Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 417

Eye of the Storm (3)

A short murmur that only revealed my name.

Yet, the ripple effect was by no means small.

“Crazy…!”

Someone spat out a curse, almost gasping.

“So that’s why you did those things as naturally as breathing.”

The one who is convinced.

“But wait a minute, isn’t this a big deal? If you’re Baron Bjorn Jandel, then surely…”

And the wary one.

I spoke up before any unnecessary words could spill out.

“Don’t worry; the talk about me being an evil spirit isn’t true. I can’t tell you the detailed circumstances, but I faked my death after reaching an agreement with the royal family, and that’s how it was announced.”

Of course, this isn’t the truth.

But it was a convincing explanation,  as the members showed a calmer reaction than I expected.

“Now it makes sense. No way they’d put an unknown explorer in charge of something as critical as this expedition leader role…”

“So that’s why the Blood Spirit Queen was following you.”

“Actually, I couldn’t believe that such a man suddenly died in the labyrinth.”

“But what kind of circumstances led them to spread false information about you being an evil spirit…?”

Perhaps due to their innate curiosity, even in this situation, the members showed interest in me. But now wasn’t the time to explain such things.

“I’ll explain someday, when I get the chance. Right now, that’s not what’s important.”

When I decisively cut off the growing commotion, James Carla, who had been standing there with his mouth agape came to his senses and asked me.

“Schuiz… no, Bjorn Jandel… no, Baron Bjorn Jandel!”

His flustered reaction was oddly cute.

“I still don’t fully understand. Why would the royal family use you as a disposable pawn?”

At his question, I smirked.

“Well…”

There are many things I can guess.

“The hero explorer who saved countless lives and earned a noble title for the first time in decades.”

It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but that’s me.

“From their standpoint, wouldn’t it be much better if I just quietly disappeared? Especially if they have to retract their announcement that I was an evil spirit.”

“Ah…”

James Carla showed a face of understanding.

But that’s not the end of it.

I can’t share my suspicions with them, but…

Perhaps the Marquis knew I was an evil spirit long before.

No, he definitely did.

Even so, sending his son at night to confirm whether I was an evil spirit or not…

‘It was probably just to deceive me.’

Those who deceive others rarely suspect they themselves are being deceived.

“Anyway, that’s all there is to my story.”

Saying that, I glanced around at the members.

With eyes that asked, “So what about you all?”

“I received a promise from the Marquis as compensation for this mission. But he… didn’t seem to have any intention of keeping that promise.” -Ravien.

“I was sent into a coma and barely regained consciousness thanks to the ‘agent’ of the Toberra Church. In return, I was bound to the church. If they were looking for a disposable mage to use as a pawn, there wouldn’t be a better choice than me.”-Vercil Gowland

“Last year, my granddaughter died. There’s no evidence, but it was by a knight belonging to the Marquis’s household. I’ve been searching for that knight ever since. Perhaps they approached me knowing that.”-Our team’s support type, Old Diddy

“I happened to find out that the Tower Master was colluding with the royal family. To make it public, I needed power, and for that, I needed a lot of money, so I joined the expedition. But it seems he already knew about me.”-Riard Ashid, a mage from the Langman school where the Tower Master is the leader.

“Wait a minute! I really have nothing! My life’s motto is to live quietly and for a long time!”

What is he saying? I know, and heaven knows, that you’re an evil spirit.

His secret must have been found out somehow.

I quickly skipped over the outcry of the goblin mask, Sven Parab.

After that, whenever our eyes met, the members shuddered and began to confess their personal circumstances.

“…”

Of course, there were those who remained silent.

But they just didn’t want to reveal their weaknesses, and they too had expressions suggesting they had some suspicions.

When this unexpected confession time was continuing.

Someone shouted out in frustration.

“Wait a minute! I… I have no reason to be abandoned by the church!”

Her name was Periton Eriavosti, and she was a priestess from Kaislan’s team.

“This… this must be some kind of mistake. I only volunteered because I thought it was for the good of the people…”

It didn’t sound like a lie.

No, it probably wasn’t a lie at all.

I spoke with genuine sympathy.

“In that case, I express my regret. You simply had the misfortune of being caught up in this.”

