Audience (2)

People in this world often say that talking to a barbarian feels like talking to a wall. This is supposedly because no matter how calmly and logically you explain something to them, they never understand it properly.

However, in my opinion, this expression fit this knight far better than any barbarian.

It genuinely felt like I was talking to a wall.

“Knight, what’s your name? I’ve never heard of someone like you.”

“……”

“If I follow you, will I really get to meet the King of the New World?”

“……”

“I heard rumors that he’s bedridden due to illness. Is he actually healthy?”

“……”

Tsk, just because he was a knight…

When Raven asked earlier where we were going, he answered just fine.

I even wondered if he was a womanizer and told Raven to try talking to him herself, but unfortunately, the result was the same.

“Um… if I may be so bold, is His Majesty truly in good health…? Ah! I mean, not that I wish him ill or anything. I’m sorry.”

“……”

“See? It doesn’t work. Ah, this is embarrassing. Please don’t make me do that again.”

After that, the knight continued walking ahead in silence, and we followed him quietly. Of course, while my mouth was shut, my mind was racing.

“Judging by the lack of windows, we’re definitely underground.”

Since he mentioned ‘Audience Chamber,’ the location was likely the ‘Palace of Immortality,’ the central of the twelve palaces where the King was known to reside.

The city’s core was Karnon, and Karnon’s core was its palaces. And among the twelve, the Palace of Immortality sat at the center of them all.

What did they call it these days? The Palace of the New World?

‘I didn’t know a place like this existed underground…’

Even as I followed the knight, I carefully observed my surroundings.

My intent was to memorize the path and scout escape routes just in case, but it yielded nothing. There was simply nothing there.

Thump, thump.

We just kept walking through a hollow corridor. However, I did pick up on a few things during the journey.

Thud, thud.

I just kept walking down this empty corridor.

‘It’s a spiral structure.’

I didn’t notice at first, but we weren’t walking in a straight line. The corridor curved ever so slightly, eventually forming a circle.

In other words, it was like ascending a spiral staircase.

“With a distance like this, wouldn’t it be better to just install a lift?
I saw you guys use high-quality ones earlier.”

“…….”

Second observation: there were no elevators here.

Put simply, the only way to reach the place we came from earlier was to walk this absurdly long corridor.

So why was it designed so inconveniently?

It’s not like the royal family is short on money.

No, on the contrary, installing one more elevator would have been much more economically beneficial.

After thinking about it briefly, I found the answer.

‘Defense.’

If an outsider were to invade, this long corridor alone would buy more time than any trap or obstacle ever could.

Sometimes, the most primitive method is the safest.

“……”

After walking in silence for over three hours, the seemingly endless spiral corridor finally ended, revealing a large open space.

“This place is…”

Raven looked up, stunned.

The space itself was nothing special, but a single structure at its center completely captured our attention.

A test tube.

At first glance, it looked almost identical to the one we had seen on the basement floor at the Panthelion Research Facility.

 

The difference was its size. This one was enormous, larger than even most of the Floor Lords. Other than that, it was largely the same—hundreds of cables connected to the base of the testube, and the interior filled with a mysterious liquid.

“Follow me.”

While we stared blankly, mouths agape, the knight who had been guiding us finally spoke again.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

Though that was all he said, the message was clear: do not pry into matters that do not concern you.

I held back from questioning the knight about the test tube.

Ding—!

Following the knight, we found an elevator embedded in the opposite wall of the open area and rode it upward.

Then—

The sound chimed again, and as the elevator doors slid open, I realized I had finally arrived.

“…This humble servant greets the master of the new world.”

The audience chamber.

The place I had never once been able to reach, even after thousands of tries.

***

The throne was placed atop an elevated step.

A strange feeling washed over me as I looked at the throne.

I had attended many ceremonies, including the ennoblement ceremony, and in every one of them, the throne had always been empty. Not even the prime minister, the second most powerful man in the kingdom and the king’s proxy, would dare to even consider sitting on it, much less actually try.

For the first time, someone was sitting in that chair.

Perhaps that was why?

Badump-!

My warrior heart, which had endured countless life-and-death trials, tightened with tension. Though it was nothing compared to Raven’s reaction.

“Y-y-y-y-your…”

“……”

“Your Majesty, I greet you! This lowly servant—ah, no, th-this lowly servant greets His Majesty the King!”

The moment Raven confirmed ‘someone’ was sitting on the throne, she prostrated herself flat on the carpeted floor. Her belly was toward the ground, but it was no different from a puppy rolling over to show its stomach.

“Mr. Jandel! What are you doing…?!” Raven hissed in a whisper, shooting me a glare without lifting her forehead from the floor.

 

Only then did I realize my ‘rudeness’. Up until now, starting as a Barbarian meant I never had to deal with this, but…

Slide.

There is only one reason a Barbarian is forgiven for using informal speech with nobles or ignoring etiquette: a long time ago, an ancestor performed a legendary feat and received permission.

Directly from the King sitting on that throne.

“Hurry!”

It was only then that I realized my behavior had been disrespectful. As a barbarian, I’d never had to do something like this.

However, there was a clear reason barbarians were allowed to speak plainly and ignore formal customs even before nobles. It was because one of our ancestors had earned that right by accomplishing a great deed. Directly from the King sitting on that throne.

