Chapter 15: Great Deception
âTheyâre trying to kill us to silence us!â
The splint mail warrior, in a voice that sounded like a pig being slaughtered for a feast, shouted the exact words that were currently running through Gimaâs own devious mind.
Only then did the other adventurers notice the six unconscious, groaning bodies lying at Georgeâs feet. They immediately dispersed, fanning out to prevent the heavily armored knight from taking them all out in one fell swoop. Gima even saw a few particularly clever cowards stop in their tracks, standing far, far away from the action. If a bloody conflict broke out, they would immediately turn and run to report it.
How clever. More cunning than a devil⌠and twice as greedy, Gima sighed. She complained in a low voice to George, who had walked over to her side, âLooks like weâll have to scurry back home with our tails between our legs. Your plan to âexplainâ has failed spectacularly.â
âI will explain to them,â George said, ever the optimist. He sheathed his greatsword and tossed it to Gima, a grand gesture to show his sincerity and peaceful intentions.
The adventurers split into three groups and cautiously approached, their numerous greedy eyes fixed on their bulging, treasure-filled backpacks.
âWhat are you doing here?!â someone demanded.
âThey just came out of Kimaâs treasure vault!â the splint mail warrior immediately shouted, his voice a bubbly, bloody mess. âAnd they were trying to kill us to keep the treasure for themselves! Brothers, quick, go find the Great Good Master! We can all share the massive reward!â
The already restless adventurers drew their swords, the blades glinting menacingly under the firelight.
âThey broke the rules,â someone suddenly declared, finding a righteous angle.
Thatâs right. In their minds, they werenât common robbers; they were noble vigilantes, punishing those who had broken the unwritten rules of treasure hunting. As for the belongings of Gima and George, they would naturally be used to âsubsidize the cost of law enforcement.â And the generous Good Master would surely give them an additional reward for their troubles.
If it werenât for the six groaning bodies lying at Georgeâs feet, the adventurers would have already rushed forward in a wave of righteous greed.
George swept a cold, disdainful gaze over them and said, enunciating each word with chilling clarity, âI did not kill them. They were trying to rob us.â
The words fell into their ears and sank deep into their hearts, leaving no room for doubt. Everyone subconsciously, instinctively believed Georgeâs words. They immediately stopped in their tracks, and the adventurers, having lost their noble pretext, looked at each other in confusion and began to mutter amongst themselves.
âThe people on the ground arenât dead. It was just a simple brawl, then.â
As they discussed this new development, the adventurers began to lower their swords.
Gima knew this was Georgeâs absurdly powerful supernatural ability. He could not lie, and his truths were inherently, magically believable. But this problem couldnât be solved just by telling a simple truth.
The splint mail warrior grew anxious. âThe blue light came from them!â he reminded everyone. âThey must have just teleported out of the Demon Lordâs treasure vault! Everyone knows the vault is in a different dimension!â
The blue light was the tell-tale sign of high-level teleportation. That was why the adventurers had all flocked here like vultures to a fresh carcass the moment they saw it.
âWe did not come from a vault,â George said.
It was the truth, but it wasnât the whole truth.
âBrother, since you say you didnât, why donât you open your backpacks and let us have a little look-see?â
âEven if your backpacks are empty, can you explain the blue light?â
The adventurers pressed on, their greed reignited.
The splint mail warrior insisted, his voice rising in desperation, âEven if thereâs nothing in their backpacks, they must have teleported out of the treasure vault! Why else would there be a blue light?!â
George was at a loss for words. If this continued, he would have to honestly say that they had teleported from the Holy Sanctuary, blowing their cover completely.
His silence was an admission of guilt. The atmosphere instantly dropped to a freezing point. The flames of avarice burned brightly in everyoneâs hearts.
Considering that if they scurried back to the Holy Sanctuary now, her precious treasure vault would most likely fall into the greedy hands of the Great Good Master, Gima decided to step forward. She lifted her chin and looked down her nose at the gathered rabble with a magnificent, aristocratic contempt.