“Wait! What do you mean, bad luck—”

“Aren’t there others besides you who are in similar situations?”

For instance, there’s Erwin and Amelia.

And then there’s Parsible Eric Coulson, a knight who served under Kaislan for nearly ten years. Or Rick Jaggersta, the childhood friend of James Carla.

Though in their cases, they’re less unlucky than the priestess woman—more like victims of poor choices in friends.

“How… how could this happen?”

The priestess, who seemed truly innocent, hung her head.

And she wasn’t the only one.

As expected, the atmosphere in the expedition was akin to a funeral.

“Are we really… abandoned?”

“It’s hard not to believe it now…”

“Then… even if we return alive, will the royal family try to kill us somehow?”

“Damn it all!!”

Like a kite with its string cut, their eyes began to waver with anxious expressions.

“Are we going to die? Really? Here like this…?”

Some despaired.

“I… I have something I absolutely must do!”

Some expressed anger.

“…Logically, something doesn’t make sense! Then what about Pike Neldaine?”

Some voiced doubts, clinging to a thread of hope.

“If they were planning to abandon us all, why bother planting a spy to sabotage the mission?”

Ah, that part.

I had thought about that myself.

There were two possibilities I could think of.The first was that the Guildmaster didn’t want the Marquis to claim credit for the mission.

After all, I’m the expedition leader.

If we destroy the Eye of the Sky and are annihilated, most of the achievements we made will go to the Marquis, and maybe the Guild Master wanted to prevent that?

‘It’s a plausible story. If we had lost all our food at Ice Rock, we wouldn’t have been able to even get through this place and would have all died.’

That possibility certainly exists.

But…

Tap tap.

It’s better not to mention this.

I made a decision.

It’s enough for me alone to worry about the worst.

So…

“Why did someone send a spy?”

The fact that the spy was working under the Guildmaster was something only the team leaders knew for now.

Let’s say what’s necessary now.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Perhaps the very words everyone wanted to hear.

“There’s someone out there in the city!”

I said to everyone in a strong voice.

“Someone who doesn’t want us to be meaninglessly consumed in a place like this!”

Even if it’s a vain hope.

“Someone who will help us fight against the royal family if we just return alive!”

We have to keep moving forward.

Because we’re still alive.

***

A room with all the windows closed, letting in not a single ray of light.

That’s what our expedition’s current situation is like.

Half of it was my intention.

[Even if we miraculously shake them off, what’s going to change? Do you think there’s a future where we can laugh and smile back in the city?]

When he said those words in front of the members, I didn’t stop him.

[…I am Bjorn Jandel]

I uttered that name, which was nothing less than a death sentence to them.

[Really… we’ve been abandoned?]

[It’s hard not to believe it now…]

I led the situation and erased hope from all the members’ minds. Like closing each window in an already dark room.

The reason I did such a thing is simple.

Those who dream of a golden future crumble easily.

So…

Through a slightly open window crack, a faint ray of light flows in.

I judged that, for now, that would be enough.

At least I could make everyone look in the same direction and move forward.

“Are you saying we’ll live if we go back…?”

“But… we don’t even know who that person is. Does that person really have such power…?”

They clearly saw the light.

They might doubt whether it was an illusion.

But that alone is certain.

Therefore…

“Everyone, listen up!”

Now, I have no choice but to somehow encourage them.

Let’s crawl through the darkness and head toward the light.

We don’t know if there will be a cliff at the end or what awaits us.

But at least, let’s check it out.

“I am Bjorne Jandel!”

I say my name.

And then ask.

“Have you heard of me?”

The members replied.

“How could we not know that name?”

“An explorer who became a noble for the first time in decades.”

“When the news of your death came out, there was such a big commotion.”

Their voices were limp and weak.

All the more reason for me to shout with energy.

“I’m glad you’ve at least heard of me! I won’t talk for long! Our current situation is the worst!”

“But…!”

“Never in my life have I ever given up—not once! And this time will be no different.”

I told them.

“I, Bjorn Jandel, swear on the heart of a warrior.”

I can’t dare to say that I’ll save everyone.

“I will do the hardest tasks.”

“I will do the dirty work that no one else wants to do.”

“I will walk into the places reeking of blood first, and if someone has to get hurt, I’ll be the one.”

