Reconstruction (2)

After I apologized and hung my head, the Marquis asked again.

“…Sorry? What do you mean by that?”

“…”

[“Speak. I can’t understand at all.”]

Thinking it would be faster to show rather than explain, I began pulling out the items I had acquired during the exploration of the first basement floor and stacked them neatly in the room.

And then…

[“Why did you suddenly stop?”]

“That’s all.”

[“What do you mean? The report said you brought back over a hundred vials of essence alone.”]

Ah, that.

“…That was the case.”

[“……”]

The Marquis finally seemed to understand why I had spoken in the past tense earlier.

Still, he seemed curious enough to ask.

[“…How did it end up like this?”]

“Marquis, it seems you’re the type who values the process over the result.”

[“This could land you in serious trouble, so don’t joke about it.”]

Okay, enough teasing…

It wouldn’t be very barbarian-like to go on at length, so to summarize in one line.

“…So you’re saying you distributed those precious essences to the explorers of District 7 to strengthen your forces for escaping the city?”

“That’s right.”

[“Good heavens… I’m at a loss for words”]

“What’s so ridiculous about that? If we’d failed to escape and got caught by the enemy, they would’ve taken everything anyway.”

Yeah, it’s better than letting it fall into enemy hands, right?

As I murmured that, the Marquis sighed and rubbed his forehead through the videocrystal.

[“This matter… will need to be revisited in the royal council. The Baron did rescue the explorers of the 7th District. We’ll need to debate whether your contribution outweighs your offense.]

Meaning, they needed time to verify my claims.

Well, even if they did, the testimonies would all say the same.

[“So, for heaven’s sake, stay out of trouble and keep quiet until this is resolved.”]

At least his final words sounded genuine, not just noble formalities.

“Understood. I’ll stay put, so don’t worry.”

[“…I got the answer I wanted, yet I feel even more uneasy.”]

“Hmm, maybe it’s because you’re narrow-minded, Marquis.”

[“……?”]

Ah, was this the moment I should’ve empathized and comforted him instead?

That’s not really my expertise, so I quickly changed the subject.

“Oh! So what about the explorers and my vassals in the square right now? Are they just going to stay there?”

[“They’ll have to endure the discomfort for now. The situation should stabilize within a few days.”]

“Within a few days, huh…”

The way he spoke made it seem like he truly believed this whole mess would be wrapped up soon.

Not that I doubted it, of course.

If the second-in-command of the royal family was saying that, he must have had good reason.

“Understood. Then we’ll wait here for updates.”

With that, the day’s conversation ended.

After returning to the square and experiencing street life with my allies, time passed quickly.

“Did you all hear? Under pressure from the royal army, Noark has released most of the hostages!”

One day later.

“The Noark forces occupying the 7th and 13th Districts are being pushed back by the royal army!”

Two days later.

“The 13th District has been completely retaken!”

Three days later.

“The rat bastards have been driven out of the 7th District and fled back to Bifron!”

“Wooooah!”

Four days later…

The tense war updates kept coming daily, but no explosions erupted from Bifron.

However—

THUDUDUDUDUDUD—!

On the fifth day.

“Wh-what the hell is that?!”

We all instinctively understood.

Whatever the royal family’s plan had been—

“B-Bifron’s protective barrier has turned black…!”

Something had clearly gone wrong.

***

The Last Fortress: Rapdonia

This massive city-state was enveloped by a protective barrier, a legacy of the last Great Sage, spanning its entire territory.

Since the Witch’s poison turned out to be a lie, I also questioned whether the protective magic circle was real.

But—

‘Turns out it was real.’

Erwin’s arrow proved its existence recently.

It was invisible to the naked eye but completely covered the city, severing it from the outside world beyond the city walls.

‘At this point, it feels less like a guardian circle and more like a prison spell.’

Anyway.

That’s not the important thing.

“What on earth is going on?”

“Does anyone know?”

“Is it because of the witch’s poison?”

As tremors shook the ground, the protective magic circle covering Bifron turned black.

It looked almost like aliens had invaded, sealing off the area under a dome.

Of course, there was a chance this had been the royal family’s plan all along.

But…

“Jandel, the military’s movements are unusual.”

Something about the atmosphere suggested otherwise.

“Hold on. I’ll find out.”

Sensing something was wrong, I requested a private meeting with the Marquis, but it was denied due to his busy schedule. It took several more days before I finally got through.

“You’ve lost weight.”

The Marquis on the other side of the communication orb looked noticeably thinner, as if he’d been working nonstop.

“Things didn’t go well, huh?”

[“…I can’t disclose the details due to military secrecy, but yes, that’s the gist of it.”]

“Come on, give me something. Bifron suddenly turned into… that.”

[“Once things settle, you’ll be briefed. You’re a titled noble of Rapdonia, after all. But I’ll say this much: the Noark forces won’t be leaving that place anytime soon.”]

“Well, that’s a relief…”

Honestly, I was dying to know the details, but it was clear he wouldn’t budge, so I let it go.

“So what happens to us now? Do we stay here?”

[“No need. The 4th District will begin normalizing operations by tomorrow.”]