“Hurry!”

Needless to say, even a Barbarian dies if they speak informally to the King. Therefore…

“A humble servant greets His Majesty the King.” I knelt and lowered my head, taking the posture I had seen countless times but had never once assumed myself. Since I was a titled noble, I didn’t need to lie completely flat like Raven.

Thanks to my higher eye level, I was able to scan the interior of the Audience Chamber through my peripheral vision.

Heavy silk curtains were draped around the throne, concealing the king’s face. There were no windows, likely to prevent assassination attempts or keep prying eyes out, and the only entrance was the elevator we had taken to reach this place.

Standing before that door were two knights. Unlike the nameless knight who guided us, it wasn’t hard to identify their affiliation by the crests on their armor.

‘The Guardian Knights.’

They were the kingdom’s most elite fighting force, each member possessing the strength of a rank three monster or higher, and they were found only within the Palace of Immortality.

The occupied throne must have shaken me more than I realized. It wasn’t until I saw the Order of Guardians that the situation truly sank in.

‘Right, I’m really in the Palace of Immortality…First thing’s first.’

I moved the priority of any escape plans or armed confrontations to the absolute bottom of the list. If we were truly inside the Palace of Immortality, then fighting had to be my absolute last resort.

When I played Dungeon and Stone, I entered the Palace of Immortality a handful of times. Ninety-nine percent of those were on the traitor route.

‘And even then, I never managed to see the King’s face.’

Setting aside the insane stats of the Guardian Knights, this palace was rigged with all sorts of gimmicks to deal with external enemies; once they were fully activated, it was essentially Game Over.

The Palace of Immortality was the one place I could never fully conquer in the game, even back when I had better specs and far more teammates than I do now. In a way, it was harder than the tenth floor, since I was never able to clear it no matter what I tried.

 

Of course, with the King right in front of me, taking him hostage might open a path.

But then, the words the former tribe chief had left me echoed in my mind.

[There is no being in this world who does not fear him. If the day comes when you meet him, you will understand me.]

Taking the King hostage wouldn’t be easy either. After all, the knight who had guided us was standing right in front of the king, like a shield.

The long silence was finally broken by the king’s voice. It was a voice I hadn’t expected.

[…I cannot remember. I don’t recall his age, whether it was a woman or a man, or even the voice that pierced my ears…]

That was what the previous chief had told me.

“You able to enter the forbidden sanctuary, How”

What I heard now was unmistakably the voice of a young man.

There was no trace of old age.

No weakness. No illness.

“Speak every detail, my servants.”

It was the voice of a ruler that left no room for any thought other than obedience. Raven quickly offered an answer.

“We were unaware that the place was forbidden, nor did we enter with malicious intent. As for how we ended up here…”

Her explanation was lengthy and detailed, but it covered everything sufficiently. When the imperial capital came under attack, we moved to the fifth underground floor to apprehend the insolent Noarkans. They escaped, we were caught in the collapse, and that was how we ended up in this so-called sanctuary.

Her entire explanation was filled with an excessive amount of detail regarding how we were merely trying to fulfill our duties as loyal subjects.

Well, in my eyes, it was a futile effort.

“…….” “…….”

An uncomfortable silence followed Raven’s explanation. It was only after some time had passed that the King of the New World spoke again.

“My servant, Viscount Bjorn Yandel.”

…I’m a Baron, not a Viscount, but I didn’t bother correcting him and listened quietly. I’m a Barbarian who knows how to read the room, after all—

“I command you as your King.”

…Huh?

“Kill the girl beside you.”

…What?

***

A sudden command from the King.

Needless to say, there was no way I would follow that order. Even though I knew the being before me had the power to strip away my title, everything I had achieved in this world, and the allies I wanted to protect.

“…….”

As if I could do that.

 

I looked around, unsure what to do. But perhaps that was enough for the king.

“Drag the girl out.”

At that single sentence, the knights of the Order of Guardians moved away from the entrance and advanced toward us, causing me to reflexively stand straight. The knight standing before the king gave a short warning.

“Stay still. His Majesty merely wishes a private audience with you.”

I glanced at Raven, and she nodded vigorously. She clearly wanted to tell me not to make a scene, insisting that she was fine.

In the end, I could only stand there awkwardly as the two knights escorted Raven out of the audience hall, leaving me alone with the king.

Ah, of course, that bodyguard knight was still there… but he was basically like a wall. I could consider this a private audience.

Badump, Badump, Badump, Badump.

The King said nothing, merely staring at me from behind the curtain, but a sensation that I was absolutely screwed dominated my entire body.

‘…Sigh, should I have just pretended to follow the order? Now that I think about it, it feels like he was testing me.’

Just as that belated regret began to fill my head—

“Haha, don’t be so scared.”

At the King’s next words, my mind went blank.

“You were chosen by her, weren’t you? If I killed you, she’d obviously be furious. How could I possibly do that?”

His tone was far more relaxed than before.

Even with those vague allusions to ‘her’ and me being ‘chosen,’ it didn’t seem to be a problem.

“Bjorn, son of Jandel.”

The problem was the language itself.

“Since we’ve met, let’s just talk openly.”

The King of the New World was speaking Korean.

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