Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 251

It was a subtle earthquake. The table trembled, but no cups fell over, and nothing broke. At most, the chips stacked on the table tumbled down.

“An earthquake?” They were briefly startled by the unexpected natural phenomenon. But as soon as the shaking stopped, the nobles in the room returned to their usual gambling, except for one person.

“Hey, where are you going, young master!”

“Something suddenly came up. I’ll just fold this round.”

The man flipped over the cards he was holding, took his chips, and went outside. Then, he took off the mask he was wearing. The concept of a gambling den where you could enjoy yourself while hiding your identity with a mask was quite fun, but…

‘No matter how I look at it, that wasn’t just an earthquake.’

Lee Baek-ho, having stepped out into the night streets, sat on the first bench he saw and quietly organized his thoughts. The other nobles didn’t seem to hear it because of the noise inside, but he clearly felt it—the huge surge of energy that came from under the ground.

‘It felt like a mix of magic and divine power.’ He wasn’t a mage, but his sense stat was high, and he had quite a bit of talent related to magic, so there was no way he could have felt it wrong. If that was the case…

‘They kept saying they’d break the guardian barrier, and they actually broke it and went in.’ Soon, Lee Baek-ho reached the truth. They were truly vicious bastards. It couldn’t be a coincidence that they chose midnight, when the labyrinth opened, as their time of action.

‘An empty house raid [A military tactic where an enemy attacks a location that is undefended].’

He had left the royal family, so he didn’t know the details. However, the Noahrc side must have prepared thoroughly and entered the labyrinth. They probably poured all the forces they could use. They probably never imagined that they would get back the same tactic they used.

‘……If this goes well, all the guys down there will die?’ This wasn’t a positive situation for Lee Baek-ho. He was even considering clearing the game with the Noahrc guys if he had no other options later.

‘I don’t really have anything to do, should I go down and help?’ He suddenly had that thought, but Lee Baek-ho chuckled and shook his head. That wasn’t his play style. He’d rather do something like this.

‘By now, the royal palace must be empty too, right?’ Lee Baek-ho’s lips curled into a long smile.

***

Jerome Saintred, the commander of the 1st Royal Knights. A sudden deep wrinkle formed on the brow of the guardian of the royal family, also known as the Knight of Light. It was because of the news he had just received.

“The royal palace is under attack…?” At first, he thought it was a counterattack from Noahrc. But that didn’t make sense either. They had gathered their forces as if the labyrinth was their destination, and they had been so careful with security that they only revealed their true target was the Noahrc main castle two hours before departure… Besides, the guardian barrier had just been broken. That meant there wasn’t enough time for a force to leave to attack the royal palace.

“Has the order to retreat been issued?”

“Not yet.”

“Then there is no change in the plan. Continue the expedition.” Jerome led his troops quickly down into the sewers, and as time passed, news of the identity of the group that attacked the royal palace was delivered.

‘……I never thought it would be just one person.’ The one who dared to attack the royal palace was just one person. He wondered if it was a solo act by the recently escalated level of danger, the Scholar of Destruction, but even that was wrong.

“Lee Baek-ho.” Once a promising explorer, but a being who caused the disaster after being revealed as an evil spirit. Of course, only a very few knew about that disaster. Out of the royal family’s mercy, who thought his abilities were a waste, the disaster was thoroughly concealed, and he was given a new identity.

‘This is a headache. How did he know? That I would be away on an expedition?’ As far as he knew, Lee Baek-ho currently had no means of obtaining information. In the past, he used to communicate with external collaborators at the evil spirit gatherings, but… He was currently expelled from the gathering. This was also something the royal family had done. They subtly leaked Lee Baek-ho’s identity to the evil spirit called GM, and when he showed no signs of expulsion, they sent him to Noahrc to make him an enemy.

‘Then did he just guess on his own?’ Jerome was lost in thought. He had heard the news that an earthquake had occurred on the ground due to the aftermath of breaking the guardian barrier, but… There was one part that didn’t make sense. Deducing this situation through the earthquake? That was possible enough. But putting it into action was another matter. If his prediction was wrong, he could be caught again, so he would do such a gamble?

‘……If it’s him, he could do it.’ It was humiliating, but Jerome had to accept it. Lee Baek-ho was like a beast. If an opportunity arose, he would bite the enemy, and he wouldn’t mind the risk of being bitten himself.

‘And the position of the Rose Knights Commander is vacant at this time…’ He was worried about the situation on the ground, but the order to retreat had not yet been issued. Therefore, there was only one thing he had to do now—to fulfill his duty as a knight to carry out the royal family’s orders.

“We have arrived.” Soon, the army that had passed through the underground maze reached the final gate to Noahrc—a stone gate with dozens of ancient magic spells. During the last subjugation, it took several hours just to break this gate, right?

“Fortunately, it seems they haven’t fixed it properly yet. Begin.” As Jerome’s order was given, the mage division began to draw a huge octagonal formation on the floor. How much time had passed since then?

Kwaaaaaaaang-! The magic circle scattered a strong light and shot a pure surge of magic towards the stone gate. And… Shwaaaaaaa. Beyond the dust cloud, the landscape of the underground city reappeared.

“Now, let’s go. It’s time to subjugate the evil rebels and bring stability and peace back to this city.” Jerome drew the sword he had received from the king, and he stepped forward, leading the way. “For the endless prosperity of Lapdonia.” There was no hesitation in his steps.

***

The portal closed in the dimensional plaza. But even after that, I lingered there for a long time. I thought there might be some useful information from those knights. But… ‘Tsk, I just wasted my time.’ The knights didn’t even exchange small talk, and as soon as the plaza was cleaned up, they disappeared somewhere. So, I left the plaza.

