Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 390

Wild Horse(3)

In some ways, it’s similar to the mindset of someone visiting a zoo.

They see a fierce animal in a cage and comment they’re cute or that it’s a pity they’re locked up. But it’s not hard to make them realize that such thoughts are arrogant.

A cage with iron bars about 3 centimeters thick.

All it takes is for those iron bars to disappear.

The moment the dividing line between themselves and the beast is broken, humans come to understand the true nature of the beast.

Just like the Marquis is experiencing now.

“……”

Ah, of course, the Marquis was different from ordinary people.

Even in the face of my hostile words, spoken with all sincerity, he only showed a slight flinch before quickly regaining his composure.

Well, it’s not like the iron bars have actually disappeared.

I cannot kill the Marquis.

And he knows that fact better than anyone.

Yes, so…

“Well then, does that answer your question?”

I wrap up the situation with a straight face, as if it was just an answer to his question.

It would be a lie to say I didn’t want to see that smug look wiped off his face.

For now, I have no choice but to be satisfied with this.

“Don’t worry.”

The marquis responded with a composed tone.

“I fully understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Then, that’s good.”

In truth, it was a warning as well.

I’m willing to play along if we’re exchanging benefits, but if he crosses the line, I’m ready to break out of that cage at any time.

“Well then, since your curiosity is settled, I’d like to hear the second condition.”

“Ah, yes. The second condition is this.”

With that, the marquis glanced at the dragon tribe woman by his side and continued.

“Help Miss Ravienabienne to eliminate the Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.”

“Eliminate the Dragonslayer…?”

“Your reaction is different from what I expected. I heard from Miss Ravienabienne that you also have a grudge against him?”

That’s true, but it’s such an unexpected request.

‘…She knows what happened between me and the Dragon Slayer’

Thinking that, I suddenly became curious.

What exactly is the relationship between this dragon tribe woman and the marquis?

It seems she’s closely connected to the decision to make eliminating the Dragon Slayer the second condition.

Are they business partners?

“Well, will you answer now?”

Although curiosity was welling up, it was time to give an answer.

Ah, I’ll just ask one more question.

“Did you really tell me to wait until tomorrow just to say this?”

“Lady Labienne was away yesterday. I thought it was only proper to hold this conversation in her presence.”

Well, fair enough.

“Alright. I was planning to kill that bastard with my own hands someday anyway.”

“Then our discussion is over.”

“We still haven’t discussed the terms of a satisfying agreement.”

When I raised my now fully healed wrist, the Marquis chuckled.

“Still, let’s call it a night and meet tomorrow morning. If I stay up too late, it’s rough the next day.”

“……Alright.”

Once the conversation concluded, the Marquis stood up from his chair and turned around, and the dragon tribe woman skillfully stored the chair into her subspace.

And then…

“Baron Jandel, don’t be too reckless.”

The guard mumbled to me while casting a glance my way.

What, is this revenge for what I said earlier?

At first, I thought it was some form of retaliation for my earlier remark, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it wasn’t.

“If you die again, my sister will be sad.”

“Sister? Ah, don’t tell me you’re…”

“……”

The dragon tribe woman neither confirmed nor denied.

She just turned her back and followed behind the Marquis.

But even that was enough of an answer.

Ha, no wonder her features felt familiar.

‘Penitas Saurus.’

The daughter of the ancient dragon and the dragon tribe’s priestess, Penny.

Or simply, the “dragon brat.”

So, she’s her older sister.

She might even become an ally.

***

Eltora Tercerion, the only son of the Marquis’s family.

When he came to his senses, the first thing he saw was his biological father.

“You’re awake.”

“……I’m sorry.”

Without asking anything, Eltora first uttered words of apology.

But the response was cold.

“Do you think I stayed here all night just to hear you apologize?”

“……”

“Speak. Tell me exactly what happened, without leaving out a single detail.”

At his father’s words, Eltora slowly recalled and briefly recounted the events that occurred at midnight.

There wasn’t much to say anyway.

Following his father’s orders, he broke into his room at night, and immediately had his neck grabbed, got beaten up before he could even make any excuses, and lost consciousness.

That was all.

“Pathetic fool.”

Eltora suppressed his sense of humiliation and said nothing.

There was no room for excuses this time.

Only now did a single question rise in his mind.

