Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 040: The North (3)

Click. Click.

As the landscape of Ermon was engulfed in shadows, the Count’s private soldiers, who were previously at ease in their lodgings, began to rearm themselves. Their expressions were grave and determined, yet they could not completely hide their anxiety.

“Even that formidable count couldn’t do anything about it…”

“Is this really possible? Brothers, isn’t this just marching to our deaths?”

“Shh. Keep it down.”

However, their whispers revolved around a singular theme. Could they possibly deal with their nighttime target? That monstrous barbarian? Even the knight Feneth, who was almost a symbol of superhuman strength, had not backed down in their dispute.

“Let’s go now.”

“Damn it. Wonder if we’ll live to see the morning.”

Trying to hide their fear, the soldiers left their lodgings.

Next door, other soldiers had finished their preparations and came out, exchanging nods. They then confidently made their way to the assembly point.

Externally, they displayed this confidence because they all knew being late would mean severe repercussions. Everyone was aware that Count Hefeldt coming urgently to Ermon meant an expression of his fury.

“We’re here. You are the last ones.”

The assembly point was at the Count’s residence on the outskirts of Ermon.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been appropriate to stay at the chief’s house in central Ermon, but the barbarian had taken it over.

“Your grace. We are ready,” Captain Art reported to the Count, who was within a large tent.

Clank. Clank.

Donning plate armor, a helmet, and a cloak adorned with the family crest as if he himself would join the battle, the Count, along with his confidant Knight Feneth, made an appearance. Considering the Count’s usual preference for light armor even on the battlefield, this was a surprising sight that made several soldiers gape in awe. Was this mission that critical? To strike the leader of the mercenaries who had captured the enemy chief from behind? Surely not. It must be for his own security.

“…I’ll keep this brief. Go and accomplish your mission properly.”

“Yes, sir.”

The response was subdued, aiming to minimize noise for stealth as they prepared for a surprise attack under the cover of night. Thus, in silence, the soldiers headed towards the chief’s house.

The residents of Ermon, peeking out from their windows into the night’s commotion, quickly withdrew in fright.

“What are your plans for Ermon, Your grace?” Captain Art, frowning at the inhabitants’ stares, approached the lagging Count.

The implication was clear: to perfect the deception that the barbarian and the Viscount’s death should be blamed entirely on the barbarian, the residents’ silence was necessary.

“What to do? They are the last. Ermon must be completely ruined for the story to hold,” the Count replied indirectly.

Yet, Captain Art quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind the Count’s words and nodded in agreement, regarding it as a suitable measure.

“To be clear, it’s the most reliable method. Understood.”

Essentially, the plan was to erase Ermon along with the barbarian and the Viscount, but this fact didn’t particularly stir any sentiment in Captain Art.

After all, Ermon and its inhabitants were assets of the Count. How he chose to exploit them was solely his decision.

“Halt.”

The vanguard issued a stop signal.

The chief’s house had come into view. Bowmen silently readied their arrows, while others loaded their crossbows. Meanwhile, those with torches soaked in oil cautiously moved to the front.

Based on the advice of Knight Ferma, who had witnessed the barbarian’ strength in the trembling woods first-hand, the plan was to avoid direct conflict by setting fire and shooting arrows instead.

According to the lookout reports, the barbarian group had not left the chief’s house. No one from Ermon ventured out either, effectively making them rats trapped in a barrel.

“Throw!”

No sooner had preparations been completed than the captain raised his voice. A dozen torches flew through the air, striking the town chief’s house, and the fire began to spread in an instant. After all, the houses of a small town are ultimately wooden structures.

The town chief’s residence was quickly engulfed in flames. Amidst the collapsing sounds of the building, it seemed as if the screams of the townsman trapped inside leaked out.

Crack.

A sinister noise emanated from the town chief’s house, perhaps the pillars had completely burned through, and bits and pieces of charred debris began to collapse.

“Are they trying to hold out inside? Foolish.”

The Count scoffed in derision.

It was a mocking of the barbarian’ folly for not appearing outside, perhaps thinking it would only make them targets for arrows.

Soon, the roof collapsed entirely.

Creak. Creak. Bang!

The Count was well aware that now was the only opportunity if there were any. His voice pierced through the noise, booming loudly.

“Fire─!”

A barrage of arrows came flying from all directions. The barrage formed by dozens of arrows seemed like a dark curtain even in the dead of night.

With a gray tower mage known to be among them, stopping the barrage midway would have been foolish.

Thus, those who had been waiting with their bows drawn fired their arrows.

A one-sided assault continued for nearly a minute. Yet, the party of the barbarian showed no sign of appearing.

They must have surely met their end by now. Either burned to death, crushed under the debris of the building, or slain by the arrows…

“Search the area.”

At the captain’s command, the soldiers cautiously advanced with their spears at the ready. A mere fifteen steps felt like an eternity.

The fear that one of the barbarian would suddenly burst out and smash their skulls kept replaying in their minds.

Finally reaching within spear’s reach, the soldiers swallowed as if in agreement, their eyes full of resolution, and thrust their spears towards the debris.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The tentative probing continued for a while. When no sign of bodies emerged even after some time, the Count’s face gradually hardened.

By now, there should at least be corpses, right? They couldn’t have turned to ash that quickly…

‘Could it be?’

“Dig through the debris! Check thoroughly if there are any bodies inside!”

The Count, suddenly struck by a thought, shouted with intensified anger. The soldiers then stopped jabbing with their spears and started moving their hands to lift and shift the debris.

Dozens of men began to lift and clear away the debris, rendering the almost entirely burned town chief’s house unrecognizable. And as they dug further, the more the Count’s face twisted in anger.

“Ah, there’s nothing here!”

