«There has been no record of Lion accessing Ghostbusters for the past two years and six months».
When I first heard that I was quite surprised, but thinking about it, there was no reason to be afraid. At least one thing was certain.
The only thing he probably discovered is that my nickname is Elfnunna.
Even Auril Gavis couldn't unearth a real-world identity from within the spirit world, but did a GM who had taken more than half of his powers manage to do so? Ridiculous. Instead, the problem was that he could ban me if he knew my nickname. But this wasn't that big of a problem when I thought about it either.
It's not like I'm going to die if I can't participate in community activities.
On the other hand, if he took a submissive stance, he had a lot to lose. At that moment, that woman would conclude that this was my weakness.
«Where the hell have you been all this time?»
After that, they would ask me even more explicit questions. If I kept avoiding this question, it would only be a matter of time before they removed my Lion mask.
Offensive is the best defense.
So, I prefer to believe in that and flip a coin. That was because the GM had a history of banning Baekho and almost being sent to the grave in actual combat. Just as a nuclear weapon could be considered a deterrent to war, I judged that bold exaggeration might be the only solution.
Well, I still can't be sure what the result will be... but I'll find out soon.
I looked around in quiet silence where even the sound of breathing had stopped. All eyes were focused on one place, the jewel located in the Round Table, which distinguished truth from lies.
But I looked elsewhere, at Queen of the Soul, the GM comrade who participated in the Round Table wearing the mask of a queen. His always relaxed attitude was beginning to crack, holding the question: How did this happen? like I never expected things to turn out like this.
«...Uh, eh, uhh.» His mouth wanted to say something, but he only let out air that couldn't turn into anything. His hands were in a similar situation. «U-uh...?» His hand stretched forward quickly with the intention of stopping me, but it only remained in the air for a moment before falling weakly. He knew that no gesture with his hand could stop that, that the water had already spilled.
¡Shaaaa!
As if he was enjoying the attention, the jewel glowed green after a second. Then, the brief silence came to an end.
«Is the GM... a Magical Engineer...?»
«E-wait... my head can't keep up. W-how is he evil... no, can someone like that be the GM?»
«... Pshehe, it was worth waiting two years for you. To think you'd start with a secret like this».
Each of the members spoke and the chaotic atmosphere continued. Among the murmurs there was nothing worth listening to.
«Actually, I'm more surprised by Queen. I speculated it might be on the administrative side, but...»
Yeah, no wonder she talked about the login in front of everyone. There was no reason to hide it. It seemed that Queen's identity had also been exposed to some extent during my absence. Considering this woman's personality, maybe it was intentional? Of course, that wasn't important right now. No matter what others said, I fixed my eyes on one place.
«Maybe...» Queen of the soul, standing with her hands on the table and her head bowed, was looking at me. I didn't feel particularly scary. The reason was simple. «P-can you handle this...?» Stuttering like that, who would be afraid? «I don't know how you found out p-but after what you just did—»
I interrupted her and said: «You said before that there was no reason for you to be afraid, but you are shaking».
Soul Queen quickly turned to look at his hands. They trembled violently, like someone suffering from tremors.
Slipped.
He held his trembling wrist with his other hand and looked at me again. With a determined face, he took a deep breath. «So. This is how you want to play. This time I'll go first». He put his hand on the jewel and told anyone who didn't want to participate in this round to leave. Naturally, no one was going to leave in this situation. «The lion is Bjorn Yandel».
Soon, the jewel lit up.
El león Ella Elfnunna.Elfnunna didn't log into the community for two years and six months, and neither did Lion.Therefore, León was Bjorn Yandel.
Since this conclusion was reached through a rational process, I was 100 percent sure of this fact. That is, until he entered the Round Table today.
Shaaaaa.
Beyond the tension, the jewel was lit within an atmosphere that could cut their skin if they were not careful.
«...It's red.»
As expected, there was no green light. This gem did not determine the truth. It seemed like Queen of Soul wanted to hit me, but as long as there was a break in her faith, this was a meaningless struggle.
The problem is that this woman doesn't seem to have lost control to the point of not knowing something as simple as that.
What then was the reason for this senseless fight? That answer came through Goblin's question.
«Um, isn't Bjorn Yandel dead? And Mr. Leon is alive in front of us... But why would you ask...»
«There are many questions surrounding his death. Not even his teammates saw his body». This woman had said that with this in mind: that there was a possibility that Bjorn Yandel was alive. Well, however, he received a red light as a result of his lack of faith.
«Pshehe, although you would have known the red light would come on».
«... I won't answer that part», Soul Queen said, then took her eyes off me. That's when it occurred to me that his words now were probing me. No, it had to be that. Looking back, that woman was just looking at me, even when the light came on.
And to think that she would think of probing me in return in that situation. How is it possible that nothing is easy for me?
Although I was worried about what kind of conclusion she came to seeing my reaction, I didn't show it. But maybe his confidence grew with my silence. «...Anyway, since the red light came on, I guess I'll have to go again.» Queen of Soul casually declared a retry and looked at me. «I can stop Lion from setting foot in Ghost Hunts at any time».
