«Bjon! I may have only looked from behind, but it was a fun exploration! Let's meet again if we have the chance!»
«Yes.»
After a brief farewell, Carlton's group emerged from the rift. It was time for us to focus on our work too.
«Now, let's go. There could be something else!»
"... Do you plan to wander without a plan?»
No, I plan to pretend to wander without a plan and acquire everything I want.
«Follow me. I know some things.»
If you say so.
I followed veteran Amelia out of the boss room and traveled backwards. Then we located two hidden elements: Earth Fragment, which increased Earth Resistance and Physical Resistance by one each; and Book of Souls, which gave three additional experience points. Amelia said she had already used them, so I picked them up this time, and that ended the search for hidden pieces in the Temple of a Hundred Colors. Those were all the spiritual type objects there were. The rest required distortion magic to pull them out of the crack and sell them.
So since I have everything I need...
«Amelia, why don't we stay a little instead of leaving immediately?»
"¿Por qué?"
«To be honest, I'm pretty tired of only sleeping three hours every day. Why don't we rest well here?».
Amelia looked at me with disapproving eyes. It was obvious what he was thinking. At a time when a lot of time had passed and the maze would close tomorrow, he must have been wondering if we really needed to rest now.
Tsk, we have already reached our goal a long time ago. Why is she so greedy?
But since complaining wasn't my style, I gave him a reasonable excuse to rest. «My head is confused, so I need some time».
«Ah...» Then Amelia seemed to finally understand and gave in to my request. «Good. We'll rest before we go. Let me know when you're ready». After all was said and done, Amelia was loving this way.
«Thanks, Amelia».
«Resta».
Amelia took out her sleeping bag and lay down on the floor, and I made a place for myself about three meters from her. Then I began the official settlement.
Let's see...
I gained 156 experience points for the first deaths in the Temple of a Hundred Colors. Plus the bonus of one death for a High-Rank Mutant, the bonus of three guardian deaths and three for the Book of Souls, I added 163 points. Of course, even adding all this up, there was still a long way to go until level 7.
If all goes well, I will reach level 7 in the middle or end of the sixth floor.
I couldn't deny that my character was getting closer to completion. I also got the Demon Grinder.
I wonder how I can take it...
Just as I was thinking this, Amelia said: «Yandel, there's something I want to ask you».
«Ah! Is it about the numbered object? I don't know what it is either, but I liked its weight, so I'm going to use it...»
«It's a different question.»
It is not that?
I was worried about what to do if she asked to split that up.
«You... don't want to change it?»
«What do you mean?»
«Yandel Jarku, tu padre.»
Oh, that... Well, I was trying my best not to think about it.
«You may be able to save him».
«How could I, if I don't even know how and when he died exactly, except that it happened when I was young?».
«If you want, after finishing work here, I can go back to the city and help-»
«It is not necessary.» I cut her off and told her firmly: «I don't want that».
«Because?» amelia asked as if she was truly curious.
Well, this probably seemed strange from her perspective, since she didn't know that I was an evil spirit. «If the future could be changed by something as simple as that, our history would also change that we met here».
The future could not change. Of course, Amelia also seemed to be aware of that to some extent. But since Auril Gavis confirmed it to me and I also confirmed it through Raven and Dwalkie, his knowledge would have a different weight than mine.
Amelia jumped up and asked: «Could it be changed? What do you mean by that?».
I pondered for a moment before answering honestly about the attempts I made to change Dwalkie and Raven's futures, but how they all ended up being failures.
«Impossible...» Hearing my explanation, Amelia pursed her lips and tried to deny it.
I limited myself to asking coldly: «Amelia, hadn't you vaguely sensed it too?».
"¿Feeling qué...? ⁇
«So what was it? The reason you were surprised when you saw Nivelles Enze's name, and the strange look you gave me when I came with this helmet?».
«That is...»
«Didn't you already know? That no matter what we do, the past does not change. No, rather, all those events flowed like this because of us».
Amelia didn't respond. He just clenched his fists and suppressed something. After a brief pause, he separated his lips again. «So are you going to give up? Without even trying, when maybe you can save your father?». Her voice was the same as always, but there was a touch of aggressiveness in her.
Was that why? I also spoke aggressively. «Anyway, I've never seen my father's face».
«So, you don't have enough affection, is that what you're saying?
«...Sí.»
«I see», Amelia spoke as if she understood but still grimaced. It seemed like she was disappointed in me.
Ha... maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this topic to begin with. It seemed like we had gotten closer these days and now everything is ruined.
After that, we took a break without saying a word. About five hours later, I woke up after a restful sleep and simply proposed that we leave, deciding it was more comfortable than walking on eggshells like this.
«Wait, can we stop by?»
«If you want.»
Once I returned to the boss's room to take the portal, I approached the cabin located behind him out of simple curiosity. In the game, this cabin was a terrain feature that could not be entered.
Oh, the door opens too.
The cabin creaked open and I examined the interior. It gave me a very familiar feeling. There was a bookshelf, a dining table, a rug and a stove. The interior was nothing special. It was an ordinary cabin that anyone could imagine. But the size of the room, the structure and the layout of the furniture reminded me of a place without even needing to look around in detail.
Is it almost exactly the same as there...?
That place was the only safe area in the Witch Forest on the third floor, the Witch Hut: the place where Missha and I stopped to rest and summoned the Lord of Chaos after offering him human firewood.
