Survival was the last excuse I had at my disposal. He needed to survive in this damn world, so any action he took towards that goal could be justified as necessary.
«...I it.»
Crescent was nothing more than a victim of bliss «necessary action».
«There needs to be a body...»
When I arrived at the Round Table, I had been a nobody with nothing to show for it. Death lurked around every corner of this dangerous world, and I spent long nights in bars trying to get the information I needed to stay alive.
That's why I had put on the lion mask.
To get the information he needed, he would hang someone's greatest wish right in front of him and use it to play with him like a violin. Sincerity was a sin in this world, after all. The moment you let your guard down, they destroyed you. And the more power I could get, the safer my comrades and I would be. That's what I really believed then.
«That part is definitely different from the legends...»
But what now?
Although I still worried about my survival constantly, I was now much stronger. I had become the chief of a tribe and a nobleman. In fact, House Yandel was even part of a non-human alliance of aristocrats, Melbeth. Thanks to all that, I no longer needed to rely so much on Roundtable information.
And yet, I kept putting on this lion mask and cheating on them. Because?
The answer didn't take long to reach me.
Queen. Clown. Wolf, who seemed to have some kind of connection with Auril Gavis, the mysterious Black, and Butterfly. I wanted to benefit from the information they brought here. Yes, that part was genuine. But...
«...Thanks to you, I can now let go of this silly dream of mine».
I realized it at that moment.
I could no longer use survival as an excuse. Just like a piece of white paper couldn't always be next to a puddle of black ink without getting stained...
«However, I cannot feel any gratitude towards you.»
That's how I was now. Someone who lied, who threatened, as long as it was for my benefit. After years of work, with the sole priority of living to see the next day, I had ended up becoming the kind of person I used to hate.
There was great silence. Even Clown, who normally made fun of Crescent and said it was his fault for being fooled in the first place, didn't say a word, just stared.
«I..» Crescent finally broke the long silence and stood up from his seat. «I'm leaving... There's nothing else for me here».
And with that, Crescent really left, giving none of us a chance to respond.
«Eh...? Is he really gone...?»
This was an anonymous group where no one knew each other's names. Once we left here today, there was no guarantee that we would meet again in the future. But despite knowing that, in the end, I wasn't able to say it.
I wasn't able to say sorry.
If I did, it could turn against me. That was the thought that lingered in my mind.
***
Even after Crescent left the Round Table, our last meeting continued. Although it might seem harsh, it was to be expected given the nature of this place. The relationships we had with the people here were purely professional.
«Pshe, he's really gone. It's not fun».
Everyone gritted their teeth and ignored Clown's nonsense as the second round began. Again Deer was the first to leave.
«Dime...»
However, instead of sharing information, Deer looked me straight in the eyes and asked, «Do you think this is a game? You believe it?»
The feeling I got was that he wasn't very friendly with anyone in general, but seeing Crescent leave like that must have been a shock to his system, as he looked at me with open hostility.
«Sr. Deer... P-Por favorite, cálmese...»
Goblin tried to stop Deer, and the other members looked at him with concern as well. However, Deer did not back down.
«Is all this just a form of perverted entertainment for you...? Find someone desperate and give them hope, only to take it away? Is that why you mention it now? Because today is going to be the last day?»
If I had to defend myself, that wasn't the reason I did it. The real reason he had finally spoken today was out of a sense of duty... No, I assumed it was closer to a sense of guilt.
And the reason I put so much emphasis on the need to be «gifted» at the Round Table? It was simply a way to give body to León's character. Or rather, to manipulate the other members and control the flow of the conversation as I please.
«León, there is no doubt that you are someone much more powerful than me. However, I still have to say what needs to be said: You are nothing more than a broken man».
I had heard those same words several times in the past. When Baekho Lee said them, I just let them slip away. But at that moment, it became clear that there had to be some kind of flaw in me that these people were detecting.
I was broken. Even by the standards of this wild world, he had already crossed a line.
And as if to confirm it...
Should I use killing intent?
The first thought that came to mind after Deer said all that was, What would Leon do? In my head, I saw myself saying «interesting» and employing a little killing intent. Because that was the easiest path, and the one that would be most beneficial for me to take.
«Pshehe, how about you stop there? It's hard to hear your whining. Know your place, Deer».
Along the same lines, when Clown started barking at Deer like a guard dog, I stayed silent to wait to see how it developed.
«...That's funny. Clown, do you think he'll give a damn if you kiss him enough?».
«I already know the answer to that, so mind your own business. Pshe, how about you stop complaining and get on with your shift at once? Everyone is waiting for you».
Deer responded to Clown's haughty instructions by quietly getting up from his seat.
«That? Oh», Clown snorted, "are you leaving too?".
«I'm not going to stay here and let that man use me for his own amusement in the hopes that he'll eventually throw his leftovers off the table...»
«Then leave at once», Clown said coldly. «Don't waste any more time».
Deer stared at Clown for a long moment. Then, he took a breath and spoke. «This was no longer the case». And with that cryptic statement, he left.
