Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 330

Sunlight and a cool breeze filtered through the bars of the window. As I enjoyed grilled meat with rum, which I’d bought from a nearby shop, I couldn’t help but sigh in contentment.

“Ah, this is the life.”

How long had it been since I’d enjoyed such a normal day? Maybe it was because I was stuck in gloomy Noark for months, but the stark contrast made the simple pleasure almost unbelievable.

Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t have any worries, though.

‘Come to think of it… it’s already been a week.’

Aurell Gabis, Lühhenphraha, and Jerome, the Knight of Light. So much time had passed since that day when all sorts of big shots appeared out of nowhere, leaving me completely disoriented.

And…

“Sigh.”

I was still stuck in this era.

“When is this thing going to finally work?” I grumbled as I habitually took out the fragment of the record and fiddled with it. But it was also a good thing that I’d bought some time. At least I had the time to get rid of my old equipment.

‘I have a few guesses as to why this thing is still silent…’

Anyway, for that reason, I decided to take a break for a while and found lodging on the surface. Oh, by the way, there was only one room. I tried to get two, but Amelia scolded me, saying there was no reason to do that now… Honestly, I was convinced. We’d been stuck together like glue for months down there, hadn’t we? It was way too late to talk about the separation of men and women.

“More booze again…”

“Oh, you’re here.”

“I told you to lock the door when I’m not here, didn’t I?” Amelia, who had been out, came into the room and casually tossed her coat onto the hanger. I didn’t bother asking where she had been since dawn. It was obvious. She probably went to secretly check on her sister to see if she was doing well.

“Nagging as soon as you get here.”

“It’s not nagging, it’s…” I quickly changed the subject. “So, how’s Laura doing?”

Due to the strong effects of the prototype of Lethe’s Blessing [a potion that erases memories], Laura had only opened her eyes three days ago. And after being diagnosed with amnesia by a priest who came to volunteer at the shelter, she came to believe that the name on the identification tag in her possession was her own…

“It’s not Laura, it’s Shannon Ellora.”

“Ah, right.” For reference, Shannon Ellora was the name we came up with. We were a bit reluctant to use the identification tag that old man gave us. Amelia had a hard time switching the tag with one from the patient’s belongings and even modifying the patient records at the shelter.

“So, how is she?”

“Unfortunately, it seems she’s caught the attention of the priest who came as a volunteer. Today, she started learning to read for the first time, and her progress was very fast. The priest seems to think it’s a sign that her memories are returning…”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“I’m not worried about that part. It’s just that the other party is from the Order [a religious organization], so it’s concerning that she’s drawing attention.”

At first, I didn’t understand what she meant, but I quickly caught on.

“Because of the essence [a source of power]?”

“Yes. It would look suspicious for a child who isn’t even an adult to have an essence.”

If left alone, she would probably live her whole life without knowing that the power of the essence was within her. Her stats could be explained away as her being naturally healthy, and since she had no memories, she wouldn’t be able to manifest her abilities either.

But…

“This is a bit unsettling, I have to admit. Of all people, she had to catch the eye of a priest who came to volunteer.”

Things would be different if she lived a life closely connected to the Order. Since it’s a place with the authority to erase essences, there’s a possibility that the existence of the essence could be exposed.

“…Since losing memories is a rare occurrence, it seems she unintentionally drew attention.”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do? It’s not like I can forcefully separate them.”

Amelia clicked her tongue with a bitter expression, saying that she would just keep watching for the time being, and I agreed with her opinion. And with that, this topic was concluded.

“By the way, how about you start changing your way of speaking?”

As I subtly brought it up, Amelia looked at me with wary eyes.

“…Way of speaking?”

“Isn’t it too stiff for people who are supposed to be colleagues?”

“Colleagues?”

“What’s with that ‘I’m hearing this for the first time’ look? Don’t tell me you’re going to act like you forgot the promise you made with me—”

“No, I remember. It’s just… I was wondering what that has to do with my way of speaking.”

“Well, there’s no real connection. I was just curious to see you using a different way of speaking.”

