Chapter 284: Adrift (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 284: Adrift (4)
Is this for real? It's not some sort of prank?
I stood there frozen for a long time, seized by a sensation that could only be explained as shock. My fingertips faintly trembled, and my breathing grew increasingly rough. But even so, I was quick to accept what had happened.
Time travel.
This was the only thing that could explain all the contradictions I'd been noticing since waking up on this island. Denying it was pointless. Yeah, why would time travel be impossible when it was also possible to suddenly wake up in a barbarian's body while playing a computer game?
Still getting my thoughts in order, I looked at Amelia. "You already knew."
Amelia gave a slight nod. "I suspected to some extent." She then explained she had only been sure after running into these guys. I'd only heard about them in a book, but apparently they were very famous at the time.
...No wonder she was acting so strange. She's not the type of person to throw the first punch like that.
I guess that was the perk of being a time traveler—being able to see through the hidden intentions of bastards like these, and bashing their heads in before they could try anything. It must have seemed incredibly bizarre from the victim's point of view, though.
"F-Famous? W-What are you talking about?"
Whatever, I didn't have time to explain. It would be pointless anyway. "Are there other clan members besides you here on this island? If yes, nod your head."
I quickly moved on to an interrogation. After answering a few questions I had, I took time to think.
"Twenty years ago, huh...?"
First, we were twenty years in the past. Put simply, we'd just met people whose crimes would be revealed and who would be executed five years from now.
This situation is worse than I thought.
What we discovered through interrogation was that more than thirty of them were on this island. Amelia warned me that the commander of the Elbis Clan was an especially dangerous adventurer.
"...We should get moving."
"We should."
I exchanged brief glances with Amelia, and that was all the conversation we needed. Surprisingly, she and I meshed quite well when it came to things like these. We didn't have to waste time trying to convince each other.
"Let's strip their equipment first."
"Oh, I'll take care of these guys here."
We skillfully stripped their gear and stole their backpacks.
Stab.
Then we killed them all. And rightfully so, because how could we send them back alive when they'd come chasing after us with their comrades as soon as they reunited with them?
They deserve to die in the first place.
They wore the emblem of a clan whose crimes would be revealed in five years. Not only was there clear evidence of their looting in their backpacks, but they'd said things over the course of our interrogation that left no question of their guilt.
"What about the bodies?"
"We'd better bury them."
"Then let's get digging."
I followed Amelia's suggestion that we bury the bodies without objection. You needed to adhere to the expert's advice in these situations.
"Now I'll erase our tracks over there."
While I was digging a hole to bury the bodies, Amelia returned to our camp and took apart the bonfire and bed of leaves I had laboriously created. My short-lived life as a caveman thus came to an end. Time to get back to civilization.
"It's a dagger. Will you use it?"
Throwing off the Protections of the Tree Elemental, we pulled on the equipment we obtained from killing these bastards. It couldn't be compared to the equipment I usually used, but I could work with this. Asking for more here would only be greed. After burying the bodies and covering them with dirt, I chewed on jerky and drank water from one of the canisters. Then I used the compass to situate us on the island.
Whew, now I feel like a person.
It was a familiar sensation.
***
"There's this cave I spotted earlier. Let's head there."
The sky was slowly brightening and turning blue. I followed Amelia for about thirty minutes, and found a small cave. Apparently, it was a place she had discovered while heading to the center of the island with Missha.
"It's wider inside than I thought."
"...You didn't come in?"
"I just saw it in passing. I thought it would be a good place to hide."
But you remember the exact location?
"What a great memory you have."
As I was innocently admiring her skill, Amelia grimaced and said it was just a habit.
"Jeez, a grown adult getting embarrassed about a compliment."
"...I'm not embarrassed."
"Ah, I see."
"Barbarian, what do you mean by 'I see'?"
"I see" is just "I see."
