Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 531: Escape Plan (4)
A dagger emblazoned with the Silver Lion Clan’s emblem.
Why was it here?
The moment I pondered this, a possibility naturally arose in my mind.
[If you mean the Silver Lion Clan, they left the island not long after you departed. And they haven’t returned.]
The chief’s previous words could be false.
Perhaps... the Silver Lion Clan didn’t fail to return—they crossed a river from which there was no return.
By someone’s doing.
“...”
“...”
Judging by her expression, Amelia seemed to think similarly...
“Was there anything else besides the dagger?”
“That’s all. At least from what we’ve confirmed so far.”
“I see...”
It was hard to draw any definite conclusion for now.
It’s possible monsters accidentally took the dagger, or maybe these monsters bought it from the Silver Lions.
In short, you can spin hopeful scenarios as much as you want.
But...
“This is troublesome.”
When variables arise, it’s always best to assume the worst.
“As you saw, that person is dangerous.”
The chief’s power wasn’t just monstrous.
With a flick, he threw a sword and instantly killed a Hiphramagent. But if that sword flew at me—would I survive?
Since I couldn’t know, I first confirmed this.
“...Who knows that we have this dagger?”
“Still no one. Fnelin found it by accident when checking if she had caused trouble.”
“Is it possible to put it back without being noticed?”
No need for long discussion.
“Now, yes.”
“Please do.”
“Understood.”
Amelia carefully tucked the dagger back into her clothes.
She already knew everything.
That opposing the chief now would be far too risky.
‘We’re trapped in this village until the rainy season ends.’
The chief held a secret.
That much was clear.
But we weren’t ready to handle it yet.
The day after Amelia safely returned the dagger to the forge.
“From today, investigate the Silver Lion Clan’s whereabouts as discreetly as possible. Don’t tell Ainard, Versil, or even Elwen.”
“Yandel, what about you?”
“I’m going to meet the chief again.”
After assigning Amelia the new quest, I headed to the chief’s mansion.
“You came earlier than expected.”
“I have nothing better to do than rest.”
“I’d offer you tea, but this village has none. Sit.”
Perhaps because I came after seeing the Silver Lion dagger?
Although we talked normally as before, I found my muscles tensing unconsciously.
Thump!
Like standing before a psychopath killer, but I tried to act naturally without showing it.
Acting like this is my specialty anyway.
“So, what did you want to talk about? Since you called me out alone, it’s not just for chit-chat, right?”
“Hmm, it’s ambiguous, but if it’s business, it’s business.”
The chief said with his usual deadpan voice.
“Bjorn Yandel. I’m curious about you.”
“...What?”
“Strange? Perhaps I’m interested in the explorer who might let me out of here?”
“That’s not it...”
It was an awkward topic, but I quickly assessed the situation.
The Silver Lion is one thing, this is another.
“Why should I tell you because you’re curious?”
I rephrased yesterday’s answer in my own style.
“You once told me to focus on the task, not pointless curiosity.”
Though I deliberately spoke bluntly, the chief surprisingly showed no displeasure.
“That’s true.”
No, he accepted it so easily it almost embarrassed me.
“Then how about we answer each other’s questions? You probably have many questions about me as well.”
Hmm...
A one-on-one truth game...
“All right.”
No long hesitation.
This world isn’t made so easy that you get what you want without risk.
‘I’m used to this kind of situation now.’
I quickly took the initiative.
“May I start asking?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you still possess the essences you had as a human?”
The most important question at this point.
Brüngrid’s essences were quite famous.
Like other legendary heroes, his essence combinations, called ‘vision’, were passed down.
Not all his essences are known, but knowing this would roughly show his strength.
“No, I don’t.”
Hmm, no?
“Then what was that glowing sword yesterday?”
“Now it’s my turn.”
“...Go ahead.”
Since I could gain something from the chief’s question, I passed without resistance.
What would be his first question?
Curiosity grew as the chief slowly spoke.
“How old are you?”
A totally unexpected question.
“Age...?”
“Was that a difficult question?”
“...Twenty-four.”
I answered honestly despite feeling a bit stunned.
‘Why ask age? To lull me before an important question?’
I felt uneasy, but it wasn’t bad to pass the turn with age info.
“You’re much younger than I thought. And at that age, with your skills and noble lineage, very impressive.”
I ignored the flattering words and began my turn.
“If not essences from your human days, did you gain your abilities on this island?”
Those calling themselves ‘human’ are a very special type.
Innately possessing passives and actives.
This is a trait shared with other monsters.
But...
“Yes. I was given only time, and as you saw, this island is full of monsters.”
They can absorb essences.
But they cannot level up, and each has from 3 to 7 innate essence slots.
‘...It’s hard to say if I should even call them monsters.’
Honestly, they could be considered races like elves, dwarves, barbarians, or beastmen.
The races of Rafdonia have unique traits.
Elves summon spirits, barbarians grow stronger through spirit engravings, dwarves gain bonuses from equipment, and beastmen use soul water to strengthen themselves.
In that sense...
‘They start with a fixed level at birth and have one innate race-specific essence.’
From this viewpoint, that can be considered a ‘race-specific trait.’
But...
‘Essences dropped.’
I saw monster warriors turn into light and vanish upon death in the recent battle.
Which confirms they’re monsters...
‘What matters is... this.’
