Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 344
Comeback (3)
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[Lion Mask has not logged into Ghostbusters for two years and six months.]
I was initially quite taken aback by the statement, but after thinking it over, I realized there was no real reason to be afraid.
At least one thing was certain.
‘At worst, they might have figured out my nickname, “Elfnunna.”’
Even Auril Gavis, with all his prowess, could not fully uncover someone’s true identity from the spiritual realm.
And now they expect some half-baked GM to accomplish that? Nonsense.
The real problem is that knowing my nickname could get me banned from the community, but…
When I think about it differently, it’s not such a big problem.
‘It’s not like I’ll die if I can’t participate in the community.’
On the other hand, if I play the submissive role, I stand to lose a lot.
The moment I do that, she will see it as a weakness of mine.
[Where have you been all this time?]
More direct questions like this will be aimed at me. If I keep dodging them, it’s only a matter of time before my Lion mask slips.
So instead of waiting for that…
‘The best defense is a good offense.’
With that conviction in mind, I decided to flip the coin.
After all, wasn’t this the same GM who almost got killed in a physical confrontation after banning Lee Baek-ho?
Just as nuclear weapons are said to be a deterrent in warfare, maybe blowing myself up even more boldly was the only answer.
I’m not entirely sure how things will play out yet, but…
‘I’ll find out soon enough.’
I looked around the room.
“……”
“……”
The room fell silent, as if even breathing had ceased.
All eyes were focused on one spot.
On the round table, where the gem that determines truth from lies lay.
But instead of looking at the gem, I turned my attention elsewhere.
Soulqueens.
The GM’s ally, who participated while wearing the queen’s mask.
Her usually calm eyes were now shaken.
‘How did things end up like this?’ Her expression was filled with confusion, as if she hadn’t anticipated this outcome at all.
“…Uh, um, uh.”
She tried to say something, but only incoherent, deflated sounds came out.
Her hands were in a similar state.
“Uh, uh…?”
Her hand instinctively reached out as if to stop something, hovered in the air for a moment, and then dropped weakly.
Even she knew.
There was no way a gesture like that could stop what had already happened.
The damage was already done.
Swoosh—!
As if enjoying the attention focused on it, the gem glowed green.
The short silence was finally broken.
“GM… is a magitech engineer…?”
“Wait, hold on… I can’t keep up. How can that person be both an evil spirit and the GM?”
“Pssit, it seems the long wait for the Lion Mask was worth it. To start off with such a secret…”
The members began speaking at once, their voices merging into a chaotic buzz.
Among the murmurs, there were a few things worth noting.
“What surprises me more is the Queen Mask. I always suspected she was on the admin team, but…”
So that’s why she mentioned the login record in front of everyone.
No reason to hide it anymore, huh?
It seemed that during my absence, the Queen’s identity had become somewhat exposed. Or maybe, considering her personality, she deliberately let it slip?
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
No matter what the others were saying, I was still focused on one person.
“Can you handle it…?”
Soul Queens, who had her hand on the table and her head lowered, was glaring at me.
But it didn’t feel particularly threatening.
For a very simple reason.
“Can you… handle it?”
Her words stumbled and wavered.
Who would be intimidated by that?
“How you figured that out, I don’t know, but after doing this—”
I cut her off mid-sentence.
“You said there’s no reason to be afraid earlier.”
“……?”
“You’re trembling.”
“……!”
Soulqueens quickly turned her head to look at her own hand.
It was shaking violently, as if she had developed tremors.
Snap.
She grabbed her shaking wrist with her other hand and glared at me again. Then, as if coming to a decision, she took a deep breath and said,
“Fine, if that’s how you want to play it. I’ll go first this time.”
She placed her hand on the gem and said that anyone who wasn’t going to participate should leave.
Of course, no one was leaving in this situation.
And then…
“The Lion Mask is Bjorn Jandel.”
The gem lit up soon after.
***
- Lion Mask is Elfnunna.
- Elfnunna hasn’t logged into the community for two years and six months, and the same goes for the Lion Mask.
- Therefore, the Lion Mask is Bjorn Jandel.
She must have been 100% convinced of this conclusion, as it was based on reasonable logic.
At least until she entered this round table today.
Swoosh—
In the tense, razor-sharp atmosphere, the gem emitted light.
“…Red.”
As expected, there was no green light.
Because this gem doesn’t determine ‘facts.’
Soulqueens probably wanted to deal me a blow, but… with her faith shaken, it was nothing more than a meaningless tantrum.
‘But the problem is, she’s not the type to lose her mental composure over something so simple.’
So, what was her reason for this pointless outburst?
The answer came through Goblin’s question.
“Uh, didn’t Bjorn Jandel die? The Lion Mask is alive and standing here. Why say that?”
“There were a lot of doubts about his death. Even his comrades didn’t witness it directly.”
The possibility that Bjorn Jandel could still be alive.
She had considered that when she gave her statement.
Though, due to her lack of faith, she got a red light.
“Pssit, she must’ve known that such a guess would trigger a red light, right?”
“…I won’t answer that.”
Soulqueens said this and looked away from me.
It occurred to me then that her question might have been a mere test.
No, I was sure of it.
Even when the gem lit up, she had been staring at me the whole time.
‘…Seriously, this woman. Nothing’s ever straightforward, is it?’
While I worried about what conclusion she’d drawn from my reaction, I kept my face neutral.
Did my silence give her more confidence?
“…Anyway, since we got a red light, I’ll have to go again.”
