Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 496

Sometimes, there are people who can overwhelm others with just their gaze and presence. Magic Tower Lord Teshulen Lengman Kealunerus was one such person.

“L, Lord Tower Master…!”

He was about 170 centimeters tall. His build was that of a typical frail mage, and his skin was full of wrinkles due to his age. Frankly, if it weren’t for the staff that reached his shoulder, one might believe he was just an ordinary old man walking down the street.

Thud.

However, until he had completely descended the stairs and stood in the floor lobby, no one, including the warriors, dared to open their mouths. His gaze alone was sharp and clear, unlike his age, but that wasn’t the only reason. The warriors also felt it instinctively. Mages and warriors. Even though their domains were different, it was clear that the one in the position of power was him.

“Baron Bjorn Yandel.”

The Magic Tower Lord, who had stepped off the last stair, looked at me for a moment before speaking. “You are truly the person my brother described. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His first greeting was a bit unexpected. For the master of the Magic Tower to react like this to a barbarian who had invaded the tower. I thought I would be called a madman or something.

Thud.

As I took a large step to close the distance, the Magic Tower Lord stepped back. Thanks to that, what I had been unsure about became certain. ‘He’s deliberately staying out of range.’ The Magic Tower Lord was aware of the ‘Distorted Trust’ [a magical effect that compels honesty within a certain radius] and was not entering its radius. However, I pretended not to notice and opened my mouth.

“Well, I can’t say it’s a pleasure. I’m in the middle of interrogating traitors.”

As I spoke, openly displaying my hostility, the Magic Tower Lord chuckled. “Let’s put aside our emotions for a moment and have an open and honest conversation. What do you say?” His voice was relaxed, as if he were in control. ‘Open and honest my ass.’ Does this old man know? That acting like that only makes a barbarian’s rebellious spirit grow stronger.

“I refuse! As I said before, I’m busy interrogating traitors!”

“But, now that I’ve arrived, you know that they won’t say anything, Baron.”

That was certainly true. From the moment this old man arrived, the eyes of the three captured mages were filled with hopeful determination. ‘I was going to threaten them with force if necessary, but now that this old man is here, I don’t think that will work either….’

“You can take your time to think, but if this continues, the royal army will arrive soon.”

I made a decision. “Fine, say what you want to say.”

“Could you have the others step back first?”

“Only the warriors. But Marco can’t.”

“Marco, you mean that friend over there?”

The Magic Tower Lord glanced at Marco, who was diligently filming, and Marco flinched. Well, it’s understandable to be scared when such a powerful person is staring at you.

“The royal family has the right to know everything that happened here.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Are you perhaps trying to deny that?”

“Of course not. As one of the people living in this city, I have no intention of interfering with the royal family’s affairs. However….”

The Magic Tower Lord trailed off, glancing at Marco once more. And at that moment.

Bang-!

“U, Uwaaaah!”

The crystal ball shattered, and Marco fell on his butt.

“Oh dear, it seems it broke.”

Yeah, here it comes, right?

“It was bought from the Magic Tower, but it seems it was defective.”

“No matter how much effort is put into magic devices, there will always be some that are unstable. However, I apologize on behalf of the Magic Tower. If you mention my name at the place of purchase later, they will give you a few new ones.”

Wow, this old man is interesting.

“Ainar, take everyone, including Marco, and go downstairs.”

“Are you sure…?”

I nodded slightly and sent a signal with my eyes, and Ainar led the warriors downstairs. And….

“You all can sleep for a while.”

The three mages who had been kneeling simultaneously collapsed to the floor. It was a very basic sleep spell. With just the two of us left in the room.

“Now then, go ahead. What did you want to say to me after sending everyone away?”

“I’ll be brief, as there isn’t much time.”

The Magic Tower Lord said this and took three steps, entering the radius of ‘Distorted Trust.’ Then, looking at me, he said. “The Magic Tower will, from today, prohibit all research using the ‘Barbarian Heart.’ If anyone is caught conducting research in violation of this, they will be treated as having used forbidden magic and punished.”