I finished the biological pondering on whether it’s appropriate to call them monsters.
It was the chief’s turn.
“Tell me about your first entry into the labyrinth.”
“...Why are you curious about that?”
“To understand who you are.”
“That’ll be a long story.”
“My longest possession is time. But you may be different. A summary is fine.”
“...Then fine.”
I told a few episodes from my first expedition, and it became my turn again.
‘Now, what should I ask?’
After brief thought, I decided on a sensitive question.
“Tell me about the Immortal King.”
“The Immortal King...?”
Isn’t he the one who claims to be an ancient hero?
If ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) true, I could learn secrets of old from him, or if false, I could approach the chief’s identity.
“The first king of Rafdonia.”
“Oh, you mean the lord? But that’ll be a long story, are you sure?”
“I have plenty of time for now.”
“Hmm... it’s too broad, I don’t know where to start. The lord was a very lucky man.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes. The lord was an ordinary man. But... he had the most talented mage as a friend.”
“You mean the Sage.”
The chief nodded and continued.
“The Sage foresaw the apocalypse and prepared for it long ago. He persuaded his lord friend and spent the entire family fortune to prepare. People laughed at the foolish lord. Nobles across the continent snickered.”
But after the apocalypse was realized, the story changed completely.
“The kings of neighboring countries, the continent’s best swordsmen, and the mages of Inkharun—all took what they could and fled there. They begged to be allowed inside.”
The lord and the Sage strictly filtered refugees.
And...
“That’s how Rafdonia was born.”
“Wait, then what is Noah Arc?”
“...?”
“The underground city. It also has a portal to the labyrinth.”
“Oh, you mean the underground shelter? I haven’t been there but heard of it.”
Hmm... a shelter...
“Sorry to interrupt, please continue.”
“Anyway, since so many were trapped in the city, supplies quickly ran out. Then the Sage finally created a portal connecting to another dimension.”
That was the labyrinth.
A mysterious land full of monsters.
Initially, the plan was for the entire city to migrate to the new land.
“To realize the migration plan, the Sage formed an expedition team, and I was lucky to join.”
The team explored the labyrinth actively.
Then, with the mages’ research discovering the value of magic stones, the migration plan was scrapped.
Magic stones.
A universal substance that can be food, water, even iron.
“That stabilized the city and created a foundation for permanence. The city grew, and the number of portals increased. But if you ask what the lord did in the process, there’s nothing much to say.”
All achievements belonged to the Sage; the lord was just the luckiest man alive.
That was the chief’s assessment.
‘That’s suspicious in itself...’
I wanted to ask a new question, but sadly, it was now his turn.
“How was your second expedition?”
The chief asked about my expedition episodes again. I was cautious but told the story.
“The Blood Fortress... a nostalgic name. An interesting tale.”
“Then it’s my turn.”
Hmm, what to ask next?
I decided on a possibly sensitive question.
“How did the Immortal King gain immortality?”
It’s info related to royal power and could probe Cornelius Brüngrid.
What answer would the chief give?
Just then—
Knock knock.
At the door came a knock and ancient language words.
[Chief, urgent news.]
“Sorry. Let’s continue this another time.”
The chief dismissed me, and I left his house. Outside was a familiar monster.
‘Marupichichi’s dad.’
A warrior recognized in the village, almost the chief’s right-hand.
“...”
[....]
We awkwardly greeted with eyes and I passed by toward the lodging.
Walking, I kept thinking.
‘Urgent news... if it came to this, it must be important... what could it be?’
The conversation with the chief was suspicious in many ways.
‘...Asking my age.’
I couldn’t grasp his intent.
If he’d been so interested, he could’ve interrogated the Silver Lion Clan earlier.
‘Maybe he was totally wrong.’
Suddenly, I thought the dagger found at the forge was nothing, and maybe they left and never came back.
But—
Ding!
That’s exactly when danger strikes.
So I reviewed today’s conversation.
‘The chief asked my age.’
Why?
Was he really curious?
‘No way.’
Even without interrogating the Silver Lion Clan, he could’ve gotten that info easily.
That means...
‘His claim of curiosity is a lie.’
Then why did the chief propose the truth game?
It’s like buying a piece of bread with a gold nugget...
‘Wait.’
The moment that thought came, lightning struck in my mind.
‘Maybe... that was his purpose.’
He gave me the ‘gold nugget.’
In other words, using the truth game as an excuse to naturally give me ‘information.’
That would explain a lot.
‘That glowing sword... now I realize there was no need to show it.’
I didn’t know the chief’s power then.
Simply put, if the chief wanted to hide his strength, he could’ve easily.
But he killed the giant with one strike right in front of me.
‘So it was all deliberate...’
I don’t yet know the purpose.
With little info, I need to talk more with the chief to approach the truth.
But...
Day after day...
I went to the chief’s house for clues, but it was always empty. When asking village monsters about the chief, they said he was busy.
‘Is he avoiding me? Or is it really urgent?’
My doubts only grew.
“Mr. Yandel...”
“What is it?”
“Mr. Raines is missing. Usually he’s back by now, so I wondered if he’s here.”
Versil reported Amelia’s late return. I tried to suppress my worry and waited until morning.
But...
“He’s not coming.”
I refused to waste the golden time hoping.
“Everyone, get your extensions ready.”
Amelia, who searched the village daily, was missing.
