Barbarian in a Failed Game

The Goddess of Justice typically stood as an antagonistic God to players. So much so, in fact, that the presence of “Elena of the Scales”, her most devout follower, was often seen as a death flag for players due to their inherent cautiousness towards player characters.

Throughout most iterations, this hostility remained constant. The best outcome was avoiding overt antagonism by building a high reputation and securing various alliances.

But this time was different.

While initially, the Goddess of Justice had taken a stern approach, considering her status as one of the highest-ranking beings in this world, her demeanor was quite amicable. She even answered Khan’s forthright questions.

‘Initially, I thought this change was due to saving Aries.’

Khan recalled some vague information he had heard.

There were conflicts in the heavens regarding how to treat Karyan, who had become the Warrior God, and a high-ranking God had stood in Karyan’s defense, according to the sorceress’s tale.

A God who was friendly with Karyan? For Khan, often mistaken for a Warrior God’s champion, it was worthwhile to stay on good terms with such a God. Naturally, he had speculated about who it could be, and it hadn’t taken long to narrow down the candidates.

None other than the Goddess of Justice.

『I can sense it. The power of the Warrior God within you.』

The red divine will that had suffused the world converged on a single point: Khan’s right forearm, where Karyan’s “Mark of Valor” was embedded.

『At the end of your journey north, did you meet the Warrior God?』

Maintaining his composure, Khan nodded in response.

“I underwent the trial of valor, and Karyan bestowed this mark upon me.”

『Young warrior, do not try to deceive me. I am a being who has fought demons since the dawn of this world. Such trifles as hiding falsehoods within truths will not work on me.』

This time, the red will moved from the mark to Khan’s eyes.

『I can tell. My will is visible to you, isn’t it? Just as Karyan saw it.』

At those definitive words, Khan sighed and shook his head.

‘I never expected the Goddess of Justice to know about Karyan’s Eyes.’

He wondered if Karyan had been indiscreet about this eye’s existence—the thought of that frivolous Warrior God gossiping about such a gift didn’t seem implausible.

“Yes, he bestowed these eyes upon me, his descendant.”

Since it was apparent he had been caught, Khan saw no point in hiding the truth any further and openly admitted it.

『Then you can feel my will now.』

Khan felt a tingle as the red divine will permeated his vision, radiating a presence that was impossible to ignore.

“You seem to be pondering whether to kill me or not.”

Indeed, the Goddess of Justice withdrew the divine hand that connected earth and sky, adding:

『My patience is anchored by your actions, which are incredibly aligned with my divine principles. However, do not mistake this patience for eternity.』

Khan didn’t need those words to understand the reality.

The divine will of the Goddess of Justice was enormous and unyielding, yet its changes occurred very slowly. It would take a significant amount of time for the will to fully transform into a deep red hue.

But the transformation would not stop, and eventually, it would be as red as blood.

“I have a question.”

『You may ask.』

“When Karyan ascended to divinity, I heard there was a heated debate in the heavens. I also heard that one of the higher gods supported him. That God was…”

『Me.』

As expected. Khan felt a sense of triumph at confirming his suspicion. And he began to understand why the Goddess of Justice was suddenly glaring at him with lethal intent.

“Sorceress Mortalia.”

At the sudden mention of that name, the red will surged violently, threatening to shatter the world.

『I’ve already told you, young champion of the Warrior God. If you value your life, do not pry further.』

“But you haven’t stopped my actions.”

『The heavens respect the lives of mortals. Though the world’s laws preclude us from intervening, mortal beings have the right to choose their paths. At least my ‘justice’ allows for that. However, there are undeniable exceptions.』

When that choice conflicts with her sense of justice.

『The sorceress is such an exception. And right now, you carry traces of that sorceress. The power that clouds my vision cannot conceal traces of that witch.』

Khan understood the implications. After being knocked unconscious by a sudden attack from the Warrior God, he had awoken with lingering remnants of the sorceress’s consciousness.

‘It seems something was left behind.’

A mark only perceptible to transcendent beings. This explained the Goddess of Justice’s reaction.

Sorceress Mortalia was the one who had torn a path to divinity, bypassing the world’s laws—an unforgivable sin from the perspective of the divine gods.

Yet, the Goddess of Justice’s next words revealed a nuance that differed from Khan’s assumptions.

『That witch spreads chaos and sows the seeds of sin in this world. Countless mortals have been led astray by her, failing to realize that this path leads to the world’s destruction.』

“The world’s destruction…?”

『Many mortals have pursued the knowledge of the Sorceress. And they all met the same fate.』

The Goddess of Justice didn’t provide Khan with a precise answer to his question. Perhaps the world’s laws bound her, preventing full disclosure. However, she was indirectly warning him:

‘Do not seek the secrets of the world any further.’