“And?”

“Those who tried to obtain hearts on the black market will also be disciplined.”

“What kind of discipline?”

“They will no longer be able to call themselves mages affiliated with the Magic Tower.”

In short, they would be fired.

“You may think it’s a minor punishment, Baron, but please understand that this is the limit for such a crime.”

The Magic Tower Lord spoke persuasively, but in fact, I was quite satisfied with just this much. I had exaggerated the crime by calling them traitors, but there was no way that would be acknowledged.

“Of course, if you try to obtain a Barbarian Heart through the black market after this, the weight of the crime itself will be different. It will be considered an attempt to obtain a strictly prohibited item.”

Okay, the follow-up measures are solid too.

“And?”

“We will not take issue with the illegal intrusion and unauthorized occupation of the Magic Tower today. It will be known to the public that the Baron only visited to give a stern scolding, and the Magic Tower, acknowledging its mistake, rectified the situation and received forgiveness.”

I was momentarily speechless. Even though I knew that I couldn’t lie because of ‘Distorted Trust,’ I couldn’t help but ask this question. “…Are you serious?” What this old man had just said was tantamount to the Magic Tower officially admitting defeat to the Barbarians. But….

“I am serious.”

I felt more uneasy than happy. Because there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

“So, what do you want from me in return?”

As a barbarian, I asked directly, and the Magic Tower Lord named a person. “Master Lurendel Gallinbarrett of the Triten School.” The very mage who had placed a request on the black market for my heart.

“Clear her of her charges.”

Ah, I wondered why there was no mention of this woman. I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then asked. “Is she worth that much?”

“She is an exceptionally talented mage. She may have been blinded by greed for a moment and acted recklessly, but I have no doubt that her research will one day bring about a great transformation in this world.”

No doubt, my ass. It’s obvious there’s some other reason. ‘Lurendel Gallinbarrett… I might have caught a bigger fish than I thought….’ Anyway, I can ask Amelia to investigate this woman later.

“What do you say? My offer? I’d like to hear your answer now.”

“Fine. I’ll accept your offer.”

I ended the negotiation at this point. It was a shame to let go of the woman who had targeted my heart, but even considering that, I had gained more than I had hoped for, so there was no reason to be greedy. However, perhaps they were still uneasy?

“So, does that mean we have no ill feelings towards each other now?”

The Magic Tower Lord began to probe me. He was trying to take advantage of the ‘Distorted Trust’ situation to get a glimpse of my true feelings.

“What about you? Do you have no ill feelings towards me?”

I avoided answering and asked in return, and the Magic Tower Lord surprisingly opened his mouth and answered readily. “I have no ill feelings towards the Baron. I never did. The Baron is simply doing what a leader of a race should do, isn’t he?”

So, it’s a business mindset. Anyway, it would be difficult to refuse an answer when he’s being so forthcoming. It wouldn’t be good for me either.

“Then, can I hear the Baron’s honest feelings now?”

Honest feelings….

“It would be a lie to say I have no ill feelings. So many people have died in the labyrinth because of their hearts. Of course, I hate you. But…!”

I trailed off, turning my wrist so that the compass part of ‘Distorted Trust’ was not visible. “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t touch us, we won’t attack the Magic Tower!” It was a trick that was only possible when I was the one using ‘Distorted Trust.’

“Besides, you seem like a good guy, too!”

When I lie, this thing doesn’t work.

***

What happened after that was nothing special. The royal army soon arrived on the floor where we were, and they were greatly shocked to see a baron of a country and the master of the Magic Tower in a standoff. However, the Magic Tower Lord took the initiative to defend me, saying that the cause of the problem was on their side, and the situation was resolved.

“So… Lord Kealunerus apologized, and Baron Yandel accepted it, is that what you’re saying?”

