The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 222



Only Krnovel

Episode 222 Reaper of Silver Mirror Lake (1)

The evacuation procession must quickly reach its destination without attracting attention.

Over the past few days, the high-ranking families heading from Delutana to Untana seemed eager to shatter that common sense.

Even though it was late at night, the campground was as noisy as during the day. Inside a large tent surrounded by golden lamps, clowns joked around with bundles of wit, musicians played bagpipes and harps to create melodies, and noble ladies and their children smiled brightly while savoring tea, rice wine, and snacks.

‘Oh, ma’am? That necklace, it was said that Neldren Workshop had made just one in particular… … .’

‘Hahaha, that’s right. I said I was fine, but our congressman will be leaving his hometown for a while, so this is a consolation gift… ‘

Tonight too, a nameless field was transformed into the center of Delutana social circles. A world full of only comfortable heat, sweet gourmet food, and extravagant pleasures has emerged, devoid of the bitter cold of winter or the bloody smell of war.

Not everyone was invited to that other world. Servants, slaves, and soldiers of the Chamsa Army. For the enjoyment of their superiors, they sweated profusely and did chores or stood guard outside the tent in the harsh wind.

There were others who were completely unrelated. A group of fierce warriors in leather jackets, and a group of women wearing patchwork capes. They were sitting together in an adjacent clearing, warming themselves by a campfire.

The Atalain warriors frowned as they looked at the tent where the commotion continued.

“How about slowly dismantling that tent, ma’am? “If we keep pouring and drinking like that all night long, we might not be able to leave tomorrow either.”

“No, just leave it alone…” … . “Those people will be anxious as they suddenly leave their hometowns, so there needs to be some comfort.”

“Then, madam, please go into the tent. “It’s very windy.”

“It’s okay. The last time I went in, there were so many people and it was so crowded that I got confused… .”

“Don’t worry. We’ll take an ax and kick out everyone inside. Then, just the wife and family can go in and be quiet… … .”

“Oh, no, no, don’t do that. I didn’t bring that tent in the first place… … .”

“… … .”

The warriors couldn’t say anything further, even though they looked uneasy. Madame Wheeled and Julia looked at each other with complicated eyes.

It wasn’t like she was looking good on them.

Running away from war and holding banquets every day? Not only was it a waste of supplies, but once they set up their place, they never know when to leave, so they were a huge waste of time. It wasn’t just a lack of common sense, but it was enough to make you wonder if they were collectively crazy.

Julia had the authority and ability to stop the banquet. In the first place, she was the focal point of this procession of refuge, and the warriors of her indomitable army were also perfectly following her orders.

But it was ‘possible’, not ‘it can be done’.

Her authority was not something she had won on her own. It was only with the help of her supporters, General Goltarahn and Counselor Enrico. She knew that if she treated the high-ranking family members carelessly, those who had helped her would be in a difficult position when she returned to Delutana.

Of course, the noble lady and her children were not fools. Even though he had a scruffy appearance that was easy to ignore, he could never be openly rude to Juliana Dunsen. It was obvious that if she did so, she would be hit with the ax by the ignorant barbarian warriors.

Instead, they chose a more ‘socialite’ approach.

“Oh, Mrs. Wheeled? “Why are you here?”

“Oh my god, it’s this cold and you’ve been outside this whole time?”

Two unknown ladies approached the campfire. Julia smiled vaguely.

“Well, it’s not that cold. It’s warm just sitting in front of the fire like this… … .”

“Ah, I see! Maybe it’s because you have more experience living outside than us, but you adapt well to this cold… … .”

“That’s right, I was secretly envious when I heard you talk last time, right? Ugh, we got scolded because it was cold even in that tent… … .”

“… … .”

A bright smile and a friendly tone. However, underneath it all, there was a sarcastic tone because of his humble origins.

Then came the invitation to come into the tent. Julia refused as politely as she could. She still felt sick when she remembered how she had been surrounded by a crowd of people the day before yesterday, when she had been unable to resist their pleading and had suffered as if she had been some kind of strange beast.

