Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 644

Melbes, the interspecies alliance.

Why were they making such a fuss about having the right to attend the royal council? The reason became clear as soon as the meeting began.

‘The first agenda is the invasion of the Noark forces.’

That topic had been mentioned countless times in various places, such as the interspecies talks and the Melbes assembly. However, the duke’s words, spoken calmly, contained information that had never been revealed anywhere else.

‘Although it was earlier than predicted, the invasion took place at the beginning of this month.’

The royal family was already aware of their invasion. Of course, that doesn’t mean the royal family has completely omniscient abilities.

‘But as everyone knows, the extermination plan failed due to an unexpected variable.’

As everyone knows, my ass. Are barbarians not even considered people?

‘…Extermination plan?’

As I tilted my head and muttered to myself, the duke’s words paused, and all the nobles’ attention focused on me. The gazes directed at me were varied.

‘A mere low-ranking noble muttering to himself?’

Some looked as if they couldn’t believe that I, the lowest in the hierarchy, had interrupted the duke during the meeting. Others reacted as if they had expected it, not particularly surprised.

‘Well, that’s just like that blockhead.’

Duke Kealuners, Count Alminus, and others. Those who had directly experienced me in some way had no reason to be surprised by this. Ah, of course, the duke was included too.

‘Come to think of it, Baron Yandel, this is your first meeting, so you might not know about the extermination plan?’

The duke casually responded to my mutterings. One of the eyes that had been glaring at me widened even more. It was Count Humwhatever, who had sneered at me earlier. Well, did he think the duke would scold me or something? I don’t know, but it’s not something I need to worry about.

‘The extermination plan was devised after we obtained information that the Noark forces’ goal was Bipron. The intention was to corner them there and wipe them out at once.’

‘But it didn’t go well, did it?’

‘Unfortunately, no.’

After saying that, the duke turned his gaze away from me and continued speaking to the crowd.

‘The variable in this plan started with the mysterious mage who appeared in the Noark forces.’

It felt like the first day of transferring schools, but this time, I was able to keep up with the progress.

‘If it’s a mysterious mage, there’s probably no one else but that person.’

The mage who activated the ancient magic circle in the underground fortress, instantly teleporting tens of thousands of people, and opened a portal connecting to the 7th floor outside the walls.

‘We haven’t obtained any information about his identity other than that he is old… However, the intelligence department is speculating that he is also the one who tampered with the guardian magic circle. He seemed suspiciously skilled in ancient magic.’

Anyway, to summarize the story so far, it’s very simple. The royal family tried to corner the Noark bastards in Bipron and blow them up in one go, but it failed when the mysterious mage activated the guardian magic circle.

‘Currently, we are looking for a way to deactivate the guardian magic circle from the outside, but we are not making any progress at the moment because the mysterious mage has taken away many of our authorities.’

If they’re officially announcing it in a place like this, it means there’s no way to enter Bipron at all.

‘Should I see this as the royal family being incompetent, or is the other side amazing…’

I don’t know, but one thing is certain. The royal family is not just your average ruthless bunch.

‘The intelligence department has determined that the mysterious mage is likely capable of activating the closed dimensional plaza of Bipron. Therefore…’

The duke paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

‘I hereby officially propose the closure of the labyrinth.’

Labyrinth closure. Considering the structure of this city-state called Lafdonia, it’s an extremely heavy topic. However, as soon as this topic was mentioned, Duke Kealuners took the lead as if he had been waiting for it.

‘Indeed… if we close the labyrinth completely, they won’t have any other options.’

Next was Count Alminus.

‘They’ll have to choose to either come out on their own or starve to death inside.’

It was all a pre-arranged script. These people weren’t hearing this for the first time here. Originally, they would have created public opinion like this, and then, with a near-unanimous vote, the ‘labyrinth closure’ would have been decided.

However, I am a barbarian with no sense of tact.

‘Duke, I have a question, can I ask?’

‘…Go ahead.’

‘Is it absolutely necessary to close the labyrinth itself?’

