Chapter 48: The Truth Game

The five men stared at the illusion, and for several long seconds, nobody spoke. Even the driver had gone pale.

The illusion tilted its head.

"Since we’re all stuck in here together, how about we make this easier?"

The men frowned. "Easier?"

"Yes. Let’s play a little game." The illusion pointed at them one by one with its chin, since its arms were still pinned. "I’ll tell you one true thing. Then one of you tells me a true thing. Back and forth. Very civilized."

"And if someone lies?"

The illusion’s smile widened.

"Then we’re going to have a problem."

One of the men scoffed. "You think you can make demands while you’re trapped in a ball of water?"

"You still think I’m the one at a disadvantage." The illusion leaned comfortably against the curved wall of its prison. "That’s cute."

The man’s expression darkened.

"Think about what happens if you kill me," the illusion continued. "My wife will know."

"What?"

"If I don’t come home within a certain amount of time, she gets a message. She’ll know something happened to me, and she’ll know who took me."

The illusion’s smile faded.

"More importantly, she’ll know who you were working for."

Nobody moved.

"You’ve all heard about the judge, haven’t you? The one who resigned after she looked at him?" The men stiffened. "Imagine what she’ll do when she’s actually angry."

The van fell silent.

"So even if you kill me, you don’t get away clean. You just become evidence."

In the passenger seat, the real Reinhard calmly ate another handful of popcorn while watching them in the rearview mirror.

His gaze drifted across the back of the van, passing over weapons, equipment cases, sealed boxes, and several fuel containers.

He stopped on the fuel.

A slow smile spread across his face.

Interesting.

"I wonder," the illusion suddenly said.

One of the men frowned. "What?"

"Nothing." The illusion looked around. "So? Do we have a deal?"

After a long silence, one of the men sighed.

"How do we know you won’t lie?"

"Because there’s no point. The Baal family is going to find out everything eventually anyway. I’d rather not sit through all this drowning when they’ll learn the truth either way."

The illusion nodded toward them.

"The only question is whether that truth reaches them through you... or through someone else. I think you understand what that difference means."

The men remained silent.

"You’re pawns," the illusion continued. "And pawns that stop being useful tend to get thrown away. Right now, gentlemen, you’re looking extremely useless."

Their expressions darkened.

Finally, one of them spat out, "Fine."

The illusion beamed.

"Wonderful. First, drop the water and stop using your mana. It’s very rude to play games while holding someone underwater."

A few seconds later, the water prison collapsed. The illusion dropped onto the floor with a wet slap as the glow faded from the man’s eyes.

At the same time, Reinhard quietly slipped out of the passenger seat and stepped into the back of the van without brushing against anyone. His soda was still in his hand.

He crouched beside one of the fuel containers and shook it.

Slosh.

Nearly full.

"How thoughtful," he murmured. "They brought their own fuel."

Up front, the driver sniffed.

"Now I smell oil."

"Focus," two men snapped at the same time.

The driver swallowed and returned his attention to the road.

The illusion raised one finger. "Now, where were we?"

"You’re really going to keep doing this?"

"Of course. We agreed to a game."

The illusion smiled.

"First question. Were you planning to take me somewhere else after you got your information?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"We were going to drop you near the auction house and erase your memory of tonight."

The illusion nodded thoughtfully.

In the corner, Reinhard quietly unscrewed the fuel container.

What honest kidnappers.

He poured the fuel across the floor, carefully soaking the equipment cases and pooling around the weapons rack. Nobody noticed.

"Seems like you’re not lying," the illusion said.

One of the men leaned forward.

"The Bone Remaker Paste and Oath Keeper Water. Were they for Emily?"

"Of course."

The five men froze.

"Wait, could it really–"

The illusion raised a finger to its lips. "Shhh. I haven’t asked my question yet. Let’s stick to the rules, fellows. We’re all well-mannered people here, aren’t we?"

The man swallowed.

"Good." The illusion tilted its head. "Was it a low-ranking member of the Baal family who hired you, or was it someone important?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Finally, one muttered, "It was their butler."

"Which butler?"

"The Head Butler. Rufus."

The illusion went still.

"He met with our leader in person," another man added. "He wanted us to find a chance to take one of Emily’s family members."

For the first time, the illusion’s smile disappeared.

In the corner, Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

Rufus.

He filed the name away somewhere cold. Very cold. Before the illusion could continue, another man spoke.

"Can Emily feel mana?"

The illusion paused, then smiled proudly. "She can."

The men stared.

"And honestly, it’s amazing. My cute Emily can already form weapons out of mana. She can even make shields."

Shock spread across their faces.

"That’s impossible."

"Her Gnosis was..."

"How--"

"Now, now. I haven’t asked my question yet~"

This made the man trembled before asking. "What’s your next question?"

"Glad you asked." The illusion tilted its head. "Does the Baal family’s interest in my wife’s recovery have anything to do with the Black Moon Incident?"

The men exchanged looks.

"And remember," the illusion added, "vague answers get vague answers, and detailed answers get detailed answers. I’m a very fair man."

One man finally spoke. "They didn’t tell us anything directly."

The illusion waited.

"But there’s a rumor."

"What rumor?"

"That something happened inside the Baal family during the incident."

"What kind of something?"

"We don’t know. But the rumor says it’s connected to how the Baal family became one of the Three Great Families."

The illusion paused. "They weren’t always one?"

The men shook their heads.

