Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 642

Political Schemes(6)

I don’t like the idea of talking about my personal affairs in front of others, but just for today, I gritted my teeth and spoke.

That’s because if I just glossed over it, they would keep bringing it up again and again…

Besides, this matter also concerned their not-so-biological daughters whom they treated like their own.

“Misha Karlstein and I are just ordinary comrades right now.”

At my words, wrinkles formed on the Karlstein family head’s forehead. He stared at me with eyes that seemed to say, “You blocked my daughter’s marriage prospects just to say you’re “ordinary comrades”?

On the other hand, the fairy representative’s expression brightened.

Of course, it was only for a very brief moment.

“Oh, then that means—.”

“The same goes for Erwin Fornacci di Tersia as well.”

His expression froze instantly at my follow-up.

“Ho, so that means you don’t have anyone yet, does it?”

Not missing his chance, Mr. Dragon tried to slip in and seize the opening, but I cut him off.

“That doesn’t mean I’ll become your son-in-law. I’ve never thought of Pen or Labien in a romantic way.”

“Hmm, I understand. Feelings between a man and a woman are important. It’s a pity.”

Surprisingly, Mr. Dragon readily agreed with my words.

And then he asked me this.

“Might I give you one piece of advice?”

“……I’ll hear it.”

“Someone of your caliber might not need a political marriage. You’ve achieved so much all on your own.”

“But, here’s the thing.”

After saying that, Mr. Dragon, who had been sipping his tea for a moment, looked me in the eye and continued.

“Ironically, precisely because of that, no matter who you form a marriage contract with, your marriage will be exploited politically. Please keep that in mind.”

His advice felt so natural, as if all his talk about marriage up until now had been leading up to this moment.

Maybe Mr. Dragon wanted to tell me this through the reactions of the Karlstein family head and the fairy representative.

After all, these were turbulent times Noark’s invasion, the Bifron blockade, and whatnot. Could seasoned leaders like the clan head or the fairy representative truly have been trying to “push” me for the sake of their daughters?

“Anyway, if you don’t have anyone decided, do visit the temple more often. My youngest daughter wants to see you.”

I suddenly realized that the reasoning behind his advice wasn’t what I had initially thought.

“…Pen really isn’t on my mind.”

“Oh? Then her elder sister might be okay, perhaps?”

“…”

When I gave him a dumbfounded stare, Mr. Dragon burst into a frivolous laugh that didn’t suit his serious face.

“Bahaha! It’s a joke, a joke. So you all, don’t say anything more to this friend. Understood?”

As Mr. Dragon laughed heartily, I could feel the somewhat stiff atmosphere instantly become casual.

‘Is this what experience is…?’

And since Mr. Dragon was the eldest of them all, his easygoing attitude made it impossible for the others to press further.

“Anyway, I’d like to discuss the recent incident. What do you all think?”

With that, he smoothly changed the topic, and the talk of marriage was over.

“By ‘situation’ you mean…”

“The Noark invasion, I presume.”

I perked up, hoping to learn something new, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much to gain.

The information here wasn’t much different from what I had heard in Melbes.

“Rumor has it that there’s a mage in Noark who has inherited the secrets of the Great Sage.”

“They tampered with the protective magic circle without the royal family’s artifact, so such rumors are bound to spread.”

“I’ve heard it’s highly possible this isn’t just idle gossip.”

“Yes, there was also that magic used in the underground fortress to instantly teleport tens of thousands of Noark people at once.”

As the conversation continued, a few stories I hadn’t heard in Melbes did come up, but those were things that only came to light with the passage of time.

The intelligence-gathering capabilities of the two groups seemed pretty similar.

Well, Melbes was formed by nobles of non-human races gathering together. If their leaders knew something, it was natural for them to know it too, and vice versa.

‘Well, it’s obvious Mr. Dragon seems to know something.’

Perhaps because the other members grew aware of this, they kept glancing at the Dragon Chief, but he just brushed past the situation with an expressionless face.

“Well, I don’t know anything either. If I find out anything later, I’ll let you know immediately.”

Hmm, it seems certain he knows something. If I ask him privately later, will he give me a scoop?

No way to be sure.

The meeting went on for a while, but it didn’t yield anything valuable, and eventually ended.

“It was a productive meeting. Let’s meet again next time.”

After the meeting ended, everyone rose and left the venue. Upon reaching the entrance, I felt a little outmatched.

“…Dumoka, you’ve worked hard.”

“Lagcian, your carriage is ready.”

“We will escort you to the sanctuary, Lord Karlstein.”

The Dwarves, Fairies, Beast-people, and even the Viscount had their soldiers and servants waiting for them. And there was

The servants and guards of the Dwarf Chief, the Head of the Karlstein Family, the Fairy Chief, and even the Viscount were waiting for them and greeted them when they arrived. There was even a dragon tribe member who came to greet Mr. Dragon.

“Ahem…!”

An elderly white-haired Dragon-man who, upon seeing me, quickly hid something he was fidgeting with.

It was the same guy who had once tested my insight at the Dragon Temple using a ring puzzle.

“Oh, didn’t you say you couldn’t get it gain?” I asked curiously.

Feeling interested, I tried to look at the puzzle he was hiding, and the old Dragon-man panicked and turned his body away.

“T-this is a different item from that one back then….”

Huh? But why is his speech like this again?

 

Ah… Is it because I’m now a noble and a chief, so it’s hard for him to speak casually like before?

“Can I take a look?”

At my question, the old Dragon-man flinched and then sent a look pleading for help to the Dragon Chief beside him.

