Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 338

My mind goes blank.

My vision warps like a crushed can, and Amelia’s words from a moment ago keep echoing in my head.

‘The royal family has declared you an evil spirit.’

‘The royal family has declared you an evil spirit.’

‘The royal family has declared you an evil spirit.’

The shock is like dozens of strong men surrounding me and hitting me on the head with hammers.

If it weren’t for her, I would have been like this for a long time.

“Yandel.”

“Ah……”

“…Are you okay?”

When I came to my senses, Amelia’s face was close to mine. She was looking up at me with worried eyes, her small right hand on my chest.

“Uh, uh……”

“I know how you feel, but now is not the time for that.”

“Ah, sorry……”

Amelia grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, and I blankly moved my feet.

Because even I could see that her judgment was right.

[I doubt if that woman still intends to help me…]

Erwen also knows me as an evil spirit.

In other words, it’s hard to expect her to still consider me a comrade.

This… it’s probably the same for the other comrades.

‘Right……’

I unconsciously clench my jaw.

‘So, the day has finally come.’

Apart from accepting it, I also had this thought.

Maybe, just maybe.

Isn’t Erwen chasing Amelia because of the misunderstanding that she killed me? Maybe she’ll treat me the same as before, whether I’m an evil spirit or not.

Yes, that possibility certainly exists.

But……

“You don’t have to hold me anymore.”

I took my wrist out of Amelia’s hand and started running on my own.

It was definitely as Amelia said.

Erwen cannot protect me now.

Even if she wanted to, Erwen is a member of the fairy race.

If she tries to help me, she will harm her race, and Erwen is more likely to make a decision for the sake of her race rather than her personal feelings.

‘……That’s just an excuse, isn’t it.’

I smiled bitterly even as I ran.

Because no matter how cunning and cowardly I am, I can’t deceive myself.

I don’t want to meet Erwen yet.

To be precise, I’m afraid.

I don’t know what I’ll hear when I meet her.

[That’s right! The chief also said that! An evil spirit must be killed as soon as it is discovered!]

Ainar’s words from a while ago.

[Yeah… I didn’t know before, but after experiencing today’s events, I know for sure. Why people told me not to trust evil spirits……]

Misha’s words.

[It’s wise to get rid of them when the opportunity arises. Look at what happened to the one who believed in the evil spirit; the result is right there.]

Bear Uncle’s words.

Clench.

They pierce my heart like daggers.

It’s like this just thinking about it; what would it be like when I actually experience it?

If they doubt my sincerity.

If I see them expressing their anger at being deceived with my own eyes.

What kind of expression would I have on my face then?

“……”

If I can somehow get out of this situation, I might be able to fix things so that such a day never comes.

So, I ran after Amelia.

“Yandel, this way!”

We left the empty plaza, passed through the dark streets of the underground city, and headed towards the lord’s castle in the center.

There is a secret passage in the lord’s castle besides the cemetery.

Getting to the surface through this is the top priority—

Screech-!

That was the moment I arrived at the lord’s castle and forced open the closed door.

“Yandel, dodge.”

“Huh?”

The moment Amelia pushed me from behind and knocked me through the doorway.

Thud.

A single arrow flew in without a sound and pierced deep into Amelia’s back.

“……!”

Her mouth opened in shock, and her body tilted.

Amelia, who fell on top of me as if overlapping, stroked my cheek.

“It’s a relief……”

“…A relief, what the heck—!”

“Looking at your expression… I don’t think you’ll hurt me……”

It was an incomprehensible statement.

But there was no time to ask again.

I quickly picked up Amelia and stood up.

“G, gold……”

Even in the midst of all this, Amelia was trying to say something to me, but her words were not completed.

Crack-!

Amelia exploded.

In my arms.

***

「Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast [Rupture].」

***

Thud thud thud.

Dozens of fragments fall to the floor.

It was such an unreal scene.

“A, mel… lia……?”

The weight disappeared from the arm that was holding Amelia.

However, I couldn’t even think of moving my arm that had lost its purpose.

I just thought.

Amelia died?

Like this……?

And that too… by Erwen……?

My body stiffened like a stone statue for a moment, and then I caught an unusual detail.

“Blood.”

There was no blood.

If it was an explosion that shattered a person like this, blood should have scattered everywhere.

