Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 373

Treasure Hunter (1)

Three days after the community closed.

While spending my days looking for a ship to sail from the 6th floor and searching for a sailor to pilot it, Amelia brought some good news.

“Schuiz, don’t worry about the guild anymore.”

“What do you mean, don’t worry?”

“I found someone suitable and took care of it.”

“…What?”

When I asked for details, it was just like Amelia’s way of handling things.

Apparently, she had found a guild executive guilty of crimes like embezzlement and tax evasion, offences that could end a person’s life if caught. Using this as leverage, she successfully forced the Guild to erase all records of ‘Rihen Schuiz’.

“It would’ve been much safer to modify the information rather than deleting it, but that was too difficult.”

“Any chance we’ll have problems because of the erased records?”

“Unlikely. Missing or damaged administrative records are more common than you’d think.”

Hmm, I see…

As I quietly nodded, Amelia added that she didn’t delete all the data; she left the information stating that Rihen Schuiz is a rank 5 explorer.

In other words, my status as a rank 5 explorer remains intact.

“Your expression seems uneasy?”

“Even though data loss is common, it might look suspicious if my records suddenly disappear.”

“But isn’t it much better than leaving the old data as it was?”

Well, that’s true. Even if it’s hard to eliminate suspicion entirely, at least we didn’t leave hard evidence for anyone to track me with.

“You did well… No, thank you, Amelia.”

“…It’s only natural to do what you’re good at.”

“You always get things done efficiently, don’t you?”

Amelia nodded and then shifted the topic.

“So, how’s the task you were working on? Did you read through the documents I gave you?”

Ah, the ship list.

It was a neatly organized document of the specs and prices of the ships on the market.

“If there’s nothing you like, let me know quickly so I can look again.”

“No need. As long as the real thing matches the document, I found something just right.”

When I told her which ship I chose, Amelia asked why, and I enthusiastically explained.

“Though it’s the most expensive of the ship candidates, when you compare its performance and price, it’s actually a bargain.”

“Hmm.”

“And unless we venture into special areas, this ship in its current state can sail up to the 7th floor. Later, with a few upgrades, it could even handle those special areas, so we won’t need to buy a new ship.”

“I see.”

Amelia’s response was lukewarm.

If she was going to react so indifferently, why ask in the first place?

“Well, if you say so, I’ll trust you. This is your specialty, after all.”

Her comment left me stumbling over my words.

“Uh… Is that so?”

“We’re already on the same boat, and you’re the captain of that boat.”

Words that inevitably make the listener feel embarrassed.

But aside from that, I also thought this:

Is she saying this on purpose to boost my confidence?

Lately, I’ve been mostly cooped up at home, relying on them for everything.

Perhaps it’s her way of being considerate—

“Then, since the ship is decided, I’ll go ahead. If I move quickly, I can set an appointment before the exchange closes.”

I wanted to ask if she said those things for my sake, but before I could, Amelia threw on her coat and left.

Well, it wasn’t that important anyway.

‘Anyway, with this, we’ve secured the ship…’

If we had more budget, we could have gotten a better ship, but it’s not particularly disappointing.

Because the ship we chose this time is quite decent.

‘The problem is the sailor…’

The problem has always been people, not things.

***

Knock knock.

While lying on the bed reading books borrowed from the library, I heard a knock.

Is it mealtime already?

“Come in.”

The door opened as if it had been waiting for my permission.

Sure enough, it was Erwin.

Amelia was probably still in negotiations with the ship’s seller.

“What’s the matter?”

When I asked, closing my book, Erwin replied in a somewhat disgruntled voice.

“We have a guest.”

“A guest?”

As I tilted my head in curiosity, a woman appeared at the door.

Platinum blonde hair and blue eyes.

“It’s me.”

It was Raven.

Unlike the last time I saw her, she wasn’t wearing her mage corps uniform but casual clothes, with her hair down instead of tied up.

Wow, her atmosphere is completely changed.

“Can I come in?”

“Oh, uh…”

Before I could answer, Raven entered the room and sat down, and Elwin followed in, grabbing a chair and sitting some distance away.

“Why are you coming in too?”

“Am I not allowed?”

“Why are you here?”

“Is that a problem?”

No, I wasn’t saying you couldn’t… I was just asking why…

Well, whatever.

Whatever. As long as she’s not causing trouble.

“Long time no see, Raven.”

“Yes. Have you been well?”

“So far, yes. But is it okay for you to come like this?”

“I made sure to avoid being seen, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, so that’s why your hair’s down and you’re dressed like that?”

“……Do you think I have another reason?”

Why is she being so snappy?

I was just curious. Did something happen to upset her?

“Guess I’ll have to tread carefully in this conversation.”

Just as I was about to ask her what brought her here, Raven spoke first.

“Books.”

“……?”

“I see you were reading. Did you buy those?”

“Oh, I heard about that. They say people with verified identities can now take books out.”

“That’s the official line, but in reality, anyone who isn’t a noble or high-ranking official has to leave a deposit.”

“Not you, though.”

Erwin interjected out of nowhere, but Raven didn’t seem to mind and nodded.

“Of course, with Miss Tercia’s status, that makes sense.”

“So, why did you come here so stealthily? Is something going on?”