Anyway, enough chitchat. "I want to talk about that instead. What on earth is that stone?" I asked the same question I had been asking for hours, and was finally able to get an answer.
"It's the Fragment of Records Stone. Left behind by the Great Sage Gabrielius, and a treasure protected by the castellans of Noark for generations."
So, that was the official name. It was clearly related to our situation.
"Then, is it because of this stone that we were transported to the past?"
"Probably." Amelia willingly acknowledged the possibility. She then went on to explain that the Fragment of Records Stone was a legendary item rumored to have the power to change history by sending the user back to the past, which was why she had been trying to obtain it her whole life.
"But why did you activate it while you were with me?"
"That... wasn't my doing."
"What?"
"I don't even know how to use it in the first place. I planned to study it properly once I got back to the city later."
According to Amelia, it seemed even the castellans of Noark didn't know how to use it. The family had just been keeping it safe until, as Auril Gavis said while handing it over, "the one who has answered the call of the times" eventually appeared.
God damn it.
Supposedly, if you sighed too much, you chased blessings away. But the sighs just kept coming.
"Then you don't know how to get back, either?"
"...That's right," Amelia answered apologetically, but her eyes continued to twinkle. Well, it wasn't like I didn't get it. From her perspective, she had achieved her life-long wish. Rather than trying to find a way back, her main concern would be how to change the past.
While I was digging a hole to bury the bodies, Amelia returned to our camp and took apart the bonfire and bed of leaves I had laboriously created. My short-lived life as a caveman thus came to an end. Time to get back to civilization.
"It's a dagger. Will you use it?"
Throwing off the Protections of the Tree Elemental, we pulled on the equipment we obtained from killing these bastards. It couldn't be compared to the equipment I usually used, but I could work with this. Asking for more here would only be greed. After burying the bodies and covering them with dirt, I chewed on jerky and drank water from one of the canisters. Then I used the compass to situate us on the island.
Whew, now I feel like a person.
It was a familiar sensation.
***
"There's this cave I spotted earlier. Let's head there."
The sky was slowly brightening and turning blue. I followed Amelia for about thirty minutes, and found a small cave. Apparently, it was a place she had discovered while heading to the center of the island with Missha.
"It's wider inside than I thought."
"...You didn't come in?"
"I just saw it in passing. I thought it would be a good place to hide."
But you remember the exact location?
"What a great memory you have."
As I was innocently admiring her skill, Amelia grimaced and said it was just a habit.
"Jeez, a grown adult getting embarrassed about a compliment."
"...I'm not embarrassed."
"Ah, I see."
"Barbarian, what do you mean by 'I see'?"
"I see" is just "I see."
Anyway, enough chitchat. "I want to talk about that instead. What on earth is that stone?" I asked the same question I had been asking for hours, and was finally able to get an answer.
"It's the Fragment of Records Stone. Left behind by the Great Sage Gabrielius, and a treasure protected by the castellans of Noark for generations."
So, that was the official name. It was clearly related to our situation.
"Then, is it because of this stone that we were transported to the past?"
"Probably." Amelia willingly acknowledged the possibility. She then went on to explain that the Fragment of Records Stone was a legendary item rumored to have the power to change history by sending the user back to the past, which was why she had been trying to obtain it her whole life.
"But why did you activate it while you were with me?"
"That... wasn't my doing."
"What?"
"I don't even know how to use it in the first place. I planned to study it properly once I got back to the city later."
According to Amelia, it seemed even the castellans of Noark didn't know how to use it. The family had just been keeping it safe until, as Auril Gavis said while handing it over, "the one who has answered the call of the times" eventually appeared.
God damn it.
Supposedly, if you sighed too much, you chased blessings away. But the sighs just kept coming.
"Then you don't know how to get back, either?"
"...That's right," Amelia answered apologetically, but her eyes continued to twinkle. Well, it wasn't like I didn't get it. From her perspective, she had achieved her life-long wish. Rather than trying to find a way back, her main concern would be how to change the past.
