Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 361
Interrogation (3)
In some ways, it felt like a cliché from a detective novel.
All the circumstantial evidence pointed to me as the culprit, but the most crucial piece of proof was missing.
That was precisely my situation right now.
‘What kind of gift is this?!’
Maybe if I hadn’t already been judged as an evil spirit.
In a situation like this, I need solid proof to clear my name.
Because otherwise, I’ll just look more suspicious.
Like this.
“Repeat after me: I am a woman.”
This was Raven’s demand after an abnormal phenomenon had occurred due to the misaligned trust.
The goal was clear.
Raven wants to understand why the misplaced trust stops working, experimenting with various conditions to find out.
So, the best move I can make right now is just one.
“I am…! Ugh, my voice…! I can’t speak because it’s a lie—”
“Stop messing around!!”
Uh… I wasn’t joking; I was being serious.
Is it impossible to get out of this situation in this way?
“Enough. Just say anything.”
“…I’m really not an evil spirit. Please believe me, Raven.”
As I repeated the same words, the needle stopped again.
The only difference was that Raven didn’t miss the moment and spoke quickly.
“I am a man. What… it really works?”
So, when it stops working, it doesn’t affect anyone but me.
Well, that’s something new.
Damn it.
Tick, tock.
But as soon as the malfunction stops, the needle moves, and it starts working again.
“I am a man… Hmm, now it’s not working again?”
“……”
“Mr. Jandel, did you do something?”
Why are you so quick to suspect me?
Well, I am the cause, but…
I have to deny this one to the end.
“What? This is unfair! You brought a defective item, why are you blaming me for that?”
“Defective item? Is it normal for it to change every time you open your mouth?”
That’s definitely a suspicious point.
If I were Raven, I’d insist on that stance too.
But that doesn’t mean I can admit it.
I raised my voice.
“I did nothing!! I swear! Please believe me!!”
If misaligned trust means lies can’t be detected, it just means the loudest voice wins in a conversation—
“…You’re too loud, please just shut up for a moment.”
Why so serious…
Scary.
“……”
As I unconsciously clammed my mouth shut, Raven also paused, seemingly lost in thought.
And then…
“Speak.”
“Huh?”
“The thing you were about to say earlier. Just say it already.”
“Ah…”
In some ways, it’s like the ancient times, before magic or science existed.
A time when trusting someone was based solely on conversation.
Oh, how wonderfully sentimental those days must have been.
“What do you mean by ‘you’ve returned’? Then, what were you doing before?”
“I’ll explain everything.”
Afterward, I began to recount the events that happened after we were left alone on Farune Island.
How we ended up taking down the ‘Storm Gush’ together.
How we obtained the essence.
“So, the way you pulled the lighthouse keeper was…”
“Yes, I used Bayon’s [Transcendence] ability to do that.”
“For now, everything up to this point seems true. Continue.”
Before I moved on to the next part, I explained the ‘Fragment Records’ that the Lord of Noark possessed, and surprisingly, Raven accepted it easily.
“I’ve heard of that item. I never imagined that the treasure Draus, that man, took and fled with was that item. Anyway, it’s said to have the power to change the past, right?”
“It wasn’t just a legend. However, changing history turned out to be impossible.”
“……?”
“You’ll understand once you hear more.”
The moment when the Fragment of Records activated.
When I woke up in the world 20 years ago.
“It sounds absurd, but if there was such an event, it would explain why all the equipment was left behind on the island.”
As the story progressed, Raven seemed to start having doubts but refrained from interrupting, seemingly intending to hear everything first.
And then…
“Nibels Entze?”
When I told her that I took on the identity of ‘Nibelz Entze,’ after killing the plunderers on the island, Raven tilted her head.
‘Oh, does she actually remember everything from back then?’
I momentarily felt a surge of hope, but reality is always harsh.
“That name feels strangely familiar.”
Well, she was five years old back then, after all.
How could she remember the name?
‘Okay, next up is…’
It was time for Dwalki to make his appearance.
I told her how I tried to change his fate but realized that history would flow in its original direction, no matter what I did.
