[{"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-759":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},1328116,1764,"Chapter 759: Hostage (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-759",759,"\u003Cp>Rotmiller is dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said he jumped off the cart while trying to bring me to the Capital, because the enemy pursuit got too intense?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Astarotta was kind enough to add that the Noark bastards even took Rotmiller’s head with them as a trophy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I guess they don’t know yet.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the looks of it, not just Ainard, but also Amelia and Auyen seemed completely unaware of that story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the only one who did seem to know was that bastard Eltora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Rotmiller was mentioned, he froze up and just silently looked around, gauging the mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What should I do?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to talk about Rotmiller or not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the one I’d be telling was Ainard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was more than a 0% chance she might snap and do something reckless out of shock...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But isn’t that the case whether she’s shocked or not?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That thought suddenly crossed my mind and ended the brief hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, I’ll just say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rotmiller is dead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I said it like a true barbarian—cutting straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No talk about him jumping off the cart, or how his head was taken as a trophy by greedy bastards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of that changes anything anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotmiller is dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He left me with a short, urgent final message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing I need to remember is that one fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard flinched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must’ve assumed that Rotmiller had crossed into the Capital safely with me and was living happily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, that story didn’t end in a happy ending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But contrary to what I feared...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see... so he’s dead...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard reacted with surprising calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though, thinking about it, maybe “surprising” isn’t the right word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, they lived together in the Sanctuary and were on good terms...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But that’s pretty much it.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard quickly befriends other barbarians and other people without hesitation, and she has dozens of closer friends than Rotmiller.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because of that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May his soul be guided to the place he believed in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainard offered a short moment of mourning, and that was that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, “death” isn’t some special event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Barbarians are a people who, upon reaching adulthood, are immediately thrown into the brutal world of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...Though you don’t even have to be a barbarian for that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This damned city, filled with every kind of injustice, at least has one form of equality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this city, no matter who you are, it’s all the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Death is always by your side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...He was a good man, rare to find in this day and age. It’s a shame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the end of Ainard’s mourning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auyen, who wasn’t close to Rotmiller, didn’t react much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who showed a stronger response was Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brown Rotmiller is dead...? He died trying to save you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She muttered in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pupils, which rarely showed emotion, dilated wide, and for some reason, her shoulders seemed to tremble slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You... are you okay...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia looked at me as if I were someone about to make an extreme decision, and I shrugged casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia gave me a suspicious look, as if to say, ‘There’s no way,’ but she didn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it’s not like I was lying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I really am fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are too many things I have to deal with immediately, and solving them one by one comes first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking backward and tripping forward—Rotmiller wouldn’t want that either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>꽈악—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Rotmiller’s death will come after all this is over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After informing the people who loved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After holding his funeral, and finishing my thoughts on how I should accept the heavy final message he left me—only then will I fully realize what I’ve lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then there’ll be a few sleepless nights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So damn annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Don’t overdo it, Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia’s concerned words went in one ear and out the other. I appreciated the sentiment, but now was the time to look forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked Eltora up and down like I was evaluating a piece of merchandise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How should I use this card—the son of the Marquis—to squeeze out every last drop?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I was mulling it over, Eltora stepped forward with his own PR.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Currently, the Noark forces are divided into three main factions: Noark proper, Orkulis, and our Marquis's house. However, since my father collapsed, command ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) of the Marquis’s forces has temporarily passed to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just say the word. Until my father regains consciousness, I have the power to make anything you want happen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eltora spoke like a cursed sword whispering into the ear of a protagonist in crisis, and I, like someone entranced, stated my wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then can I have a private audience with the Marquis? While holding a hammer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that’s a bit...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch. I figured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He talked so big, I thought maybe it was actually possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But of course I can’t just snatch the Marquis like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I glared slightly at Eltora, who’d gotten my hopes up for a moment, he quickly flinched and added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“St–still, it’s not like there’s no way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either there is or there isn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell does ‘not no way’ even mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tossed the words at him, and Eltora, having just thought of a method, cautiously explained it with plenty of hedging, saying he wasn’t sure it would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I listened without much hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by the time I’d fully grasped the plan—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It might actually work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I reached that conclusion, I made my decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With dignified steps, I climbed the stairs leading to the lobby, heading for the front entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shattered front gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stepped through it, warm sunlight streamed down, and the street ahead was filled with Noark soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Kinda reminds me of the old days.