Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 498: Quest (3)

Properly brewed tea and formal refreshments.

An awkward silence hung in the air between us, with Auyen's meticulously prepared tea set on the table.

Misha was the first to speak.

“These…”

“Hmm?”

“These are Lubat Bakery’s cookies… They’re not bad, but Nielon Bakery’s are cheaper and more to your liking…”

Why was she talking about cookies all of a sudden?

I found it random, but I assumed it was small talk to break the ice, so I just replied casually.

“Really? Auyen’s the one who buys the snacks, so I don’t really know. Speaking of Auyen—”

“I know. Auyen Lokrob, the navigator.”

“…You do?”

“…….”

The conversation died down.

‘This is awkward.’

It was better to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

“Misha, you’re here, so I assume you’ve made up your mind.”

“…Yes.”

“So what did you decide?”

I asked directly, and Misha hesitated for a long time before answering.

“I’ll join your clan.”

“Really?”

“Yes…”

She nodded slightly, and I felt relieved.

She had been fidgeting, so I thought she was going to refuse.

“If… you and your teammates are okay with it…”

“Of course we are! Why wouldn’t we be? Ah, you said you didn’t get along with Erwen, right? Don’t worry, you two will be fine. She’s much better now.”

“Oh… really…?”

“Why don’t I call her now?”

“W-What…?”

“You two didn’t even get a chance to properly greet each other. You’ll be exploring the labyrinth together, so it’s a good opportunity…”

Misha looked flustered for a moment, but then she nodded.

I left her in the living room and went upstairs to get Amelia and Erwen.

And…

“…….”

“…….”

As expected, a stifling silence filled the room.

After a while…

Amelia sighed and spoke.

I had given her a look, urging her to do something about the awkward atmosphere, and she had reluctantly taken the initiative…

“Yandel, go upstairs.”

…What?

“If you want this to be resolved, just listen to me. You’ll only make things worse by staying here.”

I was kicked out.

______________________

The conversation between Amelia, Erwen, and Misha lasted for about an hour.

Amelia knocked on the door, giving me permission to come down, and I rushed downstairs.

The living room was a mess.

“…….”

“…….”

It wasn’t exactly a hostile atmosphere, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either. It looked like a typhoon had just passed through.

“Um… Emily? What happened here?”

I asked, dumbfounded, and Amelia replied casually,

“We had a long talk, and we decided to get along.”

“Well, that’s good… but that’s not what I’m asking. There’s… a lot of broken furniture…”

“Ah, that? Don’t worry about it. We just got a little… carried away.”

How could they get ‘carried away’ and turn the living room into this state?

I looked around, and Erwen avoided my gaze.

“…Yes, we got carried away.”

Right, that’s how it was going to be.

I looked at Misha, but she also remained silent.

‘Well, at least no one’s injured…’

I decided not to pry any further.

I had some tact.

‘It seems like they worked things out, even though there was some friction.’

I guessed that Misha and Erwen had clashed, and Amelia had mediated.

“I… I’ll be going upstairs now.”

Erwen quickly left the room, and Misha stood up.

“Th-Then I… I should be going too…”

“Huh? Where are you going? Just stay here. We have plenty of rooms.”

“Well… I thought about it, and… I think it’s better if I stay somewhere else… It’ll be awkward… I heard Ainar is also staying at the sanctuary…”

Right, Ainar had been enjoying her life as the 1st Elder.

“So… will you let go of my hand now?”

I released her wrist.

She rubbed it gently, as if it had been hurting.

“Th-Then…”

She opened the door and left. I couldn't stop her.

“…What did you talk about?”

I asked Amelia, but she just shrugged.

“It’s a secret. You wouldn’t understand.”

That made it even more confusing.

What had they talked about?

______________________

The day after Misha’s visit,

Another unexpected guest arrived early in the morning.

“…Raven?”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Raven, who had been busy with work after Erwen’s essence experiment, had finally found time to visit.

“Your new house is smaller than the previous one.”

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

“Ah, this is your first time here, right?”

I gave her a brief tour of the house, and then we started our conversation over tea and snacks.

“You didn’t come here just because you were bored. What is it?”

“What do you mean, ‘what is it’?!”

“It’s about the Mage Tower, isn’t it?”

“Haa…”

She sighed, but she didn't scold me.

She knew the situation.

I had been a bit aggressive, but I had done what I had to do.

And the situation had been resolved peacefully.

So…

“How did you do it?”

That was the real reason for her visit.

“I don’t understand how the Tower Master could make such a concession. I honestly thought it was going to be a war…”

“So you came here because you were curious?”

“…Among other things.”

I hesitated for a moment and then decided to tell her about the deal I had made with the Tower Master.

I wanted her opinion on this.

