Chapter 344: Comeback (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 344: Comeback (3)
"There has been no record of Lion accessing Ghost Busters for the past two years and six months."
When I first heard that, I was quite surprised, but thinking about it, there was no cause for concern. I knew at least one thing for sure.
All she probably found out is that my nickname is Elfnunna.
Even Auril Gavis hadn't been able to dig up my real-world identity from inside the spirit world, but I was supposed to believe a GM who had inherited only half his powers had managed to do that? Ridiculous. Instead, the main problem was that he could ban me if he learned my nickname. But that wasn't such a huge issue when I thought about it, either.
It's not like not being able to participate in Ghost Busters would kill me.
On the other hand, I had a lot to lose if I rolled over and took this treatment. The moment I did, that woman would conclude that this was my Achilles' heel.
"Where on earth have you been all this time?"
After that, even more explicit questions would be directed at me. If I kept avoiding them, it would only be a matter of time before the Lion mask came off.
A good offense is the best defense.
So, I would rather stick to my guns and leave things up to chance. That was because in the past, the GM banned Baekho and then almost got beaten to death in real combat. Just as a nuclear weapon could be seen as a deterrent to war, I concluded that bold exaggeration might be my only viable solution here.
Well, I can't be sure what the outcome will be yet... But I'll soon find out.
I glanced around at the rest of the room, which was so silent it seemed no one was even breathing. All eyes were focused on one place, the jewel located at the center of the Round Table, which distinguished truth from lies.
But I looked elsewhere, at Soul Queen, the GM's ally, who participated in the Round Table wearing the mask of a queen. Her constantly collected facade was starting to crack, and every part of her being seemed to be asking, How did this happen? She'd clearly never expected things to turn out like this.
"...Uh. Eh—uhh." Her mouth wanted to say something, but all that came out were puffs of air that amounted to nothing. Her hands twitched with the same impulse. "U-Uh...?" One of her hands quickly darted forward with the intent to stop me, but it was only in the air for a moment before falling weakly back onto the table. She knew that no hand gesture could stop this, that the tea had already spilled.
Shaaaaaa!
Like it was enjoying the attention, the jewel glowed green after a beat. Then, the short silence came to an end.
"The GM... is Magic Engineer...?"
"W-Wait... I can't keep up. H-How is he an evil... no, how can someone like that be the GM?"
"...Pshehe, it was worth waiting two years for you. To think you'd start out with a secret like this."
The members each spoke and the chaos continued. There was nothing among the murmuring worth listening to.
"Actually, I'm more surprised by Queen. I speculated she might be from the admin team, but..."
Yeah, no wonder she spoke about the access logs in front of everyone. There was no reason to hide it. It seemed at least part of Queen's identity had been exposed to some extent during my absence as well. Considering the woman's personality, perhaps it had been intentional? Of course, that wasn't important right now. No matter what everyone else was saying, I kept my eyes glued to one thing and one thing only.
"Can..." Soul Queen, who was standing with her hands on the table and head bowed, was glaring at me. It didn't feel particularly scary. The reason was simple. "C-Can you handle the consequences of this...?" When she stuttered like that, who would be afraid? "I don't know how you found out, b-but after what you've just done—"
I cut her off. "You said earlier that there's no reason for you to be nervous, yet you're shaking."
Soul Queen quickly glanced down at her hands. They were shaking violently, like someone suffering from tremors.
Slap.
She grabbed her shaking wrist with her other hand and glared at me again. With a determined look on her face, she took a deep breath. "So. That's how you want to play it. I'll go first this time." She placed her hand on the jewel and told anyone who wasn't going to participate in this round to beat it. Naturally, no one was going to leave in a situation like this. "Lion is Bjorn Yandel."
Before long, the jewel lit up.
1. Lion was Elfnunna.
2. Elfnunna did not log in to the community for two years and six months, and neither did Lion.
3. Therefore, Lion was Bjorn Yandel.
As this conclusion had been drawn through clear logic, she was 100 percent certain of this fact. At least, she had been, until she entered the Round Table today.
Shaaaaaa.
This went beyond tension. The jewel lit up in a silence so powerful that it could cut you with a knife if you weren't careful.
"...It's red."
As expected, there was no green light. This jewel did not determine the truth—it just relayed whether the speaker was saying what they thought was true. It looked like Soul Queen had wanted to deal me a blow, but as long as her own certainty had been shaken, that was a pointless undertaking.
The problem is, this woman doesn't seem like she's lost it to the point that she wouldn't realize something as simple as that.
Then what was the reason for this pointless undertaking? That answer came in the form of Goblin's question.
"Um, isn't Bjorn Yandel dead? And Mr. Lion is alive in front of us... But why would you ask..."
