Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 389

Wild Horse(3)

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.

An unwanted guest had broken through a locked door.

“……”

There were two choices.

The first was to ask why he’d sneaked in, expressing my anger verbally.

And the second…

“I hope you came prepared to die.”

…was to show my anger with my whole body.

There was no need to think about how an average barbarian should deal with an intruder.

Crunch

I tightened my grip on his throat.

Wouldn’t this be the normal reaction?

For a barbarian dealing with an assassin.

“Did the Marquis send you to kill me?”

“…Guh, ugh!”

At my question, he forced out a sound, struggling.

“…It’s… not like… Wait, let’s talk—”

It was obvious what he wanted to say.

Probably that he didn’t intend to kill me.

And it was likely the truth.

He didn’t have a weapon when I opened my eyes, after all.

If he really wanted to kill me, the marquis had better ways than this.

I don’t deny that.

But…

“I have nothing to say to someone who tried to kill me.”

And hearing him out would ruin my excuse for a rampage, wouldn’t it?

So just get some sleep.

I’ll take my compensation from your father.

Crunch

I pressed down harder, closing off any chance for him to make a sound, then drove my fist into his stomach.

Thud!

His body curled up like a shrimp with the impact.

“Guh-huh!”

Oh, you didn’t faint from that?

Well, here’s another.

Thud!

“Ugh—!”

Must be tough, being a knight.

Maybe I should go for the jaw?

Just as I was thinking about changing my target.

“Guh…”

Sensing a life-threatening situation, he drew the blade at his waist.

A knife about the size of the one I use to slice jerky. But in a knight’s hands, size didn’t matter.

Whoosh—!

With a flash of blue aura, the blade grew larger.

Swish!

The aura-charged knife darted toward my wrist like lightning. Unable to release my grip on his neck, he seemed determined to cut my hand off entirely.

Not that I couldn’t understand it.

Knights, after all, tended to live by the principle of cutting down anything in their way.

「Your character activated [Iron Fortress].」

「Effect of [Evolved Armor] increases by 1.5 times.」

As I hurriedly activated the skill, his aura reached my wrist.

But…

Crack—

The aura struggled to cut through my skin, stopping when it met bone.

“…!”

“……!”

His eyes widened.

It was the same expression as the blood knight had in the Dark Continent in the past.

Why won’t it cut?

These punks who have been freeloading all their lives using aura can’t easily accept such a phenomenon.

Not that it’s any of my concern.

“Hiding a weapon on you, were you?”

Blood dripped from the cut on my arm, but I didn’t budge, still gripping his throat.

“So, you really are an assassin.”

He couldn’t even shake his head to deny it.

Or, more accurately, he tried, but failed.

He didn’t have the strength to shake his head from my grasp.

He just opened his already wide eyes even wider.

Thwack!

Until the moment my big fist smashed his facial bones.

Crunch—

Well then, shall we get going?

****

Dragging the limp body of the Marquis’s son, I stepped out of the room.

But, unfortunately, there was a problem.

‘How am I supposed to find the Marquis?’

I didn’t know where the Marquis was.

And it’s a bit awkward to wake this guy up and ask.

Drip, drip.

Sigh, I wanted to meet the Marquis before my wrist injury heals itself…

But thankfully, I didn’t have to worry long.

As the saying goes, when the body’s strong, the mind doesn’t have to work as hard.

‘Let’s just go out. I’ll figure it out somehow.’

Currently, I was staying in the annex on the east side of the main residence.

I walked down the empty hallway toward the stairs.

Strangely, all the servants who were visible everywhere earlier had disappeared.

Probably cleared out preemptively to let the son approach.

“Well, at least the first floor is fine.”

The lobby on the ground floor was brightly lit, even in the middle of the night.

A single servant, standing diligently in a straight posture, saw me and screamed.

“Kyaaah!”

Hmm, is he a living alarm?

“What’s all this fuss!”

At the servant’s cry, the tightly closed main door swung open and the knights on night watch entered the building.

There were four in all.

“Mr Rihen Schuiz…! What is the meaning of this! Who is that you’re holding?”

Unfortunately, they didn’t recognize the young master.

Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have punched him in the face?

“Judging by the badge on his belt, he seems to be one of the Marquis’s family.”

“No matter if you’re a guest of the Marquis, do you think you’ll get away with this?”

“Put him down and surrender, now!”

The four knights surrounded me, their swords brimming with aura.

In this situation, an ordinary explorer would be shaking with fear, sweat running down their back.

And these knights knew it better than anyone, which is why they were so confident.

“I’ll say it one last time, surrender and await the Marquis’s judgment.”

“And if I refuse?”

“…Then we’ll have to use force.”

“Really? Give it a try, then.”

I shrugged and replied to what was essentially their last warning, and they frowned.

As if I had made a foolish decision.

Thud.

I dropped the son’s body and pulled out the Demon Crusher from my subspace.

And at that moment.

Tap.

The four knights, who had exchanged glances to signal each other, simultaneously rushed in from all directions.

