Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Baron Martoan (3)

Auril Gabis.

The developer’s nickname that always appeared at the bottom of the loading screen.

Well, I don’t know if it’s a nickname or his real name, but anyway…

‘Why is that name here…?’

It’s a bit sudden, but there are two possibilities.

[Compendium of Rifts II]

Either this book was written by a player…

…or it was actually written by him.

It means that the game developer is somehow closely related to the incident where I woke up in this body.

‘Is that bastard really some kind of divine being?’

Anyway, obtaining a clue is a good sign.

Auril Gabis.

If I carefully follow this name, maybe I can eventually find a way to return home.

I repeat, I still don’t know anything.

Whether reaching the last floor and opening the Gate of the Abyss again is the key to returning or not.

‘I should dig carefully, I might get hurt if I go around asking everyone.’

In that sense, I examine the book closely.

There’s nothing special.

There’s only a signature on the last page that seems to be the author’s, and the book doesn’t even have a publication date.

I make sure Ragna isn’t around and then tear off a small corner of the page, slipping it into my bag.

‘Even just finding out when this book was written would be a big gain—’

What the, it’s already morning?

I finish my thoughts and get up from my seat.

I go to the desk and see Ragna dozing off. There’s a blanket next to her, so I’m about to cover her with it…

“Hmm.”

…when she senses my presence and wakes up.

“Why didn’t you tell me? If I had known it was this late, I would have left.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I was just resting because I was a bit late finishing organizing the books.”

A bit late organizing the books?

It’s almost time to open the library!

“It’s true, so don’t misunderstand.”

“…Alright.”

She insists that it’s true, so I just nod and leave the library.

Just before I step out the door, I look back and see her stretching with a tired expression.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”

Is she actually a kind person?

______________________________

Since it was morning, I just started my day.

As a barbarian, it’s the same whether I wash up or not.

‘But I should at least eat.’

I enter a random restaurant that’s open nearby and have a quick meal before heading straight to the Magic Tower.

“Why is Mr. Yandel here at this hour…?”

“I came to ask you something.”

“Make it quick. I’m sleepy.”

“There’s an open spot for a mage on our team, do you want to join—”

Clack.

Damn it, if you don’t want to, just say so.

She’s a failure too, I guess.

Whatever, I didn’t have any expectations anyway.

“Wait! I have another request!”

I knock on the door urgently, and it opens with a creak.

“Another request?”

“I want to know when this paper was made.”

“Hmm? Let me see.”

Raven examines the paper I hand her with interest.

But it seems like she can’t find anything special.

“I can do it, but why are you curious about that?”

“Can’t you just do it?”

“Well, fine. But not for free, I need something in return…”

Raven trails off and then continues as if she thought of something suitable.

“My seniors are quite interested in you, Mr. Yandel, so go and help them out with their research. They’ve been bothering me lately.”

She wants me to offer my body to those perverts?

“…Just once?”

“Yes, it’s not that difficult of a request. I’ll finish the analysis by the time you come next week. Ah! Right, and please don’t come here unannounced at this early hour.”

“…Alright.”

It’s 9:00 AM when I finish my business and leave the Magic Tower. It’s a bit early, but since I have nothing else to do, I head to the bar, the meeting place.

Surprisingly, someone is there before me.

"Bjorn! What the! I went to your accommodation, and they said you weren't there!"

"Ah, I was at the library."

"Wha, what? All night…? Don't tell me that's what you meant by business?!"

"What are you talking about? I was reading books thanks to Ragna's consideration."

Misha looks at me with suspicious eyes, even though I'm telling the truth.

She's like a real mom.

"Are you serious...?"

"Why would I lie to you?"

"That's... true. Okay."

Surprisingly, she readily accepts it when I look her in the eye and say something.

It's like a good son wouldn't lie, I guess?

Anyway, as soon as I sit next to her, Misha hands me the drink she was having.

"Try this. It's made from a fruit called tomato, it has a really unique taste!"

I don't know about the unique taste, but something comes to mind when she mentions tomato juice.

"More importantly, what were you trying to say yesterday?"

It seemed like she was about to say something quite important, but we couldn't hear it because Hans B interrupted.

However...

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't remember?"

"Uh, uh... did I say something wrong?"

Judging by her innocent eyes, it seems like she really doesn't remember because she was drunk. I tried asking if there was anything she wanted to say, but to no avail.

"Hmm? I don't think so?"

"I see."

