Chapter 308: Round Table (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 308: Round Table (2)
"You know, a kind of jury system," Auril Gavis said, before launching into what sounded like an excuse. "Of course, I don't like this approach either, nor do I think it's a very good option. I'm only suggesting it since you can't trust me, so you can refuse it if you don't like it." Seeing how he was tiptoeing around me even as he said this, it seemed he'd interpreted my stare as a disapproving one.
"A round table, huh?" To be honest, that wasn't a bad suggestion for me. If we were going to do it, though, it would require some modifications, such as having them all sit at a round table instead of emulating a jury. Playing Round Table with this group, which included the head of Orcules and Fallen Scholar, was bound to give me useful information. But...
"I refuse. I don't feel like parading this information in front of others." For now, limited-edition information from Auril was my top priority. Ironing out the rules of the Round Table came after.
"A refusal... Actually, I thought you would say that. From your perspective, it could look like I'm colluding with the rest of them." Auril sighed and asked, "Then what will you do now?"
I chuckled. What else was there to do? We needed to get back to where we started. "One question for three."
"Hmm, I guess my end of the deal has gotten better than five."
"Since you made this item," I said, my eyes on the jewel.
Auril noticed and smirked. "Thank you for recognizing my efforts, but wouldn't it make more sense for us to take one turn each if that's the case?"
True, this might seem unfair to him. As long as the lie detector was operational, you could argue we were both on equal footing. "Think of it as the price of my faith." However, because I was treating it like this was my first time seeing this jewel, I couldn't be sure that the old man didn't manipulate its truth-telling abilities. That was because he was its creator. It wouldn't be strange if he had a hidden cheat code in place.
"How contradictory." Auril laughed incredulously. "You're already well aware, aren't you? If I were lying to you, there would be no point in asking additional questions no matter how many you asked."
Of course I know that. So what? "So, are you refusing?"
"Haha, of course not. Strangely, even though it seems contradictory, it makes sense. At least you're throwing yourself into an uncertain situation just the same." He accepted my terms with a cooler head than I had expected. I thought the negotiations would proceed more messily than this. "In exchange, may I take the first turn? You did ask for my age earlier."
"Fine." This time, I gave him an inch. I was sure that he had a motive for asking, but it was also true that he'd been very considerate so far. Plus, taking a question wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since that question could also be used to understand the other person's intentions.
Thus, our game of true or false began. "Then let me ask." Soon, Auril parted his lips and spoke. "How many people clear the original in the next twenty years?"
That was his first question? That was the thought that popped into my mind, but it was too early to let my guard down. Since he'd chosen to ask this particular question despite the unfavorable exchange rate of three questions to one, this wouldn't be idle curiosity on his part.
The reason why he's curious about that...
He must have been curious whether there was anyone available to replace me if need be. And so I just answered honestly. "The only person who came over after clearing the original game was me. At least, as far as I know." This was an answer that set me up to have the upper hand in this relationship, yet left room for him not to fixate solely on me.
"Hmm, I see." When the jewel lit up green, Auril simply gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable.
Then it was my turn to ask the questions. I already compiled a list of questions beforehand so there was no need to come up with any. Though I'd need to make some tweaks to them now that this jewel was in front of me.
"Have you used the Fragment of Records Stone before?" I intentionally worded this in a way that he would only be able to answer with yes or no. Of course, this method reduced the amount of information I could obtain, but at least I could fact-check properly. Then, as long as the facts were established, I could infer the rest. That would be more trustworthy to me than anything a third party could say.
"I didn't think I'd be asked that from the get-go... You really aren't an easy customer."
"Your answer?"
"I have used it before."
So I was right. Confirming the green light came on a brief moment later, I calmly selected the next question.
It was then that Auril asked, almost fascinated, "But how on earth did you know that?"
The answer was simple: because there were little hints of that in our last conversation. To be honest, I just wanted to test it to see if I was right. But in the world of competition, nothing was free. "If you're curious, ask me later."
"Ahem..."
"Then let me ask my second question."
"Go ahead."
I took a moment to take a breath before launching into the second piece of information I needed to confirm. "Did you create this spiritual world?"