"There are many questions surrounding his death. Even his teammates did not see his body." This woman had made that announcement with this in mind—that there was a possibility Bjorn Yandel was alive. Well, the red light she received suggested she lacked faith in that conclusion, though.
"Pshehe, you would have known the red light would come on, though."
"...I won't answer that part," Soul Queen said, then took her eyes off of me. That was when it occurred to me that she had just been feeling me out. No, actually, that had to be it. Looking back, that woman had stared solely at me the whole time, even as the light came on.
To think she'd think to feel me out in return in a situation like that. How is it that nothing in my life is ever easy?
Though I worried about what kind of conclusion she reached upon seeing my reaction, I didn't show it. But perhaps her confidence grew as my silence continued. "...Anyway, since the red light came on, I guess I'll have to go again." Soul Queen casually declared a redo and then glanced at me again. "I can prevent Lion from setting foot in Ghost Busters at any time."
Then she revealed information that confirmed her identity as a member of the admin team and received a green light. This behavior was somewhat within the range of what I expected. Though she asked if I could handle the consequences to come, unlike me, that was the only threat she could make.
"Can..." Soul Queen, who was standing with her hands on the table and head bowed, was glaring at me. It didn't feel particularly scary. The reason was simple. "C-Can you handle the consequences of this...?" When she stuttered like that, who would be afraid? "I don't know how you found out, b-but after what you've just done—"
I cut her off. "You said earlier that there's no reason for you to be nervous, yet you're shaking."
Soul Queen quickly glanced down at her hands. They were shaking violently, like someone suffering from tremors.
Slap.
She grabbed her shaking wrist with her other hand and glared at me again. With a determined look on her face, she took a deep breath. "So. That's how you want to play it. I'll go first this time." She placed her hand on the jewel and told anyone who wasn't going to participate in this round to beat it. Naturally, no one was going to leave in a situation like this. "Lion is Bjorn Yandel."
Before long, the jewel lit up.
1. Lion was Elfnunna.
2. Elfnunna did not log in to the community for two years and six months, and neither did Lion.
3. Therefore, Lion was Bjorn Yandel.
As this conclusion had been drawn through clear logic, she was 100 percent certain of this fact. At least, she had been, until she entered the Round Table today.
Shaaaaaa.
This went beyond tension. The jewel lit up in a silence so powerful that it could cut you with a knife if you weren't careful.
"...It's red."
As expected, there was no green light. This jewel did not determine the truth—it just relayed whether the speaker was saying what they thought was true. It looked like Soul Queen had wanted to deal me a blow, but as long as her own certainty had been shaken, that was a pointless undertaking.
The problem is, this woman doesn't seem like she's lost it to the point that she wouldn't realize something as simple as that.
Then what was the reason for this pointless undertaking? That answer came in the form of Goblin's question.
"Um, isn't Bjorn Yandel dead? And Mr. Lion is alive in front of us... But why would you ask..."
"There are many questions surrounding his death. Even his teammates did not see his body." This woman had made that announcement with this in mind—that there was a possibility Bjorn Yandel was alive. Well, the red light she received suggested she lacked faith in that conclusion, though.
"Pshehe, you would have known the red light would come on, though."
"...I won't answer that part," Soul Queen said, then took her eyes off of me. That was when it occurred to me that she had just been feeling me out. No, actually, that had to be it. Looking back, that woman had stared solely at me the whole time, even as the light came on.
To think she'd think to feel me out in return in a situation like that. How is it that nothing in my life is ever easy?
Though I worried about what kind of conclusion she reached upon seeing my reaction, I didn't show it. But perhaps her confidence grew as my silence continued. "...Anyway, since the red light came on, I guess I'll have to go again." Soul Queen casually declared a redo and then glanced at me again. "I can prevent Lion from setting foot in Ghost Busters at any time."
Then she revealed information that confirmed her identity as a member of the admin team and received a green light. This behavior was somewhat within the range of what I expected. Though she asked if I could handle the consequences to come, unlike me, that was the only threat she could make.
"Pshehe, I hope you won't do something like that. Ah, you can't, anyway."
"...What do you mean?"
"If you can ban him, why have you left me alone? I'm from Noark, a place all of you hate so much. Isn't it because you're curious and want information about what we're up to on our side?"
"...What does that have to do with this?"
"Pshehe, was I right? Anyway, that's all the more reason Mr. Lion shouldn't be banned. We don't know what kind of information this man will tell us next..." Clown said bluntly. "And it's best not to do anything that might have consequences you can't handle, right?"
"...Can't handle?"
"Yep. He knows the GM's identity. What kind of trouble are you trying to get into?"
