Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 754
Chapter 754: First Blood (4)
“Elder, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you just one question?”
The elderly man with white hair silently sipped his tea, hearing the question from the man wearing the Wolf mask.
And……
“Not at all, go ahead.”
“…Why did you want to prevent him from going to the holy land? I cannot understand it with my limited thinking.”
“Which part do you not understand?”
To the old man’s question, the wolf mask replied.
“As a result of him heading to the holy land, a rank 7 explorer named Brown Rotmiller died, and instead, Sven Parav became a ‘Saint.’ Ah, of course, he’s not perfect yet.”
“Hmm?”
“Consequently, he lost a useless scout but gained a much more helpful companion for his journey. So, I’m curious why you told him to not go to the holy land.”
“Ah, that……”
Upon hearing the Wolf mask’s question, the old man smiled kindly. But if you looked closely, there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, like that of a playful child.
“It wouldn’t be fun if I just told you.”
“…Pardon?”
“Why don’t you try to think about it? Why do you think I did that?”
The Wolf mask pondered for a moment at the old man’s counter-question, then cautiously opened his mouth.
“I think it could be one of three reasons.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“First, because you anticipated how he would act.”
“You mean I told him not to go to the holy land because I knew he would act like a contrarian… That’s incorrect. If that were the case, why would I send you to give him needless advice? He would have headed there on his own.”
“Yes, that’s true. I found that puzzling as well.”
“Then what’s the second reason?”
“The second reason is… Brown Rotmiller would have died no matter which direction he went.”
“Oh?”
“Of course, if that’s the case, it doesn’t explain why you wanted him to go to District 7… But I suspect you didn’t want Sven Parav to become a saint.”
“Interesting, keep going.”
“You mentioned before, didn’t you? That Sven Parav was a soul born with great divine power. So much so that even the evil god without a contract could initiate conversation with him.”
“Indeed.”
“So, I thought maybe you didn’t want Sven Parav to join hands with the evil god. But, in a way, a priest of Karui is arguably stronger than a saint. Ultimately, it would still benefit his journey.”
The old man smiled contentedly at the second guess.
“I’m glad I asked for your thoughts. That was a very impressive perspective.”
“Does that mean I’m wrong again?”
“You are. If he had gone to the District 7, Sven Parav would have died.”
“I see……”
The Wolf mask, spoke with a somewhat dejected voice, as his clever guesses had missed the mark.
“The third is that Brown Rotmiller was more valuable than Sven Parav who has become a saint……”
Even he found this last guess unlikely. How could a retired rank 7 scout be more valuable than a paladin on the verge of becoming a saint?
“That’s correct.”
“……Pardon?”
“I judged that Brown Rotmiller would be of much greater help to his journey.”
The Wolf mask couldn’t understand at all. However, based on his experiences following the old man and observing many people’s fates, he made one more guess.
“…Sven Parav would actually be a negative influence on his journey, wouldn’t he?”
The Wolf mask spoke with a confident tone. This was the only explanation that made sense. Something he thought was an asset turned out to be a liability. Fate was indeed mysterious and fickle, and such cases were quite common.
“You’re wrong again.”
“…What?”
The Wolf mask involuntarily let out a perplexed voice, causing the old man to shift his gaze to the window.
“Sven Parav will contribute as much to his journey as we expected.”
“……Yet, you chose Brown Rotmiller.”
“Judging the future based solely on a person’s present is very foolish. Who can tell if a prince or a pauper’s lineage is significant? In this world, even a mere beggar can become a king.”
“……Could Rotmiller have had such talent?”
The old man smiled and shook his head at the binary way of thinking.
“No, he had no such talent. But all value is determined by the records.”
The old man spoke with a voice heavy with regret.
“If Brown Rotmiller had survived, he would have left a greater mark on this world.”
Of course, that future no longer existed.
***
It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a moment. That’s why it didn’t feel real at all. I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes or experienced it directly; I only heard about it after everything was over. Maybe they’re wrong? That hopeful thought wouldn’t leave my mind. But…
But……
[Treat Miss Shavin well. She’s a good woman.]
That can’t be. Ainar Fenelin had been captured and taken prisoner, and my first scout, Brown Rotmiller, was dead.
That was the unchanging reality.
That’s why……
Clench.
I clenched my fist and thought. What went wrong? The Wolf mask I met before heading to the holy land told me.
If I went to District 7, A will die and if I go to the holy land, B will die.
So, I thought A was Rotmiller. Eventually, I headed to the holy land as planned, and as a result, I saved Rotmiller, who was in danger.
But……
‘B was Rotmiller……?’
As a result of going to the holy land, Rotmiller died. In a way, it’s as if I killed him. Of course, I don’t actually think that. I’m not that stupid. There are things I can do and things I can’t.
I clearly distinguish between the two, and I’m not the type to blame myself for failures in the latter case. Yes, that’s right.
“……”
But then why do I feel so damn terrible? The violent nature deeply ingrained in this barbarian’s body is boiling over.
