Chapter 343 - Comeback (2)

Before coming to the Round Table, I had run through countless scenarios. After all, I had abruptly disappeared for two years and six months. The members were bound to wonder why I had stopped coming.

'Someone might even have figured out that I'm Bjorn Jandel from the fact that we disappeared at the same time.'

Of course, I wasn't particularly worried about that. Amelia and Erwin were the only ones who knew I had returned alive. Simply showing my face at the Round Table would dispel those suspicions. The problem would come later, once I announced my return...

'Well, it's not as though I won't have options then.'

The immediate concern was something else: how to explain my two-year-six-month absence. That was why I had played out all sorts of scenarios in my head, eventually reaching a conclusion.

"Mr. Lion..."

"... You really are alive."

No matter how shocked and questioning their gazes might be, I didn't actually need to explain anything.

"Are you going to move?"

"Ah... Yes...!"

At my curt remark, Clown flinched and stepped away from the doorway toward the wall. SoulQueen moved aside as well, though she was doing far better than the utterly stupefied Clown.

"... You haven't changed, Mr. Lion."

Even as she made way, she studied me with interest. Her relaxed tone bothered me, but I didn't let it show. I simply ignored her, walked past, and dropped casually into my usual seat.

"..."

"..."

A silence that could only be called peculiar followed. The members stared at me while stealing glances at one another, trying to gauge everyone else's reactions. Their thoughts were obvious. They wanted someone else to bite the bullet and ask all their questions for them.

'Ah, it's been a while since I've had this, too.'

Maybe it was because I had spent so much time hiding at home lately, unable to assert myself. A nearly addictive sense of freedom washed over me. A few more seconds passed without a word.

BOOM!

The open doors leading to the Round Table slammed shut. It was past 3:10; admission was over. In other words, the gathering could now begin. So...

"Are you going to keep standing there?" I asked Clown and SoulQueen.

"Sit."

I had plenty to hear from them. And plenty to tell them, too.

* * *

"Heehee, how embarrassing of me."

Clown, who had been standing blankly against the wall, recovered his wits and took his seat. Then he looked at me, making no attempt to hide his delight.

"A heartfelt welcome back, Mr. Lion."

What was this asshole on about? Had he forgotten how I'd told him last time not to act like we were friends? Well, I supposed that could happen after two years and six months.

"..."

I ignored him without so much as a reply, and Clown grinned as though he'd expected nothing else.

"Your reason."

Stag Horns was the next to speak.

"You don't show your face for over two years, and now you turn up? Why?"

True to his usual macho demeanor, he sprang to his feet and demanded an answer outright. Of course, I already knew what I would say.

"Who knows?"

"Are you refusing to answer?"

Stag Horns raised his voice slightly as I exercised my right to remain silent. That sounded exactly like the tone people from the royal family used when interrogating someone... How disappointing. I'd only been away for two years and six months, and discipline had already slipped.

"How unpleasant," I said as coldly as I could. Then...

WHOOOOSH!

I slowly raised my Bloodlust. Having returned after such a long absence, I decided I needed to reestablish discipline before proceeding.

"... Guh."

Exposed to my Bloodlust, Stag Horns clenched his fists as though in pain. He seemed ready to listen now, but I wasn't satisfied. I continued pouring out Bloodlust as I spoke.

"Never again..."

The veins in Stag Horns's neck bulged at those words. He was faring better than Clown, who had writhed on the floor like a bug, but not by much.

"...look down on me."

As I unleashed my Bloodlust at full strength, Stag Horns slowly bent forward, as though something were pressing down on his shoulders. Watching him struggle to meet my gaze, I spoke with satisfaction.

"Yes. Just like that."

Stag Horns was now on his knees, looking up at me. The arm he had braced on the table to support himself was trembling; he seemed close to his limit... But the same was true of me.

'Ugh, my head.'

The moment pain shot through my head, the Bloodlust weighing down the room vanished without a trace. At the same time, Stag Horns drew a great, pent-up breath.

"... Hah!"

Clown sneered at the sight.

"... Heehee, you foolish, stupid man. Have you forgotten what you're supposed to do when you want to ask Mr. Lion something?"

"..."

"Bring him something interesting! Something entertaining!"

Even as he said it, Clown glanced at me, his eyes seeming to ask, 'Right?' as though he expected praise. Naturally, I pretended not to notice and ignored him again.

How much time passed after that?

"Mr. Lion."

A man's voice broke the silence. It was Crescent Moon, the man I suspected was a fairy, who coveted the Stone of Resurrection more than anyone else at the Round Table.

"It matters not what you have been doing all this time."

He swallowed all the anxiety and questions he must have harbored for over two years before continuing.

