This is real? Isn't it a joke?
I remained motionless for a long time, seized by a sensation that could only be explained as confusion. My fingertips trembled weakly and my breathing became increasingly labored. But still, it didn't take me long to accept.
A temporary slip.
Only that could explain all the contradictions that had arisen since I woke up on this island. Denying it made no sense. Yes, why would it be impossible to travel back in time when it was also possible to suddenly wake up in a barbarian's body while playing on the computer?
Organizing my thoughts, I looked at Amelia. «You already knew it».
«To some extent». Amelia nodded slightly and told me that she had only convinced herself after meeting those guys. I had only heard about them in one book, but apparently they were very famous at that time.
...No wonder he acted strangely. She's not the type of person to strike the first blow like that.
It was kind of a time traveler's advantage, seeing through the identities of these bastards with an ulterior motive, and crushing their skulls before they could try anything. It must have been absurd from the victim's point of view.
«F-famous, what are you talking about?»
It doesn't matter, I didn't have time to explain it. Explaining it didn't make sense either. «Are there other clan members besides you here on this island? If the answer is yes, nod your head slightly».
I quickly moved on to the interrogation. After solving some questions I had, I took some time to think.
«Twenty years ago, huh...?»
First of all, the time period was twenty years in the past. Simply put, we just met people whose crimes would be revealed and who would be executed within five years.
The situation is more problematic than I thought.
What we discovered through interrogations 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 scout.
«...We should move first.»
«Should».
After quickly exchanging glances with Amelia, we ended our communication. Surprisingly, she and I got along quite well in this area. That was because there was no need for persuasion.
«Let's strip your team first.»
«Oh, I'll take care of these guys here.»
We skillfully strip away their equipment and steal their backpacks.
Stab.
Then we killed them all. And rightly so, because how were we going to send them back alive when they would come chasing us with their comrades as soon as they arrived?
First of all, they deserved to die.
They had the emblem of a clan whose crimes would be revealed in five years. Not only was there clear evidence of his looting in his backpacks, but during the interrogation we heard several things that left no room for doubt about his guilt.
«And the bodies?»
«We better bury them».
«Well, let's dig».
I followed Amelia's suggestion to bury the bodies without objection. You must follow the expert's advice in these situations.
«Then I will erase our traces there.»
While I was digging the earth to bury the bodies, Amelia returned to the camp and dismantled the bonfire and the bed of grass that I had painstakingly dug. It was the moment when my ephemeral primitive life came to an end. Time to return to civilization.
«It's a dagger. Will you use it?»
Stripping away our Tree Spirit Protections, we put on the equipment we gained by killing those bastards. It couldn't compare to the equipment I used, but I could work with this. Asking for more here would only be greed. After burying the bodies and covering them with soil, I chewed dried meat and drank the water from the drum. Then I used the compass to check the direction.
Ugh, now I feel like a person.
This was nothing new at this point.
***
«There is a cave I saw before. Let's go there.»
The sky slowly lit up and turned blue. After following Amelia for about thirty minutes, we found a small cave. Apparently it was a place he discovered while heading to the center of the island with Missha.
«It's wider than I thought inside».
«...¿No in touch?»
«I only saw it in passing. I thought it would be a good place to hide».
But do you remember the exact place?
«What a good memory you have».
While admiring him with an innocent heart, Amelia frowned, saying that it was just an old custom.
«Wow, an adult being embarrassed by a compliment».
«...I'm not ashamed.»
«Oh, of the veo.»
«Barbarian, what does that mean 'I see'?»
«I see» is just «I see».
Anyway, enough talk. «I want us to talk about that instead. What the hell is that stone?» I asked the same question I had repeated many times, and I could finally hear the answer.
«Stone Fragment of the Records. A legacy left by the Great Sage Gabrielius, and a treasure protected by the lords of Noark Castle for generations».
So that was the official name. It was clearly related to our situation.
«So is it because of that stone that we were transported back in time?»
«Probably». Amelia stated it willingly and continued. The Record Fragment Stone was a legendary item that claimed to change history by sending the user back in time, and that was why she had been trying to obtain it her entire life.
«But why did you use it while you were with me?».
«That... was not my thing».
"¿What?"
«I didn't even know how to use it in the first place. I planned to study it well when I returned to the city».
In Amelia's words, it seemed that not even the lord of Noark knew how to use it, only that they kept it until, as Auril Gavis said as he handed it to her, «the call of the times» appeared.
Damn sea.
They say that sighing repeatedly drives away blessings, but the sighs kept coming.
«So you don't know how to get back either?».
«...That's right». Amelia spoke regretfully, but her eyes continued to shine. It wasn't like I couldn't understand it. From his point of view, he had achieved the wish of his entire life. More than a way back, your main concern would be how to change the past.
If I'm here, what happened to me there? I'm still?
I was messing around, but I couldn't figure anything out worrying about it now. For the moment, I decided to satisfy my curiosity.
«So what happened to you?»
«What do you mean?»
«I'm curious to know what happened so that you want to go back to the past so much».
Amelia just closed her mouth at my question.
