Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 475: Of Men and Women (2)

The two sisters were together in the room.

Pen, the Dragonkin Priestess who had given me the Dragon's Blessing.

And Raviyen, my former expedition teammate.

"...You're here?"

Pen, the Dragonkin girl, glanced at me and then looked away, a pout on her face.

'She's acting like a teenager.'

I tried to be understanding.

I had heard from her father and Raviyen that she had been depressed after I was declared dead.

'She kept saying she wanted to hear more stories...'

"...Huh? What did you just say?"

"You... heard that...?"

"No, I asked what you said."

I lowered my voice, and Pen, slightly intimidated, raised hers.

"W-Why?! I just said you look the same!"

It was a blatant lie.

I had clearly heard her say, "That ugly face..."

"Penitasauros."

"...It's Penitasaurooooos."

"I might have forgotten after all these years, so let me remind you. I'm not ugly, I'm manly. Understand?"

I stared at her, and she finally replied,

"...Okay."

Right, she knew it all along.

Now that the dominance hierarchy had been established, I turned to Raviyen.

"It's been a while, Raviyen."

"You two... seem close."

"Close? We've only met once before, when I received the blessing."

"Still, you were probably the last outsider she interacted with."

Well, that was true.

Not many outsiders visited the Dragon's Temple.

I sat down at the table and asked,

"So you knew I was coming?"

"...Yes. Father told me."

"When?"

"While he was talking to you. I can hear his voice wherever he is."

So he had some kind of telepathic communication skill, besides Dragon Speech? He was more versatile than I thought.

"What did he tell you?"

"Just that you were coming, and that he had good news for me."

Oh, he had added that part too?

"What's the good news?"

Pen looked at me expectantly.

I avoided her gaze, and Raviyen shrugged.

I couldn't understand the Dragonkin's way of thinking.

Why would they entrust such an important moment to an outsider like me?

'Well, it's not that difficult.'

I decided not to postpone it any longer.

"I killed the Dragonslayer and brought back his heart."

A lot had happened, but it could be summarized in a single sentence.

"...What?"

Pen looked confused, so I repeated myself.

"It's true. I gave the heart to your father, so you'll be able to recover soon."

"...Sister?"

"It's true, Pen."

"..."

Even after Raviyen's confirmation, Pen still looked confused. It was too sudden, I guess.

"..."

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"...Thank you."

I had to take back my previous assessment of her upbringing.

Both her and her father were surprisingly polite.

It made me feel a little awkward.

"But even if you recover, things won't change immediately."

"...What do you mean?"

I relayed the Ancient Dragon's instructions.

My fight with the Dragonslayer was to remain a secret for now. She would have to stay hidden in the temple until the situation calmed down...

And her father had agreed to it.

"I'm sorry. I know you hate this place—"

"It's okay."

Pen interrupted me.

"I don't mind staying here."

She sounded sincere.

I couldn't understand her.

"You don't mind? But you have everything you need here. Food, shelter... you can just play all day—"

"What are you talking about? You idiot."

"...Was that not the reason?"

Pen sighed.

"Of course not. I hate this place. I want to go outside, feel the wind, smell the flowers... but..."

She clenched her fists.

"Now my father doesn't have to stay here because of me. He can finally go wherever he wants."

Her answer surprised me.

"So that's enough for you."

Family...

I suddenly felt a pang of curiosity.

"Yandel, thank you for saving my father."

What was it like to have a family like that?

___________________

Pen excused herself, saying she needed some time alone, and I was left with Raviyen.

It wasn't a bad outcome.

I had something to ask her.

"Raviyen."

"Yes?"

"Why have you been avoiding me?"

"What... do you mean?"

I had been subtle, but she didn't seem to understand.

I decided to be more direct.

"Why didn't you come to the after-party? You don't seem that busy."

"I heard Titana Akuraba didn't come either."

"Well, that's true."

I nodded.

"But she's actually busy."

After a brief pause, Raviyen replied,

"...I was busy too."

"Really? Then I guess I can't blame you."

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

She sounded more relaxed now.

I took a sip of my tea and nodded.

But she wasn't fooled.

"Raviyen, I'm fine, so just tell me the truth. Did you change your mind?"

The subject was omitted, but everyone in the room knew what I was talking about.

"No, I haven't."

"Really? I thought you were trying to distance yourself from us—"

"Because we weren't on the same page from the beginning."

What?

"Not on the same page...?"

I gave her a look, and she sighed, finally explaining herself.

"Of course, I'm saddened by the deaths of our comrades. And I'm angry at the Marquis, and the royal family."

"But?"

"But that's all. Not everyone is like you, Yandel."

So my initial impression hadn't been wrong.

She was distancing herself from us.

And the reason was exactly what I had suspected.

"No matter how close we became, we were just teammates on a single expedition."

If they had been family, it would have been different.

But they weren't.

And therefore...

"If you're asking me to dedicate my life to revenge... my answer is no."

Raviyen had made a rational decision.

It was the normal response.

