Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 772

Setting Things Straight(7)

“Rather than explaining it with words, it’ll be faster if you see it yourself.”

With that, Astarotta casually handed me a thick stack of documents. And honestly, I wasn’t that surprised. There had been nearly a thousand people around me when Thunder struck.

As expected of documents that came from the Royal Intelligence Department, it was impeccably organized, pristine in both formatting and style.

No.1 Keldun Nilteon
Status: Deceased
Note: The body could not be recovered, but credible eyewitness accounts confirm the death.

Name, status, and a brief note.

On top of that, the word ‘deceased’ was marked in red whenever it appeared, making everything easy to grasp at a glance.

Of course, the cleanliness of the documents didn’t mean the person reading them would feel at ease.

No.17 Anthony Bolton
Status: Deceased
Notes: Body transferred to the 7th mortuary. Personal belongings are being held by a clan member who escaped with him.

…Hah. This guy was probably one of those from the smaller clans that followed us out of the Sanctuary…

No.19 Gelta Pane
Status: Deceased
Notes: The body could not be recovered, but credible eyewitness accounts confirm the death.

My heart sank each time I saw a name I didn’t just recognize, but had seen many times before.

But…

Clench.

They may have been under my command, but realistically speaking, they weren’t the allies mentioned on the Records Stone. I continued reading down the list.

“Wait, what is this? The status says ‘Missing’.”

“It means exactly what it says.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that everything had already been confirmed?”

“It means the Intelligence Department hasn’t found them yet, so for all intents and purposes, they can be considered dead. It’s just listed as missing for now because there’s no body or eyewitness testimony.”

“And besides, aren’t there specific people you really want to check on?”

Well… he wasn’t wrong. Unable to deny it, I silently resumed reading, and before long, the names I truly wanted to confirm appeared.

No.119 Sven Parav
Status: Alive

Notes: Currently assigned to the 7th Corps, 4th Wall Garrison under mandatory service.

…Ha. He’s alive.

I’d heard he went missing during the chaos, so I’d been worried…

Then again, with instincts like his, it’d be stranger if he died just because a war broke out.

“…Did you pull some strings to get him assigned to the 4th Wall corps?” I asked after reading the note.

After all, the 4th Wall corps was positioned along the wall bordering Gnomtree.

It was called a post, but in reality, it was practically a standby position.

“…Isn’t that obvious? Do you know how many people are trying to get assigned there right now? I placed the others there too. They should all be getting along just fine.”

“…I see. Thanks for looking out for them.”

I kept reading.

No.310 Aynar Pheneline

Status: Missing

Since she had only just arrived in the imperial capital, the document listed her as missing. Of course, I knew she was alive, so I simply skipped over the names of those who had been with me.

No.381 Versil Gowland
Status: Alive

No.404 James Carla
Status: Alive

Note: His arm was severed on the battlefield, and because treatment was delayed, it could not be saved.

However, he survived.

Crunch.

I unconsciously gritted my teeth.

Because now, there were only two names left whose status I didn’t know.

Erwin and Misha, the allies who had been with me from the very beginning, back when I was just an ordinary, unremarkable barbarian.

Flip.

The more hurriedly I turned the pages, the more my fingertips began to tremble.

Even when I tried to breathe steadily, my heart pounded wildly.

No.606 Misha Karlstein

The moment I laid eyes on the name I had been searching for, my breath hitched for a second.

Status: Survived.

When I read the words written in black ink beneath it, I finally let out the breath I had been holding.

However, that moment of relief didn’t last long. I quickly scanned the lists and flipped through several pages, searching for the last name I needed to find.

No.777 Erwen Fornacci di Tercia
Status: Alive
Notes: Currently assigned to the 7th Corps, 4th Wall Garrison under mandatory service.

The moment I confirmed that last name, the strength drained from my entire body. She was alive. They all were.

Even as I felt an overwhelming sense of relief—

“Why are you making that face? Everyone’s alive.”

I couldn’t smile.

Only one question filled my mind.

‘Then why…?’

Why is everyone alive?

Did the Record Stone get it wrong? Or did I misunderstand it?

I didn’t know.

Slowly, the haze clouding my thoughts started to take shape, formed by the weight of experiences buried in my subconscious.

‘Don’t tell me…’

…Is it not over yet?

The moment that thought flashed through my mind, there was a knock at the door and the Guardian Knight who had escorted me here entered the room. There was no evidence, let alone any basis for it. Yet, human intuition is a mysterious thing. The moment I saw the knight’s face, I felt a suffocating sense of foreboding. And….

“What is it?”

That ominous hunch turned out to be correct once again.

“…An incident has occurred at the 4th Wall Garrison.”

“What kind of incident?”

“That is….”

“It’s alright for Baron Jandel to know, so report it immediately.”

The usually silent and blunt knight hesitated, glancing at me before carefully opening his mouth.

“Two members of the Anabada Clan have died.”

***

When I came to, I was running down the main street of the imperial capital, Karnon. I was using abilities that were strictly forbidden within the city, especially in the capital.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After running for what felt like an eternity, I reached the western wall of Karnon, which bordered Noark. A knight who appeared to be in charge came out to meet me.

“……I heard you were coming. Come this way.”

