Chapter 112 - Baby Barbarian (5)

SNOOOORE!

How long had I been pretending to sleep with the baby barbarian's snoring as background noise?

SCRITCH, SCRATCH.

Rustling came from the direction of the campfire. They seemed to be having some sort of written conversation among themselves...

I could more or less guess what they were saying.

["What do we do?"]

["What do you mean? Kill them now."]

["Who first?"]

They were probably plotting who to finish off first. No self-respecting piece of shit would let an opportunity like this slip by.

It was a double-rewards event, after all. Two barbarian hearts, each fetching upward of 1.8 million Stones.

["The woman last. Let's deal with the barbarians first."]

I could even guess what conclusion they'd reached. They would probably try to kill either me or Karon first.

So I concentrated even harder on listening.

STEP.

Quiet footsteps slowly drew closer. Two of them were coming this way, while the third moved toward Karon.

'Planning to take us out at the same time, huh.'

Not a bad choice. It meant splitting their numbers, but attacking simultaneously would minimize the unexpected.

Not that it would change the outcome.

STEP.

The instant the two figures stopped right beside me, I sprang to my feet.

"I'm hungry... Huh? What are you doing there?"

"Hhh!"

The spearman and the hammer-wielding leader sucked in startled breaths. A quick glance to the side revealed the bowman aiming a drawn bow at the sleeping baby barbarian.

Making a point of pretending I hadn't noticed, I asked casually,

"Oh, did you wake up hungry too?"

I even rubbed my stomach. Did that convince them I hadn't seen the bowman? They exchanged glances, then smiled awkwardly.

"Y-yes. We were hungry. Care to go over there and eat with us?"

"Is it meat?"

"... Of course. There's jerky in my backpack over there."

"Jerky!"

"Keep your voice down. Everyone's asleep."

"All right..."

I nodded eagerly and was just about to lead the way when—

THWACK!

An impact struck the back of my head. Apparently, the leader had hit me with his hammer...

"Huh?"

My head had shrugged off an orc warrior's axe. There was no way that would split it open.

"What's that?"

I calmly turned around to find both men frozen, their faces blank.

Understandable. They'd hit me in the head with a hammer, and I hadn't so much as staggered, let alone groaned.

"Uh, um..."

The leader stood stock-still, not even thinking to strike again.

Well, his mind must have been a mess by now. Given the circumstances, the logical explanation was that I'd been hiding my identity...

But that truth would be too devastating to accept.

I smiled.

"Oh, your hand must have slipped."

"H-huh?"

"Hungry or not, you really shouldn't make mistakes like that."

Even I thought that line was absurd, but astonishingly, the leader nodded with an awkward smile.

"Ah, yes! Sorry about that."

Sorry, my ass.

Did he seriously think barbarians were fucking idiots?

"I just made a mis—"

THWACK!

"...take..."

THUD.

Without my mace, I planted a straight punch in his face.

The result wasn't much different. The leader collapsed to the ground, his facial bones caved in.

"Huh...?"

The spearman beside him just stared at me, still looking as though he couldn't process what was happening.

"Oh, I was hungry too. My hand slipped."

I sounded genuinely apologetic, but he didn't seem inclined to accept my apology.

"Royce! What are you doing? Shoot already!!"

The spearman issued orders in place of his unconscious leader.

WHOOSH!

The bowman released the arrow he'd been aiming.

But had there been some miscommunication? The order must have meant to shoot me, yet the arrow flew toward Karon, the baby barbarian.

THUNK!

Fortunately, the spearman's shout had woken Karon, and he twisted aside in time to keep it from hitting a vital spot.

"Ugh! Royce! What are you doing?!"

With the arrow lodged in his shoulder, Karon sprang up and grabbed the bowman by the throat.

"G-gack!"

"Speak! Say something! I'm asking why you shot me!"

"Gack, just... let go... Ghh!"

"You won't talk?!"

It looked like I could stop worrying about that side now.

I turned toward the spearman and found him quietly backing into the darkness. Even with everything going to hell, his determination to abandon his companions and save his own skin was almost commendable...

But seriously, did he think that would work?

"... They really were plunderers, nyah."

Misha, who had simply watched from beginning to end, brought the back of her blade down on his nape, ending the situation.

* * *

"What is going on?!"

Karon asked, unable to hide his confusion. Of course, the bowman he'd choked unconscious wasn't going to answer.

"They're plunderers."

I kindly explained everything, starting with how barbarian hearts sold for high prices and ending with how I'd found these men suspicious and concealed my identity to join them.

But...

"What? That can't be! These are my companions...!"

Our innocent baby barbarian couldn't accept it at face value. No, more precisely, he didn't want to.

"Karon, son of Tarson. Grow up."

"... Are you insulting me?! I'm already a warrior!"

"Then why are you trying to turn your back on reality?"

Karon pressed his lips shut at my question.

He must have known it himself. Everything I'd said was true.

"..."

From what I'd seen, barbarians weren't a particularly unintelligent race. They'd simply never been taught anything except combat, and living exclusively in the sanctuary had left them far too innocent.

"That sneaky bowman shot you. If you hadn't dodged in time, the arrow would have hit your neck instead of your shoulder."

As I spoke, I pulled the arrow from his shoulder. It must have hurt considerably, but Karon didn't even groan.

So I simply continued.

"These men are plunderers. Scum of the Labyrinth who tried to kill you and steal your heart."

"... I want to hear what they have to say."

Was he still hoping there had been some misunderstanding?

Karon asked to speak to the three of them, and I had no particular reason to refuse. After disarming them and gathering them in one place, I woke one up.

"E-eek!"

