Chapter 370: Black Star (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 370: Black Star (3)
Lion was Bjorn Yandel. This idea was first raised at the Round Table by Soul Queen. The basis for the theory was the fact that Lion had disappeared immediately after Bjorn Yandel's death.
So, to put it simply... I just have to find an alibi.
Lion was not Bjorn Yandel. The moment this sentence became fact, all of those suspicions would lose most of their weight.
"You said he even had an ogre's essence."
"Even someone like Blood Spirit wouldn't go so far as to hire a stand-in and call him the same name she called him..."
"Then it would make sense that the Golden Wizard omitted this from her report."
"It's possible he faked his own death for that reason."
In the end, these suspicions were all derived from the possibility that Lion was Bjorn Yandel. Clown's reaction was proof of that.
"Pshehe, what are you all talking about? Bjorn Yandel is dead."
Because he believed there was no way Lion was Bjorn Yandel, he was the only one not to give credence to the theory.
Huh, this guy really has two sides.
When I ran into him outside all I wanted to do was bash his head in, but surprisingly he was almost cute at the Round Table.
Ah, now's not the time to be thinking about that. Looks like these guys are slowly coming to their senses.
Fox was the first to open her mouth and break the heavy silence. "...Twenty-two... years ago?" Her voice contained an immense shock that couldn't be described in words alone. Well, that made sense.
"Um... i-is that possible? That means Mr. Lion has been in this world for over twenty years..."
When Goblin trailed off, Deer smoothly offered his two cents. "It's not unfounded. The general consensus is that the GM was brought to this world around then as well."
That meant that in their minds, it was safe to say that I had been here about as long as the GM, who as far as everyone knew was the player who had been here the longest.
"Pshehe, so if I kill people for ten more years, can I become like you, Mr. Lion?"
Hm, so I guess Clown has been here for about ten years already. And it looks like the others are in a similar boat.
"But Queen, why are you so quiet? Pshehe." Clown mocked Soul Queen for barking up the wrong tree. "Shouldn't you bow down and apologize? For spreading the ridiculous rumor that Mr. Lion is Bjorn Yandel?" Clown seemed to be enjoying being the only person who was right, and he glanced around at the other members. "You guys are the same! Bjorn Yandel? Even if that bastard is still alive, do you think he's any match for Mr. Lion? Huh?"
"Hahaha... it was just a thought. We didn't actually think that ..." Goblin laughed awkwardly.
Deer, on the other hand, didn't shirk responsibility and instead reflected on his actions. "Now that I think about it... it would be a big leap to assume Bjorn Yandel is alive."
"To be honest, I still can't believe that man was an evil spirit. There's something a bit suspicious about the royal family's proclamation... I've seen that guy in person."
Fox has met me in person? In that case, she would have to have been one of the high-ranking people who escaped through a portal that day, no? Hmm, or maybe she just ran into me by coincidence some other time?
I'll think it over later...
Clown backed Fox up. "Pshehe, I agree with you there. How could that blockheaded barbarian be an evil spirit? How does that make sense?"
This time, even Deer, who was on bad terms with Clown, expressed his assent. "True... it's hard to interpret what he did at the title bestowal ceremony as an act."
"You mean how he pushed Marquess Kudo in front of the prime minister and so many nobles?"
"Haha, I heard about that afterward. I heard he yelled something about how the marquess used him to do a somersault, right?"
How embarrassing. How am I supposed to react to receiving such high praise straight to my face? Anyway, I think that should have dispelled all the suspicions...
As I was looking around the table, I could see Soul Queen had tuned out the conversation around her.
What is she thinking so hard about?
As I was studying her, Clown changed the subject. "Ms. Queen, how long are you going to just sit there? It's your turn now. Can't you see Mr. Lion is waiting?" It seemed that was how he had chosen to interpret the way I was staring at Soul Queen.
Man, he's like a professional minion. Why is he so eager to speak on my behalf?
"A-Ah! Yes. Right... I should go..." Anyway, I guessed Clown's prodding worked because Soul Queen seemed to come to her senses as she took a breath and slowly parted her lips. "The palace already knows the GM's identity."
