Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 289
The Big Shot (1)
There was no second knock.
The first knock seemed merely to announce his presence, and without waiting for permission, the door opened immediately.
Creeeeak.
An old man entered.
His hair was white and abundant, and his skin was deeply wrinkled.
However, he did not exude the frailty typical of the elderly. His steps were steady, and his back was straight.
And most importantly…
“Hmmm.”
The atmosphere.
Even without speaking, his actions and gaze exuded a peculiar aura.
This old man is dangerous.
“Judging by your attire, you must be from Earth.”
The old man glanced at me briefly and muttered.
“How did you get in here?”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
What should I say?
Judging by his outfit, he’s definitely from another world.
“……”
I chose to remain silent.
Rather than speak hastily, I decided to let him talk first and gather information.
Hmm, but…
“Amazing. Three Level 3 essences already. It’s only been a little over a year since you were brought here.”
This old man was reading information about me even though I hadn’t uttered a single word.
Damn, where does he get such abilities?
“This is intriguing. Never mind how you got in here, just tell me who you are.”
“……”
“Are you just going to keep staring at me?”
Despite my unexpected visit, the old man prodded me in a friendly tone.
‘Phew, what should I say?’
Should I just blurt out that I’m from the future?
The thought crossed my mind but ended there.
It’s not wise to reveal my information when I know nothing about him.
Alright, so…
“I’ll ask the questions first.”
“Oh, then will you answer mine?”
“To some extent.”
Using his curiosity to my advantage, I seized control of the situation.
As confused as I was, he must be curious about me.
Let’s use this to gather as much information as possible.
“Go ahead.”
With the old man’s permission, I asked my first question.
“What’s your name?”
“Haha, my name…”
The old man laughed as if my question was trivial, but a name was crucial to me.
I have the advantage of coming from 20 years in the future.
Even if it’s an unknown name now, it might reveal something about his future.
“Starting with introductions shows you have manners.”
The old man smiled approvingly.
And then…
“I am—”
Just as he began to speak.
“……”
The old man frowned and closed his mouth.
But the expression didn’t last long.
“Apologies. Something came up outside, and we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”
With a dignified tone, the old man unexpectedly made a proposal.
“It wouldn’t be polite to leave you here. Hmmm, what should I do… How about you come with me?”
After a moment’s thought, I agreed.
What could I do by staying in this room alone?
Following the old man outside might provide more information.
“Good, you have a sturdy spirit. However, going out as you are will draw attention from the other members. Here, wear this.”
With a wave of his hand, he conjured clothes fitting the era.
But that wasn’t enough.
“Oh, it’s better to cover your face too.”
He created a white mask out of thin air and handed it to me.
What is this convenient ability?
Is it only usable in this spiritual world?
Thinking that, I put on the clothes and placed the mask over my face.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“No, it fits perfectly.”
“Ho ho, I should prepare some masks for the future. Some people might not want to show their faces.”
“……”
“Alright, let’s go.”
Leaving the room, I followed the old man.
He gave me some warnings as we walked.
“Whatever you see inside, don’t act surprised or acknowledge anyone. In fact, try to stay silent and just observe like before.”
“What if someone speaks to me first?”
“That won’t happen, and even if it does, I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”
Well, if he says so.
I stayed close behind him, continuously surveying my surroundings.
The more I looked, the stronger a sense of familiarity grew.
The room I was in earlier, too, reminded me of the mansion with the ‘round table.’
‘No windows here either.’
Of course, the decorations on the walls, the position of the rooms, and the width of the hallways were different.
But…
‘It’s too similar to be a coincidence.’
Not dismissing it as mere feeling, I closely observed my surroundings.
After some time passed.
“We’re here.”
The old man stopped walking and slowly opened a large door.
‘What is this place?’
To my surprise, beyond the door was a round table.
***
The room with the round table I had entered countless times wearing the lion mask.
There are quite a few differences if I look closely.
For one, there were no gems that distinguished truth from lies, and the room was slightly smaller.
But…
‘It’s similar.’
Except for that, it’s almost identical.
The patterns carved around the table’s edge, the framed pictures with unknown meanings on the walls.
Most things match the round table from 20 years later.
So, what’s going on here?
‘Could this old man be the ‘Master’?’
Master.
The enigmatic figure who created the ‘Round Table Watchers’ I met just once in the past.
Maybe the old man before me is that person. Or perhaps someone here created this place based on what they saw.
‘Anyway, I’ll think about that later.’
I stiffened for a moment, seeing the familiar round table, but quickly regained my composure.
