Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 231

A very, very, very big reward from the royal family.

I hadn’t even heard the details yet, but my mouth was already watering.

However, in my experience, these were the most dangerous times.

If you receive a gift, isn’t it an unspoken rule that you have to return the favor someday?

I needed to check if it was safe to accept.

“What exactly is the reward? And what do I have to do?”

Kyle kindly answered my questions one by one.

The reward hadn’t been specifically decided yet.

Moreover, it wasn’t just me who would receive the reward, but all the survivors of that day.

They were planning to summon us to the royal palace soon for a consolation banquet?

“What I can say for sure is that there will be a distribution of honors at that time, and your contribution will be recognized the most.”

“I see. Do you have any guesses?”

“It’s not that I don’t have any, but…”

Kyle trailed off, then asked me to consider his opinion as he listed the expected rewards one by one.

“First, there will be a peerage.”

A noble title.

“Of course, the possibility of a peerage being granted is very low. Even if it is granted, it probably won’t be a hereditary title. And there won’t be any land attached.”

I wasn’t expecting much either.

That’s how nobility works in this world.

You can’t become one just by making a contribution once or twice.

Well, if I had to guess, the most I could get would be the right to enter the capital.

“Second, there will be essences. The royal family even said they would open the Golden Treasury, so you can expect something good.”

The Golden Treasury was the royal family’s treasure vault where essences up to the 3rd grade were stored.

“Third?”

“Equipment.”

“That’s the most typical.”

The third expected reward was equipment made of high-grade materials or a Numbers Item [Unique, powerful items]. The fourth was just money.

“It’s likely that everything except the peerage will be distributed appropriately according to one’s contribution.”

I think I understand what he means.

Those who contributed little would just get some money and be done with it.

Those who contributed a fair amount would get equipment or a 5th-grade essence.

‘Up to a 3rd-grade essence depending on the contribution…’

My mouth started watering even more.

3rd-grade essences were high-grade essences that could only be normally obtained on the 7th or 8th floors [of the dungeon].

But they were even letting us choose what we wanted?

My growth, which had been stagnant for a while, was sure to pick up speed.

But…

“So, what does the royal family want from me? You haven’t said that yet.”

I hadn’t heard the most important information.

What did I have to give in return for this gift?

Surely, the royal family would try to regain the public’s trust by taking down Noahrc soon.

If they wanted me to join the military and participate in the battle, it would be right to refuse, no matter how attractive the reward was.

“There isn’t anything big. You just have to show that you’re friendly to the royal family during the distribution of honors. The rest will be taken care of by the royal family.”

“…That’s an easy yet difficult request.”

Kyle smiled wryly at my answer.

“It seems that you don’t have a very good impression of the royal family.”

I answered with silence.

“…”

Well, how could I have a good impression?

They didn’t even try to find other solutions, took the easy way out, and ended up dying.

“But please know that not everything that happened that day was the royal family’s intention. The Royal Knights’ commanders have different values. If a different commander had been in that position, there would have been a different outcome.”

Kyle spoke in their defense, but I still felt uneasy.

Perhaps it was a sense of responsibility.

It felt like I was betraying those who fought alongside me after being abandoned by the royal family.

It felt like I was becoming a collaborator during the occupation.

I cautiously asked one question.

“…What do you think of the royal family?”

A question that could easily be considered blasphemy.

Kyle stiffened for a moment, then chuckled and replied.

“Honestly, I don’t have a very good impression of them either.”

It didn’t seem like he was just agreeing with me because I was in front of him.

That wasn’t his personality in the first place.

Still, I didn’t expect a 3rd-grade military mage to say such things, even in private…

“But the royal family is a necessary existence for this world to be maintained. Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to say that, having abandoned the Magic Tower and joined the military for my own selfish reasons.”

“Selfish reasons?”

“You’ve already noticed, haven’t you? What kind of relationship I have with that old man, the Destruction Scholar [A powerful mage specializing in destructive magic].”

Well, that’s true.

“Can I ask you more about it?”

“He’s my teacher’s enemy. One day, he harmed him while they were researching together and finally completed that forbidden magic.”

“So you joined the military for revenge?”

“That’s right. As soon as I heard that he had taken refuge in Orculys, I was devastated. There was nothing I could do alone.”

