The Comeback 2

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Before coming to the round table, I ran countless simulations.

After all, it wasn’t like I suddenly vanished for 2 years and 6 months without reason. The members were bound to be curious about why I stopped showing up.

‘Some might have even figured out that I’m Bjorn Jandel, given the timing of my disappearance.’

Of course, I wasn’t too worried about that.

The only ones who know that I survived are Amelia and Erwin.

Just showing my face at the round table would be enough to dispel any suspicions.

The real problem would come later, after I announced my return…

‘Well, it’s not like I don’t have ways to deal with that when the time comes.’

For now, there was something more important to address.

How to explain the 2-year-and-6-month gap in my presence.

I ran various scenarios, considering the possibilities, and finally came to a conclusion.

“The Lion Mask…”

“…You really are alive.”

No matter how much they stare at me in shock and confusion,

I don’t particularly need to explain anything.

“Are you not going to move aside?”

“Oh… yes, of course!”

At my curt command, the clown who had been standing in front of the door flinched and quickly moved aside.

 The Soul Queens were no different.

Though she was much more composed than the dazed clown.

“…You haven’t changed a bit, Lion Mask”

She stepped aside with an amused look, observing me with interest. Her casual tone was annoying, but I didn’t show it.

I just ignored her and walked past.

Thud.

Sitting down in my usual spot with an air of indifference.

“…”

“…”

An odd silence fell over the room. The members stared at me intently, while also glancing at one another, unsure of what to say.

Their thoughts were obvious.

They wanted someone else to take the lead and ask the burning questions on their minds.

‘Hah, it’s been a while since I’ve felt this.’

Perhaps because I’ve been hiding away at home lately, a sense of liberation was creeping in, almost addictive.

More time passed in silence.

Thud—!

The doors connected to the round table room slammed shut.

It was 3:10 PM, signaling the end of the entrance period.

In other words, the meeting could now officially begin.

So…

“Are you going to keep standing there?”

I glanced at the clown and the Soul Queens.

“Sit.”

There’s a lot I need to hear from you.

And I have a lot to tell you, too.

***

“Pssit, I’ve embarrassed myself.”

The clown, who had been standing dumbfounded by the wall, snapped back to reality and took his seat.

He looked at me with undisguised joy.

“Welcome back, Lion Mask. It’s truly great to see you.”

What the hell is this guy saying?

Has he already forgotten that I told him not to act friendly last time?

Well, after 2 years and 6 months, I suppose it’s possible.

“…”

I ignored him completely, not even bothering to respond. The clown just grinned, as if he had expected that.

“Why.”

The next person to speak was Deer Horns.

“You didn’t show your face for over two years. Why now?”

His normally macho demeanor changed, and he leapt to his feet, blasting me with questions.

Of course, I already knew how I would answer.

“I wonder.”

“Is that your way of saying you won’t answer?”

Deer Horn’s tone sharpened as I exercised my right to remain silent. It was the kind of voice royal families used when interrogating someone…

How unfortunate for him.

Just because I was absent for 2 years and 6 months, did he think I was out of the game?

“Annoying.”

I spoke as coldly as I could.

And then…

Whooosh—!

I slowly released my killing intent.

It had been a while since I returned, and I figured it was time to re-establish authority.

“…Ugh.”

Exposed to my killing intent, Deer Horns clenched his fists. While he seemed ready to listen now, I wasn’t satisfied and continued to exert more force.

“Never.”

At that moment, veins bulged on Deer Horns’ neck.

He wasn’t much better than the clown who had writhed on the floor like a bug, but still.

“Don’t look down on me.”

With that, I unleashed my full killing intent, causing the man’s body to slowly bend as if something heavy was pressing down on his shoulders.

Watching him struggle, I spoke with satisfaction.

“Good. Just like that.”

Before I knew it, he was on his knees, looking up at me.

His arms, braced on the table for support, trembled visibly, showing he was at his limit.

Honestly, I wasn’t doing so great either.

‘Ugh, my head.’

Just as a sharp pain hit my head, the oppressive killing intent vanished.

And with it…

“Hah!”

The Deer Horns let out a breath he had been holding.

Seeing this, the clown scoffed.

“Ha, what a foolish and stupid human. Did you forget how to approach the Lion Mask when you have questions?”

“…..”

“Bring something entertaining! Something entertaining!”

Even as he said that, the clown glanced at me, as if seeking approval for his remark.

Naturally, I ignored him.

And after some time had passed…

“Lion Mask.”

A voice broke the silence.

It was Crescent Moon.

A fairy, most probably, and the one at this round table who most coveted the Stone of Resurrection.

“I don’t care what you’ve been doing all this time.”

He swallowed all the fear and doubt he must have had for the past two years and spoke to me.