"Thank you for coming back, even now."

That was precisely the sort of response I wanted. Yet hearing it actually made me feel a little guilty. This man must have been beside himself while I was gone.

'Should I give him a clue this time?'

That was what I was thinking when...

"Hmm, I suppose that's everything sorted out?"

SoulQueen spoke cheerfully, as if to lift the subdued mood.

"Shall we get started, then? I have a feeling we'll have plenty to tell each other at today's gathering."

And so the gathering began.

* * *

Deciding the order took little time.

"Fox goes first, then?"

"... It seems so."

As always, we would go clockwise. With me going last, however.

"Why did you have to sit there...?"

It was a long-standing, unspoken agreement. The others would offer their information first, and I would listen, assess it, and offer something of equivalent value. That was how the Round Table usually worked.

"... I haven't prepared anything special today, so I'll share what I originally intended to discuss here."

Fox began the first turn with her information. It was a fairly interesting story right off the bat.

"The Dragonslayer, who ceased his activities after the high priest's kidnapping about three years ago, has reappeared for the first time in the Dark Continent. According to eyewitnesses, he was far stronger than before, and he seemed to have overcome the Dragon's Curse to some extent."

An update on the Dragonslayer, whom I had all but forgotten.

'He's broken free of the Dragon's Curse...'

An unwelcome bit of news for a change, but I decided not to dwell on it. Being able to use Draconic Tongue wouldn't change anything. I wasn't the man I'd once been, either.

The jewel on the Round Table flared with green light, signaling the successful conclusion of the first turn.

But then Clown chuckled and addressed Fox.

"Heehee, you're clever too, Fox."

"... What do you mean?"

"That can't have been what you originally planned to tell us here. It's information that could give clues to your identity."

"..."

"Judging by Stag Horns's reaction, even the royal family hasn't heard this news yet. Did you perhaps meet him yourself, Fox?"

"I won't answer any personal questions."

"As you wish. I can simply ask that salamander bastard later who he met in the Labyrinth."

Offended by Clown's ill-mannered behavior, Fox pressed her lips shut, and the turn naturally passed to the next member.

"Then it's... my turn."

Stag Horns was next.

Before sharing his information, he met my eyes, then awkwardly averted his gaze. Apparently, the effects of my Bloodlust were still lingering strongly. His pride wouldn't let him show it, though, and he spoke as nonchalantly as he could.

"The royal family will soon issue a conscription order for titled nobles."

Stag Horns kept his gaze fixed on Clown as he spoke, seemingly intending to gauge the reaction of the enemy camp, Noark. However...

"Heehee, do you think that scares me? If anything, it only tells me how desperate they've become."

Clown merely sneered as usual, and Stag Horns let his turn end without rising to the provocation. When the green light faded, Crescent Moon spoke beside him.

"My turn now, then."

Ever since taking the bait of the Stone of Resurrection, he had brought me information more enthusiastically than anyone, so I had fairly high hopes. But...

"Regrettably, I haven't prepared anything special."

Not having expected my visit today, he looked at me and lowered expectations in advance. He seemed worried I might be disappointed and stop coming again...

"It concerns the Blood Spirit Marquis."

Unexpectedly, the information he offered was quite interesting.

"A few weeks ago, the Blood Spirit Marquis took most of the subsidy the royal family granted the fairies, saying she needed money. She gave no explanation as to why."

In a way, it was practically a tribal scandal. SoulQueen, who had been listening quietly, voiced a question.

"But can even the Blood Spirit Marquis take that much money without explaining why? A royal subsidy must be a considerable sum."

"Naturally, it was unprecedented. But she threatened to sell the Sacred Tree Bow to someone else if they refused, leaving even the elders with no choice."

"... Sell the Sacred Tree Bow?"

"I'm ashamed to say so, but yes. Still, she insisted the money was for something essential. We can only believe she has some purpose she cannot reveal."

As Crescent Moon continued his explanation, the other members couldn't hide their unease.

"Heehee, what on earth is that crazy woman plotting?"

"If she needs such a large sum, only one sort of thing comes to mind."

"Whatever it is, there's going to be another bloodbath."

I felt very strange. If even these people were reacting like this, just what sort of public image did Erwin have? No, more importantly...

'She told me not to worry because she had plenty of money, but it all came from shaking down her tribe...?'

I was speechless. I'd wondered where she'd found the money to acquire a mansion overnight, but I had never imagined this.

'What would happen if the fairies found out the truth?'

If I were them, I'd be devastated...

While I pondered that, Goblin spoke up cautiously.

"Th-then... may I take my turn now?"

Oh, it was his turn now.

'He was a paladin of the Order of Leatlas, wasn't he?'

