Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 304

Rainweilz (2)

There was a moment of awkward silence after I suddenly shot up, spewing curses as if I were having a seizure.

It didn’t last long.

“Did you just say ‘fuck’ to me?”

Amelia asked for confirmation, and I quickly began to smooth things over.

Of course, I didn’t apologize mindlessly.

This was an important matter to me.

“Ahem, my name is Lee Han-soo, not Lee Hans.”

“So?”

“I’d appreciate it if you could pay attention to the pronunciation. It’s a very sensitive issue for me…”

Though I worried that this might further decrease my favorability, Amelia surprisingly understood generously.

“…Got it. I’ll be careful from now on.”

She seemed to understand that she had crossed a line, even if she didn’t get why I was so particular about the pronunciation.

Alright, that issue was settled. 

Since she had initiated the conversation, I decided to ask something I had been curious about.

“Amelia.”

“Go ahead.”

“What did you mean by what you said earlier? About the royal family possibly knowing I was an evil spirit and turning a blind eye?”

This was a question I had to hold back from asking before coming out as an evil spirit

“It’s just a possibility.”

Amelia prefaced her theory cautiously.

“If the royal family had conducted a ‘verification,’ your true identity would have been exposed a long time ago.”

Well, that’s true.

Just like today, I would have no way to handle it if they used one of their numbered items.

But…

“I get that part, but how does that connect to them turning a blind eye? Isn’t it more natural to think the royal family completely trusted me?”

“That could be possible too. But at that time, weren’t you the most famous hero in the city? It’s possible the royal family couldn’t touch you.”

Hmm, I still don’t get it.

No matter how famous I was, I was just a small presence from the royal family’s perspective.

“Explain in more detail.”

“Hmm, you have no sense of politics, do you?”

Could she stop analyzing me, please?

When I didn’t respond and just stared, Amelia chuckled and continued.

“Think about it. A hero who risked his life to save comrades in the labyrinth, fought bloody battles with adversaries, and brought back thousands of explorers alive. But what if that hero turned out to be an evil spirit? What do you think would happen?”

“Uh… chaos?”

“Exactly, it would cause chaos. The royal family, along with the three major sects, has always depicted evil spirits as evil beings that must be eradicated.”

Ah…

I finally understood why Amelia thought the royal family might have turned a blind eye to my true identity.

“Spirits must always be seen as evil, is that it…”

“Glad you caught on quickly.”

I am different from other spirits.

I helped the weak Barbarian tribe, and during the Noark War, I fought bravely, risking my life more than anyone else.

Hence, the royal family had to be cautious.

If they executed me because I was an evil spirit, people would start to think and question.

He saved thousands of lives, yet he’s executed just for being an evil spirit?

“Of course, revealing you as an evil spirit and executing you wouldn’t necessarily lead to a rebellion. It would be noisy for a while but then quiet down. But…”

“The royal family wouldn’t want to set such a precedent. One that suggests even an evil spirit could be beneficial to this world.”

“Again, it’s just a possibility.”

Amelia wrapped up the conversation with that final note, but from my perspective, it left me uneasy.

Because it wasn’t a baseless possibility.

There was evidence, and that evidence seemed plausible even to my ears.

‘Damn, if this is true, should I change my identity and go into hiding?’

As my head was filled with such thoughts,

“…Amelia, are you asleep?”

“No. And from now on, even when we’re alone, call me Emily. I’ll call you by an alias too.”

“Huh, suddenly?”

“You might slip up in front of others again.”

By “again,” she must be referring to the time we dealt with Beck’s gang.

“It’s better to get into the habit. We’ll soon be in contact with the Lord’s faction as per our plan.”

With that, I cleared my thoughts.

Yeah, no matter how much I think about the royal family, I can’t find a proper answer in this era.

Let’s focus on the task at hand.

**

The next morning.

Knock, knock.

A visitor came to our lodging.

“My name is Rick Ominus. Are you Emily, and Bjorn, son of Thor?”

Surprisingly, he was a knight.

Not just an explorer who wielded a sword and wore plate armor, but a real knight serving under the lord.

‘So there is a knight order here.’

Well, it made sense why Amelia could use aura.

It would’ve been hard for her to build such swordsmanship skills at her age without learning from someone.

“What’s your business?”

“The lord has decided to support your abilities.”

His choice of words was as arrogant as the high-ranking officials of Raphdonia.

They didn’t even consider the possibility of us refusing, did they?

Not that we would refuse, anyway.

“What do you mean by support?”

Amelia asked, pretending not to know, and Rick Ominus handed over a piece of paper instead of answering.

“Everything is detailed there. Please read it and respond.”

The contract listed the support we’d receive if we agreed to join and what we’d have to give up.

The terms weren’t bad.

We’d get team support, the right to travel to Raphdonia if we achieved merit, and many benefits backed by the lord’s power.

In exchange, we’d have to follow the lord’s orders in emergencies.

“So it’s more of a recruitment than support?”

