Chapter 577: Return (3)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 577: Return (3)

With Fox's departure, our small circle had once again shrunk. Now the only ones left playing were Wolf, Goblin, and Queen.

With a glance around the empty Round Table, Auril Gavis muttered, "I spent a lot of time preparing for this, so this is a tad disappointing. There are already only three left." Yet rather than upset, the sense that I got was that he was more surprised than anything.

Well, I could understand how he felt. I also hadn't expected things to pan out this way.

I didn't think they would be willing to give up such a precious ticket home like that.

Losing your anonymity and having your real identity revealed? In this world where evil spirits were executed on the spot, that was an incredibly dangerous prospect. However, none of that mattered if you were the one who got to go home at the end. I had assumed this would turn into a game of chicken.

However, Clown and Black had disappeared before Auril Gavis had so much as mentioned the quiz, Butterfly had dropped out pretty early on, and Fox had decided that she didn't mind living in this world and withdrew accordingly. Four people had left before the game could even really get started...

"Then let's continue."

And when Auril Gavis went to start the next round, Goblin carefully raised his hand as well. "I... I also want to stop here..."

This was already our third forfeit after Butterfly and Fox.

Auril Gavis clicked his tongue. "Is that so? Then leave."

"Are you not going to ask me why...? That's... Well, I-I'm not saying you have to... I'm just wondering..."

"...So, what's your reason? Did you perhaps have a change of heart after hearing Ms. Fox's speech?"

"Uh... that... I can't say that wasn't a factor, but..."

"But?"

"It's... I'm not sure how to say this..."

"I don't care, so go on and say it," Auril Gavis snapped.

Goblin averted his eyes. "Something about this just feels off to me," he mumbled.

Hmm, Goblin's gut instincts are incredibly reliable.

That was my immediate thought the second the words left his mouth, but Auril Gavis didn't seem to be on the same wavelength.

"I see. Well, now that you've informed me of your reasons, leave. Ah, do you also need time to say farewell?"

"Ah, yes... I just need a moment..."

With that, Goblin turned to the rest of us.

"In the past, a friend I met at a language class told me that even brushing past another person on the street was a connection formed. By that logic, being dragged into a strange world and meeting you all with masks on definitely wasn't a normal way to form a relationship. S-Some of you probably even know who I am out there."

At its core, what he was trying to say was very simple, even if he was using a lot of words to say it.

"So, even if some of you might have the opportunity to kill me in the future. When that time comes, please don't. Aren't we all players here?"

Seriously, Goblin?

"...Is that all?"

"Huh? Ah, yes... That's all I wanted to say."

"Then leave."

"Oh... Right... Well then, everybody..."

Once Goblin was gone, Queen and Wolf glanced at each other with awkward looks on their faces. Somehow, we had our two finalists after only two rounds.

So are they going to duke it out to the end now?

Yet, the situation continued to unfold in a direction I never would have expected.

"I'm going to stop now too."

"...Why?"

For the first time, Auril Gavis let his true feelings show. Forget displeasure—his tone bordered on fury.

Not that I could blame him, exactly. He had apparently done a lot of work to get this quiz show ready, but it wasn't going his way at all.

"It's quite simple. I can't trust you."

"Distrust... I'm saying I have the ability to send you home."

"Yes, you may very well be capable of that. In fact, I think there's a high probability that you do have the power to do so. However, I still can't trust you." Queen glanced at Wolf and asked, "You two are quite friendly, aren't you?"

It seemed that Queen suspected Auril Gavis of using everyone's dreams of going back home as bait that he could use to throw us deeper into despair later.

"I have no way of knowing whether you might have designed this game so that Mr. Wolf would end up the winner in the end. Also, for me to win the game at this stage, Mr. Wolf would need to give up, but I don't think he'll do so willingly."

Her decision was rooted in sound logic. However, it was clear that she had also been influenced by how quickly the others had dropped out, not just by her distrust in Auril.

"I don't need to say any goodbyes. I'll be leaving."

With that, Queen left without another word, and the champion of the quiz game was decided in quite an anticlimactic way.

"Uh... Huh...?"

Wolf was the proud winner of an incredible reward. In apparent disbelief, he sat in a daze for a moment before snapping out of it. "Lord Gavis, then... does that mean I can go home now?"

