Chapter 289: Chapter 289 Big Shot (1)

There was no second knock.

As if the first knock was just a notification, the door opened without even a word of permission.

Creak.

An old man entered.

He had a full head of white hair, and his skin was wrinkled.

But he didn't give off the usual frail aura of an elderly person. His gait was steady, and his back was straight.

And most importantly…

“Hmm.”

…his presence.

His body language and gaze spoke for themselves.

This old man was dangerous.

“Judging by your clothes, you must be from Earth.”

The old man scanned me and muttered.

“How did you get in here?”

My mind went blank.

What should I say?

They were definitely otherworldly evil spirits, judging by their clothes.

“…….”

I chose to remain silent.

I decided to try and figure out the situation by letting him speak first, instead of rushing to answer.

Well, that was the plan…

“Amazing. You already have three 3rd-grade essences. It’s only been a little over a year since you were summoned here.”

…but the old man was already reading my information, even though I hadn’t said a word.

Damn it, where did he get that ability?

“This is… intriguing. I’m curious. Forget about how you got in here, tell me this first. Who are you?”

“…….”

“Are you just going to stare at me?”

He would have been wary of a stranger entering his room uninvited, but the old man urged me on in a friendly voice.

‘Phew, what should I say?’

Should I just tell him I’m from the future?

That thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it.

It wasn’t wise to reveal my information when I didn’t know anything about him.

So…

“I’ll ask the questions first.”

“Hoo, then will you answer my questions?”

“To some extent.”

I took the initiative by using his curiosity.

He must be curious about my identity, just like I was confused.

I had to use this to get as much information as possible.

“Go ahead.”

I asked my first question as soon as he gave me permission.

“What’s your name?”

“Haha, my name…”

The old man chuckled as if it was a boring question, but his name was very important to me.

I had the advantage of coming from twenty years in the future.

Even if it was a name that wasn’t known now, it might be different in the future. I might even be able to figure out what kind of life he lived based on his name.

“You’re quite polite, wanting to introduce ourselves first.”

The old man smiled.

And…

“I’m—”

…he was about to open his mouth when…

“…….”

…he frowned and closed it.

But it was only for a moment.

“I apologize. It seems like something came up, so we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”

The old man, speaking in an elegant tone, then made an unexpected suggestion.

“It would be rude to just leave you here. Hmm, what should I do… Why don’t you come with me?”

I hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

What else could I do, being alone in this room?

I might be able to get more information if I followed him.

“Alright, you’re quite bold. But you’ll attract attention from the other members in that outfit. Here, wear this.”

The old man waved his hand, and clothes that suited this era appeared in the air.

But was that not enough?

“Ah, it would be better to cover your face too.”

He then created a white mask and handed it to me.

What is that convenient ability?

It must be something he could only use in this spiritual world.

I put on the clothes and the mask.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“No, it fits perfectly.”

“Huhu, I should prepare some masks here. Some people might not want to show their faces.”

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

We left the room and followed the old man.

And he gave me some instructions.

“Don’t be surprised or act like you know anyone you see. No, if possible, just keep your mouth shut and observe, like you did earlier.”

“What if someone talks to me first?”

“That won’t happen, and even if it does, I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

Well, if he says so.

I continued to observe my surroundings as I followed him.

The more I looked around, the more I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

The room I was in earlier was also like that, but this place felt similar to the mansion where the ‘Round Table’ was.

‘There are no windows either.’

Of course, the decorations on the walls, the location of the rooms, and the width of the hallways were all different.

But…

‘It’s too much of a coincidence.’

I didn’t dismiss it as just a feeling and carefully scanned my surroundings.

After some time…

“We’re here.”

…the old man stopped walking and slowly opened a large door.

‘What the…’

There was a round table beyond the door.

_________________________

The room with the round table that I had entered countless times wearing the Lion mask.

There were quite a few differences.

First, there was no jewel on the table that could distinguish between truth and lies, and the room was a bit smaller.

But…

‘It’s similar.’

Other than that, it was practically identical.

The patterns engraved on the edge of the table, the picture frames on the walls with paintings I couldn’t understand…

Most of it was the same as the Round Table twenty years later.

Then how was this possible?

‘Don’t tell me this old man is the ‘Master’?’

Master.

The mysterious figure who created ‘Watchers of the Round Table’, whom I had only met once.

Maybe the old man in front of me was him. Well, it wasn’t impossible that one of the people here had modeled it after that place…

‘Anyway, I’ll think about it later.’

I was momentarily stunned by the familiar round table, but I quickly came to my senses.

What did this round table matter?

The important thing was the people sitting there.

‘Four.’

There were four people in the room.

