Barbarian in a Failed Game

The driving forces behind the hegemonic state known as the Empire are so numerous that it’s hard to count them all. The fertile lands that nourish the Empire and the two rivers spreading like veins throughout the realm have rendered the word “poverty” nonexistent for the Empire.

It’s said jokingly that the slums of the Empire are more livable than the wealthy quarters of frontier kingdoms. And as the saying goes, population is power. The overwhelming population produced countless talents who excel in various fields.

The Magic Tower, a supranational academic institution, leads technological advancements.

Swordsmen from all over the continent, aspiring to become sword masters, vie to become disciples of Sword Mountain, fearing to lose their place.

Furthermore, the belief that real gods protect them keeps the people’s hearts firm. Everyone believed that the Empire’s strength would be everlasting.

However, there are certainly those who do not belong to that “everyone”. For instance, someone well-aware of the Empire’s real state of affairs.

“……This is peculiar.”

An elderly man, stroking his graying beard thoughtfully, belonged to this category. He wore a crown of pure gold adorned with gems of various colors and a gold cross necklace symbolizing his role as a religious leader.

Draped over his shoulders was a cape made of red fabric embroidered with gold threads, and the clothes visible beneath it were equally splendid.

“Truly peculiar.”

This man was the Emperor of the Empire.

Friedrick III.

“What troubles you, Your Majesty?”

Emperor Friedrick’s desk, where he handled state affairs, was set atop the highest platform, and kneeling just one step below him was Conrad, the Emperor’s Guardian Knight.

Sir Conrad, hailed as the most powerful, honorable, and loyal knight in the Empire, was also deemed the strongest knight in Midland.

Rumors within the palace even suggested that he could rival transcendent beings. It’s said that some transcendent beings obediently journeyed to the Magic Tower, unable to defy the Emperor because of him.

But contrary to such grand rumors, he appeared to be a very ordinary man. He looked no older than thirty, with neatly combed brown hair and gentle blue eyes that made him seem more like an administrator or a nobleman.

“If something troubles you, please command me without hesitation. I, Conrad, will—”

“Everyone, dismiss.”

At the Emperor’s stern command, everyone who was positioned below the platform where Conrad knelt quickly vacated. Left alone, Emperor Friedrick and Sir Conrad exchanged silent glances.

“Your jest goes too far. How could you even think of leaving this palace?”

“Of course, I just said it to be heard.”

“Indeed. Just relax for now. I don’t plan on letting anyone in for a while.”

“I abide by Your Majesty’s command.”

Sir Conrad stood up, wearing a mischievous smile as if he were addressing an old friend, and pretended to brush off dust from his body.

“Is there dust? In that case, I’ll need to cut the Head Chamberlain’s salary. Unless he’s trying to poison this old body, leaving dust around….”

“It’s just a habit, a habit. From the start… why do you say such frightening things when you don’t really mean it, Your Majesty?”

Emperor Friedrick III was the first to break the heavy atmosphere with a dry laugh.

“The Head Chamberlain should retire soon… No matter how much I recommend it, he doesn’t budge. Maybe if I threaten him with his salary, he’ll finally quit out of spite?”

“I’m not sure. I think he might want to be buried with you, Your Majesty. His loyalty is quite extraordinary.”

“… It’s always the oldest retainers who are the most disobedient.”

“And what’s the harm in aging together?”

“Where do you even look old?”

In response, Sir Conrad smiled broadly but said nothing.

Despite their outward appearances suggesting a grandfather-grandson relationship, the two were actually not far apart in age.

“Who knew I’d end up with a body like this just from taking a bath in lizard blood?”

“Tsk. Complaining about your luck, I see.”

“Well… Your Majesty, don’t give up hope entirely. I’ve heard that the Magic Tower’s nearly abandoned research has shown results recently, thanks to a research journal brought back from a frontier kingdom by Magus Jerome of the Gray Tower, if I recall correctly?”

“Magus Jerome.”

“Ah, right. He was quite an impressive fellow for a mage…”

“Enough about that. I’ve promised all the support they need. We’ll get results if we wait. The bigger issue is with the Three Pillars.”

“Now that you mention it, your initial concern was about something strange. It was about the Three Pillars?”

Emperor Friedrick nodded. Sir Conrad seemed taken aback by this unexpected remark.

“Isn’t that nothing new? After all, they’re just humans, so they wouldn’t be entirely pure and upright. Haven’t you been monitoring their actions from the start? Concerning Paradise Bank?”

“Exactly.”

Surprisingly, this was the moment when it became evident that the Imperial family had been aware of Paradise Bank’s secret dealings all along, despite pretending otherwise.

“We initially decided it wasn’t worth paying much attention. The reason was….”

“No matter what Paradise Bank does, it can never escape the Empire’s influence. Unless the entire elven race abandons their island and migrates to the Empire. The financial power that Paradise Bank relies on is an illusionary influence that can be taken away at any time.”

“But what exactly seems so strange to you? Is it the sudden collapse of their plans?”

“No matter how seriously those arrogant, long-lived species took their centuries-long plan, unless the Empire’s national strength dramatically declines, it was destined to fail. And for the Empire to fall to that extent, it would require an unmanageable series of natural disasters occurring simultaneously.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Emperor Friedrick III emphasized his point by waving a magically treated piece of paper.

“It’s hard to grasp everything about the case from just a piece of paper….”

“You say things that would upset the Chief Administrator without a second thought.”

“The report by the meticulous Chief Administrator isn’t what seems off. It’s too perfect. That’s the issue.”