Was this guy incapable of reading the room?

I wasn't sure, but thanks to him, I got to see something incredibly entertaining.

"Of course. A promise is a promise."

"Th-thank you...! I, truly, thank—"

"So can you shut up for a moment?"

He'd looked so excited when he pitched his quiz show to us.

He's pissed. He's so pissed.

What a beautiful sight.

Belatedly picking up on the mood, Wolf quickly shut his mouth, and a heavy silence descended on the room. However, it seemed his recent victory had given Wolf some courage.

"So then... when...? When can I receive the... reward...?" Wolf once more asked Auril Gavis about his prize.

"I will come look for you when the time comes." His voice was tight with frustration and annoyance. "So can you leave the room?"

Wolf quickly bowed. "Of course... Then I will be waiting for you outside, Lord Gavis." With that, Wolf left as well, and the two of us were finally alone at the Round Table.

Having quietly watched all of that unfold, I opened my mouth for the first time since Auril Gavis showed his face. "Are you really going to send him back?" I asked, trying to signal that he could speak freely now that it was just us two.

However, there was no way this shady old man would ever give me a straight answer. "Hmm, what do you think?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't get the sense he'll be getting the happy ending he's after."

So are they going to duke it out to the end now?

Yet, the situation continued to unfold in a direction I never would have expected.

"I'm going to stop now too."

"...Why?"

For the first time, Auril Gavis let his true feelings show. Forget displeasure—his tone bordered on fury.

Not that I could blame him, exactly. He had apparently done a lot of work to get this quiz show ready, but it wasn't going his way at all.

"It's quite simple. I can't trust you."

"Distrust... I'm saying I have the ability to send you home."

"Yes, you may very well be capable of that. In fact, I think there's a high probability that you do have the power to do so. However, I still can't trust you." Queen glanced at Wolf and asked, "You two are quite friendly, aren't you?"

It seemed that Queen suspected Auril Gavis of using everyone's dreams of going back home as bait that he could use to throw us deeper into despair later.

"I have no way of knowing whether you might have designed this game so that Mr. Wolf would end up the winner in the end. Also, for me to win the game at this stage, Mr. Wolf would need to give up, but I don't think he'll do so willingly."

Her decision was rooted in sound logic. However, it was clear that she had also been influenced by how quickly the others had dropped out, not just by her distrust in Auril.

"I don't need to say any goodbyes. I'll be leaving."

With that, Queen left without another word, and the champion of the quiz game was decided in quite an anticlimactic way.

"Uh... Huh...?"

Wolf was the proud winner of an incredible reward. In apparent disbelief, he sat in a daze for a moment before snapping out of it. "Lord Gavis, then... does that mean I can go home now?"

Was this guy incapable of reading the room?

I wasn't sure, but thanks to him, I got to see something incredibly entertaining.

"Of course. A promise is a promise."

"Th-thank you...! I, truly, thank—"

"So can you shut up for a moment?"

He'd looked so excited when he pitched his quiz show to us.

He's pissed. He's so pissed.

What a beautiful sight.

Belatedly picking up on the mood, Wolf quickly shut his mouth, and a heavy silence descended on the room. However, it seemed his recent victory had given Wolf some courage.

"So then... when...? When can I receive the... reward...?" Wolf once more asked Auril Gavis about his prize.

"I will come look for you when the time comes." His voice was tight with frustration and annoyance. "So can you leave the room?"

Wolf quickly bowed. "Of course... Then I will be waiting for you outside, Lord Gavis." With that, Wolf left as well, and the two of us were finally alone at the Round Table.

Having quietly watched all of that unfold, I opened my mouth for the first time since Auril Gavis showed his face. "Are you really going to send him back?" I asked, trying to signal that he could speak freely now that it was just us two.

However, there was no way this shady old man would ever give me a straight answer. "Hmm, what do you think?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't get the sense he'll be getting the happy ending he's after."

"You have no trust in my character."

What a baffling thing to say. If he wanted my trust, then he should've acted trustworthy to begin with.

"But more importantly, this is quite the shame," Auril Gavis sighed. "If the game went on for one or two more rounds, you would've gotten some very interesting entertainment."

