Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 740
Chapter 740: Altered Fate (3)
There was a prophetess named Cassandra.
She predicted the fall of Troy, but the king of Troy did not believe her, and in the end, Troy was destroyed.
Of course, the king had his own excuses.
Apollo, who had been rejected by Cassandra, pettily took away her ‘persuasiveness.’ The fact that people did not believe her prophecies was undoubtedly influenced by this ‘curse.’
But……
‘Well.’
Even if she had her ‘persuasiveness,’ it wouldn’t have made much difference.
After all, who wants to believe a dire prophecy?
Even when people pay to visit a fortune-teller and hear bad news, they storm out, calling the fortune-teller a fraud.
Would the king of Troy have nodded and said, ‘Hmm, we’re doomed!’ after hearing that prophecy?
‘No, probably not.’
Just like I am now.
“Haha… How about calming down a bit? I did not come to fight you, Mr. Lion.”
“I’m not asking for a fight, I just want to confirm whether or not I can trust your words.”
As I spoke in a cold voice, this guy, who initially seemed flustered, smirked.
As if pretending to be flustered had been an act.
“You already know, don’t you? About the elder’s abilities.”
“Of course, I know that old man’s abilities well. He’s a master at toying with people.”
Despite my sarcastic remark, he calmly asked, “then why did you stop?”
His words hit the mark.
“Why did you stop when you could have just passed by me and headed to the holy land?”
“……”
“Deep down, don’t you already know? That you might regret it if you don’t heed the elder’s advice?”
I wanted to deny it.
I just wanted to hear what that old man had to say. Even false information is information. I thought I could gauge his intentions through it.
I wanted to say that but, as he had pointed out, I knew deep down.
The real reason was not that.
“By the way, did you ask me earlier if I would live or die here?”
“……”
“I didn’t receive any specific hints from the Elder, but… well, it doesn’t seem like this will be my grave today. Considering we’re still talking.”
“……”
“So, could you loosen this a bit? It’s getting a bit uncomfortable.”
Sigh……
“Fuck.”
Using my free hand, the one not holding him by the collar, I removed the mask from his face.
Shh-!
The revealed face behind the mask was exceedingly ordinary.
A beastman in his mid-30s, the sort that could be found anywhere in the city……
Tsk, I wondered if he might be someone I knew.
“Haha… Were you so curious about my face?”
Even after his face was revealed, he didn’t show any sign of distress, so I quietly asked,
“Just one question.”
“Anything.”
“If you worked under that old man, you should know about the records, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then why do you keep talking about how the future changes depending on choices? Isn’t it your stance that nothing changes anyway?”
Whether I believe in fate or not isn’t important here. I’m just curious why these damned fate-obsessed bastards act this way.
“Hmm… That’s quite a difficult question. Is it okay if my answer is a bit long?”
“I don’t care, just talk.”
“For instance, let’s say a man is playing cards with other drunkards at a bar right now. But the dealer made a mistake and didn’t deal the cards in order.”
I had no idea what nonsense he was talking about, but I listened quietly for now.
“If the cards had been dealt in order, he would have received a very weak hand, but because the cards were not dealt in order, he got a very strong hand. The other players, too drunk to notice the mistake, remain oblivious. So, he decides to keep quiet and take advantage of the situation.”
I still didn’t understand what he was getting at.
“Now, let me ask you this. Was it his original fate to receive the weak hand or the strong hand?”
Though I didn’t grasp the point of the question, I didn’t need to think long about my answer.
“The strong hand. The dealer’s mistake must have been part of fate as well.”
“Haha, good answer. You catch on quickly.”
He said that, but honestly, I still didn’t understand.
But……
“As Mr. Lion said, an altered fate is still fate.”
And…..
“What we’re doing now is dealing the cards incorrectly on purpose, so that someone can receive a slightly better hand in a ‘very small game.’”
Although I didn’t fully understand the content perfectly, I now had a rough idea of what this guy was trying to say.
So I asked this.
“So, what happened to him?”
Though he looked slightly surprised at my question, but then he smirked and began to answer.
“In the end, he lost a lot at that gambling table. However, thanks to receiving a strong hand, he was able to minimize his losses somewhat.”
“So, even with an altered fate, he still couldn’t avoid losing.”
“That’s right.”
He smiled like a teacher giving a gold star to a model student.
“But don’t worry too much. A man who keeps losing and winning eventually grows into a much greater person in the distant future.”
Obviously, his words didn’t comfort me. This incident only strengthened my resolve.
“Now, make your decision. Mr. Lion has already been dealt his cards.”
I decided never to discuss such topics with these damned fate-obsessed bastards again.
***
On the city wall, with scorching heat and thick black smoke rising.
“……”
“……”
After a long silence, the guy, unable to wait any longer, finally spoke first.
“Is it that difficult to make a decision?”
“……”
“Think simply. If you were asked whether to lose a car or a house, wouldn’t everyone choose to lose the car?”
