Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 384

Kwaaaang-!

Like a bolt from the blue, a group of knights burst through the door while I was napping on the sofa.

Even half-asleep, the knight’s words stuck in my ears.

“Richen Schuitz, you are under arrest for conspiring with Noark.”

Conspiring, huh…

This is likely just a pretext to arrest me. They probably intend to start a full investigation after taking me in, regardless of the charge.

There must have been many suspicious points, no matter how you look at it.

‘Still, they came faster than I expected.’

Actually, I was somewhat prepared for this.

I had been drawing attention while with Erwen, and I became even more noticeable after getting involved with Raven on the battlefield.

I thought it wouldn’t be strange if something like this happened at any time.

Clatter-.

The knights, who had instantly occupied the living room and surrounded me, all pointed their swords at me.

There was no sign of them looking down on me.

The knights kept their distance and fixed their gaze on me.

“Richen Schuitz, drop your weapon.”

The knight, who seemed to be the commander, declared to me.

And in that situation.

‘Alright, then…’

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

‘What should I do from now on?’

First of all, there are no mages in sight.

That means the knights are all that came to capture me.

Considering the status of knights in PvP [Player versus Player combat], this is an excessive force, but it’s good news for me. It means that if necessary, I can smash them all and run away.

‘The problem is that I won’t be able to live in this city if I do that…’

This is an option I can only choose in the worst-case scenario.

Above all, it would conflict with my ultimate goal of regaining the name Bjorn Yandel.

‘It’s about time I entered the tiger’s den.’

In the end, I have no choice but to contact the royal family to regain my name.

Of course, it would have been much less unsettling if I could have figured out their intentions first…

But it’s not like I haven’t found out anything at all.

[…The royal family already knows the identity of the GM.]

The GM [Game Master], who is like a spiritual pillar for the players.

According to the information Soul Queens revealed at the Round Table, the royal family knew his identity.

No, did they just know?

Rather, they even controlled information to prevent his identity from being revealed outside.

That means the royal family isn’t just killing them indiscriminately as evil spirits.

Even in the worst-case scenario where Bjorn Yandel is exposed and it’s revealed that I’m an evil spirit, there’s room for negotiation.

But…

‘I need to test how much they know.’

As soon as I finished my brief contemplation, I opened my mouth.

“I will cooperate with the investigation, but please allow me to inform my companion before I go.”

The reason for this request is very simple.

They must know that the companion I’m talking about is Erwen.

If they refuse, there’s room to interpret the situation more positively.

This would mean they deliberately targeted when Erwen was out, and it would also imply that they don’t know much about me to be wary of Erwen—

“If you’re talking about the Blood Spirit Duke, there’s no need. You can meet her if you come with us.”

I was momentarily stunned by the commander’s words.

“…”

What? Was Erwen captured too, by any chance?

Then what about Amelia, who was with her?

No, first, let’s confirm if this is true.

“What proof do you have that Erwen is there?”

Without any hesitation, the commander answered my question.

“I swear on the name of the Lapdonia royal family.”

Ha, that means it’s not a lie…

The situation is not good.

To arrest even Erwen, who is cherished by the fairy race?

That means the royal family has prepared sufficient justification and grounds to arrest me and Erwen.

‘Damn it…’

I feel like I want to resist the arrest and run away right now.

But, I can’t do that since Erwen has been captured.

“I’ll say it one last time. Richen Schuitz, drop your weapon. Or else, we will consider it an act of treason against the royal family.”

At the same time as the commander issued his final warning, a high-density of mana vibrated outside the mansion, so clearly that even a barbarian with a dull sense of mana could perceive it.

So, it wasn’t that there were no mages.

They were just waiting in an unseen place.

‘These meticulous bastards.’

I then dropped the hammer I was holding weakly.

Swoosh.

For now, there was no other choice.

I had no choice but to stay alert from now on.

***

After I dropped my weapon, the situation unfolded rapidly.

Following the commander’s instructions, I put my weapon into my subspace, and the knights approached and collected my subspace ring.

And…

“You will receive all of these items back in perfect condition once the charges are cleared, so do not worry.”

The commander’s voice, which had been overbearing, changed to polite.

No, not just his voice, but the treatment I received afterward was far from that of a criminal.

“A carriage has been prepared.”

As soon as I was escorted out by the knights, there was a carriage waiting.

It was clearly different from the ones used to transport prisoners.

Not a cage-like cart, but a luxurious carriage that a high-ranking noble would use.

“Please get in. We will be going to the imperial capital, Karnon.”

Even the only passenger was the commander.

The rest of the knights followed on horseback, as if escorting the carriage.

Such lavish treatment that I had never received even when I was Baron Yandel.

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage began to smoothly travel on the hard road, and I cautiously glanced at the commander sitting across from me.

“Is there anything that is making you uncomfortable?”

No, how could there not be?

It’s an absurd question, but it wouldn’t be right to act that way here.

I asked carefully.

“What exactly are my charges?”

“As I said before—”

“Don’t mention the conspiracy charges. I know I wouldn’t receive this kind of treatment if that were the case.”

“…”

The commander closed his mouth and made a troubled expression.

But perhaps he judged that I would continue to bother him if he just remained silent.

“There is not much I can tell you right now.”

“Still—”

“You will soon find out when you arrive at the imperial capital.”

The commander cut me off firmly, ending the conversation.

In the end, I only found out two things through the conversation.

“What will happen to me now?”

“That will be decided by that person.”