"Interesting entertainment? You have peculiar tastes."

"I will not refute that... but are you really one to talk here?"

Well, I couldn't refute that either. When I wore this mask, I wasn't all that different from this old man.

"So," I asked bluntly, "why did you do all this?"

That whole excuse about making up for taking off their masks was a total lie, obviously, but I still couldn't figure out why he'd prepared this whole quiz. What was the point?

"Trust is the same as gambling. You can only hope that the other person bets as much as you do."

"Okay, and?"

"I wanted to show you something before I talked to you. However... now that things have turned out this way, it'd be ridiculous to try and explain it to you with words."

"You have a knack for going on and on when all you really mean is that you're not going to tell me."

"Haha, then perhaps your talent lies in making things sound very simple after the fact."

The old man was apparently determined to butt heads with me at every turn. The more I talked to him, the more pathetic he became, but the Confucian value of respecting my elders had been drilled into me since childhood, so I bit my tongue.

Well, there was that, and the fact that this was our first meeting in a long time. I couldn't waste this opportunity.

"Whatever. I have a question."

"A question?" he echoed. "Go on."

"How did you figure me out?"

It was a question I had been waiting to ask the second we were alone. He hadn't even made an effort to hide it earlier.

"After all, you practically founded this place, no?"

That was one of the first things the old man had said to me as soon as he entered the Round Table today. In other words, he somehow knew that Lion was the Nivelles Enze he met twenty years ago.

No, actually, it seems like he also knows that I'm Bjorn Yandel too.

In any case, before we officially got down to business, I needed to find out just how much this old man knew about me.

"Say, why does the way you speak to me change every time we meet?"

"What? Do you want me to start calling you 'sir' after all this time?"

I was smirking as I said it, but Auril Gavis actually seemed receptive to the idea. "Uh... could you? Now that everyone is gone, you don't need to act like Lion anymore..."

So it seemed he'd been bothered by the rude way I'd been addressing him this whole time.

"Well, that's fine. I can do that. It's not that big of an ask. In any case, what's your answer to my question? Or is that a secret too?"

"Ah, you asked how I figured out who you are, right? The answer is simple. I waited and waited for twenty years to pass. With the information I had, it was quite easy to figure out that you were Bjorn Yandel from there."

Hmm, I see.

I could accept that logic, except for one discrepancy.

"But there's one thing that doesn't make sense about that. If that's the case, why didn't you recognize me right away when you saw me for the first time here at the Round Table?"

"Ah, in your mind, you hadn't met me yet. I decided that it would be better for me to wait until the time was right."

"And that time is now?"

"Something like that. Up to this point, I've been trying to avoid potential encounters with you... but there is something I wanted to ascertain as soon as possible."

Right, now that I thought about it, he did say he was here to ask me something.

"Then please, go ahead. What is it that you're wondering?" I asked with the even, agreeable tone of someone who would answer whatever questions he had.

The old man took the opportunity he was given.

"I believe you once mentioned here at the Round Table that you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠met with the Witch, correct?"

"Yes. So?"

"I want to hear more about where and how you met her."

Was I having déjà vu? That was the exact same question Wolf had asked me earlier.

Ah, did he come here to ask me himself since I didn't answer the first time?

Hmm, that seemed to be the most plausible explanation. This meant that this particular piece of information was important enough to the old man that he'd been willing to alter his original plan for it, meaning...

Don't I have the upper hand right now?

The moment I realized that, I felt myself lean back in my chair arrogantly, my legs crossed. The instinctive reaction of a K-Barbarian who had caught on to the fact that he was in an advantageous position.

Auril Gavis seemed wary of the change in my posture, but he didn't say anything about it out loud.

All right, so you're willing to overlook at least that much?

Tap, tap.

Soon, the O and X paddles that had been left on the table caught my eye—the ones the old man had created with a single wave of his hands.

Come to think of it, he did say he recovered all of his powers, right?

With that, I licked my lips and made a request of my own. "Ah, sir? I'm a bit thirsty, so could you pour me a cup of soda?"

"Hm...?"

"Ah, and please make sure not to skimp out on the ice."

"You have no trust in my character."

What a baffling thing to say. If he wanted my trust, then he should've acted trustworthy to begin with.

