Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 446

Since we didn’t know what might come out of the Rose Knights’ secret subspace, we decided to open them one by one. The first was the military mage, Liris Marone.

‘It’s a box…?’

What came out of her subspace was a wooden box. It was small, barely big enough to fit a book or two.

‘There are no special magical measures. You can just open it.’

As soon as Versil gave his permission, she opened the box. And then…

‘Uh…’

‘This is…’

Awkward exclamations came from the members as they checked the contents of the wooden box. It was because the contents were so different from what they had expected.

‘It’s just cash, a few fake IDs, and a portrait…’

‘…Whose portrait is it? A family member?’

‘I think so. It looks like it’s been handled a lot.’

What is this…

‘N-Next! Let’s open the next one!’

The situation was more than just disappointing, but the members, including me, didn’t give up hope and resumed the subspace opening ceremony.

‘Same as before, cash and IDs… and there’s a strange pill here?’

The pill that came out of the second box was something Amelia and I were very familiar with.

‘It’s a potion called the Blessing of Lethe [a potion that erases memories].’

‘…Mr. Reinz, do you know about this?’

‘Yes, it has the effect of erasing the target’s memories when ingested. It’s a potion created by the alchemists of Noark, but it seems the royal family somehow found out how to make it.’

‘This… might be useful someday. How much memory can it erase?’

‘Well, I’m not sure since the shape is a little different from what I knew, so I don’t know if it’s been improved.’

‘I see… They’re all different sizes too. It seems like the bigger ones would erase more memories… I’ll have to check this in the lab.’

The third, fourth, and fifth…

The subspace opening ceremony continued and ended quickly.

‘…It’s that Lethe’s Blessing pill again.’

‘There’s some kind of poison here too.’

‘…It’s a strong acid solution. It seems like it was used to destroy something. Like a corpse…’

The subspace, which we thought was a treasure chest, was unfortunately a hollow shell. Well, it wasn’t like there was nothing useful besides the Blessing of Lethe.

‘Sir Kaislan, could you take a look at this notebook?’

It was what came out of the sixth subspace.

‘This seems to be a list of the royal family’s spies.’

A list of the names of the royal family’s informants who were infiltrating various organizations under false identities. I was once again reminded of the royal family’s power.

‘Looking at this, it seems like this is only a small part of the many informants.’

‘There are so many… and that’s just a part?’

‘Look. Most of the informants are concentrated in the forces of certain noble families, right? Perhaps the owner of this subspace was carrying out a personal mission related to that noble family.’

‘This list is… just the informants needed to carry out one personal mission?’

‘Of course, this is just my guess.’

Kaislan finished speaking, but I couldn’t think of any other possibilities either.

‘They say the royal family’s eyes and ears are everywhere, but I didn’t think it would be this much…’

With that, a heavy silence fell for a moment. All the members had indirectly felt it—the true power of the royal family that we would have to face in the future.

‘Anyway, that’s good.’

I opened my mouth, trying to act as if nothing was wrong in the silence.

‘Versil, I’ll keep this list. We might need it someday.’

With that, I took the list separately, and the matter was concluded.

‘By the way, this is the last one.’

At my words, the members’ eyes lit up. The expectations that had been inflated during the subspace opening ceremony had subsided, but they still thought that this time might be a little different.

‘…Wasn’t that the woman’s subspace?’

The Rose Knights’ Six. Whether she was the commander, the vice-commander, or just a regular member, one thing was clear: that woman was in charge that day.

But…

‘…It’s a wooden box again.’

The contents of the box, which we opened while still holding onto hope until the end, were more than just simple: cash, IDs, the Blessing of Lethe, and… a document in a sealed letter.

‘This is…’

It was an order from the royal family. It contained instructions to destroy the expedition team in Ice Rock if they returned alive.

‘This will be useful.’

It wasn’t a bad haul.

***

After the subspace opening ceremony, I received all the equipment we had brought back from the labyrinth.

‘What are you going to do with this equipment?’

‘First, we’ll dispose of the equipment we got from the Noark guys slowly, taking our time. And that money will become our military fund.’

‘I see…’

In fact, they had handed over most of the spoils of the expedition to me and entrusted me with the right to use them, but surprisingly, there were no complaints. I was happy about the trust, but their attitude was a little worrying.

‘Geez, they’re so easy to scam.’

What if the person in charge was not a kind and responsible barbarian like me?

‘Yandel, what about the Rose Knights’ equipment? If you dispose of it as is, the royal family will definitely notice.’

‘Ah, I’m planning to find a suitable blacksmith and have them reprocess it one by one. It’s true that selling it is dangerous, but it’s also a high-grade material that’s too good to sell.’

Mystium, a metal equivalent to Arc [a very high-grade metal], will be melted down, and the ogre leather, a 5th-grade material, will be cut along the seams and made into other equipment. Of course, the amount won’t be much. Even if you melt down all the daggers, there won’t be enough Mystium to make even one piece of armor, and in the case of leather, the loss rate during reprocessing will be considerable.

‘We’ll decide together what to make with the collected materials later, so if anyone wants a material, bring a reason that everyone can agree on.’

It would be perfect to make a Mystium shield, but a leader shouldn’t pursue personal gain. The public funds will be used fairly for the benefit of the group. Well, they didn’t seem to be very interested.

‘More than that, I’d like to talk about that soon. I heard you founded a clan a few days ago… When can we join?’

‘Ah, Versil has set the schedule in order, albeit briefly.’

‘Oh, really? When is it my turn?’

‘Ms. Marone, it’s about three months from now. It would be best to retire due to a conflict with your superior, but if you think of a better reason, please let me know in advance.’

‘Oh, then when is it my turn?’

‘Sir Kaislan… you’re the last one among us. Since you have a position, it would be more natural to join after we’ve attracted a little less attention… at least a year later.’