Instead of going straight to the inn, I planned to stop by a pub to hear what other explorers thought about this. ‘Should I go to Uncle Bear’s place?’ Yeah, that would be good. First of all, it’s a pub that explorers often visit, and it’s not the trendy partitioned or room type, so it’s perfect for eavesdropping on conversations. They would definitely get angry if I said this in front of them.

“Oh, Yandel. What brings you here at this hour? Without Misha.”

“I just came out and was a little bored. You seem quite busy today, so don’t mind me. I’ll just drink quietly in the corner.”

“……Can’t you just call me? My wife would definitely say it’s okay if it’s you.” Uncle Bear, who I met when I arrived at the pub, was looking for a chance to slack off and asked me that. Hey, aren’t you sorry to your pregnant wife?

“I just want to be alone quietly today.”

“……If that’s the case. I’ll just give you some snacks and drinks, right?”

“Ah, thanks.” I sat at an empty table and waited for a while, and Uncle Bear brought me a table of snacks made only of meat. By the way, the drink is this place’s signature salt honey mead. ‘It tasted really weird at first, but once you start drinking it, it goes down smoothly.’ Anyway, that’s not the main purpose of coming here.

As I sipped my drink and listened, I could hear the conversations of the surrounding explorers or ordinary city dwellers. Due to the nature of the pub, where rumors spread quickly, most of the topics were about the army formed by the royal family. ‘There’s nothing to gain.’ The royal family deliberately spread false rumors. They must be afraid of Noahrc. Only empty information with the source of information being their own brains. Well, I wasn’t disappointed because I didn’t expect to get information like the Round Table in a pub. My purpose was just to do a public opinion poll.

‘These days, not only explorers but also city dwellers don’t have a good view of the royal family.’ After that, I closed my ears and drank my alcohol while organizing my thoughts alone. And how much time had passed? Uncle Bear, who seemed to have gotten a little less busy, came over and sat down in front of me.

“Yandel, what do you think?”

“About the army?”

“Yeah, you have a great sense for this kind of thing.” I hesitated for a moment and told him my guess that the army might be doing an ’empty house raid’. Well, it’s not certain yet. I wondered what a veteran explorer like Uncle Bear would think.

“……So that’s why there was that earthquake earlier.”

“Do you believe it?”

“Isn’t that much more plausible than the nonsense that the royal family is afraid of Noahrc?” Uncle Bear, who had once been on the royal family’s report, was quick to accept it. He knew that the royal family’s power was much stronger than he had imagined.

“……Maybe we’ll be able to enter the labyrinth next time.” Uncle Bear then expressed his expectation that this cold war might end much sooner than expected, and he was also worried about the city’s economic problems.

“Yandel, if this happens, shouldn’t we spend our cash now instead of saving it? If the labyrinth stabilizes, prices will return to normal.” I was a little touched by that. Is it because he’s a veteran explorer with a family to protect? Ainar and Misha tend not to think about this at all.

“Let’s just wait and see. Things will be clear to some extent by tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I was too impatient.” After that, we got off the topic and chatted with Uncle Bear while drinking. It was then.

Ding-! Ding-! Ding-! Ding-! The alarm bell rang outside. It was the first time this had happened in the year I had lived in this city. The alarm bell didn’t ring even when my carriage exploded last time and GM and Lee Baek-ho caused a ruckus. But it’s ringing now?

Clunk, clunk, clunk. I quickly went outside and saw guards from the Public Security Bureau running in one direction, making the sound of their boots. I grabbed someone and asked about the situation. The guard said he couldn’t tell a civilian, but when I revealed my identity, he quickly changed his attitude.

“My name is Bjorn, son of Yandel. I am a formal noble who was granted the title of Baron by the royal family. So answer me quickly. What happened?”

“……We, we don’t know either. We just received orders to go to support Carnon. From what my colleagues are saying, it seems like there was a big fire.” A large fire in the imperial capital Carnon at this time… ‘It can’t be a coincidence.’ Then, did the Noahrc guys attack? Well, I don’t know. But it’s possible. If they had known about the royal family’s empty house raid plan in advance, they could have used this kind of elite battle as a strategy.

‘Ha, the royal family bastards can’t do anything right.’ As I was sighing, Uncle Bear next to me blurted out, “A fire in the imperial capital, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary thing… I wonder if Raven is okay.”

Huh? Raven? Why is he suddenly being mentioned? ‘Ah, he said he was staying near the royal palace to learn magic.’ ……Damn it. I was fine until now, but as soon as I realized this, my heart started pounding. A bad feeling that surged up in an instant. These kinds of premonitions were usually accurate, so the level of anxiety was even greater.

“I hope it’s just a simple fire—”

“Abman, I’m going now.”

“Where are you going at a time like this? Yandel, listen to me. It’s best to just stay home at times like this.” Uncle Bear grabbed me as I got up from my seat. But…

“Don’t worry. I’ll find him and bring him back soon.”

“Then I’ll go with you—”

“What are you talking about? You need to be with your wife.” I told Uncle Bear to close the shop and go to our house with his wife. Misha must be worried about me too. I need to tell them the news first. It’s also reassuring to have all the team members together.

“……Be careful.” After that, I parted ways with Uncle Bear and climbed onto the roof of a military carriage heading to the imperial capital Carnon. The soldiers below were making a fuss, but when I revealed my identity, they all became quiet. And how much time had passed?

“Baron Yandel! We’ll be arriving at Carnon soon!” Soon, the carriage arrived at its destination. My body stiffened without me realizing it. “……” Even though it was the middle of the night, the sky was blood red. The high walls, which were well-maintained, were stained with black ash, and the surroundings were filled with acrid smoke as if there was fog. Also. Beyond the hot flames, or outside the flames, the screams and cries of agony overlapped.

‘Damn it, what the hell happened?’ The city of nobles, Carnon, was burning.