Auril flinched slightly before giving me a strange look. "...I can't get a sense of your strategy at all."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's hard for me to understand why you would want to know that. If you were just asking out of curiosity, I could understand. But you don't seem like the type of person to do things from a place of emotion."
I thought I got what he was trying to say. To this old man, that question would not have seemed cost-effective. Although I hadn't gotten a definitive answer, the implications were clear. It would have seemed a waste to bother checking that.
But these sorts of things have to be clearly addressed.
This space to which I was summoned on the fifteenth of each month was unique. As the palace and Magic Tower were aware of its existence, much research had been done into it, yet no one was able to figure out the method by which this place had been created. To this day, the Tower's wizards could only theorize that a wizard much more powerful than they could ever imagine had created this place. So could this old man really be such a great wizard?
"So, your answer?"
Before long, Auril gave me a response. "It is as you think. I created this place."
"It's red." The jewel judged that claim to be false. Just as Auril was wincing, I was busy being puzzled. I didn't expect a lie to crop up here of all places. My eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Well..." Auril trailed off. "I guess the jewel deemed my response a bit vague."
Vague, huh? Because I had previous knowledge about the jewel, I had a general guess as to how this happened. Since the jewel based its responses on how the speaker felt, if the speaker lacked confidence in the claim themselves, the light wouldn't turn green.
When I glared at him demandingly, Auril gave me a Zen, riddle-like answer. "I both created and did not create this space."
What kind of wordplay was this? "Are you being serious?"
"Hmm, I see." When the jewel lit up green, Auril simply gave a slight nod, his expression unreadable.
Then it was my turn to ask the questions. I already compiled a list of questions beforehand so there was no need to come up with any. Though I'd need to make some tweaks to them now that this jewel was in front of me.
"Have you used the Fragment of Records Stone before?" I intentionally worded this in a way that he would only be able to answer with yes or no. Of course, this method reduced the amount of information I could obtain, but at least I could fact-check properly. Then, as long as the facts were established, I could infer the rest. That would be more trustworthy to me than anything a third party could say.
"I didn't think I'd be asked that from the get-go... You really aren't an easy customer."
"Your answer?"
"I have used it before."
So I was right. Confirming the green light came on a brief moment later, I calmly selected the next question.
It was then that Auril asked, almost fascinated, "But how on earth did you know that?"
The answer was simple: because there were little hints of that in our last conversation. To be honest, I just wanted to test it to see if I was right. But in the world of competition, nothing was free. "If you're curious, ask me later."
"Ahem..."
"Then let me ask my second question."
"Go ahead."
I took a moment to take a breath before launching into the second piece of information I needed to confirm. "Did you create this spiritual world?"
Auril flinched slightly before giving me a strange look. "...I can't get a sense of your strategy at all."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's hard for me to understand why you would want to know that. If you were just asking out of curiosity, I could understand. But you don't seem like the type of person to do things from a place of emotion."
I thought I got what he was trying to say. To this old man, that question would not have seemed cost-effective. Although I hadn't gotten a definitive answer, the implications were clear. It would have seemed a waste to bother checking that.
But these sorts of things have to be clearly addressed.
This space to which I was summoned on the fifteenth of each month was unique. As the palace and Magic Tower were aware of its existence, much research had been done into it, yet no one was able to figure out the method by which this place had been created. To this day, the Tower's wizards could only theorize that a wizard much more powerful than they could ever imagine had created this place. So could this old man really be such a great wizard?
"So, your answer?"
Before long, Auril gave me a response. "It is as you think. I created this place."
"It's red." The jewel judged that claim to be false. Just as Auril was wincing, I was busy being puzzled. I didn't expect a lie to crop up here of all places. My eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Well..." Auril trailed off. "I guess the jewel deemed my response a bit vague."
Vague, huh? Because I had previous knowledge about the jewel, I had a general guess as to how this happened. Since the jewel based its responses on how the speaker felt, if the speaker lacked confidence in the claim themselves, the light wouldn't turn green.
When I glared at him demandingly, Auril gave me a Zen, riddle-like answer. "I both created and did not create this space."
What kind of wordplay was this? "Are you being serious?"
"...The light is green now, is it not?"
"Speak clearly. What do you mean by that? Does that mean you have a collaborator?"
