Surviving as a Barbarian in the Game - Episode 287
287Hwa causality (3)
After Raven left the library, I wanted to follow her and find out where her house was, but I decided against it..
Because that wouldn't be polite between colleagues..
The reason you haven't mentioned your family situation to me until now is probably because you didn't want it to be known. If you're really curious, it's better to go back later and ask directly..
‘……So what do we do now??’
I continued organizing my plans after Raven left, but I couldn't concentrate so I just left. And as she ate a quick meal and was rolling around in bed, Amelia, who had gone out early, came back..
“……Have you been like that all day??”
“however?”
I told you to stay at home?
As he stared at me with those eyes, Amelia shook her head and threw down her heavy bag..
“Here, take it..”
“……money?”
“This is the proceeds from selling the equipment and goods owned by the looters. Now that we've divided it in half, go out to the city tomorrow and start fitting in the equipment you'll be using in the future..”
“Oh, that's quite a lot.?”
“There aren't many blacksmith shops in Noark, so it's difficult to buy new equipment, so don't use it for harsh purposes, but only use it where it's absolutely necessary..”
Oh, the nagging.
“What were you doing? How is it going??”
“It's still in progress.”
Amelia said she would let me know again when results were achieved, but then disappeared somewhere, saying she had work to do..
I stopped by to give you money in the first place.?
‘I'm going to go eat some grilled meat tomorrow..’
After daylight, I went out early and headed to Commelby, a commercial district called 'Free Market'. I also requested that some equipment be custom-made at a blacksmith shop that I often use..
They say it will take about 3 weeks.…….
‘Business was good here even 20 years ago..’
Well, I understand..
There are not many places in Commelbee that handle top-tier equipment while providing good cost-effectiveness like this one..
‘While I'm here, I should take a look around here too..’
Since there was nothing else to do, I just wandered around and enjoyed sightseeing..
Stop by the Central Exchange to check prices, ask nearby explorers and try out restaurants from 20 years ago, etc..
We played comfortably until right after the last train, and at night we went back to our accommodations, had a drink, and went to sleep..
And the next morning, the third day.
‘Huh, I'm shaking.’
visited a holy place.
It was my first time seeing this face and I was worried that someone might talk to me.…….
‘Is it because there is a large population? 20 years later, the atmosphere is completely different..’
Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about..
It was different in many ways from our generation, which memorized names and faces by up to a year, not only their motivations, but also their motivations..
‘Okay, let’s just leave the letter and run away..’
Soon, I was loitering near the tribal leader's tent, and while the tribal leader was away, I put away the letter I had written the day before and left the sacred area..
And I visited the Leatlas Church..
Coincidentally, there was a notice for a request that was just right..
The contents are repairs to buildings under the denomination..
A request that is virtually volunteer work, with the only reward being public value..
“Received.”
Since the request start date was 3 days later, I just submitted the application today and went out on the streets..
For now, today's work is done.…….
Since I had some time left, I went to the library..
And as I was quietly gathering my thoughts like yesterday, the chair across from me was pulled up loudly..
Grumbling.
Yes, you're back again..
“Nice to meet you, Arua.”
“…….”
He readily called me by name and said hello, but Raven's expression was pouty..
“Why didn't you come yesterday??”
No, it's like we were supposed to meet up for some reason..
He said it was time to go and he was the one who left without looking back..
“Okay, did you eat??”
“huh.”
To my question, Raven answered that she ate a piece of bread she brought from home..
Well, what kind of meal is that?.
“Let's go out and eat some grilled meat..”
“……meat?”
“Do you hate it??”
“I don't know.”
“I don't know?”
“I've never eaten it before.”
Phew, this guy really makes me cry..
“Then I guess I can try it today. What are you doing? Get up quickly. Can’t you study later?.”
“but…….”
“I'm going to go to the store in front anyway, so don't worry too much..”
“I wasn't worried or anything..”
Perhaps annoyed at being treated like a child, Raven closed the book and got down from the chair. Then he moved one space to the side and was a little further away from me..
“Don't pity me. I can buy things like meat with my own money later..”
The very act of trying to buy me something seems to have hurt my pride..
Sigh, that was my mistake..
There must be an approach suitable for this type..
“Oh, I'm sorry if you thought that way..”
After I apologized honestly, Raven got down from the chair again..
and…….
“This is my first time seeing an adult apologize. I'll take a look.”
I went back to where I first sat and sat down..
This is it, it's not even a cat.
“I'm going to read a book now, so don't disturb me..”
Soon, Raven spoke in a clear voice and started reading the book for real..
