Barbarian in a Failed Game

The Saboteur, otherwise known as the Seeker, infiltrated the royal family a long time ago. He hadn’t become a Follower of Truth after being appointed as an administrator; rather, he had been a Follower of Truth from the very beginning, using his remarkable abilities to rise to the position of the royal court’s administrator.

As a mage on par with the heads of the Magic Tower, he was also an administrator whose competence was acknowledged by the emperor himself, and for decades, a first-class spy who had been leaking imperial intelligence. Truly an epitome of talent, his work began early each morning.

“Ah, you’ve arrived…!”

“Let me see how the tasks are progressing. I imagine it’s been quite hectic already.”

There wasn’t a pressing need for him to arrive so early, but given the current turmoil in the empire, vital information flowed and was discarded in the blink of an eye.

The Saboteur couldn’t just stand by; he was the instigator behind the crisis at the Paradise Bank, after all. He had personally visited the bank’s president, confined by the cautious movements of the Paradise Bank, informing her of the emperor’s impending death to push her into bold expansion.

‘Tch. If that foolish president hadn’t been caught…’

The Paradise Bank would have succeeded in expanding its influence without issue, weakening the empire’s strength and leading to further chaos. It would have been an ideal environment for the Followers of Truth to operate in.

But his plans had crumbled.

While various experiments in the border kingdoms were thwarted, the ambitious plans of the Saboteur, who had sought to use the elves of Paradise for his grand scheme, had burst like a bubble in a single night.

‘A failure, perhaps, but hardly a serious loss.’

The Followers of Truth, while ostensibly a secret society, were almost devoid of any sense of camaraderie. They were tied together solely by their desire for the Truth.

Looking at just the results, it wasn’t a big loss.

There was only a personal disappointment from the Saboteur’s perspective. In fact, some members were likely celebrating his failure.

After all, the views on ‘Truth’ differed among the Seekers, and occasionally, the Apostle of Truth offered limited ancient magics and research journals.

There was an inherent competitive structure among the Seekers.

‘It’s going to be noisy for a while.’

The Saboteur sneered at the thought of other Seekers who would likely make a fuss about his failure, then proceeded to his usual duties.

“His Majesty has summoned you.”

“The emperor?”

It had only been a moment since Emperor Friedrick, considering the barbarian as the possible “shadowy figure”, had opened up the Dark Chamber.

It hadn’t been long since he was summoned, so…

‘Did they discover something?’

If that were true, it would be incredible news. That troublesome barbarian had been a thorn in his side, and he had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to eliminate him.

If the emperor had discovered something about the person suspected to be behind the barbarian, it would be perfect.

The Saboteur wasted no time heading to where the emperor awaited. As usual, the emperor would provide him with information and orders, and he would appear to carry them out while disseminating that information among the Seekers across the land.

“Are you truly the Saboteur?”

That was what he thought until the emperor abruptly mentioned his alias.

“You look surprised.”

“That is not it, Your Majesty…”

He tried his best not to show his shock, but the emperor seemed to notice even the slightest signs.

To the Saboteur, this was sudden and catastrophic. He had maintained his cover flawlessly for decades, and now, out of the blue, he was unmasked? Had the emperor known all along?

‘There’s no way…!’

Even the most seasoned high-level mage was still human, capable of feeling emotions. In such a sudden moment of exposure, maintaining composure was nearly impossible for anyone.

However, the mage’s inherent rationality allowed him to think of potential responses despite his panic. He could either deny everything until the end or admit the truth and quickly flee.

But neither seemed viable.

“Unbelievable. Was my judgment flawed? Did I fail to recognize a spy for decades…from just one question…?”

“Your Majesty—”

“Sir Conrad.”

A force appeared before him that stripped away all his options.

“I never imagined you would be a spy. Life is full of surprises.”

“Conrad…!”

“Where did you sell your title of ‘Sir’, head administrator?”

A commoner by birth, the Saboteur held an administrative position due to his exceptional abilities. Now, his external identity as an imperial head administrator and spy duties were revealed.

The Saboteur realized that continuing to hide was futile. It was clear that the emperor had uncovered his identity through some means, and Conrad, the half-dragon knight, had robbed him of even a moment’s hesitation.

Boom!

“Mana…! And at a level comparable to a tower master’s!”

The emperor’s eyes widened at the torrent of mana the Saboteur unleashed. Instantly, it matched the mana level of a Magic Tower master, and as time passed, it soared beyond that. It was astonishing how he had managed to hide such power while posing as a commoner administrator.

‘To use this here…!’

The Saboteur pulled out an ancient artifact known as the Heart of the Lesser Dragon. Its sole function was to store and extract mana, but its capacity was so vast that it earned its name.

This relic, prepared by the Apostle of Truth, had been specially modified for the Saboteur’s infiltration of the imperial palace.

When Serenil, the president of Paradise Bank, had encountered the Saboteur, she was astonished by his profound power. That power arose from sensing fragments of mana stored in the Heart of the Lesser Dragon.

“Your Majesty. It’s regrettable that you’ve discovered my true identity, but…!”

Even a small portion of the heart’s mana was enough to unsettle an elder elf. The total mana capacity of the Heart of the Lesser Dragon was akin to that of an actual dragon.

