Surviving The Game as a Barbarian (Novel) Chapter 358, 359, 360

   

C358, 359, 360

Chapter 358: Isolation (5)

The Lighthouse Keeper, an ability user from Noark, who stood taller than even the Blood Knight at over 190 centimeters.

I licked my lips, eyeing him.

‘Damn… [Leap] would’ve made this so much easier.’

About 130 meters separated us.

Just two skills, and I could close the distance.

But…

‘Well, it’s gone.’

I dismissed my regret.

There’s no use dwelling on what’s already gone.

If I didn’t have a movement skill, I would just have to use my legs.

It was the barbarian way.

“Erwen, Emily, you two stay here and hold the line.”

“…What about you?”

“I’ll be back.”

“Back? Where are you—”

Where else?

「Character has used [Wild Release].」

I charged forward, roaring.

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

It didn’t have the same impact as shouting the name of my ancestor god, but it couldn’t be helped.

I wasn’t sure if Raven had found out yet.

She might still be under the same misconception as the Corpse Collector.

Tadat.

The others reacted immediately as I left the formation for the first time, having been focused on defense and protecting my companions.

The Blood Knight was the first.

“…….”

He charged towards me, having kept his distance to avoid entering the teleportation range.

But…

Clang!

…would that work?

I blocked his flaming sword with my shield.

Tadat.

I ignored the Blood Knight and dashed forward again.

I couldn’t shake him off with my Agility stat, so my back was exposed…

Slash!

…but I didn’t have to block with my shield.

I could just tank it. It would just be a deep cut, not a fatal blow.

It just hurt like hell because of my decreased Pain Resistance.

‘Ugh, it’s like he rubbed salt on his blade.’

I winced, but I didn’t stop running.

I wouldn’t have made it this far if I was the type to stop because of pain.

Tadat.

I pushed off the ground again, like a salmon swimming upstream.

And at that moment…

…the Blood Knight exclaimed in admiration.

“Wh, what…!”

He seemed impressed by my relentless advance, even after being stabbed in the back.

“Stop…!”

It was a bit underwhelming compared to the praise I had received in the past, but the panic in his voice was satisfying.

Right, you’ve never experienced this before, have you?

One swing of your Aura blade, and any tank would be cut down.

Slash!

He stabbed me again.

But nothing changed.

I kept running, like a runaway train.

And…

“……!”

…there was nothing he could do about it.

Tadat.

It was his turn to learn.

He probably didn’t realize it, having lived comfortably with his Aura…

Slash!

…but damage dealers were powerless in front of a tank.

Whoosh!

A support attack arrived from behind.

It was Erwen’s arrow.

And…

Thud.

…it hit his arm.

He was good at dodging when we were defending, but he had to try and stop me, didn’t he?

I didn’t know the details.

But his mistake was fatal.

“……!”

His distorted expression said it all.

One arrow might not be a big deal, but…

…the follow-up wasn’t.

「Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Rupture].」

The skill that had shattered Amelia’s clone.

Kwagic!

The Blood Knight’s arm exploded into dozens of pieces.

Okay, that took care of the annoying mosquito.

Tadat.

I continued running, leaving the Blood Knight, who had been thrown back by the explosion, behind.

But another obstacle appeared.

“Wow, that guy looks like an ogre!”

The Wailing Witch, Liranne Vivienne, was watching me from above, perched on her broomstick.

She giggled and unleashed her magic.

「Liranne Vivienne has cast the 4th-grade dark magic [Falling Flames].」

Black flames, like raindrops, rained down on me. But as with most AoE spells, the damage per hit was low.

I raised my shield and continued running.

Well, my shield would be damaged…

‘Nothing new.’

Had my shield ever survived a difficult battle?

I could just repair it with the loot.

Tadat.

I pushed off the ground again.

Did she decide to change her strategy?

「Liranne Vivienne has cast the 4th-grade dark magic [Stele of Pain].」

The rain of fire stopped, and a black fog enveloped me.

‘Judging by the effect…’

…this skill couldn’t be dodged. The only way to counter it was with Magic Resistance.

In other words…

‘She can’t dodge it either.’