I’m grateful for that.

How considerate.

Boom.

As I stomped the ground with my foot, a vortex sprang up.

「Character casts [Eye of the Storm].」

I deliberately didn’t link it with [Transcendence].

In battles against multiple opponents, the basic form was more efficient.

Whoosh!

In their minds, they probably thought that slicing through the heavy armor and cutting flesh and bone without resistance was easy as always.

“Uwaaah!”

But I didn’t allocate any of my movements to blocking or dodging.

Squelch—

The blade buried itself deep into my collarbone.

Crunch—!

I retaliated by slamming my hammer into his temple.

And in that moment—

Slash—

A knight who had rushed in from the left slashed at my ankle.

“Geez, attacking the Achilles tendon, that’s dirty.”

I almost lost my balance for a moment, but the tendon wasn’t severely damaged.

So…

Screech.

I quickly regained balance and kicked him in the face as if playing soccer.

Crash!

The knight went flying, crashing into a pillar.

At that moment, a dull impact hit me from behind.

“Ugh—!”

So, you didn’t slash but stabbed, huh.

「Penetration damage reduction rate 75%.」

No wonder it didn’t hurt much.

“Who… who are you…?”

What’s this guy going on about?

What’s there to talk about in this situation?

Crack!

Turning around, I elbowed his jaw.

Only one left.

“Uwaaaa!”

He was charging at me with a fierce golden aura, perhaps to avenge his fallen comrades.

‘The neck is sensitive.’

I raised my left arm and blocked it with my shield without much effort.

And then…

“…Guh!”

I forcefully kicked him in the stomach.

Swoosh.

At the same time, the storm dissipated, the skill duration having come to an end.

“……”

The room fell silent.

Though we had exchanged equal blows, it was obvious who the victor was.

I had only taken a few scratches, whereas they were already crawling on the floor.

“Gah…!”

Two of them still had some consciousness.

The one I kicked at the end might be fine, but I worried that the guy I hit in the temple might have died.

“Did he use a defensive skill before getting hit?”

Despite the considerable damage to his head, the knight’s staggering steps toward the open gate appeared utterly pitiful.

“S-send reinforcements……”

Wow, he really has a strong sense of duty, doesn’t he?

I was quite impressed by such responsibility, but I didn’t want him to go too far,so I linked [Transcendence] and [Whirlwind] to pull him back and knocked him out with a flick on the head.

“Now I can ask this guy where the marquis is……”

I crouched down and grabbed the head of the knight whose stomach I had kicked earlier to make him look at me.

“I have something to ask—”

“Ptui!”

This bastard’s lost his mind.

Having always been the one spitting blood and phlegm, it felt incredibly disgusting to be on the receiving end, but I suppressed my annoyance and asked again.

“Where is the Marquis?”

“In the end, you’ll… follow me… too.”

Hey, who said I’m going to kill you?

It’s ridiculous, but seeing him uttering curses with resigned eyes, it seems he won’t answer even if I ask.

Therefore…

Bang—!

After giving him a flick on the forehead and knocking him out, I resumed thinking.

“Anyway, what should I do? Should I go outside?”

Hmm, there might be mages outside.

I don’t want to make this any bigger.

It would be nice if I could just have a one-on-one with the marquis…

Should I just wait until the young master wakes up?

Swoosh.

As various thoughts crossed my mind, I sensed a presence beyond the wide-open main door.

I lifted my head to check and slowly stood up.

“……Seems I don’t need to go looking.”

The marquis was there.

***

The marquis was wearing the same everyday clothes I had seen during the day.

Meaning he hadn’t gone to bed.

Well, perhaps he was busy with work and stayed up.

But, I wonder what the truth is.

Given the troops swarming beside him.

Swoosh.

Especially with all those soldiers lurking nearby.

Swoosh.

As I stood, a woman by the Marquis’ side placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“Stand down. There’s no need for that.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Following the Marquis’ command, the woman immediately let go of her sword.

I watched her closely.

For starters, she wasn’t a knight.

After all, Aura is exclusive to humans.

‘So, she’s from the dragon tribe.’

I then confirmed her distinctive dragon tribe eyes and shifted my focus to her gear.

And then…

‘Damn it.’

I realized what kind of weapon she was carrying on her waist.

“Weapon No.19: Exgenis, the Demon Dragon Sword.”

A transforming word that greatly amplifies physical damage and can convert physical damage into magical damage depending on the situation.

Considering I haven’t fully set up my anti-magic defense, this sword could be my worst nightmare.

‘Never heard of someone like her……’

If her equipment matches her skill level, she’s probably one of the top fighters in this city. After all, there’s no such thing as a weak dragonkin.

“……”

As I was grasping the situation, a moment of silence passed.

It was the marquis who spoke first.

“Shall we move somewhere else?”

“How can I trust you?”

“Hmm, then at least let me clear them away.”

As I nodded slightly, the marquis gestured with his eyes, and the knights beside him collected their comrades and turned back.

