Chapter 347: Seclusion (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 347: Seclusion (2)
Sweat beaded on the forehead of Magic Engineer Yurven Havellion, a wizard who was the head of a school and respected by many others in the world of innovation. That was how tricky his current task was, trying to defy the laws of the spiritual world.
"Damn it," the robed man muttered at the jewel laying on his workbench. It was the one he'd received from an old man he met shortly after coming to this world, an object that could be considered the server and system for the spirit world now named Ghost Busters. "What on earth went wrong?"
An infinite number of magical circuits, large and small, were intertwined inside this small jewel. The man had proven himself by analyzing and studying this thing, and had created the Ghost Busters of today by modifying each of the circuits he identified.
"...As I thought, this method will never work."
The man continued to inject mana into the jewel, modifying the circuit for a long time before sighing in apparent defeat. Actually, it was kind of funny to be disappointed. There was no way something that he hadn't been able to achieve for decades could suddenly be achieved in a few days. His biggest achievement as of late was updating the system to secretly view the nicknames of players who had entered anonymous chatrooms using his admin privileges.
Ringggg.
Just then, his personal pager vibrated. There was no need to even check who was calling.
"Yes, Soul Queen? Were there any issues related to me?"
"No... there is no talk about you anywhere yet."
"...I see." The man felt both annoyed and relieved at the same time. This was because his identity, which he had kept secret for twenty years, had been revealed in such an unexpected place. "Please continue to keep an eye on that. These rumors must be suppressed before they grow bigger. I will continue to look for a way to learn the identities of the other members."
"All right. And... I'm sorry."
The man fell silent at the apology from the woman in the mana crystal. He couldn't say there was nothing to be sorry about, even just as empty words. "Then... let me know if any issues arise in the future."
"All right, get some rest."
The man finished the call and headed for the workbench again.
I think it could be possible by changing the circuit to store people's location information when they connect to the server...
The man analyzed the jewel's complex internal circuitry. As always, the answer to his problems lay within this jewel.
***
Knock, knock.
The moment I heard the knock, I immediately sat up in bed.
Who is that? Erwen wouldn't be knocking, so I'm sure it's an outsider... But why would an outsider knock on that door and not the main one? God damn it.
Holding my breath, I kept myself low and crept over to the door as quietly as possible.
Drag, slide.
Right at that moment, there was a rattling sound on the doorknob before the lock was released.
Creak.
The door opened slowly. Whoever my opponent was, I balled up my fists with the intention of taking them down first, but I froze when I spotted the intruder.
"...Luckily, you were inside."
"Amelia!"
"Ugh! I-I told you not to run at me out of nowhere...!"
It's because I'm glad to see you. Jeez, making me embarrassed.
"...Come in, quickly."
"Excuse me..." Amelia didn't seem to like the reunion hug, so I skipped over it, and she hurried into the house.
There were so many things I wanted to ask, but I decided to go in order. "How did you know I was here?"
"I waited in front of the bank and followed the elf."
"Huh? But then why...?"
"There was no opening to approach you."
Eh? That girl is always away at the elven holy land during the day.
When I told her this, Amelia shook her head. "No way. That woman was always near the house."
Chills ran down my spine. "...Uh, then she never went to the holy land?"
"You... didn't know? But it seems she's had a change of heart recently, and she's been disappearing somewhere. I didn't come right away because I watched the house for a few days to make sure it wasn't a trap."
That put me somewhat at ease. Said change of heart must have been the conversation we had not long ago.
"So... how did it go with Blood Spirit? I'm sure it must have been hard for her to accept that you came back alive. Same for the evil spirit issue."
"Ah, that worked out fine." I briefly summarized what happened with Erwen and told her just the important parts.
Amelia looked a little surprised. "It doesn't matter to her if you're an evil spirit or not, huh? What an uncharacteristic way of thinking for an adventurer from the overworld."
"She's gotten a little... weird. Back when I first met her, she probably wouldn't ever have thought that way."
"Well, I don't think so."
"Huh?"
"She didn't stop seeking revenge for you even after the announcement. She must have come to the conclusion a long time ago that it doesn't matter what your identity is."
Hmm, that's possible.
"Anyway, I hammered it into her that I'm not an evil spirit. You never know what will happen later."
Amelia chuckled. "Then I'm the only one in the world who knows your identity?"
"No, there is one more person."