The bowman was the lucky choice. Since he'd only been choked unconscious, I figured he'd taken less damage than the others.

"P-please spare me!"

He dropped to his knees the moment he saw me, and I stepped back. I wasn't the one who wanted to talk.

"Royce, are you really a plunderer?"

"K-Karon...? There's been a misunderstanding. I'll explain everything, but first, this man—"

"Just answer my question. What have I misunderstood?"

"Well..."

The bowman couldn't answer Karon.

Naturally. There was no misunderstanding.

To save time, I tossed Karon a notebook I'd found while taking their weapons.

"What's this?"

"Read it yourself."

"I... can't read."

Oh. Right.

"Then why not have him read it for you?"

"That's... true."

Karon handed the notebook I'd given him to the bowman. It contained the silent written conversation they'd had while we pretended to sleep.

"..."

The instant he saw it, the bowman broke into a cold sweat and hung his head. He seemed to have reached the point of resignation already.

Who said he could do that?

"If you don't read it, I'll kill you."

"..."

"Very painfully."

"I-I'll read it..."

With trembling lips, the bowman slowly began to read.

"Briol, why did you let him join us? Don't tell me you're planning to kill him too?"

"He's practically begging us to kill him. Why go out of our way to let him live?"

"I find him suspicious. Talking about overnight companions on the second floor? Even a barbarian can't be that stupid, can he?"

"Suspicious, my ass. I'm for it. After all the barbarian bastards we've slaughtered, you still don't get it? They're just walking..."

The bowman, struggling through the words, clamped his mouth shut at one passage.

So I bent one of his fingers backward.

"You must have thought I was joking."

"Aaargh!"

"Continue."

"Th-they're no different from walking monsters! Th-their intelligence is about the same, and especially since whoever kills one first gets to keep it."

Finishing the sentence, the bowman glanced warily at Karon.

Karon was trembling.

"Who... said that?"

"... Victor."

"I see. So he... Never mind. Keep going."

Having confirmed that those were the spearman's words, Karon had him continue.

"Besides, even without a barbarian, isn't the reward good enough? She seems as stupid as one, but her, uh, face... She's p-pretty good-looking..."

"Continue."

"I'll give you the face. But the bitch has been rolling around with a barbarian, so who knows what the rest is—"

"Stop!"

Misha barged in and snatched the notebook away. After rapidly scanning it, she asked the bowman,

"This bit here, and this, and this. Who said them, nyah?"

Her voice was truly ice-cold. I didn't think I'd ever seen her like this before.

When the shivering bowman pointed at the leader, Misha turned to me and declared flatly,

"Bjorn, I'm killing this one, nyah."

"Do as you like."

Anyway, there was no need to anger Misha further, so I had him skip the dirty talk.

What followed was a discussion of whom to kill first, and how.

And...

"I-I'll take care of Karon. It p-pissed me off how he looked down on me for being an archer. Doesn't even know he's going to die once the hunt is over..."

The written conversation ended with the bowman's own words.

After a brief silence, Karon spoke.

"I... just don't understand."

His first words were a question.

"... What did I do wrong?"

First, he looked for fault in himself.

There was none to find. The world was simply too savage a place to live while holding on to that innocence.

"Byon, son of Thor..."

"It's Bjorn, son of Jandel."

"I see. So you're the famous... Good. Tell me, Bjorn, son of Jandel. Are people like this common in the Labyrinth?"

"Yes."

A side of the Labyrinth they hadn't taught him about at the sanctuary.

Facing it for the first time, the young warrior asked me,

"Then... what should I do?"

As though he genuinely wanted the answer. As though, if I showed him the way, he would follow it without fail.

So I answered.

"Suspect everyone, human or otherwise. Hide your axe behind your innocence, just as I deceived them. Always think before you act, even when it's troublesome or a little difficult."

"... Can I do that?"

"It's not a question of whether you can. It's something you must do."

I spoke firmly. Fail to distinguish those two things, and you'd remain a child forever.

"Remember. For every one of them you find and kill, young warriors' lives will be saved."

The young warrior pressed his lips together.

"I see. So that's why you..."

He seemed to understand my actions at last.

"Now, what will you do? I'll abide by your choice."

I asked him one last question.

The young warrior, Karon, son of Tarson, simply tightened his grip on his axe.

And then...

SHICK!

At last, he became a warrior in his own right.

* * *

The bowman's head flew off, leaving a ragged cut behind.

Misha woke the leader she'd been itching to kill by stomping on his crotch, then cut his head off. I snapped the remaining man's neck.

Well, there was a little incident where he woke up midway and started begging...

["P-please spare me! I'll be good from now on..."]

["You mean you'll be a good plunderer?"]

["A g-good plunderer? Ah, yes, yes! I'll be sure to—Gack!"]

But it changed nothing.

There was only one way to become a good plunderer.

"Here. A potion."

"Thank you."

Once we'd more or less finished up, I handed Karon a potion, and he poured it over his shoulder wound.

But...

"Why aren't you pouring more?"

"Then it would heal completely. A scar is proof of inexperience. I want to remember, so I won't forget."

"If that's what you want."

Knowing barbarians regarded scars as badges of honor, I said nothing more.

"Thank you, Bjorn, son of Jandel. I think I understand a little better what I need to do now."

The look in his eyes was already completely different.

And seeing it, I was certain.

"It'll be hard to match you, but I'll smash their heads whenever I see them... No, I'll even hunt them down. And whenever I see a young warrior, I'll tell them what happened to me today and offer advice."

The way he was now, he'd be able to teach most plunderers a very clear lesson.

"Just as you did today. For our people."

From now on, mess with a baby barbarian, and you're fucked.