Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 331

To the Future (1)

Sunlight and a cool breeze seeped through the bars.

Savoring the grilled meat I had bought from the store across the street, paired with rum, a sigh of satisfaction naturally escaped my lips.

“Ah, this is it.”

How long has it been since I last enjoyed such a simple pleasure?

After months confined to the dreary Noark, the contrast made this moment all the more satisfying, almost absurdly so.

Not that all worries have vanished, though.

‘Anyway… it’s already been a week.’

Auril Gavis, Lühensprache, Jerome the Knight of Light.

It has been quite some time since that chaotic day when all sorts of big shots appeared out of nowhere.

And yet…

Sigh.

I’m still stuck in this era.

“When is this thing going to work?”

I muttered to myself, habitually fiddling with the fragment of records, but there is a silver lining to this delay—I have some time to sell off my equipment.

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

Regardless, I decided to take a break and rented a room on the surface.

Oh, and by the way, it’s just one room.

I intended to get two, but Amelia scoffed at the idea, saying there was no reason for that now.

To be honest, I couldn’t disagree with her logic.

After all, we’ve been practically glued together for months down there.

It’s far too late to worry about any male-female propriety.

“Drinking again?”

“Oh, you’re back.”

“I told you to keep the door locked when I’m not around.”

Amelia, who had been out since dawn, came in and casually tossed her coat onto the rack. I didn’t bother asking where she’d been—I already knew.

She’d probably been out stalking her sister again, to see how she was doing.

“You start nagging the moment you come in.”

“It’s not nagging…”

I quickly changed the subject.

“So, how’s Laura?”

Laura regained consciousness three days ago, after the potent effects of the prototype drug Lethe’s Blessing wore off. The priest who had come to volunteer at the shelter diagnosed her with amnesia. She now believed that the name on the ID tag she found was her own…

“Not Laura, Shannon Ellaura.”

“Ah, right.”

We came up with the name Shannon Ellaura for her since it felt wrong to use the ID given by that old man.

Amelia had a tough time swapping out the ID badge and modifying all the records in the shelter.

“So, how’s she doing?”

“Unfortunately, it seems she’s taken an interest in the priest who volunteered. She started learning to read today, and her progress was incredibly fast. The priest thinks it’s a sign her memory is returning…”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m more concerned about her catching the attention of a Church official.”

At first, I didn’t quite understand what she meant, but then it clicked.

“Because of the essence?”

“Yes. It would look suspicious for a child who hasn’t even come of age to possess an essence.”

If left alone, she’d probably live her entire life without realizing the essence’s power within her.

Her stats could be dismissed as simply being naturally healthy, and without memories, she’d likely never manifest any supernatural abilities.

But…

“Yeah, it’s a bit unnerving. Of all people, she caught the attention of a priest.”

If she ends up living closely with the Church, it’s a different story.

Since the Church has the power to erase essences, there’s a chance they could discover it.

“…It seems her memory loss is so unusual that it unexpectedly drew attention.”

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“What else can we do? We can’t forcibly remove it.”

Amelia said she’d continue to keep an eye on the situation, and I agreed with her.

And that wrapped up that topic.

“By the way, don’t you think it’s time to change the way you speak?”

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

“…My way of speaking?”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too formal for talking with a comrade?”

“A comrade?”

“What’s with that look like you’ve never heard the word before? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten our deal—”

“No, I remember. I just didn’t see what that had to do with my way of speaking.”

“Hmm, well, there’s no real connection. I was just curious to see you speak differently.”

“…What?”

Amelia stared at me as if I were pathetic, then let out a deep sigh.

“You’re… truly…”

“Why can’t I be curious? From the way you spoke as a child, it didn’t seem like you always talked like this.”

“That’s…”

Amelia trailed off, an unexpected reaction.

In the past, she would have either ignored me or snapped, asking if I was teasing her.

“I’ll… try.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, I’ll… try. Is that better? Or should I say… ‘try?’”

Better? Seriously?

I was genuinely creeped out.

So much so that I was left speechless.

“Hm… ‘Is it better?’ sounds softer, I suppose. What do you think?”

Amelia suddenly started seriously contemplating her speech.

“W-Wait a minute. Aren’t you changing your way of speaking too easily?”

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

“Well, yeah, but still.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been thinking about it myself recently.”

“You’ve been thinking about it?”

“…If it were my sister, she would have wanted that. And since you said it too, I must have a problem.”

Oh…

‘I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit before we got into the serious stuff.’

Realizing I might have gone too far, I quickly tried to backtrack.

“On second thought, maybe it’s not such a big deal. What does it matter how you speak? What’s important is the person’s essence, after all.”

Amelia seemed to be mulling over my words but eventually nodded when I mentioned how even Misha, who had a different tone, didn’t mind.

“So you and Misha were… like that.”

“Oh…”

Why did I say that?

I’d never told anyone about that before.

“Hm, if even someone like you didn’t mind her way of speaking, I guess you’re serious. All right, I’ll put the speech issue on hold for now.”

“…Good call.”

Since the conversation had become rather uncomfortable for me, I quickly steered us back to the main topic.

“Anyway, now that we’ve had enough rest, I think it’s time we have a serious discussion.”

“A discussion… sounds good.”

Amelia then sat across from me, and we began the meeting we had delayed for a week under the guise of rest.

