STGB Episode 472
Between an Ally and an Enemy (4)
It wasn’t just the clown who was convinced by my words.
“Auril Gabis is our enemy…”
The fox, who had once followed the Master closely, muttered in a somewhat bitter voice, and deer horns also nodded in agreement.
“Well, he’s as full of secrets as the royal family. Those with many secrets are usually dark-hearted.”
Even the Queen, who had probably investigated Auril Gavis more than anyone else here, did not object.
“So you’re saying he’s an enemy to the players… I’ll take note of that.”
She said she would “take note,” but it was obvious what would happen once the meeting was over: she’d run to the GM, share all the info, and then rack her brains based on my hypothesis.
Well, it was understandable, given the things I’d shown them so far.
“…”
The wolf, who had initially questioned whether there was any evidence or not, observed the reactions of the members and gauged the situation. Still, he just couldn’t comprehend.
“…Am I the strange one here? I really don’t understand why everyone accepts his words so easily. If he’d said Auril Gavis did something terrible, that might be one thing, but what he just said sounds so subjective, doesn’t it?”
Indeed, as an old returning member, the Wolf cleverly probed a weak spot in the Round Table system. However, no one took the bait.
“Hmm, but that’s the same for you, isn’t it?”
After all, the same logic could be applied to the wolf as well.
“That’s why everyone kept asking me if it was confirmed information, right? But for Mr. Lion here, nobody questioned it at all…”
He sounded a bit wronged.
“If, for instance, I said right now that Auril Gavis is not our enemy, the green light would still turn on. So, whose words would you believe then?”?”
He sharply pointed out the contradiction, but unfortunately, a response came immediately.
“Of course, isn’t it obvious? Pssit.”
“…?”
“We would believe Mr. Lion. Rather than some small fry who just showed up out of nowhere after several years, whom we barely even remember.”
Caught off guard by such a straightforward answer, the wolf just stared blankly.
To that, the queen added in a subtle tone,
“Still, who knows? If Mr. Wolf can provide solid evidence and convince us…”
The Queen’s words showed her clear intent to see what the Wolf was really hiding. Sure, it seemed pretty certain the Wolf was a follower of Auril Gavis, but that was all they knew so far.
“Evidence… Alright.”
But perhaps because he had faith in something, the wolf didn’t disturb the atmosphere any further and ended the conversation. And so the second round began.
“Since we started this way last time, how about we go reverse order this time?”
“Pssit, you seem quite confident?”
“I just thought it would be fairer.”
“Well, I don’t mind. Mr. Lion might find it more interesting this way too…”
Saying so, the Clown glanced at me.
Why does he like me so much?
It wasn’t like I had been particularly kind or anything; if anything, I had tormented him.
“Then I’ll go first. Actually, this is information I’ve held back because it wasn’t confirmed, but… I have a feeling it’ll be the main topic of this meeting. Pssit.”
The clown took an unusual amount of time to introduce his news, glancing around before speaking.
“Do you recall how we used to wonder about the old man who led more than ten thousand people and used a Mass Teleport to bring them from Noark into the outside world?”
“…”
“That old man… seems to be Auril Gavis.”
Hmm, is that so?
It’s a pretty old story, but it’s something I’ve always been curious about, so I found it interesting. Of course, it’s just the clown’s hypothesis.
Swoooosh.
Even after the jewel’s green light went out, the members did not raise any objections.
Only the Queen muttered a single line.
“Why don’t you tell us how you came to that conclusion?”
“Pssit, is that really necessary? Everyone here knows who I am. My opinion alone should hold enough weight, don’t you think?”
“Well… I’ll let it slide this time.”
Was it because there were new members? Under normal circumstances, she would have grilled him relentlessly.
“Hehe… Clown, you must be quite amazing?”
“I’m nothing compared to Mr. Lion, pffft…”
He said that, but the laughter in his voice suggested he was actually quite pleased.
‘Is he just trying to show off by deliberately bringing up this ambiguous information?’
The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
Nah, that can’t be it. Surely he’s not that desperate for attention, right?
“Now, it’s your turn, Butterfly. I’m looking forward to it. Pssit.”
“Ugh… I think my turn is too early.”
What should I do?
Butterfly tilted her head in thought before finally speaking.
