Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 233

Baronet.

The title just above the general knights.

“What is this….”

“A baronet!”

The nobles were stunned by the chancellor’s bombshell announcement.

And for good reason.

“This is unprecedented! To grant a hereditary title to a barbarian!”

A baronet can pass on their title.

Not forever, but only to their son and grandson.

In a way, it could be seen as better than an honorary baron, where the title is only maintained during one’s lifetime.

‘I didn’t even try to get on the noble route, but I ended up getting a title.’

Honestly, I’m a bit dumbfounded.

In the game, you could become a noble by completing quests related to great nobles of marquis rank or higher and accumulating contribution points.

It was a route with as many disadvantages as benefits.

Although you were a noble, in reality, you felt like a vassal of a great noble, which created some restrictions on gameplay.

But what happens to those restrictions now?

‘…But either way, whether you’re a commoner or a noble, you can’t refuse if the king orders you to do something, so isn’t it practically the same as having none?’

Well, I guess it is, but….

At that moment, the chancellor shouted.

“Everyone, be quiet!”

“But….”

“These are His Majesty’s words.”

“……”

The chaos, which I thought would not easily subside, was silenced by the single phrase that it was the king’s order.

That was the weight of the king’s name in this country.

“The date of the title conferment will be announced later.”

Anyway, that was the end of my reward ceremony.

The chancellor didn’t even ask if I would accept the title. He probably never even considered that possibility.

Well, I wasn’t planning on refusing in the first place.

This isn’t just a game.

In other words, becoming a noble means you can enjoy all sorts of conveniences and have more options for gameplay.

“Portyan Mirient of the Nartel Clan, come forward!”

After my turn, the process of announcing rewards based on the achievements of others continued for a while.

At this time, my companions also came forward one by one, and they all received decent rewards, though not as much as I did.

To summarize:

Misha, Ainar, and Bear-Ahjussi [Uncle Bear] were able to choose a reward of 10 million stones and a 5th-grade essence or equipment of equivalent value.

Also, the mage Raven requested the chancellor for the qualification to learn royal magic instead of a general reward.

In Erwen’s case, the reward was the largest among the companions, with a 4th-grade essence or an item of equivalent value.

This was because he was recognized as the second contributor in the battle with the corpse collector, and it was combined with the compensation for the bereaved family due to Daria’s death.

Although he was absent from this ceremony, it was only an announcement today, and the rewards would be given later, so there was no problem with this part.

“Yandel, is Erwen still at the holy site?”

“I heard the funeral was over a long time ago, but he must still be feeling complicated.”

“I see….”

Raven, who asked about Erwen’s well-being, trailed off. I asked if he had something to say to him, but there was no answer.

How much time had passed?

“It is truly a wonderful day. May everyone enjoy this occasion with the protagonists of the new era with joyful hearts!”

The long reward ceremony ended, and the banquet began.

***

Because there were so many people, the banquet was held in two spaces.

The huge inner hall where the reward ceremony took place and the outdoor garden, which was now filled with all sorts of delicacies.

It wasn’t mandatory, but most of the explorers enjoyed the banquet outdoors.

That’s just how the atmosphere was.

Inside, there was elegant music and a static atmosphere.

Since more than half of the nobles chose to enjoy the banquet here, it would have been uncomfortable for the explorers to stay.

“What are you going to do, Yandel?”

“Of course, I have to go outside.”

We also chose the outdoors.

“You could expand your network here.”

Since the baronet title was already confirmed, I decided that if networking was the goal, there was no need to do it today.

I didn’t want today to be that kind of occasion.

“Yandel! Yandel is here!”

“What? You’re becoming a noble, so why are you here?”

“Hahaha! Yandel would never do that!”

Perhaps they felt a sense of distance when they heard that I was being granted a noble title, but the explorers greeted me enthusiastically when I came out.

Whew, what would have happened if I hadn’t come?

No matter how much I think about it, I feel that my relationship with these guys is more precious than with those nobles.

“Everyone is looking at you, so how about saying a word? You’ve heard it enough inside, but what you say will sound different.”

Kyle, who came with me, said from the side.

Right, he wants me to give a short toast or something.

I was briefly thinking about what would be good, but….

‘Let’s just go with the barbarian way.’

The thought didn’t last long.

Is there even a need to think about it?

I’ve already heard enough words of praise with flowery language.

So….

“Everyone, you’ve worked hard!!”

That would be enough for today.

“Now, let’s eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves!!”

The shout ended in an instant.

The barbarians, who by nature do not prefer long speeches, shouted in response.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!”

The explorers were the same.

“I never thought the day would come when I’d be drinking in the royal palace!”

“We have Yandel, who will become a baronet, so what’s there to worry about? Let’s have fun without holding back!”

“Waaaaaaa!!”

