My eyes widened at a customization room filled with dozens of unique outfits and even more masks. I put on my usual blue suit and put the lion mask on my face, with quick and effective movements.
By now, it was already routine for me. Not to brag, but after coming here almost every month for years, I could probably find my suit and wear each piece with my eyes closed.
«This is… the last one».
I felt disappointed, of course, but also strangely sad. Lately, the information I received from the Round Table wasn't as important to me as it used to be, but...
My feet refused to move, so once I finished putting on the suit, I let my mind wander as I looked at the other masks and clothes on display.
And then, a thought struck me, the memory of a conversation I had almost forgotten.
«The closest to your destiny...»
In my early days as a Round Table Watcher, I was told that new members instinctively chose the mask that most resembled what they were meant to be. So why had he chosen the lion mask? Although I was better than an elf or an orc, I still didn't understand my choice.
To be honest, I like tigers more than lions.
So, years after choosing my mask, I took a moment to reflect on what it might mean, hoping to find an answer. However, when nothing occurred to me, I moved on to my next question.
Why was Fox a fox?
Why was Duende Duende?
And what about Deer?
More than a real deer, his mask was a simple horned mask.
"...No lo sé." ⁇
I couldn't stay here thinking about this forever, so I slowly walked out into the hallway. And then, as I walked the red carpet I had walked so many times, another thought occurred to me.
If my comrades had ever come to the Round Table, what masks would they have chosen?
Ainar would be a golden retriever...
I came up with masks for all members of the Anabada Clan, like Amelia and Erwen, and also for my former allies, like Raven, Rotmiller, and even the dwarf. And although it wasn't intentional, I left Missha for last.
Missha es...
She was much easier than the others. Although at first glance it wouldn't seem like a good fit for someone from the Red Cat Tribe...
She is closer to a puppy than a cat.
Not just any ordinary puppy, of course. The mask he thought would fit him best was one that was hidden in a gloomy corner of the customization room: the dog mask covered in deep scars and furrows.
The problem was that I had probably left at least some of those scars myself.
Enough.
I shook my thoughts and stopped.
«Pshehe... you are finally here. I was a little worried about not being able to say goodbye».
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...
I was going to be a little upset if someone jumped.
But luckily, the masks I had become so accustomed to after all these years were all there staring at me.
Deer, Crescent, Fox, Clown... These were the original members who had been here when I first joined the Round Table. Then came Duende, whom he had gotten to know in the following months, and Reina, who entered under the orders of the GM some time later. Even the mysterious and relatively recent trio of Black, Wolf and Butterfly was present.
Everyone was in their seats and looking at me in silence.
Were you waiting for me to give some kind of speech since this was the last meeting of the Round Table? I couldn't say it, but I stayed true to my character until the bitter end and ignored them to take a seat.
¡Bum!
Normally, once the door closed and I took my seat, the meeting would start immediately, but today turned out to be a little different. Instead of immediately starting the meeting, everyone talked.
«So this is the last one... It looks like I've been struck by lightning».
«Yes... I guess starting next month, we won't have a place to meet anymore.»
«Well, I guess I can at least sleep well for once. I was always tired the day after opening the forums».
All of these comments were imbued with deep melancholy, even that of Queen, who was an administrator.
«It's a shame. There are still things we have to resolve».
In response to this brief glimpse of Queen's feelings, Goblin looked at her before carefully asking: «So... can't you leave the doors open?».
«That is not possible. We have our reasons».
«Could we... hear what those reasons might be?».
«I'm sorry, Mr. Crescent. I can't go into details. However, if I had to say one thing... this decision was not the one we wanted to make.»
«...Did the royal family really pressure them to close?»
«No comment, Miss Fox».
Unsurprisingly, the star of this conversation was Queen. As one of the administrators, she would have the greatest understanding of what was going on here.
But it seemed that there were those who expected someone else to take the reins.
«... So you're not here today?»
«Who?»
«Master», Wolf murmured. «I thought maybe Master would show up today».
Reina nodded her head. He had shown great interest in the Master in previous meetings.