Before the conversation could stray further, I hurriedly asked about the real reason for her visit, and Raven quickly got to the point.

“Jandel… I mean, Schuiz, I’m still not used to saying it.”

“It’s fine.”

“Anyway, I came because I have something to tell you.”

As I suspected, she didn’t come just for a casual visit.

“What is it? Go ahead.”

It didn’t seem like a light matter, so I lowered my voice and focused on the conversation.

“The royal family has started an unofficial investigation into you.”

“An unofficial investigation?”

“It’s standard practice when new figures appear. They don’t want it to seem like they’re cracking down on explorers without reason.”

So, it’s like covert surveillance?

It’s odd that they’re trying to avoid making it look like tyranny, considering it’s a dictatorship.

“Anyway, so?”

“They approached me for information, so I revealed the basics, like we discussed. Only what couldn’t be hidden, like your abilities.”

“Since it’s unofficial, it means they don’t suspect my true identity, right?”

“Yes. If they did, you would’ve been arrested already. Even in unofficial investigations, there are both soft and hard approaches.”

The rumors about the royal family secretly training a special covert force aren’t just rumors.

The Order of the Rose Knights is a prime example.

“And what about you? Wouldn’t your superiors consider this a case of withholding information?”

“I managed to talk my way out of it. Blamed it on the Third Corps commander position being vacant at the time.  I also said I reported separately to my direct superior, Commander Febrosk.”

“Won’t that lie be caught?”

“It’s not a lie. I really did report to the commander as soon as I returned to the city. Although I embellished some of it.”

“I see…”

While I felt reassured by her thorough handling, I also felt guilty.

“Sorry for getting you involved in my mess, Raven.”

“…Didn’t we settle that already? I’m just repaying an old debt.”

“I’ll make sure to repay this one.”

“Yes, you’d better. Otherwise, I’ll end up losing out.”

The tension lightened as Raven responded with a joking tone.

“Raven, have you heard anything about the ‘Integration Proposal’?”

“The Integration Proposal? What’s that?”

“It’s about acknowledging the evil spirits, rather than branding them as enemies. It was proposed 150 years ago but was dismissed for various reasons.”

“Oh, I remember studying that. Why do you ask?”

“The royal council recently brought it up again.”

When I explained why I brought it up, Raven looked surprised.

When I explained why I mentioned it, Raven looked surprised.

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. How did you… Oh, right, the full moon was just a few days ago.”

One of the things I appreciate about Raven is that she doesn’t need long explanations.

Without confirming or denying her assumption, I continued.

“Can you look into it? Find out who brought up the proposal and if the royal family has any intention of seriously considering it.”

This might be the key.

***

After Raven left, the days were quite busy.

Not for me, who stayed at home, but for Amelia. 

We had spent nearly all our savings buying the ship we had set our sights on, but we still hadn’t found a sailor to sail it.

It was like all the sailors had vanished.

With so many heading straight to the Dark Continent on warships, I had expected that there would be a decent supply available on the market.

“Seems it was a bit too much to expect to find one in just a month…”

“Be more specific. It’s hard because you’re looking for someone who meets your high standards.”

Hmm, well, that’s true.

To be honest, it wasn’t that there were no navigators at all. The problem was that most of them were amateurs.

Given that our destination was the Undersea Islands, where sailing skills would be crucial, I couldn’t settle for just anyone.

“Either lower your standards or give up. Anyone with the skills you’re looking for will be snatched up by other teams as soon as they hit the market, and they won’t bother with our short-term, mercenary-style contract.”

“Really? Then let’s give up.”

“So easily…?”

“Well, what else can we do? The labyrinth opens in two days. We’ll have to try again next month.”

“Does that mean you’re cutting the Undersea Islands from this exploration?”

“No, we’ll try to do it ourselves for now. I don’t know if it’ll work, but there’s nothing much to do on the lower floors anyway.”

Besides, since I hadn’t gained much experience in the early stages of the 6th floor, it wouldn’t be a huge loss if we didn’t make it to the Undersea Islands.

But perhaps my words annoyed her?

“…You’re not wrong, but it makes me angry. If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have been so busy running around.”

“That… I’m sorry.”

After offering a sincere apology to Amelia, I called Elwin into the room to discuss the next exploration plan.

But it didn’t take very long.

Because we had prepared a Plan B in case we couldn’t find a sailor.

“We’re going into a Rift…?”

“Not for long, just briefly. It’s not a big deal if we arrive at the 6th floor a few days late, right? We’re not joining the expedition force anyway. And from what I’ve heard, you two haven’t gained much experience from the Rift, right?”

“Well, it’s not like we can go into a Rift just because we want to…”

That’s true.

That’s why, during the days of Team Halfling, and even in the team I formed afterward, I couldn’t easily share the method to open Rifts.

‘Now that I’ve openly revealed I’m an evil spirit, things like this are much easier.’

“Anyway, then the exploration plan is settled.”

After sharing the plan everyone took time for their own preparations, and two days passed—

「You have entered the Crystal Cave on the 1st floor.」

The day to enter the labyrinth had arrived.

“Mister, why are you smiling?”

“I’m just a bit excited. Let’s head straight to the 2nd floor.”

It’s been a while since I felt this kind of excitement for an exploration.