Soulqueens casually said she would retry and glanced at me.
And then…
“I can make sure the Lion Mask never sets foot in Ghostbusters again.”
She received a green light while confirming she was part of the admin team.
Her actions were roughly within my expectations.
Despite all her talk about whether I could handle it, the worst penalty she could impose was banning me.
Unlike me.
“Pssit, I’d rather you didn’t try something like that. Not that you could, anyway.”
“…What do you mean?”
“If banning were so easy, why didn’t you do it earlier? I’m from Noark, which you guys hate so much. You left me alone because you were curious about what information I had, weren’t you?”
“…What does that have to do with anything?”
“Pssit, so I was right? Anyway, that’s even more reason why you shouldn’t ban Lion Mask. Who knows what he might reveal next…”
The clown then spoke bluntly.
“Don’t do something you can’t handle.”
“…Something I can’t handle?”
“Yes. The Lion Mask knows GM’s identity. Do you really want to risk what happens next?”
It was a remark that hit the nail on the head.
After all, it would be a little embarrassing if I said it myself, wouldn’t it?
Having someone else say it preserved my dignity.
It’s like how a bully always has lackeys to say things for them.
“……”
Soulqueens kept her mouth shut, unable to respond.
Turning away from her, I met the clown’s gaze.
He was smiling.
‘Did I do well?’
His eyes seemed to ask.
***
With that, I figured I’d repaid the bitterness of the past.
“Pssit, well, that’s just my opinion. It’s not really my place to meddle.”
The clown, having said his piece, spoke in a lighthearted voice.
“Anyway, if we’re going in reverse order, it’s my turn next?”
Thus began the second round in earnest.
And from the start, something too significant to ignore came out.
“Speaking of Bjorn Jandel, that son of a—. That guy might not actually be an evil spirit.”
Huh?
“Pssit, it was Lee Baek-ho who spread the rumor.”
… Lee Baek-ho?
That guy exposed my identity?
Just as I was internally reeling in shock, Deer Horns dropped an even more surprising piece of information.
“The original source was probably Misha Karlstein, right?”
…Huh? Misha?
“She’s one of Lee Baek-ho’s comrades now.”
Wait, what? Why is Misha one of Lee Baek-ho’s comrades?
“Haha, at least we got a green light. I figured nobody here would know Misha joined Lee Baek-ho’s crew.”
Receiving one mind-blowing revelation after another made my head spin, but I forced myself to maintain my composure.
Next, it was Goblin’s turn.
“…Hah, this isn’t easy.”
The goblin, who had triggered red light twice after revealing war-related information, finally managed to light up a green light on his third try.
It was information about the internal affairs of the Leatlas Church.
Given that he had a habit of selling out his own church when backed into a corner, it wasn’t surprising.
“Now it’s my turn again.”
When it came back to Crescent Moon’s turn, I was somewhat interested, especially since there had been talk of Erwin.
But unfortunately, the information was nothing special.
It was war-related, after all.
Deer Antler’s turn came next, and it was much the same.
“Haha, it looks like the royal family is finally taking things seriously.”
Since the clown, who always ridiculed Antler, was impressed, it must have been important information, but wars were of little concern to me at the moment.
My focus was on my scattered allies, clearing my name of the false accusation of being an evil spirit, and other pressing matters.
In that regard, the fox’s information piqued my interest.
Or more accurately, it caused me concern.
“Several months ago, a double-numbered item appeared in the central market of Alminas. An unidentified woman used it as collateral for a huge loan, and the repayment deadline is approaching. We might soon see it at the auction house.”
Could it be… my Demon Crusher?
No, no way.
Amelia wouldn’t do something like that.
“……”
As I tried to rationalize it, I felt everyone’s eyes on me.
‘Ah, it’s my turn already.’
I didn’t need to think about what to say, as I’d already decided.
I slowly glanced around the room.
Everyone looked eager to hear what I had to say.
Except for one person.
“……”
Soulqueens, probably still shaken from earlier, looked more anxious than curious.
High pride, but surprisingly cowardly, huh?
‘Anyway, I think I’ve kept them waiting long enough.’
After tapping the chair twice for no real reason, I looked directly at Soulqueens.
“You asked if I could handle it.”
Now it was my turn to answer.
Or more accurately, my turn to ask in return.
As the clown had said earlier.
Are you truly prepared to handle this?
Gulp.
Soulqueens’ slender throat moved as she gulped nervously. Without hesitation, I spoke again.
“The Queen’s nickname is Soulqueens.”
As soon as I finished speaking, all the members’ eyes shifted to the gem.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
They hadn’t even let me finish my sentence yet.
“And Soulqueens’ real name is…”
Honestly, I didn’t know.
But I deliberately trailed off as I stared at her.
If she didn’t react, I’d just say, ‘I’ll save that for later,’ and act like I was being merciful.
“Hoh.”
As I paused again, the members’ intrigue grew stronger.
The clown Mask was the most curious of all.
Well, it made sense. He had suffered a major embarrassment because of her in the past.
“I hope she’s not the type who hides away in the tower like a magitech engineer. They’re harder to kill. Hahaha…”
The clown’s creepy laughter made Soulqueens’ throat twitch once more.
Tap, tap.
I tapped the chair again, pointlessly.
And then…
“…Stop!”
The words I wanted to hear slipped from her lips.
“Please… stop. At least don’t reveal my identity here…”
Tch, you should have said that from the start.