Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel 2025 - Chapter 707
Chapter 707: Conscription (2)
Things became more complicated after hearing Kaislan’s view on things. The moment we exposed our presence to the public, I would be dragged to the military command, and my clan would need to go to the dangerous frontlines without me.
Do we need to just stay hidden in the sewers?
Lose three allies.
Since I had seen that record, the decision to separate from my allies made me feel much more uneasy.
“You need to go, Captain.”
Kaislan seemed to understand the worry on my mind yet tried to convince me out of it.
“I need to go?” I echoed.
“Looking at the notice, it seems the conscription order wasn’t given out that long ago. If you go now, it should still be within the conscription period. That way, you won’t face any backlash. However, if you don’t show up even after that period ends, you may end up in great trouble.”
“As in…?”
I sent him a look, clearly demanding that he name the consequences, and Kaislan carefully continued, “First, it would be a great stain on your honor. No matter our circumstances, to others, it will only look like you are a deserter. It would look as if you ran away from the war because you were afraid.”
To put it simply, the name-value of the Giant, Baron Bjorn Yandel would plummet.
I had been benefiting from my reputation for a long time now, so I knew just how precious public perception and reputation were.
Even so, I said, “I don’t care about that, so next.”
Kaislan hesitated at my immediate answer given without a second thought, but soon enough, he was smirking.
“An answer befitting you, Captain.”
“I got it, so what’s next?”
“The second problem is that the clan itself will suffer. As I told you before, since it will be filed under ‘desertion,’ we will all be put on trial as soon as the war is over. And we’ll receive severe punishments, as desertion is considered a grave offense under martial law.”
“What are the details of this severe punishment?”
“Execution. Making an example of people is one of the biggest objectives of martial law.”
Now that wasn’t something I could ignore. I wasn’t like I was planning on making everyone here give up their identities and live in hiding in the sewers for their entire lives.
“What if… Noark wins? Then we won’t be punished for desertion, right?”
“That’s true… But the palace will not lose,” Kaislan rebuked sternly.
“How are you so sure? Doesn’t the fact that the palace sent out conscription notices mean that the palace was pushed far enough where they need the help of adventurers?”
“Well… I believe they did it to reduce their own losses. I don’t think they were pushed that far.”
Kaislan went on to reiterate that this was just his opinion and drew the line there, but I couldn’t ignore it either. He had once been part of the military. He would know the strength of the palace better than anyone else.
“Is there a third problem?”
“The third is regarding you, Captain.”
“Me?”
“That’s right. You won’t be ‘executed’ like us, but in the worst-case scenario, you would be stripped of your noble title because of your ‘desertion.’”
I’d wondered what he was going to say. So that was why he had just an intense look in his eyes when he was looking at me.
“My noble title…”
But honestly, I didn’t care if they took my noble title or not. The problem was how it might affect my clan members. If I maintained my noble status, I would be able to at least try and stop their execution.
“I don’t know what you’re so worried about, but could I say something to you, Captain?”
I nodded, breaking free of my contemplation, and Kaislan looked at me with the eyes of a soldier as he spoke.
“The reason we decided to follow you wasn’t because we wanted to be your dependents. We just want to walk the same path as you do.”
The people around him nodded in agreement. Amelia, for one, looked deeply satisfied at the comment.
“It’s refreshing hearing exactly what I’ve been wanting to say,” she admitted.
“You must go, Captain,” Kaislan repeated. “The palace will never lose. If you wish to continue to live in this world, you must go now.”
I was left with no choice but to nod along with them.
“Got it. I’ll go. But there is one thing we need to do before I do.”
“Something we need to do…?”
What else? If I were to leave, I’d be away from you, you know?
“We’ll now select our vice-captain.”
A leader of the group must always exist.
***
The vice-captain position had gone unfilled since the founding of the clan.
To be honest, it wasn’t left empty on purpose. I had wanted to fill it before it came to this.
But I guess we’re going to pick it now.
Well, there were a lot of reasons I had postponed this several times.
Everyone felt the position was burdensome, and everything was going well anyway even without a vice-captain since each person did their part. I also wanted to create a more level playing field among the members.
