Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 064: The Hidden Entity (4)

Despite not having to employ their full expertise, Khan’s group was immediately faced with resistance. Villagers armed with crude farming tools and awkward spears blocked their path, as if they were going to the fields rather than into battle.

“What’s with these people? What have we done to deserve this…?”

“Ha! Just by looking at them, you can tell! Are they not mercenaries here to plunder?!”

“The rumors say this town, blessed by the Sage, is wealthy. No wonder it attracts mercenaries without conscience!”

Their efforts to calm the crowd, even from Ron who sat on the coachman’s seat, fell on deaf ears. Instead, the hostility only seemed to increase as they attempted to surround the carriage.

“What’s going on here?”

The trouble outside compelled the passengers to exit the carriage. A wary Maya grasped her spear as she made her appearance.

“Why are they blocking our way as if they want to kill us…?”

“That woman! She’s armed!”

“It’s certain! They’re here to loot. Prepare for battle!”

Talking to them felt like appealing to a wall. People of varying ages and genders had gathered, glaring with readiness for battle, a sight so hostile it felt alien.

“This might require Boss’s attention, right?”

“That was the plan.”

Thud.

Khan, the last to descend from the carriage, surveyed the surroundings with a neutral gaze.

His stature towering over the average continent dweller and his muscular, barbaric arms were usually enough to intimidate, whether it be battle-hardened mercenaries or arrogant mages.

However, the crowd surrounding the carriage now did not retreat.

“Daring to target the Sage again, you insolent mercenaries!”

“Take up arms! This time, we will protect the Sage ourselves!”

Their advance towards the carriage, undeterred by the presence of a giant barbarian, was determined.

“What do we do, Boss?”

“The answer is obvious.”

Unexpectedly, it was Elena who responded to Ron.

Elena, already winding a flail in her hand, looked poised to smash the townsman’ heads in at any moment.

“Wait, wait!”

Ron, clearly horrified at the proclamation of violence, stood in front of Elena.

“Do you intend to force our way through with violence? Even for us, that’s not right…! Besides, you are a servant of the Goddess of Justice, aren’t you?”

“That’s why. Now, step aside. Anyway… I expected you wouldn’t be up for it. I can handle this myself.”

“It’s not a matter of capability!”

Ron was rendered speechless by this new side of Elena, whom he had only thought of as a cheerful girl. Her gaze, staring back at him, inexplicably sent shivers down his spine.

“Boss! Say something….”

Ron had no one to rely on but Khan.

Though surrounded by roughly fifty townsman, to Khan’s group, they were merely an annoying obstacle.

Contrary to popular belief, Khan was not one to engage with civilians needlessly, likely feeling they weren’t worth the fight. Ron clung to this hope, but—

“Well, it does seem like they need to be dealt with.”

Khan, seemingly ready to crush skulls with his large fists, began to loosen up for the confrontation.

‘Why!’

Ron bit his lip in frustration.

If Elena and Khan took action, a massacre was inevitable.

That wouldn’t be right. To kill and harm simply because they’re an inconvenience would make them no different from the other mercenaries living as human butchers.

“Think again, please!”

Ron pleaded, his tone desperate, prompting Khan to sigh softly, as if annoyed by the misconception of his intentions.

Just as Ron was about to voice his concerns,

“Oh dear, it seems we’re a bit late in welcoming our guests.”

An elderly voice resonated distinctly, startling Ron enough to make him stand up abruptly.

“The Sage!”

“Everyone, step back! The Sage has arrived…”

Upon hearing this, the townsman who had been closing in on the carriage with their makeshift weapons gradually lowered them and stepped back.It was hard to imagine that these were the same people who had previously acted so stubbornly, as if they spoke an entirely different language, now displaying such an unexpectedly docile demeanor.

“Are you the sage?”

“I wouldn’t call myself that, but yes, I’m known by that title.”

The owner of the ancient, gravelly voice appeared as frail as he sounded – an elderly man with a face covered in liver spots, deeply lined with wrinkles. His back was so hunched it was visible even beneath the voluminous folds of his robe, and his wrists seemed as if they might snap at any touch. Without the staff clutched in his hand, walking would likely be an impossible task for him.

To associate this elderly figure with the ‘sage’ from the rumors seemed far-fetched at best. Could a mage, supposedly not reliant on physical strength but barely able to walk, truly be the one aiding others and making a difference?

“Why do we seek you? Can you guess?”

However, Khan did not seem to doubt that the elder was indeed the sage spoken of in rumors.

“Well, not many come to me enveloped in such a dangerous aura, as most are driven by greed… ”

This response from the elder was unusual, to say the least.

“Kek… Well, it doesn’t matter. I welcome you nonetheless. You may not be the guest I was expecting, but I’m not so heartless as to turn you away at the door.”

Despite the menace seemingly dripping from the figure who might have easily torn an orc limb from limb, the elder responded as if he were greeting a pleasantly surprising guest.

“Follow me.”

“Alright.”

“Wait, just a moment. Sir…?!”

Both the elder’s effortless invitation and Khan’s acceptance seemed entirely abnormal to Ron. Indeed, ever since their encounter with the townsman, everything had appeared increasingly bizarre.

The townsman picking fights with terrifying mercenaries, Elena, a nun devoted to the Goddess of Justice, attempting to slaughter others, Khan, who would usually dismiss such matters, preparing to intervene, and now this self-proclaimed sage’s attitude – everything was off.

‘What on earth is going on?’

Despite Ron’s confusion, the group followed the self-proclaimed sage into the town, entering without shedding blood as the townsman, who had seemed ready to risk their lives in opposition, scattered like sheep wandering the fields. Upon entering, they were greeted by new faces.

“Oh, sage!”

“Sage! My health has fully returned thanks to you!”

