Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 304

Amelia is a strong woman.

It’s not because she can use aura or possesses several precious high-grade essences. I’ve never seen this woman afraid of anything.

But right now.

“…….”

Amelia’s body is trembling.

No matter who that father in the kitchen is, she shouldn’t have any reason to be scared now.

‘Is it a trauma?’

It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

I had similar experiences in the past.

Even though I knew in my head that I was safe, I couldn’t ride in a car for years, and even when I was sleeping, if I smelled something burning, I would wake up and search the entire building for the source.

It was something that was engraved in my subconscious, regardless of my will.

Thud-!

That it was something to be feared.

“……Are you okay?”

Amelia didn’t answer my question.

So, I grabbed her trembling wrist.

“Emily.”

Only then did she seem to come to her senses and reply.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you… What did you say?”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“…….”

Yeah, she’s not okay.

It was after the sounds from the kitchen subsided that Amelia spoke again.

“……I’ve shown you an unsightly sight.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

I didn’t see anything.

Even if I had, I wouldn’t have thought it was an unsightly sight.

“Hah, those bitches always make me so angry.”

At that moment, the man emerged from the kitchen.

He had a well-trained, sturdy body, but he was only about 170 cm tall.

Contrary to what I had imagined, his appearance was very ordinary.

“Owner, weren’t you a bit too harsh today?”

“Harsh? They’re ungrateful wretches who don’t even know how to be thankful. Enough with the depressing talk, let’s drink.”

The man sat at a table with a customer who seemed to be a regular and started chatting while drinking. Amelia watched him from a corner seat for a long time before speaking.

“That man was my stepfather.”

“Stepfather?”

“It’s a common story here. Children who lose their parents need a place to stay, and there are plenty of people in the city willing to take them in.”

“Plenty, huh…”

I feel like I already know the reason why.

It certainly wouldn’t be some noble motive like providing a home for orphaned children.

Amelia clearly said it was a ‘common story’.

And those stories are mostly hyper-realistic.

“It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship. The children are protected until they are old enough to work, and the stepparents can get cheap labor after that.”

In this city, all rights regarding adopted children belong to the stepparent, and those rights are absolute.

At least until the children grow up and become adults.

It’s impossible to kill or run away from stepparents. Because it would set a precedent. They would be retaliated against by others for being ungrateful.

“……I see.”

“But in our case, my sister and I were a bit better off. We were healthy, and we didn’t get sick easily. That’s why we were able to stay together.”

“How old were you then?”

“Five years old. My sister was three years older than me.”

She said that it wasn’t bad at first.

Unlike when she was with her injured and weakened biological father in the labyrinth, she got proper meals and wasn’t cold.

Well, even at that young age, she was made to do all sorts of chores…

“It wasn’t that hard either. Everyone lived like that anyway. I even thought I was lucky to have a sister to rely on.”

Amelia from that time vaguely thought.

That if they grew up like this, their lives would begin when they became adults.

“But it didn’t go well, did it?”

“……It was all my fault.”

It was around the time Amelia turned nine.

While helping at the tavern, a drunk tried to strangle Amelia to death.

The reason was that she had spilled food.

“It was my sister who stepped in then.”

Amelia’s sister saw what was happening while serving and ran to the kitchen. She grabbed a kitchen knife and slowly walked behind the drunk, slashing his carotid artery with precision.

“I found out later that none of the explorers in the tavern that day sensed any presence until my sister took the knife and went behind that guy.”

However, the drunk didn’t die that day.

He was able to survive by receiving timely potion treatment. But through that incident, a girl’s talent was revealed to the world.

“The next day, someone from the lord’s side came. They said they would cover up this incident if we handed over my sister.”

Surprisingly, the stepfather refused the offer.

And he spent all the money he had to pay for the potion and an apology to the drunk, resolving the incident on his own.

There was only one reason why he went that far.

Because it was the rational thing to do.

“From that day on, my sister became a ‘hunter’.”

The stepfather had judged.

That since she was a talented child, if he raised her well, he could make much more money than by making her work at the tavern.

“In fact, my sister was talented. Just one year after joining the raiding team, she was recognized for her contributions and received a small share.”

When things turned out that way, the stepfather thought.

Since they were siblings, wouldn’t Amelia also have talent?

“I also became a ‘hunter’ not long after and was sold off to a raider team. And not long after, my talent was recognized.”

Amelia briefly explained the next part of the story and moved on, and I didn’t delve into it.

I didn’t need to ask what kind of life the Rainwales sisters had lived as ‘hunters’.

They must have just endured and endured.

Supporting each other as the only blood relatives left in this world.

“Anyway, that’s how it is, and now my sister and I belong to a necromancer gang, and even while we’re in the city, we’re being used at the tavern.”

With the end of her life from childhood to adolescence, Amelia finished her story.

“How is it? Are your questions about me somewhat answered now?”

“Yes, it’s enough.”

I had roughly heard the next part of the story when we were making the plan.

The hopes of these sisters, who dreamed of the day they would become adults and be free, would be crushed.

About three months from now.

Slam-!

Due to a common tragedy.

***

It was around noon when the number of people entering the tavern gradually increased.

“……Excuse me.”

A girl approached our table.

