Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Round Table (2)

“You know, it’s like a jury system.”

He then added defensively,

“Of course, I don’t like this method, and I don’t think it’s a good idea. I just suggested it because you didn’t believe me, so you can refuse if you want.”

He was watching my reaction as he spoke, so it seemed like he thought I was staring at him because I didn’t believe him…

‘Round Table…’

It wasn’t a bad suggestion.

If we were going to do it, I would have to make a few changes, like having them all sit at the Round Table instead of just acting as a jury.

The captain of Orculus and the Ruin Scholar.

And two more unidentified veterans.

If I played the Round Table game with them, valuable information would definitely come out.

But…

“I refuse. I don’t want to talk about my personal life in front of other people.”

Auril Gabis’ limited edition information was the priority. We could play the Round Table game later.

“You refuse… I expected that. You might think we’re all on the same side.”

Auril Gabis sighed and asked,

“So, what are you going to do?”

I chuckled.

What else could I do?

We go back to the beginning.

“Three questions for one answer.”

“Hmm, at least it’s better than five for one.”

“But you brought this item.”

Auril Gabis chuckled as I pointed at the jewel.

“Thank you for acknowledging my efforts, but wouldn’t it be more reasonable to just take turns asking each other one question?”

Well, he did have a point.

The conditions were now equal since the lie detector was activated.

However…

“Think of it as a reward for your faith.”

Aside from the fact that I had seen that jewel in the future, I couldn’t be certain that this old man couldn’t manipulate the results.

After all, he was the one who created it.

He might have hidden a cheat code.

Therefore…

“That’s ironic.”

Auril Gabis chuckled in disbelief.

“You know, don’t you? It doesn’t matter how many additional questions you have if I’m lying to you.”

Of course, I knew.

But so what?

“So you’re refusing?”

“Haha, there’s no way. It’s strange, but it also makes sense. At least you’re taking a risk in an uncertain situation.”

His agreement was surprisingly straightforward.

I thought he would drag out the negotiation.

“But can I go first? You already asked about my age.”

“Alright.”

I decided to compromise this time.

This old man had his own motives, but he had been kind to me…

And it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to be asked questions.

I could use them to figure out his intentions.

“Then I’ll ask.”

And so, the truth game began.

Auril Gabis opened his mouth.

“How many people cleared the original version twenty years later?”

That’s his first question?

I was momentarily surprised, but it was too early to relax.

It was a question he asked at the cost of an unfavorable exchange rate.

It couldn’t be just simple curiosity.

‘The reason he’s curious about that…’

He’s probably wondering…

…if there’s anyone who can replace me in the future.

Therefore, I answered honestly.

“I’m the only one who cleared the original version and came here. At least as far as I know.”

I left some room for interpretation, but I also made it clear that I had the upper hand in this relationship.

“Hmm, I see.”

Auril Gabis just nodded slightly, his expression unreadable, as the jewel emitted a green light.

It was my turn to ask a question.

I didn’t need time to think since I had already prepared a list of questions. Ah, of course, I had to modify them a bit because of the ‘jewel’.

“Have you ever used the Fragment of Records?”

I deliberately asked a question that could only be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Although I couldn’t get much information this way…

…at least I could fact-check.

Once I had the facts, I could figure out the rest myself. It was more reliable than listening to someone else.

“I didn’t expect to receive this kind of question from the beginning… you’re not an easy opponent.”

“So, what’s the answer?”

“I have.”

Right, as expected.

I calmly chose my next question after confirming that the jewel emitted a green light after a slight delay.

That’s when…

…Auril Gabis asked curiously,

“But how did you know?”

The answer was simple.

He had subtly shown it during our conversation last time.

Honestly, it was just a shot in the dark.

But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world of competition.

“Ask me later if you’re curious.”

“Ahem…”

“Then I’ll ask my second question.”

“Go ahead.”

I took a breath and spoke.

The second piece of information I had to confirm.

“Did you create this spiritual world?”

Auril Gabis flinched slightly and looked at me with a strange gaze.

“…I don’t understand your intentions.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t understand why you’re curious about that. I would understand if you were just asking out of curiosity, but you don’t seem like the type to be driven by emotions.”

I roughly understood what he meant.

He probably thought it was a question with low cost-effectiveness.

Although I didn’t get a definite answer, the circumstances were clear.

He probably thought it was a waste of time to confirm it.

But…

‘This is something we have to be sure about.’

This space, which I was summoned to every 15th, was unique.

Although the royal family and the Magic Tower were aware of its existence and had conducted much research, no one had figured out how it was created.

Mages could only guess.

That a mage far beyond their imagination had created this place.

Then was this old man really that great mage?

“So, what’s the answer?”

“You’re right. I created this place.”

Auril Gabis then answered.

And…

“It’s red.”

…the jewel judged his answer to be a lie.

I was as surprised as Auril Gabis.

I didn’t expect him to lie here.

“What’s going on?”

Auril Gabis trailed off as I narrowed my eyes and asked.

“That’s… it seems like it was a bit ambiguous.”

Ambiguous…

I roughly understood the situation since I knew about the jewel. It worked based on the speaker’s ‘psychology’.

The green light wouldn’t turn on if he felt even a slight sense of unease.

Auril Gabis gave a cryptic answer as I glared at him, demanding an explanation.

“I created this space, but I didn’t create it.”

What kind of wordplay is this?

“Are you serious?”

“…The light is green, isn’t it?”

“Tell me clearly. What do you mean? Did you have an accomplice?”

Auril Gabis hesitated for a moment and then answered,

“…You could say that.”

If that’s the case, then just say so. What does ‘you could say that’ even mean?

It was ridiculous, but the jewel did emit a green light.

