Chapter 316 - Memory (1)

TICK, TICK, TICK...

The second hand completed a full revolution, and the minute hand finally shifted to the next mark, but I was never summoned to the spiritual world.

I checked the date and time again, then waited all the way until morning in case the clock was broken. Nothing changed.

So what on earth had happened?

Amelia and I discussed it all night, narrowing down the possibilities until we had three left.

To go through them one by one...

1. A temporary error happened to occur this time.

In this scenario, what had happened was pure coincidence, not someone's machinations.

The odds weren't zero. Whether it was an electronic device or a magic tool embodying the very essence of magic, a person had made it, after all. Rare though it was, even subspace rings sometimes broke down, leaving their contents inaccessible until they were repaired.

Still, that wasn't very likely.

This explanation made more sense.

2. Auriel Gabis had banished me from the spiritual world.

This seemed more likely than the first possibility. Judging by his attitude, the old geezer had absolutely no reason to banish me at this point, but he was a devious old bastard whose intentions I could never fathom.

I couldn't rule out the possibility that this was another one of his schemes.

Anyway, moving on.

3. Something unavoidable had come up for Auriel Gabis.

This was entirely plausible too. In fact, I considered it the likeliest of the three.

I couldn't even imagine what sort of incident would have to occur to endanger that monstrous old geezer...

But this was a world crawling with monsters. Even he had to have enemies who posed a threat.

The royal family, for one.

'Forget it. Let's get some sleep.'

With no way of finding out which answer was correct, there was no point dwelling on it any further.

We decided to wait until the fifteenth of the following month. The days passed, and we made another trip to the Labyrinth.

["Hahaha! Another success! Keep this up, and we'll all be rich in no time!"]

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened in the Labyrinth. Just like last time, we kept busy plundering plunderers until it closed.

Nothing happened at midnight on the fifteenth, either.

["You couldn't go this time either?"]

["... No."]

Even when the appointed time arrived, my mind remained in my body.

'God, this is really unsettling....'

What the hell was going on?

My frustration grew by the day.

* * *

One morning the following month.

'Time sure flies.'

Forcing away a bitter smile, I carefully folded the calendar in my hand and put it in my pocket.

Four months had already passed since we came to the past.

I quietly rose and picked up my coat. Without even looking my way, Amelia asked,

"Going again today?"

"There's nothing to do here. What about you?"

"I'll stay here."

After that flat exchange with Amelia, I left our lodgings.

Most of our conversations went like that these days. Short, superficial, and always carrying an invisible edge.

'God, this is so damn uncomfortable.'

It had been bearable at first, but with only a few days left until D-day, things had gotten much worse.

We still hadn't found any real solution. And despite my hopes, the community hadn't opened this time either.

'... Did he really banish me?'

I was tempted to check. The Commander of Orculus was in this underground city, after all. If I went and asked, I could find out whether I'd been kicked out or the community server itself had gone down.

'What am I thinking? It wouldn't change anything anyway.'

Sighing, I walked the streets of the underground city.

I'd gotten pretty familiar with this place before I knew it. Apart from the alleys and the eastern District that served as Orculus's base, I'd memorized practically all the main roads.

"Ah, Boss! You're here!"

When I reached the clan house in the lord's castle, Dumbo welcomed me.

After three trips into the Labyrinth together, he no longer showed any of his old fear or reluctance around me. In fact, judging by his behavior, he was practically my devoted henchman.

"Come on, sit here! Want a drink?"

"Something light."

"Haha, just a moment! I'll bring it right over!"

I settled into an empty seat with an air of importance. Dumbo soon brought me a drink and sat beside me.

Then he started talking away like a jukebox. Mostly, he rattled on about rumors circulating around the city or recent incidents. He had a gift for gab, so listening to him wasn't bor—

"Oh, right, Boss. Have you heard about barbarian hearts?"

Suddenly, he said something I couldn't let go in one ear and out the other.

"Hearts? What about them? Tell me."

"Ah, you haven't heard? Apparently, the rumor's already all over the surface. Barbarian hearts are useful as magic ingredients, so they fetch a high price."

"... What?"

The Magic Tower wouldn't announce that barbarian hearts were valuable magic ingredients for another ten years or so. That was long after the war between the elves and barbarians.

And yet that story was already circulating?

'Did I change the future? No, that can't be...?'

Unable to believe it, I pressed Dumbo for details. This was what he told me.

"Oh, the Magic Tower didn't announce it. It's actually just a false rumor."

"A false rumor?"

"Apparently, the Commander commissioned the Melter Trading Company a few months back. Asked them to spread that rumor on the surface."

'What? That fucking...'

I didn't need to hear any more to understand the whole situation.

Of course. Clan leader Felik Barker had only one reason to make such a request of the Melter Trading Company, Noark's sole trading company and its link to the surface.

"I reckon the Commander thought surface plunderers would fall for our trick much more easily if that rumor got around. Though I don't think even he expected it to spread this far."

Perhaps he thought I didn't understand, because Dumbo explained even the details I hadn't asked about. Apparently, the false rumor hadn't just spread all over the surface; it had come full circle and been exported back into Noark.

At that, a curse slipped out on its own.

"Motherfucker."

"... Sorry?"

"Quiet."

"..."

At that one word, Dumbo promptly checked my expression and clamped his mouth shut. I calmly sorted through my thoughts.

My head was a mess.

It would probably be exposed as a false rumor soon enough.

But...

'What if this was how it started...?'

That thought wouldn't leave me alone. What if the false rumor Felik Barker spread led a few mages to begin researching the matter in earnest, ultimately giving barbarian hearts their value ten years later?

In other words...

'Then I could have been the cause of that whole insane business...?'

It was only a thought for now. The problem was, it didn't feel like a stretch at all.

