Chapter 76: Ghost Busters (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 76: Ghost Busters (5)
[Rafdonian Royal Family Ministry of Security.]
"What? He came back covered in blood?" Upon hearing his subordinate's report, the man burst out laughing. He didn't know what to start getting angry about first. "Tell me this, why did he make contact with him? My orders were just to follow him."
"...I believe he made the decision alone on the field."
"You believe? Are you kidding me? Explain."
"Since the individual in question was a barbarian just three months in, our associate decided that he could easily expose his true identity."
The man let out a deep sigh. It wasn't impossible to understand that logic. Most evil spirits under a year old were naive. More than half of them readily revealed their identities to anyone who got close to them and pretended to be in the same situation, and the other half gave themselves away through their facial expressions. "So, you were saying there was no such reaction from him?"
"Yes, sir. The individual frowned as soon as he heard what the associate was saying, then got angry and told him to speak plainly rather than use complicated words. It would be easier to see for yourself." The subordinate pulled a button out of his pocket—a specially designed video recorder. When he brought it over to the mana crystal on the desk, it copied the events of the incident. The man watched the recording over and over again, studying the shifts in the barbarian's expression, eyes, and facial muscles thoroughly.
"America? Taiwan? Europe? Where did you come from?"
The associate may have made a mistake by approaching too carelessly, but the man's reaction was certainly special. "What are you talking about? Don't say complicated words and speak clearly." The answer came without a pause. Normally, evil spirits were startled and racked their brains to try to identify their assailant. But this barbarian?
"Wow, you almost fooled me. You're really good at acting. Aren't you just three months in?"
"Acting? I said not to use complicated words, didn't I?"
His vocabulary, tone of voice, thoughtful questions, and responses to the situation were all different from previous evil spirits.
"Then I'll speak freely. Are you an evil spirit?"
"What do I have to hide? I am. Which is why—"
"Enough. You don't have to say anything else."
"Pardon? What do you m—"
"The chieftain told me that evil spirits need to be killed on the spot."
Rather, they were all consistent with the distinct reaction that only someone who wasn't an evil spirit could reproduce.
"Even those who don't want to reveal their identities usually choose avoidance in situations like that." But that man? As soon as he made a decision, he chose to go for it head-on without any hesitation, like a barbarian. After mulling this over for a while, the man made a final decision. "He certainly doesn't look like an evil spirit."
Bjorn Yandel. The evil spirits must have started showing interest in him after his name caught their eye. But he had only gained fame a few days ago.
The gathering is yet to be held, so time-wise, he will not have learned of our methodology...
All signs pointed to him not being an evil spirit. Even if he somehow figured out the existence of the secret Ministry of Security, it was debatable whether it was possible to react like he did in the first place. Most of all, the incident in the guild left a strong impression. After being framed while on the verge of death, he escaped from prison and wreaked havoc. That was not something that an evil spirit who was trying to pretend to be honorable could do. A barbarian with nothing to lose, though?
"Bjorn Yandel is acquitted."
The man stamped a blue stamp on the report, placed it in a file, and inserted it into a cabinet. At this, the subordinate watching him let out a sigh of relief. "...I'm glad, sir."
"Yes, it's very fortunate. If our man had been beaten bloody by an evil spirit, I would have killed him myself."
"Then what will you do about the punishment?"
"He took it upon himself to make contact with the target while on a tailing mission. After three months of suspension, he will have twelve months of reduced pay, and his performance and promotion evaluation will be postponed until next year."
"I will relay that information."
After that, the subordinate left his office, and the man sat alone with his thoughts for a while.
So he earned an epithet in three months without being an evil spirit, huh?
Regardless of this incident, it was worth keeping a close eye on this barbarian in the future.
Could he really be destined to be a hero? Perhaps the count will take a liking to him.
There was always a shortage of talented individuals in this city.
***
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
***
Is it morning already...?
I hadn't slept all night because of the letter I found. Were its contents real or not? I let out a sigh as I pondered this over and over until the sun came up.
Well, it looks real, but...
That was just a hunch, and I couldn't be sure. So, as soon as the sun came up, I washed up and went out. To start, I was planning on learning more about this pill. Of course, there was a good chance that this was a strategy used by evil spirit hunters but...
Actually, that's all the more reason I should show them that I'm trying to figure out what it is.
Well, think of it like a local. Someone broke into my room and left a letter with unreadable text along with a pill. It was only normal to wonder what it was. For someone who lived here, this would be fucking terrifying.
