Chapter 107: Hero Festival – Middle (4)

“Next! Similarly, in The Lier Travelogue, Volume 1, Chapter 5, page 318!

When you attended the masquerade, disguised, to capture the jealous commander who possessed Count Freesia, you chose Sien as your partner, didn’t you, Exia? Why was that?”

-“Ah, well, that’s because… you were already creating that kind of atmosphere with Esther, and it didn’t feel right to interrupt…
Besides, Gareum and Mana were operating separately as part of the special unit, so by process of elimination—”

“Then why not just stay at the lodging? Why did you pick someone you didn’t even like and tag along?”

-“What? But what if the enemy attacked? I needed to stay close so I could quickly transform back into a sword and support in battle!”

“Really? Then why, when the actual fight broke out, were you far away?
Weren’t you delayed in joining because you were too caught up dancing with Sien? Doesn’t that contradict what you just said?”

-“W-What!! It happens! It was my first time attending a ball, and I got a little excited, okay!
There were so many delicious foods and sights to enjoy—”

“Was it with someone you liked? While dancing? Overwhelmed by happiness? Completely distracted?”

-“Enough!!! It wasn’t like that!!!!”

Exia shouted in frustration.

Incidentally, this incident had been orchestrated by Sien to see if enlisting another commander’s power could help remove Lier.

Part of the reason Sien intentionally distracted Exia was to keep her separated from her master.

Little did anyone expect that this act would later become a pivotal moment connecting them in the distant future…

“Hmph… Fine! If you say so! Then next!”

Marianne hummed as she flipped to another page.

The pattern had been the same for a while now.

Marianne would reference an episode from the travelogue that she considered “suspicious,”
and Exia would refute it with an annoyed tone.

The sheer variety and depth of Marianne’s knowledge about such trivial matters were almost impressive—astonishing, even.

‘What is her goal with all this? What’s she aiming for?’

Sion frowned as she watched quietly from the background.

It was hard to classify this as an “attack,” given how weak it was.

Whatever Marianne said, all Exia had to do was deny it.

Surely, such a flimsy method couldn’t yield the “proof” Marianne seemed to be after.

Was her judgment clouded by overzealousness, or was there some hidden agenda?

“…Hmph.”

Marianne chuckled softly, as though oblivious to Sion’s doubts. Her smile sent an inexplicable sense of unease through her.

She flipped to the next page and began to read.

“Alright, next is Chapter 7, page 436: the episode in the Parde Mountain Range.

Exia, after being scolded by Sien for eating all the White Snow Strawberries, felt wronged and went out secretly at night to collect more to make amends.

Unfortunately, you got lost, didn’t you?

And it was Sien who found you and brought you back to the group. Do you remember?”

-“!?!”

Exia involuntarily gasped.

A memory she had buried deep suddenly resurfaced.

Marianne didn’t miss the brief reaction.

“According to the records, from that day onward, descriptions of you sticking close to Sien doubled.
Could it be you fell for him that day and started following him around?”

-“Ah, no, that’s not—”

“Let’s settle this once and for all!!!”

Marianne stepped forward with a commanding tone.

“‘I do not like Sien,’ you said earlier. Say it again now, loudly! Prove it!!”

-“Uh, I… I do not like Sien… Si…—?!”

Thud.

Her voice faltered, unable to complete the sentence.

It felt as though an enormous weight had pinned her down—specifically around her throat.

Words she had previously spoken with ease now refused to come out, as if tied down by an invisible chain.
Even as she tried to force them, her breath hitched, and her chest felt suffocatingly tight.

-‘Wh-What is this?! Why can’t I…? This reaction… it feels like…!!’

Panic overtook Exia as she grappled with the inexplicable change within herself.

Marianne’s triumphant smile grew wider.

‘Gotcha.’

Her objective achieved, Marianne secretly pumped her fist in victory.

The technique Marianne used was known among experts as the “Rapid Shot Slingshot” method.

It exploited a subtle weakness of the Truth Domain spell: its susceptibility to emotional manipulation.

The principle was simple.

By repeatedly tossing questions designed to unsettle the target,Marianne had sown doubt within Exia’s mind.

Once sufficiently shaken, Marianne struck decisively.

As a result, Exia’s subconscious had begun to question her own words, triggering the spell’s effect: the inability to speak anything contrary to one’s belief.

The Truth Domain didn’t discern objective truth but rather what the individual genuinely believed to be true.

And so, if the target doubted their own words even slightly, their speech would falter.

Unless they quickly identified and escaped the trap, the target would fall deeper into confusion,
strengthening the spell’s influence in a vicious cycle.

The ultimate cruelty of this technique lay in—”

-“Huh? Huh?? Really?? Really???
I feel this way about Sien??? For real?????”

This is how, when executed correctly, this method can brainwash the target more powerfully and effectively than any manipulation spell.

