Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 062. The Hidden Entity (2)

“Really… I wish I could just throw everything aside and go enjoy a vacation in the south.”

Ahem- Ahem-

As Lord Perran’s genuine feelings slipped out, forgetting even his dignity, the city’s administrative officials and the guard captain, among other middle-aged men with their respective duties, coughed awkwardly as if demonstrating with their whole bodies that they hadn’t heard anything.

‘Useless old men.’

Lord Perran clicked his tongue at the behavior of his retainers.

It would have been understandable if they had at least scolded him to maintain his dignity. Look at them, pretending to be mute just to hold their positions. How was he supposed to accomplish anything with such people-.

“…Tsk. So, what has happened regarding the Al-Rasdel affair? Lieutenant.”

“It’s… well, it’s complicated to explain.”

Lord Perran’s eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction.

Already swamped with work, he was not pleased with the lieutenant’s evasive behavior.

It wasn’t just the lieutenant’s issue. Most of the staff assisting him seemed unsatisfactory in Lord Perran’s eyes. He wished he could dismiss them all, but….

‘Regrettably, I need these incompetents for the city to function.’

After all, to assist in the city’s affairs, one needed to be literate, and literate commoners were exceedingly rare.

In the fertile southern lands of the kingdom, it might be different, but finding a commoner who was both quick-witted and literate in the barren north was almost impossible.

“I’ll be the judge of how understandable it is, just explain.”

“Yes! According to reports, the connecting tunnels to Al-Rasdel are filled with demon corpses. The numbers are said to exceed those that attacked Al-Ranzas….”

“At least a hundred or two hundred, then.”

“Yes. The one who sent the information speculated it could be the work of a group of barbarian….”

Lord Perran, stifling the lieutenant with a fist before he could finish, fell into thought.

‘Such a number of demons, overcome by merely six…. No, if you exclude the girl from the monastery and the traitor, then four. Does that mean, four of them somehow broke through over a hundred demons, dispatching every attacker?’

Monsters secretly contracted by the Argon Kingdom’s Mercenary Guild’s head… a mercenary party centered around barbarian of the Frost Gorge, comparable to golden badge mercenaries.

‘Abbess Berta had taken great effort to deal with that barbarian. And she was the Deputy Commander of the Paladin Order…. I thought he was capable, but to this extent.’

Moreover, that barbarian was highly suspected to be controlling the demon army, which might include a dragon.

Details would be clearer once the investigative team sent to Al-Rasdel returned, but Lord Perran suspected the dragon to be a disaster at least on par or below that of an ogre.

Meaning, that barbarian had fought such a monster and returned unscathed….

‘Hard to believe. With just a handful of people….’

“Sir, Mayor. I apologize, but there is something you must hear….”

“What is it?”

The lieutenant, gathering his courage under Lord Perran’s deep contemplation, raised his voice.

“That, that is… according to the investigative team, there’s a high possibility that there wasn’t just one dragon, but two….”

The lieutenant winced under the lord’s cold gaze, knowing all too well how absurd his own words sounded. Had it not been emphasized as a critical issue in the investigative report, he might have dismissed it as seeing things.

However, Lord Perran’s reaction was unexpected.

“Explain that part in detail.”

“Yes, y-yes…!”

As the lord pressed for an explanation, it was as if sparks flew from his eyes, taking the lieutenant’s reports more seriously than expected.

“That… Outside Al-Rasdel’s outer walls, in the meadow, there were dozens of beast-type demon corpses, crushed as if by a giant. Among them, a giant lizard corpse that the barbarian are thought to have vanquished as well….”

“That would be the dragon. Maya, the head of the guild had requested their recovery. And then?”

“And, Al-Rasdel has….”

Collapsed, according to the lieutenant. The air in the meeting room turned icy.

Collapsed? Al-Rasdel? The prosperous city where despite internal strife and pillagers, the foundations remained intact?

“What nonsense is that?”

“Exactly as I said. According to the investigative report, half of Al-Rasdel was so badly damaged it could no longer function as a city….”

The lieutenant laid bare everything he found in the report without omission.

