Chapter 47
I was pleased. But it wasn't the time to rejoice.
Why had this hidden piece been activated now?
And how would this hidden piece end?
That was the problem.
'Among all those people, it had to be him...'
Caron, the Rat of the Empire.
No one among the elite players liked him.
Not just because of his rigid tone and emotionless personality.
But often, he would appear out of nowhere and snap the players' necks.
That's why some elite players called him this.
'The Bad Ending Maker.'
In fact, Caron is a character with a unique event.
In the game, if you encounter Caron outside the main story, a situation like this unfolds.
Then, players are given two options.
-Fight.
-Talk.
The problem is, if you choose 'Fight,' there's a 99% chance of total annihilation.
Even after entering the final chapter, defeating Caron is no easy task.
Thus, players have no choice but to choose 'Talk' and engage in a fierce psychological battle with Caron.
And.
'About 80% end up getting their necks snapped.'
That’s why Caron was known as 'The Bad Ending Maker.'
Caron, before being an academy teacher, was a man who was the Rat of the Empire.
If he deemed someone a threat to the Empire, he wouldn't hesitate to snap their neck.
"Oh no...! There are so many monsters!"
Caron, checking the other side, clicked his tongue.
I couldn't help but be alarmed. It seemed he had no interest in me.
'Is this not a Bad Ending hidden piece, but some other hidden piece?'
A hidden piece I wasn't aware of.
There was a possibility that it had been triggered.
If that's the case.
'How long has he been here?'
Of course, he might have just arrived.
The deafening noise created by 'One Flash.'
He must have thought something had happened here, and finding a secret passage would have been easy for Caron.
"Zero! Snap out of it! We need to leave this place immediately!"
Caron shouted loudly.
The sense of alarm made it clear that the situation was dangerous.
Yes, that could be the case.
There were countless monsters, and many students to protect.
But.
'That's not like Caron, is it?'
The Caron I know would have hidden his panic.
His personality is cold, and he wouldn't want his anxiety to spread to the students.
So, there’s only one conclusion.
'He's acting.'
Years of espionage.
A specialist in lie detection and interrogation.
The one who guards the Emperor's back from the lowest and darkest places.
That's.
'The Rat of the Empire, Caron.'
With this in mind, the assumption that he had just arrived vanished.
Caron must have been watching me all along.
Perhaps.
Even at the moment I used 'One Flash.'
"Zero! What are you doing! Follow me right now!"
Caron reached out his hand urgently.
What would happen if I took that hand?
I wasn't sure, but being dragged along wasn't my plan.
"Keke, isn’t something strange?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's obvious that the other cliff has been struck by a powerful attack... Why aren't you pointing that out?"
"..."
Caron, focused on his act, had made a rookie mistake.
The aftermath of 'One Flash' was still ongoing.
Even now, large and small pieces of rock were falling, and the ants were still in disarray.
Most importantly, it was clearly engraved on the other cliff.
The huge scar left by 'One Flash.'
"...I see. Did you do this?"
"Keke, how could that be?"
"Then who did it?"
"Oh, I was wondering about that too."
"..."
A hint of annoyance flickered in Caron's eyes.
Why was he looking at me like that?
I was genuinely curious and asked.
"...It's possible someone else was here. That person might be the culprit behind this incident."
"That's right. And the perpetrator must be someone from the Lester family."
"Why would you suddenly say that?"
"That trace. It's the 'One Flash' of the Lester family, isn't it?"
"..."
One mistake often leads to another.
I know Luna is a survivor of the Lester family.
Naturally, I know about the technique 'One Flash.'
Realizing his mistake, Caron clenched his mouth shut.
Opportunities to corner Caron aren't frequent.
Intuitively, I felt it was time to use 'that skill.'
"It's strange. You should know that's the trace of One Flash. So..."
As I opened one eye, I activated the [Eye Opening] skill.
"Are you pretending not to see it on purpose?"
Caron's complexion turned rigid.
Just as expected.
Caron had witnessed my 'One Flash' and had been observing me for some purpose.
"Keke, you made a mistake, Mr. Caron..."
No.
"Mr. Rat of the Empire."
Was my comment too provocative?
Caron twisted his body in bizarre ways.
Crack- crackle-.
Caron stretched and adjusted his posture.
Gone was his flustered demeanor, and he seemed 1.2 times larger than usual.
And then.
"...I hate smart-ass rats."
A cold light shone in Caron's eyes.
"To know my nickname, that's surprising."
Caron approached me.
His steps were leisurely.
But the moment I opened my eyes, Caron was already in front of me.
A face full of scars.
Eyes that seemed capable of effortlessly taking a life.
Even the situation leading to a bad ending, Caron's exclusive hidden piece, was activated.
It was the worst possible scenario, but not without hope.
In such situations, one skill shines.