However, that was going to change.
“A…vice-captain?”
“That’s right.”
There was a saying in this world: An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.
That was just how important the role of a leader was.
“Is there anyone who wants to nominate themselves?”
Although I asked that from the get-go, no one was eager to put up their hand. Though, I could tell Kaislan wanted the position a little.
I didn’t expect this from those two.
Versyl Gowland and James Calla had both been vice-captains of decently sized clans and yet the two who were most qualified for the position were showing no interest.
Maybe they know how difficult of a position it is since they’ve done it once?
It was understandable. Our clan was a little different from the other clans. Even if someone became the vice-captain, rather than enjoy the authority or luxury that came with it, they’d only get an increase in their duties.
Hmm… Then who would be a good fit for this?
I looked at each and every member of the clan standing around me.
Who would be the perfect vice-captain?
I didn’t know yet, but one thing was certain.
The vice-captain position wouldn’t be filled just because I selected them. For example, even if I gave the vice-captain position to Auyen, who here would listen to him? It needed to be someone who could wield authority within the clan with their own power so that I could entrust the clan to them.
Melend Kaislan.
This guy at least had the minimum conditions fulfilled. He was experienced in leading a group, served as a member of the military, and possessed charisma.
And most importantly, he’s proficient in tactics and strategy.
His shortcomings were that his information skills were lacking and due to his steadfast stances on subjects, he wasn’t too flexible.
To put it simply, he was a little slow in moment-to-moment decision-making.
Amelia Rainwales.
Amelia was the exact opposite. She always thought logically before making her decisions, and with her wide range of experiences, she was adept at making quick decisions.
However, her understanding of organized movement was lower than Kaislan, and although it wasn’t as if she didn’t have any charisma, she preferred working alone.
Since she’s one of the original members, I don’t think anyone would complain too much even if she becomes the vice-captain…
In fact, this was one of her big advantages. The vice-captain would need to lead the group while I was away, and the clan would follow her without any problem.
Versyl Gowland.
She was definitely one of the better options as well. As a member who joined right after the Ice Rock Expedition, she had spent more than enough time with us, and she had experience being a proper vice-captain to boot.
Well, I do think she lacks charisma compared to the two…
However, that was probably because she was an ordinary member now. She’d probably change if she became the vice-captain.
She’s pretty decent with strategy and tactics… Plus, from the way she usually speaks, I don’t think she’s all that set in her path or stubborn…
Thinking about it this way, Versyl felt like a mix between Amelia and Kaislan. Right in the middle, perhaps?
Anyway, I can’t really think of anyone more suitable than them.
After scanning the rest of the members, I narrowed down the options to those three.
Erwen and Missha were original members too, to be fair, but they weren’t fit to lead others.
“Um… About the vice-captain! Can I do it?!”
Nothing needed to be said about Ainar.
“You stay still.”
“Why? You asked us to say if we want to!”
“You’re an exception.”
“That’s too much! Bjorn! How can you treat me like this—”
“Fenelin, the captain is speaking. Be quiet,” Amelia said with a furrow of her brow.
Ainar quieted down immediately.
The sight really did make me feel like Amelia was the one I should pick.
“I’ll tell you this now, but I have no intention of taking the position.”
Amelia’s comment startled me. “Huh?”
“It doesn’t suit me at all.”
Well, I think you’re the only one who thinks that.
Anyone who observed Amelia over time would notice she did tend to under-evaluate herself. The reason behind it was in the same vein as why she never wore skirts or any fancy clothing like Erwen and Missha. It didn’t match the image she had of herself, even though she had never tried to wear them in the first place.
“But don’t worry. No matter who becomes the vice-captain, I will work hard with them like I do with you.”
Well, I couldn’t really force her to become a vice-captain when she was saying all that. I decided to just cleanly give up on making Amelia the vice-captain then.
“Since no one is electing themselves, I will make the—”
“Me! I said I would… Ack! Wh-why are you pinching me?!”
Missha pinched Ainar’s hip when she persisted, and that situation was resolved there.