Well, that was an interesting piece of information.
The Magic Engineer, Yurven Havellion, was the head of a magical school and a role model for many construct-type wizards. But that was only who he seemed to be on the surface. In reality, he was the GM, the head of a community of evil spirits called Ghost Busters, and a legend among players. That was his true identity.
Shaaaaaa!
The light on the Round Table turned green, confirming that Soul Queen's information was accurate and the majority of the people in the room hadn't been aware of it.
"The palace knows his identity, huh?"
That could only mean one thing. Not only had the palace intentionally let the GM off easy...
"That means it's highly likely that the GM and the palace are working together in some capacity."
It could definitely be interpreted that way. That would also explain why he seemed to disregard the threat of the palace entirely while confronting me. So why did Soul Queen reveal this at the Round Table? The reason for that soon became clear.
"Pshehe, so the GM was one of them the whole time. No wonder rumors about him never seemed to spread in the city, no matter what kind of fuss people kicked up."
This was probably a way of advising and warning me that there was no point in spreading rumors, so I shouldn't waste my breath.
"Wait, but isn't that strange? The GM himself called the palace our enemy, right?"
When Goblin pointed out that contradiction, Crescent responded with a cynical smile. "There is nothing more foolish than believing in forever. Especially when it comes to people." Maybe Goblin's statement would have been true if this were the GM in the early days, but now, no one could know if he was still an innocent party.
"If this gets out, the community itself could disappear," Deer lamented.
"Yeah. If news gets out that the GM has joined forces with the palace, all players will live in fear. Including me." When Fox looked at Soul Queen, the other members naturally shifted their attention to her as well. "Ms. Queen, tell us. You are part of the admin team, right? Why did the GM join forces with the palace?"
I'll think it over later...
Clown backed Fox up. "Pshehe, I agree with you there. How could that blockheaded barbarian be an evil spirit? How does that make sense?"
This time, even Deer, who was on bad terms with Clown, expressed his assent. "True... it's hard to interpret what he did at the title bestowal ceremony as an act."
"You mean how he pushed Marquess Kudo in front of the prime minister and so many nobles?"
"Haha, I heard about that afterward. I heard he yelled something about how the marquess used him to do a somersault, right?"
How embarrassing. How am I supposed to react to receiving such high praise straight to my face? Anyway, I think that should have dispelled all the suspicions...
As I was looking around the table, I could see Soul Queen had tuned out the conversation around her.
What is she thinking so hard about?
As I was studying her, Clown changed the subject. "Ms. Queen, how long are you going to just sit there? It's your turn now. Can't you see Mr. Lion is waiting?" It seemed that was how he had chosen to interpret the way I was staring at Soul Queen.
Man, he's like a professional minion. Why is he so eager to speak on my behalf?
"A-Ah! Yes. Right... I should go..." Anyway, I guessed Clown's prodding worked because Soul Queen seemed to come to her senses as she took a breath and slowly parted her lips. "The palace already knows the GM's identity."
Well, that was an interesting piece of information.
The Magic Engineer, Yurven Havellion, was the head of a magical school and a role model for many construct-type wizards. But that was only who he seemed to be on the surface. In reality, he was the GM, the head of a community of evil spirits called Ghost Busters, and a legend among players. That was his true identity.
Shaaaaaa!
The light on the Round Table turned green, confirming that Soul Queen's information was accurate and the majority of the people in the room hadn't been aware of it.
"The palace knows his identity, huh?"
That could only mean one thing. Not only had the palace intentionally let the GM off easy...
"That means it's highly likely that the GM and the palace are working together in some capacity."
It could definitely be interpreted that way. That would also explain why he seemed to disregard the threat of the palace entirely while confronting me. So why did Soul Queen reveal this at the Round Table? The reason for that soon became clear.
"Pshehe, so the GM was one of them the whole time. No wonder rumors about him never seemed to spread in the city, no matter what kind of fuss people kicked up."
This was probably a way of advising and warning me that there was no point in spreading rumors, so I shouldn't waste my breath.
