Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 316
Memory (1)
Tick, tick, tick…….
The second hand went round and round, and the minute hand finally moved on to the next position, but I was still not summoned to the spiritual world.
I double-checked the date and time, wondering if the clock might be broken, but even after waiting helplessly until morning, nothing changed.
So, what exactly is going on?
I spent the entire night discussing with Amelia, narrowing down the possibilities until three remained.
To summarize them one by one…
- A temporary error occurred by coincidence this time.
If this incident wasn’t caused by someone but was purely coincidental.
The probability isn’t 0%.
Whether it’s an electronic device or a magic-infused artifact, in the end, they’re both made by people.
Rarely, but sometimes even a subspace ring can break, preventing access to the items stored inside until it’s repaired.
Though, the chances of this happening are slim.
This option seemed more plausible.
- Auril Gavis banished me from the spiritual world.
This was a more likely guess than the first.
Judging by the old man’s attitude, there’s no reason to banish me at this point, but he’s a sly old man whose true intentions are hard to discern.
We can’t rule out the possibility that this is another one of his schemes.
Anyway, let’s move on to the next one.
- Something unexpected happened to Auril Gavis.
This is also a quite plausible story.
In fact, I considered this the most likely of the three.
Though I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of situation could cause trouble for that monstrous old man…
Isn’t this a world full of monsters?
Even that old man must have formidable enemies.
Like the royal family, for example.
“Enough, let’s just get some sleep.”
Since I have no means of finding out the truth, there’s no point in worrying further.
So, I decided to wait until the 15th of next month, and in the meantime, I made another trip to the labyrinth as the days passed.
[Ha ha ha! Things went well this time too! If we keep this up, we’ll all be rich in no time!]
Nothing significant happened in the labyrinth.
Just like last time, I spent my time busily plundering the plunderers until the labyrinth closed.
This was the case again at midnight on the 15th.
[Didn’t make it again this time?]
[…Yeah.]
Even though the time had come, my mind remained in my body.
‘Ugh, this is really annoying…’
What on earth is going on?
As my frustration grew day by day, time continued to flow relentlessly.
***
‘Time sure flies.’
I folded the calendar in my hand neatly and put it in my pocket, trying to erase the bitter smile from my face.
It’s already been six months since I arrived in the past.
Shhh.
As I got up and grabbed my coat, Amelia asked without looking in my direction.
“Are you going out again today?”
“There’s nothing to do here. What about you?”
“I’ll stay in the dormitory.”
After a brief and dull conversation with Amelia, I left the lodging.
These days, most of our conversations go like this.
Short, shallow, and always tinged with an invisible sharpness.
‘Ugh, this is really uncomfortable.’
At first, it was bearable, but as the days counted down to D-Day, it became much worse.
I still hadn’t found any significant solution.
The community that I had hoped might open again remained closed since that time.
‘…Did they really expel me?’
I even started to think I should check to make sure.
In this underground city, there’s the head of Orcules.
If I go and ask, I could find out whether I was the only one expelled or if the entire community server went down.
‘What am I even thinking? It’s not like anything will change.’
I sighed as I walked through the streets of the underground city.
By now, I had gotten quite used to this place.
Aside from the alleys and the eastern district, which is essentially Orculies’ base, I had memorized most of the main roads.
“Ah, boss! You’re here!”
Upon arriving at the clan house located in the lord’s castle, Dumbo greeted me warmly.
After spending months together in the labyrinth, he no longer showed signs of fear or avoidance like before.
In fact, with his behavior, he seemed more like a loyal follower than anything else.
“Come, sit here! Would you like some drinks too?”
“Something light.”
“Ha ha, wait a moment! I’ll bring it right away!”
As I sat down in an empty seat and relaxed, Dumbo quickly brought the drinks and sat beside me.
And then he started talking, like a jukebox.
Most of it was about rumors circulating in the city or recent events, but his storytelling was entertaining enough to keep me from getting bored—
“Right, boss, have you heard about the Barbarian Heart?”
Suddenly, he mentioned something I couldn’t ignore.
