Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 573

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Misha Karlstein is a traitor.

Ever since Butterfly revealed that information, Fox has been making efforts to investigate further

It probably would have been the same even without my request.

Whether she liked it or not, Fox would have to work with Misha in the foreseeable future. And no one wants to work alongside a potential traitor.

However, it was a risky question.

“Speaking of Misha Karlstein……. This is the second time you’ve asked about her, right?”

Butterfly responded with a curious tone and stared at Fox. It was as if she was trying to see right through her.

“You seem quite interested in that beastwoman.”

“…And your point is?”

“Heh… Just saying.”

Chances are, once the roundtable ends today, most of the members here will start associating Fox with Bjorn Jandel’s companion.

She also revealed a lot of information about the first underground floor.

At this point, it’s practically a given that she’s in the Labyrinth now. …….

Another reason to ensure as many members of the Armin Expedition Group and the Hektz Clan make it home alive as possible.

Just as a single tree vanishes in the forest, one person can vanish in a crowd. The more survivors there are, the lower the chance that Versil’s identity will be exposed.

But that’s a concern for later.

“Can I ask my question now?”

The other members started asking their questions as well.

“Who gave you the code to enter the round table?”

The Queen was curious about how Butterfly had gotten in.

Even Black Mask spoke up for the first time.

It was surprising enough to hear him speak, but even more so because of the content of his question.

“Do you believe Misha Karlstein is a threat to Bjorn Jandel’s life?”

…What the hell?

It’s hard to understand why she’d ask something like that, but the situation wasn’t bad.

“Hmm… Everyone seems very interested in Misha Kalstein, huh?”

Thanks to Black Mask’s question about Misha, some of the suspicion directed at Versil was diverted. More precisely, their suspicion was now split between two people.

“So, that makes three questions in total…”

As the questions ended, Butterfly let out a mischievous chuckle and and took a moment to think.

“Hmm, what should I do…?”

Now it was Nabi’s choice.

If she answered Black Mask or Fox’s question, I’d be able to confirm what I was curious about.

However, if she answered the Queen’s question, I’d have to wait for the next round.

And if there was no third round, I might never get to hear the answer.

So…

“Since two of you asked about the same person, I suppose it’s only fair to answer those, right?” The mysterious Butterfly, whom I had no hope of finding in the real world, simply hummed.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

In this world, there are things that exist paradoxically—things you want to know but also don’t want to know.

“Well then, which of the two questions should I answer…?”

After trailing off as if teasing, Butterfly smiled and continued.

“Eh, screw it. The two questions are similar anyway. I’ll answer both.”

At first glance, it sounded like an act of kindness.

But that just made me more suspicious.

After all, what kind of company would run a ‘buy one, get one free’ promotion if it wasn’t profitable?

Every action has a reason, and that reason is usually tied to personal gain.

‘…Or is that just me being too broken?’

I couldn’t tell, so I focused on the conversation.

Butterfly, who seemed to relish the attention, slowly began to speak.

“Misha Karlstein was ordered by someone to return to Bjorn Jandel’s side. But those orders had nothing to do with killing Bjorn Jandel.”

She seemed to be referring to Lee Baek-ho and the Stone of Resurrection.

I wondered if there was another reason she’d been labeled a traitor.

“But how does Butterfly even know this much?”

Could it be that Butterfly was working for Lee Baek-ho? He was the one who gave me the invitation code, after all. It wouldn’t be impossible.

“Can we hear exactly what those orders were?”

“Oh, that? From what I know, it was nothing major. Just observe him and report back with any intel.”

“And the reward?”

“Hmm? Only she would know that…Ah, right, I shouldn’t lie here. I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

If I had to guess, the reward was probably the stone of resurrection itself.

Lee Baek-ho was a cunning bastard. He likely scared her with some talk about my impending death, then handed her the stone and asked her to become a spy. But his true intention all along was simply to pass the Stone of Revival on to me.

Still, one thing became clear from this conversation.

“There weren’t any other orders besides that?”

“Nope. Not that I know of.”

Lee Baek-ho’s scheme ended with the Stone of Revival.

Of course, he’s probably plotting something else behind the scenes, but Misha is unlikely to be involved in those schemes.

However, the problem is…

‘Why is she being so cooperative with these answers?’

If Butterfly were on Lee Baek-ho’s side, a lot of things would make sense.

After all, Lee Baek-ho knows I’m the Lion.

He’s probably trying to indirectly feed me information.

What he wants has always been the same:

He wants me to cut myself off from this world completely.

So he deliberately fed me information about Misha being a traitor. Maybe he thought that would be enough to destroy my trust and make me suspicious of those around me.

From his perspective, it’s a no-lose move.

“Shall we move on to the next turn now? I think I’ve answered enough.”

With that, butterfly’s turn was over, and it was Black Mask’s turn.