The explorers also began to enjoy the banquet to their hearts’ content, putting aside the discomfort of being in the royal palace.

And this applied to us as well.

“Wow, Bjorn! Try this! I don’t know what kind of meat it is, but the bones are crunchy and delicious!”

“Uh, that’s not a dish where you eat the bones….”

“Huh? Why?”

“It’s nothing. If it’s delicious, then it’s fine….”

Greasy food that had a different taste from the home-cooked meals Misha made.

Smoothly flowing alcohol.

And so many comrades with whom I could talk about the difficult past experiences.

‘It’s like we’re having an after-party.’

A pleasant time befitting a banquet continued.

Sometimes, when the topic of dead comrades came up, the atmosphere would darken, but everyone would briefly offer a silent prayer and then return to the original atmosphere.

That time continued, and it was around the time when the sun began to set.

“Looks fun?”

Melter, who had been enjoying the banquet with the nobles indoors, came outside.

“Was it fun inside?”

“No way. How long do you think I held back from wanting to run out?”

“You’ve had a hard time too.”

I understood Melter’s position, who had been enjoying the banquet with the nobles indoors.

After all, he leads a clan.

He wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to build connections with the nobles. He might need their help someday.

“Here, take a bottle if you’ve come.”

“A bottle…?”

“Is there a need to use a glass?”

“Haha, I should have come out sooner if I knew it would be like this. But where are your companions?”

“Everyone except Avman said it was boring and went somewhere else.”

“Really? I thought that barbarian girl would be a little different.”

“Ah, she can’t handle her liquor.”

To be precise, it’s not that she’s weak, but she got carried away by the atmosphere and kept chugging from the bottle, and she passed out not long after.

“Yandel, one of the bottles is empty. You’re not drunk, are you?”

“No way.”

Now that Melter had arrived, I continued to drink with the surrounding warriors.

That was one of the advantages of Bjorn Yandel’s body.

He could drink an incredible amount.

“Ugh, the smell of alcohol….”

Misha approached as I was drinking like crazy for the first time since waking up in this body.

“Ah, Misha. Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. They were doing some kind of performance over there, and it was fun. It would have been nice if you had come with me….”

“There will be other opportunities later. But where’s Raven?”

“He’s drunk and just talking about difficult things with the mages.”

Talking about difficult things while drunk, is a mage someone to stay away from after all?

“I’m going to take a walk for a bit.”

I excused myself to Melter and took a walk in the garden with Misha.

It wasn’t as lively as the warriors’ drinking party I was at, but everyone was having a good time.

Nobles could be seen everywhere.

“Oh my, a legion of corpses numbering in the thousands is something I can hardly imagine.”

“I know. It must have been really scary. You’re amazing.”

Just like I was a popular star at the previous count’s banquet, the nobles were approaching the explorers first and showing interest.

Well, not all of them are as heavy-bottomed as the titled nobles. The young cadet nobles are not much different from middle-class commoners.

‘Huh? But why hasn’t anyone come to us?’

Something felt strange, but I quickly understood.

How could they come when dozens of burly warriors were shouting?

“Bjorn, should we sit down and rest for a bit?”

“That would be good….”

I wasn’t that drunk, but I was having trouble walking for long periods because the aftereffects of the last battle hadn’t fully healed.

“…Why are you sitting on the ground? Why not sit next to me?”

“Because it looks like it’s going to break.”

Misha sat on the bench, and I plopped down on the grass.

And we just spent time quietly.

Was it because I had drunk so much?

The loud noise of the banquet seemed to be heard from afar like background music, and all sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind.

“Yandel! Are you Bjorn Yandel, who has been granted the title of baronet this time?”

As I was spending time in comfortable silence, some nobles recognized me and approached.

By the way, Yandel-nim….

Are they already treating me like a noble?

I didn’t want to be disturbed during this time, so I politely turned away those who approached.

However, I couldn’t use that method on everyone.

“Haha, you were here?”

A titled noble, not a cadet.

A person who could cause problems for future endeavors if we had a difficult relationship….

And Dwalki’s half-brother.

“…Baron Martoang.”

“Actually, I came out a few times to try to meet you, but you seemed to be having a good time, so I didn’t approach.”

Oh, the excuses.

It was obvious that he just couldn’t get through the warriors to come to me.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Haha, it’s nothing. You are the protagonist of this banquet, aren’t you?”

After exchanging formal greetings, I had a brief conversation with Baron Martoang.

It was a more informative conversation than I expected.

Usually, when a commoner-born noble is born, there is bound to be some prejudice, but he said that I would be a little different?

“Why is that?”

“Well, it’s a title granted by His Majesty the King. He’s an explorer that the king is watching closely, so who would dare to touch you? Everyone will be eager to get to know you.”

The king….

I always feel a bit uneasy whenever the topic of the king comes up.

That was also the case with what the tribal chief had said.

