As soon as the chat room opened, the man quickly entered, put on his deer mask, and walked out into the hallway, hurriedly heading towards the room with the Round Table. Unlike usual, it was empty.
«Thank goodness I'm the first».
The man looked around for a minute before heading to a particular seat, four places to the left of where Leon always sat. Unlike the early days, there were always empty seats around the table, so everyone sat a space away from each other. Assuming all seven people attended, I was guaranteed to go second.
It's always annoying to be first.
The quality of the information given in each round was determined by the information provided in the first turn.
And more importantly, that seat would be right next to him.
Yes, second place was the safest. The third and fourth weren't bad either, but location-wise, they meant you'd have to sit directly in front of him. The last shift before his was also high pressure.
Well, it seems like Clown likes the attention you get from sitting there, but that's who he is.
Anyway, unbeknownst to him, the seat he was sitting in was the one preferred by the other members. Was that why?
«Oh! Mr. Deer? This time you are here». As soon as Duende entered the Round Table room, he greeted the man before glancing around and sitting a seat away from him. «I'll sit next to you». This would be the third once the meeting started. «Anyway, did you have urgent matters last time?». Duende asked once seated.
Deer made up an excuse. «I didn't come last month for personal reasons».
«Oh yeah?» goblin asked. Although it seemed like a polite question, since Duende didn't seem to care much about his answer.
Deer took the opportunity to carefully ask a question of his own. «Did anything worth mentioning happen?»
«Excuse me?»
«Last month. I was wondering if anything noteworthy had happened during my absence». Deer's tone was too submissive to address someone like Goblin, but he was aware that this type of behavior was arguably murky. It was an unspoken rule of the Round Table not to tell people who did not attend what was happening in previous meetings.
However, Goblin could tell me.
That was the reason he had arrived so early: to ask someone a question before the other members arrived. And the first to arrive was Goblin. Luck was on his side.
Step.
Just then, a noise was heard at the door. Someone else was here.
It has to be Fox.
That nosy woman would probably stop Duende from answering her question. He sighed.
«I couldn't help but hear you», Fox said as he left the lobby. «Don't worry. Nothing has happened. Or I guess you could say nothing happened».
«What do you mean?»
«León did not attend the last meeting».
«León did not attend...?»
«Yeah. So naturally, Clown and Queen left immediately. And without them, the meeting naturally came to an end».
«Ah...»
«If that answers your question, don't ask again next time», she warned, sounding quite irritated. «The moment someone breaks a rule, it stops being a rule».
«...I'll be careful».
When Deer obediently promised to take care of himself, Fox's eyes wandered to the man in the seat next to him. «You too, Mr. Goblin».
«Hey? Why me?»
«Don't tell people things just because they ask you. No, to be frank, watch what you say».
«Hahaha! Miss Fox, you... take care of my mouth... yes, you should... hahaha!». While Goblin laughed awkwardly, Fox scanned the empty seats and sat down in the room. «S-Mrs. Fox, I assume that means Mr. Crescent will go first today?».
«If you attend, of course. But yeah, he doesn't seem to like the last seat».
«...Hmm, Mr. León should introduce himself today, right?»
«I don't know. I guess we'll find out».
«H-Haha. True...»
As he watched Fox and Goblin interact once they were both seated, Deer frowned.
Something didn't fit.
Fox seemed comfortable with Goblin, but Goblin, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable around Fox. However, Deer didn't give the matter too much thought. There were more important things to worry about.
León was absent, huh?
In a way, that was good. He had been disappointed to have to miss the last meeting, but this meant he hadn't missed anything important. It didn't feel like a loss. However, there was one thing that bothered him.
«León is Bjorn Yandel».
Reina had said this in front of the jewel during a previous meeting. Of course, the red light had cooled the heat a bit, but for a split second, this was a hot topic at the Round Table. There were many ways that León and Bjorn Yandel were parallel.
...Well, I'm sure it's a coincidence. There are also many differences between them.
First of all, Bjorn Yandel had only been an adventurer for four years. The first time León entered this community was about twenty years ago. They can't be the same person.
But... What is this? Looks like I'm missing something...
Deer looked discreetly at Goblin, who was talking to Fox. «When is Mr. Crescent coming?». Duende asked. «I think Mr. Clown and Lady Queen will come at the end today, as always».
«Surely they will come when the time is right. But... Mr. Goblin, why is Queen the only one you call a lady?».
«Haha... is it?»
