[{"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-763":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},1328124,1764,"Chapter 763: The Secret Garden (4)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-763",763,"\u003Cp>Is “easy” just not written anywhere in my fate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wrapping up an unplanned duel and encounter with the Evil Eye, the building we arrived at was completely empty. Turns out the Marquis had already been taken away while I was fighting that damn thing...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a villa! A villa not too far from here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I was advised to think carefully about where the Marquis might’ve hidden, Elthora pointed to a “villa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A villa...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A secret villa that only the Marquis knows! It’s within District 4!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you know about it, it’s not exactly secret, is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a place so hidden no one else knows! I—I only know because I visited when I was young! Not even anyone in the family knows about it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you were young...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned, and Elthora, perhaps realizing I was misunderstanding something, quickly clarified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean when the original owner of this body was young. There was a diary in my room, written by the original owner, and it talked about the secret villa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wow, so this bastard was born as the Chancellor’s son and started off with a diary from the body’s former owner?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to worry about getting axed in the face the moment I opened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My father took me to the villa... There was a beautifully blooming garden, and I was surprised to see my father tending to the flowers himself... That’s the kind of entry it was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, later, when I was trying not to get found out as a revenant, I secretly tried to figure out where the villa was. But even after digging through all of the Marquisate’s properties, there wasn’t a single trace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? So how’d you end up finding it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks to Countess Peproc. After she appeared, I started digging around just in case. Turns out she owned a plot of land—even though she didn’t even know she owned it. When I went to check it out, there was a villa with only one old gardener employed. When I talked to him, he didn’t even know the Marquis was the one who hired him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh. That does sound suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for one contradiction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it’s that secret a place, how did the Marquis escape there? He’s unconscious right now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I pointed that out, Elthora let out a little “Ah!”—an indirect way of telling me he hadn’t thought about that part at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But maybe he didn’t want to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still... among his closest aides, there might be one who knows, no?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elthora tossed it out while glancing at me, but I just stared at him. Eventually, even he averted his gaze, knowing how weak that logic was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But still...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Let’s go check it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Seriously?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. Better to do something than just stand around.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I decided we’d head to the “secret villa” Elthora mentioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chancellor had known this bastard was a revenant. Maybe someone among his inner circle did know about the villa and took the Marquis there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that it seemed likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Still, a place like that might yield some other kind of gain.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it turned out to be a wasted trip, confirming the Marquis’s secret villa would still be worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There might be secrets there I don’t know about yet—like that hidden room we found before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, tell me. Where exactly is this villa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not far from here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I entered the new destination into the navigation, and soon we arrived. High walls surrounded the place, and the building itself was modest—about two stories tall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that house, the one I used to stay in with Elwen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we climbed over the wall and entered the garden, just like Elthora said, we were greeted by a beautifully manicured landscape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...It’s been maintained.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who had descended into the garden, gently brushed the flowers and commented as she looked around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That means someone’s been tending to it—could be as recent as yesterday, or two days at most.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right... I can’t tell if something’s recently been tended or not, no matter how much I look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Amelia says so, she’s probably right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, I have a bad feeling this is a dead lead... But just in case, let’s investigate the building. There could be a hidden room inside—and the Marquis might be in it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sounds good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as we were about to begin the villa sweep, per Amelia’s suggestion—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Amelia whipped her head toward the building and signaled to me with her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seemed like she’d sensed a presence inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step. Step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to even concentrate—someone was walking around inside the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe it was the old caretaker Elthora had mentioned?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the figure that emerged... was the last person I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Baron Yandel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who greeted me politely, with perfect decorum, was a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elthora reacted first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harin Suevi...? Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good to see you again, Prince Tertherion. You were just here not too long ago, weren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not too long ago? Wait, don’t tell me... back then too...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I was hiding and watching. From the moment you started rummaging through the villa, right up until you uncovered the secret.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elthora’s face hardened at Hyeonbyeol’s candid response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell are you plotting, you bit— Ow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He got smacked and shut up real quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t act up. Sit still.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geez. Calling your ex-girlfriend a bitch?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Elthora now quiet, I picked up the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Harin Suevi. Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, let’s start there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why the hell is Hyeonbyeol at the Marquis’s secret villa?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll ask again. Why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked firmly, making it clear I expected a proper answer. Hyeonbyeol replied:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh... You didn’t already know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I sent word, remember? Told you to come here. On that paper.