’How is this possible...? It shouldn’t be possible.’
Staring at the images that were being displayed above, I found myself at a complete loss. I was well aware of the fact that the cameras didn’t work back then. There was simply no way for them to work.
And yet...?
Wait.
A thought surfaced in my mind.
Not just a thought, but a figure.
Could it be?
—Don’t worry, there’s no poison in it.
As Leon’s voice drifted in the air, the crowd cheered. The cheer was what shook me out of my thoughts as I turned to face his direction. He was also staring at me, but the smile that usually appeared on his face was gone.
For a moment, I thought I caught a brief glimpse of it.
Panic.
Yes, he was panicking.
—Are you all enjoying the wine?
As the footage continued, ’he’ appeared. Even in the video, his features remained hidden as the strong glare of the sun seemed to block his face.
I could hear whispers from the crowd saying things like, ’What? Why can’t I see? He seems handsome.’
And all sorts of nonsense like that.
If only they knew...
Thankfully, they soon realized that something was wrong with his upcoming words.
—I heard about your loss. Sam and Jordan were good people. Unfortunately, they left so early. The forest is not for the faint-minded.
The noise ceased as the King’s words echoed across the place.
—You see, the forest is rather special in the sense that it amplifies a person’s thoughts. However, for such thoughts to appear, one must already feel them in the first place.
—So while it is unfortunate that they chose to go that way, in the end, they found liberation in their own way."
—Some of you, on the other hand, do it because you’re good at it.
—You don’t really find much pleasure in your line of work, but you do enjoy being the center of attention. You like showing your abilities and receiving all the praise from the media and your fans.
The brief moment he looked at Leon didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd as whispers echoed once more.
’Could he be talking about Leon?’
’...There’s no way. He must’ve just looked. Nothing real.’
’Yeah, Leon is nice. There’s no way.’
The crowd’s whispers entered my ears as I continued to look at Leon, who started to look around. In some way, he seemed to want to end the broadcast.
But he wasn’t able to, as it continued.
Soon, the angle shifted.
—Hahaha, if it isn’t Leon. I recognize you.
It soon became my angle as Leon stood next to me, greeting the members who had gone missing.
My breath caught at the sight as my previous assumption became true.
’There’s no doubt about it anymore. This is Paimon’s doing.’
He...
"Ha."
I covered my lips, trying my best to suppress my laugh. I knew that this wasn’t the time for me to laugh. Especially for what was to come next, but I couldn’t help it. Thinking about everything I had gone through, he was the last person that I thought would do this for me.
And most importantly...
Staring at Leon’s gradually worsening expression, I found it extremely hard to suppress my laugh.
"Squad Leader...?"
"Are you... okay?"
Hearing the worried voices of Joanna and the others, I reassured them that I was fine.
"I’m fine. Just a little cough."
"Yeah, but..." Joanna suddenly looked up, her eyes fixed on the screens in the distance as she mumbled, "I knew that you had gone somewhere, but I didn’t think it’d be so terrifying."
The video progressed.
It only grew worse from that point.
—It’s been almost a decade since we’ve been here. There’s no way you’ve only recently joined the ranks. I guess that memory must mean a lot to you for you to cling to it so much.
What I found to be especially hilarious was that I could see a noticeable alteration in the footage.
’Right, I do remember that they were insulting the BUA at this point.’
Of course, they’d cut that part.
—We’re not treated like trash over here. We can drink, sleep, and have fun every day. Nobody forces us to do anything! It’s practically paradise.
The effect of the place became known to everyone.
All spectators drew a deep breath as they realized just how terrifying the place was as it became increasingly quieter.
—I’ll stay here with them. You go ahead and look for the information. We’ll meet up down here.
Watching as the missing member handed me the key, the camera shifted once again.
This time, I watched as my figure retreated into the castle as I stared at the scene with interest.
’Leon’s angle...’
If things proceeded as I understood things went, then it wouldn’t be long until Leon followed me from behind.
And sure enough—
—On second thought, I’d like to follow him. He might get lost.
—Hahaha, do that. The castle is quite big after all.
Leon politely saluted the group before entering the castle. The familiar large hall greeted everyone’s sight as Leon proceeded forward.
By now, all shred of composure had left Leon’s face as he looked around.
But regardless of where he looked, there was nobody to help as the footage continued, and he moved towards a certain room.
—He should be here...?
As he stopped before the open door, he hesitated for a moment before moving in. That was also the moment that he caught sight of me. I seemed to be fiddling with something while something hung in the air.
There were collective gasps around, but the shock wasn’t over as I soon began walking in the direction of the body, setting up my own rope.
All attention focused on me once more, the air growing increasingly still.
I didn’t pay any attention to those around me.
Rather...
’I know this happened, but at this point, the Realmwalker should’ve also appeared. Now that I think about it, Leon never saw the Realmwalker. I guess he altered the footage alongside our perception.’
Things progressed differently from what I remembered, but I more or less had an understanding of the sequence of events.
—Hmm, I see. So everyone below is dead. It’s just like the forest. The people below are just souls. Should I help him?
Leon’s whisper was what made things truly entertaining for me as the crowd turned their attention towards him, his face growing increasingly worse.
And soon—
—Nah, that won’t benefit me.
The scene shifted as the image of hanging myself appeared for the world to see.
The noise died completely in that moment as the eyes of many widened. Some from the shock of my actions, while others from the shock of Leon’s words.
I couldn’t blame them.
Leon’s image was clean. He was the polite and perfect Paragon that always seemed sunny.
And yet...
The video clearly showed the opposite as Leon turned back and headed back towards where the party was.
The crowd erupted in that moment.
"What is this?!"
"It has to be fake? This can’t be true...?"
"Was he lying to all of us from the start?"
"No, what are you talking about! He was simply doing it because it’s a competition! He also can’t risk his life for others!"
There were, of course, people who defended him, but even those voices grew in the minority after the next moment.
—After all, what can someone who’s already died do with that?"
—They don’t realize it, but they’ve already been affected. Their minds are weak, and they’ve succumbed to the comfort that is presented around them."
—You’ve fallen for the temptation."
—I’ve seen you fall for the temptation. I saw everything, and I didn’t stop it when I could’ve."
—From the start, I never trusted you. I didn’t let you go up there because I wanted you to find the information. I let you go up there because I knew something was going to happen. From the moment you were in the forest, I could see it.
—I was shocked when you managed to rank ahead of me during the First Trial. Honestly, I was really having a hard time keeping it together. If not for the fact that I knew that we were being watched, I wouldn’t have been trying so hard to look friendly."
The more he spoke, the more the noise ceased.
And soon, all eyes were fixed on him as his face looked incredibly stiff.
—Seeing the current state that you’re in, all is good. My competition is now gone, and I can just claim credit for everything. There’s no doubt about it that I’ll now rank first.
Staring at the scene, I just couldn’t help it.
Even though I knew that it was wrong and I tried my best to resist the urge, I ended up unable to resist.
I really wasn’t able to, as I burst into a fit of laughter.