Surviving The Game As A Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 347

Everyone has a plan.

Though there’s no guarantee it will work out.

Amelia was no different.

“…There was an organization I had been keeping an eye on. They were disguised as a relief center, bringing in opium and selling it at high prices in the shadows… Originally, my plan was to rob them to get the cash.”

“And then?”

“…While tracking their base, the Public Security Bureau raided them.”

There was nothing to say.

I didn’t know whether to say she was being herself or not…….

Still, it’s much healthier than robbing a bank, so I guess that’s a relief?

As I chuckled, Amelia offered a slight apology.

“…This time it was my mistake, so I’ll figure out a solution somehow.”

What is she talking about?

I stated firmly.

“No. Why would you solve it alone?”

In the first place, this item would have been dismantled long ago if she hadn’t extended the vault period, and Amelia also has about half the stake in this item.

Because she was in the party hunt when it dropped.

More than anything, it’s a bit ridiculous to hold her responsible for this when she was the one who helped me get the money to buy the Voll-Herchan essence.

“We’ll solve the money problem together. Got it?”

“…Because we’re comrades?”

Oh, she can say things like that too.

“Yeah, because we’re comrades. If a problem arises, we don’t argue about who’s to blame, but look for ways to solve it together.”

“…Understood.”

In that sense, we discussed countermeasures afterward.

It was an amount difficult to secure in two months through normal means, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Thanks to the stock I bought two and a half years ago, it had skyrocketed.

“Borrowing money from that fairy… Certainly, with the financial power to buy a mansion like this, it might be possible. But is it okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean, is it okay?”

“That fairy is also one of your comrades.”

“Ahem…….”

She really knows how to poke at sore spots.

“Amelia, you’ve been alone for too long, so you don’t seem to know, but comrades help each other when things get tough. Got it?”

“Indeed… Is that how you treat your comrades?”

No, who said I’m just receiving?

I’ll pay it back with interest.

“Anyway, this issue is settled, so let’s talk about something else.”

“You’ve determined the situation is unfavorable.”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t it? I remember that’s usually when you change the subject.”

Uh…….

It was too true to argue.

“…….”

But was she always this kind of person?

Why does it feel like she keeps teasing me?

“Enough, just say what you were going to say, Yandel.”

Judging by how she didn’t give me a chance to argue, it seems she’s definitely teasing me on purpose…….

I only had suspicions, so I just let it go for now.

There was a more important issue.

“Ah, it’s nothing much, I was just going to talk about how to introduce you to Erwen.”

I’d rather not witness a team kill.

***

Tap, tap, tap.

As I tapped the table in a steady rhythm, Amelia clicked her tongue.

“It’s distracting, can’t you calm down?”

“…….”

“Is that fairy that scary?”

“W, who said I’m scared? Erwen listens to me so well.”

I’m just a little nervous.

I told Erwen that I would make Amelia a comrade, but can human impulses always be controlled?

I don’t want to see Amelia explode again.

Especially if it’s her main body, not a clone.

Tick, tock.

Time passed, and I started to feel hungry.

Clank.

The sound of the front gate closing in the yard was heard.

It meant Erwen had returned home.

She probably has both hands full of dinner for me today.

Thump, thump.

The fairy’s light footsteps passing through the yard quickly approached.

And…….

Thud.

She stopped in front of the front door.

It was a bit strange.

I clearly heard the doorknob turning with a clatter, but why isn’t she opening the door? Why did the humming she was doing stop?

The moment I felt that question.

“Open door.”

Erwen murmured quietly.

“…A woman’s scent.”

At that one word, I jumped to my feet.

I had a feeling that if I just opened the surprise event I had prepared, something would go wrong.

“…E, Erwen! You’re here!”

I quickly went to greet her at the front door, but Erwen ignored my greeting and scanned the inside of the house.

Then, she fixed her gaze on Amelia inside.

“Amelia Rainwales.”

“It’s been a while, Blood Spirit Lord. Is this the first time we’ve met in the city?”

“…How are you here?”

“I followed you when you went to the bank. Your stealth skills have improved, but it seems you don’t use them much in real life. You should be more vigilant from now on. You’re not the only one living in this house.”

At Amelia’s reply, Erwen muttered briefly.

“…Should I kill her?”

“Um, Erwen……?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking it to myself.”

“Oh… is that so? Yeah, that could happen. First… let’s sit down. We’ll be living together from now on, so we can’t be so awkward.”

“Okay.”

Surprisingly, Erwen calmed down quickly and sat at the table as I asked. And she spoke first in a nonchalant voice.

“So, I just have to get along with this woman from now on?”

“Don’t call her ‘this woman,’ call her by her name.”

“Then I’ll use her last name. Rainwales, right?”

“That’s right. You can call me Tersia too.”

“Okay.”

When Erwen replied curtly, the conversation ended there.

It was my turn to step in.

“Erwen, as I said last time, Amelia will be working with us now.”

“What about her identity?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve got something suitable while waiting for Yandel to return.”