If I'm over here, what's happened to me back there? Am I just frozen?
My mind grew even more scrambled, but I wouldn't get any answers by worrying about that right now. For now, I decided to sate my curiosity.
"So, what happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm curious what happened that you want to return to the past so badly."
Amelia just kept her mouth shut at my question.
If you don't want to answer, just say so.
After that, an uncomfortable silence fell between us that lasted for a long while. Well, thanks to our sudden trip to the past, we both had a lot to think about.
"The sun is rising."
Time passed, and the day dawned, and we just stayed in place, figuring that rashly wandering around could mean running into that clan and finding ourselves in a sticky situation. Man, if the bastards we killed earlier had a boat, we could have escaped the island on it.
To think they were controlling the entire island.
Something I found out during the interrogation earlier was that Farune Island was their clan's domain. Apparently, they used this place as a base and plundered any clanless adventurers who showed up. The reason why the five of them were wandering the island in the first place was in search of adventurers who might have entered while the clan was away.
But thankfully, that means we just have to get through today.
The sixth floor closed on the sixtieth day of the labyrinth. Surprisingly, today was that day. I wondered if that was something to be surprised about when time travel existed, though.
I wonder what happened to the others... There will be another month left until the labyrinth closes there. Will they get by all right without me?
I suddenly worried about the comrades I left behind, but I didn't let myself go too far down that rabbit hole. I needed to worry about myself first, considering I didn't even know if I could get back.
It won't all return to normal when the labyrinth closes, will it?
While I was thinking those idle thoughts, Amelia called out to me. "Barbarian."
"My name is Bjorn, son of Yandel, human." She didn't answer. "So, what were you going to say?"
"I was going to tell you to pick out one of the tags from the backpack in advance."
Huh? Ah...
At first, I was confused as to what she was talking about, but I quickly understood. As we were now, if we went back to a past version of the city, we wouldn't even be able to cross the checkpoint. Soon, I rummaged through the backpack and compiled all the identification tags. There were almost forty.
"...But why did these guys collect tags like this when they could end up being used as evidence that they're looters?"
"It's a common practice. Identification tags are worth some money."
Apparently, many people who weren't from Noark also searched for new identities in the city.
That's fair—if your backpack gets searched, you'll get caught for looting anyway. So it's more profitable to take the tags and sell them.
Before long, we went through the tags one by one and picked out the ones we could use. Unlike Amelia, who was human, I didn't have a choice. Out of the many identification tags, there was only one belonging to a barbarian.
If I'm over here, what's happened to me back there? Am I just frozen?
My mind grew even more scrambled, but I wouldn't get any answers by worrying about that right now. For now, I decided to sate my curiosity.
"So, what happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm curious what happened that you want to return to the past so badly."
Amelia just kept her mouth shut at my question.
If you don't want to answer, just say so.
After that, an uncomfortable silence fell between us that lasted for a long while. Well, thanks to our sudden trip to the past, we both had a lot to think about.
"The sun is rising."
Time passed, and the day dawned, and we just stayed in place, figuring that rashly wandering around could mean running into that clan and finding ourselves in a sticky situation. Man, if the bastards we killed earlier had a boat, we could have escaped the island on it.
To think they were controlling the entire island.
Something I found out during the interrogation earlier was that Farune Island was their clan's domain. Apparently, they used this place as a base and plundered any clanless adventurers who showed up. The reason why the five of them were wandering the island in the first place was in search of adventurers who might have entered while the clan was away.
But thankfully, that means we just have to get through today.
The sixth floor closed on the sixtieth day of the labyrinth. Surprisingly, today was that day. I wondered if that was something to be surprised about when time travel existed, though.
I wonder what happened to the others... There will be another month left until the labyrinth closes there. Will they get by all right without me?
I suddenly worried about the comrades I left behind, but I didn't let myself go too far down that rabbit hole. I needed to worry about myself first, considering I didn't even know if I could get back.