"I thought you forgot about our appointment since you haven't come for the past few days, but I guess that's not the case."
For that reason, I visited the Magic Tower, figuring one of this world's academics, a wizard, might know something. And as a matter of fact, she did—much more than I had expected.
"Oh, if you've gotten one of those pills, you really must have gotten some notoriety this time." That was Raven's reaction to the letter and pill.
"Notoriety?"
"Yes. You don't have to worry too much. I heard anyone who gets a little famous gets one of these." After that, Raven looked at the letter and licked her lips. "But it's too bad. I wish you had come to me right away."
The letter was now blank. There must have been something magical added to it because the ink erased itself less than ten minutes after I read through it.
"Aren't you curious, Mr. Yandel? What the evil spirits wrote in the letter?"
"Evil spirits?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you. This is a letter from an evil spirit."
"Bjorn Yandel is acquitted."
The man stamped a blue stamp on the report, placed it in a file, and inserted it into a cabinet. At this, the subordinate watching him let out a sigh of relief. "...I'm glad, sir."
"Yes, it's very fortunate. If our man had been beaten bloody by an evil spirit, I would have killed him myself."
"Then what will you do about the punishment?"
"He took it upon himself to make contact with the target while on a tailing mission. After three months of suspension, he will have twelve months of reduced pay, and his performance and promotion evaluation will be postponed until next year."
"I will relay that information."
After that, the subordinate left his office, and the man sat alone with his thoughts for a while.
So he earned an epithet in three months without being an evil spirit, huh?
Regardless of this incident, it was worth keeping a close eye on this barbarian in the future.
Could he really be destined to be a hero? Perhaps the count will take a liking to him.
There was always a shortage of talented individuals in this city.
***
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
[Your Reputation has increased by +1.]
***
Is it morning already...?
I hadn't slept all night because of the letter I found. Were its contents real or not? I let out a sigh as I pondered this over and over until the sun came up.
Well, it looks real, but...
That was just a hunch, and I couldn't be sure. So, as soon as the sun came up, I washed up and went out. To start, I was planning on learning more about this pill. Of course, there was a good chance that this was a strategy used by evil spirit hunters but...
Actually, that's all the more reason I should show them that I'm trying to figure out what it is.
Well, think of it like a local. Someone broke into my room and left a letter with unreadable text along with a pill. It was only normal to wonder what it was. For someone who lived here, this would be fucking terrifying.
"I thought you forgot about our appointment since you haven't come for the past few days, but I guess that's not the case."
For that reason, I visited the Magic Tower, figuring one of this world's academics, a wizard, might know something. And as a matter of fact, she did—much more than I had expected.
"Oh, if you've gotten one of those pills, you really must have gotten some notoriety this time." That was Raven's reaction to the letter and pill.
"Notoriety?"
"Yes. You don't have to worry too much. I heard anyone who gets a little famous gets one of these." After that, Raven looked at the letter and licked her lips. "But it's too bad. I wish you had come to me right away."
The letter was now blank. There must have been something magical added to it because the ink erased itself less than ten minutes after I read through it.
"Aren't you curious, Mr. Yandel? What the evil spirits wrote in the letter?"
"Evil spirits?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you. This is a letter from an evil spirit."
"I didn't even know it was a letter. You really are amazing."
Raven made her distinctive snorting sound as I used words of flattery on her. Then she entered into TMI mode, as usual. "Well, that's true. Most people don't know about this. Can you give me that pill?"
"Here."
"Do you know what this pill is?"
"I do not know."
"It was made by a very talented wizard, someone who possesses tremendous knowledge of psychic magic, dimensional magic, and alchemy."
"So, what is it?"
She had begun to launch into a long explanation about how many wizards had worked diligently to figure out the formula, but at my blunt question, she finally got to the point. "If you take this pill, you can enter a certain spiritual world."
"Spiritual world?"
"Oh, was that a little too complicated? It's a kind of parallel dimension. The body is asleep, but the mind goes somewhere else." After that, Raven's explanation continued. To summarize, it went like this:
1. If you took this pill, you were summoned to a spiritual world at midnight on the fifteenth of every month.
2. The evil spirits there were likely exchanging information with each other.
3. This was why many people took the pill in an attempt to infiltrate their world. However, the next morning, they were all found dead with their mouths full of blood.
I startled. "They were found dead?"
"Yes. So, Mr. Yandel, do not take it even if you're curious."
