Thorne's Reception Room.
Inside the Thornes' reception room, four individuals occupied the space. Standing near the entrance was a maid, the same one who had guided the guests to this room. She had just entered, carrying refreshments.
Elian, his expression devoid of any emotion, sat on a sofa facing the other two individuals, a table separating them. Unlike the other two, who were visibly anxious, Elian seemed unfazed, a reflection of his weariness from the tumultuous week he had endured.
Just as he began to relish the rare pleasure of conversing with 'the book', he faced an abrupt interruption. His sole motivation for consenting to this meeting rested on the assurance of receiving valuable information; otherwise, he would never have entertained the idea of meeting them now-or ever.
Sensing Elian's growing impatience, Ronald prepared to begin the introductions with a formal greeting, "Greetings. Allow me to introduce myself-"
However, his words were cut short as Elian interjected, "No need. You are Ronald Arauho." He then pointed towards Alan, who had regained his composure and was now sitting upright, and added, "And this is Alan Arauho. As you might have guessed, I am Elian Thorne."
While Elian had withdrawn from society, he had not always been a recluse. During his younger days, when relations between the Thornes and the nobles were less strained, he had many opportunities to interact with the heirs of noble families. Whether it was at formal gatherings or while accompanying his father on business trips, Elian had encountered a significant portion of his generation's nobility. His exceptional memory ensured that even brief interactions remained etched in his mind, allowing him to recognize most of them even after years of isolation.
Therefore, Elian could effortlessly identify them as if he had met them just the day before. The one taking the lead was the first son of Marquis Arauho, a prominent noble from the Eastern Region, and the other, though not from the main branch, held a significant position within the family due to his mother's influential status.
Just moments ago, he interrupted him due to his disdain for the hollow politeness of the nobles, compounded by his own foul mood and the fact that he was in his own home. He saw no reason to cater to them. Consequently, he straightforwardly inquired,
"So, what brings you here?"
Ronald could only manage a wry smile. While he personally disliked such formalities, he had been raised to adhere to them, and it had become ingrained in his behavior. What was he to do?
Moreover, Ronald remembered distinctly conveying the purpose of his visit during their phone conversation, so why inquire about it again in that manner? He had arrived to provide further details concerning his father's demise. Shouldn't Elian express more gratitude? Or perhaps their relationship was strained? Such occurrences weren't uncommon among influential families.
Well, that wasn't his concern; he hadn't come for that reason. His sole purpose was to convey some information and nothing beyond that.
Thus, he responded to Elian's inquiry, saying, "I'm here because I've recently learned something about General Marcus's passing, and I felt it important to share it with you."
Elian simply nodded, his gaze fixed on Ronald, evidently anticipating further details.
On the contrary, Alan was bewildered, unaware of any of this. A few moments ago, he had contemplated his recent accident, then raged at the impertinence of a commoner pointing a disrespectful finger at him. However, he kept his mouth shut, conscious enough to realize that the lightning attack was a direct consequence of his remarks about Marcus.
Though the pain had lasted a mere five seconds, it ranked among the most agonizing experiences he had endured - though, truth be told, he hadn't experienced much pain given his privileged upbringing. His inability to cry out or protest stemmed from the shock-induced numbness that rendered his entire body, including his mouth and eyes, paralyzed. He didn't dare test fate by showing any disrespect to the son; the strike had left him so incapacitated that he couldn't risk further provocation. In fact, he harbored doubts about ever having the audacity to disrespect the Thorne family again in his life - the incident had left him undoubtedly traumatized.
Ronald's revelation caught Alan off guard, leaving him speechless for a moment. He was well aware that the specifics surrounding General Marcus's death were classified information, to the extent that even Dukes remained uninformed. How, then, had his brother acquired this knowledge? He contemplated asking but held back, anticipating his cousin would likely provide an explanation shortly.
His intuition proved correct. After acknowledging Elian's expectant gaze and disregarding Alan's presence, Ronald proceeded to elaborate, "General Marcus and a group of his soldiers stumbled upon a newly discovered dungeon. It is believed that they died during their exploration of this dungeon..."
Elian furrowed his brow in puzzlement, almost as if questioning the credibility of the statement. In his mind, he seemed to challenge the information, thinking, 'What nonsense is this?' After all, his father possessed the strength to conquer any dungeon within the Kingdom. All those dungeons were C-rank or lower, and his father had the capability to clear them single-handedly. So, how could his father meet his demise during an exploration? If the claim held truth, why would it be treated as a classified state secret? What set this particular incident apart to warrant such secrecy?
Elian's eyes widened in disbelief as a realization dawned upon him. "Could it be...?" he thought to himself.
Noticing Elian's astonished expression, Ronald confirmed his suspicions, "Indeed, you've guessed it," he stated, his voice laced with gravity. "The dungeon in question is a high ranked one."
"..."
A heavy silence descended upon the room, the weight of Ronald's revelation hanging in the air. The news was so unexpected, so out of the ordinary, that it left everyone speechless.
Elian's initial disbelief prompted him to seek confirmation from the seemingly invisible book hovering beside him. With a hint of uncertainty, he inquired, 'Is this true?'
[I can't answer without more information. Do you want to know if he is intentionally trying to mislead you or if he is simply mistaken?]
"Both," Elian thought to himself. He was well aware of the distinction between misleading and mistaken statements. While he had initially sought clarification on the latter, he was curious about the former as well.
[Understood]
[Cost:
Mislead : 10 KP
Mistake: 10000 KP
Total: 10010 KP
Please confirm payment to proceed with this request. ]Initially, Elian was skeptical of the price difference between the two options. However, he quickly deduced the reason behind the discrepancy. Checking for misleading statements aimed to verify whether Ronald intentionally provided false information, while checking for mistakes focused on determining whether Ronald's account of events was factually accurate.
Verifying the accuracy of events that transpired in the past and far from one's location posed a significant challenge. However, determining whether Ronald was intentionally misleading was a relatively straightforward task, as even Elian knew various methods for detecting deception.
Investing 10,000 Karma points on something he would soon learn seemed impractical to Elian, especially when that could deprive him of many books and he still lacked the knowledge to increase his Karma. Wasting 10,000 Karma points was simply not an option. However, he could afford the first option, so he decided to proceed.
"Check for the mislead," Elian instructed.
[Understood]
[Your Karma Points Balance is already in the red. Proceed?]
"Wait, what?" Elian was caught off guard by the sudden mention of his Karma point balance. He hadn't yet checked his balance, having been preoccupied with exploring the vast collection of books available for purchase and the call had further distracted him from this task. Suspecting a potential deficit, he inquired, "What is my current Karma point balance?"
[Understood]
[KPB : -1083 KP]
'F*ck!
Edited by MoonsterDark
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