After all the debris was cleared, a soldier casually exclaimed, causing the Count to throw his helmet to the ground in a burst of rage.

“How can this be─!”

Silence fell in response to the Count’s question.

It couldn’t be helped. The town chief’s house was located right at the heart of Ermon, making it practically impossible to sneak out unnoticed.

And with the Count’s soldiers stationed around the outskirts of the town, how could they have quietly escaped?

Thus, everyone silently bowed their heads, waiting for the Count’s anger to subside.

Among them, Feneth, who stood right next to the Count, quietly shone his eyes within the helmet.

*

*

*

“I never imagined things would turn out this way. Honestly…”

“That’s what I’m saying. I thought we had a good scuffle ahead of us.”

“Why would they do that, though?”

This was expressed by Maya, Ron, and Jan respectively.

It seemed they were puzzled by that person’s actions. Khan shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, indicating it was no big deal.

“Because they’re a knight.”

Though his concise answer left the party blinking in confusion, Khan felt no need to elaborate further.

He thought this explanation was sufficient.

‘Still, it’s somewhat unexpected.’

Khan quietly followed behind Ron, thinking about the knight, Feneth, who had secretly helped them escape.Immediately after the dwarf had left, Feneth, as if he had been waiting, came to visit the town chief’s house. Instead of beating around the bush with idle chatter, he simply told them to follow him and headed off somewhere. Khan and his companions, already prepared to move, decided to follow him to see what he was up to. However, there were no ambushes from hidden soldiers or sudden attacks from Feneth that Khan had anticipated.

“Now would be a good opportunity to slip away quietly. Since His Excellency’s arrival, the townsman have not been freely observing the outside, and the personnel watching over the house you are staying in are currently changing shifts. I am in charge of the gate’s entry and exit, so there should be no significant obstruction.”

At that moment, Feneth, with his already pale face darkened by deep circles under his eyes, appeared weary, as if he was mindlessly reciting a prepared explanation. Until Khan’s group left Ermon, Feneth looked at Khan with a deep gaze, without taking any action. Khan got the impression that Feneth was trying to convince himself with the excuses he was making.

“A knight who goes against his lord’s wishes.” Knights, having sworn an “oath of loyalty” in front of the deities of the pantheon, could not betray their lord. Although there is one exception, typically, breaking this vow results in divine punishment. Thus, Feneth’s decision to let Khan and his group go, even against the count’s wishes, meant that, in Feneth’s view, it was an act for his lord. Ultimately, Feneth’s judgment was correct. Had Count Hefeldt attempted to deal with Khan, the count himself would likely not have remained unscathed.

“Perhaps, even if several knights of their caliber attacked me, it might be manageable… Although if they brought out all the soldiers, it would indeed be more troublesome.”

“But. Wouldn’t it be somewhat regrettable to leave just like this?” Thinking of the movements he had seen from Count Emil and Feneth, Khan imagined a hypothetical battle, then subtly turned his head.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about the reward for the quest. Even if it’s just a nominal bounty, the sum placed on the count’s head by the count is considerable.” Khan was incredulous at these words. You’re asking me what to do about it?

“That’s for you to handle. Aren’t you the branch leader of Wagner? Isn’t it your job to earn your fee by dealing with situations like this?”

“…And you say that? In front of someone who was kicked out of Wagner?”

“Then, on our way to the north, we might as well catch a glimpse of that guy. Go and grab him by the collar, telling him to recover the money Count Heinfeldt swindled. He’ll find a way to make it happen.”

“That guy? Don’t tell me…”

Maya’s face turned ashen. She realized Khan was referring to her direct superior.

Of course, that person could recover the money from a count of the kingdom without any issue. However…

‘This is bad…!’

If things were actually resolved that way, Maya would be the one in the most uncomfortable position. After finally getting a respectable position to build her career, she’d be heading back to the north, having only managed to catch the attention of a noble, as if fleeing.

“That, please, not that…”

“If you don’t like it, go back to Wagner and secure the full amount yourself.”

“Damn…”

When things went south, swearing became her habit. Khan silently ignored Maya’s cursing.

‘Now to the north.’ The north held a connection for Khan as well. His deployment to the east where he encountered the dark mage and hunted ogres, all began with a meeting with the head of the bureau in the east. However, the north at that time and now would undoubtedly be entirely different, at least for Khan himself. ‘The suspicious activities in the north, the possibility of the Followers of Truth being involved… They love starting trouble everywhere after all.’ Perhaps, he might even encounter Tilly there. Nonetheless, Khan’s mission remained unchanged.

He needed to uncover if the North’s strange phenomena had any correlation with the “Era of Myths” Jerome mentioned, and also to track down Tilly and the Followers of Truth tied to the cursed sword.

‘But what to consider is whether such events also happened in the original history.’

In the game, the Kingdom of Argon was destroyed by Darkin, turning into soil for the Land of the Dead, erasing its name from history. Initially, Khan didn’t question this much. Compared to the central continent, it was a minor kingdom, so it seemed plausible.

But now he understood. Argon, although inferior in many ways compared to the central continent of the main storyline, would not fall merely because of a necromancer’s rampage.

‘If the royal family’s secret the dark mage mentioned is true, it’s even more unlikely. Plus, a member of the royal family, the Duke of Black Wing, was said to be a formidable figure, even the dark mage herself was wary of him.’

There must be some unknown hidden truth…

‘In this trip to the north, I might come across a part of that hidden truth.’

Finishing his thoughts, Khan squinted at the sudden brightness.

The dawn had arrived, and the night sky was clearing, filling the surroundings with rosy light, as if heralding a new beginning. And at the very back of the group, as the sunlight dazzled him, Diego grimaced.

‘Damn… Why am I still stuck here?’