Chapter 440: Giant Step (2)

Translator: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠RaidenTL

Chapter 440: Giant Step (2)

The green light that flashed for a moment had already faded, but a heavy silence followed. They were like students being scolded by a scary teacher. I'd usually be able to pity grown adults who were acting like that, but somehow it only served to annoy me today.

If I had known this would happen, I would've stayed home and slept.

Everyone was so out of it. Just how much did they neglect collecting information this month? I didn't drag my tired ass here to listen to this.

Ugh, I'm so tired...

Maybe I was grumpy because of my fatigue. No, that had to be it. If I were my usual self, I wouldn't be this irritated, and even if I were, I'd never make it this obvious.

Tap, tap.

I frowned. Should I just end this now before I waste any more time? But that'd be a massive letdown.

Tap.

I finished deliberating and slowly said, "Again."

Yeah, let's do one more round. You never know what'll come up.

"I'll give you another chance."

When I looked around, the members who made eye contact with me flinched and exchanged glances with each other. It was pretty satisfying. With this kind of atmosphere, the others were more likely to play cards they'd been holding close to their chests.

Thankfully no one's pointing out what I did.

I was able to smoothly skip my turn. Using It's all trash, I got a free pass this round.

If I look at it that way, I'm less pissed off now.

While I was waiting for them to start, one of the people at the table stopped exchanging glances with the others and took the lead.

"Then let's go in reverse order for this round, pshehe." Despite the tension, Clown met my eye and laughed his signature laugh. Still, I was looking forward to it. I could sense some determination in his voice. He probably took the first turn because he was at least slightly confident. "But, before we start..." Clown looked around at the other members and said, "I hope no one tries to wheedle their way out this time."

For a second, I thought that was directed at me, but I quickly realized that wasn't the case. Clown was issuing a warning right now. I'm going to play my ace, so you guys better do the same.

Unfortunately, none of the other members responded to the warning. But did he take that silence as agreement? Soon, Clown put his hand on the jewel. "Noark is planning to invade the city."

As soon as the green light came on, the eyes of every single person at the table widened behind their masks. I was too exhausted to outwardly react, but I was pretty much in the same state.

"I-Invade the city?"

He wasn't talking about a war inside the labyrinth but an invasion of the city. This meant that the people who left the city walls were making plans to invade Rafdonia.

"Why?" Fox was unable to hide her bafflement. "I thought the outside world was fine. Does Noark really need to go this far?"

This was a reasonable question and something I'd already been wondering for a while as well. First, Noark came back into the labyrinth to build up an army when the outside world was supposedly fine.

And now they're planning an invasion of the city? Is the outside in worse condition than we thought? Or do they have some sort of reason they have to bring down the royal family?

There were many questions, but Clown reserved the right to stay silent. "I don't know... my turn's already over. Pshehe."

Yeah, that was definitely enough to get him through a round.

Clown glanced at me before sitting back in his chair to signal his turn had come to an end.

As a result, it was now Queen's turn. She remained silent for a moment. It seemed she was contemplating something.

Sensing this, Clown didn't pass up the opportunity to mock her. "Hey, what are you worrying about? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You're not planning on doing another half-assed turn, are you?"

"I was just thinking for a moment," Queen replied curtly before placing her hand on the jewel. One way or another, Clown's remarks had pushed her act.

Nice assist.

As I waited, mentally giving Clown a gold star sticker, Queen soon opened her mouth. "This is a piece of information I was only recently able to confirm the validity of."

What's with the long intro?

"The Master of the Round Table is Auril Gavis."

What?

The Master of the Round Table was the person who first created this secret gathering and recruited promising players to join. To be honest, I'd speculated that perhaps the old man I met that one time was Auril Gavis. My suspicions first started when I was back in the past.

"To add the capabilities you mentioned, I'll have to imbue it with more of my power."

After all, about twenty-two years ago, I created a system similar to the Round Table with that old man. Of course, it had only been a suspicion up to that point. I figured there was a good chance it was just a coincidence since this idea wasn't particularly unique and could be thought up by anyone. What was really odd was something else.

