Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 447

Tap, tap.

The sound echoed through the empty library.

“Woman, what’s your name?”

“…I’m Harin Suebi.”

“Your name is as unique as you look.”

In fact, what I just said was nothing short of a racist remark if you break it down.

Of course, that would be if it were said by another human.

‘Well, barbarians are good for something.’

I’m a member of the barbarian race, which has immunity in the discrimination industry.

Perhaps that’s why Harin answered without any particular displeasure.

“It’s natural that you find it unfamiliar. There aren’t many families left in this city with such strong East Continent blood like us.”

“Was your ancestor from the East Continent?”

“Yes. My ancestor, who was a merchant, was lucky enough to be in this city at the time of the destruction, and thanks to that, he survived and avoided the disaster.”

“…I see.”

A concise explanation that left nothing more to ask.

Rather, it was me who was taken aback.

Most evil spirits wouldn’t know this much about their families…

‘It could be different if it’s Hyunbyul.’

I didn’t let go of my suspicion and moved on to the next question.

“What is your relationship with Countess Peprock?”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to serve her recently.”

So, it hasn’t been that long.

My suspicion grows stronger.

But…

Tap.

Unfortunately, we arrived at our destination before I could interrogate her further.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Yes, Harin. Thank you as always.”

After finishing the guidance, she politely left, and I also put my suspicions aside and focused on the present.

“……”

Blue eyes and blue hair.

Perhaps because her hair was styled up to reveal her neckline, she exuded a noble aura that was different from before.

But…

“It’s been a while, Bjorn Yandel.”

Her tone is still the same.

I felt a bit awkward at the unfamiliar appearance, but soon I felt a sense of joy.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Ragna. Or should I call you Countess Peprock now?”

“Your playfulness is still the same.”

It wasn’t so much playfulness as just checking.

Well, from the fact that she didn’t call me Baron, I could somewhat deduce what kind of relationship she wanted.

“You seem to have changed a bit.”

“Is that so…?”

Is it because of her hair? Ragna muttered, touching her hair slightly, but in fact, regardless of her changed hairstyle or outfit, her more mature aura was quite noticeable.

Before, she seemed fragile inside despite her prickly exterior, giving off an uneasy feeling, but now she seemed much more composed and gentle.

“By the way, I really never imagined in my wildest dreams that you, Yandel, would be alive.”

“I didn’t know either. I knew there was a story, but I never thought you were the daughter of the Prime Minister.”

“………Huh?”

“………Huh?”

At my words, which I threw out as if we were playing a game of give-and-take, Ragna froze for a moment and then frowned.

“…What are you talking about? Me, the daughter of the Marquis?”

“…Wasn’t that the case?”

“No! No? No… If that were true, it would explain some of the questions I had, but…”

What the heck is going on?

***

“First, we need to clarify this. Yandel, where did you hear that I am the daughter of the Marquis?”

“Uh…”

“If it’s difficult to reveal, please at least tell me how reliable it is. I beg you.”

“I thought it was reliable information. At least until I met you.”

“That means it’s from a trustworthy source…”

Well, does it work like that?

I don’t even know the face or name of the deer horn [a reference to a source of information, likely a person].

My head went blank at the sudden turn of events, but I tried to stay as calm as possible and asked back.

“Perhaps… if you don’t mind, could you tell me your story? After hearing it, I might be able to give you some advice on how to solve this problem.”

Ragna hesitated for a moment at my request, then carefully opened her mouth.

“…Alright. It’s not something I can hide forever anyway.”

“……”

“Above all, it’s not a story that needs to be hidden.”

I could really feel Ragna’s change in those words.

Before, no matter how many times I probed, she would just refuse to answer with a sad look in her eyes.

The source of her mature aura was within her.

While I was inwardly admiring her, Ragna’s story began.

“When I was young, the nanny who raised me always said, ‘Ragna, you must live quietly, without attracting attention. That’s the only way you can repay that person.'”

“……”

“As you know, I’m not from the Peprock family. My father just borrowed the name of a fallen family to create an environment for me to live alone.”

“I see…”

“I don’t know who my father is, but my nanny said he was a very high-ranking noble. And she said that if my existence were revealed, it would be very troublesome. Oh, she also said that my father loved me and was always watching over me, even though he couldn’t meet me directly due to circumstances.”

“……”

“I loved my nanny, but I didn’t believe her when she said my father loved me. But I decided to follow her words. I lived quietly, holding my breath, and even gave up my only hobby, magic. I just enjoyed learning magic, but for some reason, it kept attracting people’s attention.”