Auril answered after a brief pause. "I guess you could see it like that."
What do you mean, 'could see it'?
Although this was outrageous, the green light did in fact appear.
Then I guess I can interpret this as him wanting to hide the fact he had a partner. The red light earlier must have been because he felt remorse for trying to answer me half-heartedly.
I'd gained an unexpectedly decent amount of information from this.
"Then this makes your third. Go ahead," Auril urged me, sounding somewhat drained.
Oh, don't rush me.
"The witch..." I smirked and corrected myself. It was best to be clear here. It would only be right to refer to her by her proper title. "Is the Earth Witch really dead?"
Though it may not have been an urgent matter right now, this was something I had to address at least once. Even if you weren't particularly interested in history, the Earth Witch was a name you couldn't help but hear countless times while living in this world. Now that I was thinking about it, I'd always been curious just how many of the stories about the witch that were considered common knowledge among the citizens of Rafdonia were true.
"...From the first question to the last, you couldn't make a single one easy, could you?"
"Your answer?"
Auril smiled unhappily at my prodding and replied, "She is alive."
Woah, really...?
Suddenly, I had a lot to think about.
If that's the case, not only does that mean that the palace intentionally hid this fact... but no Easter egg hinted at this in the game, either.
This old man was the creator of the game, but he didn't include that information even though he knew it. The same man who flooded players with all kinds of unnecessary information and settings and topped it all off with "Tutorial Complete" at the end? This, again, didn't make sense. It would be more reasonable to assume he intentionally hid this in the hopes that it would not reach players' ears.
But why did he want to keep this a secret?
I played around with a few guesses, but I wasn't sure yet. I didn't have enough clues at this point, but I had the feeling that by digging into this, I would be able to learn what this old man's—and the palace's—ultimate goals were. Put simply, this question provided me with the basic roadmap.
While I was getting my thoughts in order, the old man, who had had to persevere through my questions, burst into hearty laughter. "Haha, then it's finally my turn."
Geez, what kind of question is he planning on asking?
I was starting to get anxious by the time the old man opened his mouth. "Do you wish to return to Earth?"
The implication behind this question was obvious. Although he expressed it in a roundabout way, I was sure there was something else he wanted to know. What he really wanted to ask was probably whether I was determined to open the Gate of the Abyss.
"I don't know," I said, releasing a breath I had been holding in, and before long, the jewel began to glow green.
"You don't know, huh?" Auril laughed like he had mixed feelings about that, then schooled his expression as if nothing had happened. Then he gave me advice, which was unlike him. "I hope you make your decision soon."
"...The light is green now, is it not?"
"Speak clearly. What do you mean by that? Does that mean you have a collaborator?"
Auril answered after a brief pause. "I guess you could see it like that."
What do you mean, 'could see it'?
Although this was outrageous, the green light did in fact appear.
Then I guess I can interpret this as him wanting to hide the fact he had a partner. The red light earlier must have been because he felt remorse for trying to answer me half-heartedly.
I'd gained an unexpectedly decent amount of information from this.
"Then this makes your third. Go ahead," Auril urged me, sounding somewhat drained.
Oh, don't rush me.
"The witch..." I smirked and corrected myself. It was best to be clear here. It would only be right to refer to her by her proper title. "Is the Earth Witch really dead?"
Though it may not have been an urgent matter right now, this was something I had to address at least once. Even if you weren't particularly interested in history, the Earth Witch was a name you couldn't help but hear countless times while living in this world. Now that I was thinking about it, I'd always been curious just how many of the stories about the witch that were considered common knowledge among the citizens of Rafdonia were true.
"...From the first question to the last, you couldn't make a single one easy, could you?"
"Your answer?"
Auril smiled unhappily at my prodding and replied, "She is alive."
Woah, really...?
Suddenly, I had a lot to think about.
If that's the case, not only does that mean that the palace intentionally hid this fact... but no Easter egg hinted at this in the game, either.
This old man was the creator of the game, but he didn't include that information even though he knew it. The same man who flooded players with all kinds of unnecessary information and settings and topped it all off with "Tutorial Complete" at the end? This, again, didn't make sense. It would be more reasonable to assume he intentionally hid this in the hopes that it would not reach players' ears.