'Mental Defense... Indeed, it's a cheat in times like this.'
Being able to think rationally even in this situation is a tremendous advantage.
I recalled information about the character Caron in my mind.
'The Rat of the Empire, the Emperor's Shadow, master of assassination and espionage.'
Rodelin was also a character with excellent deductive skills, but not as much as Caron.
'She's still young and lacks experience.'
Furthermore, she's the type to weaken when appealed to emotionally.
A little talk and she could be easily swayed.
But not Caron.
To him, emotions are like grains of sand on the road.
Having lived a rough life of espionage across many nations, a na?ve lie would be instantly seen through.
'I've deceived many, but Caron is a different league.'
Especially now, in this space where only Caron and I exist.
If one of us were to die, it would be quietly buried.
Of course, that one would be 100% me.
"The Rat of the Empire... It's been a while since I've heard that nickname."
"Keke, is that so?"
Caron gripped my collar tightly and lifted me into the air.
Beneath my feet, a cliff appeared as if it had been sharply cut.
"Yes. I've killed everyone who mentioned that word."
"Keke, is that so? It would have been nice if you had told me earlier."
Caron's expression subtly changed.
Because I wasn't panicking at all.
Why wasn't I panicking?
Because of the [Mental Defense] skill, but also.
'Because it's strange.'
The monster attack, the students' crisis.
In the midst of that, the discovery of 'me,' an abnormal entity.
An emergency within an emergency.
But someone as skilled as Caron should be able to control such a situation.
Knock me out, restrain me.
Secure the students' safety.
Then torture me for information later.
That would be the most logical and efficient method.
But why choose to engage in a cumbersome conversation with me?
There must be a special reason.
And that reason is likely.
'Related to the Lester family.'
From what I saw, Caron appeared to be connected to the Lester family.
As I mentioned before, emotions are not something allowed for him.
But then, why would such a Caron show favoritism towards Luna?
'There must be something tying him to the Lester family. It wasn't in the game, but I'm certain of it.'
I had a strong feeling about it.
Unraveling the relationship between Caron and the Lester family.
That was the key to tackling Caron.
And the only way out of this situation.
"Enough with the silly jokes. With your current state of mind, you'd struggle to even come up with excuses. So, let me do the questioning. You just answer."
What considerate care.
In fact, this is one of the techniques to gain the upper hand in a conversation.
Well, I didn't particularly care about gaining the upper hand.
Right now, what's more important is.
'How to lie without getting caught.'
Caron has various methods to detect lies.
Contrasting with the information he has, logic and reasoning, eye movement, breathing, changes in heartbeat, etc.
'Among them, the most critical to be careful about are...'
The movement of the eyes, breathing, and changes in the heartbeat.
Involuntary movements that can't be physically controlled are the problem.
'Luckily, I have slit eyes.'
My eyes are so small that my eye movements are not noticeable.
But the problem is the changes in breathing and heartbeat.
I do have [Mental Defense] that always keeps me calm.
However, whether this skill can control heartbeats is still in question.
Under these circumstances.
'I'll mix lies and truth in my answers.'
The most perfect lie is one that's about 30% truth.
Now, a fierce psychological battle through conversation is about to unfold.
The first psychological battle between the elite player and the Rat of the Empire.
No matter who wins, it's going to be a dirty and intense battle of wits.
Caron's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Are you a bastard child?"
A question asking if I'm an illegitimate child of the Lester family.
'Has he deduced that?'
Well, it's a logical deduction.
'One Flash' isn't a technique just anyone can use.
But.
"Keke, no. The great Lester family would never do such a thing, would they?"
"..."
Caron closed his mouth.
He must have been taken aback by my counter-response to his first question.
Caron's first question.
Though it seemed like a straightforward question, it had a hidden trap.
'Of course, he thought I would answer ‘yes’.'
Admitting to being a bastard child would have increased my chances of survival.
There's no genetic testing technology in this era, after all.
But that's only if the 'lie' had worked.
'I still don't know if [Mental Defense] can control heartbeats.'
If I had said 'Yes, I am Luna's half-brother. Boo hoo, poor me?' and [Mental Defense] couldn't control heartbeats?
I would be long gone.
'He must have thought of about 20 ways to pressure me if I said to be a bastard.'
So I told the truth.
'But it's not like Caron gained nothing.'
Caron, who showed inexplicable favoritism to the Lester family.
If I were a bastard, he would have treated me on par with Luna.
But now that he knows I'm not, Caron has no reason to hesitate anymore.
In other words, by sacrificing his first question.
Caron has now gained the right to end my life at any moment.
"So how can you use the Lester family's swordsmanship?"
I passed the first barrier.
Now it's time to test and confirm [Mental Defense], and to extract information from him.
I swallowed nervously and then opened my mouth.
"I learned it."
--TL Notes--
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