Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Memory (1)

Tick, tock, tick, tock…

The second hand completed a full circle, and the minute hand finally moved to the next mark. But I wasn't summoned to the spiritual world.

I checked the date and time again, wondering if the clock was broken, and waited until morning, but nothing happened.

Then what the hell was going on?

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

To organize them one by one…

A temporary error occurred.

If this was just a coincidence, not someone's doing.

The probability wasn't 0%.

After all, electronic devices and magic tools were all man-made.

Although rare, even subspace rings malfunctioned sometimes, preventing you from accessing the items inside until they were repaired.

Well, the probability was low.

This was more plausible.

Auril Gabis banned me from the spiritual world.

It was more likely than the first possibility.

Judging by his attitude, there was no reason for him to ban me at this timing, but he was a cunning old man.

It could be another one of his schemes.

Anyway, next.

Something unavoidable happened to Auril Gabis.

This was also a possibility.

No, I actually thought this was the most likely scenario.

I couldn't even imagine what kind of situation could cause problems for that monstrous old man…

But it was a world full of monsters.

Even he would have a formidable opponent.

Like the royal family.

‘Whatever, let’s just sleep.’

It was pointless to worry about it when there was no way to find out the answer.

So I decided to wait until the 15th of next month, and a few days passed, and I even went to the labyrinth.

[Hahaha! We did it again! If we keep doing this, we’ll all be rich soon!]

There were no major incidents in the labyrinth.

We just looted looters until the labyrinth closed, just like last time.

And it was the same on the 15th at midnight.

[You couldn’t go again?]

[…No.]

I was still in my body, even though it was time.

‘Damn it, this is so frustrating…’

What the hell was going on?

My frustration grew with each passing day.

_____________________

‘Geez, time flies.’

I suppressed a bitter smile and put the calendar I was holding in my pocket.

Six months had passed since I came to the past.

Swoosh.

I got up and grabbed my coat, and Amelia asked without even looking at me,

“Are you going again today?”

“There’s nothing else to do here. What about you?”

“I’ll stay at the inn.”

I left the inn after a dry conversation with Amelia.

Our conversations were mostly like this these days.

Short, shallow, and always with an underlying tension.

‘Damn it, this is so uncomfortable.’

It was bearable at first, but it had become much worse recently, with only a few days left until D-Day.

We still hadn’t found a solution.

And the community hadn’t opened since that day.

‘…Did he really ban me?’

I was starting to think that way, and I wanted to confirm it.

The captain of Orculus was in this underground city.

I could ask him if I was the only one who was banned, or if the community server was down.

‘What am I even thinking? Nothing will change even if I do that.’

I sighed and walked through the streets of the underground city.

I had become quite familiar with this place.

I had memorized most of the main streets, except for the alleys and the eastern district, which was Orculus’s territory.

“Ah, Boss! You’re here!”

Dumbo greeted me as soon as I arrived at the clan house in the Lord’s Castle.

He didn’t seem afraid or uncomfortable around me anymore, after exploring the labyrinth together for a few months.

No, he was practically my right-hand man.

“Here, have a seat! Would you like a drink?”

“Something light.”

“Haha, wait a minute! I’ll bring it right away!”

Dumbo quickly brought me a drink and sat down next to me as I sat down and acted arrogantly.

And he started talking.

It was mostly about rumors in the city or recent incidents, but he was a good storyteller, so it wasn’t that boring—

“Right, Boss. Did you hear about the barbarian heart?”

He suddenly brought up something I couldn’t ignore.

“Heart? What are you talking about? Tell me.”

“Ah, you haven’t heard? Well, the rumor has already spread throughout the surface. They say barbarian hearts are valuable as magic materials.”

“…What?”

The Magic Tower announces that barbarian hearts are valuable magic materials about ten years from now.

It’s much later, after the war between the fairies and the barbarians.

But the rumor is already spreading?

‘Don’t tell me the future changed because of me? No, that’s impossible…’

I asked Dumbo for details, and this is what he said.

“Ah, it wasn’t announced by the Magic Tower. It’s just a rumor.”

“Rumor?”

“The Captain asked the Melta Trading Company to spread the rumor on the surface a few months ago.”

‘What? This son of a…’

I understood the situation.

After all, there was only one reason why Clan Leader Pelic Barker would ask the Melta Trading Company, the only trading company in Noark and the link to the surface, to do such a thing.

“It seems like he thought surface looters would be more easily tricked by our method if there was such a rumor. Ah, but even he didn’t expect it to spread this much.”

Dumbo explained in detail, thinking I didn’t understand.

Not only had the rumor spread throughout the surface, but it had even been re-imported to Noark?

I couldn’t help but curse.

“Damn it.”

“…Yes?”

“Quiet.”

“…….”

Dumbo quickly shut his mouth, sensing my displeasure, and I calmly organized my thoughts.

My mind was racing.

The rumor would probably be debunked soon.

But…

‘Maybe this is the beginning…’

I couldn’t shake that thought.

Maybe some mages would start researching it because of the rumor Pelic Barker spread, and that would lead to barbarian hearts being valued ten years later.

So, in short…

‘Could I be the cause of that?’

It was just a thought for now.

But the problem was that it didn’t seem far-fetched.

“Dumbo, I’m leaving now.”

“Yes? Yes!”