"Dumbo, I'm leaving."

"Huh? Yes, Boss!"

I wasn't in the mood to sit around socializing at the clan house. Once I stepped outside, though, I had nowhere to go.

I was wandering around inside the lord's castle as if out for a stroll when someone spoke.

"So you're this Iron Mask fellow?"

An old man passing by suddenly stopped and addressed me.

I couldn't quite bring myself to ignore him. This world was particularly unkind to the elderly. To survive to that age, you needed the skills to match.

"And who are you?"

At my cautious question, the old man chuckled and took a fingernail-sized magic crystal from his pocket.

Then...

"This sort of person."

As he spoke, the magic crystal shone and turned into bread.

* * *

An alchemist.

A transmutation mage born with the aptitude to turn magic crystals into things like bread or iron.

'... I never expected to run into someone like this in a hallway.'

In a sense, an alchemist could be considered a bigger deal than the lord or the Commander of Orculus. No, in Noark, at least, that was definitely true.

As far as I knew, there were only two alchemists here.

Whoever inherited the lord's position, the city wouldn't immediately collapse. But if the alchemists' positions stood vacant, this city was finished.

Not figuratively. Literally.

"Hoho, judging by your surprise, this must be your first time seeing alchemy?"

First time or not, I couldn't make sense of this. Who could have imagined running into someone who was practically the foundation of this city in a hallway?

'Wait. Even inside the lord's castle, an alchemist would have to be crazy to wander around alone...'

Finding it utterly implausible, I examined my surroundings and felt eyes on me from several directions.

Since I couldn't readily see them, they must all have absorbed stealth-related Essences...

"You're more perceptive than I expected. Don't worry too much. They're merely my guards."

Perceptive, my ass. They were making their presence known without even trying to hide it.

It was a warning not to try anything funny.

"Ah, but I haven't even told you my name. I'm Marpa Iphaello. You may call me whichever you prefer, though if I had to choose, I'd rather you used my surname."

"... Iron Mask."

"I know. Since fate has brought us together, would you care to talk for a while?"

"All right."

I accepted his invitation without giving it much thought. It might have been different with the other alchemist, who was notorious for his foul temper, but I'd heard this old man's name often enough from Amelia.

'The man who created Lete's Blessing.'

That alone made him well worth talking to.

"Hmm, you're just as easygoing as I've heard. Come along."

'As he's heard, huh... So this wasn't a chance encounter. He came looking for me after all.'

Iphaello started down the corridor, and I followed him. Nobody stopped me even when we went past the restricted third floor, presumably because he was with me.

Eventually, we reached the alchemist's workshop.

"I'll be fine from here on. All of you, wait outside."

'It's kind of like a mage's laboratory, but a little different.'

As I scanned the room upon entering, he sent all his hidden guards out and offered me a seat.

"Sit down. Let me know if you'd like something to drink."

"I'm fine."

Normally, this would have been the moment I insisted on getting some meat to seize control of the conversation. This time, I skipped that part. If Amelia found out I'd been rude, I was certain to get an earful.

This old man was a benefactor who had looked after Amelia as a child. Regardless of his position, I couldn't treat him carelessly.

Still, I had my dignity as a barbarian to maintain, so I couldn't use honorifics.

"So why did you bring me here?"

"I simply wondered what sort of person you were. I've never heard those children talk so happily about their time in the Labyrinth."

Feigning ignorance, I asked,

"Those children?"

"Laura and Amelia. Lovely children. Whenever I get lonely, I sometimes invite them over, give them a few treats, and ask them to keep me company."

"... I see."

"I'd been worried, but seeing you puts all those worries to rest. They're unfortunate children, so please take good care of them from now on."

"I will."

I nodded, then cautiously asked,

"But if you're going to ask me that, why not just look after them yourself?"

"Hehe, that isn't so easy at the moment."

He answered obliquely, leaving out the details, but I already knew something of his circumstances.

'At first, he only gave them treats, but after one of the alchemists died, he took them out of their team and raised them himself.'

His earlier attempts to get them out had probably fallen through. There were currently two alchemists in the city. With a clear replacement available, he couldn't wield absolute power.

"How are the children these days?"

"They're doing well. I'm trying not to give them dangerous work whenever possible."

"... I see."

The conversation that naturally followed mainly concerned the Reinweils sisters. Iphaello asked in detail about how they were doing, and I answered without hiding anything.

Then, watching for an opening, I spoke at a suitable moment.

"By the way, can they hear us out there?"

"If you mean the guards, speak freely. They won't hear us. Is there something you wanted to ask?"

"Can alchemy remove restrictions imposed by an Essence?"

"Restrictions? If you mean poison or something of that sort, it can..."

He had been answering casually, but his voice trailed off before he spoke again.

"Don't tell me you're referring to [Unsound Contract]?"

"I might be."

I shrugged.

Was that enough of an answer?

"... That lies beyond the realm of alchemy."

"I see."

"Yes, unfortunately."

Iphaello gave a bitter smile.

I was no less disappointed, but I didn't bother showing it. Well, if it hadn't existed in the game, there was no reason for it to exist in this era.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Iphaello spoke warmly, apparently having taken a liking to me, so I took the opportunity to ask about the pill called Lete's Blessing.

His response was rather strange.

"Lete's Blessing? What's that?"

"The... medicine that erases memories."

"Ah, that! But that medicine doesn't have a name yet..."

Uh, I hadn't seen that coming...

"Lete, though... It has a nice ring to it. And describing oblivion as a blessing is wonderfully romantic."

At those words, I let out a silent sigh.

I'd wondered why it was called 'Lete,' of all things.

"Excellent. I'd been trying to think of a name anyway. Why don't I use that?"

Who would have thought even that had a backstory like this?