"Everyone, I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one do you want to know first?"
Rorschach's belief system's communication system allowed him to still have time to send messages to his companions.
"… The good news is that we don't have to worry about being discovered. The silver elves probably don't have time to care about you."
But before he received a response, Rorschach himself started talking.
"The bad news is that you've already been discovered. A pack of mad dogs is currently chasing after you."
"No, the bad news is that we'll have to take care of ourselves. This airship is about to explode."
The iron railings were unable to block his vision. Rorschach saw the final scene of Molly being attacked.
He didn't know much else. Goblin Mercury Bombs … Although he hadn't been in Aishi for very long, it was common knowledge that anything with goblins as a prefix — no, anything that was related to goblins — would explode.
What did someone intend to do by placing a bomb in the engine room of a vehicle? Did it even need to be explained?
And, the person who did such a thing seemed to be quite powerful. It was Grand Knight Jack, who Molly had repeatedly told him how powerful he was after she was stabbed. Rorschach truly had no confidence in being able to stop him.
And even if he could stop Jack, he would probably be able to stop the bombs that were already ticking down.
In movies and novels, whenever there was a bomb with a countdown timer, the audience would feel that it definitely wouldn't explode. Either the idiotic villain would reveal the secret to dispel the threat, or the lucky (spoiler) protagonist would always be able to guess the correct choice.
Every time Rorschach saw such a plot, he would sometimes think, "Wouldn't it be more interesting if the main character guessed wrong and exploded on the spot?"
But this time, Rorschach didn't want to be the main character at all when he saw the dozens of bombs densely packed together … Even if he knew how to defuse the bombs, even if he guessed correctly every time, it would be too late.
Wait a moment, why should I defuse the bombs? Why should I help the silver elves protect this airship …?
"It'll be even better if it explodes."
Rorschach muttered to himself, but he spoke the truth.
He and the silver elves were enemies, not friends. They might even have grudges against each other. Why should he help them protect this airship?
[Of course, it's better if it drops!]
There was a special emotion in Lori's words, but Rorschach had no time to care about it.
The dazzling blade light captured everyone's attention. The hard iron pole was easily cut through like a brittle bamboo.
The next moment, the knight named Jack stood in front of Rorschach with a spear in one hand and a sword in the other.
Handsome, young, dashing, with a cheerful smile that was full of righteousness, mature yet humble. He wore an expensive silver half-body armor, and on his equipment was a silver maple leaf noble emblem that indicated his extraordinary background.
Rorschach could somewhat understand Molly's longing for him. This was probably the role model of a knight hero who walked out of a legendary story.
"Ugh!"
But the moment he saw that person, a feeling of nausea rose from his stomach, and Rorschach almost vomited.
Just like how Rorschach was able to instantly see through Hermit's disguise, the Honest was becoming more and more sensitive to falsehoods. Yet, this person in front of him …
"It's fake, it's all fake. His smile is fake, his expression is fake, his words are fake, and even his goal is fake … No, it's not just the degree of his disguise. It should be nothing. There's no reason for him to have no goal. He doesn't even care if he's alive or dead. Even his existence here is just a random coincidence."
When living in the world, sometimes lies and hypocrisy were unavoidable. Polite, kind, and comforting "lies" were probably necessary to maintain normal relationships.
If a person told the truth with every word, they would probably be ostracized by society like a hedgehog. Even if they were covered in wounds, they might still be able to make true friends.
The expectations and gazes of the outside world were just like a magic mirror. You could see the truth, but the reflection in the mirror would also unknowingly change you, making you closer and closer to the reflection in the mirror.
If a person told the truth with every word, they would probably not know what they really wanted after a long time. If a person kept becoming the person that others hoped for, then in the end, the disguise wrapped in lies would become their true self. Would the person that others hoped for really be them? Losing themselves would be the only possible outcome.
But this person didn't need to worry about losing himself, because he didn't have a true heart to begin with.
The magic mirror reflected nothing from the very start. Every part of him was made up of other people's expectations, which ultimately became a collection of fake things.
Rorschach instinctively felt extreme disgust towards this person in front of him. His Honesty talent that was difficult to serve to begin with also violently jumped out like a warning bell, warning him that this person was his mortal enemy.
"I hate you."