"Wait. Isn't this just poison, then?"
"Hey, is that what you think of us wizards? I swear there are no poisonous ingredients or components in this pill."
"Then what happened to the people who died?"
"Well, there are a lot of hypotheses, but... The most likely explanation is that these people have a way to distinguish between those who are and are not evil spirits. And when the soul and body separate, the body dies."
"...This is a dangerous pill." This statement was sincere. This all meant that the moment I took this pill, my life would be in their hands. Of course, I could now believe to some extent that the person who had sent the drug was a player, but I had no information on what kind of player they were.
"Anyway, it's definitely not poison. Although there's no official record of it, there is a rumor that a captured evil spirit made a statement about this gathering. That means the pill is not lethal for everyone."
"I see."
"Oh, and one more peculiar thing is that in this world, everyone apparently appears in the form of their souls, so no one is able to tell who is who."
That was some good news, and it cleared up some of my concerns. Was this why networking was so important? If it hadn't been for my connection to a wizard, I wouldn't have heard this kind of information anywhere else. However, I asked one last question. "Do you mean there is no way to figure out who took this pill?"
"Never. If we could, all the evil spirits would have been arrested by now."
I could see why the sender was confident that the anonymity of the community was thoroughly guaranteed.
"So, on that note, can I study this pill?" she asked.
"I don't care as long as it counts as today's research."
"I didn't even know it was a letter. You really are amazing."
Raven made her distinctive snorting sound as I used words of flattery on her. Then she entered into TMI mode, as usual. "Well, that's true. Most people don't know about this. Can you give me that pill?"
"Here."
"Do you know what this pill is?"
"I do not know."
"It was made by a very talented wizard, someone who possesses tremendous knowledge of psychic magic, dimensional magic, and alchemy."
"So, what is it?"
She had begun to launch into a long explanation about how many wizards had worked diligently to figure out the formula, but at my blunt question, she finally got to the point. "If you take this pill, you can enter a certain spiritual world."
"Spiritual world?"
"Oh, was that a little too complicated? It's a kind of parallel dimension. The body is asleep, but the mind goes somewhere else." After that, Raven's explanation continued. To summarize, it went like this:
1. If you took this pill, you were summoned to a spiritual world at midnight on the fifteenth of every month.
2. The evil spirits there were likely exchanging information with each other.
3. This was why many people took the pill in an attempt to infiltrate their world. However, the next morning, they were all found dead with their mouths full of blood.
I startled. "They were found dead?"
"Yes. So, Mr. Yandel, do not take it even if you're curious."
"Wait. Isn't this just poison, then?"
"Hey, is that what you think of us wizards? I swear there are no poisonous ingredients or components in this pill."
"Then what happened to the people who died?"
"Well, there are a lot of hypotheses, but... The most likely explanation is that these people have a way to distinguish between those who are and are not evil spirits. And when the soul and body separate, the body dies."
"...This is a dangerous pill." This statement was sincere. This all meant that the moment I took this pill, my life would be in their hands. Of course, I could now believe to some extent that the person who had sent the drug was a player, but I had no information on what kind of player they were.
"Anyway, it's definitely not poison. Although there's no official record of it, there is a rumor that a captured evil spirit made a statement about this gathering. That means the pill is not lethal for everyone."
"I see."
"Oh, and one more peculiar thing is that in this world, everyone apparently appears in the form of their souls, so no one is able to tell who is who."
That was some good news, and it cleared up some of my concerns. Was this why networking was so important? If it hadn't been for my connection to a wizard, I wouldn't have heard this kind of information anywhere else. However, I asked one last question. "Do you mean there is no way to figure out who took this pill?"
"Never. If we could, all the evil spirits would have been arrested by now."
I could see why the sender was confident that the anonymity of the community was thoroughly guaranteed.
"So, on that note, can I study this pill?" she asked.
"I don't care as long as it counts as today's research."
"How stingy, even though I answered all of your questions. Never mind. I don't think anything else will come out of me taking a look at it, anyway." She gave it back to me. "Now, if we're done chatting, come sit here."
As directed, I sat down on a chair. I didn't bother asking if the chair was a torture device used to crack open human skulls.
"Then, let's begin."
"...Please wrap this up quickly."
I already knew that this chair was a magic item designed to collect blood.
Zzzzzz!
***
At about four o'clock in the afternoon, a day's worth of research was over, meaning I wouldn't need to waste my time coming all the way here until next week.
