Ch.4Gallimar (4)

After some time had passed.

As the sun fell beyond the horizon, stars began to raise their heads.

An alley covered in strange shadows.

Like a black fog had settled, one couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

It was a dreamlike, surreal landscape.

Similar to a dream falling at dawn.

However, such scenery suddenly reversed as if it had never existed.

Snap-!

I lightly flick my fingers.

Following the crisp sound, the fog that had been swallowing the alley instantly disappears.

Without leaving a trace.

“Phew……”

In the space where darkness had retreated, I exhale.

Perhaps because it’s been a while since I used my ability.

My fingertips felt tingly.

Maybe I overdid it with the flashiness.

I brush off the shadows remaining on my sleeve.

While absently moving my hand, faint groans reach my ears.

“Ugh, uhhh……”

“Uuuugh……”

Two people rolling on the ground.

The pig and the knight guard.

Their pathetic bodies twitch together with rolled-back eyes.

It seems they broke after I hit them directly with a “lie.”

From now on, they’ll live as invalids.

They’ll become idiots unable to do anything, spending the rest of their miserable lives.

I quietly express my regret.

“……I didn’t intend to go this far.”

I wanted to resolve this amicably if possible.

I’m a generous person, after all.

But when the name “Lezia” came out of his mouth, I couldn’t hold back.

“Well~ people should know their place, right?”

To think that mere extras would try to lay hands on our protagonist.

It was unacceptable.

If you cross the line, you must pay the price.

“This is the price I’m making you pay.”

A sneer spreads across my lips.

Containing my blooming mockery, I turned my back.

Having dealt with the threats, I planned to return to the lodging.

As I started walking…

“……”

Something touches my foot.

After confirming what it was, I quietly knelt forward.

It was a boy who looked about ten years old.

No, to be precise, it was his corpse.

A face covered in blood.

His face was crushed, as if someone had struck him with mana.

Perhaps he fell victim to someone’s misdirected anger.

Only clear tear marks remained on his starved cheeks.

I slowly reached out and wiped his cold eyelids.

“……How cruel.”

That’s how slums are by nature.

A place where people die for being inexperienced and powerless.

“You had to die because you were young.”

All adults were once children.

But most don’t remember their childhood.

“My poor Leon Bert.”

However, even the right to forget your childhood wasn’t yours.

Your time stopped before you could become an adult.

May this street remember you.

And may it forget your childhood on behalf of the adult you never became.

Rustle-.

I cover the boy’s face with a handkerchief from my pocket.

A moment of mourning song.

Then, I stood up again.

‘I should really head back now.’

There was much to do.

With one week left until academy enrollment.

Especially tomorrow, when a truly important event was scheduled to happen.

Preparations were needed.

‘By the way…… I feel like someone’s been here for a while.’

I tilt my head at the presence I suddenly sense from afar.

I stare with furrowed brows, but.

Perhaps because I just used my ability, my senses were dulled by dizziness.

Still, there seemed no need to be on guard.

There was no killing intent, nor any sign of abnormal mana circulation.

Probably just a drunkard wandering around.

I settled on that conclusion.

Getting caught in a scene like this would be troublesome.

With the intention of quickly leaving, I walked toward the alley exit.

***

After the snake left the alley.

A figure hiding at the corner reveals itself.

“……”

It was a girl who seemed out of place in the slums.

Eyes blue like the ocean.

Platinum blonde hair reaching her shoulders, shimmering even against the night backdrop.

Though she wore a robe to conceal her identity, her distinctive nobility couldn’t be easily hidden.

The girl carefully looks around.

She seemed to be checking if the snake had completely left the alley.

Fortunately, there were no suspicious signs.

Only then did the girl release her hand from the sword at her waist.

Thud-.

The girl sits down as if her strength had left her.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

Though her face remained expressionless, she was clearly shaken.

“……What on earth was that?”

She mutters to herself.

The girl’s eyes grew distant as if recalling the scene from earlier.

A scene that was literally a nightmare.

With involuntarily trembling shoulders, the girl clenched her fist.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

While there had been rumors that the slum’s atmosphere was unsettling lately, she hadn’t heard about such a monster.

What was happening?

She pressed her forehead, feeling a throbbing headache.

The girl stood up.

She seemed to feel an investigation was needed.

About the “man” she had witnessed.

“I should head back for now.”

The First Imperial Princess of the Empire, Sharlotte Little von Staufen.

A character known as another protagonist of the original game “The World as Seen by the Little Prince.”

The Little Prince, Charlotte.

The girl moved quietly.

So that no one would detect her presence.

***

After a day filled with many events, I returned to my lodging.

I was lying on the bed.

It wasn’t particularly tiring.

I was just recovering some of the power I had suddenly used.

“This ability is really difficult to handle.”

I unconsciously mutter to myself.

Perhaps due to the aftereffects of using my ability, my fingertips still felt tingly.

I tightly clenched my fist.

“Hmm.”

While it was a tricky ability to handle, it was also equally powerful.

If I wanted to, I could erase the entire continent.

‘Unique ability, Liar.’

The power to twist natural order through spoken lies.

I can deceive anything I want to deceive, and deny anything I want to deny.

Not only can I manipulate others as I wish.

I can affect objects, magic, nature… even laws themselves.

To give an example.

It’s easier to recall the final battle between the protagonist’s party and Judas in the original story.

-Hahaha! No matter how you swing that sword, it won’t reach me!

-Because I’m denying you.

The sword master’s strike misses.

As if mocking them, the snake narrowly avoids it.

-Hmm~ Magic is a bit annoying. Shall I set a rule here?

