Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 497: Quest (2)

Some people command attention with just their presence and gaze.

Teschlun Lengman Keallunus, the Mage Tower Master, was one of those people.

“T-Tower Master…!”

He was about 5’7”. His physique was that of a typical frail mage, and his skin was wrinkled with age.

Honestly, if it weren’t for the staff that reached his shoulders, he would have looked like any ordinary old man walking down the street.

Step.

But until he descended the last step and stood in the lobby, no one, not even the warriors, dared to speak.

His gaze was sharp and alert, belying his age, but that wasn’t the reason for their silence.

The warriors had sensed it instinctively.

Mage and warrior.

Even if their domains were different, the one in a position of power was the old man.

“Baron Bjorn Yandel.”

The Tower Master finally reached the bottom of the stairs and looked at me for a moment before speaking.

“You’re exactly as my brother described. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

It was an unexpected greeting.

For the master of the Mage Tower to greet a barbarian who had invaded his domain with such politeness… I had expected him to call me a madman or something.

Step.

I took a large step forward, closing the distance between us, and the Tower Master stepped back.

It confirmed my suspicions.

‘He’s avoiding the area of effect.’

He was staying out of the range of ‘Distorted Trust’.

But I pretended not to notice and said,

“I can’t say the same. I’m in the middle of interrogating traitors.”

I made my hostility clear, and the Tower Master chuckled.

“Let’s put aside our emotions and have a frank discussion. What do you say?”

His voice was calm and composed, as if he had the upper hand.

‘A frank discussion, my ass.’

Did this old man even know how barbarians worked?

The more you tried to control them, the more rebellious they became.

“I refuse! As I said, I’m busy interrogating traitors!”

“But now that I’m here, they won’t tell you anything.”

He was right.

The three captured mages’ eyes were filled with hope.

‘I was planning to use force if necessary, but now that he’s here…’

“You can take your time, but the royal army will be here soon.”

I made my decision.

“Fine. What do you want to say?”

“Can you dismiss everyone first?”

“The warriors, yes. But not Marco.”

“Marco? You mean him?”

The Tower Master glanced at Marco, who was diligently filming, and Marco flinched.

Well, it was understandable. Being stared at by a powerful figure like that would be intimidating.

“The royal family has the right to know what happened here.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Are you refusing?”

“Of course not. I have no intention of interfering with the royal family’s affairs. But…”

The Tower Master trailed off and glanced at Marco again.

And at that moment…

Crack!

“W-Whoa!”

The recording crystal shattered, and Marco fell back, startled.

“Oh dear, it seems to be broken.”

Right, that’s how he was going to play it.

“I bought it from the Mage Tower. It must have been defective.”

“Magical devices are inherently unstable, no matter how carefully they’re crafted. But I apologize on behalf of the Mage Tower. If you tell them my name, they’ll give you a new one.”

This old man was amusing.

“Ainar, take everyone downstairs, including Marco.”

“Are you sure…?”

I nodded, and Ainar led the warriors downstairs.

And then…

“You three can take a nap.”

The three captured mages collapsed to the ground simultaneously.

It was a basic sleep spell.

We were alone now.

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“Alright, now tell me. What did you want to say?”

“I’ll be brief.”

The Tower Master took three steps forward, entering the range of ‘Distorted Trust’.

And then he looked at me and said,

“The Mage Tower will ban all research using ‘barbarian hearts’ from this day forward. Anyone caught violating this ban will be punished as if they had used forbidden magic.”

“And?”

“We will also discipline those who tried to acquire hearts from the black market.”

“What kind of discipline?”

“They won’t be able to call themselves mages of the Mage Tower anymore.”

In other words, they would be fired.

“You might think it’s a lenient punishment, but that’s the limit of what we can do.”

He was trying to persuade me, but I was actually satisfied with this outcome.

I had exaggerated their crimes to make them seem more serious, but I hadn’t expected them to actually be punished for treason.

“Of course, if they try to acquire barbarian hearts through the black market again, it will be a different story. It will be considered trafficking in forbidden goods.”

Okay, the follow-up measures were also satisfactory.

“And?”

“We won’t press charges for your illegal intrusion and occupation of the Mage Tower. You were just here to reprimand us, and we’ve accepted your criticism and corrected our mistakes. That’s the official story.”

I was speechless.

He knew I couldn't lie because of 'Distorted Trust', and yet he was offering me this deal?

“…Are you serious?”

He was practically admitting that the Mage Tower had lost to a barbarian.

But…

“I am.”

I wasn’t happy.

I was uneasy.

There was no such thing as a free lunch.

“So what do you want in return?”

I asked bluntly, and the Tower Master gave me a name.

“Lurendel Galinbaret, Master of the Triten School.”

The mage who had placed a bounty on my heart.

“Clear her of all charges.”

So that’s why he hadn’t mentioned her before.

I thought for a moment and then asked,

“Is she worth that much?”

