Chapter 574: The Last Gathering (4)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 574: The Last Gathering (4)

Today's Round Table had a different format than usual—a game of Truth where one person was asked questions by the others and chose one to answer honestly.

"Pshe... not at all," Clown laughed. "I can't waste this precious opportunity on something like that."

To be honest, I was pretty curious. What did each member of the Round Table want to ask Lion the most?

Well, I supposed I would know soon enough.

"Then, should I start...?"

The first up, Fox, broke the sudden hush that had descended over the table.

"Do you... really know who we are?"

My first thought was that this question was coming out of nowhere, but considering what she'd seen of Lion, I could understand why she'd ask it. I was the one who had revealed Clown's identity to the Round Table, and I had also bluffed that I knew Queen's identity too, though the only thing I actually knew was her Ghost Busters nickname.

When Clown heard Fox's question, however, he let out a long sigh. "It's like you don't even realize what a golden opportunity this is! How could you waste your turn on something so obvious?" He seemed to treat the fact that I knew everyone's identity as a given. At the very least, it was in his mind.

"How are you so sure it's obvious?" she fired back, the irritation in her tone clear as day.

"...Pshe?"

"I have the freedom to ask whatever question I want to, so please don't butt in. It's annoying."

Ice cold.

Come to think of it, she'd always been like that, even back in the beginning. She was the first person to use killing intent on me during my first visit to the Round Table. Though she admittedly did have her reasons back then.

A simpler time...

In any case, that was ancient history. In the end, Fox had joined the Anabada Clan and became Lion's comrade—not that she knew that yet.

"...Why are you so mad? It was just a joke," Clown backtracked, apparently surprised by Fox's anger.

Fox didn't dignify that with a response and simply ignored him.

"Ahaha... then it's now my turn!" Wolf laughed, apparently unconcerned with whatever was going on between those two. "I wish to know where and how you met the Earth Witch."

The Earth Witch...

Another question from left field. I'd assumed the guy would ask me about Auril Gavis.

I tapped my armrest with my index finger out of habit and directed my attention to the next person, indicating that I would listen to each of the questions in turn. When my eyes met Goblin's, he glanced away and back before quietly admitting, "Um... I don't know how to ask this..."

"Pshe, don't you know the type of guy Mr. Lion is by now? Don't be annoying and hurry up—"

"How many women are you married to or in a relationship with right now?"

The moment his question dropped, the Round Table went utterly silent.

"...Huh?"

Clown was clearly in disbelief, as were the others, who were all speechless for a second while their brains caught up to what just happened.

The second they did, their reactions grew more... colorful.

"What an odd question..."

"...Mr. Goblin, is there something wrong with you?"

"Baha! Pfft, hahaha!"

Some of them were appalled, others made fun of him, and others couldn't hold back and laughed right in his face. In the middle of these mixed reactions, however, was someone genuinely trying to figure out why he had asked me that particular question.

"Are you perhaps asking... because of that conversation we had about our masks being tied to who we are?" I heard Fox ask beneath the din.

Clown snorted like that was absurd. "Hah! But what's with this crackpot theory? What, so he thinks that Mr. Lion chose the lion mask because he's lucky with women?"

This was my first time hearing about any of this. It seemed that they'd had some sort of conversation about me when I wasn't around.

"Lucky with women...? What do you mean?"

Queen didn't know what they were going on about either, so I got the sense this mysterious conversation must have been back in the old days between the original members of the Round Table.

"If you're curious, how about you use your turn to ask him? Pshehe."

"It's fine. I think I can get the gist through context clues. Anyway, it's my turn now, correct?" Ignoring Clown's taunting, she leaned forward. "What I want to ask is simple. Have you ever personally met with the King of the New World?"

Queen's question immediately raised red flags in my mind. I couldn't quite tell what her intentions were here. She must have had a lot of questions for me, so there was definitely a reason she had chosen this one out of all of them.

