Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 390

Inside the mansion’s first-floor living room, equipped with Erwen’s CCTV, three women were sitting on the sofa, sipping tea.

“A special unit of thirty people? I’ve never heard of such a thing. It must mean the operation is being carried out in utmost secrecy,” Raven murmured.

Amelia added, “It seems the royal family is looking for a game-changer, as the war has dragged on for too long.”

“Yes. Considering the reputation of the people the Marquis mentioned, I wonder if it’s even possible to unite them into one team.”

“But that part must be true. The Marquis was so certain about it.”

“Then, it’s safe to assume they’re planning something big enough to require that much power.”

While the two were seriously discussing the matter, Erwen didn’t seem particularly interested.

“Uncle, you said you don’t like things too sweet, right? Have this. I bought some plain ones on purpose.”

“Ah, thanks.”

As I ate the peanut cookies Erwen gave me, Raven looked at me with a dissatisfied expression.

It seemed she didn’t like that I was just sitting quietly after explaining the situation.

I swallowed what I was chewing and spoke, “Raven, so what are you going to do?”

“…What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“I told you, there are two spots left, including me, Erwen, Emily, and the beastkin the Marquis assigned.”

“Ah…….”

“I’d like you to join us too.”

When I asked directly, Raven avoided my gaze, looking slightly troubled.

“I want to help on the front lines too, but it’s difficult for me right now.”

A somewhat disappointing answer.

“…Is that so?”

I tried my best not to show it, but Raven, sensing my mood, explained without me asking.

“On the battlefield and in the city, Commander Pebrosk has been called away frequently lately. If I leave in this situation, there will be no one to manage the magic corps…….”

Always so diligent.

Well, that’s what made her trustworthy as a colleague.

I didn’t like seeing her so dejected when it wasn’t her fault, so I quickly wrapped up the topic.

“Why are you making excuses? It can’t be helped if you’re busy.”

“Thank you. For understanding.”

“It’s not about understanding, and it’s not like you have to make excuses.”

“…….”

Anyway, that means Raven’s recruitment is off the table.

How do I fill the remaining two spots?

As I was pondering, Amelia spoke to me in a subtle voice, “Schuitz, do you think the team might need a navigator?”

“Well, we’ll be moving on a large warship anyway, so I don’t think we’ll need one.”

“…Is that so.”

Amelia nodded without further comment, but the atmosphere felt strange. Could it be that she wanted to bring the basement navigator, Auyen?

Even if she enjoys sailing, there’s such a thing as TPO [Time, Place, Occasion]…….

“It’s better to leave Auyen as she is for now. We might need her again after the war.”

“Okay. I was worried because she hasn’t been eating well lately, but I guess I can just increase her walks.”

“…Yeah, that should do it.”

That settles the navigator issue.

“But Raven, do you know anything about that beastkin woman?”

“No. I’ve never heard the name Lavien before. But I’ll go back and check. Maybe the commander knows something.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

After that, Raven, having finished her tea, left, saying she had work to do. Then, the three of us discussed which of the candidates the Marquis had mentioned we should include in the team.

Although they were always at odds, they easily agreed on the first teammate.

“First of all, I think we’ll need a mage.”

“I agree. There are too many inconveniences without a mage.”

Filling the mage position left vacant by Raven’s failed recruitment.

And…….

“What about the last spot?”

“Wouldn’t a priest be good?”

If possible, a priest for the last spot.

If that was difficult, they concluded that it would be good to fill it with a support-type ability user.

After all, I was enough as a tank, Amelia was the melee dealer, Erwen was the ranged dealer, and a mage was also coming.

They decided it would be good to prepare for variables with a support-type ability user and add more power to the melee line.

Everyone agreed that it was a reasonable idea.

Except for the last thing that was said.

“Then, for the mage, this person and this person, for the priest, this person, and if the priest can’t come, this ability user here would be good!” Erwen said cheerfully, pointing to the names on the list of candidates they had organized while talking.

And here’s the problem…….

“Oh, they’re all men?”

It was a response to that comment, which I had just blurted out without much thought.

“Well… there are too many women around you, Uncle, aren’t there?”

