Chapter 340: Snowball (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 340: Snowball (4)
In a mountainous area on the seventh floor called the Dark Continent, shrouded in the black fog that characterized the region, five adventurers were preparing camp.
"Scholar Gramps, how long will the blocking magic circle take?"
"It will take about ten minutes."
"Still? Ugh, this is why we need a priest."
At the blond man's grumbling, there was a subtle change in the old man's expression as he drew the magic circle. Although it wasn't too noticeable, that emotion was displeasure. "If you're that dissatisfied, why don't you put a priest in the remaining slot?"
The blond man smirked at the old man's words. "Gramps, you think a priest will join our team?"
"There are priests of Karui too."
"I refuse to take halfway healers," the blond man muttered, taking his eyes off the old man to stare into the fog.
Although a pitch blackness was blocking his view, the man could see the shape of a monster cutting through it and coming toward them—the rank-five beast-type Dieville Wolf. Although these monsters usually travelled in packs, it seemed this one had lost a battle for dominance and fell behind.
The blond man spoke to the woman in his characteristic light tone. "Kitty, you take care of that."
"I told you not to talk to me like that."
"Touchy. Your answer?"
At the man's question, the red-haired beastwoman, Missha Karlstein, raised her swords without a word.
Woof, woof...!
She leveled her swords at the monster that emerged from the fog. Two cuts were enough.
Stab!
The moment the sword in her left hand pierced the monster's skin, a chill swirled around it and froze the monster's body solid, starting from the stab wound.
Bang!
Then, the sword in her right hand shattered the frozen monster into pieces.
"Oh, rank fives can be taken down with a one-hit combo now?" Missha didn't reply and returned to her original spot. The blond man grumbled at her like she were being unfair. "Hey, why are you only cold to me?"
"You really don't know?"
"You think I would? I take you around with me and feed you essences, grow your skills, and even teach you how to save your husband. Why do you have so many complaints—"
"Stop."
"Just look at the way you speak. You were cute when you used to purr—"
"I said stop."
When Missha shot him a cold look, the blond man shrugged and sat in front of the bonfire. "Ah, talking about your husband is off-limits, right? Sorry." After giving an apology that had no sincerity behind it at all, the blond man started chatting with their other comrades as if nothing had happened.
Missha quietly contained her boiling rage.
...Baekho Lee.
That was the name of the blond man seated in front of her, the only person the palace was wary of, and a talented man who always outsmarted Noark.
Crackle, crackle.
Watching the sparks fly from the fire at random intervals, Missha thought back to their first meeting.
***
It had been like a hand extended to her by the devil, especially in that it was an offer she couldn't refuse.
"What if I told you there's a way to bring Bjorn Yandel back from the dead?"
That day, Baekho told her that there was something called the Stone of Revival on the ninth floor. With it, it was possible to bring back someone who was lost. Of course, it wasn't a well-meaning offer made without the expectation of getting something in return.
"In exchange, there's something you need to do for me." Baekho gave her two conditions. "First, testify that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
"...What?"
"I heard you were pretty much lovers? If you testify, it won't sound like complete nonsense."
She couldn't understand the logic behind the first condition at all. "Don't be ridiculous! That means Bjorn will have nowhere to return to even if he comes back alive! Why would I—?"
"So, you're not going to do it?" Baekho cut her off with a smirk.
Even as she was seized by the desire to get out of there immediately, Missha suppressed it by biting her lip. The reason was simple. She had a gut feeling that if she said one more word here, he would take the offer off the table and leave.
"Good girl." Smiling at Missha's patience, Baekho continued speaking in a more generous tone. "Now, I get you must be confused, but I'm not just making a thoughtless suggestion. If my plan goes well, I can completely destroy the palace."
"...The palace?"
"To get through the Gate of the Abyss, it looks like I'll have to sort out the palace first, and the first step is revealing that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
This bastard.
Those words threatened to fly from her mouth, but Missha held them back.
"Anyway, so what I'm trying to say is... once the palace disappears, it won't matter whether he's an evil spirit or not."
"...And if that plan fails?"
"Then I'll take responsibility and help you escape the castle walls. I heard it's a better place to live than people think. Well, if you don't want that either, I'll make you new identities so that you can live together secretly on the outskirts of the city. Don't you think it's a pretty good plan?"
It didn't matter whether it was good or not. If what he told her about that stone was true, she didn't have a choice. It was better to be alive than dead, and in a world without Bjorn, she was as good as dead.
But Missha wasn't foolish enough to sign on right away. "...Tell me the second condition."