Young Kyle decided that he needed the help of the military and the royal family for revenge.

So he went to work for the royal family.

The logic that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“So, don’t think too hard about it. What if you don’t like them? If there’s something you can use, it’s rational to use it.”

Kyle’s advice was spot on.

Realistically, what would I gain by being at odds with the royal family?

The other survivors who had ill feelings towards the royal family were the same.

They had gone through all that trouble, they had to get something out of it.

“Your expression has improved a bit.”

“Thanks to you.”

“It’s almost time for my next appointment. I’ll get going.”

“Thanks for coming. I’m in this state, so I can’t go out alone.”

“Haha, were you going to see me off? No need, just rest. You’ll be busy in the future.”

“Busy?”

Kyle, who was heading towards the door, turned around at my question.

And…

“You’ll find out soon.”

He left with a meaningful smile.

***

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +10.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +10.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +10.」

「Your character’s reputation has increased by +10…」

「…」

「…」

***

The day after Kyle left, there were visitors.

It was Raven and Bear Uncle.

“If everyone’s rested, let’s settle the spoils of war.”

“Shouldn’t you ask if we’re okay first?”

“You look perfectly fine. And you’re the one who recklessly pushed your body, do we have to worry about you again?”

Oh, is that so…?

I felt a bit sad as a tank [A character who is meant to take damage], but the following words made it all go away.

“So please, stop getting hurt.”

A blunt remark.

However, she seemed embarrassed after saying it and continued.

“What did Mr. Carlstein do wrong? It seems like he’s always the one doing all the chores.”

“Oh, me? I’m fine… Well, I’d prefer if you didn’t get hurt, but…”

“Mr. Carlstein is too nice, that’s the problem. If we leave that man alone, he won’t die of old age.”

“…Okay, let’s just settle the matter at hand. Settle the spoils of war? Did you sell all the equipment?”

“Yes. I’m so tired, but I forced myself to sell it, so be grateful.”

Apparently, Raven was on her first day back in the city.

So, as soon as the investigation was over, she went straight to sell the spoils without resting.

The reason for selling it so quickly, even while pushing herself, was simple.

“Because you have to sell it quickly to get a good price.”

A huge loss had occurred in the entire explorer population.

It was obvious that equipment prices would fall as demand decreased. Moreover, 99% of the spoils that the survivors brought back were equipment, so there would be an oversupply?

“Thank you. I didn’t think that far.”

“…If you could think that far in that situation, you’d be a superhuman, not a barbarian, Mr. Yandel?”

Come on, just a simple ‘you’re welcome’ would have been enough.

“Aruru! What are you saying! Bjorn is a super barbarian!!”

What’s with him again?

Was it because this exploration had such a depressing atmosphere? I couldn’t get used to this everyday noise.

“Then let’s all sit down.”

I organized things before the introduction got any longer and sat my companions on the sofa.

And then, we started settling the spoils of war.

Thanks to Raven, who had organized everything, it didn’t take long.

We just had to listen to the settlement details and receive the money.

The settlement was over in an instant, and we were chatting and spending time together when Bear Uncle brought up a new topic.

“Ah, by the way, I don’t know if you heard since you’ve been at home. Yandel, you have a new title.”

“Oh, really!”

Starting with Ainar, who was very excited, even Misha and Raven looked curious.

It seemed that it wasn’t widely known yet, since even Raven didn’t know…

As expected of a bar owner, he was quick with this kind of information.

‘A new title…’

So, was I finally moving on from Little Vulcan?

“What is it? Tell me quickly.”

Bear Uncle, enjoying the attention, hesitated to answer.

Various guesses were exchanged among my companions, and then Bear Uncle asked me for my opinion.

“What about you? Yandel, do you have any ideas?”

“Well, I just hope it’s not Big Vulcan.”

Bear Uncle, as if disappointed by my reaction, smacked his lips slightly and told me my new title.

“Giant [巨人].”

“Huh?”

“Giant. Your new title is Giant.”

Well, it’s simpler than I thought.

So, was I now Bjorn, the son of Giant Yandel? As I was chuckling at the silly thought, Misha recited her review.

“It’s a fitting title. It also represents one of Bjorn’s essences, [Giantification].”

