Setting Things Straight(5)

Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for glasses to face reality.

After taking a hesitant step back, he faced my gaze directly.

“Baron Jandel… you are making a very big mistake right now.”

Despite his sincere concern for me, his words stirred memories from my past.

However, the moment I heard those words, a thought crossed my mind:

Hmm… how many people have said that to me so far?

“Do you know how many troops are stationed in this area? You’ll never make it out alive. Maybe you alone could, but your allies certainly won’t.”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded as if I understood, then grabbed him by the neck.

I pulled him sharply toward me.

“How many lives do you think you’ve got to spare, threatening me like that?”

Honestly, it was something I had been curious about for a while.

Didn’t this guy value his life?

If he really believed my allies were my weakness, shouldn’t he at least be careful when poking at something so sensitive?

“Hm?” I murmured in mockery.

I asked him a question, so why isn’t he answering?

“………………Kuh,”

Ah, right. I was choking him.

I loosened my grip just enough for him to speak. He let out a ragged wheeze and spoke hurriedly.

“W-why are you doing this………………?”

“Hmm?”

“We had a deal! We agreed to trade so both of us could get what we wanted!”

Ah, that…

Well, that was true.

“But the situation has changed since then.”

“W-what…?”

“Ah, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep the promise! I sincerely apologize.”

Since I was technically the one who broke the agreement, I offered a sincere apology.

But maybe he didn’t believe in my sincerity.

“…An apology? Do you think everything ends just because you apologize?!”

His response made me tilt my big barbarian head.

“Hm? What do you mean? If an apology doesn’t end things, why do apologies even exist?”

“I made a mistake, so I apologized. Then it’s over, right?”

“Wh-what kind of twisted logic is that?!” Glasses shouted in frustration.

“twisted logic, huh…”

Like the broad-minded barbarian I am, I let it slide coolly. Still, I gave him one piece of advice.

“Don’t use words that are too difficult. It makes you look weak.”

“Anyway, I apologized.”

Just as it seemed the matter had been settled, glasses changed his line of thinking and presented a new argument.

“…If everything ends with an apology, then why do laws exist? Why are there prisons?”

Oh, that was a sharp point.

But unfortunately for him, he had chosen the wrong opponent.

“That’s exactly why barbarians hate laws and prisons.” When my words left Glasses completely speechless, I calmly took control of the conversation again. “Then this is where our talk ends.”

Honestly, conversations filled with resentment and blame were far less productive than discussions about positive cooperation in the future.

So—

“Withdraw all the troops stationed nearby.”

“…Are you out of your mind? You broke the agreement first, and now you expect us to obey such a demand?”

“If you refuse, I’ll fire Thunder at your District 4 office building.”

The moment I declared my peace-loving resolve as a Korean barbarian, Glasses turned deathly pale.

After all, the Lord of Noark was inside that building.

I was a little worried, but it seems he’s still there.

It had been a few days since I heard that information from the marquis’s son, so I had been slightly concerned.

But judging from that reaction, it seemed Plan B wouldn’t be necessary.

“Well, the choice is yours.”

“W-wait… let me consult—”

“Denied.”

When I firmly drew the line, glasses gritted his teeth.

“How can you expect me to decide something this big on my own?”

“You said you’ve worked with the lord for a long time. You should be able to guess what decision he’d make in a situation like this.”

“Make the judgment yourself.”

His mind must be complicated.

He wanted to punish me for breaking the agreement, but doing so might put his lord in danger.

Still, I wasn’t too worried. This man was so loyal to the lord of Noark that he openly mentioned my allies right in front of me.

But what if he were given a chance to avoid responsibility by claiming he did everything to save the Noark Lord’s life while also saving himself?

It would be more surprising if he didn’t take this chance.

Regardless of what he truly wanted, if the option was laid before him, he’d be a fool not to consider it at least once.

“Hurry up and decide. Will you shed blood over a broken promise I already apologized for, or will we just go our separate ways smoothly?”

“I don’t know if you’ll believe me in this situation, but I have no intention of firing this at you all.”

“…Not firing at us? Baron, don’t tell me you’re………………”

Despite my urging, glasses struggled to decide.

But after dragging things out for a while, he finally gave his answer.

“…I refuse.”

…What?

“Don’t take me for a fool, Baron Jandel.”

Before I could respond, alarm bells suddenly started ringing throughout the building.

Daaang—! Daaang—! Daaang—!

It seemed the man had pressed some sort of button.

“This is how we do things. We’d rather destroy everything than let it be taken from us.”

It seemed I had underestimated the Noarkans.

Hah… I thought he looked like an intellectual type who would make a rational decision until the end.

“…To think he had such a manly side.”

Even as I inwardly admired him, my hands did what they had to do, regardless of how I felt.

“I’ll say this one more time. Don’t treat others like fools without—”

“Enough. Die.”

Crunch!

After swiftly crushing his head with my hammer, I headed toward the room where my allies were. Or rather, I tried to.

But where are they?

While wondering which room to go to amidst the bells ringing from all directions—

“Bjorn!”

The door at the end of the hallway burst open, and Amelia appeared, leading the group. It seemed they had rushed out after hearing the alarm.

“What’s happening?” Amelia asked.

I let out a sigh. Luck was never really on my side.

“Things got a little messy.”

Time for Plan B.