But soon I had to change my mind and eat it.

“Oh my? I don’t know about your wife, but… … I think the little gentleman next to you is quite cold.”

“Oh, pitiful. There’s still a long way to go, and it would be a big deal if I catch a cold… … .”

“Phung, Pheuung… … . No, I, I, I’m not cold at all… … .”

Dunsen, who was spitting out unconvincing words while eating his nose. The cold winds of the northern part of the Alliance Territory were quite harsh for an eight-year-old boy who grew up in Maltana, which was relatively southern.

In the end, Julia reluctantly accepted the offer. The noble ladies took the lead, delighted. Fortunately, contrary to their worries, no one in the tent showed much interest in Julia and Dunsen as before.

Really, not even just one person.

“Madame Mont-de-Med, Madame Chasseur! Ugh, where have you been? Everyone was eagerly waiting for him to show us the pearls he brought from Vestana… … .”

“Oh my, my, look at my mind! Sorry, I forgot!”

“Mrs. Wheeler? Could you please wait here for a moment? I’ll be right back… … .”

“… … .”

The two noble ladies left Wheeled’s mother and daughter in the middle of the banquet hall, pretending that something urgent had happened. Then the exact opposite happened.

Like a lie, no one showed interest.

The elderly lady who had spoken to me in a friendly manner until the day before, the middle-aged lady who had kindly served me cookies and tea, the young lady who had expressed curiosity as to how she had gotten to know General Goltaran, and the lady who had repeatedly made a fuss about Dunsender by calling her cute. Also… … They all looked down and pretended not to notice, as if they had never done anything like that.

“Yes, fine. Later, when we return to Delutana, I will bring our councilor to visit you… … .”

“As expected, Madame Bolgaruis is so wise and knowledgeable… … .”

“That’s right, Delutana is the largest city in this alliance, but compared to the vast Lucaonia Empire’s holy city… … .”

“… … .”

Complete disregard, not even a belittling look or gossip.

The ladies who said they would return soon did not return no matter how long they waited. Finally, unable to overcome her embarrassment, Julia approached a few people first. She received friendly answers for a moment, but only for a moment. After she finished answering, the socialites quietly turned their backs and continued to chat among themselves.

The shabby uninvited guests were left in the middle of the banquet hall like sacks of barley. Julia tried to maintain her resolute attitude and looked down at Dunsen.

“Dunsan, would you like something to eat? Should I bring you some cookies?”

“Yeah, no… … . Rather, Mom, let’s go out. It’s too noisy and hot in here… … .”

Her quick-witted son fanned himself and made a gesture of wanting to go out. Julia bit her lip and nodded.

The moment they left the tent, the noble lady who guided them appeared as if she had been waiting for them.

“Oh, are you leaving already, ma’am?”

“Would you like to stay a little longer? You probably haven’t warmed up properly yet… … .”

“No, no, it’s fine. Thank you for inviting me, ladies. We’ll be going now.”

I resolutely rejected the proposal that I had no intention of making. He held his son’s hand tightly and trudged back to the campfire. The two noble ladies smiled with subtle mockery and returned to the banquet hall, chattering and giggling as if something had happened.

The laughter of women and the music of musicians continued until dawn.

*

Actually, that kind of talk was nothing. Julia had other issues that she was really worried about.

The behavior of Lady Bolgaruis, the mistress of the Bolgaruis family.

Her father is the current chairman of the council, and her husband, Rep. Ramulek, was once a strong candidate for the next chairmanship. Naturally, her position in society was solid, and after her escape, she established herself as a focal point for the ladies.

But lately, the lady’s behavior has been extremely suspicious. She would occasionally call the ladies together and criticize the Turis family for their actions against the Empire, then blame them for all their hardships, and eventually she began to manipulate public opinion by saying that the Empire and the Elgar Church weren’t such bad places.

It was a sight that made one suspect that she was in collusion with the Empire. Moreover, Julia had strong evidence to support her suspicions.

On the first day after leaving Delutana, he saw Representative Ramulec secretly jumping out of the Bolgaruis family’s carriage.

and… … The warrior who set out to chase him still hasn’t returned.