“…Why didn’t you tell me that the old man was alive sooner?”

“That’s a pathetic question. How could I trust you enough to tell you that?”

“What? We’ve only been together for about half a year.”

“Hmm, I know that the time you actually went into the labyrinth with Yandel was shorter than half a year, though?”

No, why are you two talking without me again?

“Okay, okay, everyone calm down.”

I quickly intervened in the conversation again.

“I don’t know exactly what happened between you two, but it’s all a misunderstanding, so why don’t we clear the air here and now?”

With that, I gave Amelia a signal with my eyes. It meant to stop being so prickly and give in a little.

But…….

“Well, I don’t have any grudges. Thanks to her, I lost both my legs on the 6th floor and couldn’t swim, so I had to hold onto a plank for three days, but I survived in the end.”

Yeah, she had a reason to be prickly.

“…I wondered how you escaped on the ship with that body.”

“Erwen.”

“…Don’t worry. I don’t have any big grudges either. It’s just that I had the corpse of an explorer from Noahark I worked so hard to catch stolen right in front of my eyes. Oh, should I include the fact that my arm was cut off while following her?”

“But I didn’t kill you.”

“You’re talking like you could have. You ran away as soon as our support arrived.”

“Well… I achieved my goal. I wasn’t doing well financially, but thanks to selling that guy’s equipment, I was able to get this dagger.”

Okay, let’s give up on being friendly.

There’s no reason why comrades have to be harmonious, right?

I forced a smile and wrapped up the conversation.

“Haha, you’re fighting over something so trivial! Come on, shake hands and make up.”

He who laughs at any time is first-class.

***

After Erwen and Amelia shook hands with sour expressions, I moved on to the next agenda.

Like a barbarian warrior, I went straight to the point.

“Erwen, can you lend me some money?”

“Why do you need money……?”

I told her the story about the Demon Crusher without hiding anything, and Erwen’s expression hardened.

“So, you want me to cover the money that this woman used to buy the essence with my own money?”

“You could see it that way……?”

“…I’m sorry, but that’s going to be a bit difficult.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I don’t want to.”

If it’s not that, then what is it?

When I looked at her with those eyes, Erwen murmured softly like a guilty person.

“I… don’t have much money left now…… Really.”

Ah, that’s right…….

Come to think of it, she said she barely bought this house with the money she extorted from the tribal chief.

Still, I asked just in case.

“Then how about borrowing money using this house as collateral?”

I felt like trash myself, but what could I do?

I had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“…T, this house? It’s a place filled with m, memories…….”

“You just have to pay it back on time.”

“Yandel, you’re really—”

“Don’t blame the old man. It’s because of you that this happened, you have no shame.”

“What……?”

“So, you understand? Old man, don’t feel sorry. The house… we can get a new one later…….”

Though her hands were trembling…….

“…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t say that, it’s for the old man’s sake.”

Anyway, it was decided that the Demon Crusher would be retrieved using a collateral-revolving technique.

Therefore, it was time to make the next plan.

“Whatever we do from now on, we need to secure funds first.”

“Yes. The old man needs to get new equipment to go back into the labyrinth. If we have money… we can protect this house too…….”

“Wait a minute, labyrinth? Right now, getting rid of the false accusation of being a demon is the priority, isn’t it?”

Ah, that…….

“There’s something a bit suspicious, so I’m planning to postpone it for a while.”

When I told them about my doubts and anxieties, Amelia nodded as if she agreed.

It seemed she had also felt suspicious.

“Anyway, so Amelia, I’d like you to get me a suitable identity.”

“Getting an identity isn’t difficult, but in the end, it’ll be like trying to cover the sky with your hands. Even though it’s been over two years since you died, there are still quite a few people who remember you.”

In other words, it means that there’s a high chance of my identity being exposed with something like an iron helmet.

This isn’t the era of 20 years ago when I had no connections.

To put it bluntly, even if I just use [Giantification], people will think of Bjorn Yandel first.

“Hmm, still, if I’m careful only in the labyrinth, I think it’ll work out somehow…….”

“Even if it works once or twice, if the period gets longer, someone will definitely recognize you—”

“Wait, how about eating an essence?”

Erwen interrupted.

“Essence?”

“Like Ainar did. There are essences that make you shorter, right? If you just get a little shorter and introduce yourself as a human, I don’t think anyone will notice…….”

As she said that, Erwen was looking at Amelia’s reaction. She seemed wary of what kind of fault she would find in her words.

But…….

“Certainly, if it’s a plan to hide your identity for a long time, not just a month or two, that would be much safer.”

Contrary to expectations, Amelia acknowledged Erwen’s idea and even praised her for her boldness.

But was it a bit unfamiliar?

“You’ve come up with a pretty good method.”

“…Because it’s about the old man.”

Erwen replied coldly and turned her head away.

It was a heartwarming sight for the viewer, but I had no choice but to intervene.

“Um…….”

I’m really sorry for saying this suddenly.

“I don’t have a slot to eat an essence.”