Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 746
Chapter 746: Guide (3)
The Eastern Branch, where 37 refugees were located.
Sven Parav decided to first erase the wariness mixed in the refugees’ eyes. It wasn’t a difficult task.
“Hello! My name is Sven Parav. I used to be a paladin of the Reatlas Church, and now I am a member of the Anabada clan!”
A former paladin of the Reatlas Church. And a member of the Anabada clan, the most famous clan in recent times among the general public.
“……Anabada, isn’t that Baron Yandel’s clan?”
“Regardless, he’s a paladin……! Oh, thank God……! It’s such a relief!”
“But there’s no guarantee that he’s telling the truth……”
“Hey, keep quiet……! Do you see the lady next to him? I don’t know her name, but I clearly saw her with my own eyes at the parade with Baron Yandel!”
“We’re saved……!”
It didn’t take long for the refugees’ wariness to dissipate and for relief to emerge in its place. However, once people’s guard is lowered, they naturally become more talkative.
“Sir Paladin? What’s happening outside?”
“Have you seen a boy about this tall on your way here?”
“What will happen to us now?”
“Did the royal family send you to save us?”
Numerous questions poured out from the mouths of dozens of refugees. The atmosphere became chaotic and almost overwhelming, but Sven Parav did not frown at all and provided answers as much as he could.
“The outside is still at war. The royal army has advanced to District 7, so we have to wait and see what happens.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen a boy of that height.”
“For now, it seems we need to hold out here and watch the situation.”
“……Regrettably, we are not people sent by the royal family to save you. We just happened to find this place while seeking shelter from the war, just like all of you here.”
The overly honest answer slightly dimmed the light of hope in the refugees’ eyes. But in his view, this was better. There is nothing crueler than instilling false hope.
“Not sent by the royal family……?”
“Damn it!”
“Well, it did seem strange. How would the royal family know we are here?”
“Even if they knew, they wouldn’t send help. Didn’t you see? The fireballs falling where we were! The royal family doesn’t care if we live or die!”
Anger quickly filled the void left by diminished hope. Of course, not everyone was like that.
“Honestly, I’m more relieved to hear you have no ties to the royal family.”
“Yeah, if you’re a comrade of Baron Yandel, we can trust you.”
“Yes! I’m so relieved to have a paladin and a wizard with us! We were so anxious on our own……”
Compared to the angry refugees, some were extremely positive. Although there was still the question of why these anxious people hadn’t even locked the front gate……
“Ha, haha……”
Sven Parav laughed awkwardly and held back his words. For now, such trivial matters were not important.
“First, I want to understand the situation here. Are there any explorers among you?”
By revealing his identity, Sven Parav naturally took the lead at the scene and began by assessing their resources. However, the results were less than satisfactory.
“……”
“……”
When asked if there were any explorers among them, the refugees just rolled their eyes. But their glances subtly converged on one spot, as if they had something to say but were wary of someone. When he followed their gaze, a middle-aged man who met his eyes quickly looked away and cleared his throat.
“…I, I only entered the labyrinth a few times in my younger days! I’ve been retired for a long time now!”
“I see.”
A retired explorer, huh… Maybe they didn’t speak up at first because they were afraid we’d make them do something dangerous?
“Mister, just a few times? You said you were quite accomplished back in the day!”
“Ahem, my friend! No matter what, how could I compare myself to Baron Yandel’s comrades?”
“May I ask what your rank was just before you retired?”
“Well… I was rank 7.”
“I see.”
Sven Parav nodded slowly. He then entrusted the management of the refugees to the retired rank 7 explorer, deeming it more reasonable than using him as a combatant.
“First, in case anything happens, could you help us set up some defenses?”
“Just tell us what to do, Sir Paladin!”
“Then please gather anything we can use to block the front door. Things like chairs, tables, wardrobes……”
Afterwards, Sven Parav locked the main gate and set up barricades, completing the minimum necessary preparations.
“Mr. Parav, it’s good that we’ve established a defensive line, but won’t this block our escape route if something happens?”
“Couldn’t we escape through the windows?”
“But all the windows are on the second floor. While we might manage, it would be hard for others to escape properly. There are elderly people and children.”
“That’s……”
Parav trailed off at Marrone’s words. There was no fault in her argument to refute, nor a solution to agree with. Besides, he had been thinking to himself, if it came to that, the entire area around the temple would likely be swarming with enemies, making it impossible to escape with 37 defenseless refugees. His conclusion on this premise was simple.
Inside the temple where the statue of the Goddess of Reatlas stood. He came up with a plan, although it was not something a former paladin who once closely served the Goddess would do.
It’s impossible. I’m not a monster like Bjorn Yandel. I can’t do it.
Yeah, So……
“We don’t need to think about escaping just yet. The chances of enemies coming here are low to begin with…… and if we secure the entrance properly, it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Yes…… that’s true. If we can secure this place, we won’t need to escape……”
Marrone, apparently without a better solution, started to create a magical barrier in front of the main gate.
“Whew……”
Watching her, Parav slowly turned and walked away, lost in thought.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m just going to look around and familiarize myself with the building layout.”
“Oh, I see…”
That was the excuse he gave, but the truth was that he didn’t need to familiarize himself with the layout. Most temples were built according to a standard design. The location of the chapel on the first floor and the stairs leading to the second floor were all familiar to his eyes, and even the quarters for administrative and clerical priests on the second floor matched those of other small branches.
Step, step.
After taking a large round trip around the building, he returned to the first-floor chapel and sat on the floor, from which all the chairs had been removed for barricading. He felt like taking a short rest. However, did his appearance perhaps seem different to others?
“……”
“……”
The refugees, who would normally approach him wherever he went, now gave him a wide berth, cautiously avoiding speaking to him. This behavior struck him as odd for a moment. When he opened his eyes and looked ahead, he saw the statue of the Goddess Reatlas directly in front of him.
