Surviving the Game as a Barbarian

Chapter 339: Snowball (3)

Chapter 339: Snowball (3)

My mind went blank.

It felt like someone had crushed a can, and Amelia's last words echoed in my head.

'The royal family announced that you were an evil spirit.'

'The royal family announced that you were an evil spirit.'

'The royal family announced that you were an evil spirit.'

It was a shock that felt like dozens of men were hitting my head with hammers.

If it weren't for her, I would have been stuck in this state for a while.

"Yandel."

"Ah..."

I came to my senses and saw Amelia's face close up. She was looking at me with worried eyes, her small right hand on my chest.

"Uh, uh..."

"I understand how you feel, but this isn't the time to be spacing out."

"Ah, sorry..."

Amelia grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward, and I followed her in a daze.

She was right.

[It's unclear if she still has that intention...]

Erwen also knew that I was an evil spirit.

It meant I couldn't expect her to treat me like a companion anymore.

This... probably applied to the other companions as well.

'So...'

I clenched my jaw.

'The day has finally come.'

I accepted it, but I couldn't help but think...

Maybe it's not too late.

Erwen was chasing Amelia because she thought Amelia had killed me. Maybe she would still treat me like a companion, regardless of whether I was an evil spirit or not.

Yes, that possibility definitely existed.

But...

"You don't have to hold my hand anymore."

I let go of Amelia's wrist and started running on my own.

Amelia was right.

Erwen couldn't protect me.

Even if she wanted to, she was a member of the fairy tribe.

If she helped me, it would harm her tribe, and she was more likely to prioritize her tribe over her personal feelings.

'...That's just an excuse.'

I chuckled bitterly as I ran.

No matter how sly and cowardly I was, I couldn't deceive myself.

I didn't want to see Erwen yet.

To be precise, I was afraid.

I was afraid of what I would hear from her.

[That's right! The chieftain said the same thing! We have to kill evil spirits as soon as we find them!]

Ainar's words.

[Yeah... I didn't know before, but after today, I finally understand. Why people told me not to trust evil spirits...]

Misha's words.

[It's wise to kill them when you have the chance. That's what happened to those who trusted evil spirits. The result is right there.]

Avman's words.

Clench.

They stabbed me like daggers.

Just thinking about it made me feel this way, how would it feel to actually experience it?

What would it be like to see them doubt my sincerity and express their anger at being deceived?

"..."

If I could just get past this situation, I might be able to smooth things over and prevent that day from ever coming.

So I ran after Amelia.

"Yandel, this way!"

We left the empty plaza and headed towards the Lord's Castle in the center of the city.

There was a secret passage in the Lord's Castle, not just in the cemetery.

We had to escape through that passage—

Creak!

As we arrived at the Lord's Castle and I was forcing the closed door open.

"Yandel, get down!"

Amelia pushed me through the gap in the door.

Whoosh.

And at that moment...

Thud.

An arrow, shot without a sound, pierced Amelia's back.

"...!"

Amelia gasped, her body swaying.

She collapsed on top of me.

"You're... okay..."

"...What the—!"

"Your face... you don't seem like... you'll hurt her..."

I couldn't understand what she was saying.

But I didn't have time to ask.

I quickly picked Amelia up and stood up.

"I'll... take her..."

Amelia was still trying to say something, but she couldn't finish her sentence.

Crack!

Amelia exploded.

While she was in my arms.

_____________________

?Erwen Fornachi di Tersia has cast [Rupture].?

_____________________

Thud, thud, thud.

Dozens of pieces fell to the ground.

It was a surreal scene.

"Am, Amelia...?"

The weight in my arms vanished.

But I couldn't move my arms, even though they were empty.

I just stood there, thinking.

Amelia is dead?

Like this...?

And... because of Erwen...?

My body froze, but then I noticed something strange.

"Blood."

There was no blood.

If a person had exploded into pieces like that, there should have been blood splattered everywhere.

But there wasn't a single drop of blood on my body.

And then...

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The hundreds of pieces of Amelia's body turned into particles of light and disappeared.

Just like a monster dying.

?Amelia Rainwales' clone has taken fatal damage.?

?The summon is dispelled.?

Right, it was a clone made with [Self-Replication].

Whew, that startled me.

I really thought she was dead.

'If she was going to use a clone, she should have told me beforehand.'

I was annoyed, but I quickly dismissed it.

This wasn't the time to be complaining.

'I have to run.'

I started running.

I had memorized the path to the secret passage while following Amelia to Noark.

The problem was whether I could get there safely.

Thud.

No arrows yet.

But I didn't know how long this would last.

So...

'Can I win if we fight?'

I considered the worst-case scenario.

That Erwen was hostile towards me and wanted to kill me.

And as I thought about that possibility, I remembered the scene of Amelia's body exploding.

'That effect...'

It wasn't a normal explosion.

There were no flames.

And no shrapnel, like a grenade.

Her body just crumbled into pieces, like a Jenga tower collapsing.

'...It must have been [Rupture].'

The effect of [Rupture] is simple.

Whether it's an arrow, a sword, or an axe, if the blade pierces the flesh and deals a certain amount of damage...

It deals fixed damage based on the caster's main stat.

It ignores Physical Resistance, Magic Resistance, and all elemental resistances.

Just like Aura, which is unique to humans.

'And she even obtained the 'Pureblood' and contracted the Spirit King...'

Whether it was [Rupture] or not, I didn't think I could win in a one-on-one fight.