They act the same way.

Auril Gavis had created this spiritual world and gathered promising players to help them grow, exactly like the Master did at this Round Table.

"W-What are you talking about? Th-that man is... Auril Gavis?" Fox stuttered, in utter disbelief as she was someone who had followed the Master from the beginning, but Queen's answer did not change.

"It's true."

"Th-then he's the one who brought us to this world...?"

"As per our investigation, yes."

Knowing that the GM was backing Queen, Fox didn't even bother with denial.

Shaaaaaa.

As soon as the green light on the jewel turned off, Queen took her hand off and glanced at Clown, shooting him a look that seemed to say, "How about that?"

It was kind of funny. Her pride must have been quite hurt by his comment earlier considering she sought out Clown's reaction before mine.

These guys have good synergy. I should pit them against each other whenever I get the chance from now on. Anyway, the Master of the Round Table is Auril Gavis, huh?

Although I'd somewhat expected this, it was still a bit shocking. I decided to properly think about the old man later, though. I was too tired to think straight right now.

Let's just worry about committing this all to memory so that I don't forget anything.

While I was busy setting my new goal, the rest of the table regrouped and all attention turned to the next person. "Fox, it's your turn now."

There were many questions, but Clown reserved the right to stay silent. "I don't know... my turn's already over. Pshehe."

Yeah, that was definitely enough to get him through a round.

Clown glanced at me before sitting back in his chair to signal his turn had come to an end.

As a result, it was now Queen's turn. She remained silent for a moment. It seemed she was contemplating something.

Sensing this, Clown didn't pass up the opportunity to mock her. "Hey, what are you worrying about? You're not planning on doing another half-assed turn, are you?"

"I was just thinking for a moment," Queen replied curtly before placing her hand on the jewel. One way or another, Clown's remarks had pushed her act.

Nice assist.

As I waited, mentally giving Clown a gold star sticker, Queen soon opened her mouth. "This is a piece of information I was only recently able to confirm the validity of."

What's with the long intro?

"The Master of the Round Table is Auril Gavis."

What?

The Master of the Round Table was the person who first created this secret gathering and recruited promising players to join. To be honest, I'd speculated that perhaps the old man I met that one time was Auril Gavis. My suspicions first started when I was back in the past.

"To add the capabilities you mentioned, I'll have to imbue it with more of my power."

After all, about twenty-two years ago, I created a system similar to the Round Table with that old man. Of course, it had only been a suspicion up to that point. I figured there was a good chance it was just a coincidence since this idea wasn't particularly unique and could be thought up by anyone. What was really odd was something else.

They act the same way.

Auril Gavis had created this spiritual world and gathered promising players to help them grow, exactly like the Master did at this Round Table.

"W-What are you talking about? Th-that man is... Auril Gavis?" Fox stuttered, in utter disbelief as she was someone who had followed the Master from the beginning, but Queen's answer did not change.

"It's true."

"Th-then he's the one who brought us to this world...?"

"As per our investigation, yes."

Knowing that the GM was backing Queen, Fox didn't even bother with denial.

Shaaaaaa.

As soon as the green light on the jewel turned off, Queen took her hand off and glanced at Clown, shooting him a look that seemed to say, "How about that?"

It was kind of funny. Her pride must have been quite hurt by his comment earlier considering she sought out Clown's reaction before mine.

These guys have good synergy. I should pit them against each other whenever I get the chance from now on. Anyway, the Master of the Round Table is Auril Gavis, huh?

Although I'd somewhat expected this, it was still a bit shocking. I decided to properly think about the old man later, though. I was too tired to think straight right now.

Let's just worry about committing this all to memory so that I don't forget anything.

While I was busy setting my new goal, the rest of the table regrouped and all attention turned to the next person. "Fox, it's your turn now."

We were already at the third turn. Was it because the last two pieces of information were so shocking? My mind was blank, but my concentration was sharper than ever.

Yeah, this is more like the Round Table.

As expected, people needed to be spurred on when they got lax. That little nudge had gotten me some good information.

