Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 359

Raven, ascending the stairs to the deck, hurried to the ship’s officer’s quarters.

There, she found not only the vice-captain she had sent ahead but also all the squad leaders of the corps already gathered.

“Vice-Commander Raven! You’re safe! That’s a relief! We were about to form a support team ourselves since your return was delayed—”

“I need to report, so please clear the room.”

“…Huh? Ah, yes!”

At Raven’s urgent command, the gathered officers, though puzzled, obeyed.

The officer’s quarters were completely empty in just a few seconds.

“……”

With a troubled expression, Raven placed her hand on the military message stone in the cabin.

“Nia Lapdonia. This is Arua Raven, Vice-Commander of the 3rd Magic Corps. My return was delayed to secure the retreat of my unit. Please share the current war situation.”

[Nia Lapdonia. This is Eltora Terserion, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Legion. I heard you went to stop the Blood Knight and was worried, but I’m glad you’re safe.]

“…Excuse me, but why is the Chief of Staff contacting me instead of the Legion Commander…?”

[In the absence of the highest commander during wartime, I, as the second-in-command, take their place.]

“Absence… you say?”

[Count Lamreond has fallen in battle. While the entire unit was gathering and moving, they were ambushed by a group of criminals led by the traitor, Ricardo Ruehenfraha.]

“That can’t be…”

[The attacks stopped after all forces retreated to the lake, but we cannot be sure what will happen next. Until further instructions are given, you are to command your unit and guard the surrounding area.]

After that, the currently identified scale of damage and information about the enemies who carried out the attack were shared briefly and clearly.

And then…

[I think that’s all you need to know. Now, you tell me. Was it really a Blood Knight?]

At her superior’s question, Raven summarized the events that had occurred without any embellishment and reported them.

Remaining behind to stop the Blood Knight.

The enemy’s reinforcements joining the fray.

And finally, killing the ‘Lighthouse Keeper’ and retreating using multiple teleportation magic.

She omitted the details of the process and reported only the results very briefly.

It wasn’t just to save time.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t have awkwardly closed her mouth at this point.

[You dealt with the Lighthouse Keeper… That’s truly welcome news. Well done. Tell the Blood Knight that there will be a reward for his contribution.]

Her superior believed that this achievement was due to the Blood Knight’s contribution, but the reality was completely different.

Ricchen Shuitz.

It was thanks to that man that no one was harmed by the infamous Blood Knight, and he was the one who defeated the Lighthouse Keeper at the end.

However…

[I’ll end the call now.]

Raven couldn’t bring herself to say it until the very end.

No, it wasn’t just that.

‘Amelia Rainwales.’

She didn’t mention that woman who had been as active as the Blood Knight during the battle. Even though it was clear that she was the woman from Noark she had met on Parune Island.

She intentionally concealed the information.

Even though she hadn’t lied, it was undeniable that she had neglected her duty as a soldier.

“Haa…”

She, who had always faithfully carried out her role, felt a deep sense of guilt.

But what could she do?

She just needed time to sort out her thoughts.

‘Ricchen Shuitz…’

The man who introduced himself with that name.

Until now, she had thought that the man was someone Erwen had found who resembled that person.

However, she had a hunch when she saw the [Giantification].

What if it wasn’t just someone who looked alike?

If that was the reason Erwen called him ‘Uncle’.

If he was really, truly alive.

“…I don’t know.”

It was confusing.

It was hard to be sure of anything.

She wondered if it was really him, but then she also thought it might just be someone who had many similarities.

There were also many clearly different points.

‘Height and face.’

And.

[Your… ba, ba, back…!]

When she reached out her hand to his wound without realizing it, the blood she touched was only hot and sticky.

If it was his blood, it should have been stinging.

Also, there was another difference.

‘…Too strong.’

A body that blocked the Blood Knight’s aura.

A unique ability that deflected magic.

And even the power to pull enemies with the wind.

The former Yandel would not have been able to show such divine power against such strong enemies.

But…

‘Time has passed.’

It was possible that he had become stronger after eating a new essence.

Even Erwen, a member of the Seven Stars, and herself had changed a lot in two years.

‘If that’s the case…’

The more she sorted through the numerous pieces of information that had been injected in a short period, the more Raven found herself leaning towards the idea that Bjorn Yandel was alive.

The decisive factor was Amelia’s existence.

In the end, she hadn’t been able to find out anything, but the fact was that there were still unanswered questions about his death.

But, someone who had disappeared with him was alive and well?

This was as good as suggesting that he might be alive.

However, the problem was…

‘If it’s really Mr. Yandel, then what should I do?’

Bjorn Yandel was a wraith.

That was what the royal family had officially announced, and she had known that fact even before the announcement.

Because she had seen that expression.

[You said that there would be rumors that Mr. Yandel is a wraith, but… that’s not just a rumor, is it?]

Misha, who had the longest and deepest relationship with Yandel among her comrades, did not answer.

However, her trembling eyes held the truth.

Tap, tap.

Raven bit her nails, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

It was a habit that only came out when she was psychologically cornered.

Unlike usual, she was not self-aware at all.

There was a part of her that wanted him to be Yandel, and a part of her that didn’t.

But…

“Well, what can I do? I have to check.”

Soon, Raven made up her mind.

She knew.

No matter how scared she was, she shouldn’t postpone what she had to do and run away.

***

No. 399 The Silent Cage.