Why...? Why is she asking this?

Whether or not I'd met the king was a topic that had come up twice during my time at the Round Table. Queen and Wolf had both mentioned that they had.

Is meeting with the king that important?

Even so, there had to be something more to it. Or maybe the number of people who had met the king was small enough that she was trying to use that to narrow down my identity.

"Hmm... I guess it's my turn?"

While I was busy collecting my thoughts, Butterfly's turn arrived.

"Then what should I ask...?" Butterfly teasingly dragged things out, as usual, but what she actually ended up saying was something none of us expected. "I'll just pass."

"...What? Butterfly, do you not realize how great of an opportunity this is? Mr. Lion is an enigma who knows everything and can answer any question you have!"

Clown was practically shouting at the end of that little rant, though it did nothing to change Butterfly's mind.

"But... even if I asked, I don't think Lion will answer my question anyway."

"What? How will you know if you don't—?"

"Just a gut feeling, and past experiences."

Clown was stunned and speechless by that, which prompted Butterfly to add, "Men usually don't like women who make their lives harder."

Although she was replying to Clown, I could tell that the last bit was directed at me.

So her question is something that would have put me in a difficult position...

In any case, because Butterfly had skipped, it was now Black's turn.

What is she going to ask?

I had barely interacted with her, and as such, I didn't know much about her. Maybe she'd just skip her turn like Butterfly—

"Bjorn Yandel."

"Baha! Pfft, hahaha!"

Some of them were appalled, others made fun of him, and others couldn't hold back and laughed right in his face. In the middle of these mixed reactions, however, was someone genuinely trying to figure out why he had asked me that particular question.

"Are you perhaps asking... because of that conversation we had about our masks being tied to who we are?" I heard Fox ask beneath the din.

Clown snorted like that was absurd. "Hah! But what's with this crackpot theory? What, so he thinks that Mr. Lion chose the lion mask because he's lucky with women?"

This was my first time hearing about any of this. It seemed that they'd had some sort of conversation about me when I wasn't around.

"Lucky with women...? What do you mean?"

Queen didn't know what they were going on about either, so I got the sense this mysterious conversation must have been back in the old days between the original members of the Round Table.

"If you're curious, how about you use your turn to ask him? Pshehe."

"It's fine. I think I can get the gist through context clues. Anyway, it's my turn now, correct?" Ignoring Clown's taunting, she leaned forward. "What I want to ask is simple. Have you ever personally met with the King of the New World?"

Queen's question immediately raised red flags in my mind. I couldn't quite tell what her intentions were here. She must have had a lot of questions for me, so there was definitely a reason she had chosen this one out of all of them.

Why...? Why is she asking this?

Whether or not I'd met the king was a topic that had come up twice during my time at the Round Table. Queen and Wolf had both mentioned that they had.

Is meeting with the king that important?

Even so, there had to be something more to it. Or maybe the number of people who had met the king was small enough that she was trying to use that to narrow down my identity.

"Hmm... I guess it's my turn?"

While I was busy collecting my thoughts, Butterfly's turn arrived.

"Then what should I ask...?" Butterfly teasingly dragged things out, as usual, but what she actually ended up saying was something none of us expected. "I'll just pass."

"...What? Butterfly, do you not realize how great of an opportunity this is? Mr. Lion is an enigma who knows everything and can answer any question you have!"

Clown was practically shouting at the end of that little rant, though it did nothing to change Butterfly's mind.

"But... even if I asked, I don't think Lion will answer my question anyway."

"What? How will you know if you don't—?"

"Just a gut feeling, and past experiences."

Clown was stunned and speechless by that, which prompted Butterfly to add, "Men usually don't like women who make their lives harder."

Although she was replying to Clown, I could tell that the last bit was directed at me.

So her question is something that would have put me in a difficult position...

In any case, because Butterfly had skipped, it was now Black's turn.

What is she going to ask?

