Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 395: Captain Barbarian (5)

Chapter 395: Captain Barbarian (5)

My head throbbed.

My stomach churned, my lips were parched, and my throat felt dry and scratchy.

But the discomfort was secondary to the question that filled my mind.

'Why am I here?'

James Kala, the Vice-Captain of the Sawtooth Clan, gasped for air as if he had just been resuscitated.

"Huh...!"

He looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling.

A luxurious wooden ceiling with intricate patterns, a dazzling chandelier hanging from it.

As he tried to piece together his fragmented memories, a man's face appeared before him.

Jun, the paladin from the Tovera Church.

He had thought the paladin was quite handsome when he first saw him—

"Ah...!"

His last memory flashed before his eyes, and James sat up abruptly. He quickly asked the paladin, who had dodged his flailing body just in time,

"What... what happened to the fight?"

The paladin smiled awkwardly.

"You already know, don't you?"

"Then..."

"Yes, we lost. He was truly strong, in many ways."

Unlike the paladin, who seemed indifferent, James couldn't help but sigh.

"Are you having trouble accepting defeat, Sir Kala?"

"That's not... it's just... I don't know what to tell the Alminus Trading Company and the Explorer's Guild. They supported me..."

"Just tell them the truth."

"That we lost to a barbarian after ganging up on him four to one? And that we have to let him be the leader? How can I possibly... Wait, why are you laughing?"

"Ah, my apologies. The word 'barbarian' just struck me as funny."

James realized his mistake.

He shouldn't have spoken ill of the victor.

It must have sounded like he was trying to belittle him, like the despicable people he had often encountered as Vice-Captain.

"You still don't acknowledge him, do you?"

"That's..."

James trailed off and then answered in a bitter tone.

"No, I do."

He meant it.

He had initially been prejudiced against him because of his first impression.

"He's... a clever man."

The paladin nodded in agreement.

"Yes, he is."

"Looking back, we were played from the beginning. We underestimated him. We thought he was just a brute..."

"Indeed. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I didn't expect us to lose. I still have much to learn."

James agreed with the paladin.

If he had investigated him more thoroughly when he first heard the rumors... things might have been different.

"The problem is, I don't know how the others will react. Where are Sir Kaislan and Senior Akuraba?"

"They're in separate rooms. They were unconscious when I last saw them. They were more severely injured than you."

"...I should go see them."

They went to the infirmary.

The priests had already healed their injuries, so they just had to wait for them to regain consciousness.

James sat down and waited, and Titana Akuraba soon opened her eyes.

"You have that look on your face... I guess we lost."

She didn't ask any questions, unlike James.

She just sat there in silence for a while, and then asked where the others were.

"You're awake, Senior Akuraba. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But... where is he?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's giving us time to recover."

"He wouldn't be that considerate."

Akuraba's blunt words lightened the mood. They chatted for a while, and then Kaislan regained consciousness.

"...What... what happened to him?!"

It was time for a serious discussion.

____________________

"So... we lost."

Kaislan muttered, his voice filled with deep regret and anger.

He clenched his fist.

"I won't accept it."

"You're refusing to accept defeat?"

"No, I'm not that foolish. But losing is one thing, and letting him be the commander is another."

"Are you saying you're going to break the promise you made in front of the Marquis?"

Kaislan flinched at the mention of the Marquis's name, but he didn't back down.

"Would you accept it? Thirty lives! And not just any lives, the most talented individuals in the city! Are we going to entrust their lives to someone who only relies on brute force? I can't stand by and watch, even if it's for the greater good!"

James sighed. He hadn't expected Kaislan to be this stubborn.

"Are you saying you're more qualified than him in every other aspect?"

"Not just me, but all of us. We're better than some unknown barbarian!"

"I see. Then can you explain why?"

"Why? Didn't we have a deep conversation about the ideal leader? No one mentioned strength."

"That's true."

James agreed with the knight.

A leader shouldn't be the strongest, but the one who can wield the strongest.

But...

'It's pointless to argue. We lost, and the Marquis has already made his decision.'

James had already accepted the situation and was thinking about how to minimize the damage.

"I don't think he's less qualified than us."

"...What?!"

"I'm not saying he's the best candidate. But I don't think he's worse than us."

James genuinely meant it.