"Wait, but isn't that strange? The GM himself called the palace our enemy, right?"
When Goblin pointed out that contradiction, Crescent responded with a cynical smile. "There is nothing more foolish than believing in forever. Especially when it comes to people." Maybe Goblin's statement would have been true if this were the GM in the early days, but now, no one could know if he was still an innocent party.
"If this gets out, the community itself could disappear," Deer lamented.
"Yeah. If news gets out that the GM has joined forces with the palace, all players will live in fear. Including me." When Fox looked at Soul Queen, the other members naturally shifted their attention to her as well. "Ms. Queen, tell us. You are part of the admin team, right? Why did the GM join forces with the palace?"
"I can't tell you that."
"Then I'll take that as you saying we should come to our own conclusions—"
"But I can tell you this one thing with confidence." Soul Queen cut Fox off. "If this round is over, I'll start this time." She placed her hand on the Round Table's jewel. "The GM is someone who puts players above all else. He would never sacrifice another player to the palace. Such a thing isn't possible with the way this community functions in the first place."
The moment she finished speaking and took her hand off the jewel, a green light began to glow.
"Haha, I feel a bit relieved now that you've said that." Goblin laughed, breaking the silence like he was uncomfortable with the awkward tension in the air. With that, everyone stopped interrogating Soul Queen.
"It's a good thing it's functionally impossible."
In fact, that was probably the most decisive factor. The GM could change his mind later, but their anxieties were abated by the knowledge that the worst could be averted thanks to the systems in place.
"True, if the GM had the ability to learn our real-world identities, this conversation wouldn't be happening in the first place..."
"It seems he has a give-and-take relationship with the palace rather than one where he works for them."
"Then it's your turn now." Soul Queen did not seem to want to keep talking about this, and she hurriedly ended the conversation by passing off the baton to Clown.
"Pshehe, it's been such an interesting start..." Clown made a show of trailing off like he was going to pass, but it seemed he came up with something suitable soon enough. "Aha, this should be good!" Clown clapped his hands exaggeratedly and then placed one of them on the jewel. "I also learned this recently and it's quite a surprising tidbit."
"Earlier, you called me ridiculous for dragging things out."
"Pshehe, but you and I are different, Mr. Goblin." Clown waved him off, and even Deer nodded.
"Why are you nodding?" Goblin whined, clearly hurt, but no one at the Round Table paid attention to him. That was because Clown had begun speaking, finally breaking the mounting tension.
"The Dark Continent is a real place." The information Clown provided was hard to wrap my head around.
"...It's a green light."
"But what does that mean? I don't understand what you mean by that."
"Pshehe! It's just as I said! Literally! After leaving the city and wandering around outside for a while, it hit me. There may be differences in the topography and structure, but the land we are standing on looks exactly like the Dark Continent on the seventh floor!"
This was information that piqued the curiosity of the gamer in me for the first time in a long time.
"...If that's true, then that means that theory may be true as well."
"The theory that the labyrinth isn't a passage connecting to another dimension, but one purposefully crafted by someone?"
"The Crystal Cave and the Rock Desert... perhaps they were modeled after real places."
If that was true, it was a bit ironic. Someone designed this labyrinth based on this world, and that labyrinth was then used to design a game.
I want to know about the outside world too...
I wondered if there would come a day when I could explore out there.
The second round proceeded smoothly in reverse order without any red lights, but unfortunately, that was all I could say about it.
"I can't tell you that."
"Then I'll take that as you saying we should come to our own conclusions—"
"But I can tell you this one thing with confidence." Soul Queen cut Fox off. "If this round is over, I'll start this time." She placed her hand on the Round Table's jewel. "The GM is someone who puts players above all else. He would never sacrifice another player to the palace. Such a thing isn't possible with the way this community functions in the first place."
The moment she finished speaking and took her hand off the jewel, a green light began to glow.
"Haha, I feel a bit relieved now that you've said that." Goblin laughed, breaking the silence like he was uncomfortable with the awkward tension in the air. With that, everyone stopped interrogating Soul Queen.
"It's a good thing it's functionally impossible."