I want to fight. So I won’t think about anything. I want to smash everything in sight.
But I held back. This barbarian’s body is different from Hansu Lee’s. It wouldn’t just end with a broken mouse or keyboard…… A wise warrior knows how to wait for the right moment. The moment to explode with these emotions.
Swish.
At that moment, the tent’s entrance flapped open, and someone stepped in. It was Arua Raven, a welcome face. But something was off.
“……!”
Raven froze at the entrance as soon as our eyes met. Her complexion was pale, and her small, white body was trembling like a leaf. What is it? Did something bad happen to her? The thought sparked a surge of rage that I’d barely managed to suppress.
“…I’m sorry.”
Seeing Raven avert her eyes in fear, I realized.
“I-I’ll… be outside until you’ve calmed down……”
What Raven feared was none other than me.
“Huu…”
I let out a long breath, as if expelling all the toxins from my body, and called out to Raven, who was fumbling to leave the tent.
“Don’t go. I’ve calmed down now.”
At my words, Raven cautiously looked back at me, and upon seeing my somewhat relaxed demeanor, she exhaled a sigh of relief.
And……
“……I heard about it too.”
After hesitating for a long time, she finally managed to offer a comforting remark.
“……”
I didn’t respond. I felt that if I did, the anger I’d just managed to suppress might boil over again. However, there was one thing I needed to ask.
“Do you know what happened to Rotmiller’s body?”
“I think… you might not want to hear it…”
“Don’t worry, just tell me. I’ve calmed down now.”
“Uh… really, I think you shouldn’t hear this……”
“It’s okay, really.”
Raven examined me with eyes full of doubt, clearly not believing that I was okay. In the end, the answer to my question came from outside the tent.
“The Noark soldiers took his head. If they confirm he’s your comrade, it will be recognized as a military achievement.”
Thump-!
“It seems you were thinking of the resurrection stone, but it’s too late for that.”
My heart pounded. So fast that I wondered if it could be dangerous.
Grind.
I clenched my jaw so tightly that I worried my teeth might shatter.
“By the way, can you do something about that killing intent of yours? I’m fine, but this one here looks like they’re about to pass out.”
Haa…
Seeing Raven trembling again as if in a fit, I forced myself to rein in my emotions. I quickly changed the subject to think about something else.
“What happened to you? Where is Vivian now?”
“After you disappeared with the Corpse Collector, the leader of Orcules showed up. We fought, but…… To put it simply, we had to retreat.”
“……What?”
“To correct myself, we didn’t run away, we strategically withdrew.”
He explained it was to protect Raven, and if he’d fought seriously, he could have won. But only he knew the truth.
In any case, the situation afterward was simple. Initially, the leader of Orcules came looking for me but changed his target when he realized he was the King’s Knight. While the leader chased Astarota, I managed to escape from the Underworld at just the right moment. Astarota, who entered the Royal Capital after a chase, took some time to recover from his injuries. As for Vivian, she was imprisoned.
“She’s useless to us now. I considered executing her, but kept her alive just in case.”
After finishing their preparations, they tried to find and join me, but due to the ancient magic, they lost track of my whereabouts. Eventually, they heard that I had entered the Royal Capital unconscious and rushed over here.
“So, now I want to ask, what will you do next?”
At Astarota’s question, I closed my eyes for a moment. What should I do from now on? It didn’t take long to make a decision.
“First, I need to rescue Ainar……”
“I see.”
Astarota nodded at my decision. Then, he asked,
“But how?”
“……”
“Just to clarify, all we know is that she’s captured. We have no information on her current location or if she’s still alive.”
Huh, right… first I needed to gather information.
“Astarota, I have a favor to ask.”
“Speak.”
“Even if it’s just the areas within the reach of the royal family, could you gather my scattered comrades?”
“No need to ask. It’s already in progress.”
“Is that so……”
Astarota, who sometimes seemed inflexible, could be surprisingly efficient when it counted.
“If you need anything or decide on the next steps, call for me.”
With that, Astarota left the tent, and I sat quietly on the bed, racking my brain. I reviewed all the information I had, making sure I hadn’t missed anything, and pestered Astarota every few minutes to see if any new information had come in.
Where is Ainar? Are more of my comrades stranded in enemy territory? Has the Marquess’ location been pinpointed?
In this wartime situation, I had no choice but to rely on the army’s intelligence. My anxiety grew with each passing moment of no news.
‘……No, wait a minute.’
The information I was desperately seeking came from an unexpected place. Thinking about the Marquess made me recall Ragna, and recalling Ragna made me think of Hyeonbyeol, who served as Ragna’s right-hand. And when I thought of Hyeonbyeol, I remembered the ‘love paper’ she had given me……
‘No way……’
Hastily pulling out the ‘love paper,’ I found it really did have writing on it. The contents could be summarized in two points.
[Ainar Fenelin, Alminus Central Bank underground vault.]
The location where she is presumed to be.
And……
[Scheduled for execution.]
Her current situation.
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