“Thank you for coming back.”

It was the perfect reaction, exactly what I had hoped for.

Yet, for some reason, it made me feel guilty. This guy must’ve been really anxious while I was gone.

‘Maybe I should give him a little clue this time.’

I was mulling over that thought when…

“Hmm, looks like everything’s settled now?”

Soul Queens spoke in a bright voice, shifting the mood.

“Shall we begin the meeting? I feel like there’s a lot to discuss today.”

With that, the meeting officially started.

***

The process of determining the order was brief.

“So, the Fox is first?”

“…Seems that way.”

As usual, we went clockwise, with me sitting at the end of the rotation.

“Why did I have to sit here…”

The others would share their information first, and after listening, I would evaluate it and give something of equal value in return.

That’s how things had always worked at the roundtable.

“…I don’t have anything particularly special prepared, so I’ll just talk about what I originally planned to share.”

The Fox started things off.

And it was a rather intriguing story.

“For the first time in 3 years, since the abduction of the high priest, the dragonslayer has resurfaced on the Dark Continent. According to eyewitnesses, he’s much stronger than before and seems to have partially broken the ‘Dragon’s Curse.”

The dragonslayer, whose whereabouts I had forgotten about in a while.

‘Overcoming the Dragon’s Curse…’

It was an unfortunate story, but I didn’t dwell on it for too long.

Just because he could use dragon language didn’t mean anything had really changed.

After all, I wasn’t the person I used to be either.

Whooosh—!

The Jewel of the Round Table glowed green, signaling the successful completion of the first round.

However, at that moment…

“Ha, you’re clever, Fox.”

The clown chuckled, addressing the Fox Mask.

“…What do you mean?”

“That wasn’t what you were originally going to talk about, was it? The story could give away too much about yourself.”

“…”

“From the look on Deer Antlers’ face, it seems the royal family hasn’t even heard this news. Did you perhaps meet the dragon slayer yourself?”

“I don’t answer personal questions.”

“Well, suit yourself. I’ll just ask the salamander bastard who he met in the labyrinth later.”

Despite the clown’s rudeness, the Fox Mask remained tight-lipped, and the turn passed to the next person.

“Guess it’s my turn…”

Now it was Deer Horns.

His eyes met briefly with mine before he awkwardly looked away.

It seemed the earlier encounter had left a strong impression.

But not wanting to show weakness, he started to speak as casually as he could.

“The royal family will soon issue a conscription order targeting titled nobles.”

As he said this, he glanced directly at the clown, as if gauging the reaction of the enemy faction, Noark.

But…

“Ha, do you think I’d be afraid of that? If anything, it just shows how desperate you’ve become.”

The clown merely sneered, and Deer Horns didn’t respond to the provocation, ending his turn.

Once the green light faded, Crescent Moon spoke next.

“Now it’s my turn.”

I was looking forward to Crescent Moon’s information, as he was the most enthusiastic after taking the bait about the “Stone of Resurrection,” but…

“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything special prepared.”

Anticipating my return, he immediately tempered expectations. Clearly, he was worried that if I got disappointed, I might stop coming.

“However, I do have something related to the Blood Spirit Lady.”

Despite his earlier words, the information he shared was quite interesting.

“A few weeks ago, the Blood Spirit Lady took the majority of the aid funds that the royal family had granted the fairies, claiming she needed it. She didn’t give a reason, though.”

This was basically an internal scandal.

Soul Queens, frowning slightly, voiced her doubts.

“Wait, even if it’s the Blood Spirit Lady, how could she take that much money without giving a reason? The aid from the royal family wouldn’t have been a small amount, right?”

“It’s certainly unusual. But when she threatened to sell the Gnome Tree to someone else, the elders had no choice.”

“Sell the Gnome Tree?”

Embarrassing as it is to admit, she claimed it was for something important, so we could only trust that there’s a reason she hasn’t revealed yet.

The others couldn’t hide their discomfort at the explanation.

“Hmph, what is that madwoman up to this time?”

“Whatever she needs that much money for, it can only mean trouble.”

“It seems like a bloodbath is brewing.”

I felt an odd mix of emotions.

If they’re reacting like this, I wonder what the public image of Erwin is like.

More than that…

‘She told me not to worry because she had plenty of money… but it turns out she was just squeezing it out of her clan?’

I was speechless.

I had wondered how she had managed to buy a mansion overnight, but I never imagined this was the backstory.

‘What would happen if the fairies found out about this?’

If it were me, I’d feel absolutely crushed.

As I pondered this, the goblin mask spoke up hesitantly.

“Um, then… is it my turn now?”

Ah, it’s his turn now.

‘He’s a paladin of the Leatlas Church, right?’