“So we’re free to go?”

[“Yes. The 7th District has also been reopened, so you can return there if you wish.”]

“What about my servants I brought from Bifron? Any issues with them?”

“That was a matter of some debate… but we’ve decided not to pursue it. As long as they remain your retainers.”

“And if they’re not?”

“They’ll be executed. We can’t return them to Bifron.”

Execution if they ceased to be my servants.

 

Though it sounded extreme, it was still a surprisingly lenient decision for the conservative royal family.

Of course there was a reason for their decisions.

[“Ah, and since they’ll be living within the city, they’ll also need to pay taxes from now on.”]

Hah. No wonder they agreed so easily.

“How much?”

[“The same as ordinary citizens. Minors are exempt, of course.”]

At least that part was somewhat reassuring.

But then came the catch.

“Also, Bifron residents can’t take any militarily relevant jobs. That includes explorers.”

In other words, I couldn’t train the talented ones to become Explorers and have them support the rest.

[“As someone who’s long served as Chancellor, may I offer you a piece of advice?”]

“Go ahead.”

[“Cut them down. As many as you can.”]

“……”

[“What value do those useless people even have?”]

A very Chancellor-like suggestion.

This city had always operated on the principle that those who couldn’t pay taxes were worthless.

From the Marquis’ perspective, the Bifron residents were nothing but trash.

But…

“Ah, thanks for the advice. I’ll take it with a grain of salt.”

A barbarian’s heart wouldn’t allow for such interference.

[“……”]

After exchanging a few more words, the marquis left, saying he was busy, and that was the end of today’s conversation.

Returning to the square, I led the remaining 7th District explorers and the 8,712 Bifron residents back to the destroyed 7th District.

‘…Back here again.’

From Bifron to refugee life in District 4 and now back to District 7 again.

‘They really wrecked the place.’

The royal army had clearly fought hard; the place was destroyed beyond recognition.

Buildings on the main road were bloodstained and ruined.

Military tents were left abandoned.

“My stooooore!! My beautiful store!!”

“Mom! Over here! You’re safe!”

Other returning evacuees had begun to slowly arrive.

“Well, I should get going.”

“Me too. I want to check on my house…”

“Thank you so much, Baron! I’ll never forget this!”

The explorers from the 7th District gradually dispersed to their homes.

Only my teammates = and the 8,712 Bifron residents remained.

“Jandel, where are we headed?”

“To the sanctuary.”

“Right… you’d want to check on it too.”

Amelia understood my reasoning, but the real reason was different.

While I was concerned about the sanctuary—

‘We need a place to sleep tonight.’

If it came to it, I’d rather sleep in the sanctuary than on the streets.

Or so I thought…

“ Bjorn nnn!!!!”

As soon as I arrived, I regretted it.

“Why did you take so long to come baaaaaack?!”

“…Long time no see, Shabin Emure. Been well? Let go of me first—”

“No! If I let go, you’ll disappear for months again! No way! Never letting you go!!”

Shabin, our tribe’s chief administrator, had not only managed everything alone for months but had also been trapped in the Holy Land during Noark’s invasion. The stress had clearly piled up.

But…

“You should let go of him first if you want to talk properly.”

“…Huh? Ah… right…”

Amelia’s professional tone snapped her out of it.

It was like a boss fight’s stagger state.

Experience told me this was the perfect time to apologize.

“Shabin, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone so long.”

“…I know. I was really worried.”

“I’m sorry for worrying—”

Just as the mood seemed to warm up, Shavin suddenly cut me off.

“But who the hell are those people behind you?”

Her gaze was fixed on the 8,712 awkwardly standing residents behind me.

This was… awkward.

“Ah, uh, well…”

How should I explain this?

Ah, let’s change the subject first.

“S-so, how’s the sanctuary? Looks like a lot has changed…”

“About a quarter of the Sanctuary development plan was completed while you were gone. Funds are plentiful now, too.”

“Oh, funds are plentiful? That’s a relief.”

No wonder the roads were paved and new buildings had popped up along the way.

“So who are those people?”

“Residents of Bifron. They became my retainers a few days ago.”

“All of them…?”

Her eyes screamed, What kind of nonsense is this? My voice instinctively shrank.

“…There were circumstances.”

“……”

 

Sensing something ominous, Shabin asked cautiously,

“So why did you bring them here?”

“They have nowhere else to go. They’ll be staying in the sanctuary for now.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her soul seemed to leave her body as she nodded blankly and asked,

“And where will they live? What will they wear? What’s the budget for this?”

Ah, about that…

Well, the Minister of Economy would handle that.

Or to put it in terms she’d understand…

“That would be the Chief Administrative Officer’s responsibility.”

“…Chief Administrative Officer?”

Shabin Emur tilted her head, her expression clearly asking, “Since when did our tribe have that position?”

Then—

Thump.

I patted her shoulder and declared:

“That’s right. Chief Administrative Officer.”

Congratulations on your promotion.

 

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating Surviving game as a barbarian and Lee Gwak
If it doesn’t work support me here buymeacoffee.com/hennoveltranslations. There are advanced chapters for supporters as well.