‘…Do they think I’m praying?’
If so, how amusing. Although he had lived as a paladin for a long time, he was far from devout.
‘The goddess of the stars……’
Looking at the statue of the goddess who presides over adventure and destiny, he asked silently.
‘What do you want from me?’
Naturally, there was no reply. Only silence ensued.
“……”
“……”
The refugees, afraid of disturbing his supposed prayers, held their breath, creating a profound silence. As he squinted his eyes open, he saw that everyone was watching him with their eyes closed, some even repeatedly making the sign of the cross with their hands.
Sven Parav closed his eyes. And like wishing upon a passing comet, he muttered to himself.
‘Please, just let us survive. Please?’
In that moment, he was no different from the other refugees.
***
Including Anabada, there was a total of 15 clans. For reference, these clans were composed almost entirely of at least rank 6 explorers, except for one special position rank 7 explorer. In total, there was exactly 207 explorers.
Originally, there were more, but many explorers of lower ranks perished on the way here, leaving only this number.
Anyway.
Adding to this, Ainar and I handpicked 800 elite barbarian warriors, bringing the total force to over a thousand. Although, considering the overall situation, this might not be a very large number……
‘…It can’t be helped.’
Simply increasing the numbers would only lead to more casualties. So, I even went as far as to dissuade warriors who wished to join the great battle under the pretext of protecting the holy land, ensuring that only the elites were selected—.
“We’re ready to depart.”
“Great. Thank you for your hard work.”
After hearing Versyl’s report that everything was ready, I stood myself in front of the city gate, now cleared of debris.
And……
‘…It’s tedious, but it must be done.’
Looking at the thousand-strong force waiting for me to speak, I began.
“We are now heading to District 7.”
I didn’t shout, but since everyone was listening intently, there was no issue in conveying my message. I continued speaking calmly.
“Some of us will die fighting the enemy, and some will survive.”
Such a realistic and disheartening statement from a commander right before battle. I knew it was an unusual speech, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Some will lose their husbands because of this, and some will lose their fathers.”
At some point, I stopped wanting to deceive people with sweet lies that filled them with false hope.
“That is why you all need to know!”
“If you kill the enemy, know what you are killing for!”
“If you are killed by the enemy, know what you are risking your life for!”
For some reason, I began shouting passionately.
“I am going to District 7 to protect those precious to me! Why are you going to District 7?”
The answers would differ for everyone.
“Because I can’t let the chieftain go alone!”
Some followed out of respect for me.
“Because I will become a great warrior!”
Some were driven by a desire for fame.
“Haha! You said this was a chance for me to earn merits!”
Some were fueled by primal desires.
“Those damned enemies need to go so my family can sleep peacefully!”
Some, like me, wanted to protect their loved ones.
“Though everyone’s wishes may differ, our goal is the same. That’s why we can walk the same path and fight with our backs together.”
I promised them.
“I will lead the way.”
“I will remember what you fought and died for.”
So, therefore…
“Follow me. Entrust your hopes to me.”
No more words were needed. This was a ruthless world where one could not survive without fighting.
“Behell–aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
I simply took the first step forward.
***
Finally entering District 7. Despite the chaos of war, the streets still felt familiar as we raced down them.
Clench.
With weapons in hand, ready to fight.
“Behell–aaaaaahhh!!”
“Waaaaaaa!!”
“Protect me!”
“Nia Rafdonia……!!!”
Each person let out their own battle cries.
“Waaaaaa!!”
As we sprinted through the empty streets, it wasn’t long before we spotted a group of what appeared to be Noark troops in the distance. Their numbers were around ten. They seemed to be a unit deployed to monitor the holy land…
“Emergency! Emergency! Approximately a thousand troops have left the holy land! Bjorn Yandel is leading them!”
Panicking, they sent out a transmission, but they didn’t even attempt to stop us and fled instead. Not that running would do them much good.
There’s a saying, isn’t there? If you see a bear in the wild from a distance, it’s already too late.
[Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast Rupture.]
[James Calla has cast Piercing Light.]
[Versyl Gowland has cast rank 4 attack magic……]
Snipers perched on my shoulders took advantage of the high ground(?) to pick off the fleeing enemies from a distance.
I call it Barbarian Bunker Mode.
Oh, and among the ranged attackers in the bunker was also Rotmiller.
Thwack-!
Oh, a headshot with a crossbow at this distance? Doesn’t look like it was even skill-assisted.
“…Seems like you’ve improved?”
“Shooting practice was the easiest thing to do in the city, after all.”
True, practicing swordsmanship requires a partner.
“But… are you sure I should be here?”
Rotmiller still seemed unsure about being part of Barbarian Bunker Mode. Or rather, he seemed worried.
“I’ll do my best, but I might just get in the way.”
“That’s fine. I decided to put you here.”
I was the one who positioned Rotmiller here. There was no other choice. He insisted on coming along, saying he’d do his part, and I couldn’t refuse. In the end, I didn’t feel he was safe, so I placed him in my Bunker Mode. In some ways, it might be the most dangerous front line, but……
‘It’s within my sight.’
I judged that I could manage the situation if things went awry. And Rotmiller wasn’t just decoration; he was actually useful.
“Over there! My ‘Sixth Sense’ is telling me that it’s dangerous!”
I had momentarily forgotten, but Rotmiller, having consumed the essence of a Mimic, had a significantly high Sixth Sense stat. His navigation skills as my first scout were also still intact. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to worry about picking a path.
“Then we should head that way.”
“…Huh? What do you mean? I just said that way is dangerous.”
Well……
“…Which is why we’re going that way?”
“……?”
“We’re here to fight.”
We need to head towards the danger to find the enemy.
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