"...I thought Missha Karlstein doesn't know you are an evil spirit?"
"It's someone else. He's not even a local to begin with. He's from my home country." There was no reason to hide it and there was plenty of room for it to become an issue in the future, so I told her about Baekho.
Her reaction was a little weird. "Baekho Lee...? That man is from your home country?" It was like she had just heard something about someone she knew quite well.
Hmm, come to think of it, there were quite a few people who knew about Baekho at the Round Table, too.
I had intended to sneak the question in with Erwen, but it was better to just get the information from her. "Do you know him?"
"...Of course."
"True, since you came to this time period much earlier than me, you might have heard of him. Ah, but how long has it been since you got back?"
"It was two years ago."
"Oh, then you were there and back on a one-to-one ratio—"
"But when I returned doesn't matter. I knew about that guy a long time ago."
It's because I'm glad to see you. Jeez, making me embarrassed.
"...Come in, quickly."
"Excuse me..." Amelia didn't seem to like the reunion hug, so I skipped over it, and she hurried into the house.
There were so many things I wanted to ask, but I decided to go in order. "How did you know I was here?"
"I waited in front of the bank and followed the elf."
"Huh? But then why...?"
"There was no opening to approach you."
Eh? That girl is always away at the elven holy land during the day.
When I told her this, Amelia shook her head. "No way. That woman was always near the house."
Chills ran down my spine. "...Uh, then she never went to the holy land?"
"You... didn't know? But it seems she's had a change of heart recently, and she's been disappearing somewhere. I didn't come right away because I watched the house for a few days to make sure it wasn't a trap."
That put me somewhat at ease. Said change of heart must have been the conversation we had not long ago.
"So... how did it go with Blood Spirit? I'm sure it must have been hard for her to accept that you came back alive. Same for the evil spirit issue."
"Ah, that worked out fine." I briefly summarized what happened with Erwen and told her just the important parts.
Amelia looked a little surprised. "It doesn't matter to her if you're an evil spirit or not, huh? What an uncharacteristic way of thinking for an adventurer from the overworld."
"She's gotten a little... weird. Back when I first met her, she probably wouldn't ever have thought that way."
"Well, I don't think so."
"Huh?"
"She didn't stop seeking revenge for you even after the announcement. She must have come to the conclusion a long time ago that it doesn't matter what your identity is."
Hmm, that's possible.
"Anyway, I hammered it into her that I'm not an evil spirit. You never know what will happen later."
Amelia chuckled. "Then I'm the only one in the world who knows your identity?"
"No, there is one more person."
"...I thought Missha Karlstein doesn't know you are an evil spirit?"
"It's someone else. He's not even a local to begin with. He's from my home country." There was no reason to hide it and there was plenty of room for it to become an issue in the future, so I told her about Baekho.
Her reaction was a little weird. "Baekho Lee...? That man is from your home country?" It was like she had just heard something about someone she knew quite well.
Hmm, come to think of it, there were quite a few people who knew about Baekho at the Round Table, too.
I had intended to sneak the question in with Erwen, but it was better to just get the information from her. "Do you know him?"
"...Of course."
"True, since you came to this time period much earlier than me, you might have heard of him. Ah, but how long has it been since you got back?"
"It was two years ago."
"Oh, then you were there and back on a one-to-one ratio—"
"But when I returned doesn't matter. I knew about that guy a long time ago."
Huh? You knew Baekho from before that?
When I looked at her for more information, Amelia opened her mouth. "Do you remember that I told you I used to work on a team with an evil spirit for over a year? That evil spirit was Baekho."
Who the hell is this guy? He's literally everywhere.
Amelia had met Baekho about five years ago. Apparently, she deliberately approached him aboveground under orders from the castellan. At the time, there had been suspicion he was an evil spirit, so this mission had been to confirm that. If he were an evil spirit, it would be possible to use that to control him.
"Adventurers who could use auras were rare, so joining his party wasn't difficult. I stayed on his team for about a year."
Amelia said she obtained Self-Replication from Doppelganger Forest and cleared the Hundred-Color Temple on the third floor around that time. Wow, no wonder she knew about all the hidden features. If she were with Baekho, it made sense.
"So? What happened after?"
"Nothing special. When I couldn't find substantial evidence after over a year, the castellan lost interest. I received a new mission and left the party with an excuse. Then... I heard the news later."
"News?"