“…What?” At my words, Amelia stared at me with a look of disdain, then let out a deep sigh.

“You’re… really…”

“Why can’t I be curious? Looking at your way of speaking when you were young, it doesn’t seem like you’ve always been like this.”

“That’s…” Amelia trailed off. It was an unexpected reaction. In the past, she would have just ignored me or gotten serious, asking if I was making fun of her.

“I’ll try to work on my way of speaking.”

“Huh?”

“No, I’ll try… I’ll try. Is this okay? No, is it… okay?” What do you mean, ‘okay’? I was genuinely creeped out. That’s why I couldn’t say anything.

“Hmm… I think ‘Is it okay?’ sounds softer than ‘Is this okay?’ Which one do you think sounds better?” Amelia began to seriously ponder her way of speaking with a serious look in her eyes.

“Wait, hold on. Aren’t you trying to change your way of speaking too easily?”

“You’re the one who told me to change it, Yandel.”

“That’s true, but still.”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s something I’ve been thinking about recently.”

“You’ve been thinking about it?”

“…My sister would have wanted me to do so. And since you said so too, it must mean there’s something wrong with me.”

Ah…

‘I was just trying to joke around before getting to the main topic because the atmosphere was too gloomy.’ Before it was too late, I quickly tried to rectify the situation.

“On second thought, it doesn’t seem like something we need to force. What does the way of speaking matter? The important thing is a person’s essence.”

At first, Amelia showed a lukewarm reaction to my words, but after I said that I had a history of being infatuated with Misha, she nodded, saying that she could trust my words.

“So, you two were in that kind of relationship.”

“Ah…” Why did I say that? It’s a story I haven’t told anyone.

“Hmm, since you didn’t find fault with that kind of way of speaking, it must mean you’re not just saying things for the sake of it. I understand. Let’s put the issue of your way of speaking on hold for now.”

“…Okay, good thinking.” Since it was a rather uncomfortable conversation for me, I quickly moved on to the main topic that I should have gotten to earlier.

“Anyway, now that we’ve both rested enough, shall we have a serious discussion?”

“A discussion… sounds good.” Amelia sat down in the chair opposite me, and we began the meeting that we had postponed for a week under the guise of rest.

* * *

The first item on the agenda was this.

“Are you really not related to the Rose Knights?”

“I’m not. And we’ve already finished talking about that, haven’t we?” Later, I found out that Lühhenphraha had been relentlessly pursuing Amelia because he thought she was a member of that group. It seemed like there was some kind of unknown grudge between them…

[I can show you what it feels like to lose something.] Judging by what he said back then, he must have lost someone precious because of them. But that’s not the important thing.

“But why are we talking about this again?” At the time, we just brushed it off as a strange coincidence, but as I thought about it, one possibility came to mind.

“You said you learned aura [a type of energy] from a woman you met by chance in Noark Castle, right?”

“Yes, she said she liked my eyes and taught me a few things. Of course, she only laid the foundation, and I awakened my aura much later. But… haven’t we already talked about this too?”

“That’s true.” At the time, we concluded that the woman was a member of the Rose Knights. However…

“But is there a possibility that the woman was you?”

“…What?”

“I suddenly had that thought. There’s no way a woman you don’t know well would be so kind.”

Amelia, who had been quite perceptive since she was a child, accurately grasped what I was trying to say this time as well.

“Are you suggesting that’s the task we have left to do?”

“Yes.” Giving the lone Amelia the foundation of ‘aura’. That might be the task we have left. However…

“Don’t worry. That’s not it.” Amelia firmly rejected the possibility. I asked her to give me a reason, but she just said that I could trust her on this and didn’t explain it in detail.

‘Seeing how far she’s going to say this, it seems like my idea is really wrong…’ If that’s really the case, it’s good news for me. Because if we were to follow the original history, it would mean that I would have to stay here for another two years.

“Then let’s move on to the next item on the agenda.”