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, the love note...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You... didn’t read it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh... I didn’t exactly have time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I awkwardly cleared my throat, and Hyeonbyeol shook her head with a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine. Doesn’t matter how—we’re here now. That makes it feel even more like fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Fate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t me—it was Amelia mumbling under her breath. But Hyeonbyeol caught it anyway and shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. No matter how twisted or delayed, people who are meant to meet always do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Interesting thing to say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Glad you think so. It’s nice to meet you, Amel— Oh, sorry, Emily Raines, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol faltered slightly during her introduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looked like a slip-up, but to me... it felt deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A subtle way of saying: I know your real name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'...Not sure why she’d show her hand like that, though.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. Nice to meet you too, Harin Suevi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the short greeting, Hyeonbyeol turned her attention back to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you asked why I’m here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on in. Let’s talk inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, we entered the villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The interior was incredibly modest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you looked closely, it was clearly an expensive interior job—but it didn’t have the flashy, ostentatious feel of a “secret Marquis villa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vibe didn’t suit the Marquis at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt warm, homey... like a wealthy but affectionate family’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry, but could the others give us a moment? I have something sensitive to discuss with just him. There’s a great room for resting in the back—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rejected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia shut that down immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol silently glanced my way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let out an inner sigh and turned to Amelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, but could you give us a moment? Let’s hear what she has to say first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia took the others with her and left for the back room Hyeonbyeol mentioned. I sat down on the couch, feeling a vague sense of discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, wait a second.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol pressed a button on a small device that looked like a recorder and placed it on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a recorder, though—it was a magic device that prevented sounds from leaking outside its radius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still the same, huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm? What do you mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one with control isn’t the one who chooses, but the one who creates the options. That was your favorite line, wasn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re still using that stiff tone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, it feels weird speaking in this body. Anyway, start talking. What’s this villa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I switched to Lee Hansu’s voice as best I could, and Hyeonbyeol gave a satisfied smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see... Simply put, it’s the Duke Tertherion’s memory box.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Memory box...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, a box where people store precious things from the past. Don’t you have one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the letters I gave you before...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...I threw them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t want to cling to old feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t say that out loud, but Hyeonbyeol seemed to get the message and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder I couldn’t find anything in your room.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...This topic’s kind of veering off, don’t you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right... Anyway, this place is a memory box. Whenever things got hard, the Marquis came here to hide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay, but why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the Marquis sent me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean by that? Can you just skip to the point?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a bunker beneath this villa. Countess Peproc is sleeping there. The Marquis told me to stay here and look after her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So the Marquis isn’t here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No... he’s not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know where he is either?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope. How would I know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...I figured. You’re the one who arranged Ainard’s execution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that? That was a coincidence. The Marquis stopped by briefly then. Asked me how the war was going, and we ended up chatting—just like old times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...You chatted with the Marquis?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s surprisingly gentle. Quite the romantic too. Lonely, for his age.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t know about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I guess everyone has unexpected sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He really loves his daughter. Which is probably why he sees me—her friend and right hand—as so dear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That so...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, don’t brush me off like that! The whole reason he started this war was because of his daughter, you know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I flinched and looked up. Hyeonbyeol shrugged and pulled out a book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I gave her a questioning look, but she just gestured for me to read it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Shff.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I opened to the first page and began reading from the top, I quickly realized what the book was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There is a rumor surrounding the Palace of Glory. On the night of a \u002FN_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t\u002F grand ball, when the evening is in full bloom, a nameless girl is said to appear somewhere within the hall.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Witnesses say she is small and beautiful, with pure eyes and a bright voice.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[But when nobles, enchanted by her, approach and ask her name, she smiles and chats happily—until, without answering, she vanishes like a ghost.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[When I first heard the story, I laughed it off. But amazingly, the tale was true.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[On July 16, in the height of summer, when even the night winds could not cool the heat, I attended the royal ball with my father...]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...it was the Marquis’s diary.\u003C\u002Fp>",1848,"2026-06-05T19:33:19.606Z",1,"novelbin.me","98d3ba551e00f0503a3315a9e37cd09c5d96b96fe600ba4c3dd26974c421b6f1","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-585","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-584",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]