âWhatâs the matter? Does my masterâs mercy towards you give you band of common robbers an excuse to be so impudent?â
At these shockingly arrogant words, the adventurersâ gazes all fell on Gimaâs cute, doll-like face.
âMaster, please allow me to introduce your noble name to these savage and ignorant brutes, lest your honorable hands be stained with their filthy blood.â
Fortunately, the helmet hid Georgeâs face. His cheeks were twitching uncontrollably with embarrassment. All he could manage to say was, â...Alright.â
âMy master is a noble knight from the great Kingdom of Barto, the undisputed champion of the Midsummer Festival, currently on a long and sacred journey in search of knowledge,â the little girl declared, her eyes full of a disdain so profound it was almost palpable.
âAn errant knight?â some of the more experienced, and well-traveled, adventurers in the crowd reacted instantly.
âWhatâs Barto? And what the hell is an errant knight?â a less-educated brute asked.
âQuiet, you fool! The errant knights of the Kingdom of Barto, in order to prove their valor to their goddess, embark on epic journeys to fight people everywhere, like noble, heavily armored mad dogs. He wouldnât mind chopping off your head and hanging it from his saddle as a trophy.â
The Kingdom of Barto, the legendary land of knights. They primarily worshipped the mysterious Lady of the Lake. In order to promote the ideals of chivalry and gain the goddessâs favor, the Kingdom of Barto sent out a large group of battle-hardened, fearless knights every year to find glorious fights all over the world.
The adventurers looked at Georgeâs old-fashioned yet incredibly sturdy full plate armor. Then they looked at his servant, Gima, and the look of unshakeable disdain and arrogance on her face.
Only a true nobleman could afford such a beautiful and impossibly arrogant little maidservant, bringing her along on his travels to serve him and, incidentally, to warm his bed on the cold, lonely nights.
It fit their stereotype of a decadent nobleman perfectly. So, even though George didnât have a horse, they were still thoroughly bluffed.
Someone cursed their bad luck and quietly, very quietly, slipped away from the back of the group.
Seeing that the adventurers were initially bluffed, Gima decided to press her advantage while the iron was hot.
âBecause my master, in his youthful vigor, has taken far too many lives, the gods themselves have placed a punishment upon him. He is not allowed to speak much, limited to only 140 words a day. Therefore, although you have grievously tarnished my masterâs honor, he is still willing to spare your worthless lives.â
âBut you mistake this for weakness and force my master to use his precious, divinely-limited words to respond to your shameless, baseless accusations.â Gima sighed dramatically. âThe last time my master ran out of words, he had to remain completely silent for a whole day. He was so bored he had to slaughter an entire den of bandits just to find some amusement.â
A few more of the adventurers shrank back, their bravado visibly deflating. But many of them were not so easily frightened.
The splint mail warrior was one of them. His mouth full of blood, he slurred, âThatâs hilarious. A knight with no horse? What kind of bull are you trying to pull, little brat?â
âMy master, this man questions your noble birth. Are you, or are you not, born of a noble house in the great Kingdom of Barto?â
Georgeâs face twitched. He nodded and said truthfully, âYes.â
The adventurers felt a jolt in their hearts. They completely, and utterly, accepted Georgeâs truthful statement.
A tall, thin adventurer at the front forced a sycophantic, boot-licking smile. âI am so sorry, sir knight. We were just here to see what all the commotion was about. Since itâs all just a misunderstanding, Iâll be on my way.â
With that, he turned and practically sprinted away.
But many of the adventurers, driven by a stubborn, wishful greed, remained where they were.
The splint mail warriorâs face froze. He gave an awkward laugh, trying to appear neither servile nor overbearing, but his voice was unconsciously low and respectful.
âNow you know, Kimiâs treasureââ
âItâs Kima, you country bumpkin,â Gima interrupted with a sigh.
âWhat the hell does it matter if itâs Kima?!â the splint mail warrior roared, then immediately softened his tone and asked George with great respect, âSir, have you perchance seen Kimaâs treasure vault?â
âWe did not come out of the Demon Lordâs treasure vault,â George said truthfully.
The adventurers were like a popped balloon. They began to murmur amongst themselves, heaping blame and scorn on the splint mail warrior.