A very high-ranking person is waiting for me.

And…

“Was there anyone else when you took Erwen?”

“I heard that she was alone.”

There are no problems with Amelia’s safety.

After that, we traveled in the carriage without any further conversation, and the carriage, which had been running on the road, stopped at a place about an hour later.

The military platform in District 7.

The place where teleportation magic circles connecting each district are located.

Originally, it was a facility prepared for the rapid movement of troops in case of emergency, but it is usually used as a means of transportation for nobles.

Ah, for reference, this is my first time here.

I became eligible to use it after receiving the title of Baron, but the cost was enormous.

‘I’m getting to ride this like this.’

Without needing to get out of the carriage, I arrived directly at the military platform of the imperial capital via the teleportation magic circle.

And…

‘It’s not the royal palace.’

The carriage carrying me entered a large mansion located near the royal palace. Thanks to that, I was able to know who the person who brought me here was.

There was a family crest right at the entrance.

A shield with a thorn bush drawn on it.

This is the symbol of the Terserion Marquis family, and it’s safe to say that almost everyone in this city knows it.

For over a decade since the king has rarely appeared in public, Marquis Terserion, the prime minister of Lapdonia, has been performing most of the official duties on his behalf.

‘The second-in-command of the kingdom…’

Since the commander was wearing the royal family’s crest instead of a noble family’s, I thought the high-ranking person might be a member of the royal family.

‘Still, it’s not bad. The person I’m talking to is the second most powerful person after the king.’

Even while thinking that, I felt a sense of tension in my body.

It felt like I had entered a tiger’s den.

Is it high risk, high return?

If I’m lucky, a few words with him could solve the problems I have at once, but…

If it’s the opposite, I could fall into the abyss.

“Get out.”

When I got out of the carriage, it was full of knights, and I was escorted into the building with their lavish treatment(?).

Clunk.

A reception room that looked like a lot of money had been spent on it.

“…Where is Erwen?”

After quickly checking the inside of the room, I asked, and the commander made a somewhat troubled expression.

“The statement that we brought her was a lie.”

“………What?”

My head was spinning.

No, this bastard clearly sold the royal family’s name earlier?

As I shot him a look, he avoided my gaze as if it wasn’t his intention.

“It was unavoidable to bring you here as quietly as possible.”

“You won’t be safe if it’s found out that you sold the king’s name?”

“It means I’ll be safe if it’s not found out.”

Ha… I’ve never seen such a flexible person.

I couldn’t help but praise him.

“You would have been a good fit as an explorer, not a knight.”

“You can sneer all you want. I only chose practicality for my lord’s orders.”

He really leaves me speechless until the end.

‘Damn it…’

In a way, it was something I often did.

Is it similar to how I made false oaths and deceived my opponents by using the stereotype of a barbarian?

It was quite effective since it was a method that worked well.

Who would have imagined that a knight would lie while even mentioning the king?

‘Especially a guy who seems to be a member of the Royal Knights Order.’

However, I decided not to get too caught up in the fact that I was deceived.

What if it’s not true that Erwen was captured?

If you think differently, there’s room to see it positively.

At least it means Erwen is safe.

‘Besides, it was something I had to go through sometime.’

The important thing is not what mistake I made, but what I will do from now on.

“So, what should I do now? Do I just have to wait again? Until the ‘that person’ you mentioned earlier comes?”

“There’s no need for that.”

The knight shook his head and placed a crystal ball on the table.

Without having to ask what it was, the meaning was clear.

Right, no wonder there were no escort troops.

They were planning to have a conversation with this from the beginning.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

The knight then said that I should activate the crystal ball after he left the room and left.

And so, I was left alone in the room.

“…”

After quickly looking around to see if there were any hidden people nearby, I found an unusual part and quickly swept the carpet aside.

‘Damn it.’

Under the carpet, there were densely drawn colorful geometric magic circles.

A chill ran down my spine.

‘Are they going to blow this whole place up if I try to escape or if something goes wrong?’

Is it because he’s the second-in-command of the kingdom?

The scale is no joke.

It meant that the mansion itself was nothing more than a huge execution device.

‘…Let’s turn on the crystal ball first.’

I was momentarily stunned by their thoroughness, but I pressed the button as the knight instructed to activate the crystal ball.

Swaaaa-!

Soon, the crystal ball began to shine and project the image of a person.

It was a man with a face I remembered.

The prime minister of Lapdonia and a great noble with the title of Marquis.

Ageny Rotten Terserion.

The very person who presided over the ceremony on behalf of the king at the investiture ceremony last time.

[It’s been a while.]

He greeted me briefly in a deep voice, and I belatedly stiffened.

‘………It’s been a while?’

As soon as I felt the sense of incongruity, my heart pounded.

Thump-!

Is it just a psychological tactic?

How much does the Marquis know?

I forcibly swallowed the questions that were being updated in real-time.

There was something I had to think about much earlier than that.

Right now, I am.

What is the best answer to give here?

It didn’t take long to finish thinking and take action.

“Perhaps…”

I opened my mouth politely and carefully.

“Are you Marquis Terserion?”

I judged that this reaction would be natural for an explorer who was suddenly dragged away by knights while sleeping.

But…

[Surely you haven’t forgotten my face already… You’re quite cunning for someone like them, aren’t you?]

The Marquis chuckled at my appearance and spoke my name.

[Baron Bjorn Yandel.]

It was the first time in a long time that I had heard my full name.