Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 820

Lifeline (3)

Tarvian, Tarvian, Tarvian…

Where have I heard that name before…? Why does it sound so familiar?

I stood there staring blankly at the two of them, lost in thought.

“What are those two saying?”

Raven’s question cut through the haze in my mind.

Only then did I realize something.

Oh! They were speaking the ancient language.

Raven could read it to some extent, but her ability to listen to and speak the language was poor.

[Wait. Let’s watch a little longer. You never know… There might be someone here…]

[Tarvian… there is no one left in this world… Sigh… Okay. Let us wait just a little longer before we go.]

The three of them existed in defiance of all logic and reason. In fact, they were a mystery on a completely different level to the strange stone monuments.

“They’re wearing ordinary clothes, speaking the ancient language, and even carrying a baby… Who in the world are they?” Raven asked.

This time, I could sense more than simple caution in her voice. There was fear too.

I couldn’t blame her. Fear of the unknown was only natural.

“Hmm, I don’t think they’re normal explorers…”

“Could they be one of Gabrielius’s Achievements?”

“How many strange things have we run into after following Viscount Jandel into the labyrinth?”

I couldn’t tell if the guild master had said that last part out of joy or regret,
I quietly silenced everyone.

“I know you’re all curious, but stay back for now.”

If we made too much noise, they might notice us. Thankfully, their senses did not seem sharp enough to detect us yet, so I kept listening to their conversation.

Not that they said much.

The woman simply held the baby close and looked up at the stone monument, while the young man watched her with a faint sadness in his eyes. When the baby began to cry, the woman comforted the child and calmed them down. As she did, a troubled look passed across the man’s face.

[…Let’s go back now, Zephyros.]

…Zephyros?

Why did that name also sound familiar?

I was starting to get annoyed, trying to remember where I had heard those names before.

“Ah…”

Then, all of a sudden, I had a lightning-bolt moment of clarity.

Still, I wasn’t completely sure.

“Raven.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember the names Tarvian and Zephyros?”

“Hmm… Not really.”

“They were in the diary we found in the cabin where we got the Orb of Fire.”

“Hm? Oh, that diary! Right! I think those two names were written in it!”

Raven froze for a moment, then shouted in shock.

“Whaattt?!”

Oops.

They probably heard that.

I quickly covered her mouth, then turned my head to see where the man and woman were.

[Zephyros, did you hear that just now…?]

[…I did.]

The two of them, who had been about to leave, suddenly turned back in our direction, alert and wary.

Luckily, since we were crouched between the burning trees, they did not spot us.

Ba-dump, ba-dump…

Still, moments like this were always the tensest part of hide-and-seek.

Wait, why am I even scared? Wouldn’t it be better to just step out and talk to them? It would save time too.

[We should check. There might be a survivor!]

[That sound was probably made by a demon. Let’s leave already.]

[But…!]

[The day is almost over. We have to go.]

[..Okay.]

After deciding that the noise had come from “a demon,” they turned away and continued on.

“Looks like we won’t have to search around this time,” I muttered.

“What?”

“If we follow them, they should lead us straight to the cabin where we found the Orb of Fire.”

Raven glanced at me from the side and said nothing.

“Oh…”

Did I sound a little too much like a villain just now?

***

The two-story stone cabin stood deep in the forest.

I had seen it before, both in the game and in reality. Unlike the stone monument, though, I could tell how different this version was the moment I laid eyes on it.

A dome-shaped barrier surrounded the house, shielding it much like the effect created by the Orb of Fire.

Inside the barrier, the stone walls of the house were spotless, with not a single scorch mark to be seen. Even the wooden front door was intact, showing no signs of ever having burned down. In fact, the whole place looked well maintained.

And more than anything…

They’re living pretty comfortably.

A lone tree stood in the small yard. It must have been planted recently, as it was still quite small.

“Raven, do you remember the contents of the diary we found in that house back then?”

“Wait a moment. I should have written it down somewhere in my subspace… Ah, here it is!”

Raven soon took a notebook out of her subspace and handed it to me. I quickly scanned its contents.

[Day 192. The rescue team still did not come today. Now, only three members of the expedition remain. Tarvian suggested that we build a house, and I agreed. Demon meat tastes disgusting again today…]

No.

[Day 271. We finally finished building a fairly decent house…]

No, not that either.

[What is the point of living after the world has ended, you ask? Even if everything burns and disappears, there is still hope. As proof of that, we are still alive…]

I didn’t care about the whining, so I sorted out only the important parts.

[Day 467. Tarvian is pregnant. Whose child could it be?]

[Day 672. Or is it 673? I don’t know, but something serious happened. The Orb of Fire has begun losing its power. The outer walls are already being scorched by the flames.]

[Only Tarvian, the mage, could repair it. But even if she gave up her life to extend its duration, what would be the point?]

[Day 711. At long last, Zephyros and I came to the same decision.]

Today, we die.

[If this world has not ended at the witch’s hand, and if someone finds this place someday, I hope you use the object in the basement to save the world…]

Hmm.

Even though I called them the important parts, the diary entries didn’t actually contain anything useful. So, I decided to treat them only as reference material.

“Erwin, can you hear what they’re saying inside?”

“I can hear them… but I can’t understand their words.”

Oh, right.

They were speaking the ancient language.

‘Then what should we do now…?’

We had followed them all the way here, but I still had no idea what we were supposed to do next.

