[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian":3,"chapter-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-715":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Surviving the Game as a Barbarian",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1327942,1764,"Chapter 715: Prison (2)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-715",715,"\u003Cp>It had been a very long time since I’d been locked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, calling it a prison might not be quite right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal underground prison was full of all kinds of rumors—terrible monsters locked inside, huge criminals thought dead in the labyrinth being tortured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...The hot water comes on faster than at my own place?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The facilities were far too luxurious for a prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like staying in a five-star hotel suite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were three rooms, and the bed was so big I could roll over twice sideways and still have space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was even a large bathtub in the bathroom...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Not bad at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not all underground prison cells were like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was in a special cell set apart in a corner of the first basement floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A place where even though they were criminals, those who received the royal family’s respect were imprisoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the imprisonment was probably more for show than real punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Yandel, may I have a moment to talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few hours into my incarceration, the first visitor came—the very same King’s Knight I had met earlier...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He expressed surprise at my patriotism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asked if I was uncomfortable with prison life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Said to tell him anytime if I needed help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said the Noarque were being interrogated by intelligence agents on the fifth basement floor, and it was revealed that the deputy chief survived thanks to an ‘essence.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He treated me favorably, made small talk, then left with a somewhat meaningful final remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I’ll take my leave now. As I said before, rest without distractions for two days. The Marquis’s lack of action toward you might have another meaning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps he’s hoping you’ll escape. Even if the period is just two days, escaping is still a crime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The King’s Knight left, leaving me deep in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He does have a point.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Marquis treated me surprisingly well in prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing my personality, he °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° could have put far more restrictions to prevent me from escaping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They put me in a special cell and didn’t even shackled me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if I wanted, I could rip off the door right now and walk out...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Hello?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after the King’s Knight left, a second visitor came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of place is this where anyone who wants can just visit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a bit funny, but then I thought...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well, not just anyone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those with access to the royal underground prison could come in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the second visitor who had just arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ragna...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long time no see... Are you comfortable? I heard it’s different from what you expected, but you can’t see much inside here...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably just like you heard. I’m not really uncomfortable. The meals seem good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... that’s a relief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what brings you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked her purpose, Ragna hesitated and slipped a wrapped box through the slot for meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secret documents? A discreet letter?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I silently unwrapped it to check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what was it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Cookies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small box was filled with cookies and nothing else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, maybe a note was hidden inside one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking that, I quickly grabbed one and bit into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard dessert isn’t served with meals here... so I baked these myself. How... do you like them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh... uh? They’re delicious!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehe, no need to shout. I can hear you well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wondered if the Marquis had sent something, but it seemed he just wanted to provide some food and see my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So we chatted briefly through the door, and I thought to ask about something since she was here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The painting of the woman presumed to be Ragna’s biological mother from the secret library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she know about that woman?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I considered asking but decided against it. The Marquis probably had listening devices everywhere...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck my mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Why do you ask?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, had the Marquis ever said anything to me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling a bit guilty, I ignored Ragna’s question and recalled my conversation with the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He didn’t.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back carefully, it was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis never mentioned it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[So... you really found them while searching our family estate?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must have heard everything about what happened inside the family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[You’ll be disciplined for just two days.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never even hinted or mentioned the secret library I had gone into without permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d expect at least a passing mention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Was it not such an important secret?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it wasn’t something worth hiding seriously, so the Marquis showed little reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not impossible, but my past life taught me otherwise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No, that can’t be.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s the opposite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis’s silence meant that ‘secret’ was extremely important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if that’s true...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...I might be the biggest danger.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe now isn’t the time to worry about comrades in Sector 7.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What on earth is going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I couldn’t be honest with Ragna, who was also the Marquis’s daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...My stomach hurts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have to go to the bathroom! And thanks for the cookies! I appreciate it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eh? Oh... okay...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using barbarian-style evasion, I ended the conversation with Ragna there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After she left, my stomach really did hurt a bit, so I went to the bathroom and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some time...