"Oh, that's the famous guy these days, right?"
"I heard that it was Lord Hernesion who gave him the nickname of Little Balkan."
"That stingy man spoke that highly of a barbarian? How strange."
As I left Raven's private lab, I saw wizards gathered in the lobby shooting looks my way. Was this the power of fame?
Last time, they looked at me like I was raw material for their experiments, just walking around...
I was realizing once again how well-known my name was.
"They say he has the essence of the Orc Hero?"
"Aru said that he even has the essence of a guardian vampire."
"That is... definitely rare."
Their gazes seemed to suggest they were looking at a very, very valuable ingredient for their experiments. After all, an adventurer's reputation was out of these bastards' wheelhouse.
"Hey! Can you come here for a second?" one called to me.
"I'm busy."
"Just for a se—"
"I'm hungry, so no."
Walking past stares that were several times more uncomfortable than usual, I escaped the Magic Tower.
I don't have time to go to the library, so I should just get back to the inn and rest.
Organizing my thoughts on the trip over, it took me about an hour to get back to the inn, where I collapsed onto the bed. Then I took out the pill and studied it carefully. My thoughts wandered further and further, as if my mind itself was withdrawing from reality.
A community where anonymity is guaranteed...
The biggest reason I didn't want to be in contact with other players was because of the risk. If even one person knew who I was, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. But from what Raven was saying, it seemed like a virtual chat room. Well, in the past, I had thought it wouldn't be useful to have any contact with other players, but... Now, I had changed my mind.
The people there would no doubt know a lot more than I do.
I was not thinking about hidden bits of information in the game. There was nothing someone else would know that I didn't already know as well. However, this was another world, not a game made up of code. Now that the risk of my identity being exposed had been reduced, the advantages of doing this were more prominent than before.
I'll have to check it out myself to be certain, but getting insider information wouldn't be bad.
For example, what tactics the evil spirit hunters used, or whether the Adventurers' Guild had come up with a new law and implemented it, or not. Joining this community would make it easier to keep up to date with news like that. In other words, it would be a secret source of information.
I'm not really holding out hope, but they might even know the way to get back.
After staring at the pill for a long time, I made my decision.
It's still better to take it.
I reached this conclusion after carefully weighing the risks I had to take and the return I could get. However, I didn't plan on taking it right then. Not only would it take time for me to confirm there were no other risks, but...
Even if anonymity is guaranteed, someone sent me this invitation.
Think about it. If three invitations were sent, what would happen if all three people joined the community? The sender of the invitation would be able to infer the identities of the three new members.
It would be safer to take it after at least three months or half a year.
Of course, all of these assumptions were pointless if the community didn't function the way I was envisioning.
Anyway, I'm not desperate for information right now.
I'd wait slowly and patiently, as always. Better safe than sorry.
***
Inside a laboratory on the upper floors of the tower, the moment the minute hand of the clock passed midnight, a man lying on a chair opened his eyes. Then he immediately got up and communicated with someone through a mana crystal. "Soul Queen, how did the most recent invite pan out?" He tried to hide it, but the excitement in his voice was obvious.
Soon, however, a well of deep disappointment appeared on the man's face. "Nothing."
"Huh, then I guess he really isn't a player."
"That's very likely the case. So, what are you going to do with the unsent letters from this wave?"
The man thought for a moment. Originally, a total of seven letters were supposed to have been sent before this meeting. However, this time he only sent one because there was something he had wanted to confirm. "I must not delay them any longer on my account. Will you send out the letters that couldn't be sent this time before the next meeting?"
"Yes, I will pass them on." The short conversation ended with that. The lab was then filled with silence.
"I had my hopes up because he chose a shield at the coming-of-age ceremony..." the man muttered with a sigh. "But it wasn't him this time, either."
At this point, he had even started to think that the rumors circulating among the players might be true. As a fan, he had been continuously denying it this whole time, but...
Actually, it doesn't make any sense for one person to have collected such a huge amount of data by himself.
Did he really exist? Or, as many had guessed, was he simply a person from the game company? It had been twenty years since he woke up in this unfamiliar world, and cracks were slowly forming in the man's faith.
"How stingy, even though I answered all of your questions. Never mind. I don't think anything else will come out of me taking a look at it, anyway." She gave it back to me. "Now, if we're done chatting, come sit here."
As directed, I sat down on a chair. I didn't bother asking if the chair was a torture device used to crack open human skulls.