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, the adventures I had back when all I had were corpse golems and vampire essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stepped fully outside, all eyes turned to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need for talk. I was a seasoned veteran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the mindset of Moses parting the Red Sea, I hoisted Eltora up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Lord Tertherion has been taken hostage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another word, I clearly conveyed my intent to everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walk through the streets, still maintaining [Giant Form].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia and Auyen are riding on my shoulders...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Ainard is trotting behind me like a giant dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could’ve lifted Ainard too if I wanted...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she said she’d rather not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need! I’m more comfortable walking on my own two feet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, that’s our barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stride forward, Ainard follows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind her, over a hundred Noark soldiers trail us with anxious expressions, like dogs that really need to pee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Shouldn’t we do something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the only son dies, will you take responsibility?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So we’re just going to keep following?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Command has been informed. Let’s just wait for orders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now and then someone suggested taking action, but the mainstream opinion was to just wait for instructions from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see a few Orkulis members too. I’ll list their appearances and known essences—memorize them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Amelia, the forces here weren’t just the Marquis’s troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even they didn’t act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, their situation wasn’t any different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they acted now and the Marquis’s heir died?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would explode into massive political consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strange procession continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a distance, it might’ve looked like the Olympic torch relay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except the “torch” wasn’t fire, but Eltora’s neck clutched in my hand, held high, with hundreds trailing behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since the Olympic flame symbolizes peace, the similarities between Eltora and the torch only grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghhh... P–please... be gentler...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, the torch himself seemed to be suffering every time a step sent shock through his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But peace always comes at someone’s expense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kuuung—!Kuuung—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that thought, I was practically running now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I walked, it’d take hours to reach the destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...T–that’s where the Marquis is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Baron Yandel is heading toward the Marquis with Lord Tertherion as a hostage!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were finally catching on to where I was going and why—but no one moved to stop me yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had expected this, but it still felt surreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this is actually working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who suggested this idea was the symbol of peace himself, Eltora.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The structural flaw in Noark’s coalition command: three command groups like a coalition army, without strong bonds between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add to that basic human self-preservation, especially heightened in Noark’s culture...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you put it all together, the chance that no one would stop me if I just charged in was actually pretty high—and that prediction turned out right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Baron Yandel is targeting the Marquis!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That bastard! How dare he! We must receive orders immediately—!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Marquis is unconscious and cannot issue orders!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There must be an acting authority!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[That hostage is the acting authority.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[......!!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Well, if you want to act unilaterally, no one’s stopping you. But you’ll be held responsible.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[......]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s roughly how the conversation must’ve gone, and that’s how we ended up with this ridiculous situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh, and the chaos caused by the Royal Army’s “massive assault” helped too—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was charging through the city streets at high speed when my destination finally came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone blocked the road ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And normally, no matter who it was, I would’ve just smashed through them with the momentum I’d built...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, this time I couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group was just too impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roland Banossant, the Evil Eye, had arrived in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deputy commander of Orkulis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And not alone—he’d brought dozens of members who looked like the real deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, the Evil Eye blocked my path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I, without a word, came to a stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seuuk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised the symbol of peace higher for better visibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because this symbol also had a “dialogue” function.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W–what are you doing?! Everyone, move aside...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The human symbol cried out for peace as promised, but unfortunately, the ones blocking our way didn’t care at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why should we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who spoke in place of the commander and deputy looked like a man whose hobbies were reading and whose specialty was rhetoric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W–we’re going to fight each other? I hold full authority over the Marquis’s forces! One word from me, and you’ll be fighting everyone behind me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I wonder about that...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Noark coalition has determined that although Eltora Tertherion does clearly possess acting authority, that authority was forfeited when he was captured by the enemy and became a hostage. According to the agreed protocol...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gulp—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As of now, Eltora Tertherion is stripped of his acting authority, and until the Marquis regains consciousness, command is fully delegated to the coalition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spectacled man continued in a businesslike tone, then glanced at Eltora and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, this is just personal curiosity... Are you really a hostage? Or did you just switch sides?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, never mind. Doesn’t matter either way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The symbol of peace looked utterly shocked by his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I wasn’t surprised at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I simply tossed aside the now-useless symbol and pulled out a new one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssssshhk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, peace belongs to whoever has the bigger stick.\u003C\u002Fp>",1890,"2026-06-05T19:33:19.606Z",1,"novelbin.me","351e46de510a9ffb23644c49dc895e2b7acc1b7375a86776df52ef5eee338120","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-581","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-758",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]