[{"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-766":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},1328130,1764,"Chapter 766: Clarifying Positions (1)","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-766",766,"\u003Cp>Plan B of the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Hyeonbyeol said I might be that, my head went blank for an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, though it really was just for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s not entirely illogical. If the Marquis lost, then the royal family won, and if the royal family won, there’s a good chance I played a significant role... He might’ve thought I could at least protect Ragna...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it’s the Marquis, he definitely calculated that far ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, no matter what, I don’t think this is Plan B.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe more like Plan C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll think more about that later...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there anything else I need to know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm, just that you need me to access the hidden room where Countess Peproc is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I nodded, Hyeonbyeol cautiously opened her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But... about Countess Peproc...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is it? Why the hesitation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t she just say there was nothing else?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I looked at her with suspicion, Hyeonbyeol continued, her expression unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...She’s quite pretty, isn’t she?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, yeah, she is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why did you turn her down?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What, am I supposed to marry every woman with a pretty face? If I’d married her back then, I would’ve gotten swept up in the Marquis’s plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But that’s not what Hyeonbyeol’s really asking about.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After spending enough time with her, I could tell just from her tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how many political reasons I give, there’s no way she’d accept them. She’s clearly building up to asking about something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, in that case...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Marriage is a sacred bond. One must be cautious—extremely cautious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I declared firmly, invoking Confucian virtue for the first time in ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear signal that I didn’t want to talk about this any further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol seemed to pick up on that and didn’t press me any more, but she pouted just a little and spoke with a teasing edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Aha? So you really liked that doll, huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she bringing that up now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hyeonbyeol, that was a lie I had to tell—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was it really a lie? I heard nobles are going crazy for that doll you were holding. There’s even a whole trend now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Seriously?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, really. Like, ‘Oho! So this is the doll that the giant, Bjorn Yandel, loves so much!’—that kind of reaction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please. Just stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already regret it deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha... What the hell was I thinking back then...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back now, I have no idea what came over me. But I decided to stop thinking about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere barbarian can’t undo what’s already done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Anyway, let’s get up. The others are probably waiting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The past must be left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I returned to the room where the others had been waiting, Amelia casually asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, did the two of you have a good talk?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone was the same as usual, but after spending so much time with her, I could sense a bit of disappointment buried in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as I was about to answer—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. Thanks to you, we had a good talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. Thanks to you, we had a good talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol, who had followed behind me, answered in my place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks, Amelia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I wasn’t talking to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my, really? I’m sorry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Hyeonbyeol’s shameless apology, Amelia didn’t respond. But I could feel the air getting colder somehow, so I quickly changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Amelia, how is it outside?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s quiet. Seems like he’s doing a good job drawing attention away. They still haven’t noticed us. I checked the building while you were talking, but I didn’t find any—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk tsk, see? What would you have done without me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What do you mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s a hidden room in this villa. One that normal people could never find, no matter how hard they look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must be talking about the room where Ragna is sleeping...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I get that she wants to emphasize that we owe her, but I really wish she’d stop here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially because Amelia is smiling right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only her lips, not her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re... a strange type of person.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, from Amelia’s perspective, this must all feel surreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some weakling shows up out of nowhere, wouldn’t survive a single stab, and yet keeps messing with her mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why does she enjoy pestering people so much when she can’t even fight...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I consoled myself with the fact that at least Hyeonbyeol wasn’t a combatant, and quickly cut the conversation short.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if Noark isn’t paying attention to us now, there’s no guarantee they won’t later. So, Harin Suevi, take us to the room where Countess Peproc is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite how short the conversation had been, I felt like it drained a lot out of me. Shaking my head, I followed behind Hyeonbyeol, who stopped in front of the building’s outer wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s a hidden space here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia, who had silently followed us, frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, I kind of felt the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secret rooms are usually behind closets or under carpets, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...But behind this wall is the garden?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Marquis’s son said, there wasn’t supposed to be any space behind this wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I didn’t doubt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a fantasy world—where dreams, hopes, and magic exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hyeonbyeol didn’t answer. She simply reached out and brushed the wall with a delicate hand, and the bracelet on her wrist lit up, resonating with the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoooosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wave of blue light burst from the wall as it began to resonate. It was definitely different from the magic circles we’d seen before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, not unfamiliar, just... different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...A portal?