Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 555
Chapter 555: Deja Vu (4)
The hundred-and-ninth day since we entered the labyrinth.
To put it in another way, it was the second day since the expedition group sent by the palace joined up with us and entered the library.
Tarantantara! Tararan! Tarantatara!
The morning trumpet sound made by the military band announced the break of dawn.
Hah, why do armies always do things like this?…If I said that, Baekho would probably get mad.
We were all here for the same goal, anyway.
In any case, the trumpet woke us up without giving us time to roll around and stay asleep. As soon as the trumpets stopped, our day began.
“Distributing rations!”
As soon as the camp was packed up, the soldiers in charge of the kitchen started to hand out the breakfast that they had prepared earlier in the morning. We then only had thirty minutes to eat everything.
“There is a morning meeting, so each squad leader will have to attend.”
There was a meeting to brief the leaders of each group about the plan for today and to discuss it amongst ourselves. I thought there might be something special said and looked out for it, but it didn’t go into anything like that.
So we’re just going to hunt like we did yesterday.
Of course, there were small changes. Yesterday, we had destroyed the gate and stopped it from regenerating to summon at breakneck speeds, but as the monsters’ ranks increased, we decided to hunt using a more normal method.
Naturally, the wizards would be joining the battle now.
“Alright, then let us continue with our mission on another great day!”
I doubted if there was even a need to gather us like this to hold this meeting, but this was probably what an army was about. Sticking to protocols could be inefficient in some scenarios, but going through this process could help us avoid problems and accidents down the line.
“Take your positions!”
After that, the squads stood at their assigned posts and we began clearing the library once more.
“Looks like the combat team will be alternated through the groups.”
“That’s the most efficient way.”
We had over two hundred people here, so if every single person joined the battle, it would be overkill. Thus, Jerome decided on a squad rotation.
“Stop! Squad One and Squad Two will switch with Squad Three and Temporary Squad!”
When the time came, Squad One and Squad Two who had been stationed in front of the stone gate moved away, and Squad Three and Squad Four who had been moving the books from the bookshelves took their place instead. Then, Squad One and Squad Two moved to carry the books in our stead and recovered their stamina and resources.
I guess I won’t be on the same side as Kaislan and Parav today either.
These two were part of Squad One. That was why we had our meals at different times as well.
Still, having Raven in Squad Three made the situation a little better in a way. However, since she was a wizard, she stood at the very back, so I couldn’t interact with her during the mission either.
…In the end, I guess I’ll only be able to talk about the oracle at night.
We moved in squads like gears in a gearbox. As we worked, I saw someone become pretty close to the knights from the expedition group.
“Hahaha! Do not lie! How could a mere wizard defeat a warrior like us?”
“That’s why it was much more humiliating! Who would’ve thought that one of us would lose to a wizard in a duel?”
“So when did this happen?”
“A month ago! But I guess you wouldn’t have known that since you were in here, Wild Sword. It was quite the famous story in high society.”
How the hell did she get so close to them? I was still surprised every time she befriended someone, and honestly, it was helpful for me as well.
I approached them quietly, then interrupted so I could join the conversation.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh! Lord B-Baron! Sorry, I’ll focus on the mission—”
“I’m not telling you off.”
“Pardon…?”
“We are all warriors here. I am also curious. A warrior losing to a wizard? Who’s the dunce who lost like that?”
The knight’s eye darted this way and that for a second before he grinned and began talking excitedly. The other knights that were a part of Squad Three also approached us to listen in, perhaps sensing the excitement, and joined the conversation by making comments and correcting information at points.
I mean, working the factory line wouldn’t be fun for these guys either.
Once I showed that I could relax with them, even those who found it difficult to talk to me because of my status as a baron began to feel kinship with me and began asking questions about me.
“So… Lord Baron, there is one thing I want to ask…”
“Go on.”
“I heard that you challenged Baron Kypriot to a duel during your ennoblement ceremony. Could I ask what happened with that?”
“Oh, that? Nothing really happened. This random goblin-like thing was nagging at me from behind me. I wanted to just punch him, but since I couldn’t do that, I challenged him instead.”
“Haha…is that true? Baron Kypriot must’ve been startled when you challenged him.”
“He deserved it. There are too many people among the nobles who don’t know anything. They need to learn the simple truth that if they mess around without thinking, they need to get hit with the consequences.”
A joke only I could make since I also held a position of nobility. The knights seemed to agree with me as they all nodded.
“Well…we can’t ever do something like that to them.”
“There are too many people that don’t know that people like us are the ones who are keeping them safe…”
Still, they maintained their mask of knightliness and didn’t say anything too outrageous.
However, as I continued to talk freely and share the stories with them, I could see a few people enjoying it vicariously through me.
Alright, I think this should be enough to gain their favor.
I continued to spread my stories during the mission and grew closer to the knights of the expedition group.
“Lord Baron…you are even greater than the rumors suggested! Ah! I’m not saying that in a bad way! I never knew that you were this easygoing and funny…”
I laughed off his nerves. “Haha! What are you trying to make excuses for? We’re already friends!”
“F-friends! Haha, don’t say that! The commander will become enraged if he hears about this!”
“Then we can be allies.”
“Allies… Yes, if we’re allies…”
“Then I’ll leave my back to you in moments of danger.”
“…Please trust in us, Lord Baron!”
Getting closer to other people was always useful.
***
When night fell after talking with the knights throughout the day, I left the camping preparation to my clan members and headed over to the camp of Squad One where Sven Parav was. After asking for permission from the clergy there, I called him out.
“We didn’t finish our talk yesterday.”
“Oh… Ah, about that…”
“That oracle you received. What was it?”
He flinched at the word “oracle” and quickly looked around to see if anyone else was there.