In fact, Exia was so shocked that she froze in place.

Until now, not once had she thought of Sien in that way.

Sworn to the goddess Lafrei, this was the undeniable truth.

That was why, even when she saw books pairing herself with Sien, she felt nothing but discomfort—no embarrassment or interest whatsoever.

But now, why am I feeling like this…?

“Huh, huh? Exia is trailing off with her words?”

“Could it be true…?!”

“Yes!!! The ship I’ve been waiting 500 years for is finally sailing!!!”

The crowd surrounding them buzzed with excitement. Some were even openly expressing their joy, practically jumping for joy.

Given the effects of the Truth Domain spell, this was practically an official confirmation.
On the other hand, Sion was screaming internally.

‘I knew this would happen! You incompetent fool!!!’

Though her recent clumsy behavior might make one think otherwise, Sion was fundamentally sharp-minded.

Naturally, by now, she had already seen through Marianne’s intent. She had even figured out how Marianne managed to manipulate Exia.

The trick, upon closer examination, was nothing special. If the chain could be broken, everything would return to normal quickly.

With this in mind, Sion whispered telepathically from the side:

-“Use the word ‘love’! Try it with ‘love’ before it’s too late!!”

-“Oh, oh… okay!”

Although Exia was momentarily thrown into confusion, she quickly regained her composure when she noticed the multitude of eyes on her.

She decided to follow Sion’s advice and tried to use the suggested expression.

-“I—I… love… Sien…
I love…”

Exia stammered as she repeated the word “love” over and over on the tip of her tongue.

Then, finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted with great effort:

-“I—I don’t!!! Okay?! I don’t!!! Satisfied now?!”

‘Good job!’

Sion silently clenched her fist in triumph.

At first, she wasn’t sure how it would go, but she managed to say it bravely.

For someone as stubborn as her, this was a decent effort.

Now that she had said it this clearly, it should firmly shut down any doubts, right?

Sure enough, Sion could see the crowd exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves.

Their expressions of confusion indicated that things were playing out as planned.

-“I’ve made my stance clear! I don’t love Sien!!
So, doesn’t that prove your claim wrong?! Right?! Right?!?!”

“Uh, ah, yes…”

Marianne, looking slightly bewildered, nodded her head. After a brief cough, she tried to flip to the next page of her so-called gospel.

“Ahem, so, the next episode—”

-“Enough!!! That’s enough!!!”

Before she could resume her assault, Sion stepped forward and cut her off.

“You’ve had your fun; now step back! How long are you going to keep this ridiculous farce going?!”

“What? But there’s still so much more to talk about—”

“That’s your perspective! Have you all forgotten how things ended for Sien?!
How long do you intend to keep dredging up unpleasant memories for Exia?!”

Sion seized the opportunity to unleash a prepared speech.

Objectively speaking, Marianne’s behavior was far from acceptable.

Not only was there no logical connection between proving someone’s feelings and the justification for publishing fanfiction, but repeatedly dragging a deceased person into the conversation to ask, “Do you like them?” was nothing short of cruel.

Had this not been [Hife], or had Sion not resorted to drastic actions like arson previously, Marianne’s actions would surely have drawn cold stares.

Seizing the moment, Sion counterattacked swiftly, adding a desperate emotional performance to maximize the impact of her plea.

With her characteristic flair for melodrama, she squeezed out tears as she addressed everyone:

“You’re all so cruel! This is practically a public execution!
Does trampling on the heart of a sacred sword that devoted itself to humanity bring you such joy? Is your pleasure worth it? Answer me!!”

“……!”

Marianne took a step back, her face flushing deep red as her buried shame finally surfaced.

Victory assured, Sion was just starting to feel confident.

“What’s all this commotion?”

A deep voice suddenly rang out behind her.

Startled by the unexpected arrival of a new player, everyone, including Sion, turned around.

It was the masked Inquisitor they had seen earlier in the plaza.

Without anyone noticing, he had approached silently and was now looming over them.

The shadow cast by his towering figure—over 2 meters tall—fell menacingly over Sion.

The Inquisitor surveyed the surroundings briefly before addressing Sien in a low voice:
“I’ve received reports of a disturbance caused by a hero. Are you Sion of Ashtaria?”

“Yes, I am.”

Sion replied cautiously, her gaze tinged with wariness.

Was this man the rational type or someone impossible to reason with?

On the surface, he seemed logical, but who knew? As the leader of a group capable of such insane acts, he might harbor madness deeper than Marianne’s.

If he started spewing nonsense like Marianne, Sion might have no choice but to resort to force.

“Hmm.”

Noticing the emotions behind Sion’s gaze, the Inquisitor let out a small grunt.

After glancing around at the now-silent crowd, he asked,
“There are many eyes here. Would you mind moving to a different location, hero?”

It was an offer Sion had been hoping for. She nodded immediately.

“By all means.”