That was the reason why a mage, who was estimated to be at least a 5th grade at a young age, was working as a librarian in the library.

“I’m saying again, I loved her. Enough to give up a small desire.”

“By any chance… is the nanny’s name Ritanyel?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

No wonder the registry only listed her as Countess Ragna Peprock.

That full name wasn’t her real name.

“Then what about your mother? Do you know what happened to her?”

“I heard she passed away on the day I was born.”

“I see…”

After listening to Ragna’s story, which she told calmly, most of the questions I had were resolved.

But the real important thing was from now on.

“So, what happened after that?”

What exactly happened to Ragna while I was gone in the past, that someone who wanted to live quietly suddenly became a countess?

“Yandel, not long after the royal family announced that you were an evil spirit, Marquis Terserion came to me and made a proposal.”

“…The Marquis?”

“Yes. He offered to revive the fallen Peprock family if I would work under him. I accepted the offer.”

Ragna’s story was something I had never expected.

“Why? You didn’t even know that the Marquis was your father at that time, did you?”

“Of course, so I refused at first. My nanny is no longer in this world, but I’ve lived my whole life hiding, so it felt awkward to step forward. But… I changed my mind after hearing what the Marquis wanted from me.”

“Will you tell me?”

“The Marquis wanted me to take the lead in accepting evil spirits as members of the city.”

“……”

That was the reason why Ragna brought up the issue of ethnic integration at the royal family meeting.

But there is still something that doesn’t make sense.

A very fundamental question that runs through this story.

Putting aside why the Marquis made such a proposal.

“Why did you change your mind after hearing that proposal?”

Why did Ragna want the ethnic integration of evil spirits?

Soon, her mouth opened.

“Because I know.”

The answer was quite simple.

“That there are good people among the evil spirits.”

“……”

“So… I didn’t want my friend to be remembered by people as such a person.”

When I couldn’t say anything, Ragna avoided my gaze and asked in a small voice.

“Is it… strange? Is this the reason?”

I let out a sigh I had been holding back and answered.

“Yes, it’s strange.”

Frankly speaking, Ragna and I weren’t that close. Or rather, that’s how I saw this relationship.

Somewhere between friends and acquaintances.

A relationship where we’d be happy to see each other, but would naturally drift apart if contact was lost.

Yes, that’s how it should have been…

“Ugh, uh… so, that’s, that’s what it is—”

Before she could misunderstand anything further, I quickly opened my mouth.

“But.”

“……?”

“Thank you, Ragna. Sincerely.”

I had nothing else to say.

***

“……”

“……”

How long had the awkward silence settled in this vast library?

Eventually, I was the first to speak.

“The letter you gave me, it didn’t have a time on it.”

“Ah… that’s… I forgot because I wrote it in a hurry.”

I kind of figured that would be the case.

I chuckled and asked again.

“It seems like you’ve been here for a while, how long have you been waiting?”

“…Don’t worry, it hasn’t been that long.”

Well, then.

Anyway, the topic naturally led to the library closing.

Well, I was a bit surprised too.

Being a countess, it wouldn’t be impossible to rent the entire library for a day, but…

“I never thought you would do that.”

“Well, it’s better not to attract attention.”

“Hmm, then you could have just suggested meeting somewhere else?”

“That’s true, but… I still thought this place would be the best if we were to meet again.”

Actually, I felt the same way.

But…

“So you decided to use your power?”

I said it mischievously, as if teasing her on purpose.

Then, Ragna, who seemed flustered at first, surprisingly asked back shamelessly.

“Yes. Is there a problem? Isn’t it okay? To be selfish just once…”

“Ah, uh, um…”

Well, I have nothing to say to that.

After that, I loosened the atmosphere by chatting a bit more.

About the recent situation of Shavin Emuer, who was a member of our friend group, and things like that.

There were a few times when I laughed while talking.

But, I slowly got to the main point.

“Ragna, I have something to say.”

Of course, it was different from what I was going to say when we met today.

To subtly extract information about the Marquis family, and if the opportunity arose, to recruit her as an ally.

Yes, that was the original plan.

But…

“Do you have any intention of stepping down from your countess position?”

After hearing her story, I couldn’t possibly do that. She had been helpful, so now I just wanted Ragna to get out of this power structure.

Of course, my expectations were immediately crushed.