“Lurendel Galinbaret… you’re saying the Tower Master gave up so much to protect her?”

“Do you know anything about her?”

“…Not really. We’ve never interacted before. I haven’t been active in the Mage Tower since joining the military.”

“But you’re a mage. You must know more than I do. Tell me anything you know.”

“Well…”

Raven hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“She’s published the most research papers on barbarian hearts. And the Triten School is also very interested in that field of research.”

“Hmm, so that’s why she wanted my heart.”

“Maybe. She might have placed that request out of pure academic curiosity.”

“And the Tower Master is also interested in her research.”

“That’s probably it… Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a concession.”

“…Raven, can you investigate this for me?”

“Hmm… Sure. I’m also curious about this. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Thank you.”

That concluded the topic.

I then asked her another question.

“Raven, have you ever… gained ‘knowledge’ in the labyrinth?”

“Knowledge…?”

“Yes, knowledge. Like suddenly being able to read and write ancient language, even though you couldn’t before—”

Raven slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

“Ancient language! You can read ancient language?!”

“Ah, no… that was just an example—”

“What example?! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

That’s why I liked perceptive people.

There was no point in making excuses.

“Yes, I can read ancient language now.”

“How well…?”

“Well… I haven’t really tested it yet…”

I trailed off, and Raven pulled out a book written in ancient language from her subspace pocket and handed it to me.

But…

“’Mahniarsus pleaded for the return of his wife, but Kaprakadah refused, claiming he could love her more.’ Wait, what is this book about?”

“Just keep reading.”

“…’That was the reason. Mahniarsus drew his sword and stabbed Kaprakadah in the heart. Kaprakadah reached out, his hand covered in blood. That was all he could do…’”

Raven’s expression darkened as I continued reading.

“I-I can barely read this without a dictionary…”

Hmm, is that so…?

She was supposed to be one of the most knowledgeable mages when it came to ancient languages.

“Muten Abiyur Bukrath.”

“…What did you just say?”

“I can also speak ancient language.”

I shrugged, and after a long pause, she replied,

“…Yandel… do you want to die?”

She raised her hand threateningly.

“Kiatto Kiki Keuek.”

“……?”

“Ah, I don’t want to be hit—”

“You idiot!!”

…I got punched.

Well, her hand was the one that was swollen.

“Seriously… why are you like this?”

“Sorry. Anyway, back to the topic. Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?”

“…Not that I know of. But… how did this happen to you? Is it… the reward? The one from the Stone of Honor…?”

“Sort of.”

“…Can you tell me about it?”

Raven asked cautiously, and I readily agreed.

She had helped me, even though she knew I was an evil spirit.

And I needed her expertise as a mage.

“What you experienced wasn’t just a story… it must be based on real events! A clear causal relationship between the Floor Lord and the Witch…!”

Raven was excited after hearing my story.

“This is a huge discovery! It proves that the labyrinth isn’t just another dimension! The dimensional coordinates of the labyrinth might be based on time, not space!”

I wasn't as excited as she was.

I didn't really understand the difference between space and time.

“Really?”

“What about Bersil Gowland? She’s a mage too! She must be researching this, right?”

“No, she doesn’t seem interested.”

“Whaaat?!”

Bersil was a player, after all.

She didn't seem to care much about history.

But Raven couldn't believe it.

“H-How… how can a mage not be interested in this?! If I were there…”

She suddenly stopped talking.

“If you were there?”

“…It’s nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

The atmosphere suddenly became somber.

I decided to change the subject.

“Ah, right! I have another piece of good news for you.”

“…News?”

“Misha is back.”

I told her about my reunion with Misha and her decision to rejoin the clan.

But her reaction was unexpected.

“…Really? That’s good.”

“I’ll give you her address, so you can visit her. She’ll be happy to see—”

“Later.”

“…Huh?”

“I-I should be going now. I have work to do.”

Raven’s expression darkened, and she quickly left the house.

______________________

I was busy after Raven’s visit.

I visited the sanctuary to check on Lotmiller, the dwarf’s forge to check on the progress of the Mithril smelting, and we had several clan meetings to discuss our next expedition.

It was mostly routine work, but there were also special occasions.

Like today.

“Welcome to House Gudriks, Baron Yandel.”

I had been invited to the Gudriks estate.

They were one of the thirty-two families that comprised Melbeth, the demi-human noble alliance.

“Haha! Welcome, Baron! I’m Viscount Gudriks. Thank you for accepting my invitation, even though you’re busy!”

Viscount Gudriks, a descendant of dwarves, was more straightforward than the other nobles.

But he was still a noble, so his introduction was lengthy. I had to give him a look before he finally got to the point.

“So why did you call me?”

“We have a request for you, on behalf of Melbeth.”

It was my first Melbeth quest.