A girl in her early teens with red, long, curly hair.

Her face was slightly bruised, and she had tousled her hair to cover it, making it very messy.

“Would you like me to bring you some more drinks…?”

It was a common thing for a staff member to say when someone had been in a store for too long.

Meaning, either order more or get out.

“…….”

Amelia avoided eye contact with the girl, unable to even look at her.

I could understand her feelings.

“What’s your name?”

“……Amelia Rainwales.”

Yeah, it must be awkward to face her younger self.

She knows what’s going to happen in the future, so she must feel guilty too.

“Let’s go, get out of here.”

Amelia tried to leave, but I stopped her.

“Wait a minute.”

Isn’t this the Amelia ‘baby mode’ I’ve finally met?

I can’t miss this opportunity.

“Little one, how old are you?”

“Fourteen… years old…”

Oh, if she’s fourteen 20 years ago…

“Then you were thirty-four.”

As I muttered, Amelia quickly turned her head and glared at me. It seemed she was annoyed that her personal information was being leaked.

“Thirty-four…?”

Amelia (baby) looked like she didn’t understand what I was saying, but she still maintained a bright expression, thinking she was in front of a customer.

“You had this kind of expression when you smiled.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I meant it looks good, so you should smile often.”

“Ah, yes…”

While adult Amelia had a constipated expression, baby Amelia was flustered and didn’t know what to do.

So, the joke ends here.

“Okay, we’re leaving now, so give us the bill.”

“Ah, yes!”

I thought that if I went any further, I wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath, so I quickly paid the bill and left the tavern. And when I just got back to the inn.

“……Maybe you’re right.”

Amelia, who had been walking with a sour expression the whole time, muttered bitterly.

“What do you mean?”

“Listening to it, I remembered. That we had this conversation before.”

Ah, so that’s why she had that sour expression.

I thought she was just pissed at me.

“Amelia.”

“Emily.”

“Ahem, yes, Emily. How about another drink?”

I said, taking out the liquor stored in my subspace.

They were all things that the raiders had been carrying around.

“I refuse. It’s meaningless for me to drink anyway.”

“Because of the essence?”

“Yes.”

In short, it meant that her tolerance to poison and mental resistance were so high that she couldn’t get drunk even if she drank.

“Then why did you drink at the tavern earlier?”

“That’s… because it would look suspicious if I didn’t drink at the tavern.”

“You never give in.”

“What?”

“Don’t be so serious. Why is it so hard to just have a drink? It’s lonely if I drink alone.”

As I took out a bottle and poured it into a glass, Amelia asked.

“……Why do you want to drink in the first place?”

“Isn’t there more to talk about?”

Come on, do you think I’m really just trying to drink?

I had listened to her story about her childhood at the tavern, but the part I really wanted to hear was something else.

After all, the coming-out is over now.

“More to talk about?”

“What are you pretending not to know? We’re at a point where we don’t have any secrets between us.”

“……Don’t act like we’re close. It’s annoying.”

“Really? Then I won’t, so tell me. When we were making the plan, you didn’t say anything about ‘Nivels Enche’. I only heard yesterday that Auriel Gavis was there.”

At that time, Amelia refused to communicate with me.

She was willing to cooperate, but she didn’t intend to open up and rely on each other.

But, seeing that she told me about her past today, it’s safe to say that I’ve gained some trust.

“What will change if I tell you that? You think you can’t change anything anyway.”

Oh, that’s true.

In fact, that thought hasn’t changed even now.

But…

“Yesterday, you said it was too late to give up while crying.”

“…I didn’t cry.”

Tsk, she should just let the small things go.

“Really? Anyway, since you said you wouldn’t give up, I’m also seriously thinking about helping you from the side.”

“Is that so I can help you?”

“Well, I can’t say that thought isn’t there.”

“That means there’s another reason?”

I answered honestly.

“I want to put you in debt to me.”

Amelia had a confused look on her face.

“……Why?”

If I were to explain one by one, there are countless reasons.

First of all, Amelia knows my weakness.

I have to put her in debt somehow to keep her mouth shut.

Also, Amelia is strong.

From what I’ve experienced, she seems to have a good heart, and she’s experienced, so she can be a source of support in some ways.

So, to put it briefly…

“Honestly, our first meeting was a bit rough, but I like you.”

“…What?”

“Ah, but don’t misunderstand. I don’t mean I like you as a romantic interest.”

“I didn’t… misunderstand.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Ahem, ahem, I cleared my throat and said.

“Anyway, now I know what kind of person you are. If I put you in debt, you’ll definitely try to repay it. So, if I can, I want to save your sister too. Then you’ll grant me any request.”

“Re, request? No, what kind of request are you planning to make of me…”

Amelia looked at me with wary eyes and backed away.

Tsk, am I going to eat her or something?

I’m going to get a weird misunderstanding if this goes on.

“Amelia Rainwales.”

I took a step forward as much as she had moved away and opened my mouth.

I didn’t originally plan to reveal my greed this early…

Well, it’s okay to stake my claim in advance.

“If I succeed in saving your sister and resolve all the various restrictions even after returning to the original timeline.”

“……If you resolve them?”

“Then join my clan.”

Yes, there must be a reward for the quest.