It was a little absurd.
When did I interrupt you?…….
“…….”
“…….”
Anyway, time passed quietly with that appropriate distance between us..
Tuk.
It was when I turned the last page of the book I was reading that Raven spoke to me again..
“……I'm an explorer?”
Honestly, it was a question I was wondering when it would come out..
Because kids are crazy about things like this again..
“Yes, explorer..”
“What grade is it??”
“5Rating… … No, it's level 6.”
I quickly corrected myself..
Just in case, I decided that it would be right to base all answers on the 'Nibelz Nche' standard..
“It's high?”
“It's just normal. Most explorers in the books you read here would have passed level 4..”
“Um, I see..”
Surprisingly, Raven did not argue or show a dismissive attitude about the low grade..
Just showing curiosity.
“can you talk to me?”
“About the labyrinth??”
“huh.”
Afterwards, as if I was playing with a child, I told stories about things that happened in the labyrinth, interesting incidents I heard while living as an explorer, and stories mixed with exaggeration..
Oh, I left out the bad stories as much as possible..
In Raven's case, it's different from Dwalky..
Well, we need to protect the innocence of children..
“It's fun. All barbarians are like you.?”
“It's not you, it's Nibeles Enche..”
“Oh sorry. From now on, I will call you by your first name..”
Contrary to my first impression of what a crazy kid this is, Raven was surprisingly well thought out..
He was considerate and would not do to others what he did not like..
There was just one thing missing.
“But why do you go around arguing with adults??”
“I didn't mean to argue.”
“There's no way a smart kid like you wouldn't know that there's a better way than turning off electricity all of a sudden..”
“……I don't know, anything like that..”
What I felt during the conversation was that Raven had a strong desire to be recognized..
Well, who doesn't have that desire?…….
This was several times worse than other kids his age..
Perhaps the act of electrifying passers-by who blocked the road was an expression of that mentality. Anyone would want to show off that they are a wizard..
Well, I guess I never got the reaction I was expecting..
From experience, if you suddenly receive an electric attack, there is only one thing that comes to mind:.
Did this crazy kid turn around??
“Then I'll go now. Bye.”
It was a little earlier than yesterday, but Raven left the library as if she was running away from an unpleasant topic..
Therefore, I just returned to my dorm..
And three days passed.
***
20years ago.
There was a time when I was so amazed by this fact that I walked around the streets laughing every day, but I quickly lost interest..
Does that mean it was 20 years ago??
In the end, it is the same place where people live..
So, for the past three days, except for chatting with Raven in the library, I've mostly stayed in the dorm..
‘Oh, by the way, I didn't tell you that I couldn't go today..’
After meeting and talking every day for a few days, I became quite friendly with Raven..
Not only did he tell me about the labyrinth, he even brought up the story about his family first..
‘……It was unexpected.’
Raven was from a single-parent family.
It's not that my father died, but that I had an affair and left home a year ago.?
Oh, by the way, my father was also a wizard..
Somehow, no matter how smart the child was, I wondered if it would be possible for him to learn magic just by reading books in the library, but he was able to do it because his father taught him all the basics..
[Anyway, that's why my mom doesn't want me to learn magic. I sold all the books I had at home. I guess I'm thinking of that person.]
I was dazed by the family news that came in without even blinking, but Raven said it was no big deal..
It seems to me that even that was part of a defense mechanism..
Because if I pretend like nothing is wrong with others, it seems like it will really be nothing for me too..
‘Ha, it really blows my mind.…….’
So I recently had a new goal..
The goal is none other than helping Raven enter the Magic Tower. Well, even if it's not me, I will become a member of the Magic Tower someday.…….
‘The sooner you enroll, the better..’
Perhaps when Raven returns to the future, she may become an even greater wizard..
Hmm, but then the first meeting will be different too??
‘Oh, how different it would be.’
All it will do is make vampire battles a little easier, and even if that's not the case, it doesn't matter..
Because the past has already been distorted.
left a letter at the shrine.
Moreover, in three weeks time, Amelia and I will go down to Noark and save the life of a person who should have died..
‘If it's going to change anyway, it's better to try to induce it to change in a way that's better for us..’
Yeah, in that sense…….
Tuk.
When I arrived at my destination, I took a deep breath at the entrance..
‘I'm kind of nervous.’
Nursery school affiliated with the Leatlas Church.
It is also the place where Dwalki spent his childhood..
“Oh, are you Nivelz Nche??”
“right.”
“Please wait here for a moment, and the foreman will guide you on what to do today. Well, can I get you something to drink??”
