Chapter 579: Return (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 579: Return (5)
Ghost Busters.
After popping into existence more than twenty years ago, this space became a safe haven for many a homesick player. Its final moments were just as abrupt as its first.
[Urgent Notice: The server will soon shut down.]
An error could occur if you are forcibly disconnected, so if any users are still logged in, please log out as soon as possible.
The notification appeared about five minutes after I opened Hyeonbyeol's message.
When I refreshed the page, my feed was already littered with people preparing for the end times. From posts questioning why the server was shutting down early when there was still time left, to people looking for reassurance from others, to troll posts the likes of which I usually didn't see thanks to the good moderation system.
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
I clicked on the post, curious about what this urgent question could possibly be, but it was nothing interesting.
[Very Urgent. Please respond.]
What happens if you don't log out and stay here instead?
I sighed. I figured that would be it. Still, I was a little intrigued about that myself, so I scrolled down to the comments section.
these99: What do you think will happen? You'll probably be logged out.
└OP: really? then I'm just going to wait here until I'm automatically logged out.
└fliccolo: didn't you see the part where the admins said there could be an error? just press the log-out button yourself. If something does go wrong, you might live the rest of your life as a vegetable.
It was quite the frightening prospect—not logging out at the proper time and ending up brain-dead as a result. Of course, there was a question of whether or not that could even happen, but given the strange nature of this space, I'd say there was a non-zero chance that it could.
Plus, the wording of the GM's message about an "error" that "could occur" kind of makes me nervous too.
Even without all that, though, there was no point in staying here until the end, so after reading a few more posts, I pressed the log-out button.
[Do you wish to log out?]
A selection window with the words "yes" and "no" greeted me, just like the one that appeared the day I first entered this world.
Click, click.
When I clicked yes, the room around me faded to black, and I could feel myself being transported somewhere else.
It was time to go back. Not to being the mysterious powerhouse Lion, or the ordinary office worker Hansu Lee...
"You're here six seconds earlier than usual. Did something happen in there?"
But to being Bjorn Yandel.
Come to think of it, when did this start, again? At some point, Amelia began posting up next to my bedside whenever I went to Ghost Busters for the night. I'd told her multiple times that there was no need for her to do that, but I soon gave up arguing with her once I realized she would always be there when I opened my eyes no matter what I said.
And, to be honest, I couldn't say that I wasn't grateful.
"Didn't you say you were going to go to bed? Are you lying to me now?" I probed.
"I did mean to."
"But?"
"I couldn't sleep."
Couldn't sleep, my ass. Even as I flashed her a smirk, Amelia continued to make excuses for herself. "...And you never know what might happen inside the labyrinth."
Well, I couldn't argue with that.
Amelia handed me a cup of water as I sat up. "So, did something happen?" she asked.
"The community has closed as of today."
"Closed...?"
After gulping down the cold water, I gave her a more detailed breakdown of my night. I told her about the notice I saw as soon as I connected to the server and even the information I got from the Round Table related to the shutdown.
"Hmm, so Auril Gavis is involved..."
"His official reason is that he wants to stop us evil spirits from getting complacent, but there's no way that is the whole truth. How about it? Do you have any theories?"
"Not really... I'll tell you if I think of something, though."
Hmm, so she didn't have any ideas either.
I mean, I supposed that was to be expected considering she hadn't actually had a proper conversation with Auril Gavis before.
"So, Yandel," Amelia said, interrupting my thoughts. Her voice had taken on a tone I couldn't quite place. "What else happened in there?"
"...Huh?"
"You wouldn't have that look on your face if it were just that."
I tilted my head. "A look on my face...?"
Carefully, Amelia said, "I might just be imagining things, but..."
"You don't have to beat around the bush with me. Just give it to me straight."
"You look like you went through something. Like you're torn up inside."
Ah...
"Did something else happen in there?" she asked.
I let out a sigh. I really couldn't hide anything from her.
What should I do? Do I tell her or not?
