Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 082: Infiltration (1)

In the northern regions, the name of a city refers exclusively to that city itself, such as Al-Ranzas and Al-Rasdel.

However, in certain cases, the name can also encompass the territories surrounding the city.

This usually happens when the city’s ruler has significant influence, boasting a distinct reign. In such cases, the surrounding area is collectively referred to by the city’s name.

Such was the case with Ro-Elpellan.

Ro-Elpellan, with its central city and four smaller satellite cities, was commonly referred to as the Ro-Elpellan region.

In the Kingdom of Argon, where the title of ‘Lord’ was abolished and only the title of ‘Mayor’ remained, this was an exceptionally rare case.

The royal family, in an extraordinary act of clemency, allowed for the old Elpellan roads to remain under control after abolishing the position of the Lords.

And now,

Ro-Elpellan has reestablished itself as the heart of the Duchy, serving once more as a public roadway.

Moreover, the assembled forces were of a scale unimagusnable by the standards of the kingdom.

The Duke, having always been tasked with the deployment of large-scale bandit groups branded as ‘mercenaries’ and occasional field battles with Green-skin groups from the north, was able to summon hundreds of experienced and loyal soldiers in an instant.

Into such a state, forcibly subdued nobles began sending their troops one by one.

With the addition of mercenaries joining in, Lebron explained that the total armed forces staying in the roadway would amount to an astounding fifteen hundred.

This is what they plan to infiltrate. Do you realize how reckless this act is? he asked sternly, to which Khan responded with a sly smile.

That’s why I brought you with me.

So, once again, to Ro-Elpellan.

To infiltrate Ro-Elpellan, there were primarily three gateways to cross.

The under-city where ordinary citizens lived below the castle, the outer castle area housing commercial and military facilities along with the mansions where the castle’s employees resided, and lastly, the inner castle area where the Duke resided, also known as the Ducal Castle.

Infiltrating the under-city wasn’t too challenging. Although there was a low wall surrounding the outskirts, it was sufficiently feasible for the party to clandestinely climb over given their capabilities.

Moreover, the area under surveillance was vastly extensive. Given it was monitored by human eyes, blind spots were inevitable.

“This way.”

Ron, donned in a dusky robe, led the party with his voice subdued.

Four others followed him, all concealed entirely in similar dusky robes.

‘Indeed, money talks.’

[The Cloak of the Night Walker]

─A magical garment imbued with spells to conceal presence. It melts further into the darkness, making one’s presence fainter.

─Possessors of stealth skills receive additional enhancement effects.

Equipped by the party in accordance with the number Kal Elson had prepared, this gear was originally intended for the leaders of the mercenary guild to move in secrecy.

Given that Khan, who had once earned the title of ‘Mercenary King’ in a certain series, understood very well the magnitude of the decision he had made.

‘It’s a precious item limitedly produced by the guild headquarters, enough said.’

If they were going to invest in it anyway, they might as well do it properly. Surely, they were counting on the backing of the Goddess of Justice to bring about a fortunate upturn.

[Argh, this is suffocating. Can’t we just smash our way through? Nephew.]

[…Just follow if you don’t know.]

There was also an instance where a certain brute voiced his frustration crudely, but Khan exercised his ‘winner’s rights’ obtained through a fight during their first encounter to silence her.

‘Tsk. Yet, the frustration is real.’

There was no doubt about Ron’s abilities as a guide. He possessed a guiding skill rated between A to possibly S.

The ‘cabin’ prepared by Kal Elson served as a hideout located in one of Ro-Elpellan’s satellite cities closest to the roadway. Ron’s task was to lead the party from there through the under-city, up to the front of the outer city walls.

And currently, the party was near the barrier encircling the outer edges of the under-city.

‘Here we go again.’

Even before they had infiltrated the barrier of the inner city, the frequency of patrolling soldiers indicated a considerable number.Amidst the cover of darkness, the effectiveness of the ‘Traveler’s Quilted Coat’ allowed one to blend into the shadows, but it didn’t guarantee complete invisibility to human eyes. This might have been manageable for those skilled in stealth like Khan, or the swordmaster Kal Elson. However, for the rest of the party, there was a need to evade surveillance as much as possible.

“Quiet. Hold your breath until the signal…”

At that signal, the party camouflaged themselves behind the building. Pashantu, still uncertain about why she had to hide, was reluctantly dragged behind the building by Khan.

Activating his stealth skill, Khan peered out and spotted six figures, torches in hand, approaching their hideout.

Thump. Thump.

Khan cringed as he turned to find Pashantu asking with sparkling eyes, ‘Can I kill them?’.

‘Such barbaric savagery…’

Shaking his head led to Pashantu’s disheartened droop, just about to unleash his frustration when Kal Elson stepped forward silently, not making a sound.

It was unlikely that he, too, craved the taste of blood in a barbaric manner, but rather, it signified his readiness to act out of necessity. As a swordmaster, Kal Elson could silently take down all six without a sound.

“Seven steps.”

The signal was given by Khan. His senses were sharp enough to detect movements beyond the wall without needing to see.

“Six. Five. Four…”

Beyond that point, no signal was needed.

Kal Elson’s sword slid out of its sheath smoothly, and at that moment, it was evident the sword would claim the lives of six in an instant.

Just as the figures passed by the building, fully entering their field of vision…

“Squad leader.”

Hesitation.

