Suddenly, time flowing in reverse stopped.
«Could you maybe lead from the front?»
It was the moment Jerome asked me to get ahead of the troops.
«Okay, but whatever drops we discover from now on, give me priority for four of them».
«Four... Understood. We can spare you that, Your Honor».
After a brief negotiation, I slipped under the tree where the village chief had disappeared.
I did not understand. How could I fall into a situation like that without thinking twice?
[This was the destiny I showed that child. In this timeline, he had not given an oracle. That's why you went down without suspecting anything].
Ah...
My doubts about the scene were cleared up. The oracle had played an important role in my suspicion of Jerome. Because of this, I had known that something was going to happen, so I had taken special care to observe everything that was happening around me with obsessive attention to detail.
¡Fweung!
Once I disappeared into the tree, the world turned black in the blink of an eye before the scene changed.
[We don't have much time, so I'll just go over the important parts].
We were in some kind of cave. In its center was a portal tombstone, and I slept next to it, unconscious. Then the village chief approached me and began a ritual that I did not recognize.
[This is the hidden place under the basement you saw earlier. After going down to the village, you fought long and hard against hundreds of enemies while waiting for reinforcements, but no one arrived. In the end, fatigue overcame you and you were captured and dragged here].
So there was another space under the basement full of corpses.
...I didn't expect him to hide something like this place.
The urgency of the situation back then didn't give me time to look around.
What will happen to me now?
[Keep looking. It will soon end.]
Twice, three times, four times: Time sped up like someone pressed the fast forward button. When the flow of time returned to normal, the boss's body was emitting black smoke.
¡Shwaaaaa!
Smoke slowly entered my body, and soon, the boss collapsed.
And then, my unconscious body opened its eyes before rising. «I» stood up and flexed my hands a little before speaking in an unfamiliar voice.
«For fin...»
The scene changed once again. Now, we were not in the town, but in the center of the island with the darkness of the labyrinth around us. There, «I» was talking to Jerome Saintred.
«Then give me 'that' as I promised you. Or are you thinking better of it after coming here? If so, I suggest you abandon the thought immediately. If you don't, it will be difficult for you to live with that body outside».
«That's true... The palace has the power to do that».
«If you know what...»
«So it wouldn't be better if they didn't know at all?»
«That? It can not be...!»
«The dead don't speak».
The conversation ended with that.
When the scene changed again, blood splashed in front of me.
«¡Alas!»
It was a battlefield. We were surrounded on all sides by hundreds of monsters, and while the expedition group held out as best they could, they were being overpowered.
It was all due to the village chief who had seized my body.
«I didn't expect it to be so strong...»
«The Baron...! Kill Baron Yandel!»
Having stolen my body, the village chief had nothing he needed to protect, not even the dying monsters around him. The barbarian character I had built to protect my allies was used as a war chariot that trampled all over the battlefield.
Very soon, there was no doubt who would emerge victorious.
I charged at the troops, passing by the corpses of the members of the expedition group that had spent the battle massacring me relentlessly.
«…¡Ugh!»
But then, just as I was going to hit a certain wizard's head with my hammer, I suddenly paralyzed.
«Ra...ven...»
My ally, the person who had survived with me through thick and thin, looked at me with fear in his eyes before running away.
Burn.
«I» forced my body to throw the hammer away, then dropped my shield and took off my armor.
Another ally watched the spectacle closely and pointed her gun at me cautiously, then asked: «Have you... returned?». It was Amelia, who had been released from custody during the combat and had run away with her other allies.
To your question, my answer was brief.
«Emily... mátame...».
My ally was left speechless, unable to do anything. No matter the opponent, there had never been a day when his sword did not stand firm, and yet that day, his sword trembled under the weight of my request.
«If you can't, move away!»
Realizing the situation, Jerome had drawn his sword and was approaching me. I looked back at him and smiled satisfied. I didn't know what I was thinking, but «I» closed my eyes and lowered my head.
«¡No!»
«It's what you've chosen!».