***

The first item on the agenda was this:

“You’re really not connected to the Rose Knights?”

“I’m not. We’ve already gone over this before.”

Apparently, Lühensprache had been chasing Amelia, thinking she was a member of that group.

He seemed to have some hidden grudge, though…

[I’ll show you what it feels like to lose something precious.]

Based on what he said back then, it seems like he might have lost someone dear to him because of them.

But that’s not the point here.

“Why bring this up again?”

We dismissed it as a strange coincidence at the time, but the more I thought about it, the more one possibility came to mind.

“You said you learned how to wield aura from a woman you met by chance in Noark, right?”

“Yes, she liked my determination and taught me a few things. She just gave me the basics, though; I awakened my aura much later. But… didn’t we already discuss this?”

“Yes, we did.”

Back then, we concluded that the woman was likely a member of the Rose Knights.

But…

“Could that woman have been you?”

“…What?”

“I mean, it’s odd for a stranger to be so kind, isn’t it?”

Amelia, who had always been perceptive, quickly grasped what I was implying.

“Are you suggesting that’s what we need to do?”

“Yes.”

Ensuring that future Amelia receives the foundation of her aura.

This could be the task left for us.

But…

“Don’t worry. That’s not it.”

Amelia firmly rejected the possibility.

I asked for an explanation, but she simply said I could trust her on this.

‘If she’s this certain, I guess I was wrong…’

If so, it’s good news for me.

Following the original timeline would mean I’d have to stay here for another two years.

“Well, let’s move on to the next topic.”

The second topic was Auril Gavis.

This suspicious old man—what kind of variable would he be in the future?

We spent a long time discussing it.

And in the end, it concluded with Amelia scolding me.

“Why did you take such a dangerous risk? We could’ve parted on good terms.”

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

“Not that, but there was no need to taunt him at the end.”

“Oh…”

She had a point.

It felt great at the time, but thinking about how the old man must have fumed later does give me chills.

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

“…Understood.”

“If you say so, I won’t press further… Just be careful. When I said I’d become your comrade, it meant I’m entrusting my life to you.”

I was genuinely grateful for her trust, which seemed to go beyond just camaraderie.

‘…But didn’t she say she wouldn’t press further?’

Ahem.

After clearing my throat to signal the end of that topic, I moved on to the next.

This was the real heart of our meeting.

How to activate the fragment of records.

“Specifically, I want us to discuss what task we’ve been given…”

“Sounds like you’ve thought of something?”

Of course, I wouldn’t bring this up without a reason.

In addition to the possibility of setting the foundation for Amelia’s future aura, I had a few other candidates.

The first one was this:

“The Genesis Relic…?”

Amelia tilted her head at the mention of the ‘Genesis Relic,’ but she couldn’t dismiss the possibility.

Well, I doubt I’ll be the one stealing the ‘Genesis Relic’ 20 years from now…

But maybe I’ll end up getting involved in that event somehow.

Like with the Barbarian’s Heart incident.

The outcome may come much later, but I could still be the cause.

“Well, the Genesis Relic is especially important to the spirits. It makes sense. You’re also a spirit—”

“Shhh.”

“Ah, my mistake. I promised not to mention that.”

It was a sensitive issue for me, but since Amelia quickly apologized, I let it slide with just a warning.

Then onto the second possibility.

“GM… that was the alias of the one who inherited the assembly from Auril Gavis, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“But why him?”

“It’s around this time that the community passed into his hands.”

It’s a bit too coincidental, right?

Maybe I need to meet the past version of him and do something to return to my original time.

“That’s plausible too. Is there a third option?”

Of course, there is.

I immediately shared the final possibility.

“Hiding the things I’ve gathered here so I can pass them on to the future. That might be my last task.”

“That sounds more like wishful thinking.”

Well, if you put it that way, I guess I don’t have much of a defense…

“So, do you have any ideas about what our task might be?”

“Well… I’ll tell you if I think of something.”

Tch, I was hoping for something better.

A bit disappointing, but a leader should be able to embrace their comrades’ shortcomings.

“That’s fine. So, did you sell off the equipment?”

“Over half of it. I could sell the rest faster if I lowered the prices—”

“No, take your time and sell them for what they’re worth.”

“But there are some rare items in there. Wouldn’t it be better to keep a few?”

Ah, you don’t understand.

Equipment requires maintenance.

Over time, its value decreases.

Plus, selling 20-year-old gear would raise suspicions about its origin, so aside from the Demon Crusher, which is priceless, it’s best to get rid of everything.

‘The real problem is where to hide it safely…’

As I continued to mull over the dilemma, the conversation took a turn.

“Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Hmm?”

“I heard today that a Level 3 essence will be up for auction at the central exchange.”

“A Level 3 essence? Why aren’t they sending it to the Sky Auction House?”

“Seems Alminus Trading is trying something new.”

Hm, aiming to upscale the central exchange, huh?

No matter what they do, they won’t beat the Sky Auction House.

“So, what essence is it? Or are they keeping it secret until the day before the auction like the Sky Auction House does?”

“They’re doing that, but I already know what it is, so it doesn’t matter. It was a famous auction.”

Ah, this is one of the perks of being a time traveler.

When I urged her to spill the details, Amelia spoke up.

“It’s the Essence of Vol-Herchan.”

Is this fate?

“……!!!!”

It just so happens to be an essence I desperately need for my growth.