‘…Then I can interpret it as him wanting to hide the fact that he had an accomplice. The reason it was red at first was probably because he felt guilty about trying to brush it off.’

I had gained an unexpected piece of information.

“…Then this is the third question. Go ahead.”

Auril Gabis urged me on in a tired voice.

Geez, he’s impatient.

“The Witch…”

I chuckled and corrected myself.

It was better to be specific in this case.

“Is the Earth Witch really dead?”

It wasn’t an urgent question, but it was something I had to ask at some point.

________________________

The Earth Witch.

A name you couldn’t avoid hearing in this world, even if you weren’t interested in history.

Come to think of it, I had always been curious.

Just how much of the story about the ‘Witch’ that was known to the world was true?

“…There’s not a single easy question, from the very first one.”

“So, what’s the answer?”

Auril Gabis smiled bitterly and answered.

“She’s alive.”

Wow, really…?

I suddenly had a lot to think about.

It meant that the royal family had intentionally hidden this fact…

‘And there weren’t even any Easter eggs or anything in the game that hinted at this.’

The game developer was this old man.

But he didn’t include this information even though he knew?

The guy who crammed all sorts of useless information and settings into the game and then said ‘Tutorial Complete’ at the end?

It didn’t make sense.

It was more plausible that he intentionally hid it because he didn’t want players to know.

‘Then why did he want to keep this a secret?’

I briefly tried to guess, but I didn’t know yet.

There weren’t enough clues.

But I had a hunch that if I dug deeper, I might be able to figure out the royal family and this old man’s ultimate goal.

In short, I had obtained a guideline with this question.

That’s when, as I was organizing my thoughts…

“Huhu, it’s finally my turn.”

…the old man, who had endured a long period of silence, chuckled.

Damn it, what’s he going to ask?

I felt uneasy, and then the old man opened his mouth.

“Do you want to return to Earth?”

His intention was clear.

He had phrased it indirectly, but what he really wanted to know was something else.

If I had the will to open the Gate of the Abyss.

Right, that’s what he wanted to ask.

“I don’t know.”

I answered, and the jewel soon emitted a green light.

“You don’t know…”

Auril Gabis smiled wryly, as if he was disappointed, but he quickly composed himself.

And he gave me some unexpected advice.

“I hope you make a decision soon.”

“Why?”

“It would be better for both of us.”

I asked him what he meant, but he just said, “Is that your question?” and that was the end of that topic.

It was my turn again.

I asked without wasting time.

“Did the Witch’s Poison really exist?”

“…You’re very interested in her.”

Well, not really.

I just had a feeling that the ‘Witch’ might be the key to this whole story as we talked.

“Phew…”

Auril Gabis took a sip of his tea and answered as if reminiscing about the distant past.

“That’s not a made-up story. This world was almost destroyed because of her. If it weren’t for the labyrinth, it would have definitely ended.”

The jewel emitted a green light.

Hmm, then was the outside world really fine because time had passed?

I moved on to my next question as I thought about that.

“If the Witch is alive, where is she now?”

It was the only open-ended question I had asked today.

I couldn’t ask it as a multiple-choice question since I didn’t know anything.

But Auril Gabis was cunning.

“She’s where everyone’s hopes lie.”

Damn it, that cryptic answer.

I sighed and checked the jewel.

It was green, so it seemed like he would just brush it off even if I complained…

“Are you really going to keep doing this?”

But I asked anyway, just in case.

“But it’s difficult to find a more suitable explanation.”

The jewel was green again.

Judging by his sly expression, it seemed like he wouldn’t change his attitude even if I kept asking.

So I gave up.

‘Well, at least I confirmed one thing.’

Auril Gabis knew the Witch’s location.

And he didn’t want to tell me.

In other words…

…it was possible that me knowing about the Witch would conflict with his goals.

“That was already the third question.”

The old man smiled leisurely, as if the questions weren’t that difficult.

‘Geez, how annoying.’

It was time to confirm it.

The thing that might be more important to me than the Witch or anything else.

“Go ahead.”

I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“Do you feel sorry for me?”

A brief silence fell.

______________________

I knew his occupation was a mage.

He seemed to know about the secrets of this world, including the Witch.

He was the game developer, and he was an enemy of the royal family.

So it was time to confirm.

What kind of person was Auril Gabis?

“Haha, you’re asking me another difficult question.”

The old man’s hearty laughter broke the brief silence.

“You answered ‘I don’t know’ when I asked if you wanted to return to Earth, right? That could also mean that life here isn’t that bad.”

It wasn’t an answer to my question.

I just stared at him without saying anything.

“What’s with that look? You know, don’t you? Sometimes you have to ignore your emotions to achieve your goals.”

Although I agreed, it still wasn’t an answer to my question.

“I’ll change the question if it’s that difficult to answer.”

Auril Gabis readily agreed as I seemingly compromised.

“Ah, will you?”

I nodded and changed the question.

It seemed like he was having a hard time answering the previous one.

So I asked a more specific question.

“Auril Gabis, do you feel even a shred of guilt for the countless ‘evil spirits’ who were dragged here and died because of your greed?”

He didn’t answer again.

“Haha…”

But his awkward laughter…

…was enough of an answer.

I was thinking that when…

“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

…Auril Gabis burst into laughter.

It was a strange sight.

I even felt a chill run down my spine.

“You’re a funny one.”

He looked at me with a serious gaze.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

Thud.

Auril Gabis placed his hand on the jewel in the center of the table and spoke.

In a friendly voice, like before.

“Of course, I’m not happy about it. Of course, I feel sorry for them. I feel responsible. I’ll probably live the rest of my life atoning for this.”

He smiled.

“So, is that your answer?”

“…It’s enough.”

I answered briefly and checked the jewel.

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

A bright red light was emanating from the jewel.