Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 384: We (3)

Chapter 384: We (3)

?The labyrinth is closed.?

?Character is being transferred to Lafdonia.?

The sunlight of the city after almost two months.

Having spent the last few days in the dark depths of Atlante, the light felt even brighter.

'Humans need sunlight.'

I briefly looked up at the gloomy sky of the city and then headed towards the checkpoint.

"You're here!"

Erwen was already there, waving at me.

We joined the line, and Amelia arrived soon after.

"It took longer than expected."

She answered, glancing at the navigator standing awkwardly next to her.

"So he really did wait at the 7th District plaza?"

"He doesn't lie."

It was a bit absurd to be so sure after just a few days...

But I didn't say anything.

"...But was there any trouble?"

"None. He waited patiently for me."

Amelia sounded proud.

Was she really that happy that he had followed her orders?

The navigator, Auyen Lokrob, seemed to be having a delayed realization...

"Hehe..."

He forced a smile as soon as our eyes met.

It was a bit pitiful...

But then again, he was one of the ones who attacked us first, so it was his own fault.

"It's our turn."

We reached the front of the line, exchanged all the magic stones we had gathered for money, and then passed through the checkpoint.

And then we entered the crowded streets.

We changed our formation here.

Amelia was at the back, with the navigator right in front of her.

"Haha... I-I won't run away..."

"You might get lost."

"I've lived in the 7th District for 20 years..."

The navigator mumbled, but he didn't stray from the formation until we reached the house.

And...

"This... is it...?"

The three-story detached house.

The navigator gasped as we entered the garden.

But he seemed to sense something was off.

"But... why are the windows all..."

He trailed off, staring at the boarded-up windows.

"Don't worry about it. It's for security."

"Ah, yes..."

He didn't say anything more, but his eyes were filled with curiosity and fear.

What kind of people live in a house like this?

'It seems like he already knows who Erwen is...'

I would have to confirm it later.

We entered the house, and after a brief discussion, we decided to give the navigator one of the spare rooms.

It was in the basement.

"...The basement? Did we have a basement?"

I looked at Erwen, and she blushed.

"I specifically looked for a house with a basement. Just in case..."

Hmm, is that so?

I had heard that rich people have panic rooms...

Creak, creak, creak.

I watched as Erwen removed the carpet and activated a hidden mechanism, revealing a staircase.

We descended the stairs, and a spacious room, designed as a storage area, appeared.

It was completely empty, and at the far end, there was a thick iron door with a lock.

Click.

Erwen unlocked the door, revealing a room with a large bed.

There were even shackles on the wall.

"This... isn't this a prison...?"

The navigator's face turned pale.

I felt the same way.

I had goosebumps as soon as I saw the basement.

Well, it wasn't my problem anymore.

"...A prison? It's a normal room."

"..."

"Look, there's even a bathroom and a shower. You can use it all you want, no one else will."

"..."

"Ahem, then I'll go upstairs. I'm suddenly feeling a bit sick..."

Why is my heart racing?

I don't have claustrophobia.

I quickly pushed the navigator into the room and closed the door, and Erwen immediately locked it.

Click.

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

The navigator pounded on the door, but we ignored him.

"I'll keep the key."

"Okay."

Amelia took the key, and that was the end of the navigator's housing issue.

She would take care of his meals and everything.

'I've been meaning to ask this...'

"Amelia, is there really such a poison? You said he'll die if he doesn't take the antidote every day. I've never heard of it."

It sounded like something out of a martial arts novel.

It was a classic cliche, the evil sect using poison to control their subordinates.

If it was real, it would be useful in various situations...

"Schuitz, you're so naive."

"...Huh?"

"There's no such poison. Thankfully, he doesn't know much about poisons."

"Ah..."

So it was a bluff.

I had a hunch, but I had to confirm...

"What?!"

Erwen suddenly flinched.

"That poison... it's not real...?"

She sounded disappointed.

I asked her if she needed it for something, but she avoided my gaze.

"J-just in case..."

Just in case what?

