When the Master, the man who had created the private chat room called "Round Table Watchers," disappeared without a trace, everyone let out disappointed sighs.

"Ha, he really disappeared.

— ... It was not like leaving the chat.

"Yes, it's almost like he's logged out...

Their voices were full of questions. In principle, I felt about the same.

— I thought that you could leave the chat only after returning to the room?

"It was more like he had been kicked out of the system.

This was very different from the case of Lee Baek Ho. To begin with, Lee Baek-ho took a "prototype pill" that limited his time to one hour.

But what about the Master? This was a problem experienced by someone who had been fine before, and not in reality, but when using the Ghostbusters community.

Did the others have similar thoughts?

"What is Master going through...?"

"Hehee, I don't know, but I can say one thing for sure.

"What exactly?"

The Clown lowered his voice in response to the Fox's question.

"His year-long disappearance without warning is associated with GM.

There was silence for a moment, not because it was shocking, but because everyone was lost in their thoughts. Most seemed to agree with Clown's suggestion.

"Well, that's probably the most likely.

"But there is a contradiction here. If Master was indeed under the restrictions of the GM, then how could he reappear here?

"He's a mysterious person. Since this space was created by magic, maybe he had found a way to circumvent the restrictions with the same magic?

"Uh-does that mean that our Master could be a more powerful Magus than the GM who created this community?"

"It's definitely plausible, hee-hee.

From that moment on, the participants began to exchange all kinds of assumptions, and I just calmly listened to interesting content. Of course, this conversation did not last long.

— ... Hm, Mr. Lev, do you know anything?

Soon, of course, my attention shifted to me. This was expected. After all, it was me who pretended to be Lee Baek Ho and called him "grandfather". Perhaps they thought I might know something.

"I'm not sure.

How do I know? I was no less interested in who he was. Of course, I wasn't going to tell them that.

It was embarrassing.

"Oh, I see. You don't either-...

Do not say that Leo "does not know". Instead, it would have been better to say this:

"But I have a hunch," I interrupted the Fox's words.

At this moment, Lisa's disappointed tone rose sharply.

"A guess?" It's true? No, I don't doubt you, but...

The Fox's eyes showed her blossoming anticipation through the crack in the mask. The same thing happened with other masks.

… To be honest, I have no idea at all.

My conscience of a modern man trembled, but I ignored it.

"P-Please tell us." What happened to the Master-...?

"That's enough.

I interrupted the Fox again.

— … And?

Believing that I was really going to tell them, the Fox stared at me with blank eyes. However, there was no need to explain in detail. It was enough to shrug his shoulders slightly. There was no one here who did not know the meaning of this gesture.

"You want us to bring you something interesting, hee-hee.

If you want something from me, you must bring me something suitable in return—this was the iron rule set by Leo for the Round Table. How will the Fox react then?

— … Ok.

As expected. She was the only one who was almost obsessively interested in Master's current situation.

"Still, I'm going to lower the bar a little." Since this is only a guess...

I didn't bother to answer, to which the Fox let out a deep sigh. I guessed that she had never expected to find herself in the same situation as the Clown, who had taken the bait of the sacred relic, and the Crescent Moon, who had been obsessed with the Stone of Rebirth.

"For some reason, it seems to me that I have found a friend. Fox, you're going to have a hard time too," the Fox only laughed bitterly at Crescent Moon's consolation, as if resigned.

This meant that the quality of her information would increase in the future.

Only the Deer and the Goblin remain...

Throwing aside my self-satisfaction, I said dispassionately:

"It's boring.

— …

"Isn't small talk enough?"

— Yes, let's start the collection.

There was enough bait, it was time to fish.

***

After the third meeting, which was empty, came the fourth.

The goblin started first.

"The Mages of the Magic Tower are working together to find a way to break down Noark's barrier.

When he said this, everyone reacted as if it were obvious, but he soon explained:

"It seems that this process requires a certain amount of divine power, and the time it will take to remove the barrier can at least be shortened.

— I think this means that some progress has been made in research.

— Yes, that's true.

In short, the magic shield protecting Noark could be removed soon. However, I don't know how soon this will happen.

Raven said it would take at least two years...

After concluding his speech with the announcement that the Magic Tower had set a goal to reduce the time to six months, the Goblin ended his speech.

The Deer spoke next:

"The palace has made a new type of identification tag. It is a magical device in the form of an engraving that cannot be faked. It seems that preparations have been underway for some time, and next week they will be issued to researchers.

"Next week... Isn't this information too useless? This is not information that we can use to gain an advantage in advance.

"Well, then one more thing. The palace will take care of the clans that have stopped researching.

"What do you mean by 'take care of'?"

"Judging by the situation, although I'm not sure, it looks like there will be serious negative consequences somehow.

—... Got it.

She tried not to show it, but the Fox was clearly relieved by the information she received from the Deer. I also kept this reaction in mind.

The fox most likely belongs to a clan. She is most likely not an ordinary clan member. Maybe the head of the clan?

Of course, this was only at the stage of assumptions, so I turned my attention to the next person. It was the Fox's turn.

- Large clans are preparing a mass boycott.

"Boycott?"

- Boycott. They will not enter the maze as a group. They were already very unhappy after the conquest, and recently there was an incident that added fuel to the fire.

"Oh, that. I know what you're talking about. Crescent joined the conversation as if he were familiar with the situation. "Bjorn Yandel, right?"