Come to think of it, it had been this guy. He was the first at the Round Table to put forward the theory that Bjorn Yandel and León could be the same person. Goblin's basis was that if Bjorn Yandel was dead, the timing of Leon's disappearance was very coincidental, but at the time he had been mocked for even suggesting it.
«The honorific comes out naturally... um... and her nickname is Queen, so...»
Deer joined their conversation. «Hello, Goblin».
«¿Sí?»
«Do you still think that Bjorn Yandel is León?»
«Hey... suddenly?»
«Yes, suddenly I'm curious.»
«Hmm...» Goblin didn't seem to understand why he was asking, but he still answered: «No. I don't think so». His tone was very confident.
That was enough to convince Deer. «I see... Well, there's no way he's the same person as someone they brought here twenty-two years ago, after all...».
«Excuse me? Ahh... yes, that is definitely true...»
Deer tilted his head at that vague response. «Hmm? Is there any other reason?»
«Well... I don't really think Bjorn Yandel is an evil spirit to begin with».
«Ah, that's why».
Announcing that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit had been a strategic move on the part of the palace. The news that this was not actually the case had already spread throughout the kingdom. That explained why Goblin believed it wasn't.
«No. I have a different reason for thinking that too.»
That? It's not that either.
When Deer gave him a questioning look, Goblin looked at Fox before opening his mouth. «I can't say much, but... Bjorn Yandel is definitely not an evil spirit. It can't be. That's for sure». Afterwards, Duende remained silent in a way that implied that he would not answer any more questions. Deer did not interfere.
Now that he thought about it, Sven Parav was part of that squad.
Perhaps he had had some kind of premonition while working with Bjorn Yandel. Evil spirits were good at recognizing each other. She couldn't ignore the opinions of someone who had personally gone through hell with that man.
So... I guess Bjorn Yandel really isn't an evil spirit.
Deer didn't give the matter any more thought. Not only had his hunch disappeared, but the other members were arriving, starting with Crescent, who came in fourth place and took the first seat.
«They're all here».
«I'm glad to see you all again today». Queen came fifth and took fifth seat.
«Pshehe.» Then Clown arrived.
Once everyone except one person sat down, all eyes wandered to the door. It was ridiculous when you thought about it. Somehow, the only thing a meeting of all those people could do was leave the seat at the head of the table free and wait for just one man to arrive.
«Ahh, I really hope he comes today».
As if in response to Clown's wish, a noise was heard at the end of the hallway.
One step.
It was the sound of a silent step. As soon as he heard it, Deer felt his shoulders tense. It was something very strange.
Step.
It was the usual sound of someone walking. That man had not yet appeared through the door. Why did he feel so intimidated? Deer absentmindedly wondered if that man was using some kind of skill or dexterity, but he knew better than anyone that that couldn't be the case.
Step.
That's how it is. Those steps were nothing special. Anyone present would sound the same when walking. Still, the reason everyone fell silent as soon as they heard them was because they knew it.
Step.
Although the sound could be ordinary, the person making it was anything but.
Step.
There were a few more steps, and the man finally arrived.
«Pshehe, you're here-»
Clown stood up to greet him like the henchman he was, but the man walked to the empty seat without paying attention. Then he sat down and rested his chin on his hand without saying a word.
Today I should be more careful.
Deer swallowed. I had a feeling Leon wasn't particularly amused today. And I definitely wasn't the only one who had that feeling.
***
It was the kind of silence that makes you want to roll around and take a nap.
Estoy this man...
I raised my chin and struggled to suppress the yawns that ran up my throat. Maybe I should have skipped the day. This goes beyond tiredness: I feel like I'm going to fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes for more than two seconds.
Why are they so quiet today?
I couldn't be bothered to talk, so I decided to remain silent until the others took over the meeting. However, for some reason, the silence lasted for a long time.
Why do they act like this? I thought you'd be bursting with questions about why I didn't come last time.
In the end, I spoke first. «How long are you going to sit there?»
Come on, I'm very tired.
At my insistence, Goblin quickly responded: «Yes! Let's start. M-Mr. Crescent will get us started... today... I think...»
Hmm, I thought Fox would lead the meeting.
Goblin's stutter didn't exactly inspire confidence, but thanks to him, all eyes turned to Crescent, who was the first.
«...I should have sat somewhere else». Crescent seemed worried about having to go first, but soon announced the start of the meeting. «Alright, I'll start then».