Plan A was simple: threaten the Noark Lord by saying I’d use Thunder against him, then escape with the group.

A peaceful and healthy plan that involved absolutely no violence.

But…

Tsk. This is why you can’t work with thugs.

I had underestimated the Noarkan mindset, and the plan fell apart.

So—

It was time to execute Plan B.

Surprisingly, Plan B was even simpler than Plan A.

Because…

‘Use Thunder.’

Just those two words explain everything.

‘But how do I use it? Ah… like this?’

Wow, what is this?

The moment I willed myself to use Thunder, my vision suddenly shot upward as if my soul had left my body.

Through the ceiling.

Through objects.

Higher and higher.

When I regained my senses, I was in the sky, overlooking the entire city. It was an overwhelming panoramic view, far beyond anything I’d experienced even on those high castle walls.

I didn’t have time to stand there in awe.

I looked down and located the building I had been in.

I could see a vast number of Noarkan soldiers, mobilized by Glasses, surrounding the building. Even from this height, their numbers were overwhelming.

If I fire directly at the building, even I might be in danger.

So I adjusted the aim slightly away from it.

‘Fire. Is this all I have to think?’

The moment the thought crossed my mind, I felt an unidentifiable mass of energy shift away from me and take aim.

Then—

Whoosh!

From the building I had been in, something massive shot up into the sky like a rocket.

And that brief sight was the last thing I saw in my ghostly state..

“Wait, what did you just do?!”

My vision returned to normal and I felt dazed, as though I had just woken up from a dream.

“Uh…”

My head spun for a moment, but I quickly forced myself to focus.

“Whoa, something huge just shot up over Bjorn’s head…!”

Oh… so I really did fire it. After seeing that bird’s-eye view earlier, it all felt unreal.

However, no matter how I felt, we didn’t have time. Thunder would soon strike this place.

“They’re over there…………………!”

Just then, Noark troops appeared from the stairwell. It seemed they had rushed up as soon as the emergency siren went off……………….

Look at the quality of that gear.

There was a reason glasses seemed confident he could at least take down my companions. Well, not that it matters now.

Slide.

I looked at the soldiers advancing toward me and raised my hammer.

“Everyone, grab onto me! Misha, you take care of Ragna. Aynar, you take care of Harin!”

After letting them cling to my giantised body, I brought my oversized hammer crashing down into the ground.

“KYAAAA!”

Booooom

Someone screamed, and the floor, made of stone and rebar, shattered easily, allowing me to drop straight to the floor below.

Is this the 3rd floor?

Of course, I didn’t plan on stopping there.

I recalled the 2D digging game I used to play and kept striking the floor, like swinging a pickaxe from top to bottom.

“What are you doing—?! Wha—

BOOM!

Second floor.

“What is—?! Kyaaah!”

BOOM!

First floor.

Even after reaching the ground floor, built with an absurdly high ceiling, I kept digging.

There was no way a building this tall didn’t have a basement.

“UOOOOH!! Basement! We are in the Basement”

BOOM!

“Could you at least explain—?!”

BOOM!

Basement level 1.

Then finally—

Basement level 2.

I struck down once more with all my strength, but instead of collapsing, the ground only left a deep dent.

Still, I kept hammering, digging out a hole.

‘Okay… this should be enough space for everyone.’

Once I secured enough room, I shoved my companions into the pit.

Thud.

Then, using my enlarged barbarian body as a lid, I sealed it—creating a makeshift underground bunker.

“Good. Timing’s perfect.”

“No—seriously, what is going on?! Can you explain now?!”

Hyeonbyeol’s sharp voice rang out from beneath me.

But there was only one thing I could say.

“Everyone, hold on.”

Because it was about to hit.

A deafening roar burst out as the once-solid ground trembled, rippling like jelly.

If the ground was in this state, there was no way the surface was intact.

Rumble—! Crash—! Boom—!

Debris from the collapsed building rained down, striking my back. Well, this much was fine

The problem was what came next.

The light was so intense that I could feel it even though I was buried under rubble. I felt a searing pain as if my whole body was on fire. It was so hot that I doubted whether the Allies below me were okay.

Fortunately, it didn’t last very long.

I can’t believe it’s this intense even after I came down to the second basement level!

Had I not aimed it a bit further away, things really would have been disastrous.

I need to check on the kids first.

The air was as hot as a sauna, but not hot enough to be life-threatening. I quickly regained my composure and looked downstairs.

“Is everyone okay?”

“That’s the question we should be asking. Are… are you okay?”

“I think a few vertebrae are out of place, but I’m fine. This much will heal quickly. So, the answer to my question?”

“We’re okay… Harin Savy had a pretty solid defense scroll.”

“But seriously… what was that just now…?”

Man, she’s persistent.

At this point, does it even matter?

“It’s nothing. Just stay quiet and let me think.”

Hyeon-byeol muttered something in protest, but I ignored her and focused on the present.

‘As for the oxygen problem, we can hold out by taking turns using diving scrolls or magic items………………’

It might take time, but if we clear the debris slowly, we’ll eventually make it out.

Then we can cross the city straight to Carnon, show Astarotta the marquis’s corpse, and the mission will be complete.

‘It’s almost over…’

I could feel it; this whole situation was finally nearing its end.

And yet—

A sense of unease I couldn’t shake tightened around my heart.

Thump.

Please…

Let nothing go wrong.

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