The commander from the military looked like he couldn’t believe it, but he didn’t delve deeper. Whatever deal we had made, what did it matter? From the royal family’s perspective, it was a relief that it had ended well without escalating into a bigger conflict.

“What are you all doing! Clean this up quickly!”

The military dismissed everyone, including the barbarians, and the Magic Tower Lord willingly handed over 36 mages suspected of contacting the black market to Mozlan. “But it seems that the mage who wanted the Baron’s heart isn’t among them?” If contacting the black market was a minor offense, the charge of assassinating a noble was a major crime punishable by hanging. However, clearing her of the charges was very easy.

“Ah, that? Well, now that I think about it, I don’t remember if the name was correct. I might have been confused, and I can’t just arrest the wrong person. I’ll tell you properly when I remember.”

“…Understood.”

Master Lurendel Gallinbarrett of the Triten School. The royal investigator seemed to have realized that she was the key to this deal, but again, he didn’t say anything unnecessary and let it pass. As I said before, they weren’t interested in such things.

“I’m really… glad it ended well. Ah, and Baron Yandel, you caused a conflict involving more than a thousand people in the city without the royal family’s permission. You’ll have to pay a fine, even if it’s just a formality. Please… please make sure to pay it.”

After that, the military almost begged as they said this, and then they led the mages away from the Magic Tower. So, it was my turn to leave this place too.

“Once their crimes are confirmed, I will punish them as promised, so please don’t worry, Baron.”

“Okay, I’m going now. I’m hungry.”

After that, I was about to go straight home, but I was caught by Ainar, who was waiting in front, and dragged to the sanctuary. Thump-! Thump-! Thump-! The sanctuary was already in the midst of a festival celebrating the victory. It wasn’t like the tribe had prepared anything special, but the warriors were drinking the alcohol they had brought like water, dancing and singing. Judging by the scale, it was bigger than any festival I had ever seen. It seemed like all the barbarians scattered throughout the city had come to the sanctuary.

“Bjorn!”

“It’s the chieftain.”

“Chieftain! Say something! Everyone’s waiting!”

When the time was ripe, I was pushed on the back by Ainar and had to give a celebratory speech. Ah, of course, it wasn’t long, as it was in the barbarian style.

“We are—!!”

“Uooo!”

“Victorious—!!”

“Behel-laaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

With just a short declaration, the mad atmosphere grew even more intense. ‘I can’t miss this opportunity for promotion.’ I ordered Caron to have the ‘Fellowship’ [a group within the tribe] spread real estate talk among the tribe members, and they carried out their mission admirably throughout the festival.

“Does everyone know? Victory isn’t just for this one time!”

“Our tribe will prosper even more, and as such, the house prices will skyrocket!”

“Only a foolish warrior wouldn’t buy now!”

“What? You’re going to collect magic stones to change your weapon? What age are we living in? When will you ever buy a new weapon like that?”

This should be a great help to the real estate policy. After enjoying the festival for a while, I secretly left the sanctuary and returned home. Amelia was sitting on the sofa in the dark living room.

“Yandel.”

“……Huh?”

“Are you afflicted with a disease that prevents you from having a single quiet day?”

For some reason, Amelia was annoyed. She hadn’t said anything when I planned to destroy the black market, but now she was. Why?

After thinking about it, I quickly found the answer. “I’m sorry. I acted without consulting you.”

As if that was the right answer, Amelia’s expression softened. “………So you know.”

“Huh? Did you just smile?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You smiled! I just saw it!”

“…Don’t slander me.”

Slander, my ass. I chuckled and sat on the sofa, and Amelia spoke abruptly. “So, do you feel better now?”

Ah, she really knows how to get to me. I felt strange, but I answered honestly. “Yeah. A lot.”

Amelia nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“…….”

After a moment of silence, we talked about what had happened today, and Erwen, who had woken up from the noise, came down rubbing her eyes and joined in the chat. And the next morning.

“I, it’s me… Bjorn……”

A long-awaited guest had arrived.