-From now on, magic doesn’t work on me.

The snake easily withstands attacks from the mages.

Sharp, honed mana. But it doesn’t leave even a slight wound on the snake.

-Oops! You almost killed me, Miss Lezia.

-Your summoned beast is indeed dangerous!

-Shall I make it disappear for a while?

The protagonist’s summoned beast vanishes. As if it never existed in the world.

-This is getting a bit boring.

-Let’s… make the world a bit more interesting, shall we?

He denies the laws.

When the boy claps once, the gravity of the entire continent reverses.

People fall toward the sky.

A scene that could truly be called apocalyptic.

Along with the rippling black fog, the liar smiles maliciously.

“……”

It was a scene that triggered trauma.

Fuck. You should be strong within reasonable limits.

Who the hell makes such a bastard the final boss?

There’s a reason I tried 1943 times.

The difficulty was insanely high.

One slip-up meant annihilation, a yawn meant annihilation, closing your eyes meant annihilation.

Watching the protagonist’s party get so miserably defeated, profanities would automatically spill from my mouth.

Still, I eventually succeeded in beating him.

The problem was that I was dragged into this world before seeing the ending.

“That’s unfortunate.”

=This is fucking bullshit.

Anyway, that was the ability this body possessed.

The power to erase the world single-handedly.

Of course, it wasn’t without weaknesses.

As powerful as it was, it wasn’t efficient, making it difficult to sustain the ability for long.

Judas in the latter part of the original story seemed to have overcome this problem, but I didn’t have that luxury.

I’m just a 3-year-old baby in this body.

You have to compare what’s comparable.

In other words, I can’t do things like “reversing continental gravity.”

‘I could try… but I’d probably run out of power first.’

This ability is like a battery.

Once all available lies are used up, the ability no longer activates.

The reason I can’t become a “Liar” on the same scale as Judas is like trying to run a computer with an AAA battery.

Moreover, after using it once, it must be recharged before using it again.

You can’t do anything with an empty battery.

The charging method was as follows:

“I confess to myself. I didn’t do anything today.”

Right after the brief statement, a blue screen appears before my eyes.

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]

[Current remaining output: 57%]

An ability true to its concept.

It was charged by telling lies.

The more perfect the lie, the greater the emotional change it causes in the listener, the more effective it is.

“I had stew for lunch today.”

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]

[Current remaining output: 57.5%]

“I am currently outdoors.”

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]

[Current remaining output: 57.8%]

“I hate games.”

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies has been recovered.]

[Current remaining output: 58.4%]

“I am not human.”

-Ding!

[A small amount of lies……]

That’s roughly how it works.

In truth, such trivial lies don’t charge much, but it’s still good to keep doing them.

I need to always be in a state where I can use my ability.

Maybe with time, other methods will emerge.

But for now, this was the best approach.

It also feels like training to keep lies on my tongue.

I continued to mutter lies while lying on the bed.

‘Come to think of it… is tomorrow already the day of that event?’

Suddenly, one thing comes to mind.

Following that, my previously indifferent lips curve maliciously.

Tomorrow will be interesting.

Ripples form in my calm heart.

I finished the day savoring the rising anticipation.

***

The next day, after a full day had passed.

I left the lodging only when the sun was setting in the evening.

It was to head to the event.

Hiding my excitement, I walked slowly.

Whooosh-.

Even as the sunset was fading, spring was still spring.

Flower petals cling to every passing breeze.

A harmonious landscape unfolds.

As I cross the streets, it doesn’t take long to reach my destination.

Actually, I didn’t just walk.

In the middle, I used a “lie” to deny space.

I shortened what would normally be over an hour’s carriage ride to less than 10 minutes.

-Ding!

[Current remaining output: 81.7%]

With the mechanical sound reaching my ears, I looked up.

A massive building enters my blurry vision.

It was an excessively ornate exterior for a building in such a remote location.

‘Just as I saw in the game.’

The Empire’s largest slave auction house, Apple Tree.

An illegal facility operated by a “businessman” who was a figure in the underworld.

And also the backdrop where a certain character’s story begins.

I approached the large entrance.

A doorkeeper blocks the way, as if to check the guest list.

“Only those with reservations can enter Apple Tree. May I have your name?”

Of course, I hadn’t made any reservation.

Instead of answering the question, I slightly raised my right hand and said:

“Could you look this way for a moment?”

“Pardon?”

The moment our eyes meet.

Snap-!

I flick my prepared finger.

Immediately, the focus disappears from the doorkeeper’s eyes.

The broken doll seems to twitch, then stiffens in place, losing consciousness.

I whisper to those eyes:

“Please step aside.”

“……Reservation name confirmed. I’ll escort you to the VIP seat.”

“How kind of you.”

“I hope you have a pleasant time.”

Thus, I leisurely enter the auction house.

Perhaps because the brainwashing hit directly, the doorkeeper gave me quite a premium seat.

A high-grade seat with a clear view of the stage.

Humming a tune, I leaned back into the plush backrest.

-Thank you all for visiting the finest auction house, ‘Apple Tree,’ today!

-Before we begin the main auction, a few announcements……

The voice of the excited host.

Regardless, my attention was fully focused on the floor below.

My current location. Below the auction house exists an underground prison.

A place where illegally kidnapped non-humans are imprisoned to be sold as slaves.

The person I was looking for would likely be underground as well.

A character from the game “The World as Seen by the Little Prince.”

A supporting character who helps the protagonist, eventually becoming a Sword Master and providing great assistance.

“It’s time to meet the fox.”

From now on, I planned to overturn this auction house.

To rescue her.