In fact, that was probably the most decisive factor. The GM could change his mind later, but their anxieties were abated by the knowledge that the worst could be averted thanks to the systems in place.
"True, if the GM had the ability to learn our real-world identities, this conversation wouldn't be happening in the first place..."
"It seems he has a give-and-take relationship with the palace rather than one where he works for them."
"Then it's your turn now." Soul Queen did not seem to want to keep talking about this, and she hurriedly ended the conversation by passing off the baton to Clown.
"Pshehe, it's been such an interesting start..." Clown made a show of trailing off like he was going to pass, but it seemed he came up with something suitable soon enough. "Aha, this should be good!" Clown clapped his hands exaggeratedly and then placed one of them on the jewel. "I also learned this recently and it's quite a surprising tidbit."
"Earlier, you called me ridiculous for dragging things out."
"Pshehe, but you and I are different, Mr. Goblin." Clown waved him off, and even Deer nodded.
"Why are you nodding?" Goblin whined, clearly hurt, but no one at the Round Table paid attention to him. That was because Clown had begun speaking, finally breaking the mounting tension.
"The Dark Continent is a real place." The information Clown provided was hard to wrap my head around.
"...It's a green light."
"But what does that mean? I don't understand what you mean by that."
"Pshehe! It's just as I said! Literally! After leaving the city and wandering around outside for a while, it hit me. There may be differences in the topography and structure, but the land we are standing on looks exactly like the Dark Continent on the seventh floor!"
This was information that piqued the curiosity of the gamer in me for the first time in a long time.
"...If that's true, then that means that theory may be true as well."
"The theory that the labyrinth isn't a passage connecting to another dimension, but one purposefully crafted by someone?"
"The Crystal Cave and the Rock Desert... perhaps they were modeled after real places."
If that was true, it was a bit ironic. Someone designed this labyrinth based on this world, and that labyrinth was then used to design a game.
I want to know about the outside world too...
I wondered if there would come a day when I could explore out there.
The second round proceeded smoothly in reverse order without any red lights, but unfortunately, that was all I could say about it.
Queen's and Clown's were good, but the rest of the information was so-so.
Regardless of objective value, the information was not personally useful to me. Just look at Fox. She received a green light for sharing the fact that Blood Spirit purchased a mansion for a large sum and that that mansion was used as collateral to borrow another large sum. Crescent? He sighed and said that it seemed Blood Spirit used that money to purchase an essence.
"She got him a happy home and even an essence... Pshehe, that woman is dedicated! It's not like she can bring Bjorn Yandel back to life by doing all that."
The reactions of the others were a bit hurtful.
"...Riehen Schuitz. I'll have to look into him, but I don't think he's normal."
"I-I heard he's strong, though. It's not easy to get that strong with just a few essences..."
"It's always the people who have more power who are worse. Using a woman's pain for his own personal gain is a blight against all men."
"My, you're a romantic, huh, Mr. Deer?"
"Ahem..."
"The elves will have to look into it as well. We only knew she bought an essence, but we never thought she'd give it to a total stranger..."
Ugh, they're going to conduct all sorts of investigations into me after this. I'll be able to rest way easier if I can just get my hands on those documents from the Adventurers' Guild... It seems I'll have to find a solution to that as soon as possible.
"Haha, it's already my turn!"
Anyway, Goblin and Deer, who went after that, were similar in terms of usefulness. Their information wasn't related to me, unlike the previous two, but I didn't deem it helpful.
Well, it can't always be useful.
I glanced around, letting go of my regrets. Was it because it was already my turn? The mood in the hall was a little different from before. Eyes gathered on me in anticipation of what information I'd bestow on them this time. Even the sound of breathing couldn't be heard in the deathly quiet room.
What should I do?
I thought it over one last time, but I decided to stick with what I had already decided to share. I opened my mouth. "I have met Auril Gavis, the creator of Dungeon and Stone."
Mm-hmm, it was best to hammer things home so that no one would ever think Lion was Bjorn Yandel.
***
"Whew, I'm tired..."
As soon as I returned to Hansu's room, I threw myself on the bed and replayed what happened at the Round Table in my mind.