And? Why did my name pop up here?

— Yes. Quite so. Initially, this was supposed to end in a fine, but the palace exiled the innocent researcher to Bifron.

Ah, that's...

"Although it's mostly their prerogative, most clans interpret it as a warning addressed to them.

- Public opinion will not be very good.

— Yes. There is talk that if the clans give the palace even more power, then next time they may be forcibly drafted into the army.

My hands stiffened and my lips parched at the mention of my name, but thankfully, no one paid attention to my reaction. Bjorn Yandel also did not interest anyone.

Phew, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Be that as it may, after the Fox answered Deer's additional questions, the third queue ended.

"Okay, who wants to be next?" Shall we continue clockwise?

— ... Clown, maybe you?

"Well, since you're asking."

At Crescent's request, Clown readily took the fourth line. I was waiting for him most of all, but I guessed that this time he would not be able to find any interesting information.

"To be honest, I don't think Mr. Lion will be interested, but I'll try it anyway.

In contrast to talking about [Binding] magic, Clown opened his mouth as if he wanted to skip his turn.

"Right before Noark was closed, they sent some people to the surface. The goal is to kill one specific researcher! Shocking, right?

"Murderers... Do you know who their target is?

"I'm not sure. I don't know everything either, hee-hee!

The fourth line ended with an incomprehensible smile. The clown didn't even ask if I was intrigued.

Well, how does he know that of all that I heard today, this was the most interesting?

The Noark Killer...

A man immediately came to mind: Amelia Reinvales.

Could she be one of the assassins sent? Judging by her abilities, she is perfect for this role.

Then the target is Auril Gevis?

Such a thought came to my mind, but for some reason I knew that it was not so. It didn't look like she was lying when she said she was looking for him for personal reasons. In any case, I will have to think about it later.

"Now it's my turn."

The long-awaited fifth move has begun. The main character of this move was the Crescent Moon, who was desperately looking for the Stone of Rebirth. He seemed confident when he asked if my promise was valid. I wondered what he had prepared.

"Does everyone remember what I said about the traces of the relic thief?"

— Of course.

As the Crescent Moon cautiously began, the other masks nodded, except for the Goblin.

"What?" What relic thief?

Only the Goblin, who was absent from that meeting, shook his head. But no one cared about him.

"Well?" Is this information really related to the Treasures of Genesis? The fox did not hide her curiosity.

Crescent nodded and...

"The treasures of Genesis no longer exist.

He uttered shocking words.

***

The Genesis Treasures were the key to the last floor where the [Abyss Gate] was located.

— What do you mean "no longer exist"? I don't understand what you're talking about at all.

— Is this reliable information? You're not the only one who thinks so, are you?

"Hee-hee, that's a little shocking.

"Uh... How can they disappear?

Since they were all players who wanted to return home, it only took a moment for confusion to reign in the hall.

But I guess that he expected such a reaction. Crescent just continued with bitterness in his voice.

"How good it would be if I were wrong. But this is an indisputable truth. The treasures of Genesis do not exist anywhere in this world.

- That is, they were destroyed?

"At least, that's what we've come to.

"But these are indestructible objects!"

The goblin seemed to be shocked and turned up the volume of his whining.

And then...

*Swoosh*

The jewel mounted in the center of the round table lit up with a green light. This meant that everything that had been said before was true.

"So... The treasures of Genesis could indeed have disappeared," the Deer muttered in a hollow voice. After that, silence reigned for a while.

Crescent Moon was the first to speak.

"Well, how do you like it?" Was it interesting?

This question was very difficult to answer. I wanted to say it was boring, but how could I say that? The crescent moon did not take its eyes off me throughout the story. He should have noticed how I froze in place when I heard this.

And what to do?

After a short thought, I made a decision. Calling it boring would not be the best choice.

"You're good.

I rather admit it. Instead, I have to reduce the damage in my image on the other side.

"That means...

Crescent Moon's breathing became heavy, as if he thought that the Rebirth Stone was almost in front of him now.

I said laconically:

— To be honest, I'm impressed.

Of course, by admitting this, you could lose a lot. After receiving information about the Stone of Rebirth, the Crescent Moon will get what he wants and will no longer be so willing to bring me information. And also, it did not correspond to the image of Leo I created. To cope with the task of "cheering up Leo" on the first try? I would definitely lose face.

*Smirk*

However, this was not a problem. Now I am not Bjorn Yandel, but not a famous person who has put on a lion mask.

Okay, I've put together a sample dialogue.

Once I had completed the last check in my head, I asked Crescent Moon:

"How did you find out?" — as if I was surprised not by the fact that the Treasures of Genesis disappeared, but by something completely different — Only a few people know that the Treasures of Genesis have disappeared. "As if it were a shame, because it was something I already knew.

—…!

Understanding the meaning of my words, Crescent widened his eyes. Apparently, he did not understand that I was deceiving him. He didn't even suspect me.

—... Well, yes, so you knew.

He only resigned himself and spoke in a weak voice.

What do I need to do to please me? This despair was transmitted through the air even to me. It wasn't the best situation for me.

— Khee-hee-hee...

Just look at the awkwardly smiling Clown. This will affect all the participants I have been luring before. So I laughed out loud and said:

- The Birthstone can be obtained on the 9th floor.

So I could at least give a consolation prize. To be honest, I felt a little sorry for him.