A white mask with no distinguishing features.
He wore a drab-colored robe that covered his entire body, and his hands, the only skin exposed, were wrinkled.
“Hee… Who’s that old man?”
“……”
The Black Mask and Butterfly looked questioningly at the stranger’s arrival.
However, the Queen, who was also seeing him for the first time, reacted differently.
“Could it be…”
It was their first meeting, but judging from the situation, she seemed to realize who the old man was.
“Master…!”
Soon, the Wolf recognized the uninvited guest and jumped up, running towards him.
“It’s been a while, Wolf. Have you been well?”
“I’m always fine, thanks to you. But, Master, what brings you here? If you had given me a heads-up…”
His words made it clear to everyone that there was a connection between the two.
“It’s the last one, isn’t it? I came to see your faces once before leaving. And there’s something I need to do here.”
“Something to do… you mean?”
The Wolf seemed curious about the details, but the Master didn’t elaborate.
Geez, making people curious.
“More importantly… would you mind stepping aside for a moment? I’d like to greet the others as well.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry!”
As the Master looked at him, the Wolf immediately apologized and returned to his seat.
Anyone would think he was a dog, not a wolf.
As I watched the situation unfold, the Master’s gaze shifted to me.
“The concept of cause and effect is truly mysterious. How does it feel to watch the end?”
Unlike when we first met at the Round Table, he no longer tried to hide that he was ‘Auriel Gavis.’
Of course, it wasn’t particularly strange.
[The Master of the Round Table is Auriel Gavis.]
Because the Wolf had already revealed that information here.
In the first place, that information was revealed because this old man allowed it.
Tuk, tuk.
Then, why did he show up here again?
Looking at their close relationship, if his purpose was to tell me something, he could have just had the Wolf do it.
While calculating in my head, I naturally responded.
“Not particularly, nothing much.”
“Hmm, is that so? I thought you’d feel a bit regretful. After all, this place is practically something you created, isn’t it?”
Well, that’s true.
To be precise, it’s not the Round Table, but the system of this truth game that I created.
“Pfft, pfft?!”
“The Round Table… that person created it…?”
The problem was the reactions of the people listening next to us.
***
One word, two words, three words.
“Ah, of course, this was 20 years ago… Back then, it was just the evil spirits of another world.”
Every time I continued the conversation with the Master, there were intense reactions from all around.
“There was a Round Table even 20 years ago…?”
“No, more than that, evil spirits from another world…”
Haa, it’s really annoying.
If this is going to happen, can’t we just have a quiet conversation between the two of us?
That’s what I thought, but I decided to ignore that part for now. Right now, just dealing with this old man is enough to make my head explode.
“So, what brings you here?”
“I told you, I had something to do, and I came to see your faces after a long time.”
After saying that, the old man shifted his gaze and spoke to another member.
“Nice to see you, Miss Fox. Have you been well?”
“Yes? Ah, yes… Yes… It’s been a while.”
“Honestly, I was a little disappointed. You used to follow me so well when there was nothing, but now you don’t even think of me as your benefactor. Haha.”
“H-How did you know that…?!”
The Fox was visibly flustered when the topic from earlier was mentioned, and the others’ eyes lit up.
Of course, how would he know that?
The reason is obvious without even hearing it.
The old man has a way to eavesdrop on all the conversations here.
Which means.
‘…He’s been listening to the stories here all the time.’
A chill ran down my spine.
I knew he was shady, but I didn’t know his tastes were this twisted.
The really creepy part is that when he opened the door and came in, he nonchalantly asked if there were any masks he hadn’t seen before.
It’s like lying is a habit for him…
“Um… it’s not like that…”
“You don’t have to make excuses. I’m really okay, so don’t worry about it.”
Still, his words that he’s okay are probably true.
To this old man, the Fox is a being of no value. Even if she were bleeding and dying in front of him, if there was no reason to save her, he would just watch.
“Excuse me.”
Then, the Queen, who had been watching quietly, joined the conversation.
“Are you… really the Master of the Round Table, I mean… Auriel Gavis?”
“That’s right, why?”
“…I have one question. The Wolf said that you have the power to prevent the community from closing down… Is that true?”
“That’s true. After all, I was the one who weakened your authority in the first place.”
A very nonchalant statement.
In response, the Queen paused for a long time before asking again.
“…What did you say?”
Seeing her reaction, Auriel Gavis let out a mocking laugh and continued.
“You said there was a problem with the device, but the device I gave that friend is actually fine. It’s just that the authority I transferred to him was gradually being revoked, so it felt that way.”
“Taking away authority… how is that even possible?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have given him everything in my complete state, would I?”
A concise and clear answer that left the listener speechless.
“Don’t be too disappointed. I’m just taking back what was originally mine. Besides, haven’t you been using it well all this time?”
“……”
“Now, let’s end this conversation here…”
Auriel Gavis, who had neatly silenced the Queen, walked over and placed his hand on the jewel of the Round Table.
And at that moment.
Swoooosh-.
The jewel turned into particles of light, like the monster corpses disappearing in the labyrinth, and flowed into Auriel Gavis’s fingertips.
“With this, the task is done.”
Unlike the other members who were just staring blankly, I knew what this action meant.
20 years ago, Auriel Gavis said that he lost most of his authority over this space when he created the jewel of the Round Table.
Therefore, based on this, I can infer…
“You came to get your authority back.”