It's been a while since we've done three rounds.
Even after completing two rounds, another round had ensued. There was some useful information, but most wasn't.
"It's not like Mr. Goblin leaving makes a difference, so why don't we continue?"
"I don't think anything interesting will come of that."
Ignoring Clown's disappointed look, I heartlessly stood up. That was because, without Goblin, the ratio needed to get the majority would go down. Even if I wasn't the one to take the initiative, one or two of the others would have bowed out, as always. So I had decided it was best for me to leave first.
...There wouldn't have been any quality information, anyway. Okay, my brain's finally working after that break. I should spend the remaining time surfing the web.
Click, click.
After getting up from bed, I roamed the community and read forum posts.
"Heh, these weird assholes..." Why were these trolls so funny? What the hell was going on in their brains? "Hehehe..."
I was in the middle of surfing the web, one leg propped up on the table, when I saw it.
"...Huh?"
I quickly sat up. Even after I rubbed my eyes and moved my face close to the monitor, the text on the screen didn't change.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 1 person is online.]
Online? Who is it? Could it be Baekho? No, the GM couldn't have dropped the ban already... Even if he did, it'd be impossible for him to come online right now. Is it just a bored person? Or a real Korean? There could be a Korean in the recent batch of newbies. Whatever the case, I'll find out once I meet them.
With that thought in mind, I double-clicked the mouse.
Click, click.
Everything went white and my surroundings changed. Unlike the default chatroom skin, which was an empty lot, the interior of this one looked like an elaborate mansion. This place had been decorated by Baekho, the chat's moderator, himself.
What, it's a woman?
I could see the back of a woman sitting in front of the fireplace. It was hard to determine her nationality from the nickname above her head—HS123—but based on her hair and skin color alone, she was definitely Asian.
Hmm, then is she really Korean? Well, I'll find out once we talk.
I was more comfortable with men, but that didn't mean women weren't welcome. And if it really was someone from home, I was also willing to extend something of a helping hand just as Baekho did for me. With that in mind, I announced my presence.
"Ahem."
"Kyaaa!" The woman sitting down jumped, her shoulders flying up to her ears. It looked like she hadn't even noticed I was in the chatroom. The tell-tale air of a newbie radiated off of her, impossible to imitate. "...Huh?" The startled woman turned around, and we made eye contact.
"Huh...?"
"Uh."
The woman's eyes went wide. Actually, my eyes were probably no different.
"Huh?!"
What is this? Is this a dream? Why is she here?
"Uh..."
My brain shorted out. My jaw hung there like a goldfish's, and none of the sounds that tumbled out of my mouth were coherent enough to be classified as 'language.' The same went for the woman.
"U-Uh."
"Uh..."
"Uh?"
Still, she was quicker to recover. "Hansu...?" The woman looked more shocked than happy to see me.
"Hyeonbyeol...?" I asked in a daze, my eyes automatically sliding down. She was wearing a formal skirt that went down to her knees, a neat blouse, and... "Ha...you're exactly the same."
She was wearing black stockings.
Queen's and Clown's were good, but the rest of the information was so-so.
Regardless of objective value, the information was not personally useful to me. Just look at Fox. She received a green light for sharing the fact that Blood Spirit purchased a mansion for a large sum and that that mansion was used as collateral to borrow another large sum. Crescent? He sighed and said that it seemed Blood Spirit used that money to purchase an essence.
"She got him a happy home and even an essence... Pshehe, that woman is dedicated! It's not like she can bring Bjorn Yandel back to life by doing all that."
The reactions of the others were a bit hurtful.
"...Riehen Schuitz. I'll have to look into him, but I don't think he's normal."
"I-I heard he's strong, though. It's not easy to get that strong with just a few essences..."
"It's always the people who have more power who are worse. Using a woman's pain for his own personal gain is a blight against all men."
"My, you're a romantic, huh, Mr. Deer?"
"Ahem..."
"The elves will have to look into it as well. We only knew she bought an essence, but we never thought she'd give it to a total stranger..."