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A portal shimmered in front of the wall as if greeting us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Marquis must’ve put a lot into this. The magic was completely undetectable, even up to the point it activated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia spoke calmly, and Hyeonbyeol let out a faint chuckle, nearly turning the air cold again—but luckily, it didn’t escalate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then let’s go in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space beyond the portal was ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given that we came through a portal, I was expecting something °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° more mysterious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Just a normal room, huh?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A modest room with a bed, table, and wardrobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I glanced around briefly, then focused my gaze on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ragna sleeping peacefully, unaware of the world, stirred strange emotions in me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Never thought she’d really be a princess...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reminded me again how mysterious fate can be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, what were the chances that the librarian I met back in my Grade-9 barbarian explorer days would be of royal blood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there no way to wake her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked Hyeonbyeol, who had entered behind me, she gave a straightforward answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is. The Marquis has to wake her himself, or... he has to die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...So there’s no way for now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh... so that’s how it is...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stood quietly, staring at Ragna, Amelia spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see you’ve secured Countess Peproc. But what now? Planning to use her to find the Marquis?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly organized my thoughts and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, something like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"‘Something like that’? What does that mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uh... well...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading the diary made it clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just how much our dear Marquis loved his daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Watch. Once she wakes up, he’ll come to us on his own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though, I should probably make a few preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan was extremely simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more so when the executor is a barbarian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kwaaaang—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swinging my hammer in [Giant Form], I smashed the Marquis’s “memory box.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roof, the outer walls, the neatly manicured garden, the fences...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took less than ten minutes to demolish the secret villa, which, at a glance, looked like it had been painstakingly designed by a well-known architect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wow, that was fast...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe, of course! Barbarians are experts in construction!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Construction...? Well, I guess demolition technically counts...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Hyeonbyeol watched in amazement and Ainard shrugged beside her, the demolition process came to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Marquis saw what had become of his shattered “memory box,” he’d probably be devastated, but that’s none of my concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished the demolition swiftly, I approached the “outer wall” buried beneath the wreckage—the one place we’d taken care not to hit during the destruction, because that was where the portal entrance was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Harin Suevi, open the portal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the portal opened and we stepped back inside, all preparations were complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis, wounded by Auyen, would probably wake up tomorrow evening. Once he checked the situation around him, he’d try to check this place too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He finds out this place has been destroyed?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Marquis, who loves his daughter deeply, there’s no doubt he’ll want to see it with his own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he didn’t have her moved here while unconscious, it must mean he kept this place secret even from his closest people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure secrecy, he’ll have to come in person...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And even if he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he sends a subordinate instead, I’ll just beat the location out of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I only need to catch the Marquis.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Catching him won’t end the war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once I catch and kill him, my deal with the king is done, and I’ll have no reason to stay involved in this war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The rest can sort itself out.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, we spent our time holed up quietly in the slightly cramped room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, maybe not quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s been a while since we all spent time together in one room. Don’t you think so, Baron?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why is she doing this again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does she really enjoy messing with me this much?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drrrrrrrrrrrr—! Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing that feeding her would only make her more aggressive, I pretended to sleep in silence. Hyeonbyeol just chuckled quietly and let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, unexpectedly, Ainard chimed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop acting out, human female.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Human female...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I get that you’re in heat, but you can’t even bear a warrior, can you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What... are you talking about...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t know what kind of bond you had with Bjorn. But even so, we don’t ignore you. We’re not trying to establish a hierarchy either. So quit acting out and stay quiet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hit full force by the barbarian’s brutally direct way of speaking, Hyeonbyeol seemed momentarily dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was coming to her senses and about to respond—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amelia stepped in to mediate the situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ainard, you too. Shut up and eat this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? I didn’t really do anything— Oh! Is this jerky from Rethaspa?! You’re giving me something this rare?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, Rethaspa?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the one she wouldn’t even give me when I asked...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Churp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scent of premium jerky filled the room and made my mouth water, but I kept pretending to sleep and eventually dozed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, I woke up from hunger and spent some time bothering the Marquis’s son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And time passed endlessly like that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a day. A full day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the Marquis should’ve regained consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days. Three...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A good deal more time passed, and just when I started to wonder if the plan had failed—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoooosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The portal opened, and a visitor arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>",1856,"2026-06-05T19:33:19.606Z",1,"novelbin.me","81a377232fb8e8e2e5c6f194ec2a4061a6dde05b4fbbb547bbf5f7c2111ab180","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-588","surviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-chapter-587",807,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsurviving-the-game-as-a-barbarian-cover.jpg"]