Since he was the other person besides Clown whose affiliation I knew for certain, I was a little curious what information he would offer—

"Our order has decided to commit all its forces except the First Paladin Order to the royal army."

What, more war news? Disappointed, I nevertheless gave a little chuckle.

'"Our order"? He's not even trying to hide it anymore. Or maybe his identity became common knowledge over the past two years.'

Even as I wondered what conversations had taken place at the Round Table in my absence, I listened closely. A brief discussion about how the Followers of Leatlas's move would affect the war concluded, and the next person was about to speak.

"Heehee."

This time, it was none other than Clown.

"Mr. Lion has finally returned after all this time, and you're all telling such boring stories?"

Clown tilted his head theatrically, then his eyes changed in an instant as he offered his information.

"Lee Baekho has the Stone of Resurrection."

... Huh?

* * *

The information Clown had so casually dropped caused a tremendous stir. Crescent Moon reacted most strongly of all. The man whose eyes always burned with hatred whenever he looked at Clown could not hide his turmoil as he murmured.

"Lee Baekho... The man the royal family secretly ordered killed...? Has the Stone of Resurrection...?"

Crescent Moon seemed shocked to learn the stone's whereabouts, but my reaction was different.

'Why is Lee Baekho suddenly coming up...?'

The name was that unexpected. And when had he become so famous, anyway? Just two years ago, people had called him 'Him,' as though his name was only known to those in the know. How had he even obtained the Stone of Resurrection? Even knowing the requirements, you couldn't get it without luck on your side.

"What do you think?"

Unfortunately, I had no time to remain lost in thought.

"I brought it up because I thought you might find a story about Lee Baekho somewhat interesting, Mr. Lion."

As the green light appeared, Clown casually asked for my opinion. After a moment's thought, I answered.

"Indeed."

It was more valuable than the information I'd heard earlier. This was what interested me, rather than war news. Still, appearing too impressed would be strange.

"Not bad."

I kept my assessment suitably restrained. After all, I had to offer at least that much praise if I wanted him to keep bringing me this sort of information.

'Once I'm back, I'll have to ask Erwin what she knows about Lee Baekho, too.'

With that settled for now, I looked ahead.

"Clown, is what you just said true?"

"Can't you see for yourself?"

"P-please, even a little more detail—"

"Heehee, I'd rather not."

"..."

Having suddenly lost all leverage, Crescent Moon was being humiliated by Clown. I felt sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do. This was the first I'd heard that Lee Baekho even had the Stone of Resurrection.

'Hmm, this makes it harder to use the Stone of Resurrection as information... What should I share later?'

As I quietly watched and considered what information to offer, SoulQueen clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention. Then...

"Well, it's my turn now, isn't it?"

Looking directly at me out of all the members, she spoke in an alluring voice.

"There is no record of Mr. Lion logging into Ghost Busters for two years and six months."

"..."

"Just where have you disappeared to all this time?"

Well, well...

* * *

On the fifteenth, community members were forcibly summoned to this spiritual world. Of course, they could log out and leave immediately upon arrival, but...

"What do you mean, there's no record of him logging in?"

"Exactly what I said. There's no login record whatsoever."

The complete absence of login records was strange in several ways. She had probably checked with GM.

"That's why I was certain you were dead..."

This woman would have concluded not merely that I was dead, but that I was Bjorn Jandel. I was the only famous person who had died around that time.

But perhaps Goblin had noticed a contradiction in SoulQueen's words, because he voiced a question.

"D-dead? Weren't you waiting for Mr. Lion all this time, Queen?"

"No, I was waiting for the Master. The person who created this Round Table. I visited periodically in case he came again."

"Ah..."

Goblin accepted that explanation, and everyone's eyes turned to me. What they wanted was obvious.

Green light streamed from the Round Table, confirming that I truly hadn't logged in for two and a half years. They were waiting for an explanation from my own mouth.

"Oh, are you going to avoid answering after all? I suppose this might not have been interesting information to you, Mr. Lion—"

I cut off her provocation.

"How bold."

"Is there any reason I should be afraid?"

She looked perfectly at ease as she met my gaze. As though she had some way to deal with it even if I unleashed the Bloodlust that had left Stag Horns helpless.

"Interesting."

"Oh, then will you tell us? What happened to you?"

I glanced at the jewel, whose light had faded by now, and answered.

"It's my turn now."

"So you're ignoring me?"

"Who knows?"

I wasn't ignoring her. To be precise, this was punishment.

"The Magic Engineer, Jurven Havelion."

To preserve Mr. Lion's authority going forward, I needed to teach her a proper lesson. Even if that didn't involve subduing her with Bloodlust.

"That is GM's name."

Those who dared defy me would be punished.