The central tower, virtually a landmark of Al-Rasdel, had fallen, causing a collapse in the ground, destroying a third of the city beyond recognition, and the sewage system had backed up, covering the entire city in filth, rendering recovery almost impossible – an inconceivable series of reports.”……”

“……”

The entire conference room was enveloped in silence. The lieutenant involuntarily gulped down his saliva, feeling intimidated under the ferocious gaze of Count Perran.

“Although it was written that a detailed report would be submitted after the return… it likely pertains to traces of a battle with another entity, a dragon, according to the speculative opinion of the investigation team…”

“How absurd.”

“I… I’m sorry…!”

“Not to you, I wasn’t referring to you.”

What’s absurd is not you but the content of the report. Count Perran thought this but didn’t voice it out loud, instead tapping his desk gently.

‘I wondered why they hadn’t provided detailed information, but there appears to be a reason.’

Count Perran had mulled over the report from his investigative team numerous times.

A single one of these monsters, a dragon, would surely be a tremendous disaster.

But it wasn’t just one; there were two, and furthermore, the aftermath of their battle had completely destroyed the large city of Al-Rasdel.

What does it mean to emerge victorious from such a battle, and to return unscathed…?

‘This is madness.’

Depending on whose mouth the information comes from, its reliability can vary.

Had the barbarian who returned to the city given the same account, the Count would have doubted them first, suspecting that they were exaggerating their achievements to claim a reward.

However, since the investigative team sent by the Count himself included such opinions in their report, it must be taken as near fact.

This group of barbarian, with a handful of members, had penetrated through an army of hundreds of magical beasts to successively slay two dragons.

‘A handful being equivalent to an army… formidable elites indeed.’

“The real disaster may not be the dragons but, possibly, that person.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that…?”

“Never mind. That’s enough of the report. Whether the investigation team returns or the person in question speaks, it’s not the time to draw conclusions.”

You may leave. Massaging his throbbing head, Count Perran waved his hand to dismiss everyone, needing time alone to organize his thoughts.

However, as the retainers left, a soldier entered, cautiously approaching with a message.

“There’s someone who wishes to see you?”

Count Perran was about to scold the soldier, seeing as the situation was practically akin to wartime. With the constant threat of magical beast attack, was he expected to accommodate some unknown individual?

“That barbarian… the one you instructed us to keep a close watch on…”

“Bring him at once. After escorting him, make sure no one enters the conference room.”

“Yes!”

Ignoring his subordinate’s salute, Count Perran straightened his clothes.

His reaction was completely different from the past when he reprimanded the barbarian who barged into the convent.

It couldn’t be helped. Regardless of how the battle was fought, he was about to meet a monster who alone caused the downfall of a great city.

Only after ensuring he was presentable did Count Perran settle himself in a chair prepared for the guest, maintaining composure as he awaited his meeting with the walking disaster.

*

*

*

“You’ve arrived. Take a seat.”

“Hmm?”

Khan, guided by a soldier and entering a room with a long round table, tilted his head in curiosity.

“I thought another surprise meeting would be out of the question, given the ‘time is gold’ principle and the current turmoil.”

“Hardly. It would be poor form to neglect a hero who saved the city.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Khan shrugged and pulled a chair to sit down casually, ending up directly facing Count Perran.

“First, I must express my gratitude. But given the circumstances, I can’t help but ask the main question directly. There must be a reason you’ve come to see me despite losing consciousness?”

“You’re quick to grasp things, which is good.”

Smiling as if pleased, Khan immediately delved into the heart of the matter.”I heard Maya has explained the general situation. So, you’ve heard about the Guard Captain’s story as well?”

“Indeed. It’s regrettable about him. I thought his skills would be of help, so I had him placed there, but to think he was a traitor.”

“Well, who can truly know what’s in a person’s heart? There were no actual victims, and I have no intention of making a fuss over it.”

“I appreciate your magnanimity. If this isn’t about reprimanding me for my mistake… do you need information on him?”

Khan nodded in agreement.

‘Certainly, a quick-thinking individual.’