But there wasn’t a single drop of blood on my body.

And no sooner had I realized this fact.

Swishhhhh-!

Amelia, who had turned into hundreds of pieces of flesh, turned into a cluster of light and disappeared.

Like a monster that had met its death.

「Amelia Rainwales’s clone has sustained unmanageable damage.」

「The summon is canceled.」

Right, it was a clone created with [Self-Replication].

Ah, you scared me……

I thought she was really dead.

‘If we were meeting with a clone from the beginning, you should have told me in advance.’

I was so surprised that I felt a bit resentful towards Amelia, but I quickly put those feelings aside.

Now is not the time for that.

‘Let’s think while running.’

I kicked off the ground and continued to flee.

I had memorized all the routes when I came to Noark with Amelia, so I knew the location of the secret passage.

The problem is whether I can get there safely……

Tap.

No arrows are flying yet.

But I don’t know how long this will last.

Therefore……

‘If I fight… can I win?’

I assumed the worst-case scenario.

The possibility that Erwen would turn hostile and try to kill me.

When I thought of that premise, the scene of Amelia’s body exploding earlier naturally flashed in my mind.

‘That effect……’

It was an explosion that was different from a typical explosion.

There were no flames involved.

And the fragments didn’t fly out like shrapnel.

It just collapsed into hundreds of pieces like Jenga.

‘No matter how I look at it, it seems like [Rupture]……’

For reference, the effect of [Rupture] is simple.

Whether it’s an arrow, a sword, or an axe, if the blade can pierce the flesh and inflict a certain amount of damage.

It deals fixed damage proportional to the caster’s main stat.

It means that it ignores physical resistance, magic resistance, and all kinds of attributes.

Just like the human-exclusive ‘Aura’.

‘And she said she got ‘Pure Blood’ and made a contract with the Spirit King……’

Whether that was [Rupture] or not, I don’t think I have much chance of winning in a one-on-one battle.

That’s because, with those kinds of specs, she must have equipped herself with similar level gear.

‘How can I win this with my bare hands without any weapons?’

I was thinking that as I continued to sprint.

Whoosh-

The light gems that were acting as light sources in the dark underground city lost their light.

It wasn’t a natural phenomenon.

I’ve used light gems a few times myself.

This magic tool gradually weakens and turns off as its magic power runs out.

Not like this, losing its light immediately.

‘…Is it a dark spirit?’

I never thought she would be able to handle this attribute as well.

Soon, I stopped running.

Thud.

I’m confident in memorizing a path I’ve already taken.

If I focus on my stride and walk, I can somehow find my way to my destination in the dark.

If there are no pursuers chasing me from behind.

‘Escape failed.’

As soon as I made that judgment, I closed my eyes.

It was the right decision to abandon my useless vision and focus on other senses.

Soon, my overheated hearing picked up the sound of footsteps.

Thump.

It was a bit unexpected.

I thought I would hear the sound of an arrow flying first.

‘Well, even if she thought I was an evil spirit, she would want to talk to me.’

While putting strength on my toes so that I could move quickly at any time, I also thought about the words Amelia left behind at the end.

[Looking at your expression… I don’t think you’ll hurt me……]

It must be true that she saw my expression.

Because she’s a woman whose visibility is several times wider than mine.

She might have made eye contact with Erwen, who was shooting arrows from the darkness.

But……

‘How can she be so sure just by looking at my expression?’

No one knows what Erwen, who is walking towards me in the dark, is thinking.

That’s why……

“Is that Erwen?”

I spoke to Erwen.

There was no answer.

Also, the footsteps stopped.

Thump-!

The silence where only my heartbeat echoed like thunder.

“Uncle.”

With that title that I hadn’t heard in a long time, the light gem started working again.

Swishhhhh-

The light spread out in all directions, illuminating the surroundings.

Thanks to that, I was able to realize.

“Really.”

Why Amelia said it was a relief.

Why she was sure that I wouldn’t hurt her.

“You’re… really Uncle……?”

She could tell just by looking at my expression.

Well, at least at that moment, she could.

***

“Yes.”

The moment I uttered the word of affirmation.

Erwen’s amber eyes trembled violently, pouring out countless fragments of emotion.

Joy, welcome, expectation, anxiety, fear.

And……

“H, how……”

Disbelief.

