Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 642

The royal family wants to marry me off to a noblewoman from the human race.

There are many ways to interpret this action.

A naive person might be happy that the royal family thinks well of me and seems to be pushing me forward, but…

‘Lafir, let me ask you one thing.’

‘Go ahead.’

‘Does the royal family want to put a leash on me?’

The Dragon Uncle didn’t answer my question directly.

‘Well, I’m not sure about that either. But… your choice will be an answer for the royal family.’

‘If I marry a human, it means I’m bowing down to them…’

‘If you refuse, it’ll be the opposite.’

I think I understand why the Dragon Uncle said that no matter which woman I marry, it would be used politically.

‘Lafir, is the promise we made back then still valid?’

‘If you’re talking about the Dragonkin’s unconditional support and cooperation for you, then yes. It’s still valid. Oh, of course, that’s if the king doesn’t interfere, as we discussed back then.’

‘I see…’

‘But aren’t you thinking too negatively?’

‘It’s a habit of mine to assume the worst first.’

I think I need to consider this more on my own. So, I asked the Dragon Uncle a few more questions and ended this topic.

‘They don’t know if the king interfered or who the marriage partner is…’

Still, since I got a heads-up, I should be able to respond calmly at the royal meeting without being flustered.

‘So, if marriage is the first thing, what’s the second?’

I immediately asked the Dragon Uncle about the second piece of news I hadn’t heard, and I got an unexpected story.

‘The second is the sealing of the labyrinth.’

‘…Sealing?’

‘Exactly as it sounds. I don’t know the reason, but the sealing of the labyrinth will be on the agenda at the royal meeting.’

‘Does that mean it’s not a confirmed decision?’

‘Not really. It’s just being put on the agenda for discussion, but it seems like it’s already been decided internally.’

‘I see…’

After that, I asked about the schedule for the sealing and other related details, but it seemed the Dragon Uncle didn’t know much either.

‘……’

As I stood there uncomfortably, lost in thought, the Dragon Uncle spoke to me.

‘Since it’s come to this, may I give you one more piece of advice?’

‘You can give me as much as you want.’

As I nodded, the Dragon Uncle repeated what I had said at the Clan Conference.

‘You are the Chieftain of the Barbarian Clan, a Baron of the Kingdom of Lafdonia, and the Master of the rapidly growing Anabada Clan.’

I think I already know what he’s trying to say.

‘No matter how you see yourself, you can no longer live as just a warrior.’

The warriors of the Holy Land.

The thousands of Bifron residents who are now vassals of our family.

And even my companions.

‘There are countless people you are responsible for. No matter how you think or act, your marriage cannot be just your own decision.’

The Dragon Uncle was saying.

No, to be precise, he was gently scolding me.

‘Make a choice for them. Even for yourself.’

It felt like I had been hit in the back of the head.

From the Dragon Uncle’s point of view, it must have seemed like I was avoiding responsibility by delaying marriage.

For nobles, arranged marriages were not optional.

For them, love is romance, and regardless of the era, romance always meant inefficiency.

‘That’s all I wanted to say to you. I hope you don’t take it too harshly.’

‘…Harshly? It’s not like you’re wrong.’

Maybe I’m a romantic.

It’s not like I haven’t shed my modern ways… because there were quite a few cases like that even in modern times.

Even if it’s not an arranged marriage between conglomerates, there’s a saying, isn’t there?

Marriage is reality.

‘I hope it was helpful to you.’

‘Don’t worry. It was helpful enough.’

It’s not just a polite remark, it’s the truth.

Thanks to him, I think I know what to do now.

***

‘Where’s Lavienne?’

‘Well, that child doesn’t come to the Holy Land much these days. Actually, I don’t know where she’s been or what she’s doing.’

‘Don’t you talk often?’

‘You’ll know when you have children. It’s not like you can talk just because you want to.’

‘…I see.’

‘At some point, we stopped talking unless it was necessary. Lavie, she wasn’t like that when she was little…’

It’s kind of funny to see the Dragon Uncle grumbling.

Is that how all parents with children become?

Anyway, after talking with the Dragon Uncle, I met with the Dragon Kid Pen after a long time, as he suggested.

‘You came? I thought you weren’t going to come back.’

‘How can you say that when you know my situation?’

‘I’m glad. That you came back alive.’

‘……’

Is it because I’m the benefactor who brought the Dragon Slayer’s heart?

Her prickly attitude has almost completely changed, and she’s showing a more affectionate reaction.

‘But… don’t you notice anything different about me?’

‘I don’t.’

‘I’ve grown taller, this much!’

‘Oh.’

Come to think of it, she does seem to have grown a bit.

Well, she’s still in a childish stage of development, though.

‘The Dragon Slayer cursed her in the past, and as a result, her body’s time stopped…’

It seems that her body is recovering and the growth that had stopped is starting again.

‘…Just wait a little. I’ll become like my sister soon.’

‘Uh…’

I think it’s a bit ambitious to say she’ll become like Lavienne.

If she’s only grown this much in almost a year, she’ll still be in the kid category even when she’s fully grown.

Of course, it was impossible for me to say that to a kid who’s finally healthy.

‘Yeah, yeah. I’ll cheer you on.’