"Ah, that? It's simple. I need you to help me. I've been needing a dual-wielding ice swordsman." Missha flinched at the man's calm response. He was definitely smiling, but the look in his eyes made it seem like he regarded her more as an object rather than a person.
"...Why does it have to be me?" Missha felt an inexplicable pressure and had to fight to get the words out. She was curious about this man's hidden intentions.
The answer she received was different from the one she expected. "Just a whim."
"...A whim?"
"Yeah, it doesn't actually have to be you. It's not like I can't create rumors that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit without you, and I'll even have to find you the Stone of Revival, which makes it an even bigger hassle..." He spoke like this were all a huge inconvenience for him. Just when contempt was boiling from the tips of her feet to the top of her head, Baekho grinned at Missha. "Ah, but you do have one pro to you. You have a reason not to betray me."
***
It had been like a hand extended to her by the devil, especially in that it was an offer she couldn't refuse.
"What if I told you there's a way to bring Bjorn Yandel back from the dead?"
That day, Baekho told her that there was something called the Stone of Revival on the ninth floor. With it, it was possible to bring back someone who was lost. Of course, it wasn't a well-meaning offer made without the expectation of getting something in return.
"In exchange, there's something you need to do for me." Baekho gave her two conditions. "First, testify that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
"...What?"
"I heard you were pretty much lovers? If you testify, it won't sound like complete nonsense."
She couldn't understand the logic behind the first condition at all. "Don't be ridiculous! That means Bjorn will have nowhere to return to even if he comes back alive! Why would I—?"
"So, you're not going to do it?" Baekho cut her off with a smirk.
Even as she was seized by the desire to get out of there immediately, Missha suppressed it by biting her lip. The reason was simple. She had a gut feeling that if she said one more word here, he would take the offer off the table and leave.
"Good girl." Smiling at Missha's patience, Baekho continued speaking in a more generous tone. "Now, I get you must be confused, but I'm not just making a thoughtless suggestion. If my plan goes well, I can completely destroy the palace."
"...The palace?"
"To get through the Gate of the Abyss, it looks like I'll have to sort out the palace first, and the first step is revealing that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit."
This bastard.
Those words threatened to fly from her mouth, but Missha held them back.
"Anyway, so what I'm trying to say is... once the palace disappears, it won't matter whether he's an evil spirit or not."
"...And if that plan fails?"
"Then I'll take responsibility and help you escape the castle walls. I heard it's a better place to live than people think. Well, if you don't want that either, I'll make you new identities so that you can live together secretly on the outskirts of the city. Don't you think it's a pretty good plan?"
It didn't matter whether it was good or not. If what he told her about that stone was true, she didn't have a choice. It was better to be alive than dead, and in a world without Bjorn, she was as good as dead.
But Missha wasn't foolish enough to sign on right away. "...Tell me the second condition."
"Ah, that? It's simple. I need you to help me. I've been needing a dual-wielding ice swordsman." Missha flinched at the man's calm response. He was definitely smiling, but the look in his eyes made it seem like he regarded her more as an object rather than a person.
"...Why does it have to be me?" Missha felt an inexplicable pressure and had to fight to get the words out. She was curious about this man's hidden intentions.
The answer she received was different from the one she expected. "Just a whim."
"...A whim?"
"Yeah, it doesn't actually have to be you. It's not like I can't create rumors that Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit without you, and I'll even have to find you the Stone of Revival, which makes it an even bigger hassle..." He spoke like this were all a huge inconvenience for him. Just when contempt was boiling from the tips of her feet to the top of her head, Baekho grinned at Missha. "Ah, but you do have one pro to you. You have a reason not to betray me."
That was the reason he had come to this place.
***
Erwen's question nearly drove me to drink as it seemed I would have to start verifying my identity again, but it wasn't too hard to dispel her suspicions this time. I just had to tell her the truth from the very beginning. I told her about the Fragment of Records Stone activating on Farune Island, arriving in the city twenty years in the past, and my six-month struggle to return to my original time. For reference, any mention of evil spirits was thoroughly omitted from this explanation.
"No matter what anyone says, you are Bjorn Yandel to me."
It wasn't easy to lie to the first person to ever say this to me, but I had no choice. This was best for both of us.
"It is an ability that will be of great help to you too when it comes to keeping your identity hidden in the future."
I had received a gift from Auril Gavis. If it worked properly, it wouldn't be impossible for me to "prove" to anyone who asked that I was not an evil spirit. But if Erwen were interrogated instead and the fact that I had confessed to being an evil spirit were revealed to the world? Things would get very troublesome. No one could know for sure how things would unfold in the future. And so, it was absolutely appropriate to keep these scenarios in mind and exercise caution.
