CHAPTER 27

When living life, it feels like going through a long joke disguised as a continuous tragedy. When looking back at them, it feels like making up an entirely different reality in a dream.

When my first father was still alive, he encouraged me to be anything I want to be. So, I tried to be an entertainer. My jokes are bad. My acting is stiff. My singing voice is off pitch. My existence is a comedy of trial and error. I gave up on my dream to entertain. Mom however, encouraged me to try baking. I am good at it! Mom wasn’t too keen on baking, but in order to encourage me, she learned it alongside me whenever we had the time together. We learned and learned, until one day, we dreamt together of opening a bakery. We did that didn’t we?

The dream lived on for quite a while. But I don’t live in that dream anymore. I’m in a different reality right now. I’m in a world where every mistake will lead to my death. And I am dead. I’m being revived due to my ability as an Ambrousian. When I got back there, I’ll have to find a way to beat this Barbarian. I hope that at least, Nostrades and Nostreidon are safe.

I am hanging upside down. I can see my hands hanging and swaying as something is moving. I can see blue armor. The Barbarian! He’s carrying me by putting me on his shoulder. Where is he taking me? Shouldn’t he be killing me indiscriminately?

“Stop commanding!” says the Barbarian.

To who? We’re still moving. Don’t tell me he’s talking to me. Even if he did, I didn’t command anything. Is there anyone around us?

Could it be that he’s talking to the Submissing Freedom? His rage against a contract spell?

“I want to kill! Not carry weight!”

Floating words. Is there any method to counter Submissing Freedom?

DETAIL CHECK
Known methods to counter Submissing Freedom.
1) Dispel Submissing Freedom
2) Ensure that the target is within the range of 10
kilometers of a Contractuary.
3) Check failed.

You can check failed on a list? Honestly, I’m impressed. Let’s try a different question. If someone with Submissing Freedom was revived, would the spell remain with them?

DETAIL CHECK
The result depends on individual case.
Certain person is free from all contract
spell if they’re revived regardless whether
they are an Adventurer or not.

Depends on the person’s mental eh. How about a raging Barbarian? Would that dispel it?

DETAIL CHECK
Classes and subclasses do not
affect whether someone would
still have any contract spell
after a revival.

So it’s really up to the individual.

DETAIL CHECK
Correct.

How about this guy right now?

DETAIL CHECK
This person is affected by a corrupted
version of Submissing Freedom.

Explain the corruption.

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

That’s further than I expected. I thought that I would get check failed from the first question.

I have two options now. The first one involves me trying to appeal to his emotional side. I am a Sorcerer after all. I should be ashamed of myself if I can’t do that. The second option is to simply hit him with my cubes. I am looking at his back right now. One hit at the correct place and it’ll all be over. Option one might turn him into a member of my party. Option two certainly doesn’t. Which one would be better?

DETAIL CHECK
Initializing boss fight.

Of course it’s going to be the unexpected third option.

Wait a minute. Why am I trying to justify saving him? He already killed me! To be fair, I killed him too. Fine. We’re fair in that case. But he will keep trying to kill me! As long as his rage goes on, he will keep trying to kill me. If anything Submissing Freedom is the one saving me. For whatever reason, the contract spell is trying to save me. Okay. Kill him. Once I can move, I’ll kill him. My life or his life.

“Iocum.”

Okay. I can’t see the cutscene but that’s definitely a Fey. Only a Fey would speak in latin.

“Mundi iocos sunt.”

At least let me see the cool cutscene! At least that’ll give me a hint on how to kill it!

DETAIL CHECK
Iocos of the Fey

The Barbarian throws me away. Okay. I can move now. Who should I aim first?

For one, I would want to kill the Barbarian. If the boss is dead, the Barbarian will be healed. Which means that I’ll have to fight the Barbarian at full power. I can’t beat it without any help so I’ll definitely lose again. On the other hand, I have no idea if I can even beat the Fey on my own. When fighting Ominilia, I had help. Against Rotphyl, same. I’m sure that I’ll have difficulty fighting it.

Let’s say who the Fey is.

He has a slender and long body, so does his limbs. His face was made out of petals. White petals for skin. One black petal for each eye. Two red petals for lips. Okay. Petal. I should look out for that.

Iocos shoots several large petals toward Barbarian. Barbarian simply tanks all of the petals. When the petal bullets are done, the Barbarian uses his barbed wires to wrap Iocos. Then, he pulls himself into Iocos. Good! Get in position!

The Barbarian clings on Iocos’ face. He pummels the Fey with a hand wrapped with a barbed wire. Now!

Yes!

The cube I punched goes straight through the Barbarian’s body and Iocos’ face! Just in case, I punch another cube. This one goes through the Barbarian’s heart and Iocos’ neck. Two birds with one stone! Thank you Iocos for being extremely convenient for me!

DETAIL CHECK
Audio log unlocked:
Iocos of the Fey

I didn’t have that many injury in this fight. I shouldn’t be healed that much. My next objective right now would be to go to Sorcerous Lake with the hopes that I can meet with the Nostra brothers so—

Are you kidding me?! The Barbarian is also healed! He’s not dead! That’s it! I’m out!

I run away while making as many steam as I can to obscure my location. I have no idea where I’m even running. All I know is that I should be as far away as possible from the Barbarian or I’m a paste on the ground. Or worse, I could be brought back to Bread Village to be enslaved!

Something is moving in the air. I don’t hear any barbed wires but I know something is moving! I’m already running as fast as I can! Is there any way for me to run any faster?!

Whatever it is, it is getting closer to me. It is moving from branches to branches. I can’t outrun this!

A shadow engulfs me. A pair of arms are wrapping me. My face is on the ground. My assailant turns me around on the ground. The Barbarian is on top of me. He can do anything he wants to me right now!

He grabs my flailing metal arms.

“I won’t hurt you.”

Like I can believe that!

“You seem to have a plan to fight against the Ambrousian Empire. I want to hear it.”