With this, Auriel Gavis regained his former authority.
“That’s right. Now I can do anything in this space. In other words, something like this.”
As his wrinkled hand waved in the air, the masks of all the members except me were removed.
Thud.
The masks fell onto the table as if pulled by an invisible hand.
“Kyaaak!”
“……!”
“Pff… pfft?”
Soon, the true appearances that the members had been hiding behind their masks were revealed, causing a commotion.
Some covered their faces with both hands, some crouched on the floor to hide their faces, and some just stared blankly into the air.
Of course, not everyone reacted so passively.
Whoosh-!
As soon as their masks were removed, some made the quick decision to log out.
Two of them at the same time.
“Contrary to their appearances, they’re quite shy, aren’t they? It shouldn’t matter if they show their real faces to everyone.”
The first one to disappear without even saying goodbye was the Clown.
What did he look like again?
I think he was white, but he disappeared too quickly for me to see properly.
Contrary to expectations, I think he was a bit chubby…
‘And the other one who disappeared… it’s the Black Mask.’
The Black Mask’s seat was empty.
This one escaped even faster than the Clown, so I didn’t see him at all.
So, before anyone else escaped, I quickly scanned the surroundings.
“W-What are you doing!”
The Queen, who seemed flustered, had blue eyes and blonde hair, a typical foreigner.
Well, it’s not like she’s a stunning beauty or anything.
She looked really ordinary, and her estimated age was around her early thirties. The members looked at her with surprise and suspicion.
“Somehow… her face looks familiar…”
It was likely not just a feeling.
The Queen was in charge of guiding new players and judging whether they were real players or not.
Anyway, next.
‘The Goblin is…’
Surprisingly handsome.
No, he’s very, very handsome.
Should I say he could be an actor?
His skin was dark, so I thought he was from Southeast Asia, but he was actually a typical South American handsome man.
‘So, a South American hottie?’
South American hottie.
It’s the same even when you say it backwards, it’s an absurd coincidence—.
‘…That’s not important.’
I pretended not to care and rolled my eyes to check the bare faces of all the members.
I know that the appearances in the community don’t mean anything, but honestly, I was a little curious.
What kind of people they would be in real life.
‘The Butterfly is Asian. The Fox looks younger than I thought. The Wolf is just an old man as expected…’
A secret Round Table meeting.
The conversations between the high-level players there.
However, the faces of those who were behind the masks that enhanced the mystery were too ordinary. They didn’t look particularly strong, and there was no one who seemed to have a vicious personality.
But…
‘I wouldn’t be any different.’
Who would imagine what Lee Han-soo looks like?
That he’s an optimist who can laugh even when smashing people’s heads with a hammer and having his limbs torn off and covered in blood.
The same would be true for them.
There wouldn’t be anyone among them who hasn’t gotten their hands dirty with blood.
Those kinds of people would have died long ago.
“Um… why did you take off our masks… I’m a little… no, honestly, it’s very uncomfortable… Ah! I… I’m not angry or anything…”
Soon, the Goblin cautiously spoke while looking around, and Auriel Gavis immediately answered.
“Hmm, weren’t you curious too? What kind of people the ones you talk to every time are. Since it’s the last time, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to take off our masks and get along with each other.”
“Oh… I, I see?”
The Goblin nodded with a blank expression and then glanced at me.
It was obvious what he wanted to say without even hearing it.
“But… why not the Lion?”
“You’re asking why I didn’t take off his mask, right?”
“Yes… that’s right.”
Auriel Gavis removed everyone’s masks without asking for their consent, but I was an exception.
Then, what could be the reason?
“Haha, I’m a little cautious when dealing with that friend! I don’t know how he might go off the rails if I treat him disrespectfully.”
“Ah… I, I see?”
The Goblin nodded awkwardly after hearing the answer.
It was kind of funny.
If you’re going to accept that kind of answer without saying anything, why did you even ask the question?
Well, it was very Goblin-like.
“……”
“……”
A strange silence fell.
Auriel Gavis didn’t say anything and seemed to be enjoying the situation itself, and the members kept glancing at me.
It was as if they wanted me to do something, so I had no choice but to open my mouth first.
“So… is your business done now?”
A prompting to say if there was anything else.
It was unlike me to speak indirectly, but fortunately, the meaning seemed to be well conveyed.
“No. There’s still one thing left.”
“One thing?”
“I have a question I want to ask you.”
“Really? Go ahead.”
I said as if I was readily agreeing.
I decided that I could decide whether to answer or not after hearing the question first.
But…
“There are too many people listening to ask the question.”
Auriel Gavis glanced around with a nonchalant voice.
“But I feel a little sorry to just kick you out like this. I forced you to reveal your faces, so you should at least get some compensation.”
As soon as I heard the word compensation, my body tensed up.
There was no way this old man would actually feel sorry and give us compensation.
There must be some kind of hidden agenda…
“It wouldn’t be fun to just give you compensation, so let’s all play a game.”
As expected, he was dragging it out.
“A game… you mean?”
“Yes, a game. Don’t you all like games? By the way, I plan to give the reward to only one person who wins the game.”
“…Can we know what the reward is?”
The Goblin checked the reward before even hearing what kind of game it was, and Auriel Gavis coolly answered without saying anything like saving the fun for later.
“I’ll send you home.”
The eyes of everyone changed.