just as I was staring at her, Aynar’s expression turned serious and she muttered quietly.

“The warrior I most admired was a frequent reader.”

“……”

“Well, even if I try, I can’t follow in his footsteps… But there are things that someone has to do.”

Her voice sounded somewhat lonely.

Hearing that, I recalled what Erwin and Raven had told me about Aynar’s recent activities.

‘After I died… she declared she would become the tribe chief.’

It was a bold ambition she announced to her grieving tribesmen after I, who was considered a strong candidate, died.

At first, they were skeptical, but over time, they began to accept her, and now she’s practically seen as the next leader…

“But you know… It’s a bit of a shame.”

Suddenly, Aynar glanced at me and smacked her lips.

“…What are you talking about?”

“If you were born a barbarian, you’d have quite a handsome face.”

“…Is that so?”

“Anyway, since we met here, how about we introduce ourselves? I’m Aynar, the second daughter of Pheneline. And you are?”

“I’m Rihen Schuiz.”

I gave her my alias, and Aynar repeated it thoughtfully before handing me a few books from her stack.

“…Why are you giving me these?”

“It’s a gift for becoming friends.”

Who gives library books as gifts?

I can’t take them out anyway.

“…Thanks.”

I was dumbfounded, but I spat out an empty thank you.

But what’s this situation?

“Don’t mention it. It’s natural as a superior species.”

“…Superior species?”

“Ah, is that a difficult word? Actually, you might not know as a human…”

Aynar looked around and then spoke softly so only I could hear.

“Barbarians are actually the most superior race in this world.”

…What?

“If you read those books, you’ll know whether what I’m saying is true or not.”

I unintentionally looked at the titles of the books handed to me.

[The Secret of the Heart: The Selfish Superior Gene]

[Barbarian III – Why Did Mages Covet Their Hearts?]

[Seven Lessons from the Holy War on Why You Should Not Oppose Barbarians]

…Those were the titles of the books.

****

“You’re not reading?”

“…I am.”

Since Aynar kept glancing at me, I had no choice but to flip through the books she gave me.

Honestly, I was curious too.

Maybe the titles were just provocative, and the content would be more reasonable—

‘…Yeah, right.’

I don’t know who wrote these books, but every single one was the same.

They were all filled with praise about how amazing barbarians were.

What were they thinking when they wrote this?

Surely the author wasn’t a barbarian, and if they were in their right mind, they wouldn’t have written these with barbarians as the target audience.

Thud.

I closed the book, giving up on understanding.

Aynar’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me from across the table.

“How was it? A good book, right?”

“…It was certainly an interesting read.”

“Don’t get too discouraged. Humans aren’t that inferior. We’re just especially extraordinary.”

“……”

“Did you know? The literacy rate among barbarians is 99 times lower than that of humans. And yet, we’ve maintained our traditions for thousands of years. No other species has managed that.”

“……”

“And do you know why barbarians can’t float in water? It’s because our soul’s density is far greater than any other species.”

“Do you even know what density is?”

“…Ahem, well, only barbarians can perform spirit engraving, and for good reason!”

So she doesn’t know.

“Our souls are purer and cleaner than anyone else’s…”

I stood up.

“…Huh? Where are you going? We’ve only just started.”

“Sorry, something came up. Maybe we’ll meet again.”

“…I see. Well, take care.”

I was happy to see Aynar again, but if I stayed longer, I’d have to listen to this all day, so I quickly made my exit.

And then…

‘If I stay here, she won’t find me.’

I moved to a secluded spot and opened a new book.

Most of the information was up-to-date, with several books compiling news from the past year.

‘So the royal family’s been making a lot of policies for lower-ranked explorers, huh?’

As I delved deeper into my reading, I came across a familiar name in an article from a year ago.

[Seventh District Chief of the Explorers’ Guild, Nile Urbans, Announces Voluntary Retirement Citing Personal Reasons, Not Political Disputes.]

So the old man retired?

I grew more curious and read through the article in detail, eventually reaching the last part.

[Though he was very active just two years ago, even being a candidate for guild leader, many of his acquaintances speculate that the death of his daughter a year ago caused a significant shift in his mindset.]

A year ago, the death of his daughter.

“…Wasn’t she his only daughter?”

I wasn’t sure about that.

I didn’t know him that well, after all.

‘Still, I should check it out.’

Driven by curiosity, I pulled out the papers from last year and began flipping through them until I found what I was looking for.

[Julian Urbans, Eldest Daughter of the Urbans Family, Announces Marriage to Alminus Trading Co. Director.]

The first article was about her engagement.

And then…

[Julian Urbans Dies on Wedding Night.]

Three months later, the death report.

Cause of death: Fall due to slipping.

She’d been drunk and fell headfirst from a third-floor terrace…

[Nile Urbans Staunchly Reaffirms That It Was an Accident, Not Suicide, Despite Compensation Claims]

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

Although we weren’t deeply connected, I felt somewhat responsible, knowing the circumstances.

‘Forget it, let’s just go back today.’

Tsk, I shouldn’t have looked it up…

***

One day, two days, three days, four days…

As always, time in the city flew by quickly.

Well, there are quite a few things to do at the beginning of the month.

Exchanging vouchers for money, selling equipment, and so on—time really flew by while doing these things.

And the time for settlement arrived.

“With this amount, we can pay off all the debts and still have some left.”

“Then… we don’t have to sell the house!”

“About that, I think we should postpone paying off the debt.”

“W-why…?”

Because there’s still plenty of time until the due date.

And there’s a place where I need to invest money first.

“Ah, if you say so… there’s nothing we can do. But where are you going to spend all that money…?”

“I’m going to buy a ship.”

“…A ship?”

Erwin tilted her head in confusion, while Amelia nodded as if she understood my thoughts.

“Well, if we’re not going to continue participating in the war, it’s better to have a ship.”

“Exactly. The place I plan to go for the next exploration is also on the 6th floor.”

I’d joined as a mercenary because I needed money at the time, but after a single exploration, I’d already met my financial goals.

There’s no longer any reason to keep fighting.

Though the pay for the job was good, there are other things that matter more to me now.

“And where exactly are you planning to go…?”

“To the Undersea Island.”

“…Undersea Island? Was there such an island on the 6th floor?”

From Amelia’s reaction, it was clear that this was not a well-known place.

Maybe someone like Raven would know about it, though.

Anyway, after giving a brief explanation of Undersea Island, both Erwin and Amelia showed signs of recognition.

“The island hidden beneath the sea… So that’s what you meant.”

“I think my sister mentioned it before!”

“But can the three of us really go alone? We don’t even have a scout.”

“That’s why we’ll need to start looking for one.”

“…We’ll be busy again for a while.”

Fortunately, both of them agreed to follow my exploration plan without much disagreement, and from the next day, we started looking for ships and scouts in earnest.

And so, time passed again…

“Where’s Erwin?”

“She’s sleeping.”

“Really? You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to.”

“…I came just in case. If you don’t like it, I won’t come next time.”

W-wait, I didn’t say I didn’t want you to…

“Ahem, what I meant was, thank you.”

“…How does that mean that?”

Well, if that’s what you think.

I gave a slight smile and checked the clock on the table.

And then…

“Well, I’m off.”

“Alright.”

As I closed my eyes, a wave of reassurance washed over me, and the world around me was bathed in a brilliant white light.

「The soul of the character resonates and is drawn to a specific world.」

Now then, let’s start by turning on the computer.