“Yeah, I thought so as soon as I heard it. Ah! But why did you get that title before? Did you not have that essence back then?”

Bear Uncle, who was smiling contentedly, expressed his doubt.

It was Raven who answered.

“No. I heard he had it back then. In fact, he transformed even bigger than now, right?”

I nodded.

Actually, at that time, I had borrowed Misha’s brother’s [Corrupt One] with the vampire’s skill [Blood Master] and was 1.5 times bigger than I was now.

But the title I got was ‘Little Vulcan’.

“Hmm, bigger? Then why was it like that back then?”

Bear Uncle tilted his head, as if he couldn’t understand. This time, the answer came from Raven.

“I think… I know why.”

“Huh? You know why?”

“Yes. Surely… it’s because your back didn’t look that big to people back then. Mr. Yandel’s back.”

My face was flushed.

Especially since everyone was seriously agreeing.

“Your body got smaller, but you looked bigger… Yeah, that could be it.”

“Yeah, I think I know what you mean.”

“Bjorn is a great giant!! Surely, one day, he will leave the biggest mark on this world!”

Ah, I wish he wouldn’t do things like this.

I quickly changed the subject.

It was the conversation I had with Kyle.

Since it was a topic related to the royal family, everyone except Ainar forgot about the new title ‘Giant’ and listened to the story with interest.

“A consolation banquet… I wonder how many will participate.”

“Mr. Urichfrit is naive. It’ll be much faster to count how many won’t participate.”

“What?”

“They’ll just curse behind their backs, but realistically, who would want to be at odds with the royal family? Especially when they’re offering compensation for their hard work.”

“B-but, we have pride as explorers. Yandel! Say something.”

“Actually, I think the same as Raven.”

“…What?”

“Well, if we’re not going to go over to Noahrc, shouldn’t we take what we can get?”

Explorers never lose.

It wasn’t to this extent, but most explorers were very sensitive to losses.

Anyway, since we had said everything we needed to say, we all had a meal together and then parted ways.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

“See you next time. Contact me if you need anything.”

Raven and Bear Uncle left.

Ainar went out to visit the holy site, and Misha also left to go grocery shopping.

The house became quiet.

But soon, there was a knock on the door.

“Teterud…?”

“Haha! I heard you were still struggling, so I came. Can you drink alcohol?”

“…It’s a secret from Misha.”

It was daytime, but since it was a welcome face, I let him and the clan members who came with him in and we drank and reminisced.

But just as that was coming to an end.

“Oh, you were here too?”

There was another visitor.

“Melter Pend.”

“Just call me Melter. It’s been a while, Bjorn. I was going to come earlier, but I was late because I was holding funerals for the dead members. Ah, can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Teterud and his clan members stayed for a while before leaving for another appointment, and then I had a one-on-one conversation with Melter.

The main topic of conversation was the battle with the wolf.

And then, an amazing story came out.

“You awakened your aura…?”

“Haha, it’s not like I awakened it, but I could see the path for a moment and use it thinly.”

He, who had once been an apprentice knight who was an explorer, had manifested his aura during the battle.

Well, it still seemed unstable…

‘A 3rd-grade explorer who uses aura.’

I could picture Melter’s name echoing throughout the city.

It probably wouldn’t take long.

Many of the top explorers had died.

Knock knock knock!

Anyway, Melter wasn’t the last visitor.

“Yandel! Are you inside! I heard you can’t even walk properly yet?”

The warriors who had been connected to me that day.

Or the explorers who came to thank me, they came to my house one after another.

We drank alcohol.

Misha served us food.

“It would have been nice if Elbertin was here too…”

Sometimes, we had a moment of silence.

The visitors weren’t just them.

“Hey, I heard you’re called a giant? This dwarf is going to be sad. Hahaha!”

The dwarf and Rotmuller who came after hearing my news.

“I guess you won’t be able to come to the library for a while… I’ll bring some books for you to read next time.”

My friend group members, Ragna and the administrator, Shavin.

“You’ve done a great job? I’m proud of you.”

The tribal chief who came all the way from the holy site.

Ah, by the way, the tribal chief also knew about the consolation banquet and gave me a warning.

“There’s poison in the king’s smile. Don’t get too close to the royal family.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then that’s good. Let’s drink!”

