Baekho's words changed the mood, but not for long. A second later, Baekho regained his spirits as if he had said nothing, and I let his murmurs pass without commenting.
However, the thought still lingered in my heart.
How things could have been...
Now he knew a thing or two about Baekho Lee's past. Long before I opened my eyes in this world, this guy's identity as an evil spirit had been exposed by one of his companions in an act of betrayal, and you only have to see how it ended. Before his group disbanded, he had been cleaning the maze like me, but now he had to work alone and secretly.
His obsessive level of distrust of others was probably justified.
Well, from the point of view of the people who live here, calling it «betrayal» might be too much...
Still, if he had never been betrayed then, what would Baekho Lee be like now?
«Hm? Brother, why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?»
«I'm just looking at you. But did you do something wrong? Why do you sound so guilty?»
«...Come on, Big Brother! No way, haha. But hey, could we talk privately for a second?».
When Baekho cast a quick glance at Hyeonbyeol, she let out a sigh. «Are you seeing each other or something?»
«Haha, are you jealous now, big sister?»
«...I'll be back later».
As always, Hyeonbyeol left the chat room without much fuss. Although you have to admit that I was a little surprised that she didn't react when Baekho called her «older sister». Was it because she knew he wouldn't stop, no matter what she said?
«Hehe, now it's just the two of us. Alright, since the third wheel is gone, we can get affectionate...»
«I will kill you. Don't joke like that.»
«Yes sir.»
«Anyway, what's so urgent that you sent Hyeonbyeol?»
«Oh that? Honestly, it's nothing that important...»
«So what is it?»
I didn't want to continue standing, so I went and sat on the couch, resting my chin on my fist. Baekho sat in front of me before asking: «Brother, are you really trapped in the maze right now?».
«Yeah».
«So you're still there even though the maze has closed... How interesting. Have you found a way out?»
«Not yet.»
«Hm, honestly, isn't that a big deal? Should I go save you?»
«Save me from what? Just do your thing».
«I knew you would say that. And it's not like I can get there anyway».
«Are you out of town right now?»
«Yeah. I thought I might find something big coming out, but I haven't even seen a single rat. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have gone to the new area with you».
«I'm a little curious to know why you're out this month».
«I didn't expect anyone to find and open the hidden area so quickly».
So that was why. It had seemed strange to me that the guy who was more interested in the labyrinth than anything else had left the realm at a time like this.
«Brother, where is it? Give me some information».
«Free?»
«Hey... Aren't you curious about my information from outside the walls too? Let's exchange».
«Didn't you just say that you haven't found a single rat out there?»
«I said it? Well, I have a huge hunch that there is something incredible hidden out here».
I noticed that Baekho was exaggerating the value of his own information a bit, but I kind of agreed with him. There was something hidden outside those walls, I just had no idea what it could be.
«Okay, deal done».
«Magnanimous as always, brother!»
After that, I gave him a good amount of information about Basement One Plant.
Mutant monsters and new monsters, the library and the summoning stone and the almost encyclopedic books on their shelves, the lost objects we find floating in the silver ocean, etc.
What I didn't tell him, however, was nothing about the village chief, and I didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt about it. Although this was supposed to be an exchange, I hadn't received anything in return yet, and it wasn't like this guy was going to tell me everything he saw outside the walls anyway.
Well, there's a chance I'll stumble upon something new if I talk to him about the boss, but...
Hah, why couldn't he trust Baekho Lee? He felt that if he revealed everything and tried to work with him, he would only end up getting stabbed in the back in the end.
Still, he was an incredible ally, and it would be a waste to cut ties with him.
«Alright, that's all.»
«Hey? But what about the island of trees? I was entering it».
«We are in full exploration. Do you know how I was surprised to be dragged here out of nowhere?».
«Still, it's good that you're here. Honestly, Hyeonbyeol looked like she was going to cry when she asked me if you were dead or not. I was so confused.»
Well, since this guy was outside the walls, he probably only heard the news about me from Hyeonbyeol. He also didn't seem to read the forum posts much.
«Anyway, brother, I'm leaving.»
«Huh, how's that? We still have a lot of time».
«Still, I think it's best that I leave early today».
«What do you mean?»
I honestly didn't understand what he meant, but Baekho just smiled at me. «Give my extra time to Hyeonbyeol today. Even though she's a good actress... No, I'm pretty sure she didn't even try to act. I think I was really shocked by the news.»
«Ah...»
«Well, I'll leave you with it.»
«Baekho, wait.»
When I called him not to leave, Baekho tilted his head.
I thought for a moment before opening my mouth. I could be making a mistake, but...
«I'm not smart».
«...Sorry? I think I heard you wrong».
I ignored Baekho's obvious confusion and continued. «Having many secrets is not being intelligent».
«...So what?»
«It's being afraid».
You and me...
We were the kind of guys who always thought the worst before anything else.
***
Baekho left early in the day, and Hyeonbyeol returned shortly after.
«Did you have a good talk?»
«Yeah.»
«But he left early today, right?»
His question was blunt, so I gave him a blunt answer. «He told me to spend time with you».
«...Wh-what?! What are you talking about?!»
«Why are you so nervous? This is not the first time he has said nonsense».
«It's true... It's not the first time... True...»
Even as he said that, Hyeonbyeol fanned his face with his hand as if he were overheating. It had been a while since I last saw her do something like that.
For some reason, the sight made me feel a little mischievous. «Were you that worried about me?» I joked, not bothering to hide my smile.
Hyeonbyeol narrowed his eyes. «...Are you looking for a fight?».
«Eh... No? More importantly, what were those fighting words like?»