Ah, but I hope Fox doesn't spill any information about the expedition team because of the pressure... no, I'm sure she has something else.

As I watched her, half-worried and half-expectant, Fox finally revealed her info. It was related to the clan boycott she mentioned earlier, and it seemed no one knew it because the gem lit up green.

"Ms. Fox, are you kidding me?"

"If you keep doing this, you won't be allowed to participate in these gatherings from now on."

Clown and Queen, who had been sniping at each other up to this point, joined forces to raise an objection. That led to Fox having to try one more time. It was truly a shame.

"The Guild Master of the Adventurers' Guild, Illya Adnus, added a saboteur to the squadron in the hopes that the expedition would fail."

If it weren't for that, information related to the expedition would have never been mentioned at the table.

Tsk... I guess you reap what you sow. Well, this isn't too big a deal.

I decided to be optimistic. There was no guarantee the Guild Master was our ally in the first place. Besides, if this information was made public to the rest of the group, the other members might find something new as they investigated.

Hmm... maybe that's why she mentioned it.

I let go of any lingering regrets and focused on studying everyone's eyes. Clown's look seemed to be asking, Guild Master? and I couldn't tell what Queen was thinking. Goblin, meanwhile, glanced at Fox with concern.

"Sir Adnus... a spy...?" Deer, who presumably belonged to the palace, had a slightly stronger reaction.

So, I guess none of you knew anything.

"Now, it's a green light, but..." Crescent, who had been quiet throughout the second round, spoke up. He was clearly checking to see if anyone was willing to raise an objection.

"Pshehe, well. It's still very much lacking, but..."

"She got a green light during her first attempt as well."

Fox managed to just barely scrape by with two pieces of information and ended her turn. So I supposed Goblin was the main problem now.

"...I-It's my turn."

Please don't say anything weird.

"Why are you so nervous? Pshehe. No one expects anything from you."

"Hm, I don't know," said Queen. "Isn't that just your opinion?"

"Pshehe, I guess you think differently then, Queen?"

"Even squirrels keep an acorn or two hidden for the winter."

It was unclear whether that was a compliment or an insult. Goblin seemed dubious as well. "Uh... thank you...?" he replied in a strange tone. It seemed he'd decided to take it as a compliment.

"Pshe, I really can't tell if this guy is clueless or unflappable. Whatever, just go."

"Ah, right... A revelation... there's been a revelation—"

"Another revelation? That goddess Reatlas sure has a lot to say."

"Th-this one isn't from our church but from the Tovera Church!"

"Hmm? Tovera Church?"

"Yes! The Tovera Church. I don't know if you know, but that church is known for rarely having revelations or oracles—"

"No need for useless details—why don't you cut to the chase and tell us what the god said?"

Goblin sighed at Clown's urging and got straight to the point. "The Sage of Eternal Life has returned." It was a very short piece of information. Although there was a green light, the reaction from the table wasn't great.

"...That's it?"

"Yes... that's what the revelation said."

Clown let out an incredulous laugh and Queen asked a follow-up question. "Were there any interpretations of the message by the cardinals or high priests? I think that would help us ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠judge the value of this information."

"No. I-I was only able to hear the contents of the message... in the first place, so..." Goblin sounded bewildered. It seemed he hadn't expected things to play out this way. Well, this round was a bit unusual. Normally a revelation was a free pass regardless of its contents.

Should I help him out this once? If I leave this be, I don't know what kind of information he'll blurt out next.

"Pshe. It seems everyone thinks that's a bit lacking, so why not try again with something else—"

As soon as I came to a decision, I interrupted Clown and joined the conversation. "The Sage of Eternal Life..."

"...Sorry?"

It was the kind of bullshittery that only I could get away with at this table. "So he's back..." Lion Style Form Five: Judged as Entertaining. "Interesting."

If I say it's fine, what are you guys going to do about it?

Dungeon and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Stone was a team game, after all.

We were already at the third turn. Was it because the last two pieces of information were so shocking? My mind was blank, but my concentration was sharper than ever.

Yeah, this is more like the Round Table.

As expected, people needed to be spurred on when they got lax. That little nudge had gotten me some good information.

Ah, but I hope Fox doesn't spill any information about the expedition team because of the pressure... no, I'm sure she has something else.

As I watched her, half-worried and half-expectant, Fox finally revealed her info. It was related to the clan boycott she mentioned earlier, and it seemed no one knew it because the gem lit up green.

"Ms. Fox, are you kidding me?"

"If you keep doing this, you won't be allowed to participate in these gatherings from now on."

Clown and Queen, who had been sniping at each other up to this point, joined forces to raise an objection. That led to Fox having to try one more time. It was truly a shame.

"The Guild Master of the Adventurers' Guild, Illya Adnus, added a saboteur to the squadron in the hopes that the expedition would fail."

If it weren't for that, information related to the expedition would have never been mentioned at the table.

Tsk... I guess you reap what you sow. Well, this isn't too big a deal.

I decided to be optimistic. There was no guarantee the Guild Master was our ally in the first place. Besides, if this information was made public to the rest of the group, the other members might find something new as they investigated.

Hmm... maybe that's why she mentioned it.

I let go of any lingering regrets and focused on studying everyone's eyes. Clown's look seemed to be asking, Guild Master? and I couldn't tell what Queen was thinking. Goblin, meanwhile, glanced at Fox with concern.

"Sir Adnus... a spy...?" Deer, who presumably belonged to the palace, had a slightly stronger reaction.

So, I guess none of you knew anything.

"Now, it's a green light, but..." Crescent, who had been quiet throughout the second round, spoke up. He was clearly checking to see if anyone was willing to raise an objection.

"Pshehe, well. It's still very much lacking, but..."

"She got a green light during her first attempt as well."

Fox managed to just barely scrape by with two pieces of information and ended her turn. So I supposed Goblin was the main problem now.

"...I-It's my turn."

Please don't say anything weird.

"Why are you so nervous? Pshehe. No one expects anything from you."

"Hm, I don't know," said Queen. "Isn't that just your opinion?"

"Pshehe, I guess you think differently then, Queen?"

"Even squirrels keep an acorn or two hidden for the winter."

It was unclear whether that was a compliment or an insult. Goblin seemed dubious as well. "Uh... thank you...?" he replied in a strange tone. It seemed he'd decided to take it as a compliment.

"Pshe, I really can't tell if this guy is clueless or unflappable. Whatever, just go."

"Ah, right... A revelation... there's been a revelation—"

"Another revelation? That goddess Reatlas sure has a lot to say."

"Th-this one isn't from our church but from the Tovera Church!"

"Hmm? Tovera Church?"

"Yes! The Tovera Church. I don't know if you know, but that church is known for rarely having revelations or oracles—"

"No need for useless details—why don't you cut to the chase and tell us what the god said?"

Goblin sighed at Clown's urging and got straight to the point. "The Sage of Eternal Life has returned." It was a very short piece of information. Although there was a green light, the reaction from the table wasn't great.

"...That's it?"

"Yes... that's what the revelation said."

Clown let out an incredulous laugh and Queen asked a follow-up question. "Were there any interpretations of the message by the cardinals or high priests? I think that would help us judge the value of this information."

"No. I-I was only able to hear the contents of the message... in the first place, so..." Goblin sounded bewildered. It seemed he hadn't expected things to play out this way. Well, this round was a bit unusual. Normally a revelation was a free pass regardless of its contents.

Should I help him out this once? If I leave this be, I don't know what kind of information he'll blurt out next.

"Pshe. It seems everyone thinks that's a bit lacking, so why not try again with something else—"

As soon as I came to a decision, I interrupted Clown and joined the conversation. "The Sage of Eternal Life..."

"...Sorry?"

It was the kind of bullshittery that only I could get away with at this table. "So he's back..." Lion Style Form Five: Judged as Entertaining. "Interesting."

If I say it's fine, what are you guys going to do about it?

Dungeon and Stone was a team game, after all.