But why did he want to keep this a secret?
I played around with a few guesses, but I wasn't sure yet. I didn't have enough clues at this point, but I had the feeling that by digging into this, I would be able to learn what this old man's—and the palace's—ultimate goals were. Put simply, this question provided me with the basic roadmap.
While I was getting my thoughts in order, the old man, who had had to persevere through my questions, burst into hearty laughter. "Haha, then it's finally my turn."
Geez, what kind of question is he planning on asking?
I was starting to get anxious by the time the old man opened his mouth. "Do you wish to return to Earth?"
The implication behind this question was obvious. Although he expressed it in a roundabout way, I was sure there was something else he wanted to know. What he really wanted to ask was probably whether I was determined to open the Gate of the Abyss.
"I don't know," I said, releasing a breath I had been holding in, and before long, the jewel began to glow green.
"You don't know, huh?" Auril laughed like he had mixed feelings about that, then schooled his expression as if nothing had happened. Then he gave me advice, which was unlike him. "I hope you make your decision soon."
"Why?"
"Because that will be better for both of us." I asked him what he meant by that, but he just responded like the old fox he was with, "Is that your question?", marking the end of that particular discussion.
It was my turn again. Without wasting any time, I asked straight away, "Does the Witch's Poison really exist?"
"...Were you always so curious about her?"
Well, actually, not really. It was just that the more we talked, the more it occurred to me that the Witch might be the key to all this.
"Hah..." Auril took a sip of his tea and answered like he was recounting a story from a distant past. "That much isn't made up. This world was almost destroyed once because of her. If not for the existence of the labyrinth, it would have definitely come to an end."
The light on the jewel was green. Hmm, then had the outside world really returned to normal because of the passage of time? I moved on to the next question. "If the Witch is alive, where is she now?" This was the only subjective question among those I'd asked today. Since I had nothing to go off of, I figured I wouldn't be able to get an answer to this with a yes or no question.
However, Auril was ready. "She is where everyone's hopes go."
Ugh, those goddamn riddles. I sighed and checked the jewel. Seeing as the green light was on, I didn't think he'd give me an answer even if I tried to argue.
"Are you really going to act like that?" I decided to at least give it a try and glared at him.
Auril placed his hand on the jewel. "But there is really no more appropriate explanation than this." The green light came on again. Given his haughty expression, I didn't think he would change his stance even if I pressed further, so I just gave up.
Well, at least I confirmed one thing.
Auril knew the witch's location and he didn't want to tell me where it was. Simply put, what I could learn about the witch had the potential to interfere with Auril's goals.
"We're already at three." The old man laughed an easy laugh like this round of questions hadn't been all that tough.
Ugh, so annoying.
It might have been time to check that out, the thing that might be much more important than any of the questions I'd asked about the witch until now.
"Now, go ahead."
After a moment's thought, I said, "Do you even feel sorry?"
There was a brief pause. I knew Auril was a wizard. He also seemed to be knowledgeable about the secrets of this world, including information about the witch. He was the game's creator, and I also knew that he had a hostile relationship with the palace. So, it was time to see for myself. Just what kind of person was Auril Gavis?
"Haha, you're asking another tough question." The old man's distinct, hearty laugh brought the short silence to an end. "You responded to my question of whether you want to return to Earth with, 'I don't know,' correct? That would mean your life here hasn't been so bad."
This was not an answer to my question. Not bothering with any long explanations, I just stared straight at him without a word.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You should know. To achieve a goal, there are times you must forgo all emotion."
Although I agreed with this, it was also not an answer to my question. "If this question is that difficult to answer, I will change it."
Auril consented to my concession. "Ah, will you?"
I nodded and changed the question since it seemed he was having trouble with my original one. To help him out, I made it a bit more specific. "Auril Gavis, do you feel the slightest bit of remorse for the deaths of countless 'evil spirits' who were brought here as a result of your greed?"
Again, there was no response, only awkward laughter, but that was enough answer for me. "Haha! Hahaha!" Auril began to loudly crack up. To an observer, it was a very disturbing sight, so much so that chills ran down my spine. "You know, you make it very hard to see you in a friendly light." He looked at me with eyes that were devoid of all laughter. At that moment, the air around us grew heavy.