The user of this heart wasn’t just an ordinary mage but a high-ranking mage proficient in numerous ancient and contemporary spells.

『For now, Your Majesty will have to become a hostage!』

The Saboteur’s voice echoed like a divine will as he absorbed all the mana from the heart into his body. Endless mana surged within him, and the spell he conjured radiated supreme transcendence.

The ancient spell, rekaris’s Thunderflame. Originally, it unleashed a single bolt of devastating lightning, but depending on the mana consumed, it could multiply infinitely—a concept transcending modern spell systems.

Rumble—!!

A red bolt of lightning crackled in the Saboteur’s grip, thundering explosively. Instantly, multiple bolts spread out, threatening to obliterate and incinerate everything within the vicinity.

Even the Bannerlords, the emperor’s elite guards, and the battle mages, masters of combat magic, would find it nearly impossible to survive this monstrous ancient spell.

Perhaps only Sir Conrad could.

The emperor’s frail body would be reduced to ashes at a mere touch of the thunderflame. Even the shockwave from the exploding lightning would be sufficient to kill the aged emperor.

The number of lightning bolts continuously increased as the Saboteur absorbed the mana from the Heart of the Lesser Dragon.

‘Even a half-dragon knight would be hard-pressed to avoid creating a brief opening! At least while he’s busy protecting the emperor—!’

During that window, the Saboteur intended to use the Apostle’s “Teleportation Gem.” specifically prepared for such situations. Though this would result in the permanent destruction of the Heart of the Lesser Dragon, it wasn’t more valuable than his life.

But even this calculation turned out to be the Saboteur’s arrogance.

“This is the imperial palace, the emperor’s audience chamber. Who do you think you’re threatening, head administrator?”

Crack.

He merely clenched his fist. That simple gesture extinguished the ancient spell capable of ravaging an entire city.

『This power… a dragon’s…?!』

“You’re only realizing this now? How slow-witted.”

It wasn’t Sir Conrad who had acted. It was the emperor who, with a clenched fist, dispelled the spell, his face showing a grimace.

“If you intend to cast a spell before me, you’ll need at least a real dragon.”

A tattoo of a blue dragon with outspread wings on the back of the emperor’s hand glowed, a sight never seen before.

『Akardnil!』

“That name is not for you to utter. Did you learn it from the Council of Truth?”

It was one of the blessings granted to Emperor Friedrick by the guardian dragon, akardnil. This was why Khan had concluded that killing the emperor was impossible.

Within the bounds of the palace, Emperor Friedrick could use the dragon’s blessings without limit.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss this.”

Disrupting spells was among the blessings, and combined with the impenetrable defense provided by the half-dragon knight, Sir Conrad, it made physically killing the emperor impossible.

Naturally, a mage who couldn’t cast spells was nothing more than an ordinary person with a frail body. Moreover, even the Teleportation Gem had ceased to work under the dragon’s authority, putting the Saboteur in a perfect checkmate.

“How…?”

The Saboteur muttered blankly as his voice returned to its original, weak state, owing to the cessation of mana that had once filled his body.

Ironically, Emperor Friedrick felt a sense of empathy towards the stunned Saboteur.

‘To have predicted how the head administrator would respond once his identity was revealed…’

While it was plausible to know his identity, how had someone managed to predict and inform him of an encounter before it even occurred?

Looking down at the now-kneeling Saboteur, Emperor Friedrick pondered this.

‘Perhaps, that man’s true identity is…’

A prophet—someone only occasionally mentioned in legends.

*

‘The Saboteur should be finished by now.’

A character who was over Level 40, considered nearly endgame, could hardly guarantee victory in a direct confrontation. Yet now, it was accomplished while lounging and absentmindedly scratching his belly.

In the game, the difficulty had spiked dramatically in Act 8 when the palace was collapsing, all because of the trouble stirred up by the Saboteur inside.

‘That shouldn’t be an issue anymore.’

From the wary and suspicious emperor’s perspective, any doubts about the head administrator being a spy had to be thoroughly confirmed. Having planted the seed, Khan was confident it wouldn’t be long until harvest.

That prediction came true, evidenced by the visit from the emperor’s personal guard to the mansion where Khan was staying.

“A Space Movement Scroll, huh?”

The item left by the guard was another scroll connecting to the Dark Chamber. This indicated that the emperor had harvested the seed and now sought another conversation.

‘The shadows aren’t here anymore.’

The significant difference was that the shadowy surveillance around the mansion had vanished. This meant they had confirmed through the previous meeting that Khan hadn’t contacted anyone and had given up.

‘Eventually, they’ll suspect that the diligent warrior and the potbellied office worker are the same person. But the emperor doesn’t have much time left anyway.’

Though the research journals of Darkin Perayas had been handed over to Magus Jerome, presenting a possibility for extending the emperor’s life, it wasn’t something that could be achieved easily or quickly. Consequently, the emperor’s lifespan wouldn’t change drastically in the near future.

So, all Khan required was a few years of freedom.

‘During that time, I’ll leverage the emperor’s power to preemptively address and prepare for the forthcoming catastrophes.’

And meanwhile, he would follow the traces of the mages leading to Paradise.

Rip.

Tearing the scroll given by the emperor, Khan allowed himself a quiet chuckle.

‘This is what you call getting a free ride.’