It won't all return to normal when the labyrinth closes, will it?
While I was thinking those idle thoughts, Amelia called out to me. "Barbarian."
"My name is Bjorn, son of Yandel, human." She didn't answer. "So, what were you going to say?"
"I was going to tell you to pick out one of the tags from the backpack in advance."
Huh? Ah...
At first, I was confused as to what she was talking about, but I quickly understood. As we were now, if we went back to a past version of the city, we wouldn't even be able to cross the checkpoint. Soon, I rummaged through the backpack and compiled all the identification tags. There were almost forty.
"...But why did these guys collect tags like this when they could end up being used as evidence that they're looters?"
"It's a common practice. Identification tags are worth some money."
Apparently, many people who weren't from Noark also searched for new identities in the city.
That's fair—if your backpack gets searched, you'll get caught for looting anyway. So it's more profitable to take the tags and sell them.
Before long, we went through the tags one by one and picked out the ones we could use. Unlike Amelia, who was human, I didn't have a choice. Out of the many identification tags, there was only one belonging to a barbarian.
"Amelia Berrywells? You picked a good one." Amelia chose a tag with the same name as hers. The race was human and the sex was female. "The age is twenty-one? Have you no shame?"
"...I-It's not like I picked this one by choice."
Huh? What was with that reaction? "Wait, Amelia. Just how old are you?"
"...Don't pry into my life, Bjorn Yandel." Amelia quickly returned to her normal self and cut me off cold. I wanted to tease her since it was the first time I'd ever seen her stutter. "I just chose the one where I would have to pay as few taxes as possible, since that's what we'll be doing if we have to live here for a prolonged amount of time. The fact that we have the same name is just a bonus."
So, you're already assuming we might be stuck in this time for over a year. Jeez.
I licked my lips and scanned the tag in my hand to memorize what I needed to know.
The name is Nivelles Enze, age twenty-one. A sixth-rank adventurer.
That was all the necessary information. As he had been rank-six, some of the essences in his possession would have been registered in the guild, so it would be wise not to use Giantization in front of people.
"If you've looked it over, give it to me."
"Huh?"
"You told me not to call you 'barbarian.' I can't call you Yandel in front of others."
Oh, that was true. I handed Amelia the identification tag I would be using for the next while. But what was this?
"Nivelles Enze...?" Amelia froze, her fingers tightening around the tag like the name was familiar to her.
"Is he someone you know?"
Amelia shook her head at my question and didn't elaborate any further, claiming it was just a coincidence. Ugh, she really had a knack for driving people up the wall.
Then don't react like that in the first place.
Anyway, after that, we passed the time until the labyrinth closed in the cave. While we talked only occasionally, there was one conversation that left a deep impression on me.
"I'll take responsibility for finding the way back, so don't do anything that makes you stand out. It could result in something irreversible."
"Something irreversible?"
"It's something I overheard a wizard say once. If you could hypothetically go back in time, even the slightest of changes could lead to the destruction of a country."
It sounded like she was talking about the butterfly effect. You know, that one flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a hurricane across the ocean.
...Wait, then what happens if the Bjorn in this time dies?
The thought suddenly popped into my head. Since I was twenty years in the past, Bjorn would still exist in this time. He must have been old enough to be snacking on a baby bottle. What would happen to me if that child died?
I might end up in a very tight spot.
Once I got back to the city, it would be best to keep a low profile and watch how things played out, just as Amelia advised.
"Okay, I won't cause any trouble, so don't worry."
"...I'll trust you," she said, obvious distrust in her eyes. Then she soon fell into a contemplative mood.
More time passed. Some clan members looking for their missing comrades passed us by, but thanks to Amelia's meticulous camouflage, we were able to go unnoticed.
Finally, the clock's hour hand ticked as it moved to midnight. It was time for the labyrinth to close.
Shaaaaaa!