The information he shared was about the elves. To be more specific, it was about Erwen. He received the green light for informing us that Spirit of Blood had expressed his intention to retire from his role as Pureblood. Traditionally, the Thoroughbred was part of a kind of special unit of the elf tribe, and Erwen was currently on leave from it. She had announced that she would retire completely soon.
Tap, tap.
So the first information today was something I already knew.
«The expedition led by Bjorn Yandel was organized with total annihilation in mind». Deer moved into second place and received a red light for information that the expedition team had been discarded by the palace. After all, Fox, Goblin and I already knew that. Deer, startled, tried again. «The palace has offered Bjorn Yandel a higher rank title for his contributions to the expedition».
That news gave him the green light, but there was no response. Normally someone would ask something like, So you're going to be a baron instead of a baronet? That means you can pass it on to your kids! Come to think of it, Crescent's turn had been the same.
They really are unusually calm today.
Fox, Goblin and I may have already known about the expedition, but the others should have been shocked. His reactions were a little strange, but it didn't matter. I was too tired to worry.
Tap, tap.
Anyway, the second shift was also a failure.
Maybe I should have notified Fox and Goblin of my title in advance. Then it would have been another red light.
While I was busy regretting my decision, the third shift began. Duende trembled and continued with his thing. I thought he would talk about the expedition, but luckily he didn't. Maybe it was because Fox had warned him to watch his mouth. Although it could still reveal information that could benefit us.
These are internal matters of the churches, which do not particularly interest me...
Typical Goblin. Sometimes he revealed important things, but overall the quality of his information was low. But since he had the green light, he passed the exam.
Another failure...
Something felt wrong today. Normally, the others would have objected even if Goblin had the green light. Why was everyone so quiet?
Tap, tap.
I don't want to be the one to intervene so I'll let it go. Plus, Duende is technically my ally now too. Looks like it's Fox's turn.
To be honest, I really wasn't expecting much, since she was with me the whole time in the maze.
«The big clans are planning a massive boycott. It seems that they are dissatisfied because the palace organized an expeditionary force for a special mission without informing them».
I had already been informed of this in the city. Although she was kicked out of her clan while she was in a coma, Fox had served as deputy commander for a long time and could therefore access various information thanks to his extensive network of contacts. That information network was now also shared with me.
Man, even the fourth shift was useless. I hope the next one is different.
Tap, tap.
When I turned to look at Queen, who was next, our gazes met for a moment. But it seemed like she found my attention a little oppressive.
Deslick.
Reina, startled, looked away before speaking in an unusually muffled tone. «GM... has lifted the ban on Baekho Lee».
He had clearly announced it by order of the GM, it was an attempt to lure me out by pointing out that he had granted me the favor.
Jeez, give us real information instead of something redundant like this.
Tap, tap.
Anyway, since this was gossip that would get the green light from everyone but me, the round moved on to the next person.
«...It's my turn. Pshehe.» Was it because everyone had revealed their information without any small talk involved? We had reached the sixth person several times faster than our usual pace.
Hah yeah, this guy was always the wild card.
Even though I felt like I could faint from exhaustion at any moment, I listened with my ears wide open.
«I'm sure everyone already knows that the dragon slayer Regal Vagos has died...». Clown started out as if to test the waters, but what remained the same ended up being disappointing. «The news that Bjorn Yandel received a special royal mission to hide among us is completely false».
Not only was it unhelpful, but it was actively inconvenient for me.
Tsk, I'll have to explain to Fox and Goblin later. Since they both believe that to be true.
Anyway, regardless of how I felt about it, Clown easily received a green light. With that, my turn finally came. All eyes turned to me, one by one. It was always like this when my turn came. There was an unspoken rule at the Round Table since I joined it: if you brought me interesting information, I would reward you with the information I deemed appropriate. What was the verdict this time? Have I found anything interesting?
Grifo.
My answer to that question was simple. I put my hand on the jewel and spoke. Normally I would have run it through my mental filters to make it come out much more refined, but honestly... I was too angry to worry. «Everything you just said is garbage».
It wasn't a performance, it was my honest opinion.
Do you know how many yawns I swallowed to hear this?
«I would have benefited more from just sleeping».
As soon as I removed my hand from the jewel, a light came on.
Shaaaaaa.
Huh, eso its own.
«But it seems like you haven't realized it already, seeing that the light is green right now».
Man, I was very bored. I wanted to go home and get into bed.