«Seriously... Dating a weirdo like Baekho Lee is making you weird too».
That silenced me. I was just trying to joke, so why was I so upset?
I didn't know it, but I quickly changed the subject. «Anyway, how have you been? Are things going well on your part?».
«Yeah. Things haven't changed much. I continue working under Countess Peprok, gaining her trust little by little».
«What is the countess like?»
«...She is a kind woman. It is also straight. But lately she's been a little upset.»
«Annoying?»
«Do you really not know? It's by Bjorn Yandel.»
«Ah...» Although it was never my intention, I had somehow ended up convincing everyone - including Ragna - that I was dead twice.
«Well, still, not everything is bad. I read the post you mentioned about time in the maze, and it seems like a lot of people believe that person's story...». There are also many clicks and comments about it. The news will probably spread throughout the city in a few days».
«That's a relief».
«Yes it is. If theories about his survival took a little longer to appear, all of his wealth and property could have been seized. The construction of the Yandel House would also have stopped».
Yes, really.
What an incredible relief that-
«...You know I just said it was a relief because that means the countess will stop bothering you with her despondency, right?».
«Ohhh, is that right?»
Hah... so he didn't even bother to hide his suspicions anymore and had graduated to openly provoke me.
If I ever met her outside, I would have to show her what a real barbarian was like so she wouldn't doubt Bjorn Yandel again.
«Hansu, what are you thinking right now?»
«...Nothing?»
«Um... I thought I saw a sinister shine in your eyes».
«What are you talking about, a sparkle in my eyes?».
I quickly silenced her before I could figure out where my mind had gone, and after that, I spent time reading books and chatting with her.
«Hansu, it's time for you to go».
«Oh, sure. It's time».
Soon it was opening time for the Round Table, so we went our separate ways and left the chat room. Back in Hansu Lee's room, I looked at the bulletin board for a while and entered the Round Table just before it closed.
As always, I put on my blue suit and a lion mask.
The mask seemed a little strange to me, but I had gotten used to it. I even thought it looked pretty good on me.
Alright, now that I had changed my clothes...
Step step.
A short walk down the hall took me to the Round Table, where all the other members except me were already seated.
«Seriously, how does that make sense? Obviously it's a lie».
«Oh? I'm not so sure. I read the comments on that post myself, and even Didigo said that the probability is quite high, right?».
«Haha, I know that one! Didigo is the user who makes some weird, high-concept role-playing game, right?».
«That's right. But even if they are a little strange, they are not someone whose opinion you can simply dismiss.»
«True. They are suspiciously accurate when it comes to things like... Ah!»
As soon as I walked in, everyone else stopped talking and turned to me to say hello.
Well, everyone except Clown, of course.
«Pshehe, welcome back, Mr. León».
Clown stood up from his seat and bowed before me like a medieval aristocrat. I took just one look at him before ignoring him and sitting down.
It seems that today Parav is first.
When I sat down, I looked out of the corner of my eye at the person occupying the seat next to me and was surprised by Goblin.
Did he really want to be first this time?
If so, I was curious why, but I figured that would show once we started. And in that sense...
«So, let's get started.»
Since there was nothing more to say, I started the meeting.
«I trust everyone has read today's post on the forums», Goblin began. «Well, there is a high probability that everything written in that post is true».
«...And?»
«...Is that my information?».
All the other members seemed dumbfounded by Goblin's statement.
«You're not even confirming that it's true, just saying there's a high probability?».
«Pshehe, then I'll be next. Goblin's mental capacity has a high probability of being only one kilobyte!»
«Hehe, Mr. Clown, you saw that in that post, right? It was very funny. Didn't the other guy seem like a complete idiot?»
«P-Pshehe...» Clown smiled uncomfortably at Butterfly's nod. However, it seemed that Duende had anticipated the complaints and ridicule.
«Then I will give you proof that what that post said is probably true».
As Goblin continued, undaunted, the other members' gazes sharpened.
«...Tests?»
«Oh, so you had something else?».
«Well... Even if I'm an airhead, I wouldn't have brought it up without something to back it up».
When everyone's attention returned to him, Goblin began to explain his evidence. «I have always been good at surfing the internet. I loved getting into online fights and my main skill in the real world was doxxing people.»
«...What does that have to do with the test you mentioned?».
«Before this meeting opened, I reviewed all the comments and posts that the author of the post in question ever made. I combed through all the crumbs of information they left behind while they thought they were completely anonymous and combined them all together.»
«...And?»
«I don't know exactly who they are, but the person who wrote that post is a member of the Hektz Clan».
To be honest, I was a little surprised.
The other members looked at Goblin as if to say, «What the hell is this guy talking about?», but I knew what he was saying was true.
...Is it possible to deduce something like this from a few posts?
This was a talent I didn't know Duende had.
«I don't know what to think of that».
«The Hektz clan was one of the groups that followed Bjorn Yandel to the new hidden area...»
«Queen, what do you think?» Deer asked. «Since you have a close relationship with the GM, you should know quite a bit about who did that job».
Queen nodded, her face in amazement. «...It's hard to believe, but Mr. Goblin's theory matches ours».
«Really?»
«Yeah. However... there is something I don't understand. We were able to reach that conclusion only after recovering deleted posts and comments...»
«Did those deleted messages reveal the identity of the author?»
«There were quite a few, and they were all related to the Hektz clan. Most were about how the clan had good benefits and other words of praise, but they always deleted them right before the community closed each month.»
Hah... Were they seriously advertising their clan here?
It was incredible, but as Queen supported Goblin, the members began to see him with different eyes.
«Haha... that's a relief. So my research was solid».
...What the hell was this guy?