"I don't know the details. At the time, the incident was thoroughly concealed by the palace. All I know is that his identity was revealed by a teammate's betrayal, and many people died in the labyrinth that day. That was all I could find out."
Afterward, Amelia said the palace destroyed all their records of Baekho and controlled the flow of information for several years to ensure his existence was forgotten by the city.
One question here. "Then how did you know the name Baekho Lee?"
"That was a relatively recent thing. It seems he really had a falling out with the palace. He's been showing up everywhere and introducing himself as Baekho Lee. Ah, for reference, he used to use a pseudonym, or was just called 'him' by everyone else."
I see... I never thought someone around me would know so much about Baekho's past.
"What was he like before?"
"Well, we weren't very close. I didn't like his loose tongue and behavior. Instead, he had a very close relationship with the others."
"Close relationship?"
"Yes, like the team you made."
The more I listened to stories about Baekho out of curiosity, the weirder I felt. "What? Everyone on his team was female? And he even dated all of them? Wow, was this bastard running some harem in the labyrinth?"
"Harem? I don't know what that is, but aren't your teammates all women?"
What was this girl saying? Mr. Bear's spot was firmly established. Besides, during our Team Half-Wit days, everyone had been a guy except Missha.
"If you say so. Let's just go with that."
"I'm not just saying that, that's the truth. It just so happened that the team ended up like that because I selected people based on capability and aptitude. I never saw them as romantic interests—"
"You don't have to explain. I don't care at all. You're from a different country in the first place. I don't know what kind of place Korea is, but I suppose that part is similar to the aristocratic culture there."
Korea is a normal monogamous culture... What does she think Korea is?
For some reason, I felt like Baekho and I had properly ruined Korea's image, but I just decided not to make any excuses. It didn't really matter that much, after all. Now that I'd heard enough stories, it was time to move on to the next topic.
"Anyway, Amelia. What was written on the note you left at the bank?"
"What do you mean? It was just as I wrote."
"Ah, the letter Erwen handed me was ripped at the bottom. I could only read, 'The Demon Grinder is...' and couldn't read the rest."
"...I-I see." When the topic turned to my big and precious hammer, Amelia looked noticeably dismayed. "No wonder you didn't mention that... It was because you couldn't read it..."
"That's why I'm anxious. Tell me. What happened to the hammer? Is it okay—"
"The hammer is fine." Amelia firmly cut me off.
Slide.
Avoiding my eyes, she added meekly, "...In the vault of the collateral loans department of the Alminus Exchange."
Ha...
A heavy silence fell between us. Even Amelia, an ever-unflappable woman, was aware of her wrongdoings and was avoiding my gaze. In the end, I was the one who spoke first. "...So why did you sell it?"
I'm sure there was a good reason for it. This is Amelia we're talking about—
"I should make a correction."
"Hmm?"
"I didn't sell it, I used it as collateral to borrow money."
Are you being serious?
When I glared at her, Amelia cleared her throat. "I need to make that clear so that it doesn't lead to misunderstandings in the—"
"Uh-huh, just answer my questions. Why did you sell—no, give my hammer away as collateral? For what, exactly?"
"...To protect you when you returned."
Ha, I knew she was going to say that. I don't know what it is, but there has to be a good reason why she had to—
"I bought an essence at the auction house."
There was a long silence.
"...What?"
"Don't worry," Amelia rushed to explain. "As long as I repay the money by the date the loan is set to mature, I can get it back."
That revived me a bit. True, you could do stuff like this if you needed money. It was obvious she'd gotten the Twin Hydra's Dual Control with the cash from the loan. It was a good enough essence to get if it could be bought with money.
But I needed to check what I needed to check. "...When's the repayment date?"
"In two months."
"And the money?"
"I don't have it right now."
"And your plan to raise the money?"
"...I had one."
So, we were talking past tense. A new quest was added to my already busy schedule.
Huh? You knew Baekho from before that?
When I looked at her for more information, Amelia opened her mouth. "Do you remember that I told you I used to work on a team with an evil spirit for over a year? That evil spirit was Baekho."
Who the hell is this guy? He's literally everywhere.
Amelia had met Baekho about five years ago. Apparently, she deliberately approached him aboveground under orders from the castellan. At the time, there had been suspicion he was an evil spirit, so this mission had been to confirm that. If he were an evil spirit, it would be possible to use that to control him.
