Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 637
Chapter 637: Political Schemes (1)
Get married and have a son—as soon as I heard the condition, my composure broke. In hindsight, however, I definitely should have expected such a condition from the leader gramps.
“Baron Yandel, what you have accomplished in the last few years is something no other hero could even attempt to emulate. That is something neither I nor anyone else can deny. However.” After taking a short pause, the leader flicked his finger. “It wouldn’t be so strange a thing for that legacy to disappear at a moment’s notice.”
House Yandel didn’t have a successor yet. To put it simply, as soon as I died, my barony would turn into a fallen noble house. Even I could see how that would play out. I didn’t even have any relatives at all, let alone children.
“If something bad were to happen to you, the Yandel Barony would vanish with you that day. Most of your belongings would be repossessed by the national treasury as well.”
That would certainly be the primary problem the old leader needed to be wary of before he lent me his full and proper support. Something like the bare minimum level of risk assessment he needed to take on? His plan would fall apart as soon as something untoward happened to me, but if the barony could remain.
From the perspective of Melbeth, which only needed a certain minimum number of houses to sustain itself, it was a loss they could afford.
“…What if I say I’m not planning on getting married any time soon?”
“Then I will regretfully have to retract my offer. If a condition of this level cannot be fulfilled, then not even I will be able to persuade the other houses.”
I had been prodding him a bit to get an answer, but his response was more clear-cut than I expected. There was no room for negotiation here.
“However, our House of Viscount Welbeit will still support you. However, as I stated, we will need to postpone acquiring the full support of the entirety of Melbeth to a later time.”
Since I needed some time to think, I just responded with a nod. At that, the leader added a few words of assurance. “Also, your successor doesn’t have to be a barbarian. Due to the nature of Melbeth, we hope that they aren’t a human…but I would not dare restrict even that. It is of higher importance that your barony does not go over to the palace in its entirety.”
To dissect his words, it didn’t matter if I married a barbarian or not.
“Ah, of course, taking a woman of your race as a wife would be the best option. If your firstborn inherits your blood in its full, it will decrease any quarrel for succession when you end up having more children.”
Maybe it was because this gramps had lived in noble society until his hair started to grey. Rather than think that he was interfering too much, I found that his advice only made me see him as a rational and reasonable person. Even so, I said, “I will deal with that problem myself.”
“May I interpret that as you taking my suggestion to heart?”
“I’m saying I’ll think about it.” It was an incredibly evasive response that left me with multiple avenues of escape. Very uncharacteristic of a barbarian.
“I see.” However, the old man seemed to be satisfied even with that as he smiled. “If you perhaps do not have anyone suitable, my granddaughter—”
Look at this grandpa. “It’s fine,” I quickly interrupted.
“If you do not want a beastwoman, I could ask after the daughters of other houses for you…”
“I told you it’s fine.”
As I let out a loud sigh, the old leader’s eyes flashed with a different light. They weren’t eyes of disappointment at having received an answer he didn’t want.
“So you do have someone? Someone who came to mind when I gave you my advice.”
With that, the leader gave a gentle smile and nodded. “That is enough for today.”
You really couldn’t ignore age and experience.
***
And so, our talk about marriage came to a close. With that point addressed, a servant opened the door and entered with tea like they had been waiting. We shifted topics as we enjoyed our drinks.
“Lord Baron, have you perhaps checked on the state of the Yandel Barony being constructed in District Seven?”
“I have.”
It was a terrifying sight just thinking back on it. Seeing how the roofing had been neatly put in place, I could tell the house was just about to be completed. If it had not been destroyed catastrophically in the invasion, of course.
“Somehow, my move-in date got delayed again…”
Just when was the Yandel estate finally going to get built?
Although hopelessness bit at me, I decided to stay positive about it. If construction had finished according to the original layout, the house would have been pretty cramped as things were now.
“Since it has come to this, how about you buy up some of the neighboring land as well? Your house has increased in size by a certain margin, after all.”
“I probably will have to do that. But didn’t you offer to buy me land because you knew I needed it?”
“Haha, It is not easy to read your mind, Baron Yandel. I only wanted to make sure.”
“Just ask me directly next time. That’s easier for the both of us.”
“Oh, if you say so. How much more land do you want? With our current standing, we should be able to buy the land at a considerably more reasonable price.”
We then shared a bit more small talk and discussed smaller matters to pass the time.
“Please inform me as soon as you come to a decision. If we want you to have a grand marriage ceremony, it will require a fair bit of preparation.”
After wrapping up my private discussion with the leader, I went outside and took the carriage back to the holy land. I was spaced out looking out the window the entire time.
“Marriage…”
It was something I had never thought about before.
No, I did actually think about it a few times, but I quickly dismissed the thought, judging it wasn’t appropriate for the moment.
Of course, there was exactly one time when I had truly considered it… But it ultimately didn’t end well.
I sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
It wasn’t like my chest felt tight, but I couldn’t help but keep sighing. It was as if I were looking at a huge mountain I knew I would need to climb at some point.
Marriage, marriage, marriage.
That one word the old leader had dropped on me so suddenly echoed in circles through my mind.
Clank.
Even while sitting in the shaking carriage.
“It’s the chieftain! The chieftain has returned!”