“…Huh?”

Even so, is it reasonable to choose only men for that reason?

I glanced sideways, hoping for help, but unlike my expectations, Amelia just nodded.

As if she completely agreed.

“It would be better to choose men.”

“…Why?”

“You can’t make proper judgments when women are involved.”

What is she talking about?

I’m such a cold-blooded man.

Whether it’s a woman or a man, if I have to kill them, I always smash their heads equally.

The first player I killed in the ice cave was also a woman.

“Emily, I think you have some strange misunderstanding. Why do you think that way?” I asked, feeling wronged, and Amelia immediately answered without any hesitation.

“It was… the same with me.”

What kind of image do they have of me?

***

Ten days before the next dungeon opens.

Amelia, who had been visiting the commercial city every day since returning to the city, finally finished disposing of the spoils of war.

In other words, she was finally able to settle the final income from this expedition…….

“…Even after deducting the change, it’s 350 million stones.”

A sum of money that could only be described as mind-boggling.

At the same time, it was an income that would be difficult to achieve with this number of people, no matter how many floors they climbed, with just magic stone income.

‘Well, it’s natural since we plundered an entire 6th-floor clan, right?’

Still, it’s amazing to hear the amount in numbers.

Moreover, the broken ships didn’t fetch their full price, and the largest ship was decided to be kept for later use and not sold.

If they had sold that ship alone, the total income would have tripled.

“So, what are we going to do with this cash?” Amelia, who had worked harder than anyone to dispose of the goods, asked for my opinion, and I answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course, we’ll divide it equally.”

“Then, each person will get a little over 110 million stones.”

Amelia, who hadn’t smiled in a long time, smiled, saying that she could finally buy the weapon she had been eyeing for a long time.

However, it didn’t take long for that smile to disappear.

“Instead of thinking about changing your weapon, I’d like you to pay back my money first.”

Erwen’s voice was too cold to be directed at a colleague.

Of course, the request itself was reasonable.

Although the transaction relationship had become a bit complicated, it was Amelia who had put my demon crusher as collateral at the bank.

With that money, Amelia had bought essence, and because she couldn’t repay the money, she had to take out a loan using Erwen’s house as collateral.

“There’s still time left until the debt repayment period……?”

“I have a feeling that if you spend it so lavishly, you’ll never be able to pay it back within that period. And it’s better to pay off debts quickly, right?”

“…How much do you need?”

“All of it, of course. If I use all the money I earned this time, I think I can pay it all back.”

“…….”

At Erwen’s words, Amelia looked up at me like a puppy with its tail drooping.

Her eyes were clearly asking for help.

But what can I do here?

“…Let’s buy the weapon next time.”

“When I asked you last time if I could change my weapon, you agreed that it was okay.”

“The situation has changed a bit, hasn’t it? You also agreed that we should keep the biggest ship and use it, right?”

“That’s… because there might be times when we need a ship even if it’s not on the 6th floor.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Wait a few more months. I’ll help you with the money then.”

“…….”

Amelia didn’t answer, clearly sulking.

However, judging by the way she was quietly exhaling while looking out the window, she seemed to have understood the current situation to some extent.

What should I give her to make her feel better?

She doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in delicious food—

“Uncle, someone’s here?”

Huh? Someone?

At Erwen’s words, I went outside, wondering what was going on, and it was someone from the Marquis’s family. He was a sturdy man, but he was wearing casual clothes, so I couldn’t tell if he was a knight.

The conversation we had was also extremely short, just a few words.

“This is a letter from the Marquis.”

“Ah, thanks for delivering it.”

I quickly went back inside and checked the letter first.

Maybe it was the Marquis’s personality, or maybe it was because I was a barbarian, but the contents of the letter were very short and concise.

[The shaman issue has been resolved. I will send someone tomorrow morning, so come with them.]

Right, I’m finally going to reach the 7th stage of soul imprinting.

***

The next morning.

As soon as it was dawn, I left the house and took the carriage sent by the Marquis to the imperial capital.

Normally, it would have taken at least six hours to travel by carriage, but this time, using the military transfer station, it was possible to leave in the morning and arrive in the morning.