But did Auril gift me this because he already considered the possibility of this happening?
The question came to mind as this was the first bit of news I'd heard since I returned to the future, but there was no way of finding out for sure right now.
"Hmm... then you're not an evil spirit?" It seemed Erwen was telling the truth when she said she was not interested in my status, as she didn't pry into the matter. But she instead stubbornly pursued another line of questioning. "Um, then..."
"Hmm?"
"You and Amelia Rainwales, you two were together for over half a year...?"
"Th-that's right?"
"And she, like, fell in love with you for saving her life and said she'll be your comrade?"
"She didn't fall in love with me or anything like that, she was just repaying—"
"If she was just repaying you for a favor, then I guess you can abandon her now, right?"
"...Huh?"
Abandon? Amelia? Why is that suddenly the conclusion you jump to?
Unlike before, the conversation with Erwen was now a bit difficult to follow. While I was carefully choosing my words, Erwen spoke first. "Even if there were special circumstances, she's still a plunderer from Noark. How can you trust a woman like that?"
"But Amelia is a very useful talent..." I trailed off, then clammed up.
For some reason, Erwen was smiling at me with a peculiar look in her eyes. "Haha, Mister, you're cute..." This was probably my first time hearing that compliment since entering the body of a barbarian. It was only when I stared that Erwen noticed me looking and covered her mouth with her hand like she was embarrassed. But I guessed she had something she really wanted to say. "Mister, don't worry about that woman. You have me. I'm really strong now, enough that it doesn't even matter if she's gone. I make good money and I also have subordinates I can mobilize with a single word."
"Oh, really..."
"Yes. Of course, I know what you must have been thinking. Placed in a situation like that all of a sudden, you would have needed someone to rely on." She spoke as if she thought I couldn't live without a woman. While I was wondering whether I was just being sensitive, Erwen grabbed my hand and said something that clearly indicated her memories were warped. "It's possible that woman was quite trustworthy there. L-Like I was when you first met me... But don't worry. You have me now."
That was the reason he had come to this place.
***
Erwen's question nearly drove me to drink as it seemed I would have to start verifying my identity again, but it wasn't too hard to dispel her suspicions this time. I just had to tell her the truth from the very beginning. I told her about the Fragment of Records Stone activating on Farune Island, arriving in the city twenty years in the past, and my six-month struggle to return to my original time. For reference, any mention of evil spirits was thoroughly omitted from this explanation.
"No matter what anyone says, you are Bjorn Yandel to me."
It wasn't easy to lie to the first person to ever say this to me, but I had no choice. This was best for both of us.
"It is an ability that will be of great help to you too when it comes to keeping your identity hidden in the future."
I had received a gift from Auril Gavis. If it worked properly, it wouldn't be impossible for me to "prove" to anyone who asked that I was not an evil spirit. But if Erwen were interrogated instead and the fact that I had confessed to being an evil spirit were revealed to the world? Things would get very troublesome. No one could know for sure how things would unfold in the future. And so, it was absolutely appropriate to keep these scenarios in mind and exercise caution.
But did Auril gift me this because he already considered the possibility of this happening?
The question came to mind as this was the first bit of news I'd heard since I returned to the future, but there was no way of finding out for sure right now.
"Hmm... then you're not an evil spirit?" It seemed Erwen was telling the truth when she said she was not interested in my status, as she didn't pry into the matter. But she instead stubbornly pursued another line of questioning. "Um, then..."
"Hmm?"
"You and Amelia Rainwales, you two were together for over half a year...?"
"Th-that's right?"
"And she, like, fell in love with you for saving her life and said she'll be your comrade?"
"She didn't fall in love with me or anything like that, she was just repaying—"
"If she was just repaying you for a favor, then I guess you can abandon her now, right?"
"...Huh?"
Abandon? Amelia? Why is that suddenly the conclusion you jump to?
Unlike before, the conversation with Erwen was now a bit difficult to follow. While I was carefully choosing my words, Erwen spoke first. "Even if there were special circumstances, she's still a plunderer from Noark. How can you trust a woman like that?"
"But Amelia is a very useful talent..." I trailed off, then clammed up.
For some reason, Erwen was smiling at me with a peculiar look in her eyes. "Haha, Mister, you're cute..." This was probably my first time hearing that compliment since entering the body of a barbarian. It was only when I stared that Erwen noticed me looking and covered her mouth with her hand like she was embarrassed. But I guessed she had something she really wanted to say. "Mister, don't worry about that woman. You have me. I'm really strong now, enough that it doesn't even matter if she's gone. I make good money and I also have subordinates I can mobilize with a single word."
