Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 713

As someone who has smashed countless heads with a hammer, let me tell you, there’s a common characteristic when you hit someone with a hammer.

No, to be precise, it’s their ‘expression’.

‘Huh?’

Did I just get hit?

‘Huh?’

Does my body feel weak?

‘…Huh?’

Am I… going to die like this…?

So…

So pointlessly…?

Crack-!!!

Most people who get their heads smashed with a hammer have this look, confused about whether it’s actually happening.

Crack-!!

Even as they see and feel their skull being crushed, they can’t quite grasp it, you know?

Well, for this guy, it’s probably even more so.

It’s not like he got his head smashed in the middle of a fight.

[If so? Would you try to harm me? Someone like you who has so much to lose?]

He was so sure of himself.

That’s why having his head smashed in this situation must feel even more unreal.

But….

“S-Stop! What are you doing!”

This is Laphdonia.

“Baron Yandel is causing a riot!!”

A single mistake can lead to death in this harsh world.

Yeah, so….

Crack-!

The price of misjudgment must be paid, right?

“S-Stop him!!”

Ignoring the knights’ attempts to stop me, I kept smashing his head with the hammer.

Crack-! Crack-!

Until the eyes of Orculius’ members widened and our search team members turned pale.

Crack, crack, crack-!

I hit him again and again, as if I was testing a stone bridge, making sure it was safe.

And….

“…….”

When even the faint screams stopped, and only the sound of something being crushed like mud could be heard.

Crack!

Feeling that unique sensation through my fingertips, I reluctantly stepped back, yielding to the soldiers who were trying to restrain me.

“Baron… what on earth is this?”

The Royal Knight Grandfather rushed towards me, not even checking the vice-commander’s condition, with a complicated expression.

He knew at a glance, from his vast experience.

That if a head is smashed like that, even if a high priest was right there, there’s no way they’d survive.

“To kill the most valuable prisoner among the captives without any procedure, depending on the perspective, it could be interpreted as treason.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I couldn’t control my anger because he suddenly said insulting things to me.”

“Insulting things…?”

“He laughed at me and called me a coward.”

“Is that true?”

After hearing my excuse, the Royal Knight Grandfather asked a nearby knight to confirm the facts.

The knight hesitated, looking unsure, and then honestly said what he had heard.

“He didn’t say the word coward. He just said… that he was more rational than he looked—.”

Okay, that’s enough.

“Isn’t that what a coward means!!”

I cut off the knight’s statement and shouted angrily, and the Royal Knight Grandfather grabbed his forehead.

“……Alright. The reason doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, so you’ll let it slide?”

“It’s not up to me to let it slide. But as I said before, you’ll have to take responsibility. The Marquis, who is already furious, will surely try to hold onto your ‘mistake’.”

The Royal Knight Grandfather seemed genuinely worried that I might be harmed by the Marquis, and didn’t seem to want to blame me for what I did.

In fact, his favorability seemed to have increased a bit.

“But I’ve learned one thing.”

“……?”

“Honestly, I was worried because you’re from a different race, but your patriotism is beyond doubt.”

Ah, so he thought I did it for the country?

I don’t know, but I’m sure of one thing.

“Even though the Marquis is shaking the country, I’ll do my best to help. Don’t worry too much. This country can only stand straight if loyal subjects like you stand tall, right?”

The Royal Knight Grandfather doesn’t like the Marquis, who is currently acting as the regent.

‘…I’ve gained a strong backer in an unexpected place.’

Maybe today’s incident will end without much trouble.

I was thinking that as I was shaking off the blood and flesh from my hammer when….

“C-Commander!”

A knight who was cleaning up the corpse rushed over with shocking news.

“H-He’s alive!!”

“……Huh?”

“The Evil Eye, Banosant, is still alive!”

No, this is crazy.

“Is that true!”

……He survived that?

***

Sometimes in the media, there are cases like this.

Just when you think, ‘Did we get him?’, the enemy you thought was dead gets up and starts a second round, even stronger than before.

Of course, it wasn’t like that in this case.

“……Cough, cough.”

Far from getting stronger and attacking, he was just spitting blood and rolling on the floor, barely alive.

Of course, there was no second round.

There was only the Royal Knight Grandfather, who was blocking my way, worried that I might cause another accident.

“That’s enough.”

“…….”

“If you take even one step, I will cut you down. For your own sake.”

Huh… what should I do?

While I was pausing to think, the knights, who received a signal from the Royal Knight Grandfather, quickly loaded the vice-commander into a carriage and departed.

It was already too late for me to follow with this clumsy body.

‘…Damn it.’