I wasn’t in the mood to socialize at the clan house.

But I didn’t have anywhere else to go.

So I just wandered around the Lord’s Castle, as if taking a walk.

“So you’re Iron Mask?”

An old man walking past me suddenly stopped and spoke to me.

I couldn’t just ignore him.

This world was especially harsh on the elderly.

They had to be skilled to survive to that age.

“Who are you?”

The old man chuckled and took out a small magic stone from his pocket as I cautiously asked back.

And…

“This kind of person.”

…he opened his mouth, and the magic stone glowed, transforming into bread.

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An alchemist.

A transformation mage with the innate ability to transform magic stones into bread, iron, and other materials.

‘…I didn’t expect to meet someone like this in the hallway.’

In a way, an alchemist was a bigger shot than the Lord or the captain of Orculus.

At least in Noark.

I heard there were only two alchemists here.

The Lord wouldn’t be immediately ruined if he died, but if the alchemist position was vacant, the city would collapse.

Literally.

“Haha, you seem surprised. Is this your first time seeing alchemy?”

I didn’t care if it was my first time or not, I was just confused.

Who would have thought they would encounter someone like this, the foundation of this city, in the hallway?

‘Wait a minute, even if it’s the Lord’s Castle, an alchemist wouldn’t just wander around alone…’

I looked around, feeling like something was off, and I could feel gazes on me from everywhere.

They were probably all hidden, judging by how I couldn’t see them. They must have absorbed stealth essences.

“You’re quite sensitive. Don’t worry too much, they’re just my escorts.”

Sensitive, my ass. They were the ones who were revealing their presence.

It was a kind of warning, telling me not to try anything stupid.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Marpa Ipaello. You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer my last name.”

“…Iron Mask.”

“I know. It’s fate that we met, so how about we talk for a bit?”

“Alright.”

I readily agreed.

If it were the other alchemist, who was known for his bad temper, I might have refused… but I knew this old man’s name from Amelia.

‘He’s the one who created Lethe’s Blessing.’

That alone was enough reason to talk to him.

“Hmm, you’re a bold one, as I heard. Come this way.”

‘As I heard… so he came looking for me, not the other way around.’

Ipaello started walking, and I followed him.

No one stopped me, even though we passed through the 3rd floor, which was restricted, probably because I was with him.

We arrived at the alchemist’s workshop.

“You can all leave now.”

‘It’s similar to a mage’s lab, but also different.’

I scanned the workshop as soon as we entered, and he dismissed his escorts and offered me a seat.

“Sit down. Tell me if you want something to drink.”

“I’m good.”

Normally, I would have demanded meat and taken the initiative in the conversation, but I skipped it this time.

Amelia would scold me if I was rude.

This old man was Amelia’s benefactor when she was young.

Therefore, I couldn’t treat him disrespectfully, regardless of his position.

Well, I still couldn’t use honorifics, for the sake of my barbarian pride.

“So why did you call me?”

“I was just curious about what kind of person you are. It’s the first time I’ve seen those kids talk so happily about their experiences in the labyrinth.”

I pretended not to know and asked back,

“Those kids?”

“Laura and Amelia. They’re lovely children. I sometimes call them over for snacks and company when I’m feeling lonely.”

“…I see.”

“I was worried about them, but seeing you, all my worries have disappeared. They’re pitiful children, so please take good care of them.”

“I will.”

I nodded and then cautiously asked,

“But if you’re going to ask me that, why don’t you just take care of them yourself?”

“Huhu, it’s not easy right now.”

He was being vague, but I knew the reason.

‘He originally just gave them snacks, but after one of the alchemists died, he took them in and raised them himself.’

He probably couldn’t do that before.

There were currently two alchemists in the city.

He couldn’t enjoy absolute power because there was a clear substitute.

“How are those kids doing these days?”

“They’re doing well. I’m trying not to send them to dangerous places.”

“…I see.”

The topic of conversation naturally shifted to the Rainwales sisters. Alchemist Ipaello asked about their well-being, and I answered honestly.

And then I took the opportunity to ask,

“But can they hear us?”

“Don’t worry about my escorts, they can’t hear us. Is there something you’re curious about?”

“Is there a way to lift the restrictions from essences with alchemy?”

“Restrictions? If you’re talking about poison or something like that, then it’s possible…”

He trailed off and then asked,

“Don’t tell me you’re talking about [Unfair Contract]?”

“Maybe.”

I shrugged.

And was that enough of an answer?

“…That’s beyond the realm of alchemy.”

“I see.”

“Unfortunately.”

Ipaello smiled bitterly.

I was also disappointed, but I didn’t show it. Well, it wouldn’t exist in this era if it didn’t exist in the game.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

Ipaello asked kindly, as if he liked me, and I asked about the Memory Erasure Pill, ‘Lethe’s Blessing’.

But I received a strange response.

“Lethe’s Blessing? What’s that?”

“That… pill that erases memories.”

“Ah, that! But it doesn’t have a name yet…”

Uh, I didn’t expect that…

“But Lethe… it has a nice ring to it. And it’s romantic, calling oblivion a blessing.”

I sighed inwardly.

So that’s why it’s called ‘Lethe’.

“Alright, I was thinking about a name, so I’ll use that.”

I didn’t expect there to be a story behind it.