An Unwelcome Reunion

[Elena di Anteria].

Unlike the other Knights of the Round Table, she had clawed her way up from the abysmal gutter of a mere three-star character, ultimately devouring the competition to claim the seat of 'Clash.' One of my original 'starter' characters.

True to her moniker as the Archmage of the Tide, she was a versatile support-type mage capable of unleashing a sweeping repertoire of spells. And true to her seat of 'Clash,' her greatest defect was an instinctive compulsion to pick fights with every single character she ever came across...

Of all the people to run into first, it just had to be her. Does God truly exist? There are so many members of the Round Table, so why her? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Out of everyone, why did it have to be her...?

I could already see my future vividly mapped out before me. A nightmarish eternity spent rotting away in a laboratory—no, a torture chamber—after she declared she would repay me in full for every single trial I had ever subjected her to...!

Oh, holy shit.

Goosebumps erupted across every inch of my flesh.

There was no time to think. Vanishing into thin air, I threw myself headlong toward the elevator.

However—

CLANG——!

BZZZZT!

Was this damn wall forged from solid titanium? Far from shattering, I rebounded off the barrier and caught a violent jolt of electricity straight to the chest for my trouble. Dammit all. What is this place, a cage for wild beasts?

A bone-chilling whisper drifted softly from behind me.

"There you are, aren't you?"

Two glowing binding cords unfurled in dazzling, overlapping arcs. In an instant, my arms, legs, torso, and neck were wound tight, pinning me into complete immobility.

A thoroughly absurd contradiction. One cord ruthlessly siphoned away my vigor, while the other forcibly pumped raw life force back into my marrow. If I had to describe the sensation, it felt like being repeatedly shocked with high-voltage currents and then abruptly released in alternating waves, inducing a total, paralyzing collapse.

Excruciating lethargy. Complete helplessness. And crushing, bone-deep exhaustion.

As a tempest of conflicting debuffs ravaged my nervous system, my Stealth unraveled on its own. Then, she stepped forward at a leisurely pace, watching me like a fisherman inspecting a flopping catch tangled in her net.

"Caught you at last~! Word reached the rest of the Round Table that you had vanished without a trace, so I never dreamed you would walk straight into my magic tower."

"............"

"Won't. You. Answer. Me?"

Gone was the gentle demeanor she had worn moments ago. From her radiated the oppressive, suffocating pressure of a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bottomless abyss. A disparity in mana so astronomical it felt like the gulf between entirely different orders of life. Thoroughly broken by her overwhelming might, I squeezed out a croak.

"Long time no... no, it's an honor to meet you for the first time..."

"What a good answer~! You really are far more handsome than the portrait Avalon sent over. Back when you were dragging us through the mud, I used to wonder what kind of insane bastard you were."

"I have no excuses...!"

To be honest, I understood her completely. If some lunatic back on Earth had been dictating every move of my life like a puppet master, who knew what gruesome retribution I would've cooked up by now? Yeah, fair enough. I get it. Which was precisely why death was knocking on my door. An inescapable demise in the form of Elena...!

Realizing that escaping from her was practically impossible, I cleanly abandoned all hope and closed my eyes.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The taut cord of tension snapped, and my consciousness began slipping gently into the dark abyss—

—or at least it would have, had I not been violently yanked back into waking reality.

God fucking damn it——!

You won't even grant me the luxury of passing out——?!

What on earth did I nurture into existence? Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Not tears of sorrow, but the helpless weeping of a condemned man watching his life flash before him on fast-forward.

"Boss! Boss? Boss...? Boss...!"

Ever since middle school, pouring every cent of my allowance into grinding levels for these characters and collecting top-tier gear... Ah, if I'd known it would turn out like this, I would've just slurped cup noodles at the internet cafe instead...!

"What is going on...? His mind should be completely clear by now...?"

It was all a waste. The precious digital children I had raised like gold were now baying for my blood. What kind of ruthless African savannah dynamics were these...?

"Why isn't he snapping out of it? Did I botch the magical formula? No, the spell was cast flawlessly. Then why...?"

Was it my fault for not treating the game seriously enough? No, no, absolutely not. If that were the case, every gamer across the globe would share the blame, so that couldn't be it.

"Aaaaargh——!! Aaaaaaagh——!!!"

Perhaps because my mind had shattered completely beneath the sheer weight of mortal terror, a bizarre state of enlightenment washed over me. A serene calm settled over my features, thoroughly purging every stray thought. Who knew I possessed such a talent for total detachment? The ultimate 'kill me if you want, whatever' mindset belonging only to those who had surrendered all will to live.