"But more importantly, this is quite the shame," Auril Gavis sighed. "If the game went on for one or two more rounds, you would've gotten some very interesting entertainment."

"Interesting entertainment? You have peculiar tastes."

"I will not refute that... but are you really one to talk here?"

Well, I couldn't refute that either. When I wore this mask, I wasn't all that different from this old man.

"So," I asked bluntly, "why did you do all this?"

That whole excuse about making up for taking off their masks was a total lie, obviously, but I still couldn't figure out why he'd prepared this whole quiz. What was the point?

"Trust is the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠same as gambling. You can only hope that the other person bets as much as you do."

"Okay, and?"

"I wanted to show you something before I talked to you. However... now that things have turned out this way, it'd be ridiculous to try and explain it to you with words."

"You have a knack for going on and on when all you really mean is that you're not going to tell me."

"Haha, then perhaps your talent lies in making things sound very simple after the fact."

The old man was apparently determined to butt heads with me at every turn. The more I talked to him, the more pathetic he became, but the Confucian value of respecting my elders had been drilled into me since childhood, so I bit my tongue.

Well, there was that, and the fact that this was our first meeting in a long time. I couldn't waste this opportunity.

"Whatever. I have a question."

"A question?" he echoed. "Go on."

"How did you figure me out?"

It was a question I had been waiting to ask the second we were alone. He hadn't even made an effort to hide it earlier.

"After all, you practically founded this place, no?"

That was one of the first things the old man had said to me as soon as he entered the Round Table today. In other words, he somehow knew that Lion was the Nivelles Enze he met twenty years ago.

No, actually, it seems like he also knows that I'm Bjorn Yandel too.

In any case, before we officially got down to business, I needed to find out just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how much this old man knew about me.

"Say, why does the way you speak to me change every time we meet?"

"What? Do you want me to start calling you 'sir' after all this time?"

I was smirking as I said it, but Auril Gavis actually seemed receptive to the idea. "Uh... could you? Now that everyone is gone, you don't need to act like Lion anymore..."

So it seemed he'd been bothered by the rude way I'd been addressing him this whole time.

"Well, that's fine. I can do that. It's not that big of an ask. In any case, what's your answer to my question? Or is that a secret too?"

"Ah, you asked how I figured out who you are, right? The answer is simple. I waited and waited for twenty years to pass. With the information I had, it was quite easy to figure out that you were Bjorn Yandel from there."

Hmm, I see.

I could accept that logic, except for one discrepancy.

"But there's one thing that doesn't make sense about that. If that's the case, why didn't you recognize me right away when you saw me for the first time here at the Round Table?"

"Ah, in your mind, you hadn't met me yet. I decided that it would be better for me to wait until the time was right."

"And that time is now?"

"Something like that. Up to this point, I've been trying to avoid potential encounters with you... but there is something I wanted to ascertain as soon as possible."

Right, now that I thought about it, he did say he was here to ask me something.

"Then please, go ahead. What is it that you're wondering?" I asked with the even, agreeable tone of someone who would answer whatever questions he had.

The old man took the opportunity he was given.

"I believe you once mentioned here at the Round Table that you met with the Witch, correct?"

"Yes. So?"

"I want to hear more about where and how you met her."

Was I having déjà vu? That was the exact same question Wolf had asked me earlier.

Ah, did he come here to ask me himself since I didn't answer the first time?

Hmm, that seemed to be the most plausible explanation. This meant that this particular piece of information was important enough to the old man that he'd been willing to alter his original plan for it, meaning...

Don't I have the upper hand right now?

The moment I realized that, I felt myself lean back in my chair arrogantly, my legs crossed. The instinctive reaction of a K-Barbarian who had caught on to the fact that he was in an advantageous position.

Auril Gavis seemed wary of the change in my posture, but he didn't say anything about it out loud.

All right, so you're willing to overlook at least that much?

Tap, tap.

Soon, the O and X paddles that had been left on the table caught my eye—the ones the old man had created with a single wave of his hands.

Come to think of it, he did say he recovered all of his powers, right?

With ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, I licked my lips and made a request of my own. "Ah, sir? I'm a bit thirsty, so could you pour me a cup of soda?"

"Hm...?"

"Ah, and please make sure not to skimp out on the ice."