I wanted to ask, but I knew she wouldn't give me a straight answer, so I let it go.

__________________

We all rested in our rooms on the first day back from the labyrinth. And then, from the next day onwards, we were busy.

We had a lot of loot to process.

"Erwen, you should come too."

"What? Me? You can handle it—"

"You won't even do that much for Schuitz?"

"...That's not what I meant."

From the second day, Erwen and Amelia were constantly out, exchanging the loot for money. I spent most of my time guarding the house.

"I've prepared your meals in the basement. Make sure to eat on time."

That was my daily routine, except for visiting the basement three times a day to deliver meals.

But on the third day, we had a visitor.

"Raven."

"I was going to come yesterday, but I was busy. Can I come in?"

"Of course."

She entered the house and looked around.

"Where are the others?"

"They're out, selling the loot."

"Hmm..."

She mumbled, a strange look in her eyes.

I asked her if something was wrong, and she shook her head.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking... they're doing the work I used to do."

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't have anyone else to ask."

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. And besides, it's not something you should apologize for."

"Thank you for saying that."

I led her to the living room, and we sat down facing each other.

We talked about our recent experiences.

"How was it?"

"It went well. You?"

"It's the same here. This war isn't ending anytime soon."

"I see."

"..."

It felt different from when we were companions.

There was a distance between us.

We hadn't seen each other for almost two months.

Thump, thump, thump!

A tremor came from the basement.

"What was that sound?"

"Ah, we had some plumbing work done recently. Don't worry about it."

I lied to her about the reason for the noise. I couldn't tell her we were holding someone captive.

Thankfully, Raven didn't seem suspicious.

We continued our conversation, and she told me about the recent events in the war.

But the most important information came at the end.

"Oh, and about what you asked... you know, about the integration proposal."

"You found out who brought it up?"

"Yes. It was Viscountess Peprok."

"Peprok...?"

What?

I couldn't help but be surprised.

It was a familiar name.

Ragna Ritanyel Peprok.

Maybe it was just a coincidence... but I couldn't shake off the feeling.

I had checked before, and there was no noble family named Peprok in Lafdonia.

"Raven, what's the viscountess's full name?"

"Ragna Peprok. That's what I heard."

"...What?"

It was really her?

She was missing a middle name, but...

"...Do you know her?"

"Maybe. Can you tell me more about the Peprok family?"

"They're a minor noble family. They lost their title a while ago, but they were reinstated last year."

What? Then it made sense that I couldn't find them when I checked before.

They had been reinstated after I left for the past.

Could it really be Ragna?

I was lost in thought when...

"I looked into it because it didn't make sense. How could a minor noble family regain their title and rise to a position where they could participate in the royal council meeting in such a short time?"

Raven continued, her voice lowering.

"The answer was simple. They had a backer."

"Who?"

"The Prime Minister of Lafdonia, Marquis Terserion."

"...What?"

My head spun.

Forget about the Viscountess being Ragna, if Raven's information was correct, it meant that the Viscountess was part of the Prime Minister's faction.

"Then... the Prime Minister must be the one who proposed the integration..."

I mumbled, and Raven shook her head slightly.

"No, it's not that simple. He actually strongly opposed the proposal, calling it absurd. The other nobles were surprised and quickly dropped the topic."

"Maybe it was just a performance."

"Performance...?"

"A staged act. He showed his anger to prevent the other nobles from even considering it."

"Ah..."

Raven looked at me, surprised.

"You seem knowledgeable about politics...?"

"Not really. I'm just interested in people."

Of course, it was just speculation.

I didn't have enough information.

"Raven, can you look into Viscountess Peprok?"

"I will. I'm curious too."

"Thank you."

"I'll be going then."

"Okay, be careful."

That was the end of our conversation.

And a week later.

One sunny afternoon, while Erwen and Amelia were out in the commercial district exchanging the loot for money...

Boom!

Knights bearing the royal family's emblem stormed into the house, smashing the front door.

"Lihen Schuitz, you are under arrest for colluding with Noark."

Well, it was bound to happen.