The cinematic reel of my life played on an endless, tranquil loop. Ah, Mother, Father... I left you a decent chunk of the lottery winnings, so I'm sure you'll live comfortably. Your unfilial son... departs first...!

Having resolved myself for death, I forced my senses back into focus and looked straight ahead.

".........?"

For reasons beyond my comprehension, the bindings had vanished long ago. Elena was slumped on the floor, wailing so hard her throat was cracking from the strain. Snot and tears streamed down her face in a display so utterly undignified it bordered on grotesque.

What in the world was going on here? Why the hell was the person trying to kill me throwing a temper tantrum and crying her eyes out? I'm the one who should be weeping right now!

Assuming this was merely her twisted way of mocking me—true to her title of 'Clash'—I figured it was best to face the music quickly. As the saying goes, better to get the beating over with, so I spoke up to hasten my departure to the afterlife.

"Elena. If possible... please make it as painless as you can."

"*Sniff*... huh...?"

"Torture... will hurt, but I'll do my best to endure it. So please, if you could wrap it up in a day or two...!"

"What are you talking about, Boss...? Why would I ever kill you...?"

"Huh...?"

"Wait, what...?"

What kind of nonsense was this? Did she eat something bad and develop a split personality? Feeling doubtful, I probed once more.

"Kill you...? Why in the world would you even think that?"

"I mean, obviously..."

I laid out the entire scenario I had envisioned. From the wanted posters plastered across the city as if foretold by prophecy the moment I arrived, to the endless times I had forcibly dragged them into deadly battlefields, all the way to commanding them to grow stronger despite being neither their father nor their mother.

"Mhm, mhm. So that's what you thought, huh?"

"Wait... you're telling me it isn't...?"

"............"

Her tear-stained face curdled into a sour scowl, before stretching into an insidious, sly grin. Baffled by what could possibly be so amusing, I stared at her warily.

"Hmm~? As you know, aren't I terribly generous and kind?"

"........."

"I'm kind, aren't I?"

"R-Right, of course?"

"Exactly! So I had no intention of killing you, Boss~! I just wanted to play around for a bit, give you a little gift, and send you on your way! How could you harbor such dreadful suspicions about me?"

"S-Sorry..."

The corners of her lips arched so high they looked ready to take flight. A second ago she had the face of a tragic heroine in a melodrama, and now this... Still, just as I was about to thank her for sparing my life, she added slyly:

"Well, I might feel that way. But do you really think the other Knights of the Round Table feel the same?"

"........."

"[Pride] and [Betrayal] will probably try to slaughter you on sight. Oh, and [Duty] and [Purity] will definitely want your head too! Those two practically have 'I'll kill you' on repeat!"

"........."

"Good grief... I really am far too soft for my own good. Normally, I should've stuck a blade between your ribs like the rest of them... but since I'm special, I'll forgive you~!"

"........."

"Answer me."

"Haha, thank you so very much, my lady...!"

A chill gripped my heart. Thirteen figures held seats at the Round Table, and four of them were actively moving with the explicit intent to murder me? Holy shit. Even so, looking at Elena's expression, she seemed oddly dissatisfied for someone who claimed to have forgiven me. Still, I quietly listened to what she had to say.

Right now, she was the sole person who could shed light on the Round Table's current state and disposition. When I asked about what had happened and where the others stood, she tilted her head in thought.

"Hmm... It's already been a year since I returned to the Round Table myself, so I don't know all the details. But if someone summoned you here, Boss, it has to be the [Half-Blood]. None of the rest of us possess the technical mastery to pull off something like that even if we wanted to."

"The Half-Blood... Ah, I have a pretty good idea who you mean."

"In terms of raw magical caliber, she's leagues above me... To be honest, I'm not even sure if what she wields can still be classified as magic."

"She's that ridiculous?"

"Yeah. At her current level, she's probably about half as strong as the Demon King. She could likely carve through an ordinary god all on her own."

An Archmage capable of manipulating not just spells, but reality itself. In the game, I'd simply valued her as an exceptional character—an area-of-effect nuker and versatile support. But thinking back, was she ever truly just a 'mage'? If they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were living beings in an actual reality rather than lines of game code, she was the sole entity capable of summoning me across dimensions.

"And as for [Kingship]... oh boy, you'll be shocked when you hear this."

"What on earth happened with her?"

"The moment that [Half-Blood] dropped a single prophecy saying you would eventually abandon them..."

The character to whom I had entrusted the role of Vice-Master to govern the guild in my stead, bestowing upon her the seat of [Kingship] to suit the Round Table. The moment she heard that prophecy foretelling my 'abandonment,' she severed the arm of [Phenomenon] and locked herself away in her chambers, throwing a terrifying tantrum unlike anything she had ever displayed before.