As I scanned the room, assimilating the conversation, my eyes finally fell on Duende, who raised his hand in silence.
«Do you have something to say?» queen asked him.
«Not a big deal... but since this is our last meeting, how about we exchange names?».
This suggestion made everyone think twice, and the members who heard it well the first time stopped to look at it in a way that conveyed how absurd the idea seemed to them.
However, Goblin persevered. «It's just that... finding us all here was a happy accident in the first place. If we separate, it is not known when we will be able to see each other again. We could help each other in the real world... or if we created a new meeting place like this...»
«Mr. Goblin. Please stop.»
The person who put an end to Goblin's senseless ramblings was Fox.
«The reason this group was created in the first place was to provide a space with guaranteed anonymity», he argued. «With that in mind, who would think of revealing his real name?».
«True... but I can't help but feel like I would regret it if I didn't at least ask...».
«Pshe, it's nice that you think like that. Well, my identity has already been revealed, so I don't really care either way... Ah, but I guess you're in the same boat, Goblin. Pshehe, that's very smart of you, actually. Propose an exchange in which you alone have nothing to lose».
«N-No... that's not what I was trying to do...» Goblin stammered, clearly disturbed by Clown's taunts.
Unexpectedly, it was Queen who came to Goblin's rescue. «Mr. Goblin, I don't need to explain. Everyone knows that was not his intention».
«...¿In series?»
«Yeah. You're just upset because this is our last meeting, aren't you?».
«Yeah... that was really it...».
We could all hear in his voice that he didn't want this to end.
You know, this isn't high school graduation or something, man.
This guy becomes more emotionally attached to things than he seems. Or was it just his personality all the time and I hadn't realized it? It seemed like he really was the weakest link in the Round Table.
By the way, isn't it time we got started?
Even though we were all disappointed that it was the last time, we weren't here to say a fond goodbye and say goodbye to each other.
As if reading my thoughts, Fox took the initiative to end the talk and officially begin the meeting. «Now that's fixed...»
«Wait. One of the original members, Crescent, cut it before it could continue. «Can I make a suggestion?»
«...A suggestion?»
«We don't know what may happen in the future, but this could be the last time we are together like this. So...» Crescent looked at everyone and said, «How about we change the rules a little bit for our last meeting?».
«...Change them? What do you mean?»
«Let's ask ourselves questions one by one. Surely we all have some question that we have always wanted to ask someone here.»
«Hmm ... »
A certain gleam appeared in the eyes of each member of the Round Table. I realized they weren't very willing to try Crescent's idea.
Understanding the change in mood, Crescent quickly added one more rule.
«Of course, they don't have to answer any questions that they consider too invasive. If you want to skip one, you can take a normal turn. What do you think?»
Silence took over the room as the suggestion remained in the air. While most of us remained silent to gauge the reactions of others, one person felt no need to conform and slashed the silence with joy.
«Pshe, are you stupid?» clown cackled. «Who would answer the questions if you added a clause like that? We would all share the information we have prepared, as always».
We had all thought the same thing, although none of us had said it out loud. If there was no penalty for skipping it, there was no need to play along and answer the question, and if we played along, it would probably only benefit the questioner. Others may not be interested in the question or its answer.
«...Please forget my suggestion».
In the end, even Crescent agreed that he had been short-sighted and rescinded his proposal. After looking at the others to make sure no one else would interrupt, Fox took over, and the meeting began.
«So the first one is... Deer. Would you be so kind?»
«Clear.»
The first to come this time was Ciervo, a palace knight. As expected, the information he gave was concise.
«It is very likely that the royal family has nothing to do with the closure of the community.»
«Offering a theory as fact... You know you need to present enough evidence for us to believe it, right?»
«The royal family intended to use the community as a means to gather and share information with the expedition group they sent to Basement One Plant. If they knew they were going to close Ghostbusters the following month, they would never have followed that plan in the first place.»
«Or maybe they were keeping their real plan a secret and you weren't aware?».
In other words, perhaps he was the only one in the palace who was unaware of what was happening behind the scenes. At that, although Deer was visibly enraged, he did not say a word.