“But why did you choose this approach? If you wanted to confirm whether he’s possessed by an evil spirit, there were far more certain methods…”

Initially, he thought his father was trying to avoid offending Baron Jandel. After all, his father saw him as a valuable asset.

But on second thought, something didn’t add up. There must be another reason.

“Are you really incapable of figuring that much out on your own?”

“…Please teach me.”

When Eltora took a submissive stance, the Marquis only frowned slightly before answering the question.

“An enemy’s weakness is only truly valuable when they don’t know we are aware of it.”

“An undiscovered weakness stays hidden, but a revealed weakness drives one to correct it.”

“At least you understand that much.”

“…….”

“Now, leave me. I have things to think about.”

“Yes……”

At his father’s dismissal, Eltora left the office and headed to his own bedroom.

Even as he did, his mind was in turmoil.

‘So, the Marquis considers Baron Jandel an enemy…’

What kind of secret scheme was the Marquis hatching?

Contemplating this, he stopped at his destination. But…

His hand, clutching the key, began to tremble. This was his room—the room he’d stayed in for years. Yet the moment he thought about entering, he was seized by a sense of primal fear, as if he were about to disturb a sleeping beast.

He even began hearing echoes.

“El Tora Tercerion.”

That chillingly low voice. Those eyes that looked down upon him. And then…

“Hope you’re prepared to die.”

That sense of helplessness, of being unable to escape no matter what he did.

Caught up in this dreadful deja vu, Eltora instinctively thought of one man.

Not that it was actually possible.

[I first entered this community 22 years ago.]

Bjorn Jandel wasn’t even born back then.

“Heh, the goblin would laugh if he knew about my delusion.”

He chuckled and shook his head.

Then he inserted the key to unlock the door.

Click.

A typical nobleman’s room decorated with armor, a longsword, and a stuffed deer’s head.

As always, it wasn’t to his taste.

***

The next morning, at the Marquis’s summons, I attended breakfast.

When I arrived, there were only two people in the dining room where the food was served.

The Marquis seated at the table, and the dragon tribe woman standing behind him.

“Where’s your son?”

“He’s resting well.”

Don’t people usually have their sons attend such gatherings?

Such thoughts did cross my mind, but for me, the fewer people present, the better.

Perhaps he was being considerate of me?

“Let’s eat.”

We naturally began to talk as we ate.

After all, there were matters to discuss today.

For example, the ‘agreement’ we mentioned yesterday.

“As compensation for our mistake, if there’s anything you want, tell me.”

“Before that, there’s something I want to confirm.”

“Go ahead.”

“How long will it take for me to reclaim my name?”

“I’m thinking about three months. This matter needs to be handled perfectly.”

Three months…

As soon as I heard it, I thought it was too long, but from the Marquis’s perspective, it can’t be helped.

They have to create a flawless record of Bjorn Jandel infiltrating Noark on a royal special mission for the past two years, from start to finish.

“You’ll also need to be mindful in the meantime. If your name leaks before we’re prepared, someone might become suspicious and investigate.”

“Can’t you prevent that?”

“If that happens, I’ll certainly try, but I can’t guarantee complete secrecy. Such is the nature of the royal court, it cannot be controlled by one man alone.’

In short, unless he were king, he couldn’t fully control the kingdom’s institutions.

Given his reputation for turning the King into a puppet, his words seemed a little underwhelming, but it wasn’t hard to accept.

After all, despite being the kingdom’s second-in-command, it’s not like he doesn’t have rivals.

Most notably, the Duke of Keallunas.

A grand family with ties to the Mage Tower, historically active in labyrinth-related enterprises and wielding significant influence in major clans.

In truth, the duke’s house has far more output and a broader range of influence than the Marquis’s family, which relies solely on the position of ‘Chancellor.’

“If you’re satisfied with the timing, I’d like to hear what you wanted to say.”

“I want to meet the shaman of the tribe.”

“And why is that?”

Well, it’s obvious.

Oh, maybe he doesn’t know because he’s not a barbarian?

When a warrior seeks to meet a shaman, there’s only one reason.

“Because I need to receive the ‘Spirit Engraving.'”

The Spirit Engraving that had stopped at level 6.

I even bought the materials to reach level 7, but suddenly I was dragged into the past and couldn’t receive the Engraving.