I quickly chanted a command as soon as the fog touched my skin.

「Character has cast [Risk].」

Gachabon’s active skill.

The effect was simple.

It doubled the damage I received, but also increased the reflected damage of [Probabilistic Retaliation].

But…

「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」

…when combined with [Transcendence], it had an additional effect.

「The damage immunity effect of [Probabilistic Retaliation] is removed, but the activation probability is fixed at 100%.」

Guaranteed gacha.

Whoosh!

The black fog that was clinging to my skin hardened.

It was the effect of [Stele of Pain].

Temporary movement restriction.

And…

Whoosh!

…an unavoidable attack.

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

This hurts like hell.

Crack!

I endured for about two seconds, and then the hardened fog shattered and fell to the ground.

The inside was covered in thorns.

Damn, what is this, a medieval torture device?

At least I wasn’t the only one who was affected.

「Normal Luck.」

[Probabilistic Retaliation] activated.

Clank, clank.

A skeleton rose from the ground next to me, its bones creaking.

It wasn’t a critical hit, so there wasn’t a special sound effect.

But…

「Reflects 30% of the received damage to the enemy.」

…it reflected 30% of the damage, not 15%.

And the damage I received was doubled, so it was effectively four times the normal reflection damage.

Well, it was still a bit unfair…

“Uh, uh…?!”

…but she was a mage.

It was a reasonable trade-off.

“Wh, what is this…!”

The skeleton raised its hand, and a black fog enveloped the witch on her broomstick.

And…

Whoosh!

A chilling sound echoed through the sewer.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaak!”

Damn, she’s loud.

So that’s why she was called the Wailing Witch.

Tadat.

I continued running, my body riddled with wounds.

It was a fixed damage spell, so the wounds weren’t that deep, even though the damage I received was doubled.

But it hurt like hell.

‘It seems like she survived.’

Vivienne, screaming as she fell from the sky, quickly regained her composure and used a levitation spell to avoid crashing to the ground.

‘Her wounds weren’t that deep either…’

Damn it, I thought a 30% attack would be enough to one-shot a mage.

‘Did she use a mana shield or something to reduce the damage?’

It was a bit disappointing…

“Ugh…”

…but at least I achieved my goal.

Judging by how she was still writhing in pain, she wouldn’t be able to attack me for a while.

I quickly closed the distance after taking care of the mage.

[Grooooan…!]

The Corpse Collector summoned more corpses to block my path.

Seven of them.

He must have summoned tank-type undead to stop me, judging by their size.

They were even bigger than large monsters.

‘About 7 meters tall?’

I would have been able to jump over them if I had [Leap]… but it wasn’t a big problem.

I wasn’t just a tank.

A wall blocking my path?

I didn’t even have to go around it.

「Character has cast [Swing].」

I could just destroy it.

「Strike range is tripled.」

I swung my hammer, which had elongated like a magical staff, and smashed the 7-meter tall corpse giant’s head.

It seemed like a tank-type undead, but that was enough.

The multiplier for [Swing] was Strength.

And its power was increased by 500% thanks to the Demon Crusher. And since it was a downward strike, it also had 50% armor penetration…

Kaboom!

How could a summon withstand that?

Pssssh!

The corpse giant was turned into a lump of rotten meat with a single swing, its blood splattering everywhere like a fountain.

Damn it, his poison is strong.

「Character has been poisoned (High).」

「Poison Resistance is 100 or higher.」

「Poison level reduced to Low.」

The poison seeped into my skin, causing pain.

But I didn’t stop.

Especially not when my target was right in front of me.

‘I’m finally here.’

I quickly passed through the gap created by the destroyed corpse giant and looked ahead.

The target was about 30 meters away.

But…

‘What the hell, why is he so far forward?’

Did he come here himself to summon the corpse giant?

The Corpse Collector was about 5 meters away.

He looked very flustered…

It would be rude to just ignore him.

「Character has cast [Swing].」

「Strike range is tripled.」

I swung my hammer at him without hesitation.

He chose to defend instead of dodging.

He used that familiar skill.

「Abet Necrapheto has cast [Bone Armor].」

Damn it, I used to have to hit him several times to break it.