"Then, let's begin."
"...Please wrap this up quickly."
I already knew that this chair was a magic item designed to collect blood.
Zzzzzz!
***
At about four o'clock in the afternoon, a day's worth of research was over, meaning I wouldn't need to waste my time coming all the way here until next week.
"Oh, that's the famous guy these days, right?"
"I heard that it was Lord Hernesion who gave him the nickname of Little Balkan."
"That stingy man spoke that highly of a barbarian? How strange."
As I left Raven's private lab, I saw wizards gathered in the lobby shooting looks my way. Was this the power of fame?
Last time, they looked at me like I was raw material for their experiments, just walking around...
I was realizing once again how well-known my name was.
"They say he has the essence of the Orc Hero?"
"Aru said that he even has the essence of a guardian vampire."
"That is... definitely rare."
Their gazes seemed to suggest they were looking at a very, very valuable ingredient for their experiments. After all, an adventurer's reputation was out of these bastards' wheelhouse.
"Hey! Can you come here for a second?" one called to me.
"I'm busy."
"Just for a se—"
"I'm hungry, so no."
Walking past stares that were several times more uncomfortable than usual, I escaped the Magic Tower.
I don't have time to go to the library, so I should just get back to the inn and rest.
Organizing my thoughts on the trip over, it took me about an hour to get back to the inn, where I collapsed onto the bed. Then I took out the pill and studied it carefully. My thoughts wandered further and further, as if my mind itself was withdrawing from reality.
A community where anonymity is guaranteed...
The biggest reason I didn't want to be in contact with other players was because of the risk. If even one person knew who I was, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. But from what Raven was saying, it seemed like a virtual chat room. Well, in the past, I had thought it wouldn't be useful to have any contact with other players, but... Now, I had changed my mind.
The people there would no doubt know a lot more than I do.
I was not thinking about hidden bits of information in the game. There was nothing someone else would know that I didn't already know as well. However, this was another world, not a game made up of code. Now that the risk of my identity being exposed had been reduced, the advantages of doing this were more prominent than before.
I'll have to check it out myself to be certain, but getting insider information wouldn't be bad.
For example, what tactics the evil spirit hunters used, or whether the Adventurers' Guild had come up with a new law and implemented it, or not. Joining this community would make it easier to keep up to date with news like that. In other words, it would be a secret source of information.
I'm not really holding out hope, but they might even know the way to get back.
After staring at the pill for a long time, I made my decision.
It's still better to take it.
I reached this conclusion after carefully weighing the risks I had to take and the return I could get. However, I didn't plan on taking it right then. Not only would it take time for me to confirm there were no other risks, but...
Even if anonymity is guaranteed, someone sent me this invitation.
Think about it. If three invitations were sent, what would happen if all three people joined the community? The sender of the invitation would be able to infer the identities of the three new members.
It would be safer to take it after at least three months or half a year.
Of course, all of these assumptions were pointless if the community didn't function the way I was envisioning.
Anyway, I'm not desperate for information right now.
I'd wait slowly and patiently, as always. Better safe than sorry.
***
Inside a laboratory on the upper floors of the tower, the moment the minute hand of the clock passed midnight, a man lying on a chair opened his eyes. Then he immediately got up and communicated with someone through a mana crystal. "Soul Queen, how did the most recent invite pan out?" He tried to hide it, but the excitement in his voice was obvious.
Soon, however, a well of deep disappointment appeared on the man's face. "Nothing."
"Huh, then I guess he really isn't a player."
"That's very likely the case. So, what are you going to do with the unsent letters from this wave?"
The man thought for a moment. Originally, a total of seven letters were supposed to have been sent before this meeting. However, this time he only sent one because there was something he had wanted to confirm. "I must not delay them any longer on my account. Will you send out the letters that couldn't be sent this time before the next meeting?"
"Yes, I will pass them on." The short conversation ended with that. The lab was then filled with silence.
"I had my hopes up because he chose a shield at the coming-of-age ceremony..." the man muttered with a sigh. "But it wasn't him this time, either."
At this point, he had even started to think that the rumors circulating among the players might be true. As a fan, he had been continuously denying it this whole time, but...
Actually, it doesn't make any sense for one person to have collected such a huge amount of data by himself.
Did he really exist? Or, as many had guessed, was he simply a person from the game company? It had been twenty years since he woke up in this unfamiliar world, and cracks were slowly forming in the man's faith.