Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

A declaration of war that had been brewing for over ten years.

“……!!!”

“……!!!”

Mages, citizens filling the plaza, Mozelan knights… everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

Their expressions all said the same thing: ‘What did I just hear?’

The old mage, after a moment of stunned silence, finally spoke.

“…That’s a heavy joke.”

A joke…

Well, denial was a common reaction to shocking news.

Even barbarians needed time to process this.

About three seconds.

“…W-War…!!”

One of the warriors shouted.

And then the floodgates opened.

“It’s war! It’s war!”

“To arms! To arms!”

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

Over a thousand warriors roared in unison, and the mages guarding the Mage Tower flinched.

It was understandable.

Comparing the combat power of a mage and a warrior based on size was absurd…

But the visual impact was undeniable.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!”

Hundreds of muscular barbarians, their average height over seven feet, were charging towards them.

It was intimidating.

“Old man.”

I took a step towards the mages and asked,

“Does it still sound like a joke?”

“…….”

The old mage didn’t answer. He looked like he was in a daze.

Damn it, I was talking to him.

Step.

I was about to take another step forward when…

“B-Baron Yandel! Y-You can’t do this!”

A Mozelan knight rushed towards me, panicking.

He had been stunned by the barbarians’ war cries, but he had finally regained his senses and remembered his duty.

“W-War?! You can’t declare war! Let’s calm down and talk! For the sake of the royal family…!”

His choice of words wasn’t bad.

If he had threatened me with the royal family’s wrath, the situation would have escalated.

“Talk…?”

“Y-Yes! We can find a compromise! Both the Mage Tower and the barbarians are important pillars of this city! Please reconsider… for the sake of the city…!”

I pretended to consider his plea and then nodded.

“Alright!”

“R-Really?!”

Right, the show of force was enough.

I had no intention of actually attacking the Mage Tower.

I had already attracted enough attention.

If I attacked now, the barbarians would be the villains.

So…

“Lewin Passtolume of the Egatile School!”

I started calling out names.

“Lurendel Lungonerd of the Hulbunt School! Ordwig Verteff of the Altus School! Ellenel Dwainine of the Galatir School!”

The citizens, who had been wondering what I was doing, now listened intently as I called out the names of the mages.

“Tols Ellin of the Evound School! Ukla Trazig of the Ornstalt School! Wiltom School’s…”

I listed twenty-one names and then turned to the old mage.

“Old man, do you know who these people are?”

“Of course. They’re all promising young mages.”

“Wrong.”

I shook my head and said firmly,

“They’re the mages who placed requests on the black market for barbarian hearts!”

Every war needed a justification.

“Ah! So that’s why the barbarians are here…!”

“They must have obtained that information when they rescued the slaves from the black market!”

The citizens nodded, finally understanding my motives. Some even expressed their support.

But…

‘This isn’t the main course yet.’

The appetizer was just the appetizer.

“Master Lurendel Galinbaret of the Triten School.”

I mentioned another name and asked,

“Do you know who he is?”

“…….”

The old mage didn’t answer. He was probably following his lawyer’s advice.

Well, silence wouldn’t change the truth.

“He’s the one who placed a bounty on my heart.”

I dropped the bombshell.

“……!!”

“……!!”

It was different from just placing a request for barbarian hearts.

A living person’s heart.

It was practically an assassination request.

“…Gwyln, if this is true, he will be punished, and the Mage Tower will be held responsible.”

The Mozelan knight, who had been trying to figure out how to stop me, now turned to the old mage and threatened him.

Mozelan wasn’t affiliated with the mages.

They were the protectors of the nobles.

“…Nothing has been confirmed yet. But I promise you, we will thoroughly investigate this matter.”

The old mage gave a vague, noncommittal answer, and the Mozelan knight couldn’t argue with him.

He acknowledged the gravity of the situation, but he didn’t have the authority to make a judgment on the spot.

Of course, I didn’t have to hold back.

“The Mage Tower is suspected of colluding with the rebels of the black market. I don’t trust your investigation.”

“…That’s our prerogative, Baron. And besides, you have no proof.”

“Proof…”

I had anticipated that response.

I used the ancient barbarian secret technique.

“I swear.”

“……?”

“I, Bjorn, son of Yandel, Chieftain of the Barbarian Tribe and Baron of the Lafdonia Kingdom, swear on my honor, and the name of my tribe! Everything I have said here today is true!”

It was just an empty oath.

But it was enough.

It swayed the crowd.

“He’s making a public declaration… he must be confident.”

“Do you think the Baron would lie?”

“Those filthy mages! They dared to plot against the Baron!”

“Bring them to justice!”

My reputation as a hero, my noble title, my image as an honest and straightforward barbarian… and the justification I had provided… it all combined to turn public opinion in my favor.

“Gwyln, you have to explain yourself. The Baron has made a serious accusation.”

“As I said, we will investigate this matter.”

“That’s your prerogative, but do you really want to do that? You can just summon those mages and ask them directly.”

“…….”

“I guarantee you, Mozelan will be granted the authority to investigate the Mage Tower by tonight. Plotting to assassinate a noble is a serious crime. Do you really want that?”

If Mozelan was granted the authority to investigate, the Mage Tower would be thoroughly scrutinized.

And they would definitely find something.

But the old mage’s decision was…

“We appreciate your concern, but we’ll handle this ourselves.”

“You’re choosing the hard path. It would be so much easier to just summon them and ask.”

“…….”

The old mage remained silent, and that sealed the deal.

Silence was sometimes the clearest answer.

“Those filthy mages! I knew it!”

“They’re trying to protect their own!”

The Mage Tower was now the villain, and the barbarians’ anger was justified.