Amelia's expression collapsed as she held Erwen.
Slash!
A sword bathed in aura fell on my neck. However, one slash was not enough to break through it, so it was knocked down again and again, forced to cut to the other end.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The sword continued to fall like an ax on the trunk of a tree until, finally, the area fell silent. A moment later, a chain of screams echoed.
«No, no, no, no...!» he screeched as he ran towards me, and then poured a potion over my body. Naturally, there was no response. A potion could not revive a dead character. «You! If it weren't for you...!»
«Calm down, Tersia.»
«Are you telling me to calm down? After watching...?!»
«Do you think we'll be able to kill our enemies if you're so emotional? Stay calm, stay cold. Just think about avenging Yandel».
The Anabada Clan grouped together and raised their weapons against the remaining members of the expedition group, all of whom had also suffered losses.
«Think about this logically», Jerome tried to reason. «If we weren't here, do you think you would have been able to face a monster like that?».
Despite his attempt at persuasion, he had no chance of reaching them. Even then, as he spoke, many of the people within the expedition group began to abandon their formations.
«The baron... was a hero. Even until his last moment, he tried to save us...!»
«Abandoning someone like that as if it were nothing... After everything that's happened here, you still say this is for the palace?!».
«I, Melend Kaislan, will raise my sword for the justice in which I believe! If you feel the same, stop with me!»
«Traitors! Kill all the traitors...!»
The situation was reaching its climax.
[Not there. Look there instead.]
But then, my attention was drawn in another direction by the words of the goddess. Someone was moving in the background, paying no attention to the Chaos taking place around them.
¿Missha...?
Missha approached my corpse before taking something out. Although it was the first time I had seen a real one, I realized what it was as soon as the object touched my body. There was no mistake in that single effect.
I didn't know why Missha had it...
So ...
It was a rebirth stone, the object with the tricky ability to raise someone from the dead. Due to the insane conditions required to obtain one, even I had only eaten one, once during my nine years with Dungeon and Stone.
But why...? Why do you have one...?
That was the immediate question that came to mind as I stared at the scene in amazement, but then, the answer hit me.
...They are Lee.
It was no secret that he had a Renaissance Stone. I didn't know how that guy had been able to get one, but when time froze the moment I was revived, I put the matter aside and spoke up.
«That way I don't die in the end».
[Yes. You don't die.]
Why had Baekho Lee given Missha the Renaissance Stone? There were a few possibilities that came to mind. The question he still couldn't answer, however, was why this goddess was here.
«Reatlas... why are you trying to help me?»
The goddess gave a brief answer. [...Because that ending is not right.]
What ending did this goddess of destiny see that led her to say that, she couldn't know, and although she was incredibly curious, I left the question there. Trying to force an answer out of him would be of no use, and I had more important matters that needed my attention first.
Like, for example, my current situation.
The world went dark again before lighting up again, and then I found myself collapsed in the same cave as before.
«What are you trying to show me now?»
[I'm not trying to show you anything. This is your current state.]
...¿What?
I frowned, as a sign for him to explain in more detail what the hell he meant, and, in a very low voice, I received a response.
[I... can't stop time...]
Ah, so that's what happened. While I watched this as a video, time in the real world flowed normally.
[Still, your allies are safe. Although they are currently in custody...]
Reatlas seemed to want to help me at least, as he gave me a basic summary of my current situation. It was pretty simple. A flash of light had enveloped me before I collapsed, and as my allies struggled to figure out what had happened, they were captured shortly after. With that, I was led to the village chief by the hands of Jerome.
«Then give me back now!» I screamed. «I need to escape before that ritual is over!»
[Getting back won't be a challenge... However, even if you opened your eyes right now, all your abilities are sealed].
«...What?» Was lost. I was basically saying that I couldn't escape using my strength. «So what the hell am I supposed to do?»
Although I was grateful that he wanted to help me, wasn't this situation even worse than before?
Still, I held on to a glimmer of hope. She was still a famous goddess. Yeah, I probably had a plan for all of this.
