Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 773

Setting Things Straight(8)

Baek-ho’s answer was different from what I expected.

It never occurred to me that he would admit it so openly. I thought he’d at least make excuses for himself.

‘Then again, maybe it’s not that strange?’

Maybe things would have been different if Baek-ho had never shown up at all, but the fact that he came of his own accord meant he knew I suspected him.

He just wasn’t completely sure, so he came to confirm it. That’s just the kind of person he is.

Right. So—

“I’ll ask you one last time.” I forced down the urge to smash his skull right then and there before asking, “Why did you kill them?”

Even though I was certain Lee Baek-ho was the culprit, I still couldn’t understand his motive.

Why did he harm my allies?

But the truth that came out of his mouth was utterly absurd.

“…You really don’t know?”

“I’m not in the mood for games. Answer me.”

“You know, don’t you? Everything I did… it was all for you, Hyung.”

I was speechless.

“So you’re saying,” I began, holding back the fury rising inside me, “that you killed them for me?”

“By pure chance, I heard about the record stone. It said that after losing three companions, you’d realize the path you’re meant to walk, right?”

“…But if you think about it differently, that means three people have to die. For you to truly find your path.”

“…Fuck…”

“So that’s why…? You killed them for that? Because the war only killed one of them?”

Huh? Well, not exactly.”

Contrary to my guess, Lee Baek-ho shook his head.

“The record said three would die. Even if I did nothing, three were going to die anyway, right?”

“Then why.”

Lee Baek-ho cut me off.

“I heard James Carla was badly injured by a dark mage, and not even a Saint could restore his arm. So I killed him. If three people are going to die anyway, it’s better that the one least useful to your future dies, right?”

“…I didn’t expect that woman to show up, though. Seriously, why was she there at that time? Were they, you know, involved or something?”

“…Sigh… I don’t know what it was, but that woman ruined everything. Hyung, you found out because of her, right? Because I left a massive hole in her stomach. We spent so much time together outside the city walls, so I knew you’d recognize it. Damn, I really wanted to clean everything up before leaving. But she just had to scream before she died, and I had to run before I could finish it.”

“Anyway… I’m sorry things turned out like this. I did it with good intentions, you know? I really didn’t think it’d end up like this. Even when I killed her, I thought, ‘Ah, shit.’”

“I figured if I just killed James Carla, the last one would die in some accident… but I guess this is how the three deaths were meant to happen. Damn, isn’t that just unfair—”

Baek-ho’s self-pity finally pushed me past my limit.

BOOOOM!!

The hammer I swung down at his head slammed into the rooftop instead.

“…Ah… hyung, you’re really pissed, huh?”

I didn’t answer.

Because conversation is something you have with people.

And to me now, he wasn’t a person.

He was just a dangerous beast that needed to be killed on sight.

Whoosh—!

I swung the hammer again, but Baek-ho quickly leaped up and landed in midair.

“Hyung, let me ask you one last thing.”

“No, seriously, just answer this one.”

“…There’s no way we can reconcile, right?”

He wasn’t asking for forgiveness, but for peace? He had to be messing with me.

“Yeah. I mean, we’re both Korean, after all. Can’t you just let it go this once—”

Thud!

I leapt up and swung again, but he dodged, jumping even higher, then let out a deep sigh.

“Man… the world really is harsh on those without luck. And it seems I’m one of them. Well, it is what it is. I’ve been exploring a new possibility I came across… though I suppose you wouldn’t know anything about it.”

“To be honest, all this time I thought you were the protagonist of this story… but now? I’m not so certain anymore.”

Standing in the air with the moon behind him, he looked down at me.

“So, since it’s come to this, I’m quitting as of today. I’m done playing the rival who exists just to make the protagonist shine. And honestly, it’s been exhausting.”

I didn’t fully understand what he was saying.

But one thing was absolutely clear.

「Lee Baek-ho has cast [Extinction of the Star]」

My relationship with this guy is now beyond repair.

***

When I opened my eyes, the memory of a blinding flash still seared through my mind. I found myself lying at the center of a massive crater.

Lee Baek-ho was gone.

I could see soldiers rushing over from outside the crater after hearing the commotion.

I let out a sigh and slowly pushed myself up.

“…Damn, my whole body aches…”

What a ridiculous cheat skill. With a build like mine, there’s no way a basic attack powered by a single essence should’ve been able to leave me like this.

“B-Baron…? A-are you alright…?”

“W-what in the world happened here…?”

After regaining my senses, I reported the ambush to the site commander. After recounting the unbelievable story, I was finally able to return to my allies.

By the time I returned, Amelia had already rejoined us, even though I’d left her behind at the royal palace. Apparently, Astarotta had stopped them from leaving at first, then later allowed Amelia, Aynar, and Auyen to come here.

“…Lee Baek-ho was the assassin?”

When Amelia heard that Lee Baek-ho had murdered James Carla and Versil Gowland, she was visibly shaken.

And when she learned he had attacked me, her expression turned grim.

“…We’ve gained a dangerous enemy.”

Her concern was completely justified.

But there was one thing I needed to correct.

“It’s not that we suddenly gained an enemy.”