‘Anyway, if this is true….’

I felt a bit mischievous and greeted the butler next to Baron Martoang.

“By the way, it’s been a while, butler.”

The butler’s face turned pale at my greeting.

Well, he would be scared.

The barbarian who had crushed his head and crunched his bones now had great fame and power.

“I, I was very rude back then….”

The butler trembled and apologized as I grinned at him.

It wasn’t particularly satisfying.

‘Tch, it feels like I’m bullying a really weak guy.’

A punching bag should have a certain level of impact to make it fun to hit. I stopped teasing the butler and continued talking with Baron Martoang.

Then, naturally, Dwalki was mentioned.

“By the way, where did my brother go?”

Baron Martoang, who was now using the term ‘my brother,’ which he hadn’t used before, probably because he wanted to get closer to me.

Misha and I froze at the same time.

‘What the hell?’

Is he joking right now?

“Where did he go…?”

I barely managed to maintain my composure as I asked, and the butler’s face turned even paler.

One piece of information that could be obtained from this.

It seemed like he knew the situation.

And two.

“Baron, as I said before, Riol Wov Dwalki is….”

The baron also knew this fact.

He just forgot after hearing it once.

“Ah, that’s right. Well, I guess my memory isn’t what it used to be now that I’m old. Haha.”

The baron laughed it off as if he was embarrassed.

My stomach, which had been fine even after drinking several bottles of alcohol, felt like it was churning.

Was that why?

Squeeze.

When I came to my senses, Misha was holding my arm tightly with a worried expression. I patted her hand to tell her not to worry and then let go.

Because I wasn’t the same as I was when I had nothing.

There were too many things I had to take responsibility for.

Therefore….

“Okay, I understand, so don’t worry. People can have problems with their memory as they get older.”

“…Huh? Ah, I guess you could put it that way? Hahaha.”

I reached out my hand and offered a handshake to the baron.

“I have to go, so I’ll take my leave. It was nice meeting you.”

“Really? That’s a shame. Let’s meet again later.”

Baron Martoang responded to my handshake, smacking his lips as if he was genuinely disappointed.

He asked me one last question.

“Ah, but where are you going?”

I answered, brushing off my hand as if there was some dust on it after shaking hands with Baron Martoang.

“Ah, I suddenly feel like washing my hands.”

I have to wash away the dirty things.

***

Baron Martoang was rather slow on the uptake.

“…Is that so? Anyway, I’ll call you later, so don’t refuse. You’ve become a noble, so there are many things you need to learn.”

The baron sent me off without showing any particular reaction.

Maybe the problem was with me.

Generally, no one would imagine that a barbarian would make a subtle jab like this.

‘Maybe it’s one of the few disadvantages of a barbarian.’

“You held it in well.”

Misha patted my head as if I was admirable.

I slowly got up from my seat and headed towards the indoor area.

I could ask a passing mage to wash my hands, but I also wanted to go to the bathroom.

“Do you need me to go with you?”

“…Do you think I’m a child?”

I parted ways with Misha and went to the bathroom with the help of a guide. And as I was about to return to the banquet hall, someone who recognized me greeted me.

“Oh, you were here?”

It was Count Perdehilt, the host of the banquet I had attended last time. He had said something strange when he awarded me the ‘No.7777 Garphas Necklace,’ the prize for winning.

[I will call you separately when you are more prepared.]

In the end, I had not received a separate call until today.

“You’re talking as if you were looking for me.”

“Well, that’s the truth.”

“Since we’ve met, why don’t we go over there and have a drink? It won’t take long.”

“If you say so.”

He was a man with much more power than Baron Martoang, so I followed him inside without resistance.

“Take this.”

As soon as we sat at the table, the count poured me a drink, and I downed it in one shot.

“My companion is waiting, so can I hear what you wanted to say first?”

“Haha, of course.”

Fortunately, the count seemed to understand and brought up the main point without any sign of displeasure.

“This is my youngest daughter, Arabella. You’ve seen her once before, haven’t you?”

This feels strange….

“How is she? Isn’t she pretty?”

As expected, the count put his arm around his daughter’s shoulder and pushed her in front of me.

“I, I’m Arabella….”

The count’s daughter, who looked to be in her early teens, trembled as she introduced herself to me.

Ha, I never thought I would experience something like this in my life.

“What do you think?”

I had never experienced such a situation before, so my brain stopped working, and I couldn’t answer.

But did that make it look like I was thinking?

“Ah, if you have a woman you’re dating, don’t worry too much. You can just take her as a concubine, right?”

“…A concubine?”

“Ah, didn’t you know?”

The count said with a smile at my murmur.

“It is one of the duties of a noble to have many descendants and contribute to this country. Once you become a noble, you can have up to three concubines in addition to your legal wife.”

Duties, my ass.

I felt like I wanted to go to the bathroom again.