“B, but you were definitely dead……”

“Ah, that’s how it turned out.”

“H, how it turned out! That’s not something you can just end with those words……!”

Erwen, who had raised her voice as if her emotions had suddenly become agitated, suddenly shut her mouth.

“…Could it be, that woman’s trick?”

A murmur as if she had realized something.

At the same time, Erwen’s eyes turned sharp.

“Who are you.”

Oh, I didn’t know she had such extreme mood swings……

From that moment on, I became really anxious about whether she wouldn’t hurt me, but I tried not to show it and answered.

“Who else? It’s me, Bjorn Yandel.”

“Liar.”

“What, would you believe me if I used [Giantification]?”

“Uh, do it.”

Her short tone was strangely different, but I used [Giantification] without saying anything else.

“W, what, are you really Uncle?!”

Erwen’s tone returned to normal again.

Well, it was only for a very short time.

“That’s right—”

“No, I can’t believe it just with this.”

“…Huh?”

“Try something else.”

Erwen, who was happy with tears in her eyes, instantly switched to cold mode, and I quickly used [Leap].

And……

“R, really Uncle……!”

“Yes, I’m glad you believe me now—”

“…I knew it would be like this? This isn’t enough.”

The same thing was repeated several times.

As if she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had checked all of my essence, Erwen continued to make demands.

It was very dizzy when she told me to use [Flesh Explosion].

“…So you were fake after all?”

Her eyes, filled with madness and murderous intent, were truly spine-chilling.

However, I told her that I had deleted my essence, and decided to prove my identity by talking about things that only the two of us knew.

“What you gave me when we first met.”

“Licho leaf.”

“The name of the inn where we spent our first night.”

“……”

“You… can’t answer……?”

“It, it was an inn called Garlic and Salt.”

“Too late.”

“No, I was just flustered because you said first night. I just went to see the essence……”

“Hmm.”

How long did we talk about the old days?

As the stories that only the two of us knew came out one after another, her mood swings gradually decreased, and finally, she completely removed her suspicion.

Although it was unknown when she would get upset again and aim her bow at my forehead.

For now, that was the case.

“Ah, Uncle……!”

“It’s been a while; it’s already been 2 years and 6 months, right?”

After a long time, I finally said hello.

Erwen, who had put away her bow as if nothing had happened, clenched her fist as if she was resentful.

“Why… did you appear now! You were alive……! Why didn’t you come to find me!”

Ah, I guess it could look like that from her point of view.

It’s not like I didn’t want to come, but……

“I had my reasons.”

I quickly answered, thinking that she might flip out again, and Erwen cautiously asked.

“By reasons, do you mean… the fact that you were declared an evil spirit?”

It was perhaps the most important question in this conversation.

It was a mountain that had to be crossed someday.

However, while I was wondering how to approach this issue.

“Idiot.”

Erwen muttered softly.

“There’s no way I would care about something like that……”

“…You mean you don’t believe the royal family’s declaration?”

Even as I asked, guilt and relief coexisted.

Because Erwen must have come to the conclusion that she ‘doesn’t believe it’. The fact that she’s talking to me so casually in front of me is proof of that—

“No? I meant that whether that declaration is true or not has nothing to do with me?”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head as I looked at Erwen, who was asking back as if it was obvious.

Then, did she think she needed an explanation?

Erwen opened her mouth as if teaching me step by step.

“Uncle, we met when we were adults, right?”

“Uh, right?”

“Evil spirits only appear on the day they become adults.”

“…So?”

“But why does it matter whether you’re an evil spirit or not?”

“…I, is that so?”

When I asked back, unable to hide my sullen expression, Erwen came closer and held my hand tightly.

“You risked your life to protect me in the cave, you taught me things I didn’t know, and after my sister died… you picked me up; it’s all you, Uncle.”

The warmth transmitted through her hand felt particularly warm.

“No matter what anyone says, to me, you’re Bjorn Yandel, Uncle.”

Right, there could be someone who thinks like this.

“……”

Many words like thank you came to mind, but I couldn’t say anything and just shut my mouth.

Erwen probably doesn’t know.

How much comfort that short sentence just gave me……

“But……”

Then Erwen let go of my hand.

And with eyes and tone that seemed to have returned to square one, she said to me.

“Are you really Uncle?”

I feel like I’m going crazy.