“Heart? What’s that about? Go on, tell me.”
“Oh, you haven’t heard? They say there’s a rumor spreading on the surface that the Barbarian Heart is valuable as a magical ingredient and is being sold at a high price.”
“…What?”
The announcement from the Mage Tower that the Barbarian Heart is a rare magical ingredient won’t happen until about 10 years later.
Long after the war between the Fairies and Barbarians.
But for that story to be circulating already?
‘Could it be that I changed the future? No, that can’t be…’
Unable to believe it, I pressed Dumbo for more details, and the story was like this:
“Oh, it wasn’t announced by the Mage Tower. It’s just a baseless rumor.”
“A baseless rumor?”
“Apparently, a few months ago, the clan leader requested the Melter Trading Company to spread such rumors on the surface.”
‘What? That son of a…’
Without needing to hear more, I understood the situation.
Of course.
The only motivation for Clan Leader Felix Barker to make such a request to the Melter Trading Company, the sole trading company in Noark and its connection to the surface, was obvious.
“It seems the clan leader thought that such rumors would make surface plunderers fall for our schemes even more easily. Though, I doubt he expected the rumors to spread this widely.”
Seeing that I might not fully understand, Dumbo even explained the unnecessary details.
He mentioned that not only had the rumors spread widely on the surface, but they had also made their way back to Noark.
After hearing that, I couldn’t help but curse under my breath.
“Dammit.”
“…Pardon?”
“Shut up.”
“…”
With just one word, Dumbo quickly gauged my mood and fell silent, and I calmly sorted through my thoughts.
My head was a mess.
Sooner or later, it would be revealed as a baseless rumor.
But…
‘Could this be the beginning…?’
This thought kept nagging at me.
What if some mages start researching seriously because of the rumor Felix Barker spread, leading to the Barbarian Heart being valued ten years later?
In other words…
‘Does that mean I might have caused that insane situation…?’
For now, it was just a thought.
But the problem was that this didn’t feel like mere speculation.
“Dumbo, I’m leaving.”
“Huh? Yes!”
I wasn’t in the mood to stay and socialize at the clan house.
But once I stepped outside, I had nowhere to go.
So, I wandered around the lord’s castle as if taking a walk.
“Are you the Iron Mask?”
A passing old man suddenly stopped and spoke to me.
It didn’t feel right to ignore him.
This world is particularly harsh on the elderly.
To survive to such an age, one must possess certain skills.
“And who might you be?”
I cautiously asked back, and the old man chuckled as he pulled out a fingernail-sized magic stone from his pocket.
And then…
“I’m someone like this.”
As he spoke, the magic stone glowed and transformed into bread.
****
An alchemist.
A transformation-type mage born with the innate ability to turn magic stones into bread or iron.
‘…I never expected to meet someone like this in the hallway.’
In some ways, an alchemist could be considered more of a big shot than the Noark lord or the head of Orcules.
At least, that’s certainly the case in Noark.
To my knowledge, there are only two alchemists here.
Even if someone else took over as lord, the city wouldn’t collapse immediately, but if there’s a vacancy in the alchemist position, this city is doomed.
And I’m not exaggerating.
“Ha ha, you seem surprised. Is this your first time seeing alchemy?”
It wasn’t just about alchemy; I simply couldn’t understand.
Who would have expected to run into someone who is essentially the backbone of this city in a hallway like this?
‘Wait a minute, even if this is within the lord’s castle, there’s no way an alchemist would wander around alone…’
Realizing something was off, I carefully scanned the surroundings and felt eyes on me from various directions.
Since they weren’t visible, they must have consumed some sort of stealth essence…
“You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you? But don’t worry too much. It’s just my guards.”
Perceptive or not, they weren’t trying to hide their presence at all.
It was a kind of warning not to try anything funny.
“Oh, by the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Marfa Ifaello. You can call me whatever you prefer, but if I had to choose, I’d prefer to be addressed by my surname.”
“…I’m Iron Mask.”
“I know. It seems we met by chance, so why don’t we have a chat?”
