Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 470: Friend or Foe (2)
Marquis Terserion. The Prime Minister of Lafdonia and the second most powerful person in the kingdom.
He was a constant source of anxiety for me.
After all, he was the one who had tricked me into leading the suicide mission.
He must see me as a thorn in his side.
'And there were so many things I didn't understand about his actions...'
My promotion, for example.
He could have easily blocked it if he wanted to.
But it had been approved without any resistance.
And the fact that he had suggested the Evil Spirit Integration Policy to Ragna was also suspicious.
He was an enigma.
But...
"I'll keep it brief."
Lee Baekho's explanation cleared up some of my questions.
"The reason Marquis Terserion announced that Bjorn Yandel was an evil spirit and then suggested the Integration Policy... was because of me."
Lee Baekho had used my reputation to promote the integration of evil spirits into the city.
It was a ridiculous plan, but also a plausible one.
Ragna's perception of me had changed because of it. She had become a genuine supporter of the policy.
I was the perfect symbol for his cause. A living example of a 'good' evil spirit.
"Why are you so obsessed with integrating evil spirits?"
"Because the players need to gain more influence if we want to overthrow the royal family."
Lee Baekho's goal was to overthrow the royal family.
He believed that reaching the 10th floor required dismantling the current power structure.
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"But what about the Marquis? Why would he agree to your demands?"
"I blackmailed him."
"...Blackmailed him?"
"Yes. His son is also a player."
That surprised me.
So that's why he had been so willing to use the royal family's name.
He had leverage.
'A noble from birth? Talk about unbalanced...'
The players who started in Noark would be furious if they heard about this.
But that wasn't my concern right now.
"The Marquis agreed to my demands to protect his son."
He had chosen to protect his son rather than risk his family's reputation.
"He needed time. He didn't have any other heirs. If his son disappeared, the entire family would be in turmoil."
"I'm sure his relatives would be calculating their chances of inheriting the title."
"Exactly. No one would try to assassinate him, but his faction would be weakened."
"But wouldn't it be better to just give the title to another relative than to risk it all for an evil spirit?"
"I told you, he needed time. He's been working tirelessly to find a solution, hasn't he?"
I didn't need to know that.
It made me uncomfortable.
He was old enough to be my grandfather.
Was this his last hurrah?
'Maybe Ragna was also part of his plan B...'
As I was thinking that, Lee Baekho suddenly apologized.
"By the way, I'm sorry, hyung. The Marquis probably sent you on that expedition because of me."
"...What are you talking about?"
"If you returned alive and proved that you weren't an evil spirit, it would have disrupted my plans for the Integration Policy. So he wanted to eliminate you. Quietly."
But his plan had failed, and I had returned alive, declaring my innocence in front of everyone.
"He contacted me after that, saying he had no choice."
Lee Baekho had accepted the situation and decided to remove me from his plans.
I was no longer a useful pawn.
But...
"He asked me if I could kill you. He said you would become a problem later."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
He had been plotting against me from the moment I returned.
"I told him I would think about it. His offer was quite tempting."
"Is that why you said you were glad I was alive?"
"Ahaha... You're sharp."
...I had almost died.
Without even realizing it.
"But now that I know you're my hyung, I told him I wouldn't do it. And I told him to leave you alone."
"..."
"So... I've paid my dues, haven't I?"
He was right.
At least until he found a solution for his son, the Marquis wouldn't dare harm me.
'I guess that's one less thing to worry about...'
It was an unexpected gain, but I remained calm.
"So? What else can you do for me?"
Showing satisfaction would only weaken my bargaining position.
___________________
Lee Baekho then listed the other ways he could help me.
But they were mostly empty promises.
"If you have anyone you want dead, just tell me. I'll take care of them!"
"Really? Then kill the Marquis."
"Uh, that's a bit... He can be resurrected by the royal palace."
"...Resurrected? What are you talking about?"
"Ah, you don't know about that. It wasn't in the game, was it? Anyway, there's a royal treasure that can resurrect people. And the Marquis has it."
"Then what about Count Alminus?"
"He's always with that Dragonkin, so it's difficult. He's a tank..."
What was he even talking about?
He had sounded so confident...
"So who can you actually kill?"
I asked patiently, and Lee Baekho suddenly looked down and mumbled,
"I mean, it's not my fault... Why are you always asking about such difficult targets..."
But his meekness didn't last long. He quickly recovered and said cheerfully,
"Ah! Then how about this? You're planning a Dreadfear raid, right? I can help you with that—!"
"No need."
"Huh?"
"It'll attract too much attention. I don't want people to know about our connection."
"Uh... we can just use disguises."
"No. I can handle it myself."
"..."
Lee Baekho was speechless.
It seemed like I had to be more direct.
"What about money?"
"How much do you need?"
"About a billion stones."
"T-That's a bit... even I don't have that much."
"Then 500 million?"
"I'm a little short on cash right now..."
"...100 million."
"...I've had a lot of expenses lately."
What? He was poorer than me?