I had barely interacted with her, and as such, I didn't know much about her. Maybe she'd just skip her turn like Butterfly—

"Bjorn Yandel."

...Huh? Why was that name suddenly coming out of her mouth?

It knocked me off balance for a moment, but I crossed my arms like I was utterly unaffected and dedicated all my attention to the words that followed.

"Bjorn Yandel... and Missha Karlstein..." What the...? Did she know about the Stone of Revival incident too? "...Were those two really dating as the rumors say?"

My mind went blank.

What the hell is this...?

And why was she asking me that in the first place? Did she somehow know that I was Bjorn Yandel? No, even if she did, why would she ask that? What could possibly be her rationale?

"Why are all these questions so bad?"

I was wondering that as Clown blew out another sigh, clearly feeling that Black had wasted her opportunity.

Well, what incredible question are you going to ask?

"Whatever. Since everyone else went, it's my turn now."

No matter what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he asked, I wasn't going to answer him. As I came to this decision, Clown carefully opened his mouth.

"Then... I'd like to ask this of you, Mr. Lion. Maybe... just maybe..." His voice shook with a nervousness that was quite out of character for him. He even had to stop to gulp before continuing. "If I were to give up everything to come work under you... would you take me on?"

What the...? Seriously, what was this prick's deal?

Yet again, another awkward silence blew through the Round Table at Clown's declaration that he wanted to become my henchman.

"And to think I was wondering what your question was..."

"You complained about us when that was what you were going to ask?"

"What a letdown. If you wanted to ask something like that, you should've done it in private after the meeting..."

The other members were sneering at him, but Clown either didn't notice or didn't care.

"So then... could you... answer the question?"

His request was solemn, not even accompanied by his usual wry laughter. He was acting like this was the final episode of a dating show.

Baffled didn't even begin to cover it. We were way past that.

This guy didn't have any idea who I was, or what my goals might be. All I was to him was a powerhouse shrouded in mystery. Yet that was somehow enough to make him want to throw his lot in with mine.

To be willing to give up everything to become my lackey...

What's going on inside that head of his?

He was like a naive high school student daydreaming about a talent scout picking him out of a crowd and giving him his big break.

While I still couldn't quite wrap my mind around this turn of events, Clown's turn marked the end of this round of questioning. I had received a total of six questions. Even with Butterfly passing, that still meant I had received the most questions out of anyone so far.

Though, for some reason, most of them were weird as hell.

As the baton was passed to me, everyone went quiet, watching me carefully.

Which question would I answer?

They were all clearly crossing their fingers that I would pick them—I could see it in their eyes. And the one who was most full of hope was definitely Clown.

...Huh? Why was that name suddenly coming out of her mouth?

It knocked me off balance for a moment, but I crossed my arms like I was utterly unaffected and dedicated all my attention to the words that followed.

"Bjorn Yandel... and Missha Karlstein..." What the...? Did she know about the Stone of Revival incident too? "...Were those two really dating as the rumors say?"

My mind went blank.

What the hell is this...?

And why was she asking me that in the first place? Did she somehow know that I was Bjorn Yandel? No, even if she did, why would she ask that? What could possibly be her rationale?

"Why are all these questions so bad?"

I was wondering that as Clown blew out another sigh, clearly feeling that Black had wasted her opportunity.

Well, what incredible question are you going to ask?

"Whatever. Since everyone else went, it's my turn now."

No matter what he asked, I wasn't going to answer him. As I came to this decision, Clown carefully opened his mouth.

"Then... I'd like to ask this of you, Mr. Lion. Maybe... just maybe..." His voice shook with a nervousness that was quite out of character for him. He even had to stop to gulp before continuing. "If I were to give up everything to come work under you... would you take me on?"

What the...? Seriously, what was this prick's deal?

Yet again, another awkward silence blew through the Round Table at Clown's declaration that he wanted to become my henchman.

"And to think I was wondering ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what your question was..."