“I don’t know why you’re asking that, but no. I have no intention of doing so.”

“What’s the reason? Is it because the Marquis might be your father?”

“That’s irrelevant. Whatever the truth is, I’ll remain a stranger to that person for the rest of my life.”

“Then why do you want to stay as a countess? I’m back, and all the misunderstandings are cleared, so you don’t need to do that, do you?”

“Because it’s the most valuable thing to do. Of all the things I can do.”

“…I don’t understand.”

“I’ve encountered and analyzed so many cases to pass this agenda. To prove that not all evil spirits are evil.”

“…So, regardless of me, you’ve become sincere about that issue too?”

“Yes. In short, that’s it.”

It didn’t look like she was just saying it for show.

Ragna is serious right now.

“Hoo…”

Therefore, I changed the direction of my persuasion.

“Then how about getting out from under the Marquis? The Marquis doesn’t seem to have any intention of passing that agenda anyway.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I heard. When you first mentioned that agenda at the royal family meeting, the Marquis was the one who opposed it the most?”

“That’s… something I found strange too. However, the Marquis explained that he stepped forward first because the basis of the policy I brought was weak, before other nobles could attack it.”

“…What?”

“He said that if I come up with a revised policy that can persuade other nobles, he will fully support me then.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Then why wouldn’t I believe it? That’s why the Marquis called me in the first place.”

“That’s…”

Yes, on the surface, that’s true.

Actually, I was trying to sow discord, but I still don’t know the Marquis’s true intentions.

Why did he bring Ragna, who was living well, and why did he propose the ethnic integration agenda to her first—

“Yandel, you seem to dislike the Marquis?”

Then Ragna asked me.

Her voice was a bit blunt, unlike before.

‘……She said she’d be a stranger forever. Is it because he might be her father?’

Well, blood ties aren’t something you can easily cut off even if you want to.

Tsk, things have gotten a bit complicated.

“It’s not that I particularly dislike the Marquis. It’s just… I think his intentions in approaching you are a bit suspicious.”

I quickly spat out an explanation, or rather, a non-explanation, before my relationship with Ragna could go wrong.

Fortunately, Ragna seemed to believe me.

“I see. Yandel, I understand what you’re worried about. But… don’t worry too much. I can take care of myself now.”

It was an enviable thing to say.

‘Taking care of myself……’

I still can’t do that very well.

***

It was around noon when I left the library after parting with Ragna. Ragna had received a summons while we were chatting.

“Harin, the Marquis is calling for me…?”

“Yes. He said he’ll tell you the details when you meet.”

“…Why does he want to see me? Don’t feel sorry. I was going to get up soon anyway because I was hungry.”

“I’ll contact you again later.”

“Okay, as I asked before, don’t tell the Marquis that you met me.”

“Of course. I don’t want the Marquis to use my friendship with you politically either. Ah, Harin is also tight-lipped, so don’t worry.”

With that, Ragna left with her secretary from the East Continent family, Harin, and I watched her leave for a long time.

‘Harin……’

While chatting with Ragna, I also obtained quite a bit of information about ‘Harin’.

The two met about a year ago.

The place was the library where I had just been.

Ragna, who had been frequently visiting to research materials for the ethnic integration policy even after quitting her job as a librarian, met and became friends with Harin here.

And…

‘Ragna liked Harin, and because she was more capable than she thought, she revealed her identity and recruited her as a secretary and strategist a while ago.’

That was all that had happened between the two.

‘Harin… it must be Hyunbyul.’

For now, it’s almost certain that Harin is Hyunbyul.

There are no other candidates in the circumstances, should I say?

In the first place, there is no one else who could be called Ragna’s retainer other than Harin.

However, the problem here is…

‘If it’s Hyunbyul, she would have definitely known. You can tell she’s a noble just by looking at her clothes. She must have intentionally approached her, built up goodwill, and become friends with her.’

After grasping all the situations, one thing worries me.

[You’ve recently caught the attention of someone quite high up.]

Was the ‘high-up person’ Hyunbyul mentioned at that time.

[I’ll use that power to push you, Oppa.]

Was she really referring to Ragna?

Tuk, tuk.

If that’s not the case…

‘……No. When I asked who she was working under, she didn’t seem like she was lying.’

I shook my head.

I pride myself on knowing Hyunbyul well. Rather than Hyunbyul deceiving me, it’s more plausible to think this way.

‘Ragna Ritanyel Peprock has a secret.’

A huge secret that I don’t know yet.