In the end, I gave up cleanly.

Yeah, I did enough.

If he’s still alive after getting hit like that, it’s not my fault, it’s just that the enemy is tough.

It’s better to think that way.

But I was curious about one thing.

“……How did he survive?”

“I’ll let you know when we find out through the investigation. So, stay here and calm down, then return to the military headquarters. I’ll talk to the Marquis.”

So, even the Royal Knight Grandfather doesn’t know.

How did that vice-commander survive?

Well… it’s probably one of his items or essences.

‘They said they’ll tell me later, so I’ll hear about it then.’

“I hope to see you again when you’ve calmed down.”

After the Royal Knight Grandfather left, I spent some time organizing my thoughts in the Marquis’ garden and then took another look at the Marquis’ mansion.

The reason was to properly check the shelter where the Noark people were hiding….

‘So, this is what the structure was like.’

If the secret study was a space for work, this place was literally a shelter.

You know?

Like those ‘panic rooms’ that are built in foreign houses in case of a robbery.

‘There’s nothing special….’

After a quick look, I told the soldiers to continue the investigation and went outside to head to the royal palace with my team.

And….

“The Commander-in-Chief is calling for you.”

As expected, as soon as I arrived, I was summoned by the Marquis.

“Everyone, leave.”

“But….”

“It’s okay, don’t make me say it twice.”

“Understood.”

The Marquis created a one-on-one meeting by dismissing even the escort knights.

After sitting down, the Marquis stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“So… you really found them while searching our family’s mansion?”

“I was lucky.”

It was the complete truth, but the Marquis didn’t seem to believe it.

“Where did you get the information? Was the corpse collector really your informant?”

“That was just something I said to buy time.”

I told the truth again, but the Marquis didn’t even listen. He just glared at me, trying to figure out which of my words were true.

Why are you asking if you don’t even intend to believe me?

It’s just a waste of breath.

“Alright, then keep your promise.”

I had no intention of wasting time with meaningless questions and answers, so I went straight to the point.

“As you said, I’ve found all the Noark people hiding in the city. Even the vice-commander of Orculius was among them. Isn’t that more than enough to complete the mission?”

“Are you talking about the ‘Evil Eye’ that you tried to kill in a surprise attack?”

“……It was an impulsive action.”

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem like an impulsive accident. For example, there was something you needed to ‘silence’….”

If he came at me like this, I couldn’t just stand still.

It’s not something a tank should say, but the best defense is a good offense.

“Well, in that regard, isn’t the most suspicious person you?”

“……?”

“You seem more suspicious than me, who smashed the vice-commander’s head, for hiding the Noark special forces in your mansion.”

In fact, this wasn’t just something I made up to attack him, but something I genuinely found suspicious.

Of course, at first, I thought that the Noark guys had just sneaked into the Marquis’ mansion without the Marquis knowing….

[Alright. I surrender.]

No matter how I thought about it, that response was something that couldn’t be done without a backer in the royal family.

The most likely suspect was this guy.

“…I didn’t hide them.”

“Then what happened to the guys who were captured?”

“They are currently imprisoned in the royal underground prison. A high-intensity investigation will begin soon by the intelligence agents.”

“Hmm… is that so……?”

But I stopped talking about this and went back to the topic we were talking about earlier.

“Anyway, I kept my promise, so send me to District 7 now.”

“……That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It doesn’t mean I won’t send you at all.”

“Then tell me properly. So I can understand.”

“You searched our family’s mansion without permission? That can be overlooked because it produced a good result. But trying to kill an important prisoner in front of everyone is a bit different.”

In short, merits are merits, and mistakes are mistakes.

“So, I’m asking you to say it clearly. What do you want to do?”

“Considering what Sir Karitumuor said, I won’t ask for much. Just think of it as maintaining military discipline, and receive a punishment for two days, just two days.”

When I asked about the punishment, the Marquis replied that it was ‘confinement’.

But he persuaded me that I would be confined in the prison for nobles on the first floor of the royal underground, which was much better than most inns, so I could think of it as a rest.

Well, the environment didn’t matter.

What mattered was the time.

And more important than that was this Marquis’ ‘intention’.

‘Two days….’

Ha, what should I do?

If this guy doesn’t allow it, I’ll never be able to return to District 7.

“This is my final offer, and there will be no compromise. Even if you desert.”

The only option to legally go to District 7.

After thinking for a while, I finally made a decision.

If I deserted or disobeyed the punishment right now, the situation might get worse.

Besides, he said I wouldn’t even have to wear shackles.

If something goes wrong, I can just break the bars and get out.