"But they had multiple S-Ranks," the illusion said, frowning. "Come on. I don’t like being lied to. It hurts my feelings, and I have a lot of them."

One man clenched his teeth. "Fine. Those S-Ranks weren’t really theirs. They were lent to them by the family they replaced."

"The Bel family?"

He nodded. "The Baal family started as a branch of the Bel family."

Another man spoke quietly. "The rumor is that the head of the Baal family gained some kind of enlightenment after the incident. His power shot up, and eventually he led the branch against the main family and took their place."

The illusion smiled slowly. "So he’s trying to make it happen again."

The men froze. "Why would he—"

"Isn’t it obvious?" The illusion folded its hands behind its head. "If the Black Moon can happen once, maybe it can happen again. And if it does, then either the head of the family, or someone else in it, gets their own little enlightenment."

It shrugged.

"Of course, that’s only speculation."

In the back corner, Reinhard finished emptying the fuel container. He placed it back exactly where he’d found it and quietly returned to the passenger seat.

The driver sniffed again. "Seriously... why does it smell like—"

"FOCUS!"

The driver immediately shut his mouth.

One of the men took a breath. "Our question."

The illusion nodded. "Go ahead."

"What stage of recovery is Emily in?"

The illusion looked at him for several seconds. From the passenger seat, Reinhard considered the question. There’s no reason to lie.

None of these men were leaving the van, and dead men made terrible messengers.

"Her container has been rebuilt," the illusion said. "It’s working just fine."

The men’s expressions changed immediately. Several exchanged alarmed looks. The illusion watched them carefully before asking its next question.

"Do you know if the Baal family hired any other organizations?"

Nobody answered.

The illusion waited but still nothing.

It sighed. "Then I’ll change the question."

The men looked wary and the illusion smiled. "Are you ready?"

"For what?"

The smile widened, and its voice turned cold. "Paying for messing up my beautiful face." It paused. "And my clothes."

The men froze.

In the passenger seat, Reinhard turned his hand over.

Three Space Tears opened in the back of the van at once, snapped shut, and were replaced by two more at exactly the height of the men’s necks. The entire sequence happened so quickly that it looked like a single flash.

Reinhard closed his hand.

The Space Tears vanished and multiple heads were missing.

He raised his other hand before Ember ignited across his palm. The driver barely had time to turn before Reinhard tossed the flame over his shoulder. It landed on the fuel-soaked floor and fire exploded through the van.

At the same instant, Reinhard opened a Space Tear beside his seat and leaned back through it. The burning van shot across the highway, smashed through the guardrail, and crashed into the lake below.

Water erupted into the night.

Several seconds later, Reinhard stepped out of another Space Tear onto a quiet hill some distance away. His soda was still in his hand as he watched the column of smoke rising from the lake, took another sip, and smiled.

A familiar notification appeared.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[A-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Target: Emily Ashcroft.]

[Reward Calculation Complete.]

[Legendary Returns Granted.]

Reinhard’s eyes brightened. "Now this is what I call a successful investment."

[Legendary Reward Granted: Ember Enhanced.]

[Effect: The flames produce mini-explosions that surpass the power of multiple bombs.]

[Additional Effect: Ember’s flames burn 50% hotter.]

[Additional Effect: The user may charge the flames with an explosion to detonate after launching.]

Reinhard glanced at the burning wreckage in the lake. "A little late," he said. "But appreciated."

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Three Years of Mana Infusion.]

A warm current flowed into his Gnosis, and he felt himself approaching the peak of C-rank. "Even better."

[Additional Reward Granted: Cooking Skill: Expert → Master.]

"Finally a master cook, huh?"

It was amusing how he went from burning things to now this. Then another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Fruit.]

[Effect: Anyone who consumes the fruit will receive three years of Mana Infusion.]

His eyes lit up. Perfect for Yuna.

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Advanced Barrier Rings ×4.]

[Effect: Each ring can withstand ten attacks before becoming inactive.]

[Recovery Time: One hour.]

"Ten attacks each." He nodded. "I can replace the old ones tomorrow."

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Link Chain.]

[Effect: Link Chain can now connect to two additional targets.]

[Duration on additional targets: Thirty seconds.]

Reinhard thought about everyone in the van that night, all insisting that they should share the burden with him.

A small smile appeared. So the System had been listening too.

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Healing Ring.]

[Effect: Releases a golden light that rapidly heals injuries.]

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Storage Ring.]

[Effect: Mana can be stored within the ring and summoned by the wearer when needed.]

He turned the rings over in his hand. Useful during a long fight or something he could leave with Yuna, just in case he wasn’t there.

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enlightenment Leaves.]

[Effect: Consuming the leaves can help the user achieve a breakthrough in understanding their Gnosis.]

"Definitely for Yuna."

Her Gnosis already looked like telekinesis, and she’d held up an entire restaurant ceiling with it. A breakthrough could make the whole family safer.

Finally, another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Barrier Signal.]

[Effect: When placed, the ward creates an invisible viel around a designated location.]

[Additional Effect: Alerts the owner when the barrier is disturbed.]

Reinhard’s eyes lit up at the wooden rabbit that appeared in his inventory.

A barrier around the house, with an alarm the moment someone tried to cross it. After tonight, that was exactly what he needed.

He looked toward the city lights and smiled. "Well, now."

He took another sip of his soda.

"Maybe I should go to more auctions, if getting kidnapped keeps paying this well."

He laughed quietly.