I took a moment to think it over, but in the end, I told her everything. It wasn't something I felt the need to hide anyway... and it was hard for me to lie to her when she was looking at me with those earnest eyes.
"Oh... so that's what it was."
It didn't take long to get through the whole story. I did my best to eliminate my personal biases and only give her an objective summary of the events as they happened, yet despite my barebones description, Amelia could immediately tell what was bothering me. No, I'd even wager that she knew me better than I knew myself.
"Right now, you're conflicted over whether or not you have the right to be angry at Missha Karlstein."
Amelia had in one sentence summed up my entire emotional state, something that even I couldn't fully wrap my head around. It felt like I'd been turned inside out, my heart exposed. Which was perhaps why I found myself responding without thinking.
"It's not as simple as that. It's not even just about Missha in the first place. It's a complicated situation when you take everyone else into account—"
And, to be honest, I couldn't say that I wasn't grateful.
"Didn't you say you were going to go to bed? Are you lying to me now?" I probed.
"I did mean to."
"But?"
"I couldn't sleep."
Couldn't sleep, my ass. Even as I flashed her a smirk, Amelia continued to make excuses for herself. "...And you never know what might happen inside the labyrinth."
Well, I couldn't argue with that.
Amelia handed me a cup of water as I sat up. "So, did something happen?" she asked.
"The community has closed as of today."
"Closed...?"
After gulping down the cold water, I gave her a more detailed breakdown of my night. I told her about the notice I saw as soon as I connected to the server and even the information I got from the Round Table related to the shutdown.
"Hmm, so Auril Gavis is involved..."
"His official reason is that he wants to stop us evil spirits from getting complacent, but there's no way that is the whole truth. How about it? Do you have any theories?"
"Not really... I'll tell you if I think of something, though."
Hmm, so she didn't have any ideas either.
I mean, I supposed that was to be expected considering she hadn't actually had a proper conversation with Auril Gavis before.
"So, Yandel," Amelia said, interrupting my thoughts. Her voice had taken on a tone I couldn't quite place. "What else happened in there?"
"...Huh?"
"You wouldn't have that look on your face if it were just that."
I tilted my head. "A look on my face...?"
Carefully, Amelia said, "I might just be imagining things, but..."
"You don't have to beat around the bush with me. Just give it to me straight."
"You look like you went through something. Like you're torn up inside."
Ah...
"Did something else happen in there?" she asked.
I let out a sigh. I really couldn't hide anything from her.
What should I do? Do I tell her or not?
I took a moment to think it over, but in the end, I told her everything. It wasn't something I felt the need to hide anyway... and it was hard for me to lie to her when she was looking at me with those earnest eyes.
"Oh... so that's what it was."
It didn't take long to get through the whole story. I did my best to eliminate my personal biases and only give her an objective summary of the events as they happened, yet despite my barebones description, Amelia could immediately tell what was bothering me. No, I'd even wager that she knew me better than I knew myself.
"Right now, you're conflicted over whether or not you have the right to be angry at Missha Karlstein."
Amelia had in one sentence summed up my entire emotional state, something that even I couldn't fully wrap my head around. It felt like I'd been turned inside out, my heart exposed. Which was perhaps why I found myself responding without thinking.
"It's not as simple as that. It's not even just about Missha in the first place. It's a complicated situation when you take everyone else into account—"
"But Missha Karlstein is the core of the problem." I went quiet. "Am I wrong?"
I had nothing to say to that, so I stayed silent, and Amelia calmly continued.
"Could I hear what happened that day?"
I didn't need to ask which day she was talking about. She meant the day I told her nothing happened. The day Missha stopped talking to everyone and started to sit in the corner alone.
...Where do I start?
After thinking it through, I decided to start from the very beginning.
"Do you know anything about the Stone of Revival?"
To explain my issue with Missha, I needed to explain that first. I hadn't told any of my companions about its presence in our party yet.
"I know a bit," she replied.
"Well, before Missha Karlstein returned to our clan, she apparently received a Stone of Revival from Baekho Lee. When I found out, I went to ask her about it."