“I suspect the one I’m looking for is connected to that bastard. If there’s anything you know, I’d like to hear it. I understand he was recently assigned to this position… is that correct?”

“That’s correct. With the fall of several cities in the north, many capable individuals have flowed into this place… Al-Ranzas. He was one of them. Acknowledged for his silent nature and exceptional swordsmanship, he was appointed to the position. Even by my own reckoning, it was a rather bold personnel decision. Part of the intention was to show off.”

It seemed they wanted to advertise that the city values skills over background. Not a bad idea. The problem was that the example they chose harbored ill intentions as a traitor.

“Of course, we’ve completed various necessary investigations. Where he originally came from, what he did… if there’s a possibility he’s a spy sent from another city… within reason, of course.”

Considering he was appointed as the Guard Captain, it meant there was nothing particularly suspicious about him. Unless…

‘He hid his background well enough not to be detected by the baron’s abilities.’

“Name, Yorn. Origin, a rural town on the outskirts of Al-Deseine in central-north. He served in a role similar to a local militia there, and when Al-Deseine’s mayor turned into a living corpse leading to the city’s downfall, he fled the devastated Al-Deseine for here. And it was all confirmed to be true.”

“Al-Deseine?”

Khan was somewhat familiar with the name. It was a rather large city, comparable in size to Al-Rasdel in the north.

‘…As expected.’

He seemed to be seeing a pattern.

Knowing that living corpses were not simply the result of an incurable disease, but the machinations of a group known as the Followers of Truth, allowed for such deduction.

However, more concrete evidence was needed. And this evidence, Khan believed, could well be provided by the materialistic noble before him.

Indeed, considering the baron’s insight, he might have already sensed something off.

Thus, Khan posed another question, a step towards verifying his suspicions.

“…Right. I too felt a sense of unease there.”

“It’s inevitable. When there’s a clear condition that’s visible to the eye.”

“Well, not many would suspect like you do, baron. Putting aside the question of who could freely wield a disease even the gods cannot cure, no one has gained from the situation, have they?”

“Not gained? Are you kidding? There are those whose rivals disappeared due to some mysterious disease, giving them an opportunity to swallow up the land.”

The baron, Perran, seemed to have a realization, his face turning rigid.

“The cities that fell to living corpses were all considered sizable in the north, held by mayors or individuals capable of wielding influence over those cities. And all these cities met similar fates.”

“A civil war…”

Moreover, ‘that person’ was not just interested in eliminating rivals within the north but had also been actively expelling competitors from outside the north.

First, the conflict between Wagner and Picard.

It was an open secret in Argon’s political circles that certain noble factions sought to check the rising Count Wagner by supporting Picard, who was embroiled in a dispute with him.

Picard’s mayor had the Followers of Truth as close aides, explaining the acceptance of an unknown mage for reasons disclosed.

If the supporter had sent the Followers of Truth as so-called aid, rejection wasn’t an option, was it?

Had Count Wagner not freed himself from Draupnir’s influence, he might have fallen entirely to the Followers of Truth.

And then there’s the border town.

The sole mid-way point between the west and north, a place that could rake in enormous profits depending on one’s intentions and project influence all the way to the west.

The former knight-captain of Al-Rasdel rampaging there had a magical sword, a replica of Draupnir’s, and aimed to take over the border town.

The newly emerged lesser dragon was no different. To an individual obsessed with expanding their influence, the Al-Ranzas Convent, under the watchful eye of the Goddess of Justice, was a thorn in their side.

‘Wagner, the border town, the living corpses, the lesser dragon appearing in Al-Rasdel.’

Seen as separate incidents, there seemed to be little connection…

“Bringing all these events together shows there’s one individual standing to gain the most.”

A major noble in the north, one of the families that suffered the most after getting entangled in the royal family’s struggles. According to Khan’s ally in the east, this was an ambitious person ready to turn their blade at any moment.

Moreover, recognized by the Mage Tower for impressive magical talents, resulting in numerous feats on the battlefield.

“Marquis Deillon.”

Khan spoke with conviction.

He was behind all these events.