The second topic we brought up was Aurell Gabis. What kind of variable would this suspicious old man be in the future? We talked about it for a long time. And it ended with me getting scolded without any real progress.

“Why did you do such a dangerous thing? It would have been better if you had parted on good terms.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying I should have revealed my name and face?”

“Even if not that, there was no need to talk to him in a mocking way at the end.”

“Ah…” That’s true. I felt very refreshed at the time, but thinking about how the old man must have been seething later, it’s a bit chilling.

“You’re good at everything, but you need to be more careful with your words and actions.”

“…I understand.”

“I said I understand, but I won’t say anything more… Be careful. When I said I would be your colleague, it meant that I would entrust my life to you.”

Her resolve, which seemed to go beyond trust, was very appreciated.

‘…But didn’t she say she wouldn’t say anything more?’

“Ahem.” I coughed to end the topic and moved on to the next item on the agenda. It was none other than the core of this meeting. How to activate the fragment of the record.

“To be precise, shall we take some time to discuss what task we have been given…”

“You sound like you have something in mind?” Of course, would I have brought it up without thinking? Besides giving Amelia the foundation of aura two years later, there were a few other candidates. The first one was this.

“Creation Artifact…?” Amelia tilted her head as soon as the ‘Creation Artifact’ was mentioned, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility. Well, it’s not like I’m the one who steals the ‘Creation Artifact’ 20 years later… Maybe I’ll become involved in that matter in some way in the future. For example, like the ‘Barbarian’s Heart’ incident. The result will come much later, but I might be the one who provides the cause.

“Well, if it’s a Creation Artifact, it’s said to be a particularly important item for evil spirits. In that sense, it makes sense. You’re also an evil spirit—”

“Tsk.”

“Ah, my bad. I wasn’t supposed to mention that.” It was a sensitive issue for me, but Amelia immediately apologized, so I let it slide with a yellow card. Then, let’s move on to the second one.

“GM… that was the alias of the person who took over the assembly from Aurell Gabis, right?”

“Yes.”

“But why that person?”

“It’s because this is the time when the community was taken over by that guy.” Is it a bit of a coincidence? Maybe I can only return to the original timeline if I meet that guy in the past and do something.

“That makes sense too. Is there a third one?” Of course, would I not have one? I immediately stated the last possibility.

“To hide the things I’ve collected here well so that they can be delivered to the future. Maybe that’s my last role.”

“Isn’t that… just your wishful thinking?” Uh, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say…

“Do you have any ideas? What do you think we need to do?”

“Well… I’ll tell you if I think of something.” Well, I was hoping something good would come out of it. I was a bit disappointed, but it’s the leader’s job to embrace the shortcomings of their colleagues.

“Okay, so have all the equipment been sold?”

“More than half. If we lower the price, we can dispose of them faster—”

“No, it’s okay if it takes time, just sell them for their full value.” Oh, you don’t know anything. Equipment requires maintenance. That means their value decreases over time. Besides, if I’m selling equipment from 20 years ago, the source will be questioned, so it’s better to get rid of everything except the Demon Crusher, which you can’t buy even with money.

‘The problem is, where do I hide this to keep it safe…’

I was following the flow of my thoughts and continuing the countless worries I had before.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“Huh?”

“I heard when I went out today that a 3rd-grade essence will be put up for auction at the central exchange.”

“Oh, a 3rd-grade essence? Why isn’t it going to the Sky Auction House?”

“It seems like Alminus Merchant Guild is trying something new.” Hmm, are they trying to upgrade the central exchange? No matter what they do, they won’t be able to beat the Sky Auction House.

“So, what kind of essence is it? Ah, are they going to keep it a secret until the day before the auction, like the Sky Auction House?”

“That’s true, but it doesn’t matter since I already know what kind of essence it is. It was a very famous auction.” Ah, this is the privilege of a regressor. I urged her to tell me with my eyes, and Amelia opened her mouth.

“It’s the essence of Bol-Herchan.”

Is this fate?

“…!!!!” Coincidentally, it was the essence that was essential for my cultivation method.