Three men and one woman.

They looked at us as soon as the door opened.

And…

“Who’s that behind you?”

…they were very interested in me, who was even wearing a mask.

It was a bit similar to when I first joined the Round Table.

‘Geez, those eyes.’

They felt like thorns.

Every time their gazes landed on me, my skin tingled, and I felt a stabbing sensation.

That’s when, as that uncomfortable time continued…

“It’s none of your business who he is.”

…the old man drew a line, his tone authoritative and strong, unlike when he was talking to me. And he immediately got to the point in the suddenly quiet atmosphere.

“I heard there was a conflict while I was gone.”

“…….”

“Of course, I believe you’re not foolish enough to forget the rules of this place.”

“…….”

“But I should at least hear you out. What happened?”

The old man spoke as if he was scolding children, and an awkward silence fell over the room.

They all avoided making eye contact as if they were trying to decide who would take the blame.

A middle-aged man with a large build was the first to speak.

“…I’m telling you this beforehand, but we had no intention of fighting amongst ourselves. But this guy keeps instigating us.”

The man in black frowned at his accusation.

“Why is it wrong to want to kill the King?”

“Ha, do you think I don’t know why you want to kill the King? Don’t try to drag us into your personal vendetta.”

“Kagureas. Are you still clinging to hope after failing to find a way for decades?”

“Of course. Just like everyone else here. Ah, except for you now.”

“That’s funny. If you want to return, you should be helping me. The royal family, who holds a great secret, is the end of all questions.”

“…It’s too dangerous to touch him. And there’s no guarantee that the royal family is even hiding the clue to returning.”

I could see why they were arguing.

The hardliners who wanted to kill the King and find the clue, and the moderates who thought it was too dangerous and wanted to find another way.

That’s when, as I was listening intently to their conversation, finding it fascinating…

…my mind went blank at the middle-aged man’s next words.

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care if you form a group called Orculus or whatever. It has nothing to do with me.”

What? Form Orculus?

‘…Don’t tell me, he’s the ‘Captain’?’

The unexpected appearance of a big shot.

I suddenly remembered what the old man said earlier.

To not be surprised no matter who I saw?

It made sense for him to say that if he was the captain of Orculus. After all, he was a famous figure shrouded in mystery.

I can’t believe I met him here—

“But Master Ruinjenes is different.”

The middle-aged man then looked at the child-like figure and spoke.

My mind went blank again.

‘Huh? Ruinjenes…’

Belvev Ruinjenes.

The real name of the ‘Ruin Scholar’, who was once the leader of a large school but became a criminal after dabbling in forbidden magic.

“I won’t stand idly by if you try to persuade him with your pathetic words.”

“Do you really believe that he can complete the dimensional magic?”

“I do. It’s much more plausible than your ridiculous plan to kill the King.”

I clenched my fists, looking at the child who was casually sipping tea.

Slurp.

Seriously, this kid is the Ruin Scholar…?

________________________

The captain of Orculus.

And the Ruin Scholar.

‘Damn, what a lineup…’

I naturally became curious about the other two after learning the identities of the two big shots.

But…

‘I’ve never heard of the name ‘Kagureas’ before.’

I had never heard of the middle-aged man’s name.

And I didn’t know anything about the woman since she hadn’t said a word.

Just who were these two?

“Enough, I understand the situation.”

The old man then spoke, silencing the room.

Although he didn’t seem charismatic, everyone was intimidated by his single word.

“Everyone, leave. We have more important matters to discuss today, so we’ll talk about this later.”

“More important matters?”

The woman, who had been silent until now, finally spoke at the old man’s words.

“Are you talking about the person behind you?”

“That’s right.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to me as the old man readily agreed.

He’s more important than us?

That’s what their gazes were saying.

But they all just looked at the old man, holding back their words.

“Who is he? It’s your first time bringing someone here. And why is he wearing a meaningless mask?”

The woman asked again, and the old man answered.

It was the same answer as before.

“Mind your own business.”

“…….”

“Now, can you all leave?”

The people in the room, starting with the woman, got up and left at the old man’s order.

And…

“Haha, we’re finally alone again.”

…the old man smiled kindly, as if he had taken off a mask, as soon as everyone left.

“Then let’s continue our conversation. Where were we?”

“…You were about to tell me your name.”

“Ah, right.”

He laughed like a friendly grandfather, saying I would also become like him when I got older.

And he introduced himself casually.

“You’re from Earth, so you might already be familiar with my name.”

“……?”

“Nice to meet you. My name is Auril Gabis.”

Auril Gabis.

The author of the Compendium of Rifts, and the name of the game developer who created [Dungeon and Stone].