"And?"
"I asked her if she knew that the person the Stone of Revival is used on loses their memories, and she answered that no, she didn't. I then told her I understood and asked her to leave."
"So... what happened after that?"
I let out a sigh. "Missha didn't leave. She wanted me to say something, even getting angry at her would be fine. So I told her the honest truth." I paused, and when Amelia didn't interrupt, I finally admitted, "That I couldn't... trust her anymore. The first question that popped into my mind once she was done explaining was whether she was hiding anything else from me."
There was a brief beat of silence.
"...And then?" she prompted.
"That's it."
Missha Karlstein had left the room without another word, and we hadn't spoken since. That was the end of the story.
"I see." Now that she had all the facts, Amelia went quiet, digesting my tale. But when she finally spoke, the question that came out of her mouth was one I never would have expected. "Why did you hide everything that happened with Missha Karlstein from us?"
Well... now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure. Why had I? Why hadn't I told Amelia about the Stone of Revival sooner?
Part of me wanted to plead ignorance and dodge the question, but in truth, I did know the answer.
"...Because I knew she would be shunned."
Missha's position in our clan was already shaky. Erwen's interactions with her were colored by obvious displeasure, and Versyl had pinned her as a potential traitor and was thus wary of her. After two years of absence, her once-close friendship with Ainar had faded and, in the end, she was practically treated as an outsider by the rest of the clan. It was obvious what would happen to her if Baekho Lee's orders were revealed on top of all that.
She would be even more of an outcast.
That sequence of events might end with her leaving the clan of her own volition, and...
I couldn't help but laugh at my train of thought.
Just what do I want here?
I was getting even more confused about my own state of mind.
Amelia, meanwhile, nodded in apparent understanding. "I see. So that's why you can't bring yourself to use Misplaced Trust on Missha... Because you suspect she might be hiding something more from you."
"But Missha Karlstein is the core of the problem." I went quiet. "Am I wrong?"
I had nothing to say to that, so I stayed silent, and Amelia calmly continued.
"Could I hear what happened that day?"
I didn't need to ask which day she was talking about. She meant the day I told her nothing happened. The day Missha stopped talking to everyone and started to sit in the corner alone.
...Where do I start?
After thinking it through, I decided to start from the very beginning.
"Do you know anything about the Stone of Revival?"
To explain my issue with Missha, I needed to explain that first. I hadn't told any of my companions about its presence in our party yet.
"I know a bit," she replied.
"Well, before Missha Karlstein returned to our clan, she apparently received a Stone of Revival from Baekho Lee. When I found out, I went to ask her about it."
"And?"
"I asked her if she knew that the person the Stone of Revival is used on loses their memories, and she answered that no, she didn't. I then told her I understood and asked her to leave."
"So... what happened after that?"
I let out a sigh. "Missha didn't leave. She wanted me to say something, even getting angry at her would be fine. So I told her the honest truth." I paused, and when Amelia didn't interrupt, I finally admitted, "That I couldn't... trust her anymore. The first question that popped into my mind once she was done explaining was whether she was hiding anything else from me."
There was a brief beat of silence.
"...And then?" she prompted.
"That's it."
Missha Karlstein had left the room without another word, and we hadn't spoken since. That was the end of the story.
"I see." Now that she had all the facts, Amelia went quiet, digesting my tale. But when she finally spoke, the question that came out of her mouth was one I never would have expected. "Why did you hide everything that happened with Missha Karlstein from us?"
Well... now that I thought about it, I wasn't sure. Why had I? Why hadn't I told Amelia about the Stone of Revival sooner?
Part of me wanted to plead ignorance and dodge the question, but in truth, I did know the answer.
"...Because I knew she would be shunned."
Missha's position in our clan was already shaky. Erwen's interactions with her were colored by obvious displeasure, and Versyl had pinned her as a potential traitor and was thus wary of her. After two years of absence, her once-close friendship with Ainar had faded and, in the end, she was practically treated as an outsider by the rest of the clan. It was obvious what would happen to her if Baekho Lee's orders were revealed on top of all that.
