Outsider 3

GM, Yurben Havelion.

A player who went by the rather cringeworthy nickname Elfnunalove, and an old user who has survived in this world for at least over 20 years.

By the way, Versil knew about his true identity.

[Yurben Havelion. That’s the GM’s name.]

She had been the one to disclose it at the Round Table.

Perhaps because of that, I couldn’t help suspecting that she had her own reasons for recommending him.

“…If it’s the Magitech Engineer, I know of him. But is it possible to get him to come out? I heard he barely engages in any external activities.”

At Amelia’s question, Versil nodded as if it wasn’t a problem.

“Don’t worry about that part. We have a connection.”

Though she added a disclaimer saying ‘Of course, it might not work,’ her voice carried confidence

Then why is she so confident?

The reason is quite simple.

There’s no way Versil could possibly be friends with that reclusive, loner-type GM.

‘She must be relying on some leverage she has.’

However, I doubt that threatening to reveal his true identity will work. From what I could tell, even the royal family seemed aware of his true identity.

It seemed more like a mutually beneficial, exploitative relationship.

‘Now that the community’s gone, I’m curious what kind of situation he’s got himself in.’

To be honest, I’ve been interested in him for a while, but I was hesitant to approach him recklessly.

I didn’t really have a reason.

If I suddenly showed up at his tower, he’d probably be unwilling to meet with me. Worse, he’d probably just grow suspicious.

But…

“Not bad. Proceed for now.”

If Versil acted as the bridge, I’d be able to meet him naturally.

“Yes. I’ll bring it up as soon as I get back.”

I had some concerns, but I trusted that Versil would manage to threaten him without exposing her own identity.

“Make sure to emphasize secrecy. If he agrees to help, set up a meeting. I’ll want to see him myself first.”

“Understood.”

“Well then, let’s call it a day.”

There was nothing more to do here, so we wrapped up today’s journey and returned to the city.

And…

After Versil left, saying she would try to talk to the Magitech Engineer, about three days later.

“It’s done. The Magitech Engineer said he’ll take a look.”

I got an appointment.

***

The meeting with the Magitech Engineer was conducted very cautiously and secretly. It felt like being a Cold War-era spy or something.

‘Take a left here, then open the third door next to the building with the red roof ahead and go down… Ah, here it is.’

After wandering through alleyways for a long time, I arrived at a building.

Then I went down into the basement,
and activated a magic circle to enter a mysterious space.

Flash-!

A fairly spacious room designed like a library.

However, no matter where I looked in the room, there was no entrance, not even a window.

It seemed to be a special space accessible only by magic.

“You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting for you, Baron.”

A man who was sitting on the sofa stood up and greeted me.

‘So this is what he looks like.’

I had met him once before in the city, but since he was disguised as Hans at the time, this is the first time I’m seeing his real face.

First impression keywords: baby-faced, skinny, glasses.

But I wasn’t there to judge appearances. I memorized his face and got straight to business.

Enemies, huh…

Well, even in the past, Lee Baek-ho was desperately searching for this guy.

“Anyway, nice to meet you. I am Bjorn, son of Jandel.”

After briefly shaking hands with the guy, I sat down on the sofa that seemed to be my seat.

Creeak.

Sigh, Barbarian discrimination from the very start.

“It’s alright, there’s no need to apolo—”

…Huh?

Why should I apologize?

“Buy a sturdier chair next time. Buying a chair like this makes you look like a racist.”

“…Eh? Ah, y-yes…”

“Buying a chair that Barbarians can’t sit on is the beginning of discrimination.”

“…Haha, I’ll be sure to remember that.”

I could see his impression of me falling in real time, but it was an unavoidable action on my part.

I have to be especially careful when talking to this guy.

I absolutely must act like a barbarian, not like a modern person.

Even if it seems a bit excessive.

Thud.

Pushing aside the crushed sofa, I sat cross-legged on the empty floor.

Surprisingly, our eye levels were about the same. Actually, I was a little taller.

“Anyway, thanks for agreeing to help. I didn’t expect you to be close to Versil. How did you two meet?”

I played dumb to deflect suspicion.

From his perspective, he might assume I was the one who had sent Versil to blackmail him.

“Haha… Well, we’re both officially affiliated with the Mage Tower, you see. We just naturally got to know each other, that’s all.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“But… may I hear what exactly I need to investigate? Miss Gowland didn’t tell me that far.”

“It’s about investigating the magic circle in the underground fortress. No, to be precise, I want you to find out how to activate it.”

“A magic circle…?”

“Yes. It’s ancient. Versil said it was beyond her ability.”

At my straightforward answer, the GM rested his chin on his hand and asked cautiously,

“Are you trying to leave the city?”

…Right. So he knew something too.

Since I needed his help anyway, there was no point hiding it.

“That’s right. More precisely, I want to scout their movements outside.”

“…I see.”

“Do you already know how to activate the circle?”

“No. I’ve only heard rumors of such a circle existing. I’ll need to see it myself.”

“So you can’t promise anything until you inspect it?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The GM nodded as he said this, but his voice lacked confidence and held a faint note of regret.

But…

“Why does it feel like he’s making excuses in advance?”

I spoke kindly:

“Don’t worry. Even if you fail, I won’t blame you.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“If it doesn’t work, we just keep trying until it does, right?”

“…Pardon?”

What do you mean pardon.

Did he think he could just glance at it, shrug, and go home?

“I don’t care if it takes months. If you keep trying, it’ll work eventually!”

“….”