"Then give me some equipment. What Numbered Items do you have?"
"Uh... they're all core items, so I can't give those away."
What was he even trying to do?
No money, no equipment...
"Baekho, do you know what a damp squib is?"
"..."
Lee Baekho didn't answer.
"What about essences? You can farm some for me. Bellarios, for example."
"Hyung... that's a war zone..."
"Baekho, you always find excuses, don't you?"
"...Alright! I'll do it! I'll start farming next time!"
Right, he could do it if he wanted to. Why was he acting so weak?
'I didn't expect to skip the Bellarios grind so easily.'
It was a decent reward.
Time for the next topic.
"Baekho, I have a few questions for you. Will you answer them?"
"Yes! Anything!"
"How did you figure out that I was Bjorn Yandel?"
"That? Thanks to the GM. He summoned me as soon as my ban was lifted. He said you blackmailed him into unbanning me."
What the... Seriously?
"I was shocked. I didn't know you were that strong. So I pretended to be on your side and asked him about you, and he started spilling information."
The GM had lived up to his reputation.
"He said you were using a Lion mask at the Round Table."
He had revealed my identity at the Round Table...
"That wasn't a problem. But then he asked me..."
...and then he had revealed the crucial piece of information.
"He asked why you hadn't been online for over two years. He asked if we were plotting something together..."
Lee Baekho grinned.
"That's when I knew."
It wasn't surprising that he had figured it out.
My long absence from the community coincided with Bjorn Yandel's disappearance.
Even the other Round Table members had suspected me.
"I see."
I didn't want to hear any more about the GM, so I moved on to the next question.
"What happened between you and the Ruin Scholar when the fire broke out in the Imperial City? You both disappeared."
I had been curious about that.
How had they become companions?
"Ah, that?"
Lee Baekho shrugged.
"Nothing much. He told me he was an otherworldly evil spirit, that his goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss, and that he wanted to work with me. I needed a mage, so I agreed."
"Really?"
I tried to sound nonchalant.
Just like Lee Baekho had sensed my lie before,
I could feel it instinctively.
"Yes. I was worried because he was old and missing a few teeth, but he's quite skilled."
Lee Baekho...
"Hmm, is that so?"
...was lying.
___________________
A skilled liar hides the lie within the truth.
If that was true, most of what Lee Baekho had said was probably true.
Therefore...
"My future plans? They're simple! We'll join forces and take down the royal family and the labyrinth! Ah, just kidding. What I'm actually planning is—"
I asked him a random question, and while he was answering, I analyzed his previous statements one by one.
[He told me he was an otherworldly evil spirit.]
That was a known fact.
[His goal was to open the Gate of the Abyss.]
That was also true.
[He wanted to work with me.]
He had probably asked for his cooperation.
That made sense.
Then...
[I needed a mage, so I agreed.]
That was the only part that didn't add up.
Lee Baekho hadn't teamed up with the Ruin Scholar because he needed a mage.
There was another reason.
And he had hidden it from me.
Why?
'Because it's something he can't tell me.'
I had almost let my guard down, charmed by his seemingly naive demeanor... but I was now wary of him.
Lee Baekho was a dangerous opponent.
'What else is he hiding?'
He had given me very little in return for my information.
He had reluctantly agreed to farm Bellarios essences, and he had promised to return Misha... but that was all.
'...He's clearly hiding something. Is he really trying to help me?'
I couldn't be sure.
"The royal family is the biggest obstacle. The players are still hiding, so it's difficult to gather them. We need to bring them out into the open—"
Was Lee Baekho my friend, or my foe?
___________________
After a while, it was time for Lee Baekho to leave.
He still had the one-hour logout restriction.
"Hyung, can you ask the GM about the time limit? He must have taken the early version pill too. Ask him if there's a way to increase the time limit."
"Alright."
"Okay. See you later!"
I hadn't had a chance to ask him about the Record Stone.
But it wasn't a big deal.
Things were going smoothly.
I could ask him about it later, after getting Misha back.
"Oppa, how did it go?"
After Lee Baekho left, Hyunbyul returned, and we chatted for a while.
"It went well, thanks to you."
"Don't get too close to him. He's not trustworthy."
"I know."
"...That's good. I was testing you, by the way."
"...Testing me?"
"Yes. He was acting like he knew your identity, so I wanted to see how tight-lipped you were. He didn't say anything in the end, though."
"...I see."
It was hard to believe that had been her intention, but I didn't have any proof to the contrary, so I just let it go.
And after a while...
"Hyunbyul, I'm leaving."
I stood up.
"You're leaving early again..."
The Round Table always started at this time.
"See you later."
"Okay."
I left the chat room and entered the Round Table.
I put on my navy blue suit and my Lion mask.
That was all the preparation I needed.
Step, step.
I walked through the empty hallway towards the main room.
But...
"Haha! Fox, it's been a while!"
When I arrived, there were three unfamiliar masks in the room.
And...
"Oh, you're Lion? Nice to meet you!"
"..."
"Hello..."
...three new members.