‘I see…’

‘Ms. Carla, you said you were kicked out of the clan recently, right? Take a break for about two months and express your intention to join another clan. There won’t be any clans that will accept you anyway.’

‘……’

‘I looked for a new nest, but I couldn’t find one, so I joined Yandel’s clan, which was a former expedition team connection. This is much more natural, isn’t it?’

‘What if they accept me… what will you do then?’

‘Then ask them to acknowledge your previous vice-commander experience and demand a high position. They’ll definitely tell you to get lost right away. I’ve done personnel work before, so you can trust me.’

At the same time, James Carla couldn’t say anything and just shrunk back.

‘Ah, Sir Parav…’

Versil’s logical briefing continued for a while. It was quite impressive. Is it because she has the mage attribute, the former clan vice-commander attribute, and the modern person attribute? Her work is very sharp.

‘I wonder what she did on Earth?’

Anyway, after some time passed and the briefing was over, the questions then focused on me.

‘The Sword Demon Ainar Fnellin, how much does she know about us?’

‘She doesn’t know anything. So be careful what you say when you meet her later.’

‘I see…’

‘By the way, there are already two members of the Seven Greats [a group of powerful individuals], and if we join, we’ll attract a lot of attention even if we don’t want to, right? Hehehe.’

‘Hmm, Parav, you seem to think you’re on that level?’

‘…Uh, aren’t I? Well, I might be a little lower in terms of public reputation… uh…’

‘I’m curious about a member named Auyen Lockrov. It’s the first time I’ve heard that name. Is he trustworthy?’

In the case of our navigator, Amelia answered instead of me.

‘He’s trustworthy. I vouch for him.’

After a flood of similar questions, the topic changed again. This time, it was about what happened at the knighting ceremony, and after I told them about my decision to join Melbes, our next plan naturally came up for discussion. However, since I couldn’t explain everything in this place, I summarized and presented only the vision.

‘As much as we have many enemies, our enemies also have many enemies.’

‘……’

‘And there’s a saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’

Creating a clan, establishing a family, and steadily building a wall to protect us, while increasing the number of allies as much as possible. That’s the core of my plan. To give the guys who threw us into that hell a taste of their own medicine.

***

After the serious talk, we had a comfortable conversation in a lighter atmosphere.

‘Sir Kaislan, how are you? After returning from the expedition, were there any interrogations?’

‘There were, but it was more of a hearing than an interrogation. They didn’t use any verification magic either.’

We asked about each other’s recent situations.

‘Mr. Gowland, do you happen to have any sleeping pills?’

‘Yes. I’ll give you some if you need them.’

‘You’re not asking why.’

‘Actually, I haven’t been sleeping well either. Since that day.’

Some received help.

‘Ms. Marone, you said… what’s that you have on your nails?’

‘Ah, this? It’s pretty, right? It’s popular among mages these days. Would you like to try it, Ms. Tersia?’

Some just talked about their hobbies for a long time. It was a strange thing. Just a month ago, before we entered the labyrinth, we were complete strangers.

‘……’

I sat alone on the corner sofa and looked around. Unlike the knighting ceremony banquet, there were no fancy palace dishes or expensive wines. We were just renting an empty building where the tenant had left and talking inside. But even so, I thought, I definitely enjoy this kind of party much more.

‘Well, I should get going now.’

As always, the pleasant time passed quickly. As evening came, people left one by one, and our expedition’s after-party was effectively over, and I, Erwen, and Amelia returned home. And two days later.

‘You’re going to the library? This early in the morning?’

I left the house in the morning, receiving questioning looks from Amelia and Erwen. Well, I realized it later.

[I will be waiting for you three days later, at the place where we first met.]

The note didn’t have a time on it. Ragna, she doesn’t seem like it, but she’s really clumsy when you look at her.

‘Hoo…’

As I walked through the familiar streets of District 7, my destination soon came into view. [Lavigion National Library] The very place where I used to live like a recluse in the early days after waking up in this barbarian body. However, as soon as I arrived, I froze. There was a sign in front of the library saying that it was closed today.

‘…I didn’t think of this possibility.’

What should I do? Should I just wait here? Yeah, that way we won’t miss each other at least. I was thinking that.

Tap, tap.

A woman approached me, making the sound of shoes, as I was loitering in front of the door. My body flinched as soon as I made eye contact with her.

‘I greet Baron Yandel.’

Black hair, black eyes, and even a black skirt. Everything was black except for her white shirt.

‘Please come this way. The Count is waiting—’

‘That’s wrong.’

‘……Yes?’

I looked at the woman I was meeting for the first time, tilting my head, and said firmly, ‘Today, I’m not a baron, but a clan leader.’

‘……’

‘Of the ‘Anabada’ clan, which was founded a few days ago.’

Even at my sudden words, the woman showed no change in expression. She just gave a business smile and replied, ‘I see. I will be careful with the title from now on. Clan Leader Yandel.’

‘Thank you. I just feel like it today.’

‘That feeling… you mean?’

‘Ah, doesn’t clan leader sound stronger than baron?’

‘……I see.’

The woman, who probably didn’t understand the difference, just blindly expressed her agreement. I subtly asked the woman.

‘Do you happen to know what Anabada means?’

The answer came immediately.

‘I know it means a pack of beasts in ancient language.’

‘Oh, oh… yeah, that’s right… you know it?’

I made a sullen face like a barbarian who had lost the chance to show off his knowledge. Then, the woman pretended not to notice and opened the locked door of the library.

‘Please come this way. The Count is waiting.’

The woman walked ahead of me, and I followed behind her, smacking my lips. Tap, tap. Sigh, no matter how I look at it, it seems like it’s Hyunbyul.