If the old mage had agreed to summon the mages I had accused and punish them, the situation wouldn’t have escalated this far…

‘He’s probably thinking he can smooth things over later, once the initial outrage dies down.’

His mistake gave me an opportunity.

“Citizens of this city, who believe in justice and fair play, listen!”

The crowd, which had been shouting and cursing at the Mage Tower, fell silent.

It was the perfect opportunity to incite them.

“The corrupt mages of the Mage Tower refuse to admit their guilt! They’re still trying to protect their own! They can just summon those mages and verify my claims, but they’re refusing! Doesn’t that prove their guilt?!”

“Yes!”

I reinforced my position.

“They’ll probably go back and destroy the evidence, and then come back with fabricated results. We’ve seen this happen countless times. Haven’t we?”

“Yes—!!”

I stirred their anger.

The anger of the common people.

And then…

“But I won’t stand idly by and watch this injustice unfold.”

I told them.

That I would fight for them.

“I, Bjorn, son of Yandel…!”

I swore on my name.

“Promise you! Justice will be served! In this city, built upon the laws of the Lafdonia Kingdom!”

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

The crowd roared in approval.

Okay, the mood was set.

The mages wouldn’t be able to retaliate with civilians present.

The stage was set.

Therefore…

“Haa…”

I took a deep breath and then shouted with all my might.

“Charge!”

I had been holding back ever since the war with the fairies.

It was time to remind this city…

What barbarians were capable of.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

We didn’t talk.

______________________

Alex Halo, the Vice-Custodian of the 3rd Magic Corps.

He had just finished his regular report and was about to leave his office when he glanced at his superior.

Her uniform was impeccably ironed, despite the long hours she worked.

Her blue eyes were sharp and alert, despite the exhaustion.

Her small hand gripped a pen…

“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”

He flinched at her words and quickly said,

“Y-You’ve been reading the newspaper a lot lately…”

“Ah… this?”

Her desk was covered in newspapers.

But she avoided his gaze.

As if she was embarrassed.

“It’s just… a hobby. It gets boring staying here all day. I need to know what’s going on in the world.”

“…I see.”

But the newspapers on her desk were always about the same person.

“I heard there’s been a lot of commotion lately. Baron Yandel’s name was inscribed on the Stone of Honor, right?”

“That’s right. It was just a joke when we first met… but now he’s a true hero.”

Her voice sounded wistful.

Alex tilted his head.

“Aren’t you happy? He was your former teammate, wasn’t he?”

“Former teammate…”

“Ah…”

Alex realized his mistake and fell silent.

He looked at his superior, who was staring out the window with a melancholic expression, and felt a strange sense of unease.

It was an expression he, a mere subordinate, could never understand.

“…….”

“…….”

She was lost in thought, her chin resting on her hand, and Alex just stared at her profile.

And after a while…

“V-Vice-Captain! Emergency dispatch orders…!”

A soldier burst into the room.

His superior snapped out of her daze and stood up, grabbing her coat.

It was an emergency dispatch order for the 3rd Magic Corps, a unit directly under the royal family’s command. It meant something serious was happening in the city.

“Explain.”

She walked towards the training grounds, asking the soldier for details, and then she understood.

It could be summarized in a single sentence:

Baron Yandel was marching towards the Mage Tower with his tribe.

“There hasn’t been any conflict yet, but they’re definitely heading towards the Mage Tower.”

“Why? There must be a reason.”

“We’re investigating. But the Public Security Department has requested military support. There are over a thousand of them.”

“I see…”

As expected of a military unit, the entire corps had assembled in the training grounds within minutes of receiving the emergency dispatch orders. They boarded carriages and headed towards the military transfer station.

“Vice-Captain, this is bad. It seems like we’re not the only ones being deployed.”

Countless military carriages were heading towards the transfer station.

But his superior didn’t answer.

She just bit her nails nervously.

“What is he planning this time…”

Alex tried to reassure her.

Baron Yandel was a smart man.

And he had a lot to lose, so he was probably just making a show of force.

There was no need to worry.

It wasn't just empty reassurance, it was his genuine opinion. But his superior's anxious expression didn't change.

"...Alex, you're misunderstanding something. I'm not worried about Baron Yandel."

"Huh...? But... it's the Mage Tower..."

Alex didn't understand.

He had been a mage himself, so he knew how powerful the Mage Tower was.

What was she so worried about?

As he was wondering, she spoke again.

"Do you remember what happened to the Explorer's Guild because of him?"

"Ah, the false accusation incident..."

"Yes. The entire guild branch was destroyed. And the regional manager lost the next election because of it."

"But... the guild and the Mage Tower are different."

The guild was nothing compared to the Mage Tower.

But...

"I used to think so too... that the guild and the Mage Tower were different. That they wouldn't be swayed by a single barbarian..."

"And now... you don't think so?"

Raven nodded without hesitation.

"No. He's not just a barbarian anymore. When he single-handedly destroyed the guild branch, he was just a barbarian who had been an adult for two months. But now...?"

Alex couldn't say anything.

Years had passed, and he had become the leader of a tribe and a Baron of the kingdom.

"And besides... I know him well."

"...?"

"Alex, trust me. If he's doing this, it's not reckless. There's a reason."

Alex still didn't understand, but he didn't argue with his superior.

Clatter, clatter.

The carriage sped through the streets, and they soon arrived at the military transfer station.

Crackle-!

A message arrived through the message stone.

[Conflict! Baron Yandel and the barbarians have entered the Mage Tower! We request immediate support!]

His superior didn't react to the shocking news.

She just sighed deeply.

As if she had been expecting it.