âYou liar!â
âSir, we were all deceived by his venomous, lying tongue! It has nothing to do with us!â
Someone gave the splint mail warrior a vicious middle finger. âThanks for disturbing everyoneâs sleep, asshole!â
The splint mail warriorâs face flushed a deep, painful red. He felt his hard-earned reputation in the adventuring world had been utterly and completely ruined. âBut the blue light and the horseââ
Gima interrupted him coldly. âMy master received a revelation from his goddess and came to this deep forest to pray. Whatâs wrong with that? And who says a blue light has to be a sign of teleportation?â
âWhen adults are talking, children shouldnât interrupt!â
âI did not bring a horse,â George said truthfully.
The splint mail warrior wanted to ask more, but Gima interrupted him again, her voice like ice. âThatâs forty-eight words.â
âWhat?â
âMy master has wasted forty-eight of his precious, divinely-allotted words to deal with your foolishness,â Gima sighed, shaking her head in pity. âIs this a test from the gods? Sending so many idiots our way.â
âYou!â The splint mail warrior clenched his fists, his face turning purple.
âBoss, donât say any more! Let it go!â
The splint mail warriorâs teammates quickly pulled him back, dragging him away. They smiled apologetically at George. âSorry, sir, this was just a misunderstanding, a big misunderstanding. Weâve been looking for the treasure vault for four months straight. Everyoneâs on edge, weâre not sleeping well, and weâre constantly being harassed by goblins.â
George remained silent, simply taking a small, menacing step forward.
The adventurers left even faster, some breaking into a full-on sprint like rabbits being chased by a particularly large, angry eagle. A few even came forward to offer their services, hoping to act as guides to Salem City for the noble knight, but they were summarily refused.
And so, the two of them walked away, watching the adventurers scatter like birds in a storm.
With the virginâs truth-telling ability to back up my brilliant lies, itâs so ridiculously easy to mislead people. The virgin just has to admit a partial, out-of-context truth, and theyâll believe all the lies that came before it. And with my innate succubus talent for lying⌠weâre a match made in heavenâah, no, I mean, the virgin is just a really, really useful tool.
Under her robe, Gimaâs tail wagged happily from side to side.
âGima, you performed very well just now,â George praised her, a hint of surprise in his voice.
âOf course I did.â
âYou really donât act like a little girl whoâs less than a week old.â
âThis old ma-old lady has inherited the succubi's ten thousand years worth of memories, you know.â
âLittle children shouldnât call themselves âold ladyâ,â George said patiently. âBe polite. Itâs not polite.â
â...Okay.â
âMm, now say that last sentence again.â
âI have inherited the succubi's ten thousand years worth of memories~.â
âMm, thatâs more like a cute, adorable little girl.â
Your whole family is cute! Gima gritted her teeth but said nothing. But the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
âGeorge, that was dangerous just now,â Gima said. âThe mission was almost a complete failure, wouldnât you agree?â
George thought for a moment. âYes.â
Gima was pleased. In the tone of a seasoned, experienced elder, she began to lecture him. âSo, you should have listened to me and decisively killed them all to silence them. They were clearly robbers. That wouldnât have violated your precious principles of goodness.â
âBut those are human lives. Itâs not right to resort to killing so readily.â
âIf our identities were exposed, you might have been able to escape, but I would probably have been done for,â Gima sighed with dramatic flair. âIs my life and my freedom less valuable than the lives of a few greedy, bad people?â
George was stunned for a moment, lost in thought.
Heh. This virgin still wants to lecture me? Iâve seen more storms and grand battles in my life than heâs had hot dinners.
Gimaâs tail perked up happily, arching triumphantly under her robe.
George suddenly retorted, âThatâs twisted logic. If I had killed them from the start, wouldnât the second group of adventurers who arrived later have seen the bodies?â
Gima thought about it. He actually had a point. But she couldnât lose the argument.
âBut dead men tell no tales,â Gima said stubbornly. âWe could have just framed them as robbers who killed each otherâOuch! Why did you hit my head?â
âYouâll copy and memorize ten more pages today.â
âWhy?!â Gimaâs head started to ache just thinking about it.