Soon, a pure white light covered my body. My vision immediately blurred, but as time passed, color slowly returned. Staring blankly up at the sky, I ended up chuckling.
So it was gloomy here twenty years ago, too.
Rafdonia's sky was as gray as usual.
"Hey, are you going home right away?"
"Of course not. Let's go have a drink first."
Dimension Square was teeming with adventurers. Yeah, this was how it used to be. There had been so many incidents recently that the sight of it full was actually strange. It was slowly starting to hit me.
I really am twenty years in the past.
And I was going to have to live here for a while.
"Amelia Berrywells? You picked a good one." Amelia chose a tag with the same name as hers. The race was human and the sex was female. "The age is twenty-one? Have you no shame?"
"...I-It's not like I picked this one by choice."
Huh? What was with that reaction? "Wait, Amelia. Just how old are you?"
"...Don't pry into my life, Bjorn Yandel." Amelia quickly returned to her normal self and cut me off cold. I wanted to tease her since it was the first time I'd ever seen her stutter. "I just chose the one where I would have to pay as few taxes as possible, since that's what we'll be doing if we have to live here for a prolonged amount of time. The fact that we have the same name is just a bonus."
So, you're already assuming we might be stuck in this time for over a year. Jeez.
I licked my lips and scanned the tag in my hand to memorize what I needed to know.
The name is Nivelles Enze, age twenty-one. A sixth-rank adventurer.
That was all the necessary information. As he had been rank-six, some of the essences in his possession would have been registered in the guild, so it would be wise not to use Giantization in front of people.
"If you've looked it over, give it to me."
"Huh?"
"You told me not to call you 'barbarian.' I can't call you Yandel in front of others."
Oh, that was true. I handed Amelia the identification tag I would be using for the next while. But what was this?
"Nivelles Enze...?" Amelia froze, her fingers tightening around the tag like the name was familiar to her.
"Is he someone you know?"
Amelia shook her head at my question and didn't elaborate any further, claiming it was just a coincidence. Ugh, she really had a knack for driving people up the wall.
Then don't react like that in the first place.
Anyway, after that, we passed the time until the labyrinth closed in the cave. While we talked only occasionally, there was one conversation that left a deep impression on me.
"I'll take responsibility for finding the way back, so don't do anything that makes you stand out. It could result in something irreversible."
"Something irreversible?"
"It's something I overheard a wizard say once. If you could hypothetically go back in time, even the slightest of changes could lead to the destruction of a country."
It sounded like she was talking about the butterfly effect. You know, that one flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a hurricane across the ocean.
...Wait, then what happens if the Bjorn in this time dies?
The thought suddenly popped into my head. Since I was twenty years in the past, Bjorn would still exist in this time. He must have been old enough to be snacking on a baby bottle. What would happen to me if that child died?
I might end up in a very tight spot.
Once I got back to the city, it would be best to keep a low profile and watch how things played out, just as Amelia advised.
"Okay, I won't cause any trouble, so don't worry."
"...I'll trust you," she said, obvious distrust in her eyes. Then she soon fell into a contemplative mood.
More time passed. Some clan members looking for their missing comrades passed us by, but thanks to Amelia's meticulous camouflage, we were able to go unnoticed.
Finally, the clock's hour hand ticked as it moved to midnight. It was time for the labyrinth to close.
Shaaaaaa!
Soon, a pure white light covered my body. My vision immediately blurred, but as time passed, color slowly returned. Staring blankly up at the sky, I ended up chuckling.
So it was gloomy here twenty years ago, too.
Rafdonia's sky was as gray as usual.
"Hey, are you going home right away?"
"Of course not. Let's go have a drink first."
Dimension Square was teeming with adventurers. Yeah, this was how it used to be. There had been so many incidents recently that the sight of it full was actually strange. It was slowly starting to hit me.
I really am twenty years in the past.
And I was going to have to live here for a while.