Even if their family had died, most people wouldn't seek revenge against the royal family.

"I see... Thank you for being honest."

"...I'm sorry. But I'm sure there are others who feel the same way. They're just afraid to say it."

Well, that was true.

People's emotions were fickle.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"...That's unexpected. I thought you would accuse me of betrayal."

"Would that change your mind? If it would, I would have done it a hundred times."

"I see..."

Raviyen looked down.

She had said everything she wanted to say, and the conversation was over.

But...

"..."

She still seemed to have something on her mind.

I understood how she felt.

I had been in a similar situation before.

"Raviyen, let me give you some advice."

"Go ahead."

"If everyone had been as rational as you that day, none of us would have survived."

There were no right or wrong answers in this world.

Only choices.

___________________

"Let me know if you change your mind. You're always welcome."

I was about to leave the room when Raviyen said,

"...Father is still in a meeting."

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"Ah, right."

I awkwardly waited for the Ancient Dragon to return. He eventually used Dragon Speech to teleport me back home.

It was just past noon.

"Mister! You're back!"

"...You're early. I thought you might be late."

Amelia and Erwen were waiting for me.

"It ended sooner than expected. What happened here?"

I pointed at the backyard.

The overgrown wasteland had been transformed.

Half of it was now a lush garden, and the other half was a training ground.

"...It just... happened. It looks a little crude, but... we didn't have a choice."

"We couldn't let one person have it all, so we decided to share."

So they had finally reached a compromise after days of arguing.

"Yandel, have you eaten?"

"I had a few snacks. What about you?"

"Not yet!"

"Then let's eat together."

I was thinking about going out for lunch, but Auyen was already preparing a meal.

I was confused.

"He cooks...?"

"Didn't you know? He made dinner last night too."

"...I thought you bought it... Wait, we don't even have a kitchen, do we?"

Amelia gave me a look.

"We turned one of the rooms on the first floor into a kitchen. You didn't even notice?"

"..."

"Yandel, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings."

I couldn't argue with that.

I hadn't had a chance to relax at home lately.

Anyway, I followed Amelia to the first floor, and one of the empty rooms had been converted into a kitchen.

"Welcome back, Clan Master!"

Auyen, dressed in a white chef's uniform, greeted me with a smile. A plate of food was already prepared.

"Mister, come here. He'll take care of everything."

"Oh... really?"

Auyen... what was his job, again?

Navigator, coachman, and now a chef?

'...Is there anything he can't do?'

I realized once again that power was everything.

If I wasn't strong, he wouldn't be here cooking for me.

"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"

"It's perfect. Just the right amount of seasoning. And plenty of meat."

"The ladies instructed me to always prepare extra, just in case you came home hungry."

"...Ladies?"

"Ah..."

Auyen flinched.

He had made a mistake.

But I didn't say anything and focused on my meal.

And after a while...

"Leave it. I'll clean up."

Auyen collected the dishes.

It was a strange feeling.

Being treated like this in my own house... I felt like a real noble.

"Mister, you don't have anything scheduled for today, do you?"

"No, I cleared my schedule."

"Then... would you like to have some tea in my garden?"

"Sure."

"Tersia, I'll have the Black Dragon tea."

"Ha... you're so shameless."

Erwen grumbled, but she still prepared the tea, and we chatted for a while.

The high walls surrounding the house felt comforting, and the afternoon sun was warm.

It was a relaxing afternoon.

'This is nice...'

Erwen chattered excitedly, and Amelia occasionally chimed in, arguing with her.

But I just enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.

And then...

"Family..."

I mumbled unconsciously.

It was a quiet murmur, barely audible.

But...

"...?"

"...?"

Both Erwen and Amelia stopped talking and looked at me.

"...Yandel, what did you just say?"

"Yes, what was that, Mister?"

They had forgotten their argument and were now focused on me.

"...Nothing."

I tried to brush it off, but they were persistent.

"It wasn't nothing. You said 'family'."

"I heard it too. What did you mean by that?"

Damn it, why did I say that?

I had been thinking about Pen...

"Just..."

I sighed and answered.

"I was wondering what it would be like to have a family."

It was an honest answer.

Erwen and Amelia didn't say anything.

"..."

"..."

The silence was awkward.

I was about to change the subject when Erwen suddenly spoke, her eyes narrowed.

"...The left wall."

The left wall?

What was she talking about?

"Someone's watching us."

Amelia explained.

What?

"Tersia, on the count of three."

"Okay."

They didn't wait for my instructions.

They counted to three and then dashed towards the left wall.

And...

"...Eek?!"

They returned a few seconds later, dragging someone with them.

"This is... an unexpected reunion."

Amelia's tone was strange.

"..."

And Erwen's expression was colder than ever.

"Ahaha..."

The captive, pinned to the ground, looked at me and chuckled awkwardly.

"I-It's been a while... Bjorn... Ugh!"

She winced, as if she had bitten her tongue.

"..."

"..."

"..."

It was Misha.