"Adventurers who could use auras were rare, so joining his party wasn't difficult. I stayed on his team for about a year."
Amelia said she obtained Self-Replication from Doppelganger Forest and cleared the Hundred-Color Temple on the third floor around that time. Wow, no wonder she knew about all the hidden features. If she were with Baekho, it made sense.
"So? What happened after?"
"Nothing special. When I couldn't find substantial evidence after over a year, the castellan lost interest. I received a new mission and left the party with an excuse. Then... I heard the news later."
"News?"
"I don't know the details. At the time, the incident was thoroughly concealed by the palace. All I know is that his identity was revealed by a teammate's betrayal, and many people died in the labyrinth that day. That was all I could find out."
Afterward, Amelia said the palace destroyed all their records of Baekho and controlled the flow of information for several years to ensure his existence was forgotten by the city.
One question here. "Then how did you know the name Baekho Lee?"
"That was a relatively recent thing. It seems he really had a falling out with the palace. He's been showing up everywhere and introducing himself as Baekho Lee. Ah, for reference, he used to use a pseudonym, or was just called 'him' by everyone else."
I see... I never thought someone around me would know so much about Baekho's past.
"What was he like before?"
"Well, we weren't very close. I didn't like his loose tongue and behavior. Instead, he had a very close relationship with the others."
"Close relationship?"
"Yes, like the team you made."
The more I listened to stories about Baekho out of curiosity, the weirder I felt. "What? Everyone on his team was female? And he even dated all of them? Wow, was this bastard running some harem in the labyrinth?"
"Harem? I don't know what that is, but aren't your teammates all women?"
What was this girl saying? Mr. Bear's spot was firmly established. Besides, during our Team Half-Wit days, everyone had been a guy except Missha.
"If you say so. Let's just go with that."
"I'm not just saying that, that's the truth. It just so happened that the team ended up like that because I selected people based on capability and aptitude. I never saw them as romantic interests—"
"You don't have to explain. I don't care at all. You're from a different country in the first place. I don't know what kind of place Korea is, but I suppose that part is similar to the aristocratic culture there."
Korea is a normal monogamous culture... What does she think Korea is?
For some reason, I felt like Baekho and I had properly ruined Korea's image, but I just decided not to make any excuses. It didn't really matter that much, after all. Now that I'd heard enough stories, it was time to move on to the next topic.
"Anyway, Amelia. What was written on the note you left at the bank?"
"What do you mean? It was just as I wrote."
"Ah, the letter Erwen handed me was ripped at the bottom. I could only read, 'The Demon Grinder is...' and couldn't read the rest."
"...I-I see." When the topic turned to my big and precious hammer, Amelia looked noticeably dismayed. "No wonder you didn't mention that... It was because you couldn't read it..."
"That's why I'm anxious. Tell me. What happened to the hammer? Is it okay—"
"The hammer is fine." Amelia firmly cut me off.
Slide.
Avoiding my eyes, she added meekly, "...In the vault of the collateral loans department of the Alminus Exchange."
Ha...
A heavy silence fell between us. Even Amelia, an ever-unflappable woman, was aware of her wrongdoings and was avoiding my gaze. In the end, I was the one who spoke first. "...So why did you sell it?"
I'm sure there was a good reason for it. This is Amelia we're talking about—
"I should make a correction."
"Hmm?"
"I didn't sell it, I used it as collateral to borrow money."
Are you being serious?
When I glared at her, Amelia cleared her throat. "I need to make that clear so that it doesn't lead to misunderstandings in the—"
"Uh-huh, just answer my questions. Why did you sell—no, give my hammer away as collateral? For what, exactly?"
"...To protect you when you returned."
Ha, I knew she was going to say that. I don't know what it is, but there has to be a good reason why she had to—
"I bought an essence at the auction house."
There was a long silence.
"...What?"
"Don't worry," Amelia rushed to explain. "As long as I repay the money by the date the loan is set to mature, I can get it back."
That revived me a bit. True, you could do stuff like this if you needed money. It was obvious she'd gotten the Twin Hydra's Dual Control with the cash from the loan. It was a good enough essence to get if it could be bought with money.
But I needed to check what I needed to check. "...When's the repayment date?"
"In two months."
"And the money?"
"I don't have it right now."
"And your plan to raise the money?"
"...I had one."
So, we were talking past tense. A new quest was added to my already busy schedule.