A trap-type Numbers item that activates when a space-movement ability is used within a certain radius.

“That woman… she’s not going to not come, is she?”

“She’ll come. And probably soon.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because this cage won’t last forever.”

To be precise, it lasted for two hours once activated.

And yet, the cooldown was incredibly long.

‘Besides, it’s impossible to beat them up while they’re trapped.’

This was the decisive weakness of the Silent Cage.

It was an item only for ‘restraint’?

When this item was activated, all external attacks were blocked.

Therefore, usually, they would use this to trap someone, then form a siege formation, and then gang up on them when it was released…

Tap.

The moment footsteps echoed from beyond the hallway, the soldier acting as guard saluted in that direction.

“Nia Lapdonia!”

Yes, she’s here.

“Thank you for keeping watch. I have something to discuss with them, so could you please leave for a moment? Oh, and please keep everything that happened here a secret.”

“Yes!”

Raven, who had returned in about an hour, was alone, and she had even dismissed the soldier, eliminating any eavesdroppers.

It was a positive sign, but it was too early to relax.

As Raven stood in front of the cage, staring inside, I spoke first.

“…What are you going to do with us?”

“Are you still going to use that tone?”

Huh, she’s coming on strong from the start?

Should I just reveal my identity at this point and try to persuade her to help me?

While I was pondering this, Raven continued.

“…Take off your helmet.”

Since she had already seen my face once, I obediently took off the helmet that was stained with the Lighthouse Keeper’s blood.

Surprisingly, there was no change in Raven’s expression.

“…And the armor you’re wearing too.”

Heh, what does she think I am?

Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven [a Confucian saying emphasizing separation between genders].

“I cannot comply with unfair sexual demands. Even if I were a woman, I would not comply with such a demand—”

“No, what are you talking about?”

I tried to explain logically why I couldn’t take off my armor, but Raven just stared at me with a serious expression.

No, I mean, she’s kind of scary…

“I haven’t reported anything about you yet. Nor about Ms. Rainwales next to you. But if you don’t comply with my request, things will be different—”

“Take it off.”

“Your words… have gotten shorter?”

What is she talking about? There’s no way out anyway.

Instead of giving a long reply, I took off the armor with the back torn to shreds.

And…

“……!”

That was the first time Raven’s expression changed.

Her gaze, somewhat shaken, was fixed on the tattoo hidden inside my armor.

Well, I feel relieved now that it’s come to this.

“It’s been a while, Raven.”

“……”

“Didn’t you kind of expect it?”

At my question, Raven bit her lip and glared at me.

“Still… I hoped it wasn’t true.”

“Because I’m a wraith?”

“Yes. I wish you had just remained a good memory…”

Raven trailed off with a bitter voice.

At this, I also felt a tightening in my heart.

Yes, you’re someone who can’t accept that I’m a wraith.

“Wait a minute!”

“…?”

“Raven, the fact that I’m a wraith is a misunderstanding.”

I quickly moved into the persuasion phase.

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes, I’m not a wraith.”

“Then what’s with that appearance?”

Raven clenched her fist as she looked at me.

“Judging by the looks of it, it seems like you ate an essence like the ‘Bone Knight’ that Ainar ate to reduce your height… If you’re not a wraith, there’s no reason to hide your identity like that, is there?”

Yes, I knew that question would come.

“When I returned, the royal family had already made that announcement. After looking into it, I found many suspicious points. So, I decided to hide my identity for the time being.”

“…I admit that there are many suspicious points about that announcement. But for the time being? And you returned? What does that even mean?”

Okay, it seems like I’ve succeeded in piquing her curiosity.

“It’s a long story. There’s something called a fragment of record—”

“Wait!”

Just as I was about to explain what had happened, Raven interrupted and stopped the conversation.

“There’s no need to go into detail. This is enough.”

In Raven’s hand was a familiar object.

No.7234 Misplaced Trust.

A consumable item that prevents anyone within a 10m radius from telling a lie when activated.

“If you’re Mr. Yandel, you’ll know what this is, right? It’s the item we received from Mr. Parteian in the Doppelganger Forest before. We had some leftover military budget, so we refilled the number of uses.”

Oh my, she’s so well-prepared.

Whoosh-!

In the meantime, she must have turned on the power button, as the hour hand embedded in the compass-sized disc began to move.

And in that state.

“Now, tell me. Is it really a misunderstanding?”

Raven stared intently at me and asked.

‘…It’ll be okay, right?’

Even while thinking that, I was quite nervous.

I hadn’t actually checked if Auriel Gavis’s ‘gift’ was working properly.

I had planned to buy ‘Misplaced Trust’ or something similar later and check it before going to the verification stage.

But…

“Raven, it’s really a misunderstanding. I’m not a wraith.”

Yes, seeing that the words came out like this, the ‘gift’ is working properly—

Click.

At that moment, the hour hand that was working well stopped.

“…What did you just do?”

“Uh…”

When I trailed off, the hour hand started moving again.

Did a temporary error occur?

“I don’t really know either…”

As I quickly played dumb, Misplaced Trust stopped working again with a ticking sound.

And…

Tick, tock.

After a moment, it started moving again.

“…Why does ‘Misplaced Trust’ stop whenever Mr. Yandel speaks?”

I swallowed hard at Raven’s question.

‘No, I was told that I wouldn’t be affected by such items in the future…’

Damn old man.

If it was going to be like this, he should have told me in advance!