Sure, for most people, a house is more valuable than a car.
But in this vast world, there are always exceptions.
It is up to me to decide what is more valuable.
Yes, so……
“I’ve decided.”
After a long contemplation, I made my decision, and curiosity filled his eyes.
“What will you do?”
Oh, you seemed so sure of yourself earlier.
Looking into his eyes, I felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and shrugged my shoulders.
“Why should I tell you?”
“……?”
“Get lost.”
“What do you—.”
Having no further business with him, I threw him down into the burning District 7 below.
“Wha……? Ah! Aaaaahhh!”
Well, it’s not like he’s going to die falling from here.
Still, his genuine shock made it clear he hadn’t foreseen this outcome at all.
Boom-!
Watching him fall into the sea of fire gave me a sense of relief as if a burden of several years had been lifted from my shoulders, but that feeling didn’t last long.
“Haa……”
A weight far heavier than years of frustration seemed to settle in my chest.
But there was nothing I could do.
“……”
After dropping him down the wall, I stood there dazed for a while and then started running again.
Towards the holy land of District 7.
Towards the destination I had chosen after much deliberation.
***
It had been some time since he had entered the wardrobe, which, despite being slightly uncomfortable, was still more comfortable than anywhere else outside.
Sven Parav had resolved not to leave the wardrobe until everything was over, even if it meant soiling his pants.
However……
“Um……”
Expecting his cohabitant to share the same resolve might have been too much.
“Ah… Is there something wrong?”
“Um… Can I step out for just a moment?”
“What…? But it’s dangerous outside the wardrobe…”
“I know, but… it will just be for a moment, really.”
Even while speaking, his cohabitant, Lilith Marrone, kept fidgeting like someone with severe anxiety. Thanks to this, even Sven Parav, who was often told he lacked awareness, could understand why she wanted to leave the wardrobe.
“……Alright, but be quick.”
Though opening the wardrobe door for even a brief moment made him anxious, he had neither the reason nor the confidence to stop a woman from addressing her bodily functions. He opened the wardrobe door as quickly and discreetly as possible.
“I’ll just be a moment……!”
Lilith Marrone quickly left for the adjacent room to take care of her needs, and Sven Parav closed the wardrobe door and waited.
The door opened again after about 4 minutes, but Lilith Marrone returned with an urgent look on her face.
“Mr. Parav……! Fire, there’s a fire!”
“What……?”
“The entire eastern part of District 7 is in flames!”
The eastern part of District 7? That was in the direction of District 8. Had something happened there?
“Come out and see for yourself!”
“…What?”
“Come on! It looks serious… the fire might spread here too.”
“Ah…”
“Not ‘ah,’ we might have to evacuate to a different place!”
“That… is that right……?”
Despite Lilith Marrone’s words, he had no intention of leaving the wardrobe. Still, he felt a bit uneasy, so……
“Could you please close the wardrobe door for a moment……?”
“……What?”
“It’ll just be for a moment.”
With those words, he closed the wardrobe door himself.
Thump-
The sound of the door closing calmed his anxiously beating heart.
Rattle!
Although Lilith Marrone opened the door again shortly after, the brief sense of peace reaffirmed his belief.
It didn’t matter if there was a big fire in the east or not.
He felt an absolute certainty, beyond just intuition, that he was safe as long as he stayed in this wardrobe.
Of course, anyone else might consider him insane for this belief, but…
‘Always trust your instincts.’
Sven Parav had been saved numerous times by following his instincts.
Even Bjorn Yandel, known as the Giant, acknowledged and sometimes relied on his instincts.
Therefore……
“It’s alright, Miss Marrone. We’ll be safe here.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You’re a wizard and I’m a paladin. If we take turns using our abilities, we can protect this wardrobe even if the whole city burns down.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable claim. Paladins had various powers like protective shields, barriers, and holy enchantments, and wizards had similar abilities.
“Umm……”
Perhaps his argument sounded more convincing than just saying it was a gut feeling. Lilith Marrone seemed to agree, and Sven Parav didn’t miss the opportunity to reinforce his point.
“There’s also Noark bastards all over the place outside. Moving now would be too dangerous. Even if we have to move, it’s better to wait until the fire reaches here. By then, they’ll be distracted by the flames.”
“That makes sense. Alright, we’ll wait and see……”
Just as Lilith Marrone nodded, signaling that they should stay in the wardrobe as long as possible.
“……”
Suddenly, her head turned towards the window and stiffened.
At first, he wondered why, but……
“……Aaaaaah!”
An piercing scream from outside answered his question.
“Captain! We found a bitch hiding here!”
“Aaaah! P-please, spare me….!”
“Hahaha! She’s begging for her life! What should we do?”
His heart sank upon hearing this.
Thump!
No, no, no, no… Please, no… Why?
Despite his desperate prayers……
“M-Mr. Parav……!”
Thump!
“We have to help her!”
As always, his ominous premonition had come true.
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