Tap.
Then Auril placed his hand on the jewel at the center of the table and spoke in the same friendly voice he'd been using up to this point. "How could I ever be at peace? Of course I feel sorry for you. I feel responsible as well. I will probably live with and atone for this for the rest of my life." Auril smiled. "Was that enough of an answer for you?"
"...More than enough," I responded, glancing at the jewel.
Shaaaaaa!
The light emanating from the jewel was a vivid red.
"Why?"
"Because that will be better for both of us." I asked him what he meant by that, but he just responded like the old fox he was with, "Is that your question?", marking the end of that particular discussion.
It was my turn again. Without wasting any time, I asked straight away, "Does the Witch's Poison really exist?"
"...Were you always so curious about her?"
Well, actually, not really. It was just that the more we talked, the more it occurred to me that the Witch might be the key to all this.
"Hah..." Auril took a sip of his tea and answered like he was recounting a story from a distant past. "That much isn't made up. This world was almost destroyed once because of her. If not for the existence of the labyrinth, it would have definitely come to an end."
The light on the jewel was green. Hmm, then had the outside world really returned to normal because of the passage of time? I moved on to the next question. "If the Witch is alive, where is she now?" This was the only subjective question among those I'd asked today. Since I had nothing to go off of, I figured I wouldn't be able to get an answer to this with a yes or no question.
However, Auril was ready. "She is where everyone's hopes go."
Ugh, those goddamn riddles. I sighed and checked the jewel. Seeing as the green light was on, I didn't think he'd give me an answer even if I tried to argue.
"Are you really going to act like that?" I decided to at least give it a try and glared at him.
Auril placed his hand on the jewel. "But there is really no more appropriate explanation than this." The green light came on again. Given his haughty expression, I didn't think he would change his stance even if I pressed further, so I just gave up.
Well, at least I confirmed one thing.
Auril knew the witch's location and he didn't want to tell me where it was. Simply put, what I could learn about the witch had the potential to interfere with Auril's goals.
"We're already at three." The old man laughed an easy laugh like this round of questions hadn't been all that tough.
Ugh, so annoying.
It might have been time to check that out, the thing that might be much more important than any of the questions I'd asked about the witch until now.
"Now, go ahead."
After a moment's thought, I said, "Do you even feel sorry?"
There was a brief pause. I knew Auril was a wizard. He also seemed to be knowledgeable about the secrets of this world, including information about the witch. He was the game's creator, and I also knew that he had a hostile relationship with the palace. So, it was time to see for myself. Just what kind of person was Auril Gavis?
"Haha, you're asking another tough question." The old man's distinct, hearty laugh brought the short silence to an end. "You responded to my question of whether you want to return to Earth with, 'I don't know,' correct? That would mean your life here hasn't been so bad."
This was not an answer to my question. Not bothering with any long explanations, I just stared straight at him without a word.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You should know. To achieve a goal, there are times you must forgo all emotion."
Although I agreed with this, it was also not an answer to my question. "If this question is that difficult to answer, I will change it."
Auril consented to my concession. "Ah, will you?"
I nodded and changed the question since it seemed he was having trouble with my original one. To help him out, I made it a bit more specific. "Auril Gavis, do you feel the slightest bit of remorse for the deaths of countless 'evil spirits' who were brought here as a result of your greed?"
Again, there was no response, only awkward laughter, but that was enough answer for me. "Haha! Hahaha!" Auril began to loudly crack up. To an observer, it was a very disturbing sight, so much so that chills ran down my spine. "You know, you make it very hard to see you in a friendly light." He looked at me with eyes that were devoid of all laughter. At that moment, the air around us grew heavy.
Tap.
Then Auril placed his hand on the jewel at the center of the table and spoke in the same friendly voice he'd been using up to this point. "How could I ever be at peace? Of course I feel sorry for you. I feel responsible as well. I will probably live with and atone for this for the rest of my life." Auril smiled. "Was that enough of an answer for you?"
"...More than enough," I responded, glancing at the jewel.
Shaaaaaa!
The light emanating from the jewel was a vivid red.