"...Are you mad?"

"No."

There are two ways to make someone angry in this world, but I don't get angry over things like that.

It's not like she did anything wrong.

As I'm using the quiet bar like a cafe to pass the time, my companions arrive.

"Oh, you were here first?"

"I'm sorry for making you come all the way here in the morning because of me..."

The dwarf and Dwarkey appear as a pair, as always. After waiting for a while, Rotmiller also arrives and takes a seat.

And the meeting begins.

The topic, of course, is how to lift Dwarkey's labyrinth entry ban.

"Then let's each share what we've come up with. Let's start with... Bjorn, you go first."

Uh, me first?

It's a nerve-wracking position, but I finish my presentation honestly and concisely.

"I think it's best to find a new companion."

"...What?"

"Of course, finding a mage would be difficult. I asked two other mages, but they both refused immediately."

"...Wa, wait, you already asked other mages?"

"Is there a problem?"

I ask back confidently.

Although the dwarf, who was trying to find a solution, might find my actions disappointing...

Selfishness and altruism are always just a fine line apart.

I was just trying to find a realistic solution for the team, considering the worst-case scenario.

"Someone had to say it, even if it wasn't me. Isn't that right, Rotmiller?"

"That's... true."

Rotmiller nods with a slightly uncomfortable expression as I specifically ask for his opinion.

The dwarf's gaze becomes serious, but...

"Mu, Murad! I'm fine, so relax. Bjorn didn't say anything wrong."

Even Dwarkey says that, so the dwarf shuts his mouth.

"Th, then I'll give it a try!"

Misha raises her hand brightly, as if trying to lighten the mood.

Of course, it's not something worth listening to.

"Go, go ahead, Miss Kaltstein."

"I looked into it, and I heard that the Moselan knights are weak to bribes. How about we gather some money and bribe them?"

She suggests bribery with an innocent voice.

Indeed, that Martoan Baron or whatever probably bribed the knights to screw over Dwarkey.

But...

"Miss Kaltstein, the Moselan knights never deal with non-nobles."

The Moselan knights strictly exclude commoners.

Although most of them are without titles... no, maybe that's their last shred of pride.

"Is, is that so...? I didn't know that. Then next, Rotmiller, it's your turn."

Misha is flustered and passes the turn.

Since it's Rotmiller's opinion, I also wait for his words with some seriousness.

However...

"Honestly, I don't know how to deal with nobles... especially titled nobles, to get what we want. I'm sorry..."

It seems like Rotmiller also hasn't found a proper solution.

However, unlike when it was my turn, the dwarf sighs and comforts him instead.

"How is that your fault? Actually... that's only natural."

No, if he knows it's natural, why did he glare at me?

As I'm grumbling to myself, the dwarf speaks in a quiet voice.

"So, about that... Dwarkey and I thought about it last night..."

"Get to the point."

"How about we go directly to Baron Martoan and talk to him?"

In other words, let's have a showdown.

But there's a serious problem with that.

"How are we going to meet him?"

Most nobles reside in the 1st district, the Imperial City of Karnon. And it's a place where low-ranking explorers like us can't even enter.

It's not just about having a conversation, we live in different worlds.

However, it seems like the dwarf has already come up with a detailed plan.

"There's a tea house that Baron Martoan visits regularly. If we wait there, we'll definitely meet him."

Hmm, if that's the case...

It's definitely not bad.

Regardless of the low probability of the baron changing his mind, there's nothing to lose by trying.

"Then there's no problem. The two of you go."

"Wh, what do you mean? Come with us!"

What is he talking about again?

"It's just a matter of going to plead with him, why do we all have to go?"

"...We need courage! He's a titled noble!"

The dwarf starts whining excessively when I tell them to handle it themselves.

I'm already sighing at his hopeless attitude, but since we have some history together, I calculate the potential benefits.

'With 9 days left, finding a new mage is impossible...'

And if we just find any random person, it will be a pain in the ass unless they're decent.

As expected, it's best if Dwarkey stays on the team.

'And if those two go, it seems like they'll just stammer and come back without achieving anything.'

No matter how I think about it, going there myself seems to have a slightly higher chance of success.

But...

'I don't like meeting nobles.'

Even in the game, I made it a rule to avoid getting involved with nobles as much as possible.

Because there are no decent ones among them—

"I'll give you 300,000 stones no matter how it ends! Each!"

Hmm, that's tempting.

