Chapter 470: Between an Ally and an Enemy (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 470: Between an Ally and an Enemy (2)
The Prime Minister of Rafdonia, or to put it plainly, the second most powerful person in the entire country.
Marquess Tercerion had been a concern of mine for a while now. After all, he was the same man who tricked me into leading a suicide mission with a smile on his face. He saw me as a thorn in his side.
Then again, there are a lot of things he's done that just don't make sense to me.
One such example was my glorious return. As a marquess with tremendous influence and power, he could have easily prevented the ceremony from taking place if he wanted to, but instead, the event went off without a hitch. What was more, his insistence on getting his daughter, Ragna, to pass the Evil Spirit Incorporation Bill was questionable. He was an enemy of mine that I found hard to understand.
"I'll try to keep this as short as possible."
Baekho's explanation resolved the majority of my questions, however—at least to some extent.
"First off, the reason why the marquess announced that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit and tried to pass a policy to accept evil spirits into society was actually because of me."
Baekho had tried to use my reputation and fame to elevate the status of evil spirits, who were all considered innately evil. It was a ridiculous plan, but it might have actually worked. Take Ragna, for example—the main reason she was so passionate about passing the policy was because she knew me. I was the perfect pawn to play if you wanted to show that evil spirits could be good people.
"But why did you want to give evil spirits legal status?"
"To give players more power. That's the only way we'll be able to deal with the royal family."
His goal was to overthrow the monarchy, then. Did he think there was no other way to get past the tenth floor?
"But why the marquess? I don't see why he would agree to help you in the first place."
"Ah, that? It's because I blackmailed him."
"...You did what?"
"His son is a player too."
I was genuinely shocked to hear that. No wonder the marquess was so willing to betray the royal family. I had no idea there was such a juicy backstory to all this.
There's a player who popped into this world as the son of such a powerful house from the get-go? How is that at all fair...?
The players who started in Noark would probably shrivel up and die if they heard about this. But that wasn't important right now.
"After realizing how much trouble the marquess would be in if news of his son being an evil spirit broke, I used it to threaten him."
Baekho Lee blackmailed the marquess, who in turn was trying to protect his son.
"He needs time to get his affairs in order before news like that goes around. It's not like he has any other kids. If his son is killed, the marquess won't have anyone left. When that happens, how do you think the rest of his household will react?"
"It goes without saying. They would all aim to be his successor."
"Exactly. They might not go so far as to attempt to assassinate him, but their entire house would never be the same."
"But I still don't understand. Wouldn't he prefer another relative inherit his title instead of an evil spirit?"
"I told you, right now, the marquess is trying to buy time. I'm pretty sure he spends his nights squeezing out whatever juice he can."
Yeah, okay, way too much information, thanks. How old was the marquess, anyway? Did he even have anything left in the tank at this point?
Maybe bringing Ragna back into his life is meant as a Plan B...
While I was toying with the possibility, Baekho suddenly apologized. "By the way, I'm sorry, bro. It's probably my fault that the marquess sent you on that quest."
"...What are you talking about?"
"When you came back alive and made it clear you wanted to announce you weren't an evil spirit, my whole plan to use you as an example to push for an evil spirit acceptance policy came crashing down. To avoid failing me, he must have tried to have you secretly killed before it could affect the plan."
So when I came back and declared that Bjorn Yandel wasn't an evil spirit, it threw a spanner in the works.
"Afterward, he contacted me and told me that he had no choice."
Baekho figured he couldn't fault the marquess for this since he'd technically made a logical call for the sake of their plan. Instead, Baekho decided that they could just not use me in their plans going forward. After all, they already announced I wasn't an evil spirit, so I was no longer of any use to them.
"But that's when he asked me if I could kill you. I can't get into it, but he thinks you'll be a major problem for us in the future."
Goosebumps ran down my spine. It seemed that my life had somehow already been in grave danger the moment I returned to the present.
"Back then, I told him I would think about it," Baekho admitted. "The terms he gave me weren't all that bad, either."
"Is that why you said last time that you were glad that you knew who I was now...?"
"Hahaha... you're quick to catch on."
I had almost died without even realizing it.
"In the end, it turned out that Bjorn Yandel was actually my big bro. So of course I told the marquess no. I also warned him not to even think about bothering you. What do you think? Don't you think that makes up for what I did?"
I had to hand it to him. The fact that the marquess wouldn't be able to lay a finger on me at least until the issue of his son was resolved was a big help.
That's a relief, I guess...
I didn't expect to receive such good news, but I kept my expression as blank as possible as I said, "So? What else is there?"