There is no way that God’s deep Atala warrior would have disobeyed orders and run away. An ominous feeling crept up my spine. However, because there was no way to clearly determine the truth… … Just as I was nervously keeping a close eye on Mrs. Bolgar-Lewis… … .

A decisive incident occurred.

“Mrs. Wheeled. Let’s go to the ‘Silver Mirror Lake’ first, not Untana.”

“yes……?”

“Why, there’s a famous lake next to Untana. I heard the winter snow scenery there is so beautiful. Once you enter Untana Castle, it’ll be a hassle to come back out, so how about going there first, seeing the lake, and having a cup of tea before you go… …”

“… … .”

Julia is speechless at the crazy proposal. She flatly refuses, saying that she cannot delay her journey any longer.

However, as if she had known this would happen, Madame Bolgar-Louis had already gathered all the opinions of the group. Disgruntled looks and pressure from noble ladies poured in from all over. Still, when Julia did not change her mind, she added in a meaningful tone:

“Hmm, ma’am. If you go to Untana right now… … “I’m sure you’ll regret it a lot, right?”

“… … “What do you mean by that?”

“No, well, I’m just saying it would be a shame not to see the beautiful scenery. Is there any need to go to Untana in such a hurry? Well, with so many strong men around, it’s not impossible to understand the desire to go to a place where no one is watching… … . Ho ho ho… … .”

“… … .”

The Atalan warriors became enraged at the unreasonable insult and raised their axes. In response, the soldiers of the Lady’s side also hesitantly raised their spears and swords.

Unlike the ‘Indomitable Army’ loyal to General Goltaran, the Chamsa Army had no choice but to give priority to the orders given by the Chairman’s own daughter. There were about 30 warriors from the army versus 50 soldiers from the disaster army, and there was a tense atmosphere between the two groups.

The numerical disadvantage was no problem. The Atalain warriors were strong enough to fight ten soldiers on their own. If the two sides clashed, this side would naturally win easily… … .

I didn’t want to see unnecessary blood. Yulia spoke as if she was sighing and condescending to the warriors.

“… … Do whatever you want. But no matter where you go, my group and I will be heading straight to Untana.”

“Oh, that’s too bad… … Then our companionship ends here. Thank you for everything, Mrs. Wheeled. May the light guide you on the rest of your journey.”

Mrs. Bolgar-Louis turns her back after leaving a farewell speech that could only be used in an empire. The remaining members of her famous family and the soldiers of her army also followed her and disappeared.

It felt like a storm had swept over me. The ominous feeling grew bigger and bigger. But I couldn’t stop. Julia calmed down the agitated soldiers and the warriors who ground their teeth in anger and tried to hurry to Untana.

But just before leaving, out of nowhere, I discovered my son crouching on the floor.

“Dunsan, what are you doing now?”

“Yes, I have gold coins buried in the direction we are going.”

“……goldfinch?”

“Yes, 1,000 Luden gold coins. Dad likes gold coins. He might come looking for us later, so don’t get confused even if the footsteps are different, and come back to us.”

“… … .”

Julia stared blankly at her son, who was carefully burying a gold coin in the ground. She didn’t know whether to call him innocent, proud, or pitiful… Her lips trembled with emotions welling up in her, but in the end, she just patted her son and hugged him tightly without saying a word.

Soon, Julia and her group also hurried their steps and left.

In the winter field where the visitors left, only one gold coin remained, shining brightly.

*

And a few days later.

A man with a goatee reached that field.

“Oh, no… … This!!”

He quickly took off his black cloak. His narrow eyes trembled. His rough breath clouded the air. The man, who was shaking his hands and unable to hide his excitement, hurriedly bent down and dug the hardened ground with his bare hands.

After a while, I managed to dig up a gold coin covered in dirt. The man wiped it off with his sleeve, then she raised it high in the sky and shouted.

“Ahh, I picked up some free money!!”

Duncan, who had been drooping from the arduous journey, had a bright smile on his face for the first time in a while.