Everyone held their breath as another silence took over the room.
«Aha... things have gotten weird again!». Wolf said in an attempt to break the ice, letting out an awkward laugh. «Everyone got along pretty well when Master was here! But what is going to be done? It's not here anymore».
There he went, bringing up the topic of the Master as usual.
«Somehow we have been left with two fewer members, but let's continue. Wouldn't it be disappointing to end up like this? We won't be able to meet like this again in the future...»
«Instead... how about we try the idea Crescent mentioned earlier?».
The suggestion came from Butterfly, who had been watching my confrontation with Crescent and Deer as the best drama in the world.
«But in this version, there are no jumps: we have to be honest no matter what happens», he continued. «Oh, except for anything that might reveal our identities. What do you think? I think it will be a good way to lighten the atmosphere again».
«... That's fine with me, but isn't 'it could reveal our identities' too subjective a criterion?».
«I mean, we have the gem here, what's the problem? If you refuse to answer, all you have to do is put your hand on her and say something. Then we'll know if you're trying to sneak out of your shift or if you really can't».
«Shouldn't you first make sure everyone is on board?». Queen was quick to interrupt her and try to put things back in their place.
The eyes shining through Butterfly's mask narrowed. «Heh, you're doing it again, old lady».
«...Old woman?»
«At least I can say that you are older than me».
Unfortunately, Queen couldn't argue with that.
Still staring at Queen, Butterfly took the initiative and instructed everyone to vote.
«Six for and two against».
Surprisingly, most people were in favor of his plan. The only ones who voted against were Queen and Black.
«Leon, were you in favor...? Because?»
«Pshehe, Queen, don't you know him yet? It's because it will be more fun that way».
Fun had nothing to do with it. I also had something I wanted to confirm before leaving the Round Table for the last time.
The Queen sighed. «In any case, since we have come to this, I will accept the group's decision. But before we start, let's make the rules clear».
At Reina's request, we had a brief debate to iron out differences over the procedure.
«In short, on each person's turn, you will receive a question from each of the other people at the table. They will then decide what question they want to answer. That's all».
«How much longer are we going to sit? Let's move, sister», Butterfly said.
«... Mrs. Fox, could you begin?»
«Yes of course».
As Fox assumed the role of answering machine with a nod, everyone took turns asking her questions.
«I remember a while ago you had a lot of faith in the Master... Do you still feel the same?». Wolf, as he used to do, brought up Maestro every chance he got.
«I... will pass». Goblin passed. As someone who is an expert in all kinds of tricks, I found it a very disappointing move on his part. If he really wanted to help Fox, it would have been much better if he passed off an unimportant question as important so she could answer it instead of the others.
In any case, most of us - including me - passed by and, in the end, Fox only received two questions.
«You seem to know in great detail what happens in Basement One Floor. Are you maybe there right now?»
«...Wouldn't that reveal my identity?»
«Heh, but how could I know who you are when there are so many people?».
«...Now I will answer a question.» Once we were all done, Fox chose one of the two questions he received. «You asked if I still thought of Master as a good person».
«Oh, so you chose my question», Wolf rumbled, pleased.
«My answer is 'no'. I didn't know Maestro was Auril Gavis back then».
«Hmm... The only reason it has a bad reputation is because of the palace's evil tricks, but I get it. It's disappointing».
With that, Fox's turn was over.
Wolf then received a total of four questions.
«I will answer the Queen's question. Your theory is correct. Sir Auril Gavis has the power to stop the Ghostbusters from closing».
My ears sharpened as soon as I heard that.
Doesn't that imply that Auril Gavis had something to do with the server shutdown...?
If that was the case, what was that old man up to now? The idea worried me, but I couldn't do anything about it in my current state.
«Then next up is Goblin».
Goblin received more questions than Fox, but less than Wolf, and of the three questions...
«I will answer Miss. Fox's question. The Grand Archbishop of the Church of Reatlas does not have much time left to live. The next great archbishop will be selected from the group of young saints...»
Although this could be considered insider information, none of us were really interested in it. It was obvious to everyone that he had used Fox's question as the way out to pass his turn.
«So now it's Queen's turn, pshehe».
Queen went after Goblin and received the most questions with five. She went on to answer the question in all of our minds.
«This knowledge will likely reach your ears in the near future, so I better say it here. A certain object is needed to make this spiritual dimension work, and that object has slowly begun to lose power.»
«...Is that why the community is closing?»
«Yeah. We have looked for a way to fix it, but we have not been able to find a viable solution».
«Auril Gavis... So what you are saying is that if he helps, it would be possible to revive this place...»
«Yeah. However, that doesn't seem likely».
With that, Queen's turn ended. We jumped over Crescent's empty seat and approached Butterfly.
«Heh... but does anyone have any questions for me?».
This was the real reason I voted for this Truth game. I had the information I needed from Butterfly. However, instead of asking him myself, I sat and waited.
«Yes, I have one.»
Sure enough, Fox immediately raised his hand to ask the question instead of me.
«You told us that Missha Karlstein is a traitor... I want to hear it in more detail».