‘Should we just keep watching them?’

That was the safest choice, but our current situation bothered me.

Once the Blank Period ended, we would be swept up in the collapse again.

Not only did we have little time left after coming all the way here, but the members also needed to rest during the remaining time.

Yes, so…

“I’ll go.”

“…What?”

“I’ll go alone for now, so you all stay here and watch. No matter what happens, do not step forward until I call you.”

Some of the members looked as if they wanted to ask whether I really needed to go there, but it did not take long to convince them.

“Judging by the situation, they are almost certainly part of Gabrileus’s arrangement… If we are lucky, we might be able to obtain something that will help us survive this situation.”

“…But if it looks dangerous, I’ll step in right away.”

“Got it. I’ll trust you.”

With that settled, I calmed my breathing and made my way toward the house.

The barrier hummed softly. It really did seem to function just like the Orb of Fire. While it kept the flames out perfectly well, it did nothing to stop me from passing through.

Step, step…

I deliberately walked without hiding my presence, but there was still no particular sound from inside the house.

Were their levels so low that they couldn’t even sense me? Or were they simply not expecting anyone to invade their home?

I didn’t know.

Soon, I arrived at the doorway and carefully raised my hand.

Knock, knock, knock.

Something crashed inside, and the conversation stopped at once.

They were clearly startled.

I didn’t do anything else to provoke them and simply waited in front of the door.

Before long, I sensed someone peeking at me through the nearby window. So they were trying to observe me from there…

[…Should we… open it…? Could he be from the expedition…]

[No… He might be a demon… ambush…]

[Fire… for… talk later… hide…]

They were speaking so quietly that I could only catch fragments of what they were saying.

It was probably better not to look straight at them.

I pretended not to notice their presence and grabbed the door knocker again. After knocking three more times, I spoke in the ancient language.

[Is anyone home?]

I deliberately spoke to let them know I was someone they could communicate with. That seemed to help, because a voice soon answered from the other side of the door.

[…Who are you?]

Hmm, well…

How should I answer to get the best reaction?

If I said I had come to take the Orb of Fire, it would probably turn into a fight.

[D-did you perhaps… see the signal? Are you here… to save us…?]

[Signal?] I repeated.

[The mana wave emitter. Didn’t you see one on your way here? We set up a few of them around the area…]

Oh, was he talking about those stone monuments?

So that was what it was. Something like a radio tower.

[Who… who are you? Are you the rescue party?]

Maybe he found my response suspicious, because the next voice sounded noticeably more guarded.

I clicked my tongue inwardly, wondering how I should introduce myself.

[I am not part of the rescue team.]

Since lying would probably be exposed quickly, I told the truth about that part.

Right away, I heard a disappointed sigh from beyond the door.

Even though they had sounded suspicious, it seemed they had still been holding on to hope.

I didn’t give the man time to dwell on it and asked a question of my own.

[By the way… are you part of the expedition party?]

[Y-you know about us?]

[To some extent.]

Drawing on what I remembered from the diary, I matched the details of their situation as closely as possible. As a result, they seemed to decide that I wasn’t an enemy.

[More importantly, could you open the door? Let us talk for a moment. I have no intention of harming you.]

When they gave no answer, I added, [You should already know I could break this door down if I wanted to. I made it all the way here without any trouble, after all.]

Even as I said that, I tried my best not to make it sound like a threat. Fortunately, my intentions seemed to get through to them, because a moment later, the door slowly creaked open.

[P-please come in.]

The man who opened the door and led me inside was Zephyros, the same man I had seen earlier. Since I couldn’t see anyone else, he must have told the other two to hide.

Zephyros slowly began,

[If you aren’t from the rescue party, then who are you? And how did you find this place when there are demons everywhere? Has the world… Has the world not ended yet?]

The moment I stepped inside, he bombarded me with questions.

That was probably why he had let a complete stranger like me into his home. He was even more desperate for conversation than I was. In this world of despair, another person to talk to was a possible lifeline.

Hah…

Still, how should I answer him?

After thinking for a moment, I decided to avoid giving him a direct answer. I had already experienced quite a bit of the empire’s story myself, and not long ago, Arta had told me the important parts too. As long as I kept the conversation short, I could deceive him.

[Answer me, please! H-has the world truly not ended yet?]

[…No, it hasn’t ended yet.]

[Oh, by the gods—!]

[Have you perhaps heard of Raphdonia?]

[I have! My best friend was from that territory! But why do you ask?]

Damn.

Just as I thought.

This really was the exact era and point in time I had suspected.

Alright. Looks like he took the bait.

I decided to make a bold move with my story.

[Right now, survivors from all over the world are gathering around that territory and building a new kingdom.]

[Impossible! What about the curse? What happened to the curse?]

[The Witch’s curse cannot reach Rafdonia. That land is the final stronghold.]

[I-Is that true?! Then please take us there! I beg you!]

In his excitement, he accidentally exposed the existence of the others by saying “us,” but I didn’t pay it much attention and continued.

[Hmm, well…]

When I looked down at him with my hand on my chin, he swallowed nervously.

[I cannot take someone I don’t know to that place. You might end up harming the territory.]

Now the situation had been reversed.

[Th-That’s absurd! We are former expedition members! We would never do such a thing!]

[Then tell me.]

[?]

[What happened to you until now?]

Now then, let’s hear the story.

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