 Fortunately, the material I needed, a ‘the Soul of the Dead,’ was safely stored by Raven as my “legacy”, so once my identity issue is resolved, I can receive the engraving.

Therefore…

“As I said earlier, if your name spreads before we’re ready—”

I cut off the Marquis’s words.

“That’s why I’m asking you to solve that problem. So that I don’t have to worry about it.”

“So that’s what you want as part of our ‘agreement.'”

“Yes. Who knows what could happen in the next labyrinth; three months is too long.”

At my request, the Marquis closed his eyes as if contemplating. But considering he wanted me to join the war, he probably saw no downside in boosting my combat strength.

“Understood. I’ll arrange a meeting with the shaman within this month.”

“Good.”

I didn’t bother asking how he’d summon and convince the shaman. That’s his responsibility. Judging by his track record, he’d handle it seamlessly.

Tap.

As our conversation reached that point, we finished our meal.

However, we continued to talk for quite some time, leaving the empty plates as they were.

Because there were still matters to discuss.

“You said you were going to form a unit centered around me. Have you thought about it roughly?”

“I’m going to form a unit of thirty people.”

“Five teams in total. Have you decided who’ll fill them?”

“Not yet, but I have some candidates.”

The marquis then listed potential members, and I was surprised to recognize quite a few. 

Even I, who isn’t up to date with the latest information, knew many of the names mentioned.

Members of the ‘Seven Pillars.’

Ace members from major clans.

Famous Holy Knights.

Well-known military talents, and so on.

Is the Marquis trying to assemble some kind of dream team?

“By the way, will those people join the unit?”

“They will, most of them. I’m planning to promise them tremendous rewards.”

“Well, if that’s the case.”

I wondered if it would be really possible, but since he’s saying it so confidently, it must be somewhat feasible.

So we discussed the next part.

“Baron Jandel, you will be in charge of one of the three teams. And one of the spots will be filled by Miss Ravien.”

“Then, excluding me, I can add four more people.”

“I’m assuming you plan to bring those two along?”

It was obvious who he meant.

Most likely, he was referring to Erwin and Amelia.

‘So he knows about Amelia as well. I hope he doesn’t know she’s from Noark.’

Despite the concern, I nodded.

“That’s the plan.”

“Then there are only two spots left. If you haven’t thought of anyone, let me know any names you prefer among those I mentioned earlier. I’ll offer them better terms when recruiting.”

Additional members…

The first person who came to mind was Raven.

We should have at least one mage on the team, and she lacks nothing in terms of skill and reliability.

But then, what about the sailor?

I can’t include him in the remaining slots.

Should I just keep him in the basement until the war is over?

‘I’ll need to discuss this with Amelia. And I should ask Raven’s opinion before mentioning her to the Marquis.’

After a brief consideration, I spoke.

“I’ll get back to you on this part.”

“Very well.”

That concluded today’s conversation.

I thought our conversation was finally winding down, but just as I was about to rise, the marquis spoke again.

“Oh, there’s one more matter I need to discuss with you.”

“……?”

“Forming this unit wasn’t something I decided on alone.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“To put it briefly, this unit is a convergence of various interests. The only thing I managed to secure was for you to lead one of the five teams.”

“So? What are you getting at?”

“We still haven’t selected an overall commander.”

In other words, the position of expedition leader was still open.

“Why’s that?”

The marquis looked me straight in the eye as he answered.

“Do you think they’d readily accept someone appointed from above? Even if they agreed, their patrons wouldn’t allow it.”

So, it’s for political reasons.

It seems that many powerful figures have staked their interests in this new unit, to the point that not even the Marquis has been able to secure full control.

Which works out perfectly fine for me.

I was starting to see where he was going with this.

“Anyway… once we gather all thirty members and appoint team leaders, we’ll allow the candidates to compete among themselves for the commander position.”

“……”

“If the newly formed unit achieves great accomplishments in the war, the commander’s patron will also share a good portion of that glory.”

The marquis paused briefly, studying my expression, then kept it short.

“Well? Think you can handle it?”

A concise question with a very clear implication.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Asking if I’m capable—well, that question is almost insulting.

“Shouldn’t be a problem.”

Honestly?

Those people he listed earlier were certainly impressive, each in their own right.

“As long as the rewards are worthwhile.”

Because none of them would stand a chance against me.