“I was just too stupid to realize it sooner.”

From the very beginning, Baekho Lee had only ever seen me as a tool to be used.

However, I also saw value in him, which is why the relationship lasted this long.

But now it was obvious. What I needed to do was come up with a realistic plan to deal with him.

“From now on, we don’t know what Lee Baek-ho will do. Everyone needs to watch each other’s backs.”

“Understood. Once things settle, we should find a proper residence first. Somewhere difficult for our enemies to infiltrate.”

“We should. There’s no telling when or how he might strike.”

However, since we had no way to prepare without knowing when or how he would act, the discussion didn’t last long.

“By the way… those three are still at the palace?”

“They’re politically sensitive figures. Oh, and Harin Savy chose to stay voluntarily. Said she’d guard the place in case Countess Phefroc wakes up.”

“I see…”

I could understand Astarotta’s position. There was no way he would allow Eltora, the Marquis’s son, or Ragna, who carries the royal bloodline, to roam freely outside.

‘I’ll have to talk to him about Ragna later…………………’

I let out a slow, quiet breath, careful not to let Amelia hear it, but as she stepped out of the room, she gave my shoulder a gentle pat.

“Get some rest. I’ll handle the others.”

Maybe I was falling short as a clan leader, but I was grateful for how considerate she was. I was curious about what had happened to Misha, Erwen, and the others after they were teleported away, but…

Later…

Right now, I just wanted to rest.

After Amelia left, I lay down on the military cot and closed my eyes.

My body and mind screamed in exhaustion, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Brown Rotmiller.

James Calla.

Versil Gowland.

Every time I thought of them, my emotions surged. I felt sad, then guilty, then filled with rage.

Lee Baek-ho.

Just thinking of him made me choke on regret and fury.

Ragna Ritaniel Feproc.

The marquis’s last request kept echoing in my mind.

What the royal family might do to her… how I could possibly stop it…

And then—

The warriors of my tribe who died following me.

The war that was still ongoing.

The king who might wake at any time.

The mysterious group called Hirkumuta.

Auril Gavis.

All of it pressed down on me, choking me.

In the end, I didn’t sleep at all until morning.

Still… maybe because I kept my eyes closed? Or because taking the time to think helped me settle my emotions?

I wasn’t sure.

But I felt slightly better.

It was too late to sleep now anyway, so I decided to just get up and start the day—

“BJOOORNNNN!!!”

But then I heard Aynar shouting in the distance, her voice booming closer with every passing second…

“BJOOORNNNN!!! WAKE UP!!”

Without so much as a knock or any warning, the tent entrance was flung open and Aynar stormed in.

“Something big happened…!!”

And with Aynar’s news, one of the problems that had kept me up all night was finally resolved

Well… halfway, at least.

“…The war is over…!!!”

…To be precise, it was a ceasefire.

***

Ceasefire.

In other words, the two opposing forces agreed to stop the war for a fixed period of time.

Though honestly, it was difficult to call the current agreement a true ceasefire, given that it had been forced into place.

The Noark side had locked their gates again, just as they had fortified Bifron previously.

With the Marquis dead, Thunder captured and the frontlines in District 4 collapsing, they had no choice.

Still, it was almost amusing. From Noark’s point of view, they’d been driven back into their bunker with no other option, practically on the verge of tears. But from the palace’s perspective, the situation looked entirely different.

After the fall of Bifron, District 4 was seized, and now there were growing fears that the imperial capital itself might be the next target. And it wasn’t just the uninformed masses thinking this—even the so-called educated nobles shared the same concern.

‘…Well, even without that, it is a serious situation.’

After all, what happened when Bifron was taken over? The royal family sealed off the Labyrinth, claiming they couldn’t spare resources for Noark and would rather let everyone die together. Prices soared, and people starved.

The royal family knew this, so they stopped collecting taxes during wartime.

But now?

The war had temporarily ended.

They haven’t mined magic stones for a year, and have been relying on reserves… the royal treasury must be running dry.

I have no idea how things will unfold from here.

But it’s not something I need to worry about right now.

“Chief!! The chief has returned!!”

Once things calmed down, I gathered all my comrades’ bodies and returned to the sanctuary.

“You’re back! What happened outside? Is the war really over?”

Shabin Emure, who had been taking care of the sanctuary in my absence, immediately bombarded me with questions the moment she saw me.

I couldn’t blame her. My status as a baron was the only reason I understood how this “ceasefire” had come to be—ordinary people had nothing but rumors to rely on.

Of course, Shabin, who had stayed in the sanctuary, had no way of knowing.

Why the war had ended.

How it had ended.

And…

“…Huh?”

Who, exactly, had died.

“…But… I don’t see Mr. Rotmiller? Is he… behind you somewhere?”

Before I could force my lips to move, I glanced down at my palm.

Even though I hadn’t washed them, the writing had already faded, barely visible now.

Of course, just because they were faded didn’t mean I couldn’t make them out.

These words, scrawled across my palm, were the truth he’d been forced to write in haste from atop that cart.

[Take good care of Miss Shabin. She’s a good woman.]

From now on, for the rest of my life…

…I will have to remember it.

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