『I am aware that the Warrior God has some connection with the Sorceress. However, due to his noble sacrifice and his transcendent abilities, which he possessed even before ascending to godhood, I refrained from intervening. As a God, whatever pact he may have made with the Sorceress, he is now bound by the laws of the world and can do nothing.』

“But as his champion and a mortal, I am different,” Khan inferred, finally grasping the Goddess of Justice’s genuine intention.

Unlike the Warrior God, his descendant Khan was not bound by the world’s laws. Utilizing Khan to execute the Warrior God’s unfulfilled promises made to the Sorceress was a reasonable suspicion.

However, the Goddess of Justice’s next words made Khan grimace.

『More than that, the fact that you, bearing the Sorceress’s mark, are targeting those poor, pure beings is what arouses my deepest suspicion.』

“Poor…?”

‘Who? Elves?’

Like Karyan, the Goddess of Justice spoke as if the elves were innocent victims. Having experienced the malice of elves through countless quests in “Midland Quest”, Khan found this hard to believe.

Where was the purity and innocence in those vile and cunning creatures? The elves seemed to personify ‘evil’ itself.

“Elves are the cancer of Midland.”

Khan was confident in his actions.

Elves were intertwined with every significant calamity. They accelerated the Empire’s downfall by projecting Paradise’s influence. The player community even had a saying, ‘All the most atrocious misdeeds start with the elves’, so what was the issue here?

『Did the Warrior God not tell you?』

Seeing Khan’s puzzled look, the Goddess of Justice sighed and elaborated.

『Do you not know that the reason those children are confined to the island of Paradise is to protect them from the atrocities once committed by the Warrior God in his youth?』

“…What?”

What had Karyan done?

*

William Leonora Alexandros III.

Bearing the name of the great King Alexandros of the Leonora Dynasty, William, despite his royal lineage, had little interest in royal affairs. Instead, he lamented the plight of his people, exiled to the sea, and longed to venture onto the mainland with his father.

With the craftsmanship of a dwarven master, William managed to live well even in foreign lands, often being treated as an honored guest. However, William grossly underestimated how cunning the people of the continent could be.

He wasted many years as a mere fixture in a noble house—a period not short even for a dwarf, who lives several times longer than a human. Freed by the serendipitous intervention of a northern barbarian, William sought out the elves’ enterprises to reclaim what was owed to his dynasty.

But the treacherous elves imprisoned him without warning. And once again, he was rescued by the barbarian.

‘Having been rescued twice, I can’t just ignore it.’

Thus, he awaited the barbarian, Gordi Khan, with the half-elf. However, Khan never returned, and William had business to attend to. Hearing from his elven captors that the dwarven dynasty had changed shocked him profoundly.

Though he had little interest in royal matters, as royalty, he had a duty to learn the truth. That urgency compelled William to leave abruptly. But he was detained in an unexpected place.

‘To return to the sea, I need a ship.’

Additionally, an ordinary ship wouldn’t suffice for reaching the dwarven mothership. Of course, given the materials, constructing a vessel was exceedingly straightforward for someone like William.

However, such materials were prohibitively expensive and rare. Nonetheless, utilizing his dwarven ingenuity, he managed to construct a suitable ship using monster carcasses for durable material.

“These damn elves…!”

His work was abruptly halted by an ambush of elven hunters.

“We only need the dwarf of Leonora. Kill the rest.”

William, busy constructing the ship by the riverside outside the manor, rushed towards the ensuing chaos too late.

The town where he stayed while constructing his ship was a small estate in the southern part of the Empire. The estate’s owner was a retired senior knight of the Empire with a well-trained private army capable of easily handling occasional orc raids.

However, turning the estate into a sea of fire took less than ten minutes. The senior knight’s head being displayed on a pike took exactly five minutes.

While the power of spirit magic is formidable in combat, the speed with which the senior knight and hundreds of well-trained soldiers and civilians were obliterated was extraordinary.

‘This is…!’

However, if a being capable of such devastation had taken direct action, it made sense.

‘Why would an ancient one from the Six Houses be here…?’

The moment William locked eyes with the emotionless, vacant gaze of the being before him, he felt overwhelmed by a sense of despair and fled. His escape was surprisingly swift, considering the typically short stride of a dwarf.

“Huff, huff!”

Forcing his legs to keep moving despite the breathlessness that threatened to slow him down, William turned his head to gauge the distance he had put between himself and his pursuer.

He swallowed hard in shock. The emotionless eyes he had faced before fleeing were now staring directly at him from up close.

“Come with me to Paradise, Prince of Leonora.”

TL’s Corner:
To Paradise!!!