«It's up to you to search, but there was no Gabrielius Agreement when I researched earlier».
Faced with Amelia's urge to leave, I briefly checked the books on the shelf and went out again. By the way, all the books were blank. All the titles were written in an ancient language, so I couldn't read them either. Maybe if I brought Raven later I'd find something.
«If you're done, let's go».
«Oh, I'll go first, just in case».
Then we stood in front of the portal. If we mounted this, we would return to where we were when we first entered the crack.
Step.
As a tank, I first set foot in the portal.
Shaaa.
The light from the portal enveloped my body and everything in front of me shone. Then he slowly regained his sight. But what was this?
"Wow! You are finally here! A group of explorers stood in front of the portal as if they were waiting for us.
«So you got a number?» The group of explorers and I made eye contact and shuddered simultaneously. "Hey, what the hell? Iron Mask? This was the team of explorers that was part of the castle lord's influence.
"Ha, what a coincidence! I never thought it was you who these three bastards knew inside".
"Three bastards...?" Following Beck's line of sight unconsciously, I stood still.
Bip...
For some reason, there was endless tinnitus in my ears.
What is this?
My head went blank for a moment, but my brain continued to perceive and analyze incoming visual information in real time. Carlton Drek, Eimbern Berta García and Yandel, Jarku's third son; The bodies of the three men who came out through the portal several hours ago lay on the ground. No, it wasn't just those three. There were two more bodies. I could guess who they were.
«Oh no! Lemud and Hans did not enter!
They must have been the two people waiting outside. So how did this happen?
«... Bjon.» Amelia followed me before long and grabbed my wrist once she realized the situation. Was he telling me to suppress any unforeseen actions? That seemed to be the case.
Beeep.
Ugh, how noisy.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to restore peace somehow. Everything in front of me remained the same.
«Since this is the second time we've met during this expedition, I guess we're meant to be!» Beck smiled good-humoredly and stood up from the body he was sitting on as if it were a chair.
Then Amelia asked Beck: «What are you guys doing here?»
«Well, we were walking around the area as soon as the crack opened and we saw these two here». Beck tapped the bodies that appeared to be Lemud and Hans with his foot. "I captured them and discovered that only three of their comrades managed to enter. So after waiting a while, these three came out".
Beck then shrugged, omitting what happened next, and Amelia asked no more. It was obvious. After killing these three, they probably just searched for the necessary information, such as how the guardian dropped a numbered item at the end. That kind of thing.
Beeeep...
Amelia and Beck talked. The surroundings were too noisy, making it difficult to hear. I just thought without understanding.
"Ah, is that a little difficult for humans? Just call me Yandel Jarku!"
I knew I was going to die, but I didn't know it was my fault.
If it weren't for me...
Yandel Jarku and his teammates would have entered the crack, meaning that these guys would not have found the remaining comrades while waiting outside. As a result, he... no, they would not have died. They would have continued their journey. And maybe...
"Hehe, he will become a great warrior. A child of my blood and hers".
Yandel Jarku would have seen his son grow up. It was even possible that they had entered the maze together as adults.
If it weren't for me.
Then there would never have been an evil spirit inhabiting Bjorn Yandel's body.
Beeeeeeeeeeep...
The tinnitus worsened. It was a kind of protective mechanism to be able to ignore, even a little, the voice that sounded inside me. An alarm for a coward.
To structure.
Although I put all my strength in my hands, the blood rose to my head.
Beeeep...
If it weren't for me...
Dwalkie wouldn't have died. Even if he became an explorer in the future, he wouldn't have gone to a place as dangerous as that place on the fourth floor.
Beeeep...
If I hadn't come...
Dwalkie's love story may have come true. It is possible that one day they met as teammates and developed a relationship in which they healed each other.
Tal leads.
If I weren't here.
Beeeep...
My ears, no, my head was numb.
"But why is Iron Mask so quiet?"
«Bjon.»
It was like a task that had been postponed all this time, saying that emotions were just emotions.
«Bjon, sal de ahí».
Numerous emotions that I had buried in a corner of my heart and ignored suddenly returned to me. I had to do something. Knowing that it would be hypocrisy to say this was for someone else, I had to do it for myself.
I parted my tightly closed lips. «Amelia», I said her real name, not Emily's pseudonym. Was that enough for her to understand the situation?
"These are men under the command of the lord of the castle. Be patient.» Amelia's grip on my wrist grew stronger. Of course, it didn't mean much.
You are an agile character.
"Bjon..."
When I shook Amelia off and took a step forward, Beck smiled. "Haha, it looks like Iron Mask is angry. I'm not asking you to give it to me for free. I'm just asking you to take a look at what you have. Haven't we waited a long time too?
Although I didn't really listen to the conversation the two of them had, I understood the context.
So you're curious about this, huh?
Click.
I took out the hammer I kept in subspace, Kroul's Demon Grinder No.87.
«A hammer? There's a numbered item like this..." Beck muttered to himself before shutting up. Then he changed his expression. "E-wait. Can I take a closer look? I just want to see if it's the article I know".
«Forward.» I took another step forward and Beck also took a cautious step.
Just as he reached the right distance, he said: "I-it really is that object! Did that really come from within?
«Yes.»
I'm glad it resolved your curiosity.
Now die.