She would be even more of an outcast.
That sequence of events might end with her leaving the clan of her own volition, and...
I couldn't help but laugh at my train of thought.
Just what do I want here?
I was getting even more confused about my own state of mind.
Amelia, meanwhile, nodded in apparent understanding. "I see. So that's why you can't bring yourself to use Misplaced Trust on Missha... Because you suspect she might be hiding something more from you."
She had hit the nail right on the head.
Maybe it was paradoxical, but I couldn't find it in me to use Misplaced Trust on Missha because I couldn't trust her. It was like Schrodinger's Cat. The moment the box was opened, its contents would be set in stone and there would be no turning back. That was why I was leaving the lid alone for now.
Taking note of my pitiful state, Amelia said, "That's so like you."
My first instinct was that that sounded a lot like an insult, but Amelia's eyes were warm.
"Bjorn Yandel, when the day breaks, take Misplaced Trust and go to Missha Karlstein to see if she's hiding anything else from you. And if she says she's not, treat her as a companion, just as you did in the past."
"And if she is hiding something else?"
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Isn't that... a little irresponsible?"
"But you know as well as I do that we can't keep putting this off forever."
Well, that was true. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Even if you don't want to, do what needs to be done," Amelia consoled. "Just like you always do, Bjorn Yandel."
Like I always do...
When she pictured Bjorn Yandel in her mind, what did she see?
The thought made me contemplate what I saw in her in turn.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You just seem more mature than usual."
This was the unfiltered truth, straight from the heart.
"Eh...?" For some reason, though, Amelia flinched like I just hit her over the head with my hammer. She then heaved a sigh. "I'll choose to take that as a compliment."
Uh... was there another way to take it?
***
I went back to bed, and when I awoke the next morning, I immediately tracked down the village chief to collect Misplaced Trust so I could use it on Missha. But once I had it in my hand, I fell deep into thought.
Is this the right thing to do...?
At this point, I was less worried about whether or not Missha was hiding something and more uncomfortable with the idea of using this item on one of my companions. If I used it now, what about the next time? What if after this, I became dependent on Misplaced Trust and used it on my comrades whenever I grew suspicious of them?
Could you even call that a friendship?
That was the question at the heart of the matter. However...
This will be the last time.
Although I had no way of knowing what might happen in the future, promising myself that this would be it brought me some comfort.
Bolstered, I raised my hand to knock on the door I had been loitering in front of for a while. There was no verbal response from the person inside, but I doubted she was still asleep.
I knocked again. "It's me, Missha. Let's talk."
There was shuffling on the other end. "Eh? Huh? B-Bjorn? W-Wait just a second..."
It was a full five minutes later when the door opened.
"What... is it...? It's still so early..."
Despite my concerns that she was living like a recluse, she looked quite clean. It seemed that she'd been taking a bath, as her hair was still slightly damp.
"May I come in?"
"Uh... it's a little messy..."
"It's fine." I walked through the door, then immediately pulled out Misplaced Trust.
"That's..." An array of emotions flitted across Missha's face as she recognized the item. She seemed both relieved and almost pleased by the sight of it. She also seemed disappointed, and maybe a little scared too.
I couldn't say for sure that was why, but I was suddenly having trouble finding my voice. Even so, I forced myself to dredge up the words anyway.
"I want to turn this on so we can have a talk. May I?"
After a short pause, she answered my question with one of her own. "And if I answer everything you ask after you turn it on... then can we go back to how we used to be? Like before?"
A thought popped into my mind.
What did she mean when she said "before?" Did she mean that brief moment when it felt like our hearts were aligned, or simply back when we were comrades in arms?
Well, it was probably the latter. After all, it was Missha who had turned me down and pushed me away, not the other way around.
"Maybe." I gave a vague, but positive response.
It was only on the condition that Missha had nothing more to hide from me, but if that ended up being the case, then we might really be able to go back to how we used to be—before our relationship became such a complicated, painful mess.