If I let it slip that I was satisfied with that, I might miss out on a bigger payday.
Baekho Lee then confidently proceeded to list out other things he could do for me in an attempt to convince me to help him. One was unexpectedly useful.
"If there's someone you want me to kill, just tell me. I'll make sure to do it in a flash!"
"Really? Then kill the marquess."
"Yeah, about that... Even if I kill the bastard, he'll just respawn in the palace."
"...Respawn? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, right. I guess you don't know since it wasn't in the game. Anyway, there's a royal heirloom that can revive you, and the marquess is currently holding onto it."
"What about Count Alminus?"
"That guy is also tricky because he has a dragonian by his side. The little bastard specializes in defense... If I had enough time, I would be able to get past him and kill the count, but... doing that in the city would be a bit..."
Yeah, okay, way too much information, thanks. How old was the marquess, anyway? Did he even have anything left in the tank at this point?
Maybe bringing Ragna back into his life is meant as a Plan B...
While I was toying with the possibility, Baekho suddenly apologized. "By the way, I'm sorry, bro. It's probably my fault that the marquess sent you on that quest."
"...What are you talking about?"
"When you came back alive and made it clear you wanted to announce you weren't an evil spirit, my whole plan to use you as an example to push for an evil spirit acceptance policy came crashing down. To avoid failing me, he must have tried to have you secretly killed before it could affect the plan."
So when I came back and declared that Bjorn Yandel wasn't an evil spirit, it threw a spanner in the works.
"Afterward, he contacted me and told me that he had no choice."
Baekho figured he couldn't fault the marquess for this since he'd technically made a logical call for the sake of their plan. Instead, Baekho decided that they could just not use me in their plans going forward. After all, they already announced I wasn't an evil spirit, so I was no longer of any use to them.
"But that's when he asked me if I could kill you. I can't get into it, but he thinks you'll be a major problem for us in the future."
Goosebumps ran down my spine. It seemed that my life had somehow already been in grave danger the moment I returned to the present.
"Back then, I told him I would think about it," Baekho admitted. "The terms he gave me weren't all that bad, either."
"Is that why you said last time that you were glad that you knew who I was now...?"
"Hahaha... you're quick to catch on."
I had almost died without even realizing it.
"In the end, it turned out that Bjorn Yandel was actually my big bro. So of course I told the marquess no. I also warned him not to even think about bothering you. What do you think? Don't you think that makes up for what I did?"
I had to hand it to him. The fact that the marquess wouldn't be able to lay a finger on me at least until the issue of his son was resolved was a big help.
That's a relief, I guess...
I didn't expect to receive such good news, but I kept my expression as blank as possible as I said, "So? What else is there?"
If I let it slip that I was satisfied with that, I might miss out on a bigger payday.
Baekho Lee then confidently proceeded to list out other things he could do for me in an attempt to convince me to help him. One was unexpectedly useful.
"If there's someone you want me to kill, just tell me. I'll make sure to do it in a flash!"
"Really? Then kill the marquess."
"Yeah, about that... Even if I kill the bastard, he'll just respawn in the palace."
"...Respawn? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, right. I guess you don't know since it wasn't in the game. Anyway, there's a royal heirloom that can revive you, and the marquess is currently holding onto it."
"What about Count Alminus?"
"That guy is also tricky because he has a dragonian by his side. The little bastard specializes in defense... If I had enough time, I would be able to get past him and kill the count, but... doing that in the city would be a bit..."
What the hell? He spoke so confidently before.
"Then who can you even kill?" I figured it would be faster to just ask him that instead. Baekho seemed hurt by my question, as his head dropped.
"Come on, it's not my fault. It's just that the guys you pick are a bit much... Why are you picking them of all people?" he grumbled. His depression was, of course, short-lived. It didn't take long before he was back to full form, full of energy and running his mouth again. "Oh! Then how about this? I heard you are doing a raid against Dreadfear. How about I join you and—"
"No need for that."
"What?"
"I know you'd be helpful in the raid, but revealing that we're friends will only complicate things."
"Oh... then I can just disguise myself."
"Never mind that. I can defeat the boss without you anyway."
Baekho was rendered speechless. At this point, it would be better if I just told him what I wanted instead.
"Can you give me money?"
"How much do you need?"
"A billion stones?"
"Th-that's a little too much for me..."
"Then five hundred million?"
"I-I actually don't have a lot right now, so..."
"...One hundred million."
"...A-Actually, I've been spending quite a bit recently, so..."
What is wrong with this guy? How does he have less money than I do?
"Then give me equipment. What Numbered Items do you have?"