How would it be this time?

I soon found out.

Crack!

The armor shattered with a single blow, revealing his flesh.

And…

「Abet Necrapheto has cast [Momentary Immortality].」

His body was engulfed in flames and turned to bone.

A 3rd-grade essence skill that converted Mental and Ability stats to physical stats and granted one minute of damage immunity.

‘Wow, he used his invincibility skill after just one hit.’

There was no point in attacking him while he was invincible, so I grabbed his arm and threw him away.

And…

Tadat!

…I jumped high, like using [Leap].

The stakes he had planted around him were shooting projectiles like turrets in a defense game.

4th-grade transformation skill, [Sublime Idol].

It was the Lighthouse Keeper's core skill, and its effect was simple.

It allowed you to transform your abilities by planting totems in the ground. For example, a single target buff or curse could be turned into an AoE aura…

‘He must have been in a hurry.’

Judging by the flames and magic bullets being fired from the totems, he had deactivated his support auras like [Haste] and [Soul Regeneration] and switched to attack mode.

“…You monster.”

He didn’t run away, even though I had endured all his attacks and reached him.

Well, it would be more dangerous to leave the totem range.

He shouted in desperation,

“…Come!”

What the hell, I have no intention of entering.

「Character has cast [Eye of the Storm].」

「The inherent ability of the skill is unlocked by the power of the Transcendent.」

It seemed like he was within range, so I used my grab skill.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A gust of wind swept towards me.

And…

“Aak, aaaaargh!”

…he was dragged towards me.

He’s screaming like a little girl.

Grab.

I grabbed his neck in midair with my shield hand. He struggled, but I just tightened my grip, and he calmed down.

You should have just given up from the beginning.

Thud.

I landed and looked down at him, saying,

“Your rings.”

“……?”

“I hope they’re expensive.”

It was a tough journey.

____________________

Crack!

I headbutted him.

It was a bad angle for a hammer swing, and he was also wearing a necklace.

It would have been crushed if I used my hammer.

“…….”

I was about to headbutt him again when his body went limp.

Did he die? Or just pass out?

I hoped it was the former, so I headbutted him a few more times.

Crack, crack!

Ugh, that’s disgusting. How can a human eye…

‘…Anyway, that takes care of him. So, what should I do now?’

I had achieved my first objective, so it was time to make another decision.

‘I caught the Lighthouse Keeper, and we can probably take down the rest 4v3…’

Should I return and use the teleportation spell?

Or should I finish them off?

I didn’t have much time to think.

Thud, thud!

The corpse giants were approaching.

‘Right, let’s retreat for now.’

I had been stabbed countless times, hit by magic, and poisoned.

I could endure those problems with my mental fortitude.

But…

‘My MP is dangerously low.’

I had been maintaining [Iron Fortress] to counter the Aura, and I was currently in [Gigantification] state.

And not only that…

I had been spamming my skills with [Transcendence].

If I ran out of MP, I wouldn’t be able to block Aura, and it would be much harder to protect my companions from the Blood Knight.

‘And they might have reinforcements.’

I made a decision and ran back the way I came, clutching my loot.

But then…

‘Why aren’t they attacking?’

The corpse giants who had been charging towards me were now lined up defensively, and there were no magic attacks.

“…Necrapheto! What are you doing?! Block him! He can’t even die!”

The Wailing Witch’s shout suggested that they had regained their composure…

But why?

I soon found out.

[If you want to block him, then you do it! It seems like magic works on him!]

One of the relatively intact undead spoke for the Corpse Collector, who was currently a skeleton.

They were all hesitant to attack because they had already been punished.

Well, they didn’t have any information about me.

They probably didn’t want to end up like the Lighthouse Keeper.

‘This is too easy.’

I was running towards my destination when…

“You… You’re going to fight me?”

…the Blood Knight, now in one-armed mode, blocked my path.

“…Your name.”

Huh?

“What’s your name?”

He wanted to know my name?

I only had one thing to say.

“Attack me if you’re going to, or get out of my way. I have to go eat.”

“…….”

“Damn, cat got your tongue?”

I started running, and the Blood Knight stepped aside.