"Then... you may."
When Missha clenched her fists and nodded, I began my official interrogation.
[You have activated No. 7234: Misplaced Trust.]
I thought it every time, but this item really was aptly named.
She had hit the nail right on the head.
Maybe it was paradoxical, but I couldn't find it in me to use Misplaced Trust on Missha because I couldn't trust her. It was like Schrodinger's Cat. The moment the box was opened, its contents would be set in stone and there would be no turning back. That was why I was leaving the lid alone for now.
Taking note of my pitiful state, Amelia said, "That's so like you."
My first instinct was that that sounded a lot like an insult, but Amelia's eyes were warm.
"Bjorn Yandel, when the day breaks, take Misplaced Trust and go to Missha Karlstein to see if she's hiding anything else from you. And if she says she's not, treat her as a companion, just as you did in the past."
"And if she is hiding something else?"
"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Isn't that... a little irresponsible?"
"But you know as well as I do that we can't keep putting this off forever."
Well, that was true. I let out a frustrated sigh.
"Even if you don't want to, do what needs to be done," Amelia consoled. "Just like you always do, Bjorn Yandel."
Like I always do...
When she pictured Bjorn Yandel in her mind, what did she see?
The thought made me contemplate what I saw in her in turn.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You just seem more mature than usual."
This was the unfiltered truth, straight from the heart.
"Eh...?" For some reason, though, Amelia flinched like I just hit her over the head with my hammer. She then heaved a sigh. "I'll choose to take that as a compliment."
Uh... was there another way to take it?
***
I went back to bed, and when I awoke the next morning, I immediately tracked down the village chief to collect Misplaced Trust so I could use it on Missha. But once I had it in my hand, I fell deep into thought.
Is this the right thing to do...?
At this point, I was less worried about whether or not Missha was hiding something and more uncomfortable with the idea of using this item on one of my companions. If I used it now, what about the next time? What if after this, I became dependent on Misplaced Trust and used it on my comrades whenever I grew suspicious of them?
Could you even call that a friendship?
That was the question at the heart of the matter. However...
This will be the last time.
Although I had no way of knowing what might happen in the future, promising myself that this would be it brought me some comfort.
Bolstered, I raised my hand to knock on the door I had been loitering in front of for a while. There was no verbal response from the person inside, but I doubted she was still asleep.
I knocked again. "It's me, Missha. Let's talk."
There was shuffling on the other end. "Eh? Huh? B-Bjorn? W-Wait just a second..."
It was a full five minutes later when the door opened.
"What... is it...? It's still so early..."
Despite my concerns that she was living like a recluse, she looked quite clean. It seemed that she'd been taking a bath, as her hair was still slightly damp.
"May I come in?"
"Uh... it's a little messy..."
"It's fine." I walked through the door, then immediately pulled out Misplaced Trust.
"That's..." An array of emotions flitted across Missha's face as she recognized the item. She seemed both relieved and almost pleased by the sight of it. She also seemed disappointed, and maybe a little scared too.
I couldn't say for sure that was why, but I was suddenly having trouble finding my voice. Even so, I forced myself to dredge up the words anyway.
"I want to turn this on so we can have a talk. May I?"
After a short pause, she answered my question with one of her own. "And if I answer everything you ask after you turn it on... then can we go back to how we used to be? Like before?"
A thought popped into my mind.
What did she mean when she said "before?" Did she mean that brief moment when it felt like our hearts were aligned, or simply back when we were comrades in arms?
Well, it was probably the latter. After all, it was Missha who had turned me down and pushed me away, not the other way around.
"Maybe." I gave a vague, but positive response.
It was only on the condition that Missha had nothing more to hide from me, but if that ended up being the case, then we might really be able to go back to how we used to be—before our relationship became such a complicated, painful mess.
"Then... you may."
When Missha clenched her fists and nodded, I began my official interrogation.
[You have activated No. 7234: Misplaced Trust.]
I thought it every time, but this item really was aptly named.