At my question, Count Humwhatever, ranked 27th, couldn’t hold back and snapped at me.

‘Think about it. If there were another way, would the duke have talked about closing the labyrinth?’

Well, he’s not wrong. But I’m not curious about whether there’s another way in the first place. I’m curious why this is the only way.

‘Is that really the case?’

I ignored Count Humwhatever’s words and asked the duke, who, with an annoyed look, still kindly answered.

‘The dimensional magic related to the labyrinth is more complex than you can imagine. However, I will give you a brief explanation.’

He said it was brief, but in reality, it was a very long and tedious story. But let’s try to summarize it simply.

The labyrinth is the server. The portal is the login method. But the problem here is that if they have the login method, the royal family has no way to control it…

‘So, they’re going to temporarily shut down the server itself. If the server is shut down, you can’t enter even if you have the login method.’

‘Do you understand?’

‘A little. Thanks for the explanation!’

After my curiosity was satisfied, I just watched the process unfold without interfering any further. There was a discussion about whether there would be a backlash from the explorers after the labyrinth closure. What should be done with the explorers who can’t pay taxes this year? And how long would the labyrinth closure last? There was time to discuss such details, and in the end, the duke summarized it.

‘As of today, the labyrinth will be closed, and the decision to reopen it will be made through a later meeting. Those attendees who agree, please flip the coin.’

What was a bit strange here was that the voting process was conducted completely publicly… Actually, if you think about it, it’s obvious. It’s not a culture that respects anonymity, and if they did secret voting, there could be some kind of corruption.

Thud.

The attendees flipped the gold coins placed in front of their seats one by one, revealing the royal family’s emblem, and soon the result came out. Near-unanimous agreement. Then, people’s gazes naturally turned to me again. Because I was the only one who opposed it.

‘Baron Yandel, may I ask why you didn’t flip the coin?’

‘It’s obvious that everyone will have a hard time if the labyrinth is closed. Well, we’re well-off, so it won’t affect our livelihood no matter how long it’s closed!’

‘Hmm… so you opposed it for the sake of the people?’

‘If you want to put it that way, yes.’

Whether he was genuinely curious or not, the duke just nodded coolly after hearing my answer. And…

‘Then, let’s move on to the second agenda.’

The tedious meeting continued again.

***

The meeting that started in the morning continued non-stop until the evening. There were breaks in between, but… ‘What is this hardcore schedule?’ They only gave us time to take care of our business, but they didn’t give us separate meal times. Is that the long-standing tradition of the royal council?

‘Haha, that’s why everyone eats a hearty breakfast on the day they attend this meeting.’

‘Why did such a tradition even start?’

‘If you’re attending this meeting, you’re all people whose time is precious. Since it’s a rare gathering, they’re trying to minimize wasted time, even if it’s a bit inconvenient.’

Well… if that’s the case, they could be much more efficient if they just got rid of the roundabout way of speaking and the flowery language. Honestly, if barbarians gathered and held a royal council, they could finish everything by noon and go out for lunch.

‘Ahem, it seems the meeting is about to resume. I’ll go in first.’

Count Alminus, who I had bumped into outside and chatted with for a while, left, and I quickly stuffed the dried jerky I was eating into my mouth and entered the meeting room. And the meeting resumed.

‘The second was about the reconstruction of districts 7 and 13, the third was about taxes, the fourth was about incorporating evil spirits…’

Ah, by the way, the incorporation of evil spirits was only mentioned and then rejected with numerous opposing votes—.

‘Then, let’s move on to the ninth agenda.’

The duke, who was leading the meeting, looked around and stopped his gaze on me. Looking to the side, I could see Ragna also making a subtle eye movement with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Thanks to that, I was able to realize it right away.

‘The moment has come.’

The ninth agenda is a marriage proposal. And it’s none other than between me and Ragna.

‘However, before bringing up the ninth agenda, I would like to ask for your understanding. From now on, we will be discussing something that may be a bit personal.’

‘Hmm, a personal matter, you say?’