Geez, it’s not like I’m bullying him.

‘It seems I can’t say anything now.’

Before, when I had no power or status, I never felt this kind of guilt no matter what I did, but now it feels like I’m just wielding power carelessly.

“Forget it. I won’t look, so go ahead.”

“…Thank you.”

“Thank you? Or did I somehow just threaten to steal it without realizing?”

“Then we’ll take our leave first. Stop by the Temple when you have time. You’re always welcome.”

“Understood.”

I nodded, having sensed that this wasn’t just a polite remark but held the meaning of requesting a private meeting later. With that, he coolly disappeared before my eyes.

“Well then.”

“Later, then.”

Right, he’s a teleportation-type user.

Seriously, is there any race more overpowered than the Dragon tribe?

‘Well then, I should probably get going too…’

Just as I passed through the moderately bustling entrance to head outside, I felt an uncomfortably persistent gaze from somewhere.

‘What’s with this guy?’

The one sending the gaze was one of the several figures brought by the fairies…

‘…Huh?’

The fairy man who made eye contact with me stepped forward decisively and approached me, then revealed his identity.

“Pleased to meet you, Baron Jandel. I am Beleg Shushia di Tersia.”

It was a famous and familiar name.

“Ah, so you’re the one…”

Belleg Shusia di Tersia.

A top-rank explorer, even among the Fairies, with a status that ranks among the highest…

“Erwin’s maternal uncle.”

And one of the few remaining ‘family’ members Erwin has.

This is the first time meeting him in person, but I’ve heard many stories about this man from Erwin, and accordingly, I have a somewhat favorable impression of him.

Well, it was this man who saved the Erwin sisters when the Dragon Slayer committed terrorism on the Elf sanctuary.

He also helped Erwin in various ways afterwards.

“It’s good to meet you. I’ve been wanting to meet you someday.”

“Likewise.”

“……Huh?”

I offered a handshake with a glad heart, but for some reason, I felt considerable grip strength from his hand.

At first, I genuinely wondered what this was about. It had been a while since anyone had tried that on me.

I thought about how to respond… and in the end, I didn’t squeeze back.

He was important to Erwin, after all.

Even if I out-gripped him, what would that accomplish?

“This is how a grown-up should act…”

I chuckled and waited patiently.

Eventually, he let go.

“As expected, rumors are unreliable.”

…Huh?

Wait, does he think I’m weak now?

I tilted my head, confused.

“They said you’re someone who stays calm under pressure and doesn’t value meaningless battles. What I mean is—you’re much harder to fool than people claim.”

Unexpectedly, he began to praise me with a serious look.

Then, he bowed.

“That puts my mind at ease. Please take good care of her.”

I was a little stunned.

If I had tried to win that handshake, I probably wouldn’t have received this evaluation.

But that strange feeling didn’t last long.

“Well then…”

After receiving a look from the fairy representative, he joined his group. I was struck by another strange sensation.

‘Beleg Shushia di Tersia…’

Why do I keep feeling like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
***

The inter-racial meeting was less substantial than I thought it would be.

It was also a place filled with a completely unexpected kind of discomfort.

‘…Sigh, I didn’t really do anything, but I’m incredibly tired.’

Now, until the next labyrinth opens, the only remaining schedule is the royal assembly happening two days later.

Well, since I’d just come back from a long expedition, I was thinking of skipping the next trip into the labyrinth.

How would the situation unfold from here?

In my experience, entering a labyrinth during times like these always led to trouble.

“Ugh…”

After thinking briefly on the street, I stopped by the Carnon Administrative Headquarters to send word to the sanctuary.

The content was that since I’m out, I’ll stay a few more days and attend the royal assembly before returning…

Thud!

After leaving the administrative office, I immediately took a carriage and moved to Gnome Tree?.

Well, Mr. Dragon might know something.

He did give me a silent signal, telling me to come anytime.

Despite my fatigue, I decided that meeting with Mr. Dragon privately would be more productive than resting.

‘…If I knew it would be like this, I should have asked him to take me with him when we parted earlier…’

But, as always, I fell asleep in the carriage, and before I knew it, the carriage had arrived at its destination. There were no problems entering the Dragon sanctuary after getting off the carriage.

“We welcome Baron Jandel’s visit.”

Perhaps due to the Dragon Chief’s instructions, the Dragon-tribe gatekeeper opened the gate without even properly checking my identity.

And…

‘Walking really is tough.’

After climbing the mountain for a long time, I finally arrived at the Dragon Temple located at the center of the Dragon tribe’s sanctuary.

“Hmm, I didn’t expect you to come straight here like this.”

“Why? You said to come anytime. Were you just saying that?”

“To be honest… I thought if you were to seek me out, it would be after the royal assembly was over.”

“We can’t live as long as you folks. We have to live each day to the fullest.”

“Live each day to the fullest… Truly a good saying.”

“Anyway.”

We weren’t close enough for a small talk, and we had exchanged enough small talk at the previous meeting, so I got straight to the point as soon as we met.

“So… by any chance, is there something you need to tell me? I got the feeling that was the case earlier.”

“Actually, as I said before, I thought you would come after the royal assembly. I intended to hear your thoughts then and offer advice if you sought it.”

“…Something’s going to happen at the meeting?”

“Nothing too dramatic. But since you’ll hear it soon anyway, I’ll tell you now.”

Mr. Dragon first revealed that he knew two things, then continued.

“The first one concerns your marriage.”

“My marriage…?”

“The royal family wishes to propose a marriage arrangement between you and a noblewoman of human descent.”

Why is everyone so interested in my love life?

 

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