“…We’ll meet again.”

He didn’t even try to stab me in the back.

He must have learned his lesson.

How could he possibly stop me when I just ignored his attacks and ran?

Tadat, tadat.

I soon reached my destination.

The magic circle on the ground was glowing, ready to be activated.

But the mage was frozen in place.

“What are you doing? Let’s go!”

Raven looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear.

What the…?

I looked around, and Erwen and Amelia also had strange expressions.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

They were looking at me as if I was a monster.

Even though I had brought back loot.

------------------------------------

Chapter 359: Interrogation (1)

The Wailing Witch, Liranne Vivienne.

As she slowly descended to the ground, the moment her feet touched down, she shouted.

“Necrapheto! Are you crazy?! Why did you just let them go?!”

The man, whose flesh was just starting to grow back onto his bones, frowned at her hysterical voice.

“I’m older than you, you know…”

“Ha! Now’s the time to be concerned about that? Tell me, why did you let those bastards go?! The Captain won’t let this slide!”

Vivienne shouted irritably, pointing her index finger at a spot. All that remained there was a deactivated, faint magic circle.

The man retorted in an annoyed tone.

“Ugh, why should I be the one getting scolded? It’s unreasonable to expect a Necromancer to fight in close combat, and you were watching too.”

Even the woman, who was about to retort, flinched at his unexpectedly sensitive reaction.

However, was there something she wanted to point out?

“…But you didn’t even use the Call of the Underworld!”

Vivienne clung to that core equipment of the Corpse Collector.

However…

“Why should I use that?”

The man responded as if he was dumbfounded.

“Because if you had used it, the Lighthouse Keeper wouldn’t have been captured!”

She wasn’t wrong.

If he had used the Staff of the Underworld, a high-ranking Double Numbered Item, he could have removed that tank-like man from the battlefield. That was a fact.

But…

“If I use that, one of us has to die. And you’re asking me to use it on someone I don’t even have information on? When I could have survived if I just stayed put?”

“…You have that new ability you got recently.”

“If that gets out, the royal family will come up with a countermeasure. Who would benefit from that? If I ever need to rely on that ability in a dangerous situation, and this incident comes back to bite me, are you going to save me? Huh?”

“…….”

“Please, know your place. You didn’t use your magic for the same reason.”

Vivienne couldn’t say anything more as the man started arguing back.

His words were hitting too close to home.

In fact, the reason she hadn’t stopped that monstrous man was the same.

She didn’t have enough information.

Her magic had been reflected, so she couldn’t risk using a stronger spell.

“Ah, this is annoying…”

Ultimately, they were all responsible for the defeat.

They were part of the same organization, working together, but their true nature remained unchanged.

There was no one noble enough to sacrifice themselves for others. They were more concerned about their own gains and losses than their companions’ safety.

“…Is everyone alright?”

The Blood Knight returned and joined them as Vivienne was biting her lip, suppressing her anger.

He looked the most pathetic of the three, missing an arm.

But…

“It would have been fine if grandpa did his job properly.”

Vivienne shifted her target to the Blood Knight, as if she didn’t even care about his injuries.

“……?”

“You should have targeted their rear, not that monster!”

She wasn’t just trying to find fault, she genuinely meant it.

“Why did you even try to stop him when you couldn’t even do it…”

If they had targeted the enemy instead of wasting time blocking that man, the situation would be different now.

It was the first time that monstrous man had left the formation, after tanking all their attacks with his bare body.

“Killing one of the Seven Strengths, the Blood Spirit Marquis, would have been a significant achievement, and the Golden Mage goes without saying. She’s one of our main targets, and if she died, the teleportation spell would have been nullified.”

The Blood Knight’s judgment was a mistake.

The man who was listening next to her exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, you’re blaming grandpa in this situation? You’re even worse than I thought. How dare you say that to someone who was trying to protect us?”

“…Can’t I even talk to myself? And I’m not wrong.”

“Well, that’s true. Heh heh.”

The man nodded and glanced at the Blood Knight.

He had become prey to the wolves, but the old knight didn’t make any excuses.