The torchlight cast a dense shadow over where the party hid, and Kal Elson, nearly ready to strike, halted.

“Shouldn’t this be enough? If we stray too far, we’ll not only miss out on drink but on sleep as well…”

“Hmm. Is that so…?”

“Daytime in the city, nighttime on patrol… At this rate, you’ll die from overwork first. And yet, you keep your soldiers cooped up, not even letting them patrol…”

“Hey, be careful, or you’ll get dragged in, too. Didn’t you hear about the ones caught gossiping? Let’s just go. Come on.”

With the end of their conversation, the light from the torches faded.

Hee- Lebron unknowingly held his breath and then covered his mouth as he let out a sigh of relief. The sound was louder than expected, but fortunately, the soldiers seemed too engrossed in their chatter to notice.

‘Damn. Thought my heart was going to stop.’

It would have been unimagusnable for Lebron, a noble since birth, to be sneaking into the city like a rat.

“Damn it!”

‘This is madness.’

Nor would he have imagined traveling with a woman barbarian longing for a kill.

“Got a problem? You look pale. Hyperventilating?”

And to top it off, having a dimwitted guide worry over his condition only intensified his irritation, making it seem as though he was being mocked.

‘Me being here is the problem!’

He wanted to scream and run, but where to and how? Running and encountering either thieves or monsters was one thing, but honestly, Lebron found the human butchers surrounding him to be far more terrifying…

“…It’s nothing. Let’s keep going.”

All Lebron could do was urge the party forward, hoping against hope for safety in the bustling town beyond the barrier, even though he couldn’t truly believe it.

*

*

*

Though not due solely to Lebron’s desperate efforts, the party, following Ron’s lead, managed to arrive at the barrier encircling the lower town.

It was somewhat ambiguous to call it a city wall due to its height, not too high to leap over but formidable enough to be considered a barrier, and too thick to simply break through and cross.Lebron looked back at his party while tapping the wall that was taller than him.

“What are we going to do now…”

“What do you mean? Just grit your teeth and don’t scream.”

“What the…!”

Lebron’s mouth was abruptly sealed by something. Khan, anticipating that Lebron would scream, had leaped forward, covering his face entirely with his hand as wide as a pot’s lid.

Huuuh─. Lebron, who had been silently screaming, soon lost the sensation of floating that had been dominating his body.

“…This is not human physical ability. Are all savages monsters?”

“Stop fussing. Let’s go.”

One by one, the party members jumped over the barrier in their own ways, with Ron being the last, as he was somewhat physically less capable and needed Pashant’s help to make it over.

Sung-ha Village, being the most populous in the north, wasn’t particularly dangerous, needing extra caution.

Of course, the sight of strangers loitering around would naturally attract attention, but the group had a fixed destination in mind.

“So, this is where I…”

“You’ve done well.”

Before that.

Khan patted Ron, who hesitated to move.

With a strong sense of camaraderie, uncharacteristic of a mercenary, his hesitation was understandable. But would Ron staying behind really be of help? He probably knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t be. That must be why he hesitated.

“Coming this far is already more than worthy of gold. It’s enough.”

“Maybe my intuition could have been of some help?”

“I don’t doubt your abilities as a guide, but what we need going forward isn’t the skill to find our way, but to smash through obstacles. Besides, you have other things to take care of.”

“…Right. I was being foolish for a moment.”

Ron quietly hung his head. Khan, not daring to judge what was stirring inside him, simply nudged him forward, taking the first step.

“Take care of the rest.”

“I will. I’ll make sure to bring everyone back safely.”

With that, Ron’s presence blended into the bustling scenery of Sung-ha Village and disappeared.

“This way.”

Taking over as the guide in Ron’s stead, Kal Elson confidently led the way.

Given the striking appearance of the group, one might wonder if caution was necessary, but in Sung-ha Village, hesitating would actually be more suspicious.

Located outside the city’s residential district, Sung-ha Village buzzed with countless people each day. Naturally, stringent security checkpoints were to be expected for entry, making it all the more typical.

Moreover, the oversight of Sung-ha Village’s guards was currently under the Duke’s men, but since the majority of the actual field personnel were external forces, there were many lax spots.

‘Typical of medieval administrative handling.’

After all, the orders had been directly received from the Duke by someone who was now accompanying the party. Of course, security might have been tightened after his disappearance, but it didn’t seem like Lebron’s absence mattered much to the Duke. The security status of Sung-ha Village was just as it had been before Lebron disappeared, allowing the party to reach their initial destination without any obstruction.

Thump- Thump Thump. Creeeak…

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting, Chief of the Guild, and…”

As Kal Elson knocked on the door of the locked two-story commercial building following the agreed signal, the door opened, and a man armed in the Duke’s soldiers’ armor appeared.

Pashant flinched, but Khan stepped forward, holding him back.

The man’s gaze also shifted toward Khan.

“Our terrifying guests, you’ve arrived.”

“The Duke must treat his people quite well if he’s employing the head of an information syndicate as a soldier.”

“Well, the pay isn’t bad. Not as much as the extra cash I usually pocket, but still.”

This man, the leader of the largest information syndicate in the Kingdom of Argon, who had lost consciousness in a battle against a puppet master and had since been under the Duke’s pursuit, had reached out to Khan and orchestrated the meetup with Kal Elson.

Lebron, the Guild Master of the White Crow, smirked.

“Come in. We have much to discuss.”