Since I had gone off on my own, it seemed Astarota had already sent word ahead to the people here.

“Run.”

“What?”

“Don’t walk, run.”

I snapped at him because I didn’t like his sluggishness. Realizing I was serious, the knight, who had been walking ahead, began to run.

Following the knight, I arrived at a tent where I saw my allies gathered at the entrance.

“……Bi, Bjorn?!”

Misha, looking startled.

“Mister!”

Erwen, Sven Farav, and the others….

Their expressions were incredibly complex. Normally, they would have rushed toward me in joy, but they stood frozen awkwardly, unable to approach. Their mouths were clamped shut and their eyes were unsure of where to look.

“Could you step aside for a moment?” I asked, forcing down the emotion rising in my throat. My allies stepped aside without a word.

“B-Baron! An investigation is currently underway inside—”

What is this guy talking about?

I shoved aside the knight who tried to block me and entered the tent.

Step.

The interior of the tent was as messy as any crime scene, and two mobile beds were placed near the entrance. A white cloth covered each body from head to toe.

“It’s the Baron. Everyone, it’s all right. Could you pause your investigation and step outside for a moment?”

The surprised investigators followed the knight’s instructions and slowly filed out of the tent.

Woosh!

I pulled back the cloth covering the bed on the left. Even though I only uncovered the upper half, the state of the corpse was gruesome.

One arm had clearly been ripped from its socket and roughly set back in place. The neck was badly mangled, leaving the head barely attached, if at all. It looked as if the body had been pieced back together like a miniature figure.

“…James Carla.”

He joined our clan through the bond we formed during the Ice Rock expedition.

Although we hadn’t spent as much time together as I had with my earliest companions, his personality was so appealing that everyone liked him.

I did too.

After covering him back up, I moved to the next bed.

This time, I moved more slowly, almost hesitantly, as I uncovered the second body. Her skin was pale and lifeless, but I had no trouble recognizing her face.

“…Versil Gowland…”

We first met at the Round Table, both of us wearing masks to hide our faces. Over time, our relationship somehow developed to the point where she joined my clan.

As she was from Earth, she was exceptionally good at her job. I relied on her the most after Amelia when it came to managing the clan.

That was why I gave her the position of Vice-Commander before leaving.

I stared at her for a long time before gently covering her again. Perhaps taking that as a sign that he could finally speak, the knight, who had been standing in an awkward posture, began to explain the situation.

“We believe it to be the work of a professional assassin. When we first found Sir James Calla, he was lying in his bed. Since there were no injuries other than blood loss and a cut to the neck, we suspect he was killed in his sleep.”

An assassination…I couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.

Damn, are you serious? I thought dying in battle was the only way this war would go. But this?

“The investigation is still ongoing, so opinions among the investigators are divided. However, at present, the most likely scenario is that the assassin was targeting Sir James, and Miss Goulard was caught up in it by accident after witnessing the incident.”

“…Caught up in it?”

“Yes. First, the crime took place inside James Carla’s tent. Second, Ms. Gowland’s body was found near the entrance. Finally, there are signs of a struggle on Ms. Gowland’s body and inside the tent.”

“What else do I need to know?”

“The investigation hasn’t concluded yet, so…”

“It doesn’t have to be certain, so tell me everything you’ve investigated so far. If needed, call back the investigators you just dismissed.”

Perhaps sensing the firmness in my voice, the knight complied without protest.

I stayed at the scene, receiving a full briefing on all the evidence, the items found on site, and the suspected steps the assassin had taken.

And then….

“This should be enough, so you all get back to work.”

I stepped out of the tent and headed toward the wall. My allies, who were waiting outside, asked me where I was going, but I brushed them off with an excuse about looking around the area.

I needed time alone.

After wandering around the wall, I climbed onto the roof of a fairly tall building, lay flat on my back and stared up at the sky.

Even though I did nothing, time continued to pass. The color of the sky gradually changed. From a gloomy gray, it cleared momentarily to blue, then turned yellow and red as the sun set….

At last, as the sky turned pitch black with night, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Hyung, have you eaten?”

I didn’t even need to think about who it was. Instead of greeting him warmly, I sat up and stared at Lee Baek-ho with a frozen, cold expression.

“What, not surprised?”

Somehow, I had a feeling he’d show up like this.

With his personality, especially.

I silently looked at him, and he returned my gaze just as quietly.

Lee Baek-ho.

To be honest, I had been thinking a lot about him.

He was dangerous, no doubt about it, but as dangerous as he was, he was also useful.

Because of him, I had come one step closer to uncovering the secrets of this world. And come to think of it, he was the reason I was able to enter the Round Table in the first place.

That was why I handled him one situation at a time, rather than judging him as a whole.

As long as he had something he wanted from me, I believed he wouldn’t cross the line.

And as long as he didn’t provoke me first, I saw no reason to provoke him either.

But…

‘If that was my mistake, then so be it.’

Breaking the long silence, I finally asked him:

“Why did you kill them?”

There was no subject in the sentence, but there was no issue with the communication. He seemed to think for a moment, then grinned.

He paused for a moment, then grinned.

It was a smile that made it painfully clear how I should see him from now on.

“…So you figured it out after all?”

This bastard is my enemy.

The one I need to eliminate first.

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