He just muttered in a flat voice,

“Contact the Captain. We lost… the Golden Mage.”

“…Can’t grandpa do it?”

The Blood Knight responded to Vivienne’s question with a cold glare, and she lowered her head.

They had lost their target.

And not only that, but the Lighthouse Keeper, a valuable asset even within Orculus, had been captured.

And they had just watched as the enemy teleported away.

She couldn’t risk going after them.

“…….”

She couldn’t say that.

The Corpse Collector noticed her hesitation.

“I understand how you feel, but contact him first. There’s something we need to report, even if it’s not about the Golden Mage.”

“…Are you talking about that monster?”

“That too, but…”

The man trailed off and then continued,

“Anyway, just report it. I don’t know why he was here, but…”

“…….”

“…We found Amelia Rainwales.”

______________________

「Arrua Raven has cast the 4th-grade spatial magic [Multiple Teleportation].」

The first thing she saw when the light from the activated magic circle faded was a cage.

“Please wait. You’re in the right place.”

“…What?”

“It’s a safety measure installed on all warships. If a spatial movement ability is used, it automatically redirects you here.”

Ah, so that’s why.

Teleport redirection… that sounds familiar…

“I’m Arrua Raven, Vice-Captain of the 3rd Magic Corps. Here’s my ID. I returned via teleportation magic while fighting Orculus criminals.”

Raven revealed her identity to the soldier guarding the cage, and the cage opened after a brief verification process.

But…

Clank!

What the hell, why did it close after she went out?

“…What did you do?”

Raven avoided my gaze and spoke to the soldier, ignoring my informal tone.

“Keep an eye on them for a while. Don’t let them out.”

“Yes.”

Uh… I didn’t expect this.

My mind went blank, and Erwen grabbed the bars of the cage and shook them.

“…I’ll kill you!!”

It didn’t seem like her usual loss of control.

I was also losing control.

This reminded me of the guild’s basement, and I wanted to break out.

But…

“I understand how you feel, but please calm down. You can’t escape with brute force.”

“…What?”

“No. 399 Cage of Silence. It seals all abilities, including magic, divine power, and Aura.”

Damn it, no wonder I had a bad feeling.

I sighed and let go of the bars after confirming that my skills weren’t activating.

“Here… these are potions. Treat your wounds.”

Raven handed us a few potions through the bars and then left after giving the soldier a few instructions.

To summarize:

Treat them with respect.

But don’t open the cage under any circumstances.

And release us if the situation becomes critical, like if the enemies reach this point.

“…We’ve been tricked. Tersia, stop wasting your energy and come here.”

“What? She just locked us up, how can we—”

“Then what are we going to do?”

“…..”

“Erwen, she’s right. Calm down and come here.”

“…Okay.”

Erwen reluctantly walked over to me after I also regained my composure.

“First… we should use the potions.”

It seemed like it would take a while to heal with just Natural Regeneration, so we poured potions all over our bodies with Amelia and Erwen’s help, stopping the bleeding.

And after some time…

“…Are you okay?”

“…Yeah, I’m used to it now.”

Honestly, I felt like I was dying.

The only Pain Resistance I had left was the ‘30’ from Bion’s essence.

But what could I do? I had to treat my wounds.

“Um… can we get some water, please?”

“Ah… a-alright!”

The soldier hurriedly brought us water at Erwen’s polite request.

He was probably intimidated by Erwen’s status, on top of Raven’s orders to treat us with respect.

“Um… are you alright?”

Ah, so he was just worried about me.

“You’re sweating more than you’re bleeding…”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

It was always like this when I drank potions.

I chugged the water the kind soldier gave us and then moved to the back of the cage.

We had to talk privately now.

“Anyway, let’s talk now that we’re done with treatment. Both of you, come here. And lower your voices.”

“You’re a bit too close, don’t you think?”

“What’s the problem? We’re just having a conversation.”

“…Th, then I’ll…”

“Hmm, fairies have good hearing, right?”

“Wh, what does that have to do with you?”

“I was just saying—”

Ugh, these two again.

“Both of you, stop it. This isn’t the time.”

“Okay…”

I quickly stopped them before the conversation could go off on a tangent.