Such visits continued for several days.

Ah, there were several revisits too.

It was because the royal family had sent out invitations for the consolation banquet all at once a while ago.

“…Are you going to fight back?”

“We have to fight back! If we just let it go, we’ll be under their feet forever!”

There were those who came to fight against the royal family with me, while there were also those who gave me sincere advice.

No, if you look at the ratio, the latter was much more numerous.

“Put your anger aside for a moment and think rationally.”

“You’re the one who suffered the most. Who could say anything if you receive compensation?”

“If the distribution of honors itself is canceled, the dead explorers won’t receive any compensation either. We have to think about their bereaved families too.”

“To be cold, this is a great opportunity for you. Please don’t miss this opportunity. I’m saying this for your sake.”

The conversations with them made me think a lot.

My choices now affected not only me but many others.

With that sense of responsibility, I listened to their opinions one by one.

Ah, until Misha exploded.

“Hey! Stop coming already!! No, just go out and meet them!!”

It was understandable that she was angry.

***

May 10th.

A little over a week after the day of the tragedy, we woke up early in the morning. We had time to get dressed up.

Today was the day of the consolation banquet.

“Ack! T-tighten it more!”

“Y-you’re going to die, Misha!”

“It’s okay, hurry… Ugh!”

As I was sitting on the sofa waiting, Misha, who was wearing a dress with Ainar’s help, came out of the room.

With a somewhat embarrassed face.

“…D-does it look weird?”

“………No, not at all. It suits you well.”

It was a 100% sincere statement.

A flashy dress that was completely different from the tight pants she usually wore or the plain, uncharacteristic monochrome skirts.

It had a white base with red accents, and the skirt length was about knee-length, so it didn’t seem to be uncomfortable for her tail to move.

Did they even consider that she was a beastkin [A race of humanoids with animal features]?

‘I should thank them later when I meet them.’

“S-stop looking.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“Is that all…?”

I quickly added.

“…The pin in your hair looks pretty.”

“Hmm, what about the necklace?”

“That too.”

“Hmm, okay?”

Misha didn’t say anything else, so I guess it was a pass.

The air felt awkward, so I changed the subject.

“What about Ainar?”

“That’s right, Ainar! What are you doing not coming out? Come out quickly! You don’t look weird at all!”

“B-but…! I’m embarrassed too! Can’t I just wear my armor?”

“I told you that you can’t wear weapons or armor to the royal palace! Come out quickly. You don’t look weird at all!”

In the end, Ainar was dragged out by Misha.

For the record, he wasn’t wearing a dress.

A slim-fit men’s suit that fit him perfectly, as if it had been custom-made.

‘It looks like a uniform.’

He wore tight white pants, a shirt, and a high-quality coat that reached his thighs.

However, the coat and shirt were full of various emblems and embroidery, giving it a flashy feel.

“I-is it weird after all?! Yeah! This kind of clothes can’t suit a warrior like me—”

“It suits you well, why are you like that?”

“D-don’t tease me…”

It’s been a while since he’s been like this.

“What do you mean tease? I’m wearing similar clothes.”

For the record, I also received a similar type of clothing as Ainar. It had a navy blue base with brown accents that matched my hair color.

However, the color scheme, embroidery, and emblems were much more masculine than Ainar’s.

Well, the biggest difference was something else.

“It’s stuffy.”

I adjusted my tight clothes and checked myself in the mirror for a moment.

It was the Barbarian Mode in a tailcoat.

In some ways, it looked much more intimidating than wearing armor.

Were suits originally clothes that made muscles stand out this much?

It was like I was a gangster.

“Bjorn! There’s a carriage outside!”

“Really? Then let’s go.”

We finished preparing to go out and left the house, and the coachman who was waiting greeted us politely.

“Nice to meet you. Mr. Bjorn Yandel, Ms. Misha Carlstein, and Mr. Ainar Fnellin. I am Jack Haynes, and I have the honor of escorting you to the royal palace. If there is anything uncomfortable, please feel free to pull the string and tell me.”

I really felt like I was someone important.

“Wow, this is a personal carriage…”

“Ooh! Candy! Free candy!!”

The wheels rolled on the road, and the carriage began to move.

Towards the very center of Lapdonia.

Towards the place where the king resided.