"You complained about us when that was what you were going to ask?"

"What a letdown. If you wanted to ask something like that, you should've done it in private after the meeting..."

The other members were sneering at him, but Clown either didn't notice or didn't care.

"So then... could you... answer the question?"

His request was solemn, not even accompanied by his usual wry laughter. He was acting like this was the final episode of a dating show.

Baffled didn't even begin to cover it. We were way past that.

This guy didn't have any idea who I was, or what my goals might be. All I was to him was a powerhouse shrouded in mystery. Yet that was somehow enough to make him want to throw his lot in with mine.

To be willing to give up everything to become my lackey...

What's going on inside that head of his?

He was like a naive high school student daydreaming about a talent scout picking him out of a crowd and giving him his big break.

While I still couldn't quite wrap my mind around this turn of events, Clown's turn marked the end of this round of questioning. I had received a total of six questions. Even with Butterfly passing, that still meant I had received the most questions out of anyone so far.

Though, for some reason, most of them were weird as hell.

As the baton was passed to me, everyone went quiet, watching me carefully.

Which question would I answer?

They were all clearly crossing their fingers that I would pick them—I could see it in their eyes. And the one who was most full of hope was definitely Clown.

Argh, don't do that...

Even as I smoothly avoided his gaze, I was furiously running the calculations in my head. Which question would be best for me to answer?

"I wish to know where and how you met the Earth Witch."

"Have you ever personally met with the King of the New World?"

Right off the bat, these two were a pass. In Wolf's case, even I wasn't sure how exactly to answer, and as for Queen, I still couldn't determine the reason she'd asked.

"How many women are you married to or in a relationship with right now?"

"...Were those two really dating as the rumors say?"

But it'd be way too awkward to answer one of those instead.

"Do you... really know who we are?"

"If I were to give up everything to come work under you... would you take me on?"

In the end, those were the only two options left, and the process of elimination made deciding between them simple.

How annoying.

I don't know everyone.

A vague answer like, "I know a few of you," would only break the mystique surrounding my character. That meant that there was only one question I could actually answer.

Tap, tap.

Time to rip off the Band-Aid, then.

After glancing at each member in turn, I locked eyes with Clown and spoke a name—the real name of the Corpse Collector hiding behind that clown mask.

"Abed Necrapeto." My tone was blunt and stern. "I would never let you join me."

Looking like his world was currently crumbling beneath his feet, he asked, "Why... is that?"

What did he mean, why? It was very simple.

"I don't make a hobby of keeping pet bugs around."

No matter how friendly he was to me at the Round Table, I would never treat him as a fellow human being.

"My sister is...! She isn't moving anymore. She can't speak. She's cold, and hard. And I-I haven't done anything for her yet..."

He was my enemy.

Shaaa!

Even as the green light came on to confirm I spoke the truth, Clown didn't say anything. He just stared out into space, dazed.

Queen, noticing the state he was in, eyed him warily. "Are you... all right—"

"Pshe—pshehe!" Suddenly, Clown burst into deranged laughter. "Pshehehe, a bug..."

Hmm, was my choice of words too harsh? Even so, it couldn't be helped. With people like him, you needed to make sure to say things in no uncertain terms so that they'd get the point.

"Impressive... Impressive as always, Mr. Lion..." After laughing like a leaky balloon for a while, Clown raised his head. "And I was so confident in myself too, pshehe..."

This was a common pattern of behavior in people who were trying to look cool.

"But a bug! Still a bug! Pshehe...! We must all look like that to you, huh, Mr. Lion? Pshehehe..."

They thought that they could laugh the damage off.

"Heh... you broke him. What do we do?"

"Hah, why did you have to ask a question like that...?"

As they all watched Clown cracking up like he'd lost his mind, the other members seemed almost sympathetic.

Well, not that I cared.

I want to start the next round already...

Was I going to have to step in and get things moving? What should I—?

Rumble...