“I told you, the lord values your abilities.”

“Give us a moment to think.”

“I’ll wait outside. Please don’t take too long.”

We had been waiting for this, but if we responded too quickly, it could arouse suspicion. So we took our time.

And when we opened the door again,

“…Have you been standing there the whole time?”

“I’m on duty, of course.”

I didn’t expect him to stand there for over two hours.

“Here, take this.”

We handed over the signed contract, and the knight told us we could visit the Lord’s castle anytime.

He truly didn’t expect us to refuse.

“But does a signature even matter?”

“It’s just formalities. After all, defying the lord’s will would make it impossible to live normally in this city.”

What nonsense, trying to intimidate a newcomer with bluster.

There’s always the option to move to the eastern district and ally with the Orcules.

“See you later.”

The knight left without looking back.

Now it was our turn to start the day.

“Emily, what’s next? We’ve got the attention, but the lord didn’t seem interested enough to meet us directly.”

“No problem. We just need to draw more attention.”

“Well, that’s true.”

I’m confident in drawing attention.

With this Barbarian body, I get involved in all sorts of incidents and accidents just by standing still.

“Alright, let’s go.”

We then geared up and headed to the lord’s castle. Last time, we only handled administrative work in the outer castle, but now we had access to the inner castle.

“Emily and Iron Mask, correct? I’ve heard from Sir Ominus. I’m Mel. It’s my duty to assist you with your tasks in the inner castle.”

The administrative officer Mel welcomed us with a bright smile, giving us a brief tour and explaining the layout.

It wasn’t necessary to pay close attention.

I’d already heard everything from Amelia.

“Since it’s your first day, registration should be your priority. By the way, do you have any plans for the future? Most join existing teams—”

“We don’t intend to join any regular team.”

“I see. Then I’ll guide you on how to establish your own team.”

Following the administrative officer, we headed to the labyrinth management office exclusive to the lord’s explorers.

And we registered as a duo team.

By the way, the team name is ‘Iron Mask.’

Apparently, such a nickname is more memorable than Emily or Bjorn.

“What about the three other members? If you let me know the roles you need—”

“On hold.”

“Pardon?”

“We’ll move as a duo until we find suitable members. So please block any joining applications.”

“Yes, I’ll handle it as you requested.”

Amelia, who deftly completed all the party settings, asked the staff for some information.

“How many herders can we choose from?”

Herders are those young kids who enter the labyrinth, taking on all sorts of dangerous tasks.

“Currently, there are 13.”

“What about including herders with affiliations?”

“173 in total.”

“I’d like to see them all.”

Amelia meticulously reviewed the list provided by the staff.

And found the names she was looking for.

“I want to take these two kids.”

“The Rainweilz sisters are already part of a team, so it’s impossible…”

“But you can at least contact their team, right? Tell them we’ll provide ample compensation if they agree to transfer.”

“…Understood.”

With that, our scheduled tasks for the day were complete.

But before heading back, Amelia took me to a specific place within the inner castle.

It was a pub.

“A pub? There’s such a place inside the castle?”

“It’s a welfare service for those with inner castle access.”

“But why are we here…”

I had never seen Amelia take a sip of alcohol, so I couldn’t figure out her intention.

Until I saw the pub’s sign.

[Rainweilz]

It couldn’t be a coincidence that Amelia’s surname matched the name of this pub.

“Aren’t you going in?”

“Oh, uh, yeah…”

The interior was relatively clean, and since it was daytime, it was nearly empty. We took a seat in a secluded corner and ordered drinks and snacks.

And then…

“…”

“…”

We sat there in complete silence.

Seriously, why did she bring me here if we’re just going to sit quietly?

This place looked like it held many stories—

“Curious?”

After a moment of hesitation, I nodded.

“It’s not going to be an interesting story.”

“You can’t always have interesting experiences in life.”

Saying that, I grabbed my glass and downed it in one shot.

Ugh, this is strong. And it tastes awful.

Is this what they call a manly drink in Noark?

“You’re a strange one.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

Amelia said as she gulped down her drink.

Whoa, what’s gotten into her? Even a one-shot.

Is this a story too hard to tell when sober?

Just as Amelia put her empty glass on the table—

Bang!

Whoa, that scared me.

I quickly turned my head towards the sound.

A loud man’s voice was coming from the kitchen.

“You ungrateful bitches!!”

His voice was full of rage, and soon I heard the sound of something breaking.

There was also a woman’s scream mixed in with the noise.

Thud! Thud!

It was clear to anyone, even a blind person, that violence was happening in the kitchen.

But the few customers around seemed accustomed to the situation.

“The owner is beating his daughter again.”

“Haha, those poor girls. To have such a father.”

Wait, the owner? Daughter?

Then the one getting beaten up there is… no way…

Whoosh.

As soon as I realized, I hurriedly turned to check on Amelia.

Shaking.

Amelia’s hand, holding the glass, was trembling.

Her expression was too pitiful and sorrowful to be dismissed as merely danger.