“Sure.”
I accepted his suggestion without much hesitation.
If it were the notoriously ill-tempered other alchemist, I might have hesitated, but I was familiar with this old man’s name from what Amelia had told me.
‘The one who created the Blessing of Lethe.’
That alone made it worth having a conversation with him.
“Hmm, just as I’ve heard, you’re a straightforward fellow. Let’s go, then.”
‘Just as he’s heard, huh… So, this wasn’t a coincidence. He was looking for me.’
Ifaello started walking down the hallway first, and I followed behind him.
Even as we passed the restricted access on the third floor, no one stopped us because of his presence.
Eventually, we arrived at the alchemist’s workshop.
“It’s fine now. Everyone, wait outside.”
‘It’s similar to a mage’s lab, yet a bit different.’
As soon as I entered, I scanned the surroundings, and Ifaello sent his hidden guards away and offered me a seat.
“Take a seat. If you’d like something to drink, just ask.”
“I’m fine.”
Normally, this would be the moment to insist on some meat and take control of the conversation, but this time, I skipped it.
If I acted rudely and got caught, Amelia would definitely scold me later.
This old man was the one who took care of Amelia when she was young.
So, regardless of his position, I couldn’t treat him carelessly.
Well, even so, I couldn’t bring myself to use honorifics, considering my status as a barbarian.
“So, what’s the reason you called for me?”
“I was just curious about what kind of person you are. It’s the first time those kids have talked so cheerfully about their adventures in the labyrinth.”
I pretended not to know and asked back.
“Those kids?”
“Laura and Amelia, of course. Lovely kids. When I feel lonely, I sometimes call them over for some snacks and ask them to keep me company.”
“…I see.”
“I was worried about them, but seeing you puts my mind at ease. Please take good care of them from now on; they’re pitiful children.”
“I will.”
I nodded and cautiously asked.
“But if you’re that concerned, why don’t you just take care of them yourself?”
“Ha ha, it’s not that easy at the moment.”
He spoke vaguely, avoiding specifics, but I had some understanding of his situation.
‘Originally, he only provided them with snacks, but after one of the alchemists died, he brought them into his care and raised them himself.’
Before that, any attempts to take them away would have failed.
There were still two alchemists in the city.
With a clear replacement available, he couldn’t wield absolute power.
“How are the kids doing these days?”
“They’re doing well. I’m trying to keep them out of danger as much as possible.”
“…That’s good to hear.”
The conversation naturally shifted to the Rainweilz sisters. Alchemist Ifaello asked in detail how they were doing, and I answered honestly without holding back.
Then, I took the opportunity to bring up another topic.
“By the way, can our conversation be heard by others?”
“If you’re referring to my guards, you don’t need to worry. They can’t hear us. Do you have something on your mind?”
“Is there a way to remove the restrictions caused by essences using alchemy?”
“Restrictions? If you mean poison or something like that, it’s possible…”
As he casually answered my question, he trailed off and then spoke again.
“Are you referring to [Unholy Contract] by any chance?”
“Maybe.”
I shrugged.
Was that enough of an answer?
“…That’s beyond the realm of alchemy.”
“I see.”
“Indeed, it’s unfortunate.”
Ifaello gave a wry smile.
As disappointed as I was, I didn’t show it. After all, if it didn’t exist in the game, it wouldn’t exist in this era either.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
Ifaello seemed to like me, his voice full of warmth as he asked. So, I took the opportunity to inquire about the potion known as the Blessing of Lethe.
But his reaction was somewhat surprising.
“Blessing of Lethe? What’s that?”
“The… the potion that erases memories.”
“Oh, that! But it doesn’t have a name yet…”
Huh, I didn’t expect this…
“But Lethe… That has a nice ring to it. Comparing forgetfulness to a blessing is quite poetic, too.”
At that, I silently sighed.
No wonder I had always wondered why it was called ‘Lethe’…
“Alright, I was thinking of a name, and that fits perfectly.”
I never imagined there would be such a backstory behind it too.