The first thing we had to discuss was this:

“Why do you think Raven did this?”

Why did she lock us up?

The two of them, who had been bickering, easily reached a consensus on this.

“She must have realized your true identity.”

“Yes, that’s the only possibility. She knows you’re an evil spirit… Crack. She doesn’t even know gratitude after you saved her life so many times.”

Is her killing intent even seeping out of her teeth?

I didn’t know, but I was worried about Erwen’s dental health, so I brought up the next possibility.

“Emily, what’s the probability that she did it because she found out about you?”

“Well, that’s not impossible either. She was on that island too.”

Raven and Amelia knew each other.

They had fought together on Parune Island, and Raven knew about Amelia’s [Abyssal Power], [Self-Replication], and [Asura’s Fury].

And she used a dagger as her main weapon?

Raven would have noticed, even after two years and even with her face covered.

“Well… she might be suspecting that we’re spies for Noark because of me. Ha, as expected.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘as expected’?”

“What else? That you’re going to be a burden.”

“Ha! You’re good at talking, even though you can’t even control yourself.”

“What…?”

Why is this happening again?

I quickly changed the subject.

“Whatever, Emily, are you okay? There’s a high chance that Noark also recognized you.”

“That’s… well, they probably did. The Blood Knight might not recognize me since we haven’t crossed paths much, but the Corpse Collector definitely recognized me.”

Damn it, I felt bad for her.

She said she had changed her identity and was hiding, but now she had both the royal family and Noark as enemies.

“Don’t worry too much. I knew it was a possibility. I’ll leave if it becomes too dangerous for you.”

“So you still have some conscience?”

“I have reason, unlike you.”

Ugh, these two…

We could all be in trouble if this went wrong.

No, would Erwen be okay even in the worst-case scenario?

I might be targeted by the royal family as an evil spirit, and Amelia might be accused of being a Noark spy, but Erwen was different.

The fairy tribe would protect her, even in the worst-case scenario.

“…So what are we going to do now?”

I organized my thoughts and answered Amelia's question.

“Well, we have no choice but to wait.”

There wasn’t much we could do while we were trapped.

The best we could do was wait for Raven to return and then react accordingly.

Therefore…

“Mister?”

…I stood up after ending the conversation.

And I approached the corpse, whose face was covered with the cloth I had received from the soldier along with the water.

I didn’t know what would happen in the future, but…

…it was better to do what I could.

“…What are you doing?”

“Checking the loot.”

“…Now? In this situation?”

Well, is there anything else we can do?

I shrugged and started looting.

‘Ten rings, one necklace, and I dropped the staff when I grabbed him…’

I couldn’t open the subspace pocket until we got out of here.

Magic tools didn’t work inside the cage.

‘Wow, how much is this worth?’

You have to learn to appreciate the little things when the situation is difficult.

Although I couldn’t estimate the exact amount, one thing was clear.

If I sold all of this, I could pay off most of the debt.

Well, the problem was whether we could even get out of here with it.

------------------------------------------

Chapter 360: Interrogation (2)

Raven climbed the stairs and entered the ship’s officer's cabin.

Her assistant, whom she had sent ahead, and the squad leaders were all gathered there.

“Vice-Captain Raven! You’re safe! That’s a relief! We were just about to form a support team—”

“I have to make a report, so please leave.”

“…Yes? Ah, yes!”

The officers obeyed her order without question, sensing her urgency.

The cabin was empty in a matter of seconds.

“…….”

Raven placed her hand on the military message stone, her expression complex.

“Nia Lafdonia. Arrua Raven, Vice-Captain of the 3rd Magic Corps. My return was delayed due to securing an escape route for the unit members. Please share the current situation.”

[Nia Lafdonia. Eltora Terserion, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Corps. I was worried after hearing that you went to stop the Blood Knight, but it’s good to hear that you’re safe.]

“…Excuse me, but why is the Chief of Staff contacting me instead of the Corps Commander…?”

[Because I’m the second-in-command who takes over when the commander is absent during wartime.]

“Absent… sir?”