“She’s a brilliant mage. She made a mistake, but I believe her research will bring about a great revolution in this world.”

I didn't believe him.

There had to be another reason.

‘Lurendel Galinbaret… maybe I caught a bigger fish than I thought…’

Anyway, I could ask Amelia to investigate her later.

“So… what do you say? I’m waiting for your answer.”

“Fine. I accept your offer.”

I ended the negotiation.

It was a shame to let the woman who had tried to kill me go free, but I had gained more than I had expected, so there was no reason to be greedy.

But he still seemed uneasy.

“So… there are no hard feelings?”

He was trying to gauge my true intentions, using the fact that ‘Distorted Trust’ was active.

“What about you? Do you have any hard feelings towards me?”

I dodged his question and asked him back, and he answered readily.

“I don’t have any hard feelings towards you. I never did. You were just doing your duty as a chieftain.”

So it was all business.

I couldn’t refuse to answer now.

“Then tell me your true feelings.”

True feelings…

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any hard feelings. Countless people have died in the labyrinth because of your research. Of course, I hate you. But…!”

I trailed off and turned my wrist, hiding the compass part of ‘Distorted Trust’.

“Don’t worry. We won’t attack the Mage Tower again, as long as you don’t provoke us!”

It was a trick I could only use when I was the one using ‘Distorted Trust’.

“And besides, you seem like a decent guy!”

It didn’t activate when I was lying.

______________________

The rest was uneventful.

The royal army soon arrived and was shocked to see the Baron of the kingdom and the Mage Tower Master facing each other.

But the Tower Master took the initiative and defended me, claiming responsibility for the incident.

“So… Master Keallunus apologized, and Baron Yandel accepted his apology…?”

“That’s right.”

The commander of the royal army seemed skeptical, but he didn’t pry.

It didn’t matter what kind of deal we had made.

From the royal family’s perspective, it was a good thing that the conflict hadn’t escalated.

“What are you waiting for?! Disperse the crowd!”

The royal army dispersed everyone, including the barbarians, and the Tower Master handed over the 36 mages who were suspected of colluding with the black market.

“But it seems like the mage who placed a bounty on your heart isn’t among them?”

Colluding with the black market was a minor offense, but plotting to assassinate a noble was a serious crime, punishable by death.

But it was easy to clear her of all charges.

“Ah, that? I can’t remember her name. I might have been mistaken. I can’t accuse someone without being sure. I’ll let you know if I remember.”

“…Understood.”

Lurendel Galinbaret, Master of the Triten School.

The royal investigator seemed to have noticed that she was the key figure in this incident, but he didn’t say anything.

As I said before, they weren’t interested.

“It’s good that this was resolved peacefully. Ah, and Baron Yandel, you caused a large-scale conflict in the city without the royal family’s permission. We’ll have to impose a fine, but please… please pay it.”

The royal army pleaded with me and then left with the mages.

It was time for me to leave too.

“We will punish those mages accordingly, so don’t worry.”

“Alright. I’ll be going now. I’m hungry.”

I was about to go home when Ainar stopped me and dragged me to the sanctuary.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A victory celebration was in full swing. The warriors were drinking and dancing, even though there hadn’t been any official preparations.

It was the biggest celebration I had ever seen.

It seemed like every barbarian in the city had gathered here.

“Bjorn!”

“It’s Chieftain.”

“Chieftain! Say something! Everyone’s waiting!”

Ainar pushed me forward, and I had to give a speech.

It was short and sweet, barbarian style.

“We—!!”

“Woooo!”

“Won—!!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

My short declaration only fueled their excitement.

‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’

I instructed Charon to spread the word about the real estate project through the Comrade Association, and they diligently carried out their mission throughout the celebration.

“Did you hear? This isn’t just a one-time victory!”

“Our tribe will prosper! And the land prices will skyrocket!”

“Only fools won’t buy land now!”

“What? You’re saving up for a new weapon? When are you going to buy it? With magic stones? This is the new era!”

It would be a huge boost to the real estate project.

After enjoying the festivities for a while, I secretly left the sanctuary and returned home.

Amelia was sitting on the sofa in the dark living room.

“Yandel.”

“…Yeah?”

“Are you addicted to causing trouble?”

She sounded annoyed.

She hadn’t complained about my plan to attack the black market…

Why now?

I quickly realized the reason.

“Sorry, I should have discussed it with you first.”

Her expression softened.

“…You know.”

“Did you just smile?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You smiled! I saw it!”

“…Don’t accuse me of things I didn’t do.”

I chuckled and sat down on the sofa, and Amelia said,

“So… do you feel better now?”

Her blunt question caught me off guard.

I felt a strange mix of emotions, but I answered honestly.

“Yes. Much better.”

She nodded.

“That’s good.”

“…….”

After a moment of silence, we talked about what had happened today, and Erwen, who had woken up, joined us.

And the next morning…

“I-It’s me… Bjorn…”

The guest I had been waiting for finally arrived.