“no, it's okay.”
He soon entered the orphanage and said he was there to do volunteer work, then sat down and waited for a while. As I was doing that, a tough-looking man came and led me and a few volunteers to the site..
“As you can see, the building is a bit old, so there are quite a few uncomfortable and dangerous places for children to stay. We divided the groups into groups with a good mix of experienced and beginners, so let's all work hard today..”
What I will be doing here for about a week from today is repair work on the old building..
I felt a little strange.
The last time I came here, it wasn't for repairs, but to carry luggage just before demolition..
“Hey, Brother Barbarian! The morning work is finished, so go get some rest.!”
Anyway, for now, I worked hard as I was told and then went to the vacant lot where the children were playing in my spare time..
Finding Dwalki wasn't difficult..
While everyone was running around, there was a child reading a book alone under the shade of a tree..
‘……You didn't have any friends at this time either..’
While drinking water from a canteen, I naturally went to the shaded area and sat next to him. However, I couldn't think of the lines I had prepared to naturally become friends..
All I could think of was this guy's last moments..
When we meet again someday, there were a lot of things I wanted to say..
“Rain, I'll get out of your way. rest…….”
Perhaps uncomfortable with my staring gaze, Dwalki hesitated and stood up..
Only then did I come to my senses..
Let's stop feeling sentimental later and do what needs to be done now..
“sit down.”
“yes, four!”
“……You can say it comfortably. Because I don't eat it.”
“…….”
At my words, Dwalki sat down again, but he was busy looking at me with an uncomfortable expression, as if he was sitting on a thorn cushion..
Wow, I didn't know he could be this passive..
“What is your name??”
“It's Rioll.”
“last name?”
“I don't want to say it.”
“I am Nivelz Enche. Level 6 Exploration.”
“yes…….”
Huh, it seems like this is bullying me..
Don’t you usually like it when someone who looks like an explorer comes??
Yeah, like these kids.
“Wow, it's a barbarian.!”
“Is this a tattoo? It didn't hurt when I did it.?”
As I sat down on the floor, the children who were playing came up to me with curiosity. And when she revealed that she was an explorer, she asked to talk about the labyrinth..
I looked at Dwalki's expression as he moved to a corner..
‘He could have just slipped away, but looking at what's left, I guess he's curious too..’
Dwalki was also looking this way from afar, as if he wanted to hear about the labyrinth. Therefore, I began to unpack the story in earnest..
Oh, of course, it was a different version from the dream and childlike story I told Raven..
“Goblin! I also caught a goblin?”
“Cancer, I tried to kill it. After crushing the eyeball with her hand like this, she hit it with her fist like this. The skull was pretty hard so I had to hit it three times..”
“Wow……”
“Suddenly, I remember stepping on a trap. At that time, I thought I was really going crazy. Not only the muscles but also the tendons were torn, so I couldn't use one foot at all. Unable to walk properly, I crawled in the dark for hours looking for someone to save me..”
“Uh oh…….”
“okay. Even thinking about it again, it was a difficult experience. There was a bone sticking out of my shin, and how much it hurt every time it touched the floor. In the middle, the goblin paralysis poison was released and I thought I was really going crazy. I didn't realize it at the time, but later I found out that I was missing a molar..”
“……to?”
Perhaps they weren't expecting such a realistic story, but as the story continued, the children's faces darkened..
Well, who would have come and told me this?.
“Oh, and one more thing. Usually, people think that monsters turn into magic stones as soon as they die, but that is a mistake. While pouring brain fluids out of his nose and ear holes, he stares at me for about 3 seconds. With eyes like this.”
“…….”
“Isn't it boring to just talk about monsters? Now, let me talk about people this time. Among the people I know, I once met a predator who wore human ears like necklaces.…….”
“……Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
A little girl who was shivering in front of the family ran out crying..
Anyway, I continued talking..
“Doesn't this look good? Now let me tell you about the first time I got my arm ripped off..”
“…….”
“Is this too bad? then… … . Well, I guess I should tell you about the guild that tried to frame me and kill me..”
“excuse me…….”
“huh?”
“Well, that's all there is to it.?”
Just as I was about to continue the conversation, a child trembled and asked me:.
I nodded without a moment of hesitation..
“So what do you want? I don't know what you've heard, but terrible things like this happen every day during expeditions..”
This was the undeniable truth.
Even though you smiled at that moment, saying it was a good thing to be an explorer.
It must have been a terrible thing.
“Yeah, I mean…….”
I looked at Dwalki and said,.
“You don't do this. got it?”
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