[Viscount Lamreond has perished. He was ambushed by a group of criminals led by Ricardo Liuhen Praha, the Traitor, while giving the order for all units to assemble and relocate.]

“That’s impossible…”

[The attacks stopped after all troops retreated to the lake, but we can’t be sure what will happen next, so you should take command of your unit and defend the perimeter until further notice.]

The Chief of Staff then briefly shared information about the estimated casualties and the enemy forces.

And…

[I think that’s all you need to know. Now, tell me. Was it really the Blood Knight?]

Raven briefly summarized the events, omitting unnecessary details, and reported to her superior.

How she stayed behind to stop the Blood Knight.

How the enemy reinforcements arrived.

And how they retreated after killing the ‘Lighthouse Keeper’.

She only reported the results, omitting the process.

It wasn’t just to save time.

She wouldn’t have hesitated if that was the case.

[You killed the Lighthouse Keeper… That’s good news. Well done. Tell the Blood Spirit Marquis that she’ll be rewarded for her achievements.]

Her superior thought that the Blood Spirit Marquis was responsible for the victory, but the truth was completely different.

Lihen Schuitz.

It was thanks to that man that no one had been injured by the infamous Blood Knight, and he was the one who killed the Lighthouse Keeper.

But…

[I’ll end the call now.]

…Raven couldn’t bring herself to say it.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Amelia Rainwales.’

She didn’t mention the woman who had performed as well as the Blood Spirit Marquis during the battle. Even though she was certain that the woman was the same Noark explorer she had met on Parune Island.

She had intentionally omitted the information.

Although she hadn’t lied, she had undoubtedly neglected her duty as a soldier.

“Ha…”

She felt a deep sense of guilt.

But what could she do?

She needed time to organize her thoughts.

‘Lihen Schuitz…’

The man who had introduced himself with that name.

Until now, she had thought that he was just someone who resembled the man Erwen had lost.

But after seeing [Gigantification], she had a hunch.

What if he wasn’t just a look-alike?

What if Erwen was calling him ‘mister’ for that reason?

What if he was really alive?

“…I don’t know.”

She was confused.

Nothing was certain.

She wanted to believe it was him, but there were also many differences.

‘His height and his face.’

And…

[Your… your b-back…!]

The blood she felt when she unconsciously reached out to touch his wound was warm and sticky.

It should have stung if it was his blood.

And there was another difference.

‘…He’s too strong.’

His body that blocked the Blood Knight’s Aura.

The strange ability that reflected magic.

And even the ability to drag enemies towards him using wind.

The old Yandel wouldn’t have been able to do that against such powerful enemies.

But…

‘Time has passed.’

Maybe he had absorbed new essences and become stronger.

Even Erwen and she herself had changed a lot in the past two years.

‘If that’s the case…’

The more Raven organized the information, the more she was convinced that Bjorn Yandel was alive.

The decisive factor was Amelia’s presence.

Although she couldn’t find any concrete evidence, there were still unanswered questions about his death.

But the woman who had disappeared with him was alive?

It strongly suggested that he might be alive too.

But the problem was…

‘If it’s really him, what should I do?’

Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit.

The royal family had officially announced it, and she had known about it before the announcement.

She had seen his expression.

[You said there's a rumor going around that Yandel is an evil spirit... It's not just a rumor, is it?]

Misha, who had been closest to Yandel, didn't answer.

But her trembling eyes held the truth.

Click, click.

Raven bit her nails for the first time in a long time.

It was a habit she only had when she was stressed.

She couldn't think straight.

She wanted him to be alive, but she also didn't want him to be.

But...

"Well, I'll have to confirm it."

Raven made up her mind.

She knew.

That she couldn't just run away and avoid her duty, no matter how scared she was.

______________________

No. 399 Cage of Silence.

A trap-type Numbered Item activated when a spatial movement ability is used within a certain radius.

"She's... not going to come back, is she?"

"She will. And probably soon."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This cage doesn't last forever."

To be precise, it lasted for two hours after activation.

And it had a long cooldown.

'And we can't even attack them while they're trapped.'

It was an item solely for 'restraint'.

All attacks from the outside were blocked when it was active.

So people usually surrounded the cage after trapping the enemy and then ganged up on them when it was deactivated…

Thud.