Since he was one of the few members whose identity I knew for sure, I was somewhat curious about what he had to say—

“The church has decided to send all its forces, save for the First Paladin Division, to join the royal army.”

Another war-related topic?

I couldn’t help but chuckle in disappointment.

‘So he’s not even trying to hide his affiliation anymore, huh? Or maybe his identity was completely exposed during the past two years.’

While I mulled over what conversations had taken place at the round table during my absence, I kept my ears open.

After a short discussion about how the actions of the Leatlas Church might affect the upcoming war, the next person in line spoke up.

 .

“Ha.”

It was now the clown’s turn.

“How can you all bore the Lion Mask with such dull stories when it’s been so long since he’s returned?”

The clown tilted his head exaggeratedly, then suddenly his expression changed as he revealed his information.

“The Stone of Resurrection is in the hands of Lee Baek-ho.”

…What?

***

The clown mask’s casual statement caused a huge stir.

And the one who reacted the most intensely was Crescent Moon.

He had always harbored hatred in his eyes whenever he saw the clown mask, but now, he was unable to hide his emotions.

“Lee Baek-ho… the man the royal family secretly issued an assassination order against…? He has the Stone of Resurrection…?”

While Crescent Moon seemed shocked to hear about the stone’s location, I felt differently.

‘Why is Lee Baek-ho suddenly being mentioned…?’

His name felt out of place, and besides, when did he become so well-known?

How did he even get his hands on the Stone of Resurrection?

Even if someone knows how to acquire it, without luck on their side, it’s impossible to obtain.

“What do you think?”

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of daydreaming for too long.

“I thought you might find the story of Lee baek-ho interesting, Lion Mask.”

With the green light signaling the end of his turn, the clown slyly sought my reaction, and after a brief pause, I responded.

“Indeed.”

Compared to the information shared earlier, this was much more valuable.

I had always been more interested in these kinds of stories than in the war-related ones.

But I couldn’t afford to show too much excitement either.

“It wasn’t bad.”

I gave a response that wasn’t too enthusiastic, just enough to encourage him to bring me more of this kind of information in the future.

‘I’ll have to ask Erwin about Lee Baek-ho when I get back.’

With that thought, I looked straight ahead.

“Clown, is what you said true?”

“Don’t you think you’ll find out soon enough?”

“C-Could you at least provide a bit more detail—”

“Ha, no.”

“…”

Just like that, Crescent Moon found himself at the mercy of the clown.

It was pitiful, but there was nothing I could do.

I had only just learned that Lee Baek-ho had the Stone of Resurrection.

‘Hmm, this makes it hard to use the Stone of Resurrection as leverage… What should I reveal next?’

While I was pondering what information to share next, Soul Queens clapped to draw attention.

And then…

“Well, now it’s my turn?”

She looked directly at me.

Her alluring voice was filled with amusement as she spoke.

“The Lion Mask hasn’t logged into Ghostbusters in 2 years and 6 months.”

“….”

“So where exactly have you been all this time?”

Huh…

****

On the 15th of each month, members of the community are forcibly summoned to the spiritual world.

Well, there is a way to log out right after entering, but…

“No login record? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. There’s no record of him logging in.”

It was strange that my login history had vanished completely.

She must have checked with the GM.

“I assumed you were dead…”

Not just dead—this woman must have figured out I was Bjorn Jandel as well.

I was the only famous person who died around that time.

However, someone else seemed to have caught onto something odd in her words.

The goblin voiced his doubt.

“D-Dead? But weren’t you waiting for the Lion Mask all this time?”

“No, I was waiting for the Master. The one who created this round table. I kept coming back regularly in case he returned.”

“Oh…”

The goblin seemed to understand, and all eyes turned to me.

Their intentions were clear.

Whooosh—!

Since the green light had appeared, it must be true that I hadn’t logged in for the past two and a half years.

Now they were waiting for me to explain.

“Oh, so you’re going to stay quiet? I guess this isn’t particularly interesting information for the Lion Mask—”

I cut her off.

“Bold.”

“Should I be afraid?”

Her confident gaze met mine without a hint of hesitation.

Even if I unleashed the same killing intent that had overwhelmed the Deer Horns, she seemed prepared to handle it somehow.

“Interesting.”

“Oh, so will you tell us what happened?”

I glanced at the jewel, now dimmed, before replying.

“It’s my turn.”

“You’re ignoring me?”

“Who knows.”

I wasn’t ignoring her.

This was punishment.

“Magitech engineer, Yurben Havelion”

It was time to remind her of what happens when you challenge the Lion Mask’s authority.

Even if it didn’t involve using killing intent.

“That’s the GM’s name.”

Let this be a lesson to anyone who dares defy me.