“The things I did were things that had already happened in the original timeline.”
“Research on time has existed since ancient times. It sounds like a single linear timeline theory.”
“…?”
“No, don’t mind me. Please continue.”
“All right.”
After that, I went down to Noark and spent six months there, where I spent time trying to save Amelia’s sister.
Ah, of course, I left out any talk related to evil spirits.
And then…
“When I returned, I was in Noark. That was about a month ago. During that time, I met Amelia and Erwin, and Erwin believed me.”
“And you didn’t reveal yourself immediately because the royal family’s proclamation seemed suspicious, right?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, though.”
Now, I had said everything that needed to be said.
So, what judgment would Raven make?
I watched with a mixture of hope and anxiety as Raven finally spoke decisively.
“It’s a fairy tale fit for children, a wild, fantastical story.”
It was the response I had somewhat expected.
She wasn’t an ordinary person but a mage. With all her accumulated knowledge, my story must have seemed utterly implausible.
But still…
“Do you have any evidence that this is true?”
I’d prepared for this.
Why hadn’t I mentioned the story of when we first met?
Stories like this are more effective when revealed in dramatic situations.
“If you want evidence… I do have some.”
“…?”
“You said the name ‘Nibels Entze’ felt familiar, right?”
“Yes, and?”
“Well, it’s only natural. You and I actually met 20 years ago.”
“…?”
Seeing Raven’s confusion, I recounted what happened back then in detail.
Our first meeting in the library.
How I saved her when she almost got into serious trouble, shooting electricity at anyone she saw. After that, we met daily at the same time and chatted about all sorts of things.
“That person… were you, Mr. Jandel…?”
Raven’s eyes widened with disbelief.
“Looks like you’ve finally remembered who Nibels Entze was.”
What a relief.
Even if she forgot the name, at least she hadn’t forgotten the memory.
***
For a while, Raven remained silent.
She simply stared at me, her eyes full of confusion.
“This… This doesn’t make sense… How could such a thing…”
“I understand how you feel. But it really did happen. Didn’t you recall the conversations we had?”
“Vaguely. I just remember there was someone like that… I was really busy after I joined the Mage Tower. And then there was that…”
“…What do you mean by ‘that’?”
At my question, Raven hesitated, then snapped back in a cold voice.
“That’s none of your business, Mr. Jandel.”
Wow, I was so kind to her back then when she was little.
How did she grow up like this?
Oh, wait. Wasn’t she even more bratty back then?
At least now she’s speaking politely…
“Anyway, does this mean you’re ready to believe me now?”
Raven remained silent, keeping her lips firmly shut.
And then…
Tick, tock.
In the growing silence, the sound of the rotating needle became increasingly pronounced.
It seemed that there were less than two minutes left.
True, it had stopped each time I spoke, but that didn’t mean I had been talking non-stop.
Tick, tock.
As the empty time passed…
“What I want to believe doesn’t matter.”
“……?”
“Amelia Rainweilz, answer me. Is everything we just heard the truth?”
Engrossed in my story, Raven finally thought to check it with someone else and turned her eyes to Amelia.
And…
Tick, tock.
Despite the needle functioning properly, there was no problem with Amelia’s answer.
“Everything Jandel said is true.”
Well, a few truths were omitted, but the experiences themselves were real.
“We really did travel 20 years into the past and experience all those events together.”
That was the decisive blow.
Even if the story was hard to believe, you couldn’t help but trust it at this point.
‘Okay, I think I’ve convinced her.’
I was letting my guard down when—
“But still…”
Raven’s voice squeezed out.
“This… still doesn’t prove that Mr. Jandel isn’t an evil spirit…”
“…Huh?”
I couldn’t understand it.
Why? Wasn’t this enough proof?
Why is she still digging into this?
‘Could it be… there’s another reason she suspects I’m an evil spirit, beyond just the royal proclamation?’
That possibility suddenly crossed my mind, making my mouth dry.
“Amelia Rainweilz.”
“……”
“One last question.”
“…Ask.”