And then…

“Everyone except for Miss Ravien, leave the mansion.”

The marquis withdrew all his forces from the mansion.

Now, only the Dragon tribe woman remained beside him.

Despite the Dragon tribe woman being present, the marquis didn’t hesitate to call me by my real name.

“Baron Jandel.”

“……”

“I know why you did this. You must have misunderstood.”

Misunderstood…

Well, from the marquis’s perspective, he must have been dumbfounded.

He wouldn’t have expected the situation to unfold like this, even if I woke up in the middle.

Especially not in the middle of his own mansion.

Of course, I have no reason to consider his situation.

“Sending an assassin at night and calling it a misunderstanding—how shameless.”

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s a misunderstanding. I just wanted to confirm whether you were an evil spirit or not.”

“Evil spirit?”

Though I had long suspected his intentions, I feigned ignorance and asked.

Maybe I should add a bit of irritation for effect?

“…Are you saying you suspected me of being an evil spirit?”

My question carried a clear tone of hostility.

The Marquis nodded calmly in response.

“It’s better to be certain about everything, isn’t it? As you might have heard, evil spirits are
dragged to gatherings every full moon. And during that time, they become completely
defenseless. I swear I just intended to check whether you woke up or not during that time.”

“So?”

“The verification is complete. You are not possessed.”

At his words, I let out a quiet sigh.

After all, my biggest goal in causing this incident was precisely this.

“Then why did you send your son?”

“Well… I thought that even if you woke up, it wouldn’t be a problem if it was him.”

“Tell me more.”

“Firstly, I didn’t expect you to make such a fuss. And secondly, I thought he could handle any situation if need be.”

In other words, he thought his son could subdue me if anything went wrong.

“Weren’t you worried that he might die on the spot? He’s your only son, right?”

“If I protect him all the time, he’ll grow up weak.”

So that’s your philosophy on raising him.

It’s a bit questionable, but now I understand your point somewhat.

“Alright, if the misunderstanding is cleared up, then—”

“Just because it’s cleared up doesn’t mean there’s no hard feelings. And it’s not like all misunderstandings have been resolved anyway.”

“…?”

The Marquis frowned at me as I interrupted him.

What, am I not allowed to say my piece?

“Look at this wound, for instance.”

I held out my arm to show the half-healed wound on my wrist.

“This is from when your son ambushed me earlier.”

“…He ambushed you?”

“When I tried to talk, he went straight for his sword.”

“Is that so? Then your misunderstanding was inevitable. I’ll make sure to have a serious talk with him.”

“And what about my injuries?”

I didn’t stop at my wrist but also showed off the injuries I got from fighting the four knights earlier.

Minor wounds compared to the knights who were beaten to a pulp.

However, the marquis let out a small laugh but gave me the answer I wanted.

“Since it’s a result of our mistake, we’ll work out a settlement to your satisfaction.”

Perfect. That should get me a fair bit of compensation.

“Now, shall we set aside any remaining grievances and talk? I’d also like to discuss the second condition we agreed upon for tomorrow morning.”

“Very well.”

As I nodded, the dragon tribe woman by his side pulled a chair from her subspace—a chair that looked expensive and very comfortable.

Huh, he even has his subordinates carry around such chairs in their subspace?

These nobles…

“As I get older, my body becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Ah, do you need a seat as well?”

“No need.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“So, what is the second condition?”

I cut straight to the point, having no reason to drag the conversation on any longer.

The first condition for restoring my status was my participation in the war. But what was the second?

“Before we get into that, there’s just one more thing I’d like to confirm.”

The marquis slyly avoided answering and exercised his right to ask a question.

Ugh, refusing him here would be difficult.

“Go ahead.”

With my permission, the marquis began with a somewhat abrupt preface.

“My son is one thing, but the four knights you faced earlier are among the more skilled in our family.”

Were they?

I beat them all before I even saw their skills, so it’s hard to feel it, even if he says it.

“And?”

“To get to the point, I’ll ask directly.”

The Marquis then asked me,

“How strong are you?”

It was a somewhat sudden question, but thinking about it, I could understand.

Even the marquis wouldn’t know my exact capabilities.

He probably only intended to use my fame in the war.

“Hmm, judging by your silence, was it a difficult question?”

“Not really.”

Rather than being a difficult question, it’s more accurate to say it’s hard to answer.

Just as time is relative, so is a person’s strength; a point of comparison is needed.

For example…

“That woman.”

As I looked at the Dragon tribe guard, the marquis showed a slightly surprised expression.

“Are you saying you can be confident of victory against Miss Ravien?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

Winning is a bit…

I haven’t actually fought her.

It’s too early to be certain.

However, without a moment’s hesitation, I answered the marquis’s question about my combat ability.

“I can break through her and smash your head.”

Is that a satisfactory answer?

It probably is.

“……”

A slight tremor occurred in the marquis’s body, who had always been relaxed in front of me.

“…You’re even crazier than I’d heard.”

Judging by the admiration in the guard’s voice, my answer must have hit the mark.

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