Chapter 334 - To the Future (4)

The ideal scenario was for GM to suspect nothing until I had all the information I wanted. But had keeping him fooled to the very end been too much to ask?

'Well, nothing I can do about it now.'

I shook off my lingering disappointment. The information I'd already extracted was more than enough to justify bringing out the Fourth Form.

'I don't know his school, but he's rank six at twenty.'

Besides, my three candidates had been narrowed down to two. There was no way Auriel Gabis had met him without learning his name. And judging by that reaction...

'He definitely isn't Zerkif Elmen Mackinder.'

My 33.3% odds had become 50%. And this was probably as far as I could get while keeping my identity hidden. Not that I had the slightest intention of settling for that and leaving quietly.

'Investigating the other two candidates would probably let me identify him from those details alone...'

But why bother when there was an easier way? Having this option was precisely why I'd been more aggressive than usual about digging for information.

"Tell me. Who are you? How did you get in here, and why were you pretending to be him?"

Having seen through my act, GM pressed me with newfound confidence. As if he were somebody important.

'Cute.'

I smirked and spoke. I'd planned to reveal that I was someone else and tell him this before leaving anyway.

"Auriel Gabis."

"... What? That's the name of the game's creator—"

"That's the name of the old man you met."

GM frowned as I cut him off. He'd heard me clearly, but apparently couldn't make sense of the words. As a player who cared about newbies, I kindly elaborated.

"He's the one who summoned you all to this world, and he intends to do nothing but use you. He doesn't feel the slightest guilt about what he's done, either. Be wary of him."

"Saying that while hiding your identity—"

What was he on about?

"Whether you believe me is your choice. I only came here to warn you."

"... Then why did you pretend to be him?"

"Because I wanted to know what kind of person you were before telling you this."

Of course, I didn't expect GM to trust those words one hundred percent. They hadn't been one hundred percent true to begin with. In fact, he was watching me warily, wondering what I was after.

But...

'What matters is how plausible it sounds.'

People were sensitive creatures. Once they heard something like that, they couldn't help feeling at least a little uneasy, regardless of whether they believed it. The same way a crack in a wall was bound to bother you, however tiny it might be.

What if. Just suppose. Maybe.

For now, planting those words in GM's mind was enough.

'That should be enough to drive a wedge between them...'

There were countless reasons to be wary of Auriel Gabis, but I decided to leave it there. Better to let his imagination run wild than explain every last detail.

"... Do you think you can manipulate me by saying that?!"

Of course, my identity mattered more to GM than Auriel Gabis right now, so he raised his voice.

"If you don't tell me who you are right now—"

How laughable.

'That's not how you ask questions.'

Especially not of someone who looked stronger than you.

I stepped forward and asked him in return.

"If I don't?"

Interrupted, GM opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. His mouth stayed open as he merely gulped air.

"... Gah!"

Male Lion Style.

Third Form: Contempt for the Weak.

THUD.

As I took another step toward him, GM went beyond trembling—his eyes began rolling back.

Hmm. I hadn't expected his mental fortitude to be this low.

"Weak."

At your stage, I was running circles around everyone at the Round Table, you punk.

At this rate, he probably wouldn't even understand what I was saying, so I dialed back my Bloodlust a little more. Then I murmured quietly.

"Aika Teratios."

The second candidate's name Lee Baekho had given me. But GM's reaction wasn't what I'd hoped for.

What was this man saying? Was he casting a spell or some kind of shamanic incantation?

His eyes held nothing but that wariness as he looked at me.

'Tsk.'

Seriously, not this one either? That left only one candidate...

"Jurven Havelion."

I continued without giving him a moment. I couldn't deny being worried that Lee Baekho might have been completely off the mark.

But...

"...!"

His reaction was distinctly different this time.

His pupils briefly dilated. His breathing increased. His facial muscles tensed. He even maintained eye contact while struggling to look unfazed.

And here I'd been allowing for the possibility that he was a master of the poker face.

"So that was your name."

The thrill of finally learning GM's name surged through me, but it was tinged with bitterness.

'To think it took three tries.'

33.3% and 50%.

Both were decent odds, so getting two misses in a row had worried me. Still, there really had been a winner among them.

Well, that was just my luck.

"Jurven Havelion."

I murmured GM's name as if savoring it and slowly withdrew my Bloodlust. GM, who had been frozen upright and unable to breathe, dropped to his knees and began gasping. Even then, his gaze stayed fixed on me.

"Wh-who the hell are you...?"

His eyes held fear rather than hostility. But perhaps he could think rationally again now that the Bloodlust constricting his body and mind was gone?

A brilliant white light washed over the world in a brief flash. I'd experienced this countless times, so there was no reason to panic.

"See you later."

He'd used his authority as master to shut down the community server.

* * *

"You're awake."

When I opened my eyes, Amelia was sitting beside the bed. There was only one reason she was here, despite having been busy running around day and night lately: I was helpless while visiting the community. She'd said something might happen to me in the meantime, or something.