The room that housed the Round Table suddenly began to shake as if struck by an earthquake.

Creak.

Then, in the middle of the meeting, one of the doors opened up to let in someone from the outside.

This was an anomaly—something I had only seen happen once before. Particularly when the Master—the founder of the Watchers of the Round Table, and the old man I knew as Auril Gavis—had popped in for a visit all those years ago.

This is exactly what happened back then.

So what about now?

I slowly turned to look back at the open door.

"Haha, it seems there are some masks here I've never seen before."

Lo and behold, an old man wearing a white mask was taking in the sight of us from the mouth of the hallway, a chuckle in his voice.

Argh, don't do that...

Even as I smoothly avoided his gaze, I was furiously running the calculations in my head. Which question would be best for me to answer?

"I wish to know where and how you met the Earth Witch."

"Have you ever personally met with the King of the New World?"

Right off the bat, these two were a pass. In Wolf's case, even I wasn't sure how exactly to answer, and as for Queen, I still couldn't determine the reason she'd asked.

"How many women are you married to or in a relationship with right now?"

"...Were those two really dating as the rumors say?"

But it'd be way too awkward to answer one of those instead.

"Do you... really know who we are?"

"If I were to give up everything to come work under you... would you take me on?"

In the end, those were the only two options left, and the process of elimination made deciding between them simple.

How annoying.

I don't know everyone.

A vague answer like, "I know a few of you," would only break the mystique surrounding my character. That meant that there was only one question I could actually answer.

Tap, tap.

Time to rip off the Band-Aid, then.

After glancing at each member in turn, I locked eyes with Clown and spoke a name—the real name of the Corpse Collector hiding behind that clown mask.

"Abed Necrapeto." My tone was blunt and stern. "I would never let you join me."

Looking like his world was currently crumbling beneath his feet, he asked, "Why... is that?"

What did he mean, why? It was very simple.

"I don't make a hobby of keeping pet bugs around."

No matter how friendly he was to me at the Round Table, I would never treat him as a fellow human being.

"My sister is...! She isn't moving anymore. She can't speak. She's cold, and hard. And I-I haven't done anything ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for her yet..."

He was my enemy.

Shaaa!

Even as the green light came on to confirm I spoke the truth, Clown didn't say anything. He just stared out into space, dazed.

Queen, noticing the state he was in, eyed him warily. "Are you... all right—"

"Pshe—pshehe!" Suddenly, Clown burst into deranged laughter. "Pshehehe, a bug..."

Hmm, was my choice of words too harsh? Even so, it couldn't be helped. With people like him, you needed to make sure to say things in no uncertain terms so that they'd get the point.

"Impressive... Impressive as always, Mr. Lion..." After laughing like a leaky balloon for a while, Clown raised his head. "And I was so confident in myself too, pshehe..."

This was a common pattern of behavior in people who were trying to look cool.

"But a bug! Still a bug! Pshehe...! We must all look like that to you, huh, Mr. Lion? Pshehehe..."

They thought that they could laugh the damage off.

"Heh... you broke him. What do we do?"

"Hah, why did you have to ask a question like that...?"

As they all watched Clown cracking up like he'd lost his mind, the other members seemed almost sympathetic.

Well, not that I cared.

I want to start the next round already...

Was I going to have to step in and get things moving? What should I—?

Rumble...

The room that housed the Round Table suddenly began to shake as if struck by an earthquake.

Creak.

Then, in the middle of the meeting, one of the doors opened up to let in someone from the outside.

This was an anomaly—something I had only seen happen once before. Particularly when the Master—the founder of the Watchers of the Round Table, and the old man I knew as Auril Gavis—had popped in for a visit all those years ago.

This is exactly what happened back then.

So what about now?

I slowly turned to look back at the open door.

"Haha, it seems there are some masks here I've never seen before."

Lo and behold, an old man wearing a white mask was taking in the sight of us from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the mouth of the hallway, a chuckle in his voice.