‘It’s really convenient…….’

I arrived at the mansion without even having time to take a nap.

However, this time I couldn’t meet the Marquis.

He had gone to the palace since dawn because of work?

Well, the Marquis wasn’t a jobless bum; he was the prime minister of a country, so he must be busy all the time.

In fact, the reason why we were able to have so many private meetings recently was because the Marquis was paying a lot of attention to me.

Even those were just conversations during dinner or meals.

‘Well, it’s more comfortable for me not to see him.’

Anyway, I followed the Marquis’s guide and arrived at the office on the third floor of the main building…….

“…….”

The prime minister’s son, who was looking at documents, made an awkward expression when he saw me, and then, after the guide left and we were alone, he greeted me.

“…You must have had a long journey, Baron Yandel.”

His tone was polite and as if he was treating an equal, but there was a somewhat subdued atmosphere.

Ah, is it because he’s not making eye contact when he speaks?

“It’s not that much of a hardship. Thanks to you, I came comfortably. More importantly, how’s your body? It seems your facial bones have healed well…….”

“…As you can see, I’m fine now.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Ah, and I couldn’t say this last time. I apologize for my rudeness the other day.”

Listening to the prime minister’s son, Eltora, I almost burst out laughing.

I know that’s just a polite thing to say.

Even so, isn’t it a bit funny that the one who got beaten up in the middle of the night is apologizing for being rude?

“It’s okay, it’s in the past anyway. I already settled that with the Marquis, so don’t mention it anymore.”

“I’m very grateful that you say so. Thanks to you, I’ve relieved my burden.”

“So, where’s the shaman?”

“He’s waiting in another room. If you go out, the maid in front of Renia… will guide you.”

So, all I have to do is go there and get the soul imprinting. There’s no need to move in a hurry, so I checked a few things I was curious about.

“But how did you bring the shaman?”

“My father asked the barbarian tribe chief directly. He asked them to send a shaman because there was someone who needed soul imprinting.”

“Hmm, wouldn’t they have thought it was suspicious if you did that?”

“I heard they didn’t think so. Not all barbarians can freely come and go to the holy land, right?”

“Ah, did you say he was a warrior who was kicked out of the tribe?”

That was the first possibility that came to mind.

However, Eltora shook his head at my question.

“He said he was a barbarian born and raised in the city.”

“…I see.”

I nodded without any further comment.

Come to think of it, there were cases like that.

Barbarians aren’t that different from humans.

If they live in the city for a long time, they become accustomed to the city’s culture and are not too bound by tradition.

I’ve heard that there are even cases where they don’t send their children to the holy land and raise them themselves.

“Anyway, then there’s no problem. Thank you for handling it well.”

“Isn’t helping the Baron also for our benefit?”

“Okay, then I’ll see you next time.”

Since all my questions were resolved, I ended the conversation and left the room. Then, the servant who was waiting in front immediately guided me to the room where the shaman was.

“I am not allowed to guide you from here.”

In other words, only I could go inside.

I opened the door and entered, and the room, which was empty with all the furniture removed, was filled with cigarette smoke.

In the center of the room, there was a space covered with cloth, and I could see the silhouette of a person sitting cross-legged.

‘It’s been almost three years since I last met a shaman…….’

I felt a bit nervous as I slowly approached.

No matter how much the Marquis had sweetened the deal, it was clear that the shaman would recognize me when we met.

Well, if it’s that shaman’s personality, he would probably keep my secret from the chief if I explained my situation.

But I can’t be sure—

“Have you come?” At that moment, a voice came from beyond the cloth, and I stopped walking.

“A fellow tribesman who grew up in civilization.”

What is this childish voice?

Swoosh.

When I pulled the cloth aside, a tattooed barbarian wearing an eye patch appeared.

He was fine when I last saw him, but it wasn’t difficult to recognize who he was.

The young disciple I had seen a few times when I went to find a shaman.

“Hehehe, are you trembling after meeting the long-awaited shaman? The pounding of your excited heart is reaching even here.”

What is he talking about?

‘But I didn’t expect this situation.’

Where did the old shaman go, and why is he here?