She then revealed information confirming her as a member of the management team and received the green light. This behavior was somewhat within the expected range. Although he asked me if I could bear what was to come, the only punishment I could give was that, unlike me.
«Pshehe, I hope you don't do something like that. Oh, you can't, anyway.»
«... What do you mean?»
«If you can banish him, why did you leave me alone? I'm from Noark, which you all hate so much. Isn't it because you're curious to get information from me?»
«... What does that have to do with this?»
«Pshehe, was he right? Anyway, that's one more reason why Mr. Leon shouldn't be banished. We don't know what kind of information this person will tell us next...» Clown said directly: «And it's better». Don't do anything you can't handle, right?»
«... Can't you stand it?»
«Yeah. He knows the GM's identity. What kind of trouble are you trying to get yourself into?»
His words scratched my itch. It wasn't right to say this yourself. If someone came up to me like that, I might as well save face, similar to how bullies always had a stool in front of them. When Queen pursed her lips and turned around, I met Clown's eyes. The boy was smiling. Did I do it right? their eyes asked. It seemed like Clown thought this made up for his past pain.
«Pshehe. Well, I'm just saying it, but it's probably not something I should meddle with». Clown finished everything he wanted to say and then continued in a soft voice: «Anyway, if we go in reverse, is it my turn this time?»
This is how the second round officially began. The first element was already one that could not be omitted.
«Since we're talking about Bjorn Yandel, that son of a bitch... He may not actually be an evil spirit».
¿Eh?
«Pshehe, because I heard that the person who spread that rumor was Baekho Lee».
... Baekho? Did he expose me?
While shocked inside, Antlers casually blurted out even more shocking information. «But the first source was that woman, Missha Karlstein».
... ¿Eh? Miss?
«That's the same. That woman is now Baekho Lee's teammate».
Wait, what the hell? Why is she Missha Baekho's teammate?
«Pshehe, fortunately it's the green light. I figured no one knew that this Red Cat Tribe woman is now Baekho Lee's teammate».
I felt dizzy when they gave me information that was difficult to digest, but I managed to endure it with difficulty, with the mentality that I couldn't prove it. That's when the next shift came.
«... Ugh, as I thought, this is not easy». Goblin received two red lights for war-related information before succeeding on the third attempt. It had to do with the internal situation within the Church of Reatlas. This guy always had a habit of selling his church every time he got cornered, so it wasn't surprising at all.
«It's me again.» That's how Crescent's turn came. I was interested because he mentioned Erwen in the previous round, but unfortunately, the information that came out was average because it was related to the war. The same thing happened with Antlers, which was next.
«Pshehe, it seems like the palace has really sharpened its swords this time.»
I figured that piece was pretty important since it came from Clown, who always made fun of Antlers, but the war had no meaning to me. With my comrades scattered, clearing up the accusation of being an evil spirit, etc., I had a lot of homework to do first.
In that sense, Fox's information interested me quite a bit. No, should I say I was worried? «A few months ago, the Alminus Central Stock Exchange obtained an item with a double number. An unidentified woman is said to have borrowed a large sum as collateral, and the repayment date is just around the corner. We may see that item at the auction house soon.»
That... is not my Demon Crusher, is it? Yes, it can't be. Kind Amelia couldn't do that.
As I struggled to rationalize this, I suddenly felt eyes focus on me.
Ah, it's my turn.
I had already decided what to say so there was no need to think. I slowly looked at each person. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to what he was going to say, except one person. Perhaps because of the disaster she created earlier, Soul Queen seemed more anxious than curious. She had high self-esteem, but was shyer than she seemed.
Anyway, I think that's enough suspense.
After hitting the chair twice senselessly, I looked at Soul Queen. «You asked me if I could handle it». Now it was my turn to answer that question. No, strictly speaking, it was my turn to ask.
So, as Clown said before, are you really prepared to handle it?
Trago.
The moment Queen's throat moved, I continued without hesitation. «Queen's nickname is Queen of the Soul». As soon as I finished, all the members' eyes turned to the jewel. I couldn't help but laugh at this.
Geez, I'm not done talking yet.
«And the real name of Queen of the soul...»
To be honest, I didn't know either, but I intentionally stopped while looking at her. If she didn't react, I decided I could say something like: I'll say it next time so it would be entertaining and pretend to be merciful.
«Oh?» When I paused once more, the interest in everyone's eyes grew stronger. Clown's was the biggest. It is true that he had once felt embarrassed by this woman. «I hope she's not the type to stay locked in the magic tower like the Magic Engineer. Because that makes her harder to kill. Pshehe...»
With Clown's eerie laugh, Soul Queen's throat shook once again.
Touch, touch.
I hit the chair again for no reason.
«... D-stop!» The words he wanted to hear came out of his mouth. «P-please stop... revealing my identity, me...»
Tsk, it should have turned out like this from the beginnin