She would have high-grade equipment to match her specs.

'How can I possibly win against that with my bare hands?'

I was running with all my might when...

Whoosh.

The Light Gem in my hand, which was illuminating the dark underground city, suddenly went out.

It wasn't a natural phenomenon.

I had used Light Gems before.

This magic tool gradually dims and then goes out when it runs out of mana.

It doesn't just suddenly turn off like this.

'...Darkness Spirit?'

I didn't expect her to have mastered this element as well.

I stopped running.

Thud.

I was confident in memorizing paths.

If I focused on my steps, I could probably find my way to the secret passage even in the dark.

As long as there wasn't a pursuer behind me.

'Escape failed.'

I closed my eyes.

It was time to abandon my useless vision and focus on other senses.

And then...

My heightened hearing caught the sound of footsteps.

Thud.

It was unexpected.

I thought I would hear the sound of an arrow first.

'Well, even if she thinks I'm an evil spirit, she would probably want to talk to me first.'

I tensed up, ready to move at any moment, and thought about Amelia's last words.

[Your face... you don't seem like... you'll hurt her...]

She must have seen his face.

Amelia had much better vision than me.

She might have made eye contact with Erwen, who was shooting arrows from the darkness.

But...

'How could she be so sure just by looking at his face?'

No one knew what Erwen was thinking as she walked towards me in the darkness.

So...

"Erwen?"

I called her name.

There was no answer.

And the footsteps stopped.

Thump!

The only sound was my heartbeat, echoing like thunder in the silence.

"Mister."

And then, after a long time, I heard that familiar name.

The Light Gem started working again.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

The light spread out, illuminating the surroundings.

And...

"It's really..."

I finally understood.

Why Amelia said it was fortunate.

Why she was so sure that Erwen wouldn't hurt me.

"It's really... you...?"

Her eyes were filled with emotion.

Joy, relief, anticipation, anxiety, fear.

And...

"H, how..."

Distrust.

"You... you're supposed to be dead..."

"Ah, that's... what happened."

"What happened? How can you say that so casually?!"

Erwen's voice rose in anger, but then she suddenly stopped talking.

"...Could this be... her doing?"

She muttered, as if realizing something.

And her eyes turned sharp.

"Who are you?"

Uh, I didn't expect her mood swings to be this severe...

I started to feel uneasy, but I tried to hide it and answered.

"Who am I? I'm Bjorn Yandel."

"Liar."

"What? You don't believe me? I'll use [Gigantification] if you want."

"Go ahead."

Her tone was curt, but I didn't hesitate and activated [Gigantification].

"Wh, what... It's really you?!"

Erwen's voice returned to normal.

Well, only for a moment.

"It's really you—!"

"No, I don't believe it yet."

"...Huh?"

"Use something else."

Erwen's eyes, filled with tears a moment ago, turned cold, and I quickly used [Leap].

And...

"It's really you...!"

"Yeah, I'm glad you finally believe me—!"

"...You think this is enough? It's not."

The same thing happened several times.

Erwen wouldn't be satisfied until she had seen all my essences.

I felt a chill run down my spine when she told me to use [Flesh Explosion].

"...You're a fake."

Her eyes were filled with madness and killing intent.

But I explained that I had removed the essence, and then I started talking about things only we knew.

"Our first meeting. What did you give me?"

"Licorice leaf."

"The name of the inn where we spent our first night together."

"..."

"Can't... answer...?"

"It, it was Garlic and Salt Inn."

"Too late."

"No, I was just flustered because you said 'first night'. We just went to see the essences..."

"Hmm."

We continued talking about the past.

As I shared stories that only we knew, her mood swings gradually subsided, and finally, she seemed to have completely dismissed her suspicion.

Although I still didn't know when she would suddenly change her mind and point an arrow at me.

But at least for now, she had accepted me.

"Mister...!"

"It's been a long time, Erwen. It's been two years and six months, right?"

After a long time, she finally greeted me.

Erwen put away her bow and clenched her fists, her eyes filled with tears.

"Why... why did you come back now?! You were alive all this time... Why didn't you come find me?!"

Ah, she must have felt that way.

I didn't want to come back, but...

"There were some complications."

I quickly answered, worried that she might suddenly change her mind.

Erwen then cautiously asked,

"Complications... are you talking about the announcement that you were an evil spirit?"

It was the most important question of this conversation.

A hurdle I had to overcome.

"Yeah, that's..."

I felt a mix of guilt and relief.

Erwen had clearly decided not to believe the announcement. She was talking to me now, wasn't she? That was proof—

"No? What does that have to do with anything?"

"...Huh?"

Erwen tilted her head, as if I had asked a strange question.

And then she started explaining, as if teaching me something.

"Mister, we met after I became an adult, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Evil spirits only appear on the day you become an adult."

"...So?"

"So what does it matter if you're an evil spirit or not?"

"...Well, that's true..."

I couldn't help but stammer.

Erwen then grabbed my hand.

"You protected me in the cave, taught me things I didn't know, and helped me get back on my feet after my sister died... It was all you, mister."

Her hand was warm.

"No matter what anyone says, you're Bjorn Yandel to me."

I was touched.

There were people who thought this way too.

"..."

I wanted to say thank you, but I couldn't.

Erwen probably didn't know how much her words meant to me.

"But..."

She let go of my hand.

And her eyes and tone returned to their previous coldness.

"Are you really... mister?"

I felt like I was going crazy.