I tried to put my faith in her as she spoke more politely. «Tell me. What do I have to do from now on?»
[...I can show you the way, but I cannot create a way for you.]
«So... Don't you have any suggestions you can give me to help me get out of here?».
He was silent for a while before answering. [...I have seen your progress from the beginning. That's why I know. Your greatest strength is not your cold calculations, nor your breadth of knowledge, nor your courage that helps you face any enemy. Your greatest strength is your «words»].
It wasn't a feeling I could agree with, not after I had woken up in the body of a barbarian and solved most problems using my body instead of my words. However, it seemed that the goddess thought otherwise.
[That veteran adventurer was destined to die in the labyrinth that day with the noble wizard. However, they ended up coming back alive thanks to the fact that you saved time with your 'words'].
It must have referred to the Labyrinth of Larcaz, where I tried to negotiate with the Dragon Slayer after swallowing the Restricted Desire.
[Your words have power. Although their effect was weak, they once changed someone else's destiny. So...]
With her speech concluded, the goddess gave me farewell advice.
[What if this time too... you try to use your words...?]
***
¡Ba-dump, ba-dump!
The sound resonated inside me. That sound told me he was alive as he breathed a little more.
«You're awake».
Damn, why is this guy so perceptive? I guess it was to be expected with that big eye he has.
I opened my eyes and raised my upper body.
«It would have been much better if you remained unconscious. For me and for you».
«I can't help but feel like I should fight, at least a little», I joked.
The goddess had given me the irresponsible advice to try «talk» to get out of this, but what if it was a silly tactic? I should at least try to get out of this situation using his suggestion. Also, when I heard her say that, I came up with some countermeasures on my own.
«...You are quite calm», observed the village chief. «Although you shouldn't know what's happening to you».
«I would say that you are the one who does not understand the situation».
The village chief seemed to think that my reactions were not up to my circumstances, as he remained silent, simply looking at me. Since he also had a brain, I assumed he suspected something strange was going on.
With that, I moved one of my pieces.
«Village chief, it's not too late. Even if you take my body, you won't be able to go back to the city».
«I was wondering what it was, but you just wanted to curse me...»
«It's not a curse. It's the truth. I've already seen what will happen». This is where my second piece came in. «Reatlas has shown me the future».
The village chief was thoughtful and, to my surprise, seemed confident that I was not lying. «I heard you passed out after flashing the light... So she intervened...».
For one reason or another, he had accepted my words as truth. Alright, so I didn't need to waste any more time on this.
«Tell me», he finally ordered. «If you want to stop me, what has he taught you?».
For a more effective negotiation, I altered the scenario a bit. «You steal my body and then you are attacked by Jerome. And you lose».
«...My calculations are perfect. I won't lose to them».
«Then your calculations are wrong. Or didn't you suspect that he would ambush you?»
«Does he ambush me?.» The village chief's eyes flashed within the dark cave. So he hadn't considered the possibility of an ambush. It was great news for me.
«Village Chief, I know why you're trying to take my body», I hastened to add, "but is there any reason it has to be mine?".
«Because taking control of your body is the safe way. One day you will escape from this apartment and successfully return to the city».
«Did you see that in a Stone Fragment of Records, perhaps?»
«...I didn't expect you to know the Stone of Records», he admitted, confirming my suspicions.
The tree of possible dialogue options in my mind expanded at the sudden jackpot, but I decided to overcome my current situation first. «So you're saying it doesn't have to be me».
«There's no need for me to take any chances. How do I know I'm going to lose, if I adjust my plan now...»
Adjust what?
I cut him off and got straight to the point. «Jerome Saintred.»
The commander of the expedition group was nicknamed the Knight of Light.
«What about his body?» I offered. «He is a little old, but he is a count and knows how to use his aura well. Aren't you a gentleman?»
That wasn't even the best. Its greatest benefit was something else.
«Besides that, if you steal his body, you can leave this place immediately».
I decided to throw some bait that might be enough to tempt him.
«He has the essence of Iblus.»
This was my battle to win.