Amelia nodded, and Raven paused for a moment before speaking clearly.
“Please answer only if you’re absolutely sure. If there’s even a hint of doubt, say you don’t know.”
“……”
“Is Byorn Yandel an evil spirit?”
Damn it.
****
Amelia didn’t answer Raven’s question.
No, to be precise, she couldn’t.
What else could she do?
That damned Numbers Item made it impossible to lie.
The only option left was silence.
“……”
A heavy stillness descended.
And amidst that silence…
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The needle spun, filling the room with its sound.
But it didn’t last long.
Tick.
The needle completed its full circle and stopped, the light from the disc fading away.
The misaligned trust’s activation time had ended.
However…
“……”
“……”
The suffocating atmosphere persisted.
Sometimes, silence speaks louder than a thousand words.
“…No matter what you say now, it’s meaningless.”
Amelia muttered, but Raven didn’t respond. Nor did she reactivate the Misaligned Trust to repeat the same question.
Not that I needed to ask why.
“Raven…”
“Enough. Please, say nothing more. At least… not now…”
“……”
Raven stood before the iron bars for a long time, staring at me.
As if she was sorting out her thoughts.
But was she unable to do so?
“I am the vice-commander of the 3rd Mage Corps, and I have pride and responsibility for my role. I won’t abandon my duties…”
Raven started mumbling to herself.
“I have to report this. Not doing so would be a betrayal of those who trust me…”
Her voice echoed through the dimly lit interior, and it wasn’t hard to understand who she was addressing.
Neither me, Amelia, nor Erwin.
“Me… I…”
Herself.
“I can’t… I can’t do something like that…”
As if trying to untangle her twisted thoughts, Raven tightly clenched her small fists.
Then, she turned her back and headed toward the stairs.
Step, step.
Her back seemed precarious, almost fragile.
“Jandel, if you let her go, there will be big trouble.”
Amelia whispered next to me, offering advice, but I couldn’t hear it.
Of course, I understood it in my head.
If she leaves, she’ll return with reinforcements.
But…
Grit.
What could I say to stop her?
My heart tightened.
At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.
If I wasn’t an evil spirit, if I had just been born as Bjorn Jandel and met these people and become their comrade…
How would things have turned out?
‘…No, that’s nonsense. If that were the case, we would never have become comrades in the first place.’
I forced myself to abandon such pointless thoughts.
The guilt I felt toward Raven as well.
Now was not the time for such things.
‘Looks like I will have to go with Plan B.’
Now that the situation has hit rock bottom, all that matters is surviving.
It’s not just my life on the line.
I have to protect Amelia and Erwin, too.
So…
When the reinforcements arrive and the cell door opens, I’ll use [Gigantification] to block the way and buy time. Then, instead of heading to the deck, I’ll break through the floor and escape into the lake below.
I’ll use the water spirit to handle breathing, and…
‘Then I’ll…’
As I reviewed Plan B one last time—
Tap.
Raven, who had been heading for the stairs, stopped and slowly turned around.
And then…
“Why… did you save me earlier…?”
Looking directly at me, she asked.
As if she couldn’t understand this one thing.
“…If you hadn’t used [Gigantification], you wouldn’t have been exposed. Why… even getting hurt, why did you save me?”
‘So that’s what’s been bothering you.’
I could understand why she asked, but from my perspective, it left a bitter taste.
The Raven I knew wouldn’t have asked that question.
But now, she…
‘It must be because I’m an evil spirit.’
Because I’m an evil spirit.
All my sincerity gets doubted, all the moments we shared become meaningless.
‘That bastard Baek-ho, I guess this is how he felt.’
I felt the emotions he must’ve experienced.
When everything he ever believed in collapsed.
But…
“Yeah, I have a reason.”
Still, I spoke.
“…I knew it. There must’ve been something else—”
Even if they see me as a monster that’s taken over a human’s body.
Even if everything appears fake.
Even if I know I have no right to say this…
“Raven, you were in danger.”
“…?”
“That’s why I saved you.”
That was the only reason.