“Have you received the secret techniques of the family?”
“Keke, it’s not an official inheritance, but something similar.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. The skill was imitated using [Divine Imitation].
In a way, it could be considered an inheritance.
At this, Caron let out a scoff.
“Something similar… That’s quite a vague answer.”
“Keke, I’m just telling the truth. After all, I’m someone who hasn’t been officially recognized.”
This wasn’t a lie either.
The fact that I wasn’t officially recognized was true.
“Not officially recognized… Explain in detail.”
“Keke, while it’s true that… what I pursue and what the Lester family pursues are different.”
There isn’t much information about the Lester family in the game.
But they were portrayed as a family that valued pride highly.
‘It was ridiculous that they were wiped out due to a single ridiculous incident of being branded traitors.’
And Caron would know this better than I would.
Well, the incident at that time isn’t what’s important now.
What’s important now is that the Lester family was once a noble and prideful family.
That’s what matters most.
“True intentions… What does that mean?”
“The rat of the Lester family. That was the position I want. No, wanted is more accurate. The family no longer exists, after all.”
“…”
It wasn’t a lie.
‘Was it around the third year of the game? I dreamed of being a spy for the Lester family.’
I was young then.
I let my imagination run wild.
Thinking that if I had been in the Lester family, they wouldn’t have experienced certain things.
So, what I said now wasn’t entirely false either.
“A position that couldn’t possibly exist, you dreamed of it.”
The position of a spy.
A role that required not only skill but also a willingness to engage in dirty work.
Such a position could never exist in the Lester family, who valued pride.
“Keke, you are right. Isn’t it too much? Even though I was willing to do the dirty work, they wouldn’t accept me.”
“Why did you volunteer for that position?”
“I wanted to repay a debt.”
“Repay a debt?”
“You must know. The orphanage secretly operated by the Lester family.”
“…”
It was information that came out in the game.
The Lester family wanted to do good deeds in secret, and one of them was the orphanages in each of their territories.
They even operated them in the territories of other families.
“On the day I received a large piece of bread, almost dying of starvation, I decided. I would dedicate the rest of my life to the Lester family.”
“…”
There wasn’t much information about the character Caron.
But the bread given by the emperor himself.
It was one of the reasons he decided to become the empire’s rat, one of the few pieces of information about Caron.
‘It stimulates the imagination.’
Reviving his memory, making him feel pity for me.
To create a sense of kinship, to see himself in me.
“I stole food from the orphanage and headed to the Lester family. It took me half a year to get there, and another half a year begging to be accepted.”
It wasn’t a complete lie.
I was actually raised in an orphanage.
Who would have thought that would come in handy here? Life is indeed full of surprises.
“…”
Caron said nothing.
Was it because he couldn’t distinguish between the 30% truth and the lie?
Or because he was interested in the story about the Lester family?
Or maybe he was seeing his past self in me?
Whatever the reason, it was the perfect situation for an experiment.
Can [Mental Defense] control even the heart?
— That was the experiment.
“And finally, I was able to face Lady Renia, the head of the family. I was stubborn, asking to be accepted, and I got the chance to repay my gratitude.”
“Did they accept you?”
“Keke, yes, they did. Do you believe me now?”
This time, the sentences were filled with 100% lies.
It’s fine if I get caught. Being caught in a lie doesn’t mean he’ll immediately cut my throat.
The important thing now is to verify [Mental Defense].
That will determine the direction of my next move.
“No, not at all. It’s now certain that you’re lying.”
So, [Mental Defense] can’t control the heartbeat?
It was time to revise the strategy.
“The Lester family is strict. Not just in words and actions, but more so in swordsmanship. They would never pass it on to someone dreaming of being a dirty rat.”
I noticed something odd in Caron’s words.
What he pointed out was the pride of the Lester family.
He didn’t point out my lie. Then.
‘It worked. It’s a 100% pure lie.’
[Mental Defense] does control the heartbeat. To always maintain composure.
Of course, I couldn’t be certain with just one instance.
‘It might be an act to make it seem like he’s fooled.’
To make me tell more lies, to confirm that I have no connection to the Lester family.
Caron is by no means an easy opponent.
But it was clear that I had gained the upper hand.
“Keke, that’s disappointing. To dismiss the truth as a lie.”
“No, it’s definitely a lie. The proud Lester family…”
Just then, a good opportunity presented itself.
Caron’s choice of words, the speed of his speech, our conversation.
And finally, the timing.
“They wouldn’t raise someone like you.”
“They wouldn’t raise someone like me, right?”
The same phrase flowed from both our mouths simultaneously.
Caron’s eyes widened.
They returned to normal in an instant, but it was too late.
I had seen everything.
I quickly spoke up.
“You’re right. The Lester family would never accept someone like me. Not just because I’m a child, but because I wanted to take on dirty work. Lady Renia would never allow it.”
“Then what?”
“I made a deal with Lady Renia.”
“…A deal?”