After noticing that no one seemed to have heard me say it, he let out a big sigh. He then lowered his voice and laid out some insurance. “I… I’ll first say that I may have been mistaken…”
“You said you were sure of it yesterday.”
“It could be interpreted like that if I answered with yes or no…but this could be the difference between if I believed it or if another person did…so in that sense…”
Wow, this was getting frustrating. “I got it. I’ll judge what I hear myself, so you just tell me the details.”
“If you say so…” After that, he closed his eyes for a while as if to calm his mind before slowly opening them. “When I was in the city, I had a dream.”
“A dream?”
“It’s difficult to say what it was…but I heard a very holy voice. And then, I could naturally realize that the voice…was hers.”
“By her, you mean Reatlas?”
“Yes…that’s right.”
A goddess had visited him in his sleep. I wondered for a moment why this guy thought something like that could be an oracle, but I decided to hear him out first. “So, what did she say?”
“She said I had something I would need to do and showed me a piece of my future.”
A prophetic vision. That was the most common form of oracle that a saint or saintess received, and Parav was saying he saw a scene on that day.
“There was a scene where the archbishop was telling me to join the expedition group.”
That prophetic vision was about the day right after, and thanks to that, he was sure that it wasn’t a simple dream but an oracle.
“And then?”
“That’s…all.”
“What?”
“She said that she would appear once more when it was time and for me to remain ready for her.”
To put it simply, his main quest would be given to him after he joined the expedition to come down to the labyrinth.
To be honest, though, I couldn’t understand it. “…Then why did you act like you had a stomachache and try to escape your duty? Even after getting that oracle?”
“Uh, so about that…” He dragged out his words out of hesitation before clenching his eyes shut.
“An oracle…! It’s obvious that something dangerous is going to happen!”
“…What?”
I got whiplash from his sudden change in tone, but the guy continued to pour his heart out.
“Even if it isn’t dangerous, it’s obvious that it’s going to be something troublesome. Th-that’s what my gut feeling said.”
Hah, what was with this guy? So that was the reason he hid the fact that he received an oracle.
The moment it was made known to the others, the people of the church would push him around so he would fulfill the prophecy.
A paladin tried to evade his work because of something like that?
It was unbelievable, but in another sense, I was thankful. He had told me truthfully what he had hidden from the others.
His loyalty…is good.
“So…could I go now? They’re looking directly at me as well,” he said, looking at the group of clergy to the side. While they were staring back at us, I could sense that rather than glaring at him, they were looking at him with worry. It was like they were looking at a child by the lake.
So he’s treated like this even in the church…
“Got it. Tell me immediately when you have another dream like that.”
“Got it.”
“Have a good night.”
“Yes. You too, Your Lordship.”
After finishing my conversation with Parav, I returned to my camp to get some shut-eye. However, sleep didn’t find me easily today either.
An oracle…
The information I received from him wasn’t anything special. However, just like how he threw that tantrum to try and not enter the labyrinth, I too couldn’t escape the strong sense of foreboding I had.
Something huge was coming. And if so, there was only one thing I could do.
Whether there were tsunamis or storms, I needed to prepare to not get swept away.
I honestly wanted to save it as much as possible before using it…
But I couldn’t help due to the situation.
With that, I made a decision while inside my blanket in the middle of the night.
Essence of Bellarios.
I needed to eat one as fast as possible.
***
By the hundred-and-eleventh day since we entered the labyrinth, we had progressed quite far into the library and we were now fighting mostly rank 3 monsters.
It only took us five days to get here.
Once more, I was struck by just how powerful the palace was. Knights, wizards, priests—they were able to pick and choose among those precious classes to create the perfect army. Their value was off the charts.
If I had known this, we could’ve gone straight to the chief’s island.
I had hesitated because I didn’t know how powerful of a group this was, but thinking about it now, we should’ve gone to Chief Island and killed the village chief first. Even if he possessed the same essences he had while he was a human, he wouldn’t be strong enough to defeat the military might of a group like this.
“Lord Baron! There’s a book with Bellarios drawn on it!”
As thoughts bounced around my head as I ate my lunch, a piece of good news reached my ears. The one who had relayed the message was one of the knights from Squad Three, whom I had asked to notify me if a Bellarios was discovered.
“Is it that book you’re holding right now?”
“Yes! I took it straight here as soon as I found it!”
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing. We’re allies!”
This was the reward I could obtain due to having accrued their favor.
I showed the greatest respect a barbarian could give to the knight as I handed him a handful of jerky.
Draw.
After changing the color of the fountain pen to green, I quickly opened the book and drew over the picture of Bellarios before going to find Commander Jerome Saintred.
“Hmm, you want to fight this with only Squad Four?”
“It’s an essence we need. You said that any gains we make ourselves would be ours, right?”
“That is true. But is there a reason to do this? We’re short on time so fight it with the other squads. Ah, of course, you can have the essence. If one appears, that is.”
Jerome thought that the possibility of an essence dropping was low as he easily allowed me to hunt it.
“Summoning!”
I immediately went over to summon Bellarios.
“Defeat it!”
The shiny scales of Bellarios who appeared through the stone gate were quickly tenderized by the knights and archers and before even a minute passed, turned into a ray of light and disappeared.
Shine!
A huge mana stone dropped. And it also left behind an essence.
“An essence…did appear. Huh? Lord Baron, where are you going? Ah, wait… the one who needed that essence—!”
“Yeah, it was me.”
I left behind Jerome’s befuddled face and quickly approached the essence before absorbing it.
[The Essence of Bellarios has permeated deep into your soul.]
Yeah, it was finally mine.
“Behel—LAAAAAA!”
My perfect shield barbarian was not too far off in the future.
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