'What could possibly happen in less than ten seconds...?'

It struck me as overprotective, but that didn't stop me from feeling grateful.

"Here."

My throat was dry, and when I reached for the water bottle I'd left on the nightstand, Amelia picked it up and handed it to me.

"Oh, thanks."

"So, how did it go?"

After taking just a sip to wet my throat, I told her what had happened there. Amelia listened with undisguised interest, though she didn't make a big fuss.

"Jurven Havelion. To think that reclusive mage was an evil spirit. The city would be turned upside down if word got out."

"Reclusive mage?"

"You didn't know? He's famous for staying shut up in the Magic Tower and hardly ever venturing outside. As I understand it, most of his current reputation dates back to his days as an explorer."

"I see."

The homebody part was news to me, but I'd looked into him a little before, so I knew the basics. Some incident had wiped out the entire school he'd belonged to, after which he'd struck out on his own and founded his own school. He'd mainly used wind magic as an explorer. And in his specialty, crafting magical tools, he'd risen to a position so unrivaled that nobody could touch him.

'That's why his epithet was the Magic Engineer.'

Anyway, the conversation ended with me saying it was a good thing the Stone Fragment of Records hadn't activated.

"... A good thing?"

"Oh, well, partway through, I started thinking this was the role I was meant to play in this era. If that had been my last role, I'd have had to go back the moment I opened my eyes, without even buying my equipment."

"Oh... That's... r-right."

"Huh? Amelia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. So, have you found somewhere to hide your equipment?"

Amelia seemed a little strange as she nodded at my explanation, but not enough to warrant pressing her about it. Besides, the next topic was more important.

"Well, I'm not sure. I've looked all over, but none of the places really put my mind at ease, you know? I'd like to discuss that with you too."

I listed all the places I'd scouted and asked for her opinion.

"They certainly all have their risks."

"The forest in the sanctuary would be perfect, but that Shaman's always wandering around there. That worries me."

"Then how about putting it in a bank vault?"

"A bank vault?"

That hadn't even occurred to me. After all, using the bank would require the identity of Nivels Enche. Not only could that cause problems when I tried to retrieve it as Bjorn Jandel, but above all, the Nivels Enche identity would be canceled next year for unpaid taxes. Put simply, anything deposited at the bank would also be confiscated by the treasury.

'And it's not like I can pay twenty years of taxes in advance before leaving.'

There were so many practical limitations that I hadn't even considered it an option.

'But she wouldn't suggest it without knowing all that...'

"Tell me more."

I shifted in my seat, and Amelia began.

"Alminus Bank offers something called an anonymous fixed-term vault."

"Never heard of it."

For one thing, it hadn't been a feature in the game. That meant it was an update from somewhere in those 150 years.

"It's only natural you haven't. It's so little known that even explorers who use the bank regularly rarely know about it."

Amelia then briefly explained the anonymous fixed-term vault.

'In short, I just pay without revealing my identity, and they'll keep my stuff for an agreed period. All I need to retrieve it is the password.'

Hmm. Not bad.

* * *

The next day, I went out with Amelia for the first time in a while and visited the bank. I checked for any nasty clauses in the arrangement or hidden risks I might have missed.

And...

'This could put a Swiss bank to shame.'

Deciding it would at least be safer than burying it in the ground, I deposited Kraul's Demon Crusher in an anonymous private vault. To leave plenty of room, I set the term at twenty-two years. That did mean the upfront payment was no small sum, but...

"Don't worry. We can easily afford that much."

With Amelia's blessing on my side, such pocket change was no problem. Fortunately, things had apparently worked out.

"Uh, you really raised all the money we were short...?"

After spending more than two weeks running around day and night to make money, Amelia had really brought back the funds she'd promised. When I asked what kind of magic she'd worked, her answer was this:

"Nothing special. I sold information."

She'd used the advantages of having returned to the past to sell information. Her main clients were people interested in the upcoming auction. Apparently, she'd sold them the names and colors of the Essences being offered...

"But that's a bit strange. Why would they trust you enough to buy the information?"

"Oh, for that, I used the Central Trade Market branch manager's position."

"Used it? How?"

"I tailed the branch manager day and night and dug into his affairs. Eventually, I found something I could hold over him. I blackmailed him with it."

Incidentally, perhaps because the Trade market put so much effort into security, even the branch manager hadn't known what the Essences were. Of course, that was only a minor issue for us. What mattered was making the clients believe it was trustworthy inside information.

"Once I visited the branch manager's office with them to prove our connection, nobody questioned whether the information was genuine. They probably assumed they could hold him accountable if it turned out to be false."

After hearing the whole story, I couldn't help marveling. She was so resourceful I could imagine her succeeding in business too. Was this the true might of an SSR companion?

"Amelia...!!"

"Wh-what...! Don't cling to me...!"

In the end, Amelia had taken care of everything, from finding a place to hide the equipment to selling our gear and raising the money for the Essence and the remaining expenses.

And...

"Whew. So it's today..."

Time passed, and the day of the auction dawned.