"Oh, really..."
"Yes. Of course, I know what you must have been thinking. Placed in a situation like that all of a sudden, you would have needed someone to rely on." She spoke as if she thought I couldn't live without a woman. While I was wondering whether I was just being sensitive, Erwen grabbed my hand and said something that clearly indicated her memories were warped. "It's possible that woman was quite trustworthy there. L-Like I was when you first met me... But don't worry. You have me now."
Honestly, her words only left me dumbfounded. It was true that we were close, but were we this close? Enough to say something like that without hesitation, despite meeting for the first time in two years and six months?
"I'll protect you from now on. Yeah, so..."
"So...?" I asked, an ominous feeling coming over me, and Erwen grinned.
"Next time you see her, make sure to kill her."
"Who...?"
"Rainwales, that woman!"
I was starting to understand why Amelia said what she did earlier.
"Yandel, that woman isn't the elf you used to know."
That innocent twenty-year-old elf was no more. All that was left was an elf with extremist tendencies who seemed to have a loose screw in her head.
If I let her jerk me around here, it's all over.
I instinctively realized that laughing her suggestion off would be the same as signing my death warrant.
"Behel—aaah!"
The first thing I did was shout, because whenever I did I felt like I could do anything. I didn't know what Erwen had gone through in the past two years, but she didn't even blink despite my sudden yelling. No, on the contrary, she clapped happily.
"Yay! It's Mister!"
...Jeez, so anticlimactic.
I forced myself to ignore Erwen's reaction and spoke in a firm tone. "Erwen, I'm not going to kill Amelia."
But as expected, Erwen wasn't going to take that lying down. "Pardon? Why not? Secrets are best kept between fewer people, right? The Fragment of Records Stone too. I think we need to hide the fact that you're alive for now, so there's no reason to keep that woman alive—"
"Stop." When I cut her off, Erwen tilted her head with an expression that told me she really couldn't understand my logic. "I'll take care of the matter with Amelia, so don't say anything like that again. Got it?" Sticking to my guns, I stared Erwen down until she answered.
Erwen looked around with a somewhat startled expression, almost like she was trying to figure out who I was scolding before her shoulders dropped. "...Okay. I won't."
Whew. Based on this, I think I can control her somehow.
***
After settling the matter of Amelia, I discussed a few things with Erwen before taking the secret passage leading aboveground.
"Don't worry. No one will see you."
Once we reached the overworld, Erwen used a spirit of darkness to conceal me and we headed to an inn. There weren't a lot of people out on the streets in the middle of the night, especially those skilled enough to detect Conceal.
"It's small, but please stay here tonight. I'll get you a better place by tomorrow..."
"Better place...?"
This was already a penthouse suite with four separate rooms attached to it. It was hard to believe those words were coming from Erwen, who once traveled an hour to have a thousand-stone meal just because it was cheap and tasty, but I guessed this was what you called the passage of time. It would be best to adapt to the changes as they came.
"Okay then, let's go in!"
"...You too?"
"Of course? I booked it with my own money."
Uh, that's true.
While I was rendered speechless by her logic, unable to come up with a retort, Erwen shoved me into the room. "Mister, do you remember this?" She suddenly pulled a bottle of alcohol out from her sub-space. I felt like I was being given a new test.
Remember...? Ah, I remember.
"Our first return drink."
Thankfully, that seemed to have been the right answer, because Erwen laughed and said, "I knew you would remember!" But then she said something I didn't want to hear. "Isn't this so romantic?"
"Romantic...?"
"This drink. I've been saving it to drink by myself once I kill all the bastards and bitches I need to kill. Ha, but to think I'll be drinking it with you..."
What on earth has happened to this girl? If this is the state she's in, I'm starting to worry about the state of the others...
"Okay, let's have a drink." Since keeping my head on straight after a drink was my specialty, I accepted Erwen's offer.
She still can't hold her liquor all that well.
Before long, Erwen was drunk and lying on the bed. At the sight of her sprawled out defenselessly, I worried whether she was like this in other places too.
No, I shouldn't worry about her.
I chuckled and sat on the chair by the window. I could now see why husbands craved alone time so much once they got married.
It's peaceful...
Taking a moment to relish in the silence in front of the moonlit window, I officially began sorting through my thoughts. The amount of information I had gotten during my conversation with the drunken Erwen was considerable, so now I had to organize it.
Raven was in the Third Magic Troop. Mr. Bear had joined a clan to make a living. She didn't know anything about Missha. And Ainar...
If all goes well, she will be the easiest to bring back.
