Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 238
Awl (3)
The moment I spat out the words.
“……!”
Clown took a deep breath, revealing a flustered expression that his mask could never hide.
That reaction alone was enough to confirm its validity.
However, was the content too shocking?
“The corpse collector……?”
With eyes full of disbelief, the members hastily fixed their gaze on a single spot.
Where the round table’s gem was.
Soon, the gem glowed and emitted a color.
It was a brilliant green glow.
“……It was true.”
Now their gaze shifted again.
Not to the spot where the gem was, but in the direction of the clown, who seemed paralyzed.
“……”
The clown said nothing in response to the wary, perhaps even hostile, stares.
Not that he was uncomfortable with their stares, of course.
If he was that type, he wouldn’t have revealed that he was from Noark in the first place.
‘He must be surprised that I know his identity.’
I originally had no intention of revealing this.
I mean, it should be nearly impossible to identify me as Bjorn Jandel from this, but…
I decided it would do more harm than good.
‘But he set the stage himself.’
If I had revealed his identity first, the clown might have thought I recently obtained that information.
But what now?
[Miss Crescent Moon said Lion knows all our identities. But it seems that’s not the case.]
The clown himself created a natural setup.
No, it wasn’t just that.
This guy even revealed he was from Noark himself. In other words, he’s not someone who would leave the gathering just because his identity was exposed.
‘Well, he’s a known player to the world, so his personal info wasn’t as important as others.’
Thanks to this, there was nothing holding me back.
So I could screw him over by revealing his identity, but still have a Plan B of keeping him around and getting as much information as possible.
There were several additional benefits as well.
Since he revealed that he is from Noark, the members would openly expect information about that place.
It also reinforced my Lion character in front of the members and even left some room for misunderstanding for the newcomer, the Queen.
This was also very important to me.
The more I appeared as the experienced Lion Mask, the harder it would be to connect me with Bjorn Jandel.
In reality, I had gained a lot.
“……A secret chat room with the corpse collector, I’m glad I joined.”
The queen murmured, ending the brief silence.
‘……Pssit, you’ve got one up on me.’
Finally coming to his senses, the clown forced a smile, pretending not to lose his composure.
“……”
The goblin couldn’t make eye contact with the clown after hearing ‘corpse collector’, and the fox and deer horn looked at me more warily than at the clown.
“……You really knew everything.”
“Who on earth are you……?”
Ha, yes. This was it.
I struggled to keep the corners of my mouth from rising and chewed my words as nonchalantly as I could. As I did so, my attention was drawn back to the clown.
“So, why don’t you tell us how it feels to be unmasked, Mr. Corpse Collector.” Deer horn spoke aggressively, as if he had a story.
But the clown wasn’t backing down at all.
“……Pissit, thoughts? Just that the Lion is more dangerous than I thought?”
“You keep pretending to be relaxed.”
“Tsk, typical behavior. Do you think I care about you people? Unlike you, I haven’t been hiding.”
Clown’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
But did the nuance suggest something?
“……Are you planning to stay in the gathering even after this?”
“Of course. But don’t think I’m staying because of you. I’m staying because of Mr. Lion.”
Honestly, this reaction was a bit surprising.
Even after being exposed and threatened, he still acted friendly towards me.
Was he a punching bag or something?
While I was impressed, the tension between Deer Horns and the Clown continued.
“By the way, deer horn, you’d better watch your mouth. What if I come to find you?”
“I don’t think that’s a concern. I’m not stupid enough to expose my identity like you.”
“Pssit, are you sure? I can guess at least four people from here. If I kill them all, won’t one be right?”
“Pfft, come if you want. Do you think I’m afraid? You were beaten by a barbarian not long ago, and your arrogance remains?”
“Do you…… really want to die?”
The clown’s outburst meant the deer horn had won.
The clown exuded killing intent, but the deer horn didn’t budge.
At that moment.
“Now, now, let’s stop. Members should get along. Right?”
The Queen intervened to mediate their fight.
It was a bit amusing.
Is she really a new member?
“Instead of that, let’s move on to the next round. I didn’t realize it before, but it’s really fun.”
Her ridiculously sociable nature seemed impressive, and the tension between the two stopped.
Just as we were about to move to the next round.
“……I’ll stop here.”
The fox declared a give-up.
She had tried several times before, but there seemed to be no useful information. Well, it wasn’t surprising, as that happened occasionally.
But……
“I’ll wait outside until it’s over.”
Instead of leaving the chat room, the fox chose to exit and wait outside.
It was the first time since I became a member.
“Make sure to spare some time after it ends. I have something to tell you, Lion.”
Something to tell me……
Is it related to her dazed state earlier?
“……Maybe you already know.”
Leaving a meaningful remark, the fox departed, and the second round started immediately.
***
The queen took the first turn.
She seemed to like the system of this gathering and cheerfully shared information.
“Everyone knows the GM, right? But do you know this? Huhu! There’s a common misconception: the GM didn’t create this community.”
Though she spoke with a voice not doubting her free pass, the jewel emitted a red light.
“Eh…?”
Seeing the surprised queen, the deer horn recited.
“This was something Lion mentioned before.”
It was information I had already revealed once at a gathering.
“…… Lion knew about this?”
The queen stared intently at me.
It seemed her curiosity about me had grown even more.
Well, the feeling was mutual.
‘Who is she, really?’
It was high-level information no one knew about during the meeting, yet she knew it.
‘Maybe she’s someone from the community administration…….’
Just then, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Wait a minute.’