"She's an absolute lunatic, I'm telling you."

"Wow... Just how desperately did she want to kill me to react like that?"

"Right? The second she senses your presence, Boss..."

Ssshk——!

Elena dragged a thumb horizontally across her throat. In short: get spotted, and it's instant death.

Ha... A deep sense of injustice welled up from the pit of my stomach. That crazy bitch... Just how much did you want my head on a pike to lose your marbles to that extent——?! Do you have any idea how much money I poured into you——?! At least a hundred million won——! A hundred million——!! You ungrateful wench——!!

Still, chilling dread eclipsed any sense of betrayal. To think such a psycho was hunting me... Ah, why did I ever make her Vice-Guildmaster? Granted, her management and leadership stats were god-tier, but she was also one of my starter characters, so I'd genuinely held affection for her. Good grief. No point crying over spilled milk.

With a voice thoroughly hollowed of earthly attachments, I asked:

"So, are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠going to report me to Avalon now?"

"........."

"From your perspective as a member of the Round Table, turning me in would be quite the merit, wouldn't it?"

She pondered the question for a long moment before offering an unexpected reply.

"Nope~! I considered it at first, but wouldn't it be too pitiful if you got slaughtered the moment you arrived in this world? So I've decided to spe-cial-ly help you out!"

"I don't really need your help..."

"Should I report you?"

"Aha, who wouldn't jump at the gracious aid of the great Archmage...!"

"Tee-hee——! Good. In that case, I'll give you that 'gift' I mentioned earlier!"

Mana condensed out of thin air. True to her title, the Archmage of the Tide literally conjured something from nothing. It was a bracelet, unremarkable enough that any ordinary passerby might wear it. But when I inspected its properties with my Status Window, my jaw dropped.

Shock number one: an SS rank. Shock number two: substantial stat boosts. And shock number three: the built-in 'Location Tracking' function.

Damn it all. Doesn't this basically say: Don't you dare try to run away? Not that I was planning on fleeing in the first place, but still...

"Is there a problem?"

"No, I just love the gift..."

"I'm so glad——! I poured my heart and soul into making it, so keep it on at all times, okay?"

"I'll take that as friendly advice."

"........."

"........."

Before she could notice anything amiss, I swiftly pivoted to the original purpose of my visit.

"Anyway, getting back to why I came here in the first place."

"You want me to change your appearance?"

"Yeah. Alter it into something completely unrecognizable from how I look now."

"......Understood! As a special treat, I'll do it free of charge!"

Was it just my imagination, or did that reply come a split-second too late?

"Hey..."

"........."

Why are your eyes darting away like that? She always made that exact guilty face whenever she pulled some trolling stunt in the guild. Nah, surely not. Right?

Though suspicion gnawed at me, Elena flourished her staff a few times. Soon, a tingling tickle washed across my skin, and my features morphed completely.

My jet-black hair lightened to a warm chestnut brown. My soft facial contours turned sharp and defined. And to top it off... my hairline. My hair density increased dramatically!

"Elena... my hair is so thick...!"

"Call it a courtesy service. If I bear the title of Archmage of the Tide, I have to live up to the name!"

"I could genuinely drop to my knees in gratitude right now."

Startled to see me on the verge of bowing down, Elena blinked in surprise before stepping forward to pull me up—and threw her arms around my chest, burying herself into my embrace.

".........?!"

"Unlike the others, I'm genuinely grateful to you, Boss. So if you ever need help, call me anytime. Just channel a wisp of mana into that bracelet, and I'll come running immediately."

"My prickly personality caused misunderstandings, but I truly mean it. Thank you. For giving me a chance, and for supporting me so I didn't get buried under all the rest."

"So... so... we can meet again next time, right...?"

Gone was the imposing, arrogant aura of the Archmage of the Tide. In my arms stood only a vulnerable woman craving affection. Softening, I placed a hand upon her head and gently stroked her hair.

"Yeah. See you later."

"......Mhm!"

Of course, even if I tried to hide, knowing her personality, she would track me to the ends of the earth anyway. Still, all things considered, I suppose it wasn't the worst reunion.

Leaving behind Elena's genuine, radiant smile, I stepped out of the magic tower, feeling the breeze rustle through my luxuriously thick new hair.

Ah, naturally, I'd intended to slip the bracelet into my pocket, but by the time I walked out, it was already firmly clasped around my wrist.

Hahaha...

Hahahaha...

This definitely means don't you dare run away, doesn't it?