The possibility was definitely there.
«You can all decide for yourself». Deer handed over responsibility to us, and the other members ended up giving him the go-ahead.
The reason was simple.
«An expedition group...» Wolf grumbled to himself. «He knew they intended to take control of the new area, but he didn't expect the palace to send its own people to the basement...».
There were still some people at the table who didn't even know of the expedition group's existence before Deer brought it up. Although Wolf was the only one who admitted it out loud, Clown probably didn't know either, since he was from Noark.
Even so, I was a little surprised that information like this received the go-ahead.
Maybe it's because this is the last meeting? Everyone seems inclined to be a little more generous today.
In any case, we move on to the next person, Fox.
«According to a reliable source, the expedition group has already joined Baron Yandel and is now traveling with him».
The information Fox offered was about our search. I knew it was inevitable. She had been trapped in Basement One Plant for months. There was no way I had any other new information to share.
«But... that's not really that useful, is it?»
However, Queen complained about Fox's attempt, and the other members nodded. Fox needed to give second information.
«Bjorn Yandel has acquired the essence of Bellarios».
Hah, so it came to this.
Although at first I didn't like my personal information being leaked, it really wasn't that big of a deal. There had already been so many witnesses when I got the essence that I knew from the beginning that the news would spread as soon as we returned to the city.
«By Bellarios... you mean that rank three monster».
«That man... How many rank three does he have now?»
«Could we also know what color the essence was?»
«Pshe, that barbarian only cares about getting cushioning, doesn't he?»
«From what I've heard, not even the aura works against him... and now he won't be weak to magic either».
Once again I realized how famous Bjorn Yandel had become as I listened to each of the members comment on this new information.
«Then... let's move on to the next person».
Perhaps not wanting me to be the main topic of conversation any longer than necessary, Fox quickly rushed the meeting.
«Haha, then I'll go».
It was Wolf's turn next. He was a veteran who supported and defended Auril Gavis, the old man who served as Master of the Round Table, to an almost suspicious extent.
«Auril Gavis currently resides outside the city walls».
And the information he gave this time was also related to the old man.
Outside the walls... It seems that Baekho Lee's assumption was correct.
It was a brief snippet of information, but due to the topic, it was given the green light without discussion.
«Then the next one...»
The meeting continued after Wolf's turn without a hitch.
«Recently... I received a blessing, a revelation. It was a prophetic dream».
«Pshe, you and those blessings of yours...»
«In that prophetic dream, Bjorn Yandel died».
Goblin shared with them information about a prophecy that had already been treated as breaking news. A few practically had question marks floating above their heads at this shocking revelation, but Duende did not give more details and ended his turn there.
Yes, that's how a full-fledged scam was done.
In any case, those who came after followed suit and were also brief.
«...The Ghostbusters will never open again».
Queen took her turn to put a nail in the coffin.
Crescent talked a little about the dwarves' plan to create a new Genesis Treasure.
And Butterfly, Black, and Clown seemed to want to conserve their strength during this first round, as they spent their turns with information that was regular at best.
«Now he is... the last person».
Finally, it was my turn.
As always, everyone turned to look at me expectantly. However, I ignored them completely, my gaze fixed on one person in particular.
Crescent looked at me more desperately than anyone. I realized I couldn't look him in the eyes.
«Let's ask ourselves questions one by one».
The reason Crescent had suggested changing the rules was because of me. If this was really our last meeting, I certainly had something I wanted to ask myself.
I know what I'm going to say, but I can't say it.
In reality, the information I was going to share was already decided before the meeting began. There were things he had to say before the group disbanded forever. So I forced my lips apart.
«The Renaissance Stone...»
Crescent's eyes flashed. But only for that brief moment.
«...can only be used on a person's body...»
The spark began to flicker.
«...she hasn't been dead for long.»
And with those few words, I completely extinguished the hope in a man's eyes.
At the same time, something Baekho Lee said earlier resonated in my mind.
«But hey, aren't you a hypocrite? You are constantly lying and manipulating people too».
Sea Missha, Baekho Lee, o quien sea...
Maybe he had no right to judge them.