I sighed and shook my head. Actually, there was a much more important hurdle than reuniting my scattered clanmates. All quests had to be completed in a certain order, after all.
She said the palace confirmed that I am an evil spirit a few months after the rumor spread...
Let's take care of that first.
Honestly, her words only left me dumbfounded. It was true that we were close, but were we this close? Enough to say something like that without hesitation, despite meeting for the first time in two years and six months?
"I'll protect you from now on. Yeah, so..."
"So...?" I asked, an ominous feeling coming over me, and Erwen grinned.
"Next time you see her, make sure to kill her."
"Who...?"
"Rainwales, that woman!"
I was starting to understand why Amelia said what she did earlier.
"Yandel, that woman isn't the elf you used to know."
That innocent twenty-year-old elf was no more. All that was left was an elf with extremist tendencies who seemed to have a loose screw in her head.
If I let her jerk me around here, it's all over.
I instinctively realized that laughing her suggestion off would be the same as signing my death warrant.
"Behel—aaah!"
The first thing I did was shout, because whenever I did I felt like I could do anything. I didn't know what Erwen had gone through in the past two years, but she didn't even blink despite my sudden yelling. No, on the contrary, she clapped happily.
"Yay! It's Mister!"
...Jeez, so anticlimactic.
I forced myself to ignore Erwen's reaction and spoke in a firm tone. "Erwen, I'm not going to kill Amelia."
But as expected, Erwen wasn't going to take that lying down. "Pardon? Why not? Secrets are best kept between fewer people, right? The Fragment of Records Stone too. I think we need to hide the fact that you're alive for now, so there's no reason to keep that woman alive—"
"Stop." When I cut her off, Erwen tilted her head with an expression that told me she really couldn't understand my logic. "I'll take care of the matter with Amelia, so don't say anything like that again. Got it?" Sticking to my guns, I stared Erwen down until she answered.
Erwen looked around with a somewhat startled expression, almost like she was trying to figure out who I was scolding before her shoulders dropped. "...Okay. I won't."
Whew. Based on this, I think I can control her somehow.
***
After settling the matter of Amelia, I discussed a few things with Erwen before taking the secret passage leading aboveground.
"Don't worry. No one will see you."
Once we reached the overworld, Erwen used a spirit of darkness to conceal me and we headed to an inn. There weren't a lot of people out on the streets in the middle of the night, especially those skilled enough to detect Conceal.
"It's small, but please stay here tonight. I'll get you a better place by tomorrow..."
"Better place...?"
This was already a penthouse suite with four separate rooms attached to it. It was hard to believe those words were coming from Erwen, who once traveled an hour to have a thousand-stone meal just because it was cheap and tasty, but I guessed this was what you called the passage of time. It would be best to adapt to the changes as they came.
"Okay then, let's go in!"
"...You too?"
"Of course? I booked it with my own money."
Uh, that's true.
While I was rendered speechless by her logic, unable to come up with a retort, Erwen shoved me into the room. "Mister, do you remember this?" She suddenly pulled a bottle of alcohol out from her sub-space. I felt like I was being given a new test.
Remember...? Ah, I remember.
"Our first return drink."
Thankfully, that seemed to have been the right answer, because Erwen laughed and said, "I knew you would remember!" But then she said something I didn't want to hear. "Isn't this so romantic?"
"Romantic...?"
"This drink. I've been saving it to drink by myself once I kill all the bastards and bitches I need to kill. Ha, but to think I'll be drinking it with you..."
What on earth has happened to this girl? If this is the state she's in, I'm starting to worry about the state of the others...
"Okay, let's have a drink." Since keeping my head on straight after a drink was my specialty, I accepted Erwen's offer.
She still can't hold her liquor all that well.
Before long, Erwen was drunk and lying on the bed. At the sight of her sprawled out defenselessly, I worried whether she was like this in other places too.
No, I shouldn't worry about her.
I chuckled and sat on the chair by the window. I could now see why husbands craved alone time so much once they got married.
It's peaceful...
Taking a moment to relish in the silence in front of the moonlit window, I officially began sorting through my thoughts. The amount of information I had gotten during my conversation with the drunken Erwen was considerable, so now I had to organize it.
Raven was in the Third Magic Troop. Mr. Bear had joined a clan to make a living. She didn't know anything about Missha. And Ainar...
If all goes well, she will be the easiest to bring back.
I sighed and shook my head. Actually, there was a much more important hurdle than reuniting my scattered clanmates. All quests had to be completed in a certain order, after all.
She said the palace confirmed that I am an evil spirit a few months after the rumor spread...
Let's take care of that first.