The soldier guarding us saluted as soon as he heard footsteps from the hallway.

"Nia Lafdonia!"

Right, she's back.

"Thank you for guarding them. I need to talk to them, so can you leave us alone for a moment? And please keep this a secret."

"Yes!"

Raven returned alone after about an hour, and she even dismissed the soldier.

It was a positive sign, but it was too early to relax.

Raven stood in front of the cage, silently observing us, and I asked,

"...What are you going to do with us?"

"You're still using that tone?"

Damn it, she's coming at us strong.

Should I just reveal my identity and try to persuade her to help us?

As I was contemplating, Raven continued,

"...Take off your helmet."

I obediently took off my helmet, which was stained with the Lighthouse Keeper's blood.

Raven's expression didn't change.

"...And your armor."

What does she think I am?

Men and women shouldn't be together after the age of seven!

"I can't comply with an unreasonable request of a sexual nature. Even if I were a woman, I wouldn't—"

"What are you talking about?"

Raven just glared at me as I tried to explain why I couldn't take off my armor.

This is getting a bit scary...

"...I haven't reported you to my superiors yet. Or about Miss Rainwales. But if you don't comply with my request, things will be different—"

"I'll take it off."

"You're... being curt."

What the hell, there's no way for us to escape anyway.

I took off my armor, revealing my back, which was covered in wounds.

And...

"...!"

Raven's expression finally changed.

Her eyes widened, her gaze fixed on the tattoo hidden beneath my armor.

Phew, this feels better.

"It's been a while, Raven."

"..."

"You were expecting this, weren't you?"

Raven bit her lip and glared at me at my question.

"...I was hoping it wasn't true."

"Because I'm an evil spirit?"

"Yes. I wish it could have just remained a good memory..."

Raven trailed off sadly.

I also felt a tightness in my chest.

So she couldn't accept the fact that I was an evil spirit.

"Wait!"

"...?"

"Raven, it's a misunderstanding that I'm an evil spirit."

I quickly tried to persuade her.

"Misunderstanding?"

"Yes, I'm not an evil spirit."

"Then what's with that appearance?"

Raven clenched her fists, looking at me.

"It seems like you shrunk your height by absorbing an essence like 'Bone Knight'... If you're not an evil spirit, why would you go through all this trouble to hide your identity?"

Right, I knew she would ask that.

"The royal family had already announced it when I returned. And I found some suspicious aspects to it, so I decided to hide my identity for now."

"...I agree that the announcement is suspicious. But 'for now'? And 'returned'? What do you mean?"

Okay, so I managed to pique her curiosity.

"It's a long story. There's this thing called the Fragment of Records—"

"Wait!"

Raven cut me off.

"There's no need for a long explanation. This is enough."

There was a familiar item in her hand.

No. 7234 Distorted Trust.

The consumable item that prevented anyone within a 10-meter radius from lying.

"You know what this is, right? I received it from Mr. Parteian in the Doppelganger Forest. I used the remaining budget from the corps to recharge it."

She was well-prepared.

Whoosh!

She had even activated it. The second hand on the compass-sized disc started to move.

And then...

"So, tell me. Is it really a misunderstanding?"

Raven asked, staring at me intently.

'...Will it work?'

I was a bit nervous.

I hadn't actually tested if Auril Gabis' 'gift' worked.

I was planning to buy 'Distorted Trust' or something similar and test it before revealing myself.

But...

"Raven, it's really a misunderstanding. I'm not an evil spirit."

Well, it seemed to be working since I could say it—

Click.

The second hand suddenly stopped.

"...What did you just do?"

"Uh..."

The second hand started moving again as I trailed off.

Was it just a temporary error?

"I don't know either..."

I quickly feigned ignorance, and 'Distorted Trust' stopped working again.

And then...

Tick, tock.

After a brief pause, it started working again.

"...Why does it stop working when he speaks?"

I gulped at Raven's question.

'He said I wouldn't be affected by these items...'

Damn old man.

He should have told me beforehand!

Trial

I like Korean novels (Murim, Dukes, Reincarnation, etc, etc, etc)

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