“Give and take. I paid a price and received teachings.”
“You paid a price? Don’t make me laugh. What could someone like you possibly pay?”
I was fifteen. Still young even now.
Younger back then, there’s no way such a person could pay anything to the Lester family, one of the pillars of the empire.
Caron was pointing that out.
Hmm, now that I think about it, that’s true.
‘I was going to say I gave some useless information and received teachings out of pity…’
But seeing Caron’s reaction, the pride of the Lester family seemed much higher than I thought.
Such an unbelievable excuse wouldn’t be enough.
It’s too much to make up more. So.
I brazenly proceed.
“Keke, isn’t finding that out part of your job?”
“…”
“Kuhack!”
Caron’s hand moved like lightning and grasped my throat.
Hanging in mid-air, my throat was naturally constricted.
“Making such a ridiculous joke. Do you want to die?”
I tried to answer, but I couldn’t.
Because of the terrible pain.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
‘This damn [Mental Defense] skill…!’
My mind was clear.
Even as my vision blurred, the pain was felt vividly.
Normally, as breathing gets difficult, dopamine or endorphins are secreted to make it hurt less…!
But there was only pain, nothing else.
[Mental Defense]. This skill really has a problem.
‘Is this a bad ending…?’
The emotion I felt just before death was regret.
For 18 years, and even after entering the world of the game, regret for not having cleared it.
‘I wanted to save the kids too.’
Rodelin, Luna, Raymon, and even those I hadn’t met yet.
I wanted to help them overcome their pain and live happy lives.
It was going to be tough, but I wanted to guide as much as I could within my reach.
But it seems I’m not fated to be a hero like Luterus and Parrot.
‘…Damn.’
It was when I spat out my last curse towards Caron.
Suddenly, the hard ground struck me out of nowhere.
At the same time, my breath returned.
That’s when I realized. It wasn’t that the ground hit me.
It was that I had fallen to the ground.
“Huff… Huff…”
I looked up at Caron, meeting his gaze.
He had decided not to kill me. In other words.
I had survived.
Caron didn’t have a rational reason to kill me.
“Don’t ever make such stupid jokes again. Next time, I’ll really break your neck.”
A chilling warning.
But I was certain.
It wasn’t because of the joke that Caron strangled me.
‘It was just an act to gain the upper hand in a disadvantageous situation. So.’
It was as if Caron was proving that I was doing well.
Like a gamer saying, ‘Ah, this guy plays the game terribly!’
It was like receiving the highest praise.
“What’s your reason for protecting Luna?”
Caron’s question followed.
He must have seized the moment while my mind was still unorganized, but it wouldn’t work on me.
I answered, extending one finger at a time.
“First, she’s the only survivor of the Lester family, second, the family’s swordsmanship needs to be passed on, third, it’s part of the deal with Lady Renia, and most importantly, the fourth…”
I extended my fourth finger and cheerfully said.
“Because Miss Luna is cute.”
Caron’s expression turned sour.
About a minute passed.
“Tch.”
Caron clicked his tongue.
His attitude showed he was not pleased with the situation.
It was expected.
Instead of being intimidated by the threat, I was making more jokes.
‘Well, Luna being cute isn’t a joke, but a fact.’
But the situation wasn’t right for that.
Given that Caron, who rarely shows his emotions, reacted like that, it said everything.
“…”
Caron didn’t speak.
He was discerning the truth of my words until now, beyond the joke.
This confirmed it. The [Mental Defense] skill.
‘It can control even the heartbeat.’
What an overpowered skill!
Of course, in a good way.
Except for making one feel vivid pain even on the brink of death.
“Audacious. You have many and varied reasons.”
“Keke, a bit of my whimsy is also mixed in. The deal with Lady Renia was somewhat broad, so… I guess I got tied up in it.”
“What exactly was the deal?”
Well, that was.
“Keke, it’s a secret.”
“…”
Because no such deal was made.
But Caron, unaware of this fact, seemed angry.
“I don’t know what the deal was, but the Lester family no longer exists. There’s no reason to keep a promise, is there?”
“Is it wrong to keep faith? Though of humble origin, I have my pride.”
I hadn’t been officially recognized, but I had received teachings from the Lester family.
That must be how it sounded to Caron.
‘What? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’
A complex expression appeared on Caron’s face.
Sadness, regret, envy, jealousy, and perhaps even admiration?
Of course, this wasn’t certain.
‘What was his relationship with the Lester family?’
I thought about delving deeper but then decided against it.
Information about Caron wouldn’t be revealed all at once.
The ant nest in the first chapter of the battle.
The very beginning of the early game.
There was no way such well-hidden information would be disclosed.
‘I’ll take my time and explore it leisurely. Caron… an interesting (?) character has emerged.’
Unearthing the hidden stories of characters.
That’s one of the charms of ‘gaming.’
To do that, building a trust relationship with Caron was essential.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
I think they almost killed him for his fourth reason.