“There are portals beneath the royal palace.”
Tsk, this is information I was saving for later. Did I just get preempted—?
“Two of them, actually.”
Huh? Two?
Swoosh—
The gem soon emitted a green light, and the members began to ask questions.
“Portals? What does that mean? Can the royal family enter the labyrinth anytime they want?”
“Hehe, who knows? What could it mean?”
“…….”
“Then my turn is over, right?”
Butterfly ignored the questions and ended her turn.
Next up was the Queen.
“Recently—”
“Is this going to be another political story? I’m not really interested in politics…”
“…….”
The Queen, who was about to say something, paused briefly at Butterfly’s snarky remark before continuing.
No, rather than continuing, she started over.
“About the dimensional collapse we discussed earlier, the royal family can intentionally cause it. That’s actually happened. The most recent dimensional collapse was exactly because of that.”
“…Huh, really?”
The green light turned on, but the Butterfly mask seemed indifferent, as if she already knew.
Hmm, to be precise, it was more like, “Oh, so you’re playing that card right now?” look.
‘She’s just throwing a counter move.’
She probably decided to preemptively claim the information since Butterfly might use it later to pass her turn.
Next it was black mask’s turn
“Aside from opening the Abyss Gate, another way to return to Earth is through dimensional magic.”This was an extension of the information she had shared in the previous round. However, no one criticized her for being cheeky.
Because there was one more line to her statement.
“The reason Auril Gavis was able to cross over to Earth was also because he used this method.”
“……!”
“I’m starting to get curious about Miss Black’s identity too.”
As the members’ interest in the black mask grew, the meeting continued.
Deer Horns, Crescent Moon, Goblin, and Fox.
They shared the latest information that could be useful rather than the secrets of the world, passing their turns.
And then…
“……Pssit, finally.”
When it was finally the wolf’s turn, all the members turned their eyes toward him.
After all, it was obvious what he was going to say.
From now on, the wolf would present evidence that Auril Gavis is not the enemy of the players.
Then, if the green light turns on, it’ll be my turn, and I’ll have to counter his argument.
It’s a kind of 1v1…….
“I have met the king and glimpsed the secrets of this world.
Huh, I didn’t expect that. Even a new noble like me has never met the king till now.
“…When was this?”
“Let’s just say less than a year ago.”
Since his goal was to persuade, the wolf generously answered the follow-up questions.
But…
“That’s quite a surprise, but it doesn’t feel like solid evidence, does it? Saying you merely ‘glimpsed the secrets of this world’ doesn’t give a clear idea.”
The Queen sharply pointed out the flaw.
However, having attended many meetings with the Queen, I could tell.
She was deliberately suppressing her excitement to extract more information.
“…….”
It seemed the other members had also noticed this, but no one intervened.
Everyone’s the same.
They all want to hear more details.
“It’s hard to go into more detail when I don’t even know who you all are. But there’s one thing I can say for sure.”
The wolf drew a clear line and spoke.
“Auril Gavis is by no means an enemy of the players. If anything, he’s nothing less than a crucial ally.”
As he spoke, the gem on the round table emitted a green light, marking the end of wolf’s turn.
“…….”
Soon, it was my turn, and all eyes turned to me.
‘He’s met the king directly… No wonder he’s so confident.’
Because such a heavyweight had been brought up, even the members who had firmly believed in my words seemed a bit unsure.
The wolf, too, was looking at me with a triumphant air, backed by the king’s name.
At this point, it was necessary to reestablish order.
So…
Tap tap.
As if I’d been waiting, I spoke.
A being whose name carries weight, even if the opponent is the king.
“The Witch of the Earth, Ellis Groundia.”
Of course, she only left behind a warning not to open the Abyss Gate.
She never said anything about Auril Gabis being the enemy of the players.
But in this situation, that’s not particularly important.
“I’ve met her.”
Interpretation is always up to the individual.
“……!!”
I didn’t lie.
The Witch of the Earth, Ellis Groundia.
A mythical figure who brought this world to ruin.
“……!!”
The moment her name was mentioned, everyone, including the wolf, fell silent.
It seemed everyone was quite shocked.
Well, I had previously shared information about the Witch of the Earth being alive, but saying I’d met her in person was on a whole different level.