“Since no one is electing themselves,” I began again, “I will make the decision. Melend Kaislan and Versyl Gowland. I believe that you two are the most fit to be vice-captains.”
“If you put your trust in me, I will not let it go to waste.”
“Me neither… It’s a position that someone needs to take up in the end.”
Alright, then since I got the approval of the two of them, there was only one thing left to do.
I was thinking of just choosing the other if one of them backed out, but since they both showed their desire to take the position…
“We’ll begin our voting from now. Everyone will come up to me one by one and whisper into my ear the person they believe will be a better vice-captain.”
“Whisper…into your ear?”
“Don’t worry! I will keep your choices secret!”
James Calla looked baffled at the procedure but he didn’t say anything in protest.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
Thus began the barbarian-style secret vote.
The first person to kick off the voting was Erwen, whom I selected.
“Amelia Rainwales.”
Huh? Did I hear her wrong?
“Just cause. I think she’ll be the best option.”
“No, but you need to choose between the two…”
“Then just put me down as a no-vote. I don’t care who becomes vice-captain.”
“Sure.”
One abstain vote (Amelia) to kick things off.
“I choose Ms. Gowland… She seems kinder than Kaislan…”
Missha, the second person to vote, chose Versyl, though I did wonder what being kind had to do with being a vice-captain.
This feels like choosing a class representative in primary school.
I wondered if this was just a popularity vote or not, but the votes coming after eased my worries a little.
“Versyl Gowland.”
Amelia just said that one sentence before returning.
“I…will give one vote to Ms. Gowland.”
James Calla, who had also been a vice-captain in the past, revealed his pick.
“If I need to entrust my life between the two of them, I will choose Ms. Gowland.”
Sven Paray, with his exceptional survival instincts, chose the safest candidate.
“I’ll choose Versyl Gowland.”
Lilith Marrone gave that vote without additional comment.
That left Versyl with five votes.
“I will choose Kaislan! A knight is better than a wizard!”
“Um… We can hear you from over here.”
Ainar didn’t seem to understand what a secret vote was as she gave Kaislan his first vote.
Then the results are already in.
Since the candidates weren’t allowed to vote, the decision had practically been made. However, since I wanted to listen to the opinions of the rest, I decided to call the last person up to vote.
“I-I…”
The plunderer navigator Auyen Rockrobe.
Who was he going to pick?
“I…can’t really pick someone other than the madam.”
It was an unexpected response.
“Madam…?”
“N-no… I meant Ms. Raines. No matter how I think about it, she’s the only one fit to be the vice-captain…”
Well now.
“I got it, so you can go back.”
“Of course… I’m sorry for saying something unnecessary.”
“It’s fine. It is your right to state your opinions.”
In any case, with Auyen’s vote taken, the voting process for the vice-captain came to an end.
Kaislan and Versyl both looked nervous.
The other members of the clan also looked excited to see who would be chosen.
“Don’t worry! Kaislan! Everyone must have picked you! Knights are better than wizards! It’ll naturally be you!”
“Haha, please don’t praise me so much. Ms. Gowland is also a very capable person. We won’t know until we see the results.”
Hmm… Now it had gotten a little awkward. Well, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to announce the results anyway.
“I’ll announce the results. Versyl Gowland has come first with five votes and will be the vice-captain of our Anabada Clan from today onward.”
As I declared the winner, Kaislan looked a little disappointed but also relieved.
“If Ms. Gowland got five votes, I must have gotten three. That much of a difference isn’t too bad—”
“Emily Raines got two votes, while Melend Kaislan got one vote,” I stated bluntly.
Kaislan took a moment of pause before responding, “Huh? What do you mean?”
“It’s just as it sounds.”
I shrugged without a care, causing Kaislan to shout as if my declaration was ridiculous.
“But Ms. Raines wasn’t even a part of the vote!”
Hmm, that was true. That was why I considered just keeping that fact to myself. However, in the end, that would create a crack in the fairness of the secret vote.
“Don’t worry. All the votes that went to Raines were considered a no-vote.”
So stay strong.
“Kaislan, you are second place.”