‘Anyway, tell me about it since you’re here.’

After that, I spent time telling her about the exploration of the first basement level, and then I stayed overnight at the Dragon Temple.

The next morning, the Dragon Uncle, Pen, and I had breakfast together and left early for the imperial capital, Karnon.

And…

‘It’s good to be a noble.’

I arrived at the Palace of Wisdom, where the royal meeting was to be held, a day early, and spent another day relaxing and eating in the assigned VIP room.

No, that’s what I was trying to do.

But…

Knock knock.

I don’t know how they knew, but as soon as I entered the palace, nobles kept coming to visit.

‘Haha, I heard that Baron Yandel arrived early, so I came. Would you like to have a cup of tea and chat for a while?’

Someone who came purely for social purposes.

‘I have a proposal for Baron Yandel, would you like to hear it? I guarantee you won’t lose anything.’

A peddler disguised as a businessman.

‘I heard you’re looking for a marriage partner…’

Someone selling their children.

And…

‘What is this?’

Even an unidentified letter slipped under the door.

[Midnight, garden fountain, come quietly.]

The letter, which only had these three things written on it, didn’t have a sender’s name.

So, I thought about what to do for a while, but…

‘How can I resist a mysterious letter?’

In the end, when night came and the appointed time arrived, I secretly went out the window and headed to the meeting place.

The fountain located in the center of the maze-like garden.

After waiting there for a while, the unidentified person who sent the letter appeared.

‘Jerome Saintred.’

The commander of the 1st Royal Knights, with the title of Count, and the guardian of the kingdom with the nickname ‘Knight of Light’.

No, to be precise, it was the ancient hero who had taken over his body.

The Dragon Knight, Cornelius Bruengrid.

‘I didn’t know it was you who sent the letter.’

‘I thought it would be better to meet secretly. Fortunately, there were no rats following me.’

‘So, why did you call me?’

When I asked the main point directly, the Village Chief frowned.

‘Are you really asking because you don’t know? Or are you indirectly saying that you don’t intend to keep your promise?’

Ah, right.

I promised to give him back the item.

I quickly opened my subspace and took out Karui’s heart that the Village Chief had entrusted to me.

‘Something feels a bit off… but it’s still a promise.’

There was no other choice in the first place.

If I didn’t give it to him, I didn’t know what extreme choice the Village Chief would make.

‘……’

The Village Chief, after carefully examining the item to see if there were any other problems, put it in his arms.

‘So, is that the end of the business?’

‘That was the most important business for now.’

‘You mean there’s more?’

I thought that the real thing was more likely to start now, so I focused my attention on the Village Chief.

But…

‘There will be talk about your marriage at the royal meeting.’

‘I know.’

‘Then that makes things faster.’

I tried to keep a poker face no matter what was said.

‘If possible, marry that woman. It’s the last lifeline the royal family is throwing you.’

‘Lifeline…? What the hell are you trying to say?’

‘Exactly as it sounds. If you don’t accept their proposal, there’s a high chance that you and your companions won’t be safe.’

Is it because this guy has lived as a monster for too long?

As an ordinary Barbarian, it’s hard for me to keep up with the pace of the conversation.

‘It’s hard to understand, so please speak a little slower, a little more detailed.’

‘The royal family… no, strictly speaking, the Prime Minister is wary of your growth. You can legally have multiple wives, and there are several women who are worthy of it.’

Misha Kalstein, the daughter of the head of the Catkin Clan.

Erwen, who has the pure blood of the Elves.

And…

‘There are also the Dragon Uncle’s daughters.’

Of course, it’s not like I’m a playboy, and I have no intention of marrying all of them.

However, from their perspective, who only see marriage ‘politically,’ it’s enough to be wary.

It’s a bit much for me to say it myself.

The situation where different races are uniting around an unprecedented hero from the Barbarian Clan could be a concern.

However, there was one contradiction here.

‘I understand what you’re saying. But what does marrying a noble from the human race have to do with it? If I marry her, I can still bring in other women—’

‘Because that’s impossible.’

‘…Huh?’

When I paused, the Village Chief looked at me and chuckled.

‘According to Lafdonia’s noble law, even if you are a titled noble, there are cases where you can only have one wife.’

‘…Ah.’

Then I remembered a law I had forgotten.

‘When the wife is a noble with the same title…’

‘You knew. Strictly speaking, it means when the spouse’s title is higher… I don’t know why this law hasn’t changed even after thousands of years.’

The Village Chief was showing his age and muttering something, but I didn’t hear a word.

‘No, wait a minute…’

In the noble families of Lafdonia, it is very rare for a woman to inherit a title.

Moreover, among them, there are even fewer nobles with the title of Viscount or higher…

‘Is there a female titled noble who is still unmarried among them…?’

As far as I know, there isn’t.

…No, there wasn’t.

At least when I became a noble and was studying this stuff diligently.

Time always brings change.

‘Wait, wait a minute…’

At the current point in time, there was only one in Lafdonia.

A female noble who was unmarried and had a higher title than me.

‘Is it Countess Ragna Peprock? Is she my marriage partner?’

‘That’s correct.’

‘……’

Marquis, is this bastard really crazy?