‘It’s only personal in terms of classification, but it’s also a matter of great importance to the Kingdom of Lafdonia.’

‘Then, we should listen to it for now.’

Duke Kealuners nodded after hearing the duke’s explanation, and as long as he made such a gesture, there was no one here who would raise any objections.

‘That old man already knows what’s going to be said, but he’s still acting like that.’

The relationship between Duke Kealuners and Duke Terserion is quite interesting. Even though they’re rivals, they seem to work well together when cooperation is needed.

‘Baron Yandel, what are you thinking about so deeply?’

‘I wasn’t thinking about anything.’

‘Then, I hope you will listen carefully from now on. You are the person involved in the discussion that will take place.’

‘Huh? Me?’

I tilted my head innocently, pretending not to know anything, and the duke sent me a meaningful look and began to speak in his unique aristocratic style.

‘Baron Yandel, all the attendees here will acknowledge how busy you are and how much you have accomplished.’

‘…’

‘However, for the sake of the great royal family of Lafdonia, it would be a great loss if a talent like you and the head of a family were to remain single.’

‘…So, what are you trying to say?’

‘Isn’t it time for you to find a partner and settle down? If you’re okay with it, I would like to proceed with the marriage between you and Countess Peprock.’

The moment those words came out, the atmosphere in the hall became chaotic for a moment.

‘…Huh!’

‘Baron Yandel and Countess Peprock…?’

Now that I see it, it seems there were quite a few nobles who didn’t know about this marriage proposal… ‘Isn’t the Peprock family in a similar situation to the Yandel family? Legally, the two families cannot become one, but if the two families are connected through marriage, it will be a great blessing for you and the kingdom.’

‘…’

‘…That’s what I think, but what about you?’

I could feel the pressure in his short question. Well, the fact that he brought up the marriage proposal in a place like this, rather than in private, was already meant to put pressure on me. Anyway.

YES and NO. As always, there are two options. If I accept the marriage proposal, I will be under the duke’s control and will be controlled in some way. If I refuse, I will face a lot of checks and balances. But…

‘Of course, I’m not asking you to make a decision right away. Once you’ve sorted out your thoughts—’

There was no changing a decision I had already made. Even thinking about it again, it’s a bit of a terrible decision… ‘Damn it.’ But it’s something I have to do.

‘I refuse!’

‘…Huh?’

‘I will not marry.’

The moment I cut him off and boldly expressed my refusal. ‘Hmm…’ The duke’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was as if he was thinking about how to torment me from now on for rejecting his proposal. Therefore, I quickly opened my mouth.

‘Not only Countess Peprock, but I will not marry anyone.’

This was my countermove after much deliberation. If what the duke is wary of is the Yandel family achieving rapid growth by actively using the means of ‘marriage’. I judged that it was possible to counter that with this declaration of celibacy.

‘I don’t understand at all. Does that mean you’re going to remain single forever?’

However, the duke didn’t seem to believe my words. That was roughly what I expected. Such a declaration can be overturned at any time depending on my mood… ‘Do I really have to do it…’

A more definite action is needed. And I had even prepared for that action in advance. But the problem is that just thinking about it makes me sigh… ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ Having barely finished preparing myself, I closed my eyes tightly. And…

‘Duke!’

I shouted with all my might.

‘I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in women!’

For some reason. No, it’s not that I don’t know the reason, but anyway. When I forced myself to slowly open my eyes, which I didn’t want to open. ‘…?’ ‘…?’ A silence as if the world had stopped heavily pressed down on the hall.

***

The stopped time began to flow again, and shocked gazes and words were directed at me.

‘Not interested in women…?’

‘No, wait a minute, then does that mean…!’

‘Disgusting.’

Some people didn’t even hide their feelings of disgust. Well, I understand. Because homosexuality is considered a sin in this world. Yeah… so…

‘I don’t like men!’

To correct the misunderstanding, I took out the doll I had prepared in my subspace and showed it to everyone.

‘I love this doll!’

‘…Huh?’

‘I’m going to marry this doll too!’

‘…Eh?’

It was something I had to do.