If you don't want to answer, say so.
After that, an awkward silence hung over us for a long time. Due to sudden time travel coming out of nowhere, there were many things each of us had to think about.
«The sun is rising».
Time passed and the day dawned like this, and we stayed in our place, judging that a reckless move could mean running into them and finding ourselves in an uncomfortable situation. Ugh, if the bastards we killed earlier had had a boat we could have escaped the island on it.
And to think that they controlled the entire island.
Something I discovered during interrogation was that Farune Island was his clan's domain. Apparently they used this place as a base and looted the clanless explorers. The reason five of them wandered around the island in the first place was in search of explorers who may have entered while the clan was away.
But luckily that means we just have to hold on today.
The sixth floor was closed on the sixtieth day of the labyrinth. Surprisingly, today was that day. Although I was wondering if that was something to be surprised about when time travel existed.
I wonder what happened to the others... There will be another month left until the maze closes there. Will they survive well without me?
I suddenly worried about the companions I had left there, but I didn't think too much. I had to worry about myself first, when I didn't even know if I could come back.
Not everything will go back to normal when the maze closes, right?
While I was having those idle thoughts, Amelia called 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 one of the backpack labels in advance».
¿Eh? Ah...
At first I didn't understand what he was talking about, but I immediately understood. If we returned to the city of the past as we were now, we wouldn't even be able to cross the checkpoint. I soon rummaged through the backpack and gathered all the identification tags. They looked almost forty.
«...But why did these guys collect labels like that, when it could end up being evidence of looting?».
«This is usual. ID tags are worth some money».
Apparently, many who were not from Noark were also searching for new identities in the city.
True, if they search your backpack they'll catch you for looting anyway. It would be more profitable to take the labels and sell them.
Before long, we went through the labels one by one and chose the ones we could use. Unlike Amelia, who was human, I had no options. Of the many identification tags, there was only one barbaric one.
«Amelia Berrywells? You chose a good one». Amelia chose a label with the same name as hers. The race was human and the sex female. «Are you twenty-one years old? Do you have a conscience?»
«...It's not that I chose him because I wanted to».
Hey? What was this reaction? «Wait, Amelia. How old are you?»
«...Don't be curious with me, Bjorn Yandel». Amelia quickly returned to her normal state and cut me short. I wanted to make fun of her, since it was the first time I had seen her stutter.
«I only chose the one where I would have to pay the least taxes possible, since that is what we will do if we have to live here for a long time. It will also be convenient since we have the same name».
So you already have in mind to stay stuck in this time for more than a year. Oh.
I licked my lips and looked at the label on my hand to check the details I needed to memorize.
My name is Nivelles Enze, I am twenty-one years old. Explorer rank: 6.
That was all the necessary information. Being rank 6, some of the essences he possessed would be registered in the guild, so it would be wise not to use Gigantization in front of people.
«If you've checked everything, give it to me».
«¿Eh?»
«You told me not to call you 'barbarian'. I can't call you Yandel in front of the others.»
Oh, that was true. I gave Amelia the ID tag she would wear for a while. But what was this?
«Enze Levels...?». Amelia froze, holding the label as if it were a household name.
«Is this someone you know?»
Amelia shook her head at my question. He said it was a coincidence and gave no further explanation. Ugh, I really had a gift for driving someone crazy.
So don't prove it in the first place.
Anyway, we spent time in the cave after that until the maze closed. As we chatted from time to time, there was a conversation that left a deep impression on me.
«I'll take care of finding your way back, so don't do anything that makes you stand out. It could cause something irreversible».
«Something irreversible?»
«It's something I heard from a magician by chance. If going back in time is possible, even the slightest change could lead to the destruction of a country».
It seemed like he was talking about the butterfly effect. You know, a flutter of a butterfly's wings could cause a typhoon across the ocean.
... Wait, so what happens if Bjorn dies at this time?
Suddenly, the thought came to mind. Since it was twenty years in the past, Bjorn would still exist at this time. He must have been old enough to be eating a bottle. What would become of me if that child died?
You could end up in a very dangerous situation.
Once I returned to the city, it would be best to remain silent and watch events unfold, as Amelia advised me.
«Okay, I won't make any incidents so don't worry».
«...I will trust you». Saying that with eyes that showed complete distrust, Amelia soon became thoughtful.
More time passed like this. Some members of the clan passed by looking for their missing companions on the island, but thanks to Amelia's prepared camouflage, we were able to go unnoticed.
Finally, the clock hand struck midnight. It was time to close the maze.
¡Shaaaaaaa!
Soon, a pure white light enveloped my body. Immediately, my vision blurred, and slowly, time passed and the color returned. With my gaze lost in the sky, I ended up chuckling.
So it was gloomy here too twenty years ago.
Rafdonia's sky was gray as always.
«Hey, are you going straight home?».
«Of course not. First let's go have a drink».
The Plaza de la Dimension was full of explorers. Yeah, that's how it used to be. There had been so many incidents recently that this felt more uncomfortable. Little by little I was beginning to realize it.
We are really twenty years in the past.
I was going to have to live here for a while.