âKilling them to silence them was not the best option. Yet you insisted on it, refusing to back down. It shows that youâre being negatively influenced by your evil nature, taking pleasure in the suffering of others. This is very dangerous. You need to read more scriptures to wash away the evil thoughts in your heart,â George said with a very serious, very paternal face.
âThis is a personal vendetta against me!â
âYour nature will unconsciously influence your thinking, and you wonât even be able to perceive it yourself. The path to redemption is long and difficult. You need me to constantly warn you and guide you,â George said patiently. âItâs fine if you blame me for it.â
âFine. I understand.â
Gima silently, fervently vowed in her heart that in the future, for her glorious revenge, she would definitely force George to copy the entire dictionary a thousandâno, ten thousand times! If he didnât do it, sheâd cut off his dick. Of course, sheâd cut it off after he finished copying it too. Hehe, heâd be so wonderfully, beautifully desperate then.
âFifteen pages.â
George continued.
âHuh? Why fifteen?!â
âBecause you were just lying,â George said with a straight face. âI know you blame me. Itâs fine if you blame me. Memorize five more pages to wash your soul clean.â
âLike hell Iâll copyâŚâ Gima had just started to say when she felt as if a hot iron had been shoved into her brain. It was a small, painful punishment from the slave contract. She immediately changed her tune. âIâll copy! Iâll memorize! I will definitely study hard and become a model citizen!â
The searing pain in her brain finally subsided.
George reached out and rubbed Gimaâs sulking little head. âWhen you grow up, youâll understand that Iâm only doing this for your own good.â
Gima was about to explode with pure, unadulterated rage.
Just then, a group of adventurers came towards them from the forest. The orange-yellow light from the oil lamps on their chests fell on Georgeâs bucket-helm.
âHey, brother. What was that blue light up ahead?â a sneaky-looking halfling called out, his eyes darting around.
Gima was happy to finally see someone shorter than her. She puffed out her little chest, cleared her throat, and said with an air of great importance:
âI hear someone just came out of the Demon Lord Kimaâs treasure vault.â
Instantly, the adventurersâ eyes lit up like stars.
âThere was a small conflict just now. The adventurer who just teleported out of the vault got his teeth knocked out and wouldnât say where the entrance was,â Gima said with a sad shake of her head. âAlthough he broke the rules and secretly trespassed on someone elseâs land, my master and some other noble people were willing to let him go. So we just left.â
âIn this line of work, there are very few people who value honor like your master,â the halfling said appreciatively, clearly indicating that they belonged to the much more practical, dishonorable type. âBut is this really true? Itâs a little different from what we just heard.â
âMy master,â Gima turned her head and looked at George with wide, innocent eyes, âdid the greedy guy just now get his teeth knocked out with a sword hilt?â
âYes.â
A muffled, but undeniably truthful, male voice came from within the bucket-helm, carrying an unshakable, magical conviction.
âThanks a lot!â
The halflingâs mouth was grinning from ear to ear. He thanked them profusely and quickly ran ahead with his teammates, as if a pile of gold had just fallen from the sky and would be snatched up if they were a second too late.
Gima watched their scurrying, greedy backs, a sense of profound satisfaction washing over her. As it turns out, tricking people really is one of lifeâs greatest joys.
âGima, that wasnât very nice.â
âIâm petty, I hold grudges, and Iâm bad,â Gima said, kicking a small stone on the side of the road with a pout. âAnd this makes me happy.â
With that, she stared at George, waiting for the virginâs inevitable scolding and punishment.
âWell⌠being in a good mood is conducive to studying.â
âHuh? As a Paladin, arenât you supposed to be very angry with my wicked deception?â
âI canât very well punish you for the actions of a group of greedy robbers, can I?â George looked at her strangely, as if she were the one being illogical.
âOh.â
Gima shouldered her backpack and followed behind George.
After walking for ten minutes in silence, George spoke again.
âGima.â
âWhat is it?â
âDo you happen to know where the nearest main road and village are?â
Gima stopped in her tracks, speechless. ââŚWeâre lost?â
âMm, yes.â
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