What’s important is not the table but the people seated here.
‘Four of them.’
There were four people in the room.
Three men and one woman.
As the door opened, they all looked at us.
And…
“Who is that behind you?”
They showed strong interest in me, despite my masked face.
In some ways, it was similar to when I first attended the round table.
‘Those eyes.’
Their gazes felt like they were piercing through my skin, pricking and stabbing wherever they landed.
During that uncomfortable moment.
“You needn’t concern yourselves with who this is.”
The old man, with an imposing and firm tone, unlike when he spoke to me, quickly set limits and got to the point.
“I heard there was trouble while I was away.”
“……”
“Of course, I trust none of you would forget the principles of this place.”
“……”
“Let’s hear what happened. What’s the issue?”
The old man spoke as if reprimanding children, and the room fell into an awkward silence.
Avoiding eye contact, it seemed like they were waiting for someone to take the lead.
The first to speak was a middle-aged man with a burly frame.
“Let me make it clear, we have no intention of fighting amongst ourselves. But this one keeps spreading strange ideas.”
At his rebuke, the silent man dressed in black frowned.
“Why is killing the king a strange idea?”
“Hah, do you think I don’t know your reasons? Don’t drag us into your personal vendetta.”
“Kagureas, after all these decades of failing to find a way back, do you still hold on to hope?”
“Of course. Just like everyone else here. Ah, I suppose I should exclude you from that group now.”
“Ridiculous. If you want to return, you should be helping me. The royal family, with their vast secrets, is the key to all our mysteries.”
“……It’s too dangerous to mess with them. And there’s no guarantee they have the key.”
I quickly grasped their conflict.
The hardliners wanting to kill the king for clues, and the moderates seeking other ways.
As I listened to the fascinating conversation of these otherworldly beings from 20 years ago, my mind went blank at the middle-aged man’s next words.
“Do whatever you want. Create an organization like Orcules for all I care. It’s none of my business.”
What? Create Orcules?
‘…Is he the ‘Commander’?’
An unexpected big shot.
Suddenly, the old man’s earlier words came to mind.
Don’t be surprised no matter who you see inside?
If he was talking about the leader of Orcules, his warning made sense. He is a famous figure shrouded in mystery.
Who would’ve thought I’d meet someone like him here—
“But Ruinzennes is different.”
The middle-aged man then looked at a childlike figure and continued.
I was stunned once again.
‘What? Ruinzenes…?’
Belbev Ruinzenes.
The head of a major school who, after dabbling in forbidden magic, fell from grace as the ‘Ruin Scholar.’
“If you try to persuade him with such ridiculous words, I won’t stand by.”
“Do you really believe he can perfect dimensional magic?”
“I do. It’s far more realistic than your absurd plan to kill the king.”
Watching the kid sipping tea nonchalantly, despite the conversation about him, I clenched my fist.
Slurp—
Really, this kid is the Ruin Scholar…?
***
The leader of Orcules.
And the Ruin Scholar.
‘Phew, what a lineup….’
Knowing the identities of these two big shots, I naturally became curious about the remaining two.
But…
‘I’ve never heard of the name Kagureas.’
This was my first time hearing the name of the middle-aged man.
The woman had been silent the entire time, so I had no information on her.
What on earth could these two be?
“Enough, let’s stop here.”
The old man spoke up, quieting the room.
He didn’t exude particular charisma, yet the mere utterance of his words had everyone on edge.
“Everyone leave. There is a more important matter today; we’ll discuss this issue later.”
“What important matter?”
For the first time, the woman who had been silent spoke.
“Does it have something to do with the person behind you?”
“Yes.”
As the old man readily admitted, the eyes were again on me.
Is this person more important than us?
That was the gist of their gaze.
However, they all kept their thoughts to themselves, wary of the old man.
“Who is that person? It’s the first time you’ve brought someone here. And why is he wearing that meaningless mask?”
The woman asked again, and the old man responded.
The same answer as before.
“Mind your own business.”
“……”
“Now, would you kindly leave?”
At the old man’s repeated request, the people, led by the woman, got up one by one and left the room.
And then…
“Haha, we’re finally alone again?”
Once everyone had left, the old man smiled kindly, as if shedding a mask.
“Now, let’s continue our conversation. Where were we?”
“…You were about to tell me your name.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
He laughed like a neighborly grandfather and introduced himself without hesitation.
“Since you’re from Earth, this name might already be familiar to you.”
“…?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Auril Gavis”
Auril Gavis.
The author of “Chronicles of the Rift” and the game designer behind [Dungeon and Stone].