If they had had time to prepare and fought him seriously from the beginning, the outcome might have been different.

But...

'It's too late now.'

"We lost, and he won. Do you know why?"

The knight glared at him, but James continued.

"Because we lacked information. He knew everything about us. Our essences, our equipment..."

"He just got the information from the Marquis!"

"That's the scary part, isn't it? We didn't even know who we were going to meet, but the Marquis did."

Kaislan didn't respond.

"So you're saying you're okay with him being the leader? You're all going to just accept it?"

James looked at Titana Akuraba.

But...

"I'm not that different."

She didn't agree with the knight.

"...Are you scared of the Marquis?"

"Not really. It's just... I don't think he's worse than us."

"What?!"

Kaislan was dumbfounded.

"I was impressed by his meticulousness."

"Meticulousness...?"

Kaislan seemed offended by the word.

"Yes, meticulousness. He acted like he didn't know anything about us, even though he did. And he provoked us into attacking."

And not just that.

He had also been meticulous in his use of skills during the fight.

He had saved his trump cards until the most opportune moment.

James Kala was a prime example.

He had been the first to fall, leaving the other three to bear the brunt of the attack.

"And his combat instincts are amazing."

"...He's a natural."

They had tried to burn him down, but they were the ones who got caught in the flames.

And he had smiled in satisfaction.

"I thought he was just fighting instinctively, but now I realize he was making calculated decisions."

"Are you saying he was being rational when he smashed Kaislan's head with his hammer after losing an eye?"

"He gained more than he lost. The front line collapsed after that."

James and the paladin exchanged compliments, and Kaislan gritted his teeth.

He couldn't understand them.

'What's wrong with them?'

They were acting like they didn't care about the commander position.

He suspected they might have made a deal with the Marquis behind his back...

But the conversation continued.

"I was most impressed by his determination."

Ha, now it was determination?

Kaislan scoffed, but the paladin continued.

"As Kala said, he wasn't overwhelmingly stronger than us. But he still challenged us."

He had been beaten to a pulp.

His bones were shattered, his insides were cooked, and he even lost an eye.

But he never fell.

He pushed through the flames, spat blood, and swung his hammer even with a dislocated shoulder.

"Can any of you do that?"

"..."

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never seen anyone fight with such unwavering determination."

He hadn't enjoyed the pain.

He must have been suffering.

Anyone would have understood if he had given up.

He was at his limit.

"In that situation, most people would start making excuses. They would try to convince themselves that they had done enough, that it was time to compromise."

But he didn't.

How was that possible?

The paladin, a devout follower of God, attributed it to faith.

"It was his faith. He believed in himself, that he wouldn't fall. That's what allowed him to overcome the trial and achieve victory."

"So you're saying you're okay with him being the commander, Jun?"

The knight asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

But the paladin answered without hesitation.

"Yes. If I have to follow someone, I would choose him."

"..."

"He'll be the one who stands strong, even when everyone else falls."

It seemed like the paladin was truly smitten.

James and Akuraba were hesitant to object. James was worried about the Marquis's reaction, and Akuraba felt obligated to keep her promise.

"Just accept it. We lost. He didn't even complain when the unconscious Vice-Captain rejoined the fight. That was practically cheating."

"He must have thought we wouldn't be convinced otherwise."

With three of them agreeing, Kaislan couldn't do anything.

'Thankfully, he didn't challenge the result and ask the Marquis for a rematch. Knowing his personality, he wouldn't have allowed it.'

James was relieved that he had avoided a potential conflict.

But there was still one problem.

"I won't say anything more. But remember this, you're making a mistake. As I said, strong discipline and control create a strong group. I doubt he has that kind of leadership."

The knight was stubborn, refusing to acknowledge the victor.

He seemed like the type who would cause trouble at the first opportunity...

And that could be a problem in the labyrinth.

But...

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Ah, it seems like everyone is awake."

The door opened before anyone could answer, and a man entered.

James felt a sense of relief.

"You're all my subordinates now, so speak comfortably."

The man chuckled, even though he had never used honorifics before.

He looked at the knight and tilted his head.

"Hey, knight, why are you glaring at me like that? Did you hit your head too hard?"

It was a surprising sight.

The knight, who had been shouting about the importance of control...

"Answer me. Did you?"

"N-no, sir..."

...was now looking down.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world.