Although it was just a fleeting encounter, a face imprinted in my subconscious flashed in my mind.
A woman who had guided me and told me various things when I first joined this community.
‘Come to think of it, her nickname was SoulQueen.’
Coincidentally, the mask she chose was also the queen mask.
The clown had mentioned that people usually choose masks that resemble themselves…
Could this really be a coincidence?
Especially since she has the same blonde hair and is also white?
‘Now that I hear it, her voice sounds similar too. Why didn’t I realize this sooner?’
Although it occurred to me belatedly, it was understandable. Even a missing nose can drastically change a person’s appearance.
Without the ‘queen’ hint, I wouldn’t have unconsciously thought of ‘SoulQueen.’
‘It’s not certain yet, but it’s best to assume she is.’
While organizing my thoughts on this possibility, the queen revealed new information and was once again rejected.
“Hmm, then it’s best to go with the latest information. Within the next few years, the six-man binding magic will be distributed. It will completely change the exploration structure. How about that, isn’t it amazing—?”
Ha, how many people have mentioned this already?
“Huh?”
The queen looked flustered as the gem lit up red.
“Is there something wrong with the gem?”
“That can’t be. This information has already been mentioned. It’s been about half a year, so there should be about a year and a half left until the binding magic is released.”
“Wow, even the timeframe? This place is really high-level”
As the queen expressed her genuine admiration, the clown laughed arrogantly.
“Pssit, maybe it’s just that your standard is low?”
He probably didn’t mean it seriously.
The queen had shown a presence that didn’t fall short to anyone from the start to the end.
‘He’s just trying to get her to reveal more valuable information.’
By the way, the goblin kept silent when the word ‘level’ came up.
He sure knows how to read the room.
“Hm, this is a bit troublesome…….”
The queen spoke, not sounding troubled at all, and made a third try.
“The king being ill is a lie.”
……What?
***
The queen’s statement made the gem light up green.
Hence, the confusion that enveloped the round table grew even bigger.
The reason was simple.
A piece of information completely opposite to this had previously been mentioned by the clown.
[The king of Rafdonia’s condition has worsened.]
It might be one of the weak points of the round table.
If someone is 100% sure, the jewel lights up green.
It judges the truthfulness, not the actual fact.
Otherwise, this system could have been exploited to access all kinds of information.
“This is troublesome.”
“Huh? What do you mean by troublesome?”
The deer horn sighed and explained the situation to the queen.
“Hmm, it means no one lied, but one of you has incorrect information”
“Exactly.”
“Then isn’t it natural to lean towards my side? Everyone knows the king is sick, but I am the only one who confidently claims it’s a lie.” the queen spoke
“Pssit, where did you hear such nonsense?”
“Hm, is this the level of the corpse collector?”
“What……did you just say?”
The clown snapped at the queen’s provocation.
However, the queen just slyly retorted.
“Then where did you get your information from, clown? I met the king directly. Are you more certain than me?”
“……Anyone can say that.”
“I didn’t expect you to be such a petty person. Shall I put my hand on the jewel and say it again? Will that do?”
The queen then said she met the king, and the jewel emitted a green light.
“……”
The clown was left speechless.
How did he end up with such a character?
He’s been getting beaten up from all sides today.
“Another monster has joined after Lion. A player who can contact the king……”
“It’s nothing like that. It was just a one-time opportunity.”
The queen, fitting her mask, left a strong impression on the members at her first meeting.
“Why do people like this keep increasing……?”
The goblin shriveled up at the new member’s performance.
“Since this issue is settled, let’s move on to the next! Goblin, it’s your turn!”
“M-me?”
“Yes!”
The queen naturally exuded an aura and took the lead. The goblin couldn’t refuse and took his turn.
“Yesterday, I discovered a way to break through Noark’s barrier in the Mage Tower. It seems it can be done immediately. Oh, but it requires thirty high priests gathering and praying.”
So, there’s finally a way.
There might be a second exploration organized soon.
“That’s right, corpse collector.”
“Why are you bragging? I heard the temple is withdrawing its support for the royal family.”
“Do you really believe the religious faction can rebel against the royal family?”
“The royal family doesn’t have ‘him’ anymore, do they?”
“Damn it, if I had known you were from that side, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Deer horn and the clown started bickering, seizing the moment.
“Um… aren’t you going to stop them?”
The goblin looked at the queen, but she watched with interest.
“Why? This seems like another fun point.”
“R-right?”
Even the queen watched their bickering, and the conversation seemed endless, but surprisingly, the winner was decided quickly.
“Oh, right. Congratulations. I heard you got a new nickname?”
“……What are you talking about?”
The clown seemed unaware.
“Ho, you don’t know? The new nickname, Toy Collector?”
“Oh my, how vulgar.”
The queen covered her mouth as if she knew something, while the deer horns continued with a smirk.
“Toy Collector. They say you’re like a baby.”
“Like a baby……?”
The clown looked puzzled.
The deer horn exaggeratedly tilted his head as if it was expected..
“Why? Isn’t it? It’s famous that Bjorn Jandel talks about it at every drinking party.”
“Th-that guy……?”
The clown’s voice started trembling, as if he was realizing something.
Maybe it was the perfect time to deliver the final blow?
“They say you’re small”
The deer horn, like an experienced veteran, didn’t miss the chance and stabbed him in the heart.
Crack.
There was a sound of something breaking from the Clown’s mouth.
I took a moment of silent apology inside.
“……”
Ah, sorry, sorry.
I asked him to keep it a secret, but…
“Pffft.”
It turned out like this, huh?