Sir Conrad tilted his head in confusion. The report being perfect was a problem?

“Everything fits too neatly, as if someone carefully crafted the causal relationships to make them easily understandable.”

“Hmm, difficult words are a bit….”

“Look here. The transactions between Paradise Bank and the Cardinals of the Church were intricately detailed. The bank itself dispersed the sources of funding and entangled the flows to be complex. Even if the source of the funds was discovered, it wouldn’t pose a problem. They even co-opted lords to act as buffers. So, even if a crisis arose, it would be nearly impossible to point the finger directly at the Cardinals from the main headquarters or Paradise Bank.”

But in this case, that impossible task became a reality.

“According to the report submitted by Cardinal Zion, Georg Melchus tried to hold a meeting with the elves under the pretense of the ‘Theoron Trading Company’ mansion. A young priest, set to be an apostle of the Goddess, found this out beforehand. This young priest voted to dismiss a paladin within their order, a follower of the same God, to gain internal information.”

“So far, I get it. They had a spy who extracted the information about the meeting, right?”

“Yes. And at that meeting, archbishop Levant and the former deputy commander of the Paladins were hidden away. Unaware of this, Georg Melchus confessed his corruption at the meeting… though he fervently denied it afterward.”

“The weight of the claim is different if Archbishop Zion makes it.”

“But that’s not enough to bring them down directly. Here’s another incident: the dismissed prospective apostle suddenly attacked a lord’s mansion.”

And at that location, the deputy manager of Paradise Bank, Roun, appeared. With Cain Leichtahp, the acting master of Sword Mountain.

“The deputy manager of Paradise Bank, the lord of the Genswein family, and the acting master of Sword Mountain were all in one place… There are too many witnesses for there to be any doubt about what happened at the lord’s mansion. But linking it to Georg Melchus is a bit of a stretch. It’s more plausible with Cain Leichtahp.”

“But evidence did come out, didn’t it?”

“It did. Conveniently from the hands of the Sword Demon who attacked Paradise Bank.”

“I must admit, I was surprised. Who would have thought that rowdy girl would do such a thing? Although, given her reasons, it makes sense.”

The elves of Paradise tried to control me with mind-altering drugs. And behind all of it was Cain Leichtahp. So, she killed the president of Paradise Bank…

Emperor Friedrick furrowed his brows and massaged his temples, estimating the effort the Chief Administrator put into framing Leniyar’s rash testimony into a suitable report.

“And that’s where the ‘ledger’ secretly compiled by Paradise Bank was found and submitted. Thanks to that decisive piece of evidence, we could drag all the heads of Paradise Bank, the Church, and Sword Mountain to trial…?”

“That’s a good outcome, isn’t it?”

“It is. Too good.”

“So you believe the report has been fabricated, Your Majesty?”

Friedrick III couldn’t answer easily to that question. The Chief Administrator’s abilities were unquestionable.

Moreover, the report must have been thoroughly verified before submission by thorough crosschecking. At the very least, the contents of the report were factual.

If not, it would imply that those critical witnesses had collectively fabricated their testimonies.

Archbishop Levant, and the Cardinal Zion.

The two young noble girls designated as apostles of the Goddess of Justice.

Berta, the Crusher of Carpenta and former deputy commander of the Paladins.

Leonir, a direct descendant of the Istantil family and a promising paladin.

A young mage, noted as the most promising genius in the Magic Tower.

And the worst rascal Leniyar, whom even the Imperial authority and her master Valken Leichtahp could not control.

‘Could there really be a mastermind who could keep all their mouths shut and manipulate them as they wish…?’

He could guarantee.

‘It’s impossible.’

Even Friedrick III himself couldn’t persuade and mobilize them all. Even if somehow forced, they weren’t the kind of people who would listen. Inevitably, it would fall apart at some point.

Emperor Friedrick openly conveyed his inner thoughts, and Sir Conrad agreed with the sentiment.

“I am not confident about that either. Ah, come to think of it… What about the barbarian who occasionally appears in those testimonies?”

“Barbarian?”

“Yes. The one who appeared with the Sword Demon girl at the Paradise Bank.”

“I saw him. At first, I suspected there might be something, so I even ordered the intelligence department to gather information.”

When Lord Conrad inquired about the outcome, Emperor Friedrick responded ambiguously.

“I’m not sure.”

“Pardon?”

Lord Conrad revealed his genuine surprise at Emperor Friedrick’s candid admission of not knowing. This was because Conrad knew better than anyone the emperor’s abilities surpassed the extraordinary to the superhuman.

“There is something. The individuals testifying have connections, and there are even rumors he vanquished dragons and demons in the border kingdoms.”

“Wow… If that’s true, he’s quite the monster. It’s reasonable to be suspicious.”

“The problem is that all these incidents occurred while the barbarian was in Northland. Furthermore, that barbarian has never set foot on imperial soil.”

Emperor Friedrick glanced at Lord Conrad before continuing his explanation.

“Indeed. If that barbarian is truly behind this incident…”

It would mean that despite never having set foot on the empire’s land, he orchestrated events that even the imperial family couldn’t fully understand or intervene in. He did all this while remaining in Northland across the sea.

“Do you now understand the significance of suspecting that barbarian?”

After the emperor’s lengthy explanation, Sir Conrad’s face hardened as if he were facing a significant threat. Finally, he spoke with a trembling voice.

“This is terrifying news. If such an existence is real, I would immediately change my religion. That would indeed be a divine miracle.”

TL’s Corner:

It is understandable form their perspective, since Khan isn’t really a “normal” Barbarian.