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something rolled in through the food slot—like a grenade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It exploded, emitting a strong light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A flashbang...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first I thought so, but the light wasn’t blinding, and my skin where the light touched felt no damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who could it be...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem like an attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, just in case, I grabbed my hammer and approached the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a voice came from the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is someone there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerome Saintred, Commander of the First Royal Knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, the ancient undead occupying his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The chief has something urgent to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal prison isn’t a playground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know how many visitors they expect daily, but the third visitor was the village elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now? What was that earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a magical tool used by the royal intelligence. It emits a powerful magical pulse to disable communication devices briefly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, basically an EMP grenade?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a precaution, in case there are ears listening. I hope you understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought the Marquis might have bugged the place, so it didn’t bother me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, what is the urgent matter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting to the point, the village elder truly spoke only what was necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s about to start.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...That was too brief, wasn’t it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Start what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The day everything will burn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, what do you mean—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trying to calm my racing heart, I asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraaaaaaang-!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vibrations from above lasted for tens of seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drdrdrdrdrdr-!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the entire prison began to shake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cracks appeared in the ceiling, the walls supporting it started to collapse, dropping debris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Startled, I grabbed the iron door and tried to ask the village elder what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Get out of here quickly. This place is no longer safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, explain—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All I can say now is survive. After that, I will have something to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me? I need to know at least something about what’s happening—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s time. You’ll hear the rest from those who follow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the village elder left, and I heard his footsteps fade beyond the iron door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tatatatat-!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Urgent footsteps approached quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the village elder or King’s Knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obviously an ordinary person, not trained in martial arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ragna...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was my first thought, but surprisingly, the visitor was a fourth new visitor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang bang bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Yandel!! Mr. Yandel!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Raven...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’re here! Thank goodness! I’ll open it now—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tore off the meaningless door and went outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut to the chase. What’s going on upstairs?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, ah...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing my voice, Raven quickly regained composure and started briefing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ure! Ure has fallen on the Palace of Glory!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ure’ is one of three ‘magical weapons’ the royal family possesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard on the way here through communication that the Palace of Glory has collapsed, and the Supreme Commander and Prime Minister’s status is unknown! Everyone’s panicking and evacuating...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grabbed Raven’s shoulder as if trying to hold her up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever she saw upstairs, her body was trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t just stay here! If it falls again, this place won’t be safe—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Calm down, Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said calm down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke firmly, and Raven shut her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the trembling didn’t stop, it was better than her previous panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Sector 7? Any news?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I don’t know. I heard the Bifron purge operation was to start before Ure fell...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lastly, I asked one more thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Any info on what happened to the Prime Minister?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! We don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. But according to communications, he was definitely at the Palace of Glory when Ure fell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said that but felt sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe the Marquis even triggered Ure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s the type who could conspire with the Noarque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, give me some time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time? We need to get out now—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a moment. Only a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shut my mouth despite Raven’s protests and continued thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every second counted in wartime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t need much time to finish my thoughts and make a decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No matter how I think about it...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Running away now would be the worst move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escaping immediately, or joining the comrades in Sector 7 outside, both might be possible in this chaotic situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, those would be safer choices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s always a ‘golden time’ for everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The results differ wildly depending on how the initial response is handled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go first, Raven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What? Are you crazy? You don’t know what’s happening upstairs... Where are you going?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raven was shocked as I began walking away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understandable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hallway I took led to stairs going further down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Basement level 5, right...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Level 5...? Why are you going there?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the King’s Knight, that’s where the Noarque special forces were imprisoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captured alongside the surrendered Maan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shackled and sealed of all powers.\u003C\u002Fp>",1726,"2026-06-05T19:33:18.959Z",1,"novelbin.me","4c2176e4ce2a8a0f30c71ac6924570c650f0c249860231c0d7db70900cfc2c4b","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-716","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-714",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]