“The Witch of the Earth…”
“Pssit. Goodness, Mr. Lion, you surpass my imagination every single time. I’m humbled. There’s no way your words could be wrong.”
Although not everyone was as convicted as the Clown, I could sense the mood in the hall shift in my favor. Of course it did.
If we were talking about someone who had ruled the royal palace for thousands of years—the immortal king—that would be one thing.
But the Current King hasn’t even reigned for two centuries yet, and lately he hasn’t even appeared in public, supposedly due to health reasons. It’s obvious he doesn’t carry the same weight as the Witch.
And beyond that…
‘You also have to consider who’s making these claims.’
On one side, there’s me, who has cultivated a mysterious, almost absolute reputation at the Round Table, versus an old user who was treated as a nobody until a few years ago.
“…Heh-heh, I think it’s clear whose story we should believe now.”
“It’s definitely possible Mr. Lion is being deceived by the Witch of the Earth—”
“Excuse me? But, Mr. Wolf, wouldn’t that be exactly the same situation for you?”
“…….”
“Besides, if one of you has been deceived, I’d say it’s more likely to be you, Mr. Wolf.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Hehe, of course, I don’t know either of you well, but I get the feeling that Mr. Wolf is more likely to be deceived…”
Butterfly giggled as she mercilessly took digs at Wolf.
Judging that he wouldn’t be able to turn the situation around, Wolf fell silent.
And then…
“Ha ha, I think I’ll have to leave for today. It was nice seeing everyone after a long time, and Mr. Lion, Miss Butterfly, Miss Black, see you next time.”
The wolf declared his absence from the third round and left the round table.
‘Wow, look at him run.’
But since he said we’d meet again, it seems he’s not done for good…
“…….”
“…….”
As soon as he left, the familiar atmosphere descended on the Round Table – everyone fell silent, too busy reading each other’s expressions. I could already see the meeting fizzling out, so this time I decided to get ahead of it.
“Ah…! Are you leaving?”
Well, isn’t it obvious?
“See you next time.”
With that, I left the round table.
***
A large window allowed the moonlight to flood into a bedroom.
A woman’s voice trembled softly.
It was because of the shocking news delivered by an uninvited guest who had arrived in the middle of the night and was scratching the back of his head.
“What? He’s… alive…? Bjorn…?”
Her mind went blank for a moment, then anger surged.
“You… really are someone I can’t associate with.”
Her voice was filled with the emotions boiling up from deep within her chest.
Lee Baek-ho simply laughed awkwardly.
“Funny, that’s the second time I’ve heard that today.”
“…Get lost. If you pull a stunt like this again, I swear—”
“Misha Karlstein.”
Her full name, which he never used under normal circumstances.
As Misha froze, Lee Baek-ho continued in a more serious tone.
“It’s not a joke. Bjorn Jandel is alive.”
“…Proof?”
“It’s already a well-known story. You don’t need proof. If you go out tomorrow and ask around, you’ll hear the news right away.”
Lee Baek-ho then briefly explained Bjorn Jandel’s recent activities, and as Misha listened, she gradually sensed that his words were true.
“Bjorn… is alive?”
A mix of emotions overwhelmed her.
She felt joy, sorrow, confusion, and anger.
“… bastard.”
“Yeah, he’s really something, huh? How could he deceive his teammates, fake his death, and side with the royal family—”
“No, I mean you. You. You knew all along and hid it from me…?”
“Ah… sorry. I needed some time to sort things out. You should’ve gone out more instead of staying cooped up at home.”
“……”
“Wow, look at that fierce glare.”
Misha didn’t respond to Lee Baek-ho’s playful tone.
“……”
A silence fell over the room. Eventually, the man spoke first.
“So, are you going to see him now?”
“Of course. What do you think I’ve been staying here for all this time?”
“To save Bjorn Jandel. By using a Resurrection Stone.”
“Exactly. Now get out—I need to pack. I’ll leave as soon as it’s daylight.”
“Hmm, I see…”
As the man trailed off with a strange tone, Misha flinched.
“…If you have something to say, spit it out.”
Somehow, a sense of foreboding filled the air. And as usual, that intuition was dead on.
“It’s no big deal. I just have a small favor to ask.”
He was smiling. The same way he had smiled that day he came to see her.