If it's not loyalty pay, I guess meeting a noble once wouldn't be so bad.

_____________________________________

"If that's the case, then meeting him wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Really!"

The dwarf's face brightens up noticeably at my consent.

However, instead of getting swept up in his excitement, I calmly confirm what I need to know.

"So when can we go?"

Even if he's a noble, it's not a world where he can just kill anyone he wants.

Especially if they're a respected explorer.

There probably won't be any major risks, but it's my first time meeting a real noble since waking up in this body.

I also need to prepare myself mentally—

"To, today."

"What...?"

"If, if we don't go today, he won't visit that place again until next month."

Phew, no wonder I wanted to refuse.

But since I already agreed, I confirm other details.

How old Baron Martoan is, whether he's a man, if he has any dislikes, or anything else that would be good to know.

As I'm memorizing various things, time flies by.

"Le, let's go. Like you said, we need to be there early to pretend we met him by chance!"

The baron usually visits the tea house between 3:00 and 4:00 PM.

So we arrive at the tea house at 2:00 PM and wait for the right moment.

How much time has passed?

"Th, that's my second brother."

Baron Martoan appears with his servants.

Does he really come here in person just to enjoy tea brewed by the owner?

Since we won't have a chance to talk to him once he enters a private room, I quickly get up and take the lead.

"Who are you!"

A huge knight blocks our path as soon as we approach.

Dwarkey steps forward as planned.

"Ba, Baron Martoan! It's me! Liol Wobu Dwarkey! Please, just hear me out!"

Dwarkey prostrates himself on the ground, showing submission as I advised.

Baron Martoan, who was having a conversation with the owner, turns his attention to us.

However, his subsequent reaction is completely different from what I expected.

"Dwarkey...? That name sounds familiar."

He mutters as if he doesn't even remember properly.

A man who looks like a butler whispers in his ear,

"The Dwarkey family is the maternal family of the former baron's third wife, Lady Carlina."

"Ah, that's right! So what does someone from that family want from me?"

"I, I… that is, well…"

Dwarkey starts stammering, flustered by the unexpected turn of events from the beginning.

It's my turn to step in, earlier than planned.

"Greetings. I am Bjorn, son of Yandel."

I speak confidently, regardless of him being a noble.

If it were another race, that alone would constitute insulting a noble...

...but barbarians are an exception.

Our ancestors made a great contribution a long time ago and received permission from the king.

"It's been a while since I've had a conversation with a barbarian. It always feels strange."

Fortunately, the baron seems interested in the current situation.

Well, when would these guys ever get to meet a barbarian and be spoken to so casually?

"So what brings you to me?"

"This guy's labyrinth entry was banned after being taken away by the Moselan knights yesterday."

"That's unfortunate. But why are you telling me this?"

Because he said you were the one who ordered it.

'What? Why is he acting like he doesn't know anything?'

At first, I thought he was just making excuses, but at this point, I'm also starting to get suspicious.

And that's when...

The butler whispers in the baron's ear again.

"Hmm, an illegitimate child? Was there one? I see. So you did it..."

"Yes, I didn't report it separately because it wasn't something you needed to be concerned about."

"You did well. It's just a waste of time to know about such trivial matters."

Now that I see it, the baron didn't know anything about this incident, and it seems like the butler handled everything.

"Trivial matters...?"

Dwarkey is clearly in shock, but…

The outcome is not bad.

The fact that they consider it an insignificant matter means that the possibility of achieving our goal has increased.

"Can you lift the labyrinth entry ban?"

"Hmm, why should I?"

The baron tilts his head as if he doesn't understand at all. And what's annoying is that there's no malice in his expression.

His way of thinking is completely different from ours.

‘Damn celestial dragons…’

I curse the baron inwardly and contemplate what to do next.

The butler whispers something in his ear again.

I don’t know what method he’s using, but I can’t hear his voice again this time either.

But I can roughly guess what he’s saying.

“Huh? What? This is that barbarian?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hoo, Little Balkan… I’ve heard the name. The Count mentioned during the banquet two days ago that an interesting explorer had appeared.”

The baron looks at me with a completely different gaze than before. His eyes are filled with life, as if he’s discovered an amusing toy.

“Bjorn, was it? I’ll grant your request if you do me a favor in return.”

Ah, uh, hmm…

I didn’t expect this situation…

“It’s not a difficult request. And I’ll give you a sufficient reward! What do you think?”

Somehow, I’m about to receive a second request.

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