Even when I arrived at the holy land and was greeted with cheers from the warriors.
“The residents of Bifron have started settling, and we haven’t had any other problems arise. However, I felt that leaving so much manpower alone would be a waste, so I was thinking of employing them in some of the many projects in the holy land. Will that be alright?”
Even when I was receiving the report from the head administrator in my office.
And…
“Hehe, Mister. Please drink this as well.”
“Thanks.”
“…How is it? I’ve put in a lot more lemon juice this time. Does it suit your tastes?”
“It’s good.”
“Your expression says otherwise. Did something bad happen at the meeting?”
“No.”
Even while I was sharing a meal with my allies, that one word continued to prick my mind like a splinter, and I couldn’t focus on the conversation.
“Marriage…”
Just what was I supposed to do with that? Should I go for it, or not?
I wasn’t planning on getting into a political marriage or anything like that, yet the thought continued to plague me. If I wasn’t planning on returning to Earth anyway, if I was planning on staying in this world and living in it, wouldn’t I end up marrying someone in the future?
And seeing my child, my grandchild. Living a loving life with my family… Hmm, yeah, something like that…
“…doesn’t sound too bad.”
I ended up saying those words out loud without realizing it.
When I regained my senses, an uncomfortable silence had settled over the room. Everyone was staring at me. Someone was frozen in a daze with their spoon hanging in the air, while another had dropped theirs.
“Hic?”
Another let out a hiccup as if they had choked on something.
“…Oh?”
Another swallowed their food and let out an exclamation I couldn’t parse.
“Bjorn Yandel.”
“Hmm?” I hummed, still distracted.
“…What did you just say?”
It felt as if the resume button on reality had been pressed.
“M-marriage! You talked about m-marriage?!”
Questions filled the eyes that were looking at me.
“Y-you even said it sounds good!”
I belatedly realized I had been talking to myself, so I had nothing I could say to defend myself.
Auyen carefully spoke up from where he sat next to me. “It definitely is time for you to find a partner. In fact, the entire city was confused about why you weren’t getting married. However…”
“However?”
“The fact that you suddenly mentioned the topic… Did you find someone whom you want to be your wife?”
As the direct question echoed out in the room, everyone sitting at the table gulped.
Well, I could understand why. No matter what happened with the world at large, in the present moment, everyone here was close-knit and our lives were intertwined.
Since it’s come to this, I may as well come out with it.
I put down the spoon I had been holding, then quietly took a few deep breaths before revealing the offer I received from Melbeth. To be honest, there wasn’t much to talk about.
Get married and quickly have a son, then the entirety of Melbeth would mobilize to help House Yandel. The spouse didn’t have to be a barbarian. It was an offer that could be summarized into those few points.
However, what took more than a few lines to summarize was the reactions of my allies.
“Ah… S-so that’s wh-what happened…?”
“…The old man just said something silly.”
“S-so? What are you going to do, Mister? I guess if you just need a partner in the end…”
“Oh! A son of Bjorn! He’s definitely going to be super talented! I will raise him to become a great warrior!”
“Ainar, what do you mean by that?”
“Yes, I can’t just ignore what you said. You will raise Mister’s son?”
“Hmm? What’s the problem? Bjorn’s son is practically my son.”
“No, the problem is—!”
“S-stop! I don’t think she meant it in that way!”
“Hah…”
Chaos wasn’t enough to describe what was going on. However, the situation calmed due to an unforeseen variable throwing itself into the mix, though… Rather than “calm,” it was more that there was a short pause.
“So… Did you accept the offer?”
When Amelia asked me that directly, the room fell quiet once more. Even a lecturer well-versed in public speaking would find it difficult to talk here with the amount of focus being put on me.
I gave a bitter smile and answered honestly again. “I said I would think about it.”
“Th-th-think about it?”
“Yeah, think about it.”
“…But why? Why did you say that?”
The oddness of the question nearly made me do a double-take. I mean, it wasn’t as if barbarians could reproduce through mitosis.
“Because…”
“…Because?”
“I’ll need the other person’s agreement too!”
That one sentence I let out in frustration made the table fall quiet again. One second, two seconds, three seconds. The moment of silence stretched out.
“Then… Then are you saying you will be asking for someone’s consent?” Auyen asked.
“Uh…”
“Well… I-it might just be my misunderstanding! But what you just said… It sounds as if you’ve already decided who the other person will be—”
I sprang up from my seat. My life as a warrior had taught me this: An intelligent warrior made decisions on their own battlefield.
“Being full got me sleepy!” I announced.
“…Pardon?”
“I will now go to sleep!”
As any barbarian would, I charged toward the safety of my room, and once inside, I immediately locked the door and rolled myself into the blanket. Only then did I feel a bit calmer.
I was a little embarrassed about showing my allies the sight of me running away in supposed panic, but it couldn’t be helped.
A warrior was someone who fought through any hardship. I was a barbarian who upheld honesty as a virtue, yes, but I was also a K-barbarian upon whose soul the Confucian mindset had been etched.
How could I possibly say it?
“So you do have someone? Someone who came to mind when I gave you my advice.”
Yeah, I could never say it to anyone.
Don’t lose focus, Hansu…
It wasn’t just one person who came to mind.