Ugh, they're going to conduct all sorts of investigations into me after this. I'll be able to rest way easier if I can just get my hands on those documents from the Adventurers' Guild... It seems I'll have to find a solution to that as soon as possible.
"Haha, it's already my turn!"
Anyway, Goblin and Deer, who went after that, were similar in terms of usefulness. Their information wasn't related to me, unlike the previous two, but I didn't deem it helpful.
Well, it can't always be useful.
I glanced around, letting go of my regrets. Was it because it was already my turn? The mood in the hall was a little different from before. Eyes gathered on me in anticipation of what information I'd bestow on them this time. Even the sound of breathing couldn't be heard in the deathly quiet room.
What should I do?
I thought it over one last time, but I decided to stick with what I had already decided to share. I opened my mouth. "I have met Auril Gavis, the creator of Dungeon and Stone."
Mm-hmm, it was best to hammer things home so that no one would ever think Lion was Bjorn Yandel.
***
"Whew, I'm tired..."
As soon as I returned to Hansu's room, I threw myself on the bed and replayed what happened at the Round Table in my mind.
It's been a while since we've done three rounds.
Even after completing two rounds, another round had ensued. There was some useful information, but most wasn't.
"It's not like Mr. Goblin leaving makes a difference, so why don't we continue?"
"I don't think anything interesting will come of that."
Ignoring Clown's disappointed look, I heartlessly stood up. That was because, without Goblin, the ratio needed to get the majority would go down. Even if I wasn't the one to take the initiative, one or two of the others would have bowed out, as always. So I had decided it was best for me to leave first.
...There wouldn't have been any quality information, anyway. Okay, my brain's finally working after that break. I should spend the remaining time surfing the web.
Click, click.
After getting up from bed, I roamed the community and read forum posts.
"Heh, these weird assholes..." Why were these trolls so funny? What the hell was going on in their brains? "Hehehe..."
I was in the middle of surfing the web, one leg propped up on the table, when I saw it.
"...Huh?"
I quickly sat up. Even after I rubbed my eyes and moved my face close to the monitor, the text on the screen didn't change.
[Long Live Korea's Independence - 1 person is online.]
Online? Who is it? Could it be Baekho? No, the GM couldn't have dropped the ban already... Even if he did, it'd be impossible for him to come online right now. Is it just a bored person? Or a real Korean? There could be a Korean in the recent batch of newbies. Whatever the case, I'll find out once I meet them.
With that thought in mind, I double-clicked the mouse.
Click, click.
Everything went white and my surroundings changed. Unlike the default chatroom skin, which was an empty lot, the interior of this one looked like an elaborate mansion. This place had been decorated by Baekho, the chat's moderator, himself.
What, it's a woman?
I could see the back of a woman sitting in front of the fireplace. It was hard to determine her nationality from the nickname above her head—HS123—but based on her hair and skin color alone, she was definitely Asian.
Hmm, then is she really Korean? Well, I'll find out once we talk.
I was more comfortable with men, but that didn't mean women weren't welcome. And if it really was someone from home, I was also willing to extend something of a helping hand just as Baekho did for me. With that in mind, I announced my presence.
"Ahem."
"Kyaaa!" The woman sitting down jumped, her shoulders flying up to her ears. It looked like she hadn't even noticed I was in the chatroom. The tell-tale air of a newbie radiated off of her, impossible to imitate. "...Huh?" The startled woman turned around, and we made eye contact.
"Huh...?"
"Uh."
The woman's eyes went wide. Actually, my eyes were probably no different.
"Huh?!"
What is this? Is this a dream? Why is she here?
"Uh..."
My brain shorted out. My jaw hung there like a goldfish's, and none of the sounds that tumbled out of my mouth were coherent enough to be classified as 'language.' The same went for the woman.
"U-Uh."
"Uh..."
"Uh?"
Still, she was quicker to recover. "Hansu...?" The woman looked more shocked than happy to see me.
"Hyeonbyeol...?" I asked in a daze, my eyes automatically sliding down. She was wearing a formal skirt that went down to her knees, a neat blouse, and... "Ha...you're exactly the same."
She was wearing black stockings.