His words scratched my itch. It wasn't cool to say stuff like that yourself. If someone stepped up like this for me, I could save face, too—similar to how bullies always had a bootlicker at the front of the pack. When Queen pursed her lips and turned away, I met Clown's eyes. The guy was smiling. Did I do well? his eyes asked. It seemed Clown thought this made up for his mistakes in the past.
"Pshehe. Well, I'm just giving you my two cents, but it's probably not my place to meddle." Clown finished saying what he wanted to say then continued in a light tone, "Anyway, if we're going in reverse, is it my turn this time?"
That was how the second lap officially began. The first item on the agenda was already one that couldn't be overlooked.
"Since we're talking about Bjorn Yandel, that son of a bitch... It's possible he's not actually an evil spirit."
Huh?
"Pshehe, because I heard the person who spread that rumor was Baekho Lee."
...Baekho? He exposed me?
While I was inwardly shocked, Deer casually blurted out even more shocking information. "But the original source was that beastwoman Missha Karlstein."
...Huh? Missha?
"That means the same thing in practice. That beastwoman is now Baekho Lee's teammate."
Wait, what on earth? Why is Missha Baekho's teammate?
"Pshehe, thankfully it's a green light. I figured that no one knew that beastwoman from the Red Cat Tribe is now Baekho Lee's teammate."
I felt lightheaded as I was force-fed information that was hard to swallow, but I managed to endure it with difficulty, firmly telling myself that I could not let how I was feeling show on my face. That was when the next turn began.
"...Jeez, like I thought, this isn't easy." Goblin received two red lights on war-related information before succeeding on the third try, which had to do with the internal affairs of the Church of Reatlas. This guy had always had the habit of selling out his church whenever he was in a tight spot, so that wasn't a huge surprise.
"It's me again." That was how Crescent's turn arrived. I was interested as he mentioned Erwen in the previous round, but unfortunately, the information that he provided was so-so because it was related to the war. The same went for Deer, who was next.
"Pshehe, looks like the palace has really sharpened their swords this time."
I guessed the information was quite important seeing as Clown, who always mocked Deer, was saying something like that, but the war didn't matter to me. With my scattered comrades, clearing my name after getting accused of being an evil spirit, et cetera, I had plenty of homework to get through before that.
In that sense, Fox's information interested me quite a bit. No, should I say it worried me? "A few months ago, a double-digit Numbers Item was obtained by the Alminus Central Exchange. It's said that an unknown borrowed a large sum using that as collateral, and the repayment date is just around the corner. It's possible we'll see that item at the auction house soon."
That... isn't my Demon Grinder, is it? Yeah, it can't be. Kind Amelia could never do something like that.
While I was struggling to convince myself of that, I suddenly felt eyes on me.
Ah, it's already my turn.
I'd already decided on what to say so there was no need to think. I slowly glanced around at each member of the Round Table. Everyone seemed to look forward to what I was going to say, except for one person. Perhaps because of the mess she created earlier, Soul Queen looked more anxious than curious. She had high self-esteem, but was more timid than she seemed.
Anyway, I think that's enough suspense.
After tapping my fingers against the arm of my chair twice for dramatic effect, I looked at Soul Queen. "You asked if I can handle it." It was now time for me to answer that question. No, rather, it was my turn to ask the same one.
Then are you, as Clown said earlier, really ready to handle it?
Gulp.
The moment Queen's throat moved, I continued without hesitation. "Queen's username is Soul Queen." As soon as I finished, the eyes of all the members turned to the jewel. I couldn't help laughing at this.
Jeez, I'm not done talking yet.
"And Soul Queen's real name..."
To be honest, I didn't know it either, but I intentionally trailed off while staring at her. If she didn't react, I decided I could just say something like, I'll tell you next time to make it entertaining, and pretend to be merciful for now.
"Oh?" When I paused once more, the interest in everyone's eyes grew stronger. Clown's was the most obvious. True, he'd been humiliated by her once before. "I hope she's not the type that stays holed up in the Magic Tower like Magic Engineer. Because that'll make her harder to kill. Pshehe..."
With Clown's creepy laughter, the muscles in Soul Queen's throat jumped once more.
Tap, tap.
I idly tapped the chair again.
"...S-Stop!" The words I wanted to hear finally flowed from her mouth. "P-Please don't... reveal my identity, I..."
Tsk, should've said that from the start.
"Pshehe, I hope you won't do something like that. Ah, you can't, anyway."
"...What do you mean?"
"If you can ban him, why have you left me alone? I'm from Noark, a place all of you hate so much. Isn't it because you're curious and want information about what we're up to on our side?"
"...What does that have to do with this?"