“Since I’m the one asking, it wouldn’t be polite to leave you alone, so I’ll stay by your side and keep you company!”

In other words, I’d lock him and guard him to make sure he doesn’t escape.

“Since we’re talking about it, how about we go right now?”

“…What?”

“I hear you never leave your tower. You don’t have any other appointments, do you?”

“B-but I need to gather some equipment first…”

“No worries! Just tell me what you need and I’ll have Versil fetch it.”

“I-I’ll get it myself! Without it, there’s no point, and it would be hard to find just by describing it…!”

Perhaps thinking he might really be dragged along like this, his voice sped up.

“Hm… you won’t just disappear, will you?”

“……Yes?”

Looking at his dumbfounded expression, I laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Just kidding! Of course you wouldn’t. I trust you completely!”

“Ahaha… right, of course.”

“Even if some emergency kept you away, I could always come find you, couldn’t I?”

“….”

After I told him I’ve been to the Mage Tower many times and knew the layout well, perhaps recalling the Mage Tower raid incident from the past, his face turned pale.

And……

“P-please don’t worry. One hour is enough.”

With those words, he left and returned exactly one hour later.

***

Travelling to Noark alone with GM wasn’t a problem.

I already knew the way down, and…

Step, step.

The guy used a magic tool to deal with the knights patrolling the sewers.

I had secretly been worried that the patrol might have some kind of detection device, but that turned out to be an unnecessary concern.

‘His gear is impressive…’

True to a magitech engineer, his tool outclassed the knights’ detection artifacts.

‘…His gear is really good.’

The knights didn’t notice anything, even as we passed right by them.

As you’d expect from a Magitech Engineer, I suppose.

“You said you made it yourself? What’s its name?”

“It doesn’t have a name… I never intended to sell it.”

“Why not?”

“It requires a very rare byproduct for production, and the success rate is extremely low. This is the only one I’ve ever completed.”

“Oh, really?”

That only made me want it more.

Maybe I could snatch it somehow…

Perhaps noticing my greed, he quickly shifted the subject.

“Anyway, the world has changed a lot. I never thought I’d see knights patrolling the sewers.”

“That’s why you should go out more.”

“Haha… I should.”

Whether he was uncomfortable with the situation or just being outside was stressful for him, the GM remained mostly silent until we reached the Noark Square.

Even when I tried to make small talk, he brushed it off.

‘He’s boring than I thought.’

Still, so long as he did the job, I didn’t care.

“Here we are. See anything?”

“I’ll take a closer look.”

He unpacked his gear and started working like a true professional.

And after some time had passed…

“Um…”

He approached me with cautious steps.

“I’ve finished.”

At first, I didn’t get what he meant.

“…Finished?”

“Yes. I’ve written down the formula to activate the magic circle here. If you just follow this method, even a Level 4 mage should be able to activate it.”

As he spoke, he handed me a parchment covered in elegant handwriting, but I had a hard time believing it.

Is it really finished this fast?

As I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and looked him up and down, he quickly explained:

“…It was simpler than I expected. Ancient magic circles are my specialty, after all.”

“Then why couldn’t you promise earlier?”

“That’s… a bad habit of mine. I’m sorry.”

Well, in that case, I have nothing more to say.

“Um… Since the work is done now, may I go? I prefer to have dinner at home if possible…”

To be honest, I can’t believe it.

Not that I could say so to his face.

“What do you mean ‘done’?”

“…Excuse me?”

“You haven’t confirmed it works yet. Try activating it.”

It was a fair point. He sighed and nodded.

“…Understood. Give me a moment to prepare.”

After tidying his tools, he called me over five minutes later.

He counted down—one, two, three—

Flash—!

A pure white light enveloped us, and when I opened my eyes…

‘This place is…’

A space both familiar and unfamiliar filled my vision.

It was a huge, circular tunnel wide enough for a massive serpent to pass through.

One wall was sealed with strange markings…

“That’s the magic circle engraved here. From what I can tell, the activation method is the same.”

“…From what you can tell?”

“I misspoke. The information is accurate, so you don’t need to worry.”

“….”

“And one caution… be careful not to damage the circle. Unlike the one in the plaza, this one is exposed to the elements.”

“What happens if it breaks?”

“It has a permanent restoration spell, but it would take at least a year to recover.”

That’s better than never being able to return, but a year is still a significant risk.

“Can’t we use teleportation magic to return to the city?”

“No. The coordinates are set below the city, but since the trajectory doesn’t register, I believe we’re currently outside the protective magic circle.”

In simple terms, it means we are below the city but outside the barrier covering the entire city.

As expected, it’s still quite suspicious.

Not that I doubted the truth of his words—but…

‘Something feels fishy’

The magitech engineer, Yurben Havelion.

I understand that this guy is a talented mage.

‘But even so, is it really possible to glance at it and have all the answers come so readily?’

Even I, a complete amateur, could sense that something was off.

It didn’t seem like he was solving things on the spot but more like he already knew the answers, just pretending to figure them out in front of me.

“Well, it seems my work here is done now… Shall we head back?”

At the GM’s request, I thought about it for a moment.

I can’t deny that his work is finished. But simply letting him go like this felt unsatisfying.

I had expected this to take weeks, maybe longer.

I’d planned to draw things out, to use the time to talk with him and learn more.

So then…

“Now that we’re here, aren’t you curious yourself? Let’s go take a look together!”

“…Pardon?”

“Excellent! I’ll take that as your agreement!!”

There was no way I’d let him off so easily.

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