“So…!”

I politely requested.

“Follow me.”

My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a resonance that surely reached everyone’s ears.

“…”

“…”

No one responded.

Should I say they were just busy watching each other’s reactions?

Even after I’ve spoken so earnestly, they act like this.

Ha, really makes me angry.

“If you’re going to throw away your life in the gutter anyway, throw it away on me!!”

In the end, I have to shout to get them to listen, right?

***

“Those who understand, get ready. We’ll depart in one minute.”

After saying that, I turned my back.

Immediately, someone followed.

“Mister, let’s go together!”

Erwin fornacci de tersia.

“Good. If the departure was delayed any longer, I was going to set off alone.”

Amelia.

My precious comrades who would follow me even if I walked into the flames.

“Jun, in the end, you were right,” Kaislan spoke.

“Even when everyone crumbles, that man alone will stand firm. No matter what lies at the end, I will follow that back.”

Kaislan stood behind me.

Next was Akuraba.

“I never intended to give up from the start. I’ve been through worse situations than this. If I had given up each time, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

After Akuraba was Jun, and then James Carla joined, and the members began to stand up one by one.

“Bjorn Jandel… turns out he’s an even more reckless guy than the rumors.”

“Hehe, I thought he was saying something cool, but at the end, he ended up yelling.”

“We’ve rested enough; let’s get going again.”

“He said he’d handle the dangerous tasks himself, didn’t he? If we sit down even after hearing that, can we be called explorers?”

“Besides, we can’t just die here…”

“Wait! Everyone, don’t just stand anywhere; let’s get into formation! Formation! Yes?”

Within a minute of me saying it, the whole unit was behind me.

It wasn’t a particularly moving scene.

Even when people are prepared to throw themselves into the abyss, they hesitate until the very last moment.

Even if I had set off alone, they all would have followed.

But…

“Jandel! So when are we departing?”

“Hey, you… what kind of way is that to talk to the commander…?”

“Ha, you pay attention to every little thing. Anyway, if things go wrong, we’ll all die, right?”

There’s a saying that the way you say things makes a difference.

The lifeless eyes that seemed like they couldn’t even cut down an orc began to show vitality.

If they had followed just because they were afraid to be left alone.

If they had followed reluctantly because they didn’t want to be abandoned again after already being abandoned once.

Such motives would never have inspired this change.

“Alright, then before we depart, there’s one more thing to take care of.”

“Take care of?”

Sven Parab next to me tilted his head with uneasy eyes, and I ignored him and headed toward the sled.

At this, a warrior hurriedly approached.

“Wait! Until now, you’ve been pulling it alone, haven’t you? From now on, we’ll also help…”

What is he saying?

When did I ever say I was going to pull it?

“Wait a minute… Why are you unloading the food crates from the sled?”

“I think we can carry this much in our stomachs and go.”

“…Huh? Carry it in our stomachs? Then what about the rest…?”

What else can we do with the rest?

We throw it away.

Whoosh—!

I pushed the two sleds I had been barely dragging to the bottom of the cliff.

The cliff was so deep that it took over ten seconds before a faint “thud!” sound was heard.

“…C-crazy!”

“What did you just do!”

What do you think I did?

Why are those guys moving faster than us?

“If we move while dragging the sled, we’ll be caught up by them soon.”

“Th-that’s true, but… but to throw away the food…”

“What’s the problem? The food in our backpacks should be enough until we get out of the Glacier’s Eye.”

“But! What are we going to do after that!”

A fair question, filled with genuine concern.

Even if we get out of the Glacier Eye in two days since our load has lightened, we still have to survive for eight more days until the labyrinth closes.

But…

‘Geez, they’re getting all worked up.’

Did they think I did that without any thought?

Before the commotion could grow any larger, I quickly shared the plan I had devised.

“When we get past the Glacier Eye, won’t monsters start appearing?”

“Monsters…?”

“Wait a minute, you don’t mean…!”

I didn’t deny their suspicions.

“Yes, from that point on, we’ll use distortion magic to procure meat.”

For some reason, this seemed to cause even more agitation.

“He seems to be serious about this…”

“This is driving me crazy.”

“Um… I… I’m starting to think it might be better to just die here.”

This is the best method.