"Pshehe, was I right? Anyway, that's all the more reason Mr. Lion shouldn't be banned. We don't know what kind of information this man will tell us next..." Clown said bluntly. "And it's best not to do anything that might have consequences you can't handle, right?"
"...Can't handle?"
"Yep. He knows the GM's identity. What kind of trouble are you trying to get into?"
His words scratched my itch. It wasn't cool to say stuff like that yourself. If someone stepped up like this for me, I could save face, too—similar to how bullies always had a bootlicker at the front of the pack. When Queen pursed her lips and turned away, I met Clown's eyes. The guy was smiling. Did I do well? his eyes asked. It seemed Clown thought this made up for his mistakes in the past.
"Pshehe. Well, I'm just giving you my two cents, but it's probably not my place to meddle." Clown finished saying what he wanted to say then continued in a light tone, "Anyway, if we're going in reverse, is it my turn this time?"
That was how the second lap officially began. The first item on the agenda was already one that couldn't be overlooked.
"Since we're talking about Bjorn Yandel, that son of a bitch... It's possible he's not actually an evil spirit."
Huh?
"Pshehe, because I heard the person who spread that rumor was Baekho Lee."
...Baekho? He exposed me?
While I was inwardly shocked, Deer casually blurted out even more shocking information. "But the original source was that beastwoman Missha Karlstein."
...Huh? Missha?
"That means the same thing in practice. That beastwoman is now Baekho Lee's teammate."
Wait, what on earth? Why is Missha Baekho's teammate?
"Pshehe, thankfully it's a green light. I figured that no one knew that beastwoman from the Red Cat Tribe is now Baekho Lee's teammate."
I felt lightheaded as I was force-fed information that was hard to swallow, but I managed to endure it with difficulty, firmly telling myself that I could not let how I was feeling show on my face. That was when the next turn began.
"...Jeez, like I thought, this isn't easy." Goblin received two red lights on war-related information before succeeding on the third try, which had to do with the internal affairs of the Church of Reatlas. This guy had always had the habit of selling out his church whenever he was in a tight spot, so that wasn't a huge surprise.
"It's me again." That was how Crescent's turn arrived. I was interested as he mentioned Erwen in the previous round, but unfortunately, the information that he provided was so-so because it was related to the war. The same went for Deer, who was next.
"Pshehe, looks like the palace has really sharpened their swords this time."
I guessed the information was quite important seeing as Clown, who always mocked Deer, was saying something like that, but the war didn't matter to me. With my scattered comrades, clearing my name after getting accused of being an evil spirit, et cetera, I had plenty of homework to get through before that.
In that sense, Fox's information interested me quite a bit. No, should I say it worried me? "A few months ago, a double-digit Numbers Item was obtained by the Alminus Central Exchange. It's said that an unknown borrowed a large sum using that as collateral, and the repayment date is just around the corner. It's possible we'll see that item at the auction house soon."
That... isn't my Demon Grinder, is it? Yeah, it can't be. Kind Amelia could never do something like that.
While I was struggling to convince myself of that, I suddenly felt eyes on me.
Ah, it's already my turn.
I'd already decided on what to say so there was no need to think. I slowly glanced around at each member of the Round Table. Everyone seemed to look forward to what I was going to say, except for one person. Perhaps because of the mess she created earlier, Soul Queen looked more anxious than curious. She had high self-esteem, but was more timid than she seemed.
Anyway, I think that's enough suspense.
After tapping my fingers against the arm of my chair twice for dramatic effect, I looked at Soul Queen. "You asked if I can handle it." It was now time for me to answer that question. No, rather, it was my turn to ask the same one.
Then are you, as Clown said earlier, really ready to handle it?
Gulp.
The moment Queen's throat moved, I continued without hesitation. "Queen's username is Soul Queen." As soon as I finished, the eyes of all the members turned to the jewel. I couldn't help laughing at this.
Jeez, I'm not done talking yet.
"And Soul Queen's real name..."
To be honest, I didn't know it either, but I intentionally trailed off while staring at her. If she didn't react, I decided I could just say something like, I'll tell you next time to make it entertaining, and pretend to be merciful for now.
"Oh?" When I paused once more, the interest in everyone's eyes grew stronger. Clown's was the most obvious. True, he'd been humiliated by her once before. "I hope she's not the type that stays holed up in the Magic Tower like Magic Engineer. Because that'll make her harder to kill. Pshehe..."
With Clown's creepy laughter, the muscles in Soul Queen's throat jumped once more.
Tap, tap.
I idly tapped the chair again.
"...S-Stop!" The words I wanted to hear finally flowed from her mouth. "P-Please don't... reveal my identity, I..."
Tsk, should've said that from the start.