“What should I ask…? I don’t know much, so I don’t have anything to ask.”

The tone was somewhat irritating, but everyone could agree with Butterfly’s words.

Black Mask was so tight-lipped that it only added to the mystery.

Still, that didn’t mean there were no questions at all.

“I’ll go with this. Why did you ask earlier if Misha is a threat to Bjorn Jandel’s life?”

Butterfly seemed curious about Black Mask’s identity, and Fox seemed similarly intrigued.

“Are you currently on the Basement floor 1?”

It seemed like she suspected that Black Mask might be one of my allies.

Queen was the only one who asked a question unrelated to her identity.

“You mentioned before that Auril Gavis was able to cross over to Earth thanks to dimensional magic. What’s the source of that information?”

Surprisingly, all three questions were quite interesting.

Of course, Queen’s question was the most significant.

However, the choice of answer was up to Black Mask.

After a brief pause, Black Mask gave a short reply.

“I’ve never been to the first basement floor.”

That answered Fox’s question.

If she wasn’t with us, that was the safest thing to say.

“Does that suffice?”

“Yes…”

With Black Mask’s turn over, the Clown spoke up as if he’d been waiting.

“Pssit! Finally, it’s my turn!”

Does he love attention that much?

“Come on, ask away! I’m sure you all have plenty of questions for me!”

Just hearing that smug tone made me want to stay silent out of spite…

“How pathetic. You really think people are that interested in you?”

“Pssit! ‘Pathetic,’ you say? How delightful!”

Despite the Clown’s annoying attitude, the questions came quickly.

Fox, Wolf, Goblin, Queen, Black Mask…

Everyone except me and Butterfly had something to ask, and Clown looked absolutely thrilled.

“Five questions, huh… Isn’t that a record? Pssit.”

“Enough. Just pick one already.”

“But… There’s still one person who hasn’t used their pass yet, right?”

Ignoring the Queen’s urging, he glanced at me, almost as if he were expecting a question.

What is he, a child?

“Well, I don’t have anything I’m curious about.”

“Hmm… Is that so…?”

“Anything’s fine. As long as it’s an interesting story.”

He looked so disappointed that I added that last part without really thinking.

It was an unconscious move, but I wouldn’t call it a mistake.

Knowing his personality, he was probably more likely to say something useful this way.

And that’s exactly how things went.

“Something entertaining, huh… Well, that’s not a bad idea. Then let me tell you all a fun little story.”

“Sigh… Just answer a question like everyone else.”

The Queen sighed as she saw Clown’s attention shift to me.

But even as she complained, her eyes remained fixed on the Clown.

No matter how annoying he was, everyone wanted to hear what this ‘entertaining story’ was.

“On August 2nd of Year 154 of the New Era, the Noark’s forces, long confined to the dark sewers, stepped out beyond the outer walls.”

And so began the Clown’s “entertaining story.”

“What they found outside was nothing like the tales they’d been told. There was no witch’s curse—just green forests and fields stretching far beyond the horizon.”

“And?”

The Noark people explored the untamed lands and eventually found a good spot to settle.”

“…Cut the weird setup. Just get to the point—”

“Pssit, don’t be like that. The good part is coming now.”

“Fine, go on.”

“The Noark people began to wonder—Why had the royal family imprisoned people within the walls? Why had they prevented them from venturing into the perfectly habitable outside world?”

“…”

 

“They thought about this for a long time and eventually found the answer. Only recently did they make a critical decision.”

Tap tap.

Clown drummed on the table for dramatic effect.

And then, he dropped the bomb.

I wasn’t sure how the earlier parts led to this, but still…

“They’ve decided to invade Lapdonia.”

War was coming.

***

Until now, the conflict between Noark and the royal family had taken place only inside the Labryinth. Noark had seized the 7th floor and fought the royal forces there, gradually building their strength.

But now… that conflict was coming to the real world.

“Invasion? Are you sure?”

“Pssht… do I look like someone who’d lie?”

“When? When is this happening?”

The impact of Clown’s revelation was beyond immense. All the members buzzed with shock, eager to hear more details from him.

But…

“If you’re curious, find out for yourself! That’s it for my turn. Maybe I’ll change my mind if someone shares something more interesting before this meeting ends. Pssit.”

The Clown drew a clear line, holding back his words.

It was a bit disappointing, he might’ve rambled on more if the mood had been right—

As I was sitting there and quietly organizing my thoughts, the clown cautiously spoke to me.

“How was it this time…? Was it entertaining enough for you?”

Honestly, his reaction was a bit hard to understand.

‘From the looks of it, he only blabbed about the invasion plan because of me…….’

Why does he crave my attention and approval so much?

It’s not like we’ll ever see each other again after today.

I didn’t get it, but I answered anyway.

“Is that your question?”

Now, it was my turn to answer their questions.

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