“After you fixed up the fields, it looks like we’ll have a harvest soon. Thank you, sage!”

The townsman showered the sage with praise and returned to their duties, paying no mind to the newcomers.

To Ron, the scene was filled with discord, as if a crucial piece was missing.

“Yes, yes. Take more care with your bodies next time.”

“It’s all thanks to your efforts, not mine. I merely recited a few spells.”

The sage responded kindly to each of them, further confounding Ron with his benevolent demeanor fitting the rumors of a sage who went around aiding the people.

‘Is this elderly man truly the sage behind the turmoil in the north, affiliated with some nefarious group of mages?’

If true, that was even more perplexing to Ron.

‘How could he brazenly play the savior in front of people, having caused thousands, no, tens of thousands, to lose their homes and families through his actions?’

Could that possibly make sense?

Even if mages were said to lack empathy to the point of psychological disorder, they were still human, bound by some shred of conscience.

‘An evil being.’

Or perhaps an elf from some island or a dark mage. Those kinds of entities, viewing humans as mere livestock, could certainly be capable of such deeds.

“You seem rather impertinent. I let you in as a guest, after all.”

“…!”

Ron staggered backward in shock.

The sage’s hollow eyes were suddenly upon him, closing the gap without a trace of movement, as if folding space itself to stand right before Ron.

“Why the shock? A sage, as rumored, should at least be capable of such a trick, right? Or doesn’t that suit the speech of a barbarian?”

“Even if not a sage, it’s possible. Mages do enjoy their illusions, after all.”

“Kek! Mages, eh? Quite the disparaging term to use in one’s presence. Barbaric, but accurate. Indeed, mages do enjoy their deceptions.”

Accepting the jest with grace, the sage patted Ron’s shoulder lightly and resumed leading the group.

“Are you alright?”

“I- I’m fine.”

Despite Jan’s concerned inquiry, Ron could only parrot back that he was fine, still too stunned to form a coherent thought.

Suddenly, Ron felt a clarity wash over him, as if his mind had been refreshed.

“Pull yourself together. You’re no use to anyone in that state.”

Instinctively, he knew. Elena casually threw a warning over her shoulder as she passed by, no doubt having plotted some sort of strategy. Ron watched her back and hurried his steps so as not to fall behind the rest of the group. After what felt like a considerable amount of time…

“Here we are. This is our destination,” announced an old man, tapping the ground with the end of his cane. At his words, Ron frowned and scanned their surroundings.

The destination the old man spoke of was nothing more than a clearing in a forest, bustling with the activity of logging.

“Not exactly the warmest welcome for guests. There’s not even a chair to sit on.”

“It was all so sudden, wasn’t it? I would’ve liked to sit down and have a leisurely chat over tea with you. It’s curious, isn’t it? The barbarian I know aren’t so skilled in conversation. To my eyes, it’s as if you’ve donned the skin of a barbarian.”

“That’s a coincidence.”

Witnessing their exchange, Ron shivered involuntarily. He couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but the moment he saw Khan smiling, his body reacted as if he were prey confronted by a predator drooling at the prospect of a meal.

“I had a similar thought.”

“Similar? About what?”

“The mages I’m acquainted with find speaking like a human quite challenging. But you, you seem quite adept at it.”

Caught off guard by the sudden downplay of mages, Jan flinched. However, the old man simply smiled broadly and did not react further, showing no sign of annoyance. He just stared intently at Khan.

“Yes, it was those eyes.”

“Is there something strange about my eyes?”

The old man’s eyes, as he asked this question, were laughing. As if he were a mischievous elder playing a prank.

‘Tch. I never would have guessed it was actually him.’

Khan had seen that type of smile before, endlessly, through a monitor before his possession into this world of Midland.

“Enough with the games. It seems like you’ve been expecting us from the start.”

The old man did not respond to Khan’s words. He remained still, smiling with his eyes as if he were a puppet, showing no hint of movement.

“If you’re going to cause trouble, at least do it properly. Who would be fooled by such a cheap performance? But then again, someone who doesn’t understand human emotions could only mimic the surface. That doesn’t even qualify as acting.”

“Khan, what exactly are you…”

Ron’s question was buried, unfinished.

Loud laughter erupted from the old man, who seemed barely able to stand moments before. The sound drowned out Ron’s words, echoing and growing louder across the empty clearing. The rest of the group was equally startled, but only Khan and Elena maintained their composure.

The old man’s laughter eventually ceased.

“Huh. This is surprising. While the mage of the tower hasn’t noticed anything, to think a young girl and an inferior barbarian would.”

“How did you figure it out?” the old man asked, his neck twisting at an odd angle as he questioned them. The sight was enough to terrify Jan, who wasn’t particularly brave, into screaming out loud.

“Kehehe. Look at that silly reaction! How did you see through a deception even the revered mages of the tower couldn’t pierce? Eh? Tell me! I’m dying of curiosity!”

‘Madman.’

He was already disagreeable, but in reality, his presence was beyond irritating—it was repulsive. Not even Darkin, who would cosplay as a young boy despite being old, was this bad…

“Answer me! Are you ignoring me now? Don’t understand the situation? Must I really make it clear for you!”

Following his furious outburst, he burst into a jovial laughter. The abrupt emotional swings were extreme. Yet, Khan knew all too well that even this was an act.

These types of beings…

“Puppeteer.”

Suddenly, the old man, or rather, the puppeteer, froze as if he were a wind-up toy whose spring had wound down. Khan, equally displeased, contorted his face.

“Or should I call you this?”

“You…”

“The worst failure, a half-finished counterfeit.”

“Youuuu──!”

For the first time, the puppeteer showed a genuine reaction.

Khan smiled as if delighted, then revealed a secret that no one else knew at this point in time except the Followers of Truth.

“Homunculus.”