"Um... I can't give you anything since all of them are core items for me."
Was there anything he could even do for me? He had no money and no equipment. "Baekho, are you all talk?"
He couldn't even respond.
"What about an essence, then? It would be incredibly helpful if you could get one for me. For example, from Bellarios."
"Big Bro... There's a war going on right now..."
"Baekho, why are you only listing off ways you can't help me?"
"...F-Fine! I'll try. The next time the labyrinth opens, I'll give it a shot."
Yeah, that was more like it. Why was he pretending to be weak and helpless?
Who would have guessed I would be able to skip past grinding for Bellarios like this?
It seemed the pickings weren't so slim after all. Which meant it was time to move on to the next favor he could do for me.
"Baekho, could you answer a few questions of mine?"
"Yes! Anything!"
"How did you figure out I was Bjorn Yandel?"
"That? It was thanks to the GM. As soon as my ban was lifted, the GM invited me into a chatroom. He told me that you threatened him to get me unbanned."
What the... That happened?
"I was really surprised to hear that. I didn't exactly understand what was happening, so I just pretended that we were allies, and the GM was kind enough to let a few things slip."
So the GM ended up leaking info to Baekho too. What a pushover.
"First, he mentioned that you're wearing a lion's mask at the Round Table."
What the hell? He spoke so confidently before.
"Then who can you even kill?" I figured it would be faster to just ask him that instead. Baekho seemed hurt by my question, as his head dropped.
"Come on, it's not my fault. It's just that the guys you pick are a bit much... Why are you picking them of all people?" he grumbled. His depression was, of course, short-lived. It didn't take long before he was back to full form, full of energy and running his mouth again. "Oh! Then how about this? I heard you are doing a raid against Dreadfear. How about I join you and—"
"No need for that."
"What?"
"I know you'd be helpful in the raid, but revealing that we're friends will only complicate things."
"Oh... then I can just disguise myself."
"Never mind that. I can defeat the boss without you anyway."
Baekho was rendered speechless. At this point, it would be better if I just told him what I wanted instead.
"Can you give me money?"
"How much do you need?"
"A billion stones?"
"Th-that's a little too much for me..."
"Then five hundred million?"
"I-I actually don't have a lot right now, so..."
"...One hundred million."
"...A-Actually, I've been spending quite a bit recently, so..."
What is wrong with this guy? How does he have less money than I do?
"Then give me equipment. What Numbered Items do you have?"
"Um... I can't give you anything since all of them are core items for me."
Was there anything he could even do for me? He had no money and no equipment. "Baekho, are you all talk?"
He couldn't even respond.
"What about an essence, then? It would be incredibly helpful if you could get one for me. For example, from Bellarios."
"Big Bro... There's a war going on right now..."
"Baekho, why are you only listing off ways you can't help me?"
"...F-Fine! I'll try. The next time the labyrinth opens, I'll give it a shot."
Yeah, that was more like it. Why was he pretending to be weak and helpless?
Who would have guessed I would be able to skip past grinding for Bellarios like this?
It seemed the pickings weren't so slim after all. Which meant it was time to move on to the next favor he could do for me.
"Baekho, could you answer a few questions of mine?"
"Yes! Anything!"
"How did you figure out I was Bjorn Yandel?"
"That? It was thanks to the GM. As soon as my ban was lifted, the GM invited me into a chatroom. He told me that you threatened him to get me unbanned."
What the... That happened?
"I was really surprised to hear that. I didn't exactly understand what was happening, so I just pretended that we were allies, and the GM was kind enough to let a few things slip."
So the GM ended up leaking info to Baekho too. What a pushover.
"First, he mentioned that you're wearing a lion's mask at the Round Table."
So it started with my role of Lion at the Round Table.
"That wasn't too strange, but then he suddenly asked me questions about you."
Then the GM blurted out the most critical piece of information.
"He asked me why you were gone for two years. Even asked if we were together the whole time. But why would he be asking me all of that...?" Baekho started to grin. "And that's when I realized."
Of course he would realize who I was at that point. The return of Bjorn Yandel directly coincided with Mr. Lion's return to the Round Table. Even some people at the Round Table had come to that same conclusion.
"I see." I would end up punching something if I had to hear anything else about that useless GM, so I moved on to my next question. "Then, when the capital was on fire, what happened with Fallen Scholar? The two of you ended up disappearing together."
This was something I'd been wondering for a while. How did the two of them go from being ready to kill each other to being teammates?
"Oh, that?" He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. He just said he was an evil spirit from another world and that his goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss, so he wanted to become allies. And since I was looking for a wizard at the time anyway, I agreed."
"Oh, really?" I replied as casually as I could.
Just as Baekho Lee had been able to clock my lie in an instant the other day, I could also instinctively sense that he was lying to me.
"Yeah. I was kind of worried since he looked so old and his teeth were already falling out, but he's more skilled than I thought he'd be."
Baekho Lee... What was he hiding?
"Hm, is that so?"
Why was he lying to me?
A skilled liar hid lies within nuggets of truth. By that logic, most of what Baekho Lee had just told me had to be true.
"What's my plan? That's easy! We are going to team up and destroy anything in our way! Whether it be the royal family or the labyrinth, pow pow pow! Ah, that's just a joke. What I'm actually planning to do is—"
I continued to ask him various questions even as I carefully picked apart his previous response, trying to determine which parts were lies and which were the truth.
"He just said he was an evil spirit from another world."
This was the truth, of course, since I already knew that.
"His goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss."
This was also true.
"He wanted to become allies."
That had to be true since they were cooperating with each other now. Otherwise, they wouldn't be working together.
"And since I was looking for a wizard at the time anyway, I agreed."
Since that was the only option left, I came to a conclusion.
Baekho Lee didn't join forces with Fallen Scholar simply because he needed a wizard.
That meant he had a hidden agenda, and more importantly, one he was trying to keep from me. But why?
Is it information that he can't tell me for my own sake...?
No, wait. Baekho's bright and friendly aura nearly made me drop my guard again. This guy was a serious headache to deal with.
What else is he hiding from me?
Come to think of it, Baekho Lee hadn't actually given me a thing this entire conversation. He promised to "do his best" to get an essence for me, but that was it. Well, I should probably count the fact that he agreed to return Missha in his favor.
...What a strange and confusing guy. Does he even want to help me?
I honestly had no idea.
"The royal family is the biggest obstacle to our plan. Countless players are still being forced to hide right now, and we won't be able to rally them together in public until we improve evil spirits' bad reputation—"
Was Baekho Lee my enemy or my ally?
***
We talked for a bit longer, but eventually, it was time for him to leave. Baekho still seemed to be on a one-hour logout time limit.
"Big Bro, if you see the GM later, can you ask about that for me? I'm pretty sure he also took an early version of the pill as well. So can you see if there's some way for me to extend the time I can stay here?"
"All right."
"Thanks. Then I'll get going! See you next time!"
In the end, Baekho Lee left before I could even ask him about the Records Stone. It was weird to admit it, but I felt much better about him for right now. I decided I could start worrying and looking into Baekho's secret after he returned Missha to me.
"Is your conversation over now?"
After Baekho Lee left, I spent some time talking with Hyeonbyeol, who had been patiently waiting for the chatroom to open up.
"Ah, yeah, thanks."
"Don't get too close to that guy," she warned. "He's not trustworthy in the slightest."
"I know."
"...Glad to hear it. I was actually just testing him when I asked him to reveal your identity."
"...Testing him?"
"Yeah. He already knows at least a bit about your identity, right? So I wanted to test how good he is at keeping a secret. I guess he turned out to be pretty good, though, since he didn't tell me anything."
"...I see."
I had trouble believing she was really only trying to test him, but I didn't have evidence to prove otherwise, so I just let it go.
We sat there catching up for a long while before I finally had to cut things short. "Hyeonbyeol, I should get going now."
I slowly got up, bringing our conversation to an end.
"You always leave around now, huh?"
That's because this is when the Round Table opens.
"See you next time."
"Yeah."
After leaving the chatroom, I headed straight to the Round Table. I donned the same navy suit as always and put my usual Lion mask over my face. With that, I was ready to go.
Step, step.
I walked down the empty hallway, as always, and entered the main room where the meeting was held, as always. But—
What's going on?
"Hahaha! Ms. Fox, it's been a while!"
Standing at the Round Table with the other familiar members was someone wearing a mask that I'd never seen before. Actually...
"Oh, are you Mr. Lion? It's great to meet you!"
"Hm..."
"Hellooo..."
It wasn't just one newbie, but three.
So it started with my role of Lion at the Round Table.
"That wasn't too strange, but then he suddenly asked me questions about you."
Then the GM blurted out the most critical piece of information.
"He asked me why you were gone for two years. Even asked if we were together the whole time. But why would he be asking me all of that...?" Baekho started to grin. "And that's when I realized."
Of course he would realize who I was at that point. The return of Bjorn Yandel directly coincided with Mr. Lion's return to the Round Table. Even some people at the Round Table had come to that same conclusion.
"I see." I would end up punching something if I had to hear anything else about that useless GM, so I moved on to my next question. "Then, when the capital was on fire, what happened with Fallen Scholar? The two of you ended up disappearing together."
This was something I'd been wondering for a while. How did the two of them go from being ready to kill each other to being teammates?
"Oh, that?" He shrugged. "Nothing in particular. He just said he was an evil spirit from another world and that his goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss, so he wanted to become allies. And since I was looking for a wizard at the time anyway, I agreed."
"Oh, really?" I replied as casually as I could.
Just as Baekho Lee had been able to clock my lie in an instant the other day, I could also instinctively sense that he was lying to me.
"Yeah. I was kind of worried since he looked so old and his teeth were already falling out, but he's more skilled than I thought he'd be."
Baekho Lee... What was he hiding?
"Hm, is that so?"
Why was he lying to me?
A skilled liar hid lies within nuggets of truth. By that logic, most of what Baekho Lee had just told me had to be true.
"What's my plan? That's easy! We are going to team up and destroy anything in our way! Whether it be the royal family or the labyrinth, pow pow pow! Ah, that's just a joke. What I'm actually planning to do is—"
I continued to ask him various questions even as I carefully picked apart his previous response, trying to determine which parts were lies and which were the truth.
"He just said he was an evil spirit from another world."
This was the truth, of course, since I already knew that.
"His goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss."
This was also true.
"He wanted to become allies."
That had to be true since they were cooperating with each other now. Otherwise, they wouldn't be working together.
"And since I was looking for a wizard at the time anyway, I agreed."
Since that was the only option left, I came to a conclusion.
Baekho Lee didn't join forces with Fallen Scholar simply because he needed a wizard.
That meant he had a hidden agenda, and more importantly, one he was trying to keep from me. But why?
Is it information that he can't tell me for my own sake...?
No, wait. Baekho's bright and friendly aura nearly made me drop my guard again. This guy was a serious headache to deal with.
What else is he hiding from me?
Come to think of it, Baekho Lee hadn't actually given me a thing this entire conversation. He promised to "do his best" to get an essence for me, but that was it. Well, I should probably count the fact that he agreed to return Missha in his favor.
...What a strange and confusing guy. Does he even want to help me?
I honestly had no idea.
"The royal family is the biggest obstacle to our plan. Countless players are still being forced to hide right now, and we won't be able to rally them together in public until we improve evil spirits' bad reputation—"
Was Baekho Lee my enemy or my ally?
***
We talked for a bit longer, but eventually, it was time for him to leave. Baekho still seemed to be on a one-hour logout time limit.
"Big Bro, if you see the GM later, can you ask about that for me? I'm pretty sure he also took an early version of the pill as well. So can you see if there's some way for me to extend the time I can stay here?"
"All right."
"Thanks. Then I'll get going! See you next time!"
In the end, Baekho Lee left before I could even ask him about the Records Stone. It was weird to admit it, but I felt much better about him for right now. I decided I could start worrying and looking into Baekho's secret after he returned Missha to me.
"Is your conversation over now?"
After Baekho Lee left, I spent some time talking with Hyeonbyeol, who had been patiently waiting for the chatroom to open up.
"Ah, yeah, thanks."
"Don't get too close to that guy," she warned. "He's not trustworthy in the slightest."
"I know."
"...Glad to hear it. I was actually just testing him when I asked him to reveal your identity."
"...Testing him?"
"Yeah. He already knows at least a bit about your identity, right? So I wanted to test how good he is at keeping a secret. I guess he turned out to be pretty good, though, since he didn't tell me anything."
"...I see."
I had trouble believing she was really only trying to test him, but I didn't have evidence to prove otherwise, so I just let it go.
We sat there catching up for a long while before I finally had to cut things short. "Hyeonbyeol, I should get going now."
I slowly got up, bringing our conversation to an end.
"You always leave around now, huh?"
That's because this is when the Round Table opens.
"See you next time."
"Yeah."
After leaving the chatroom, I headed straight to the Round Table. I donned the same navy suit as always and put my usual Lion mask over my face. With that, I was ready to go.
Step, step.
I walked down the empty hallway, as always, and entered the main room where the meeting was held, as always. But—
What's going on?
"Hahaha! Ms. Fox, it's been a while!"
Standing at the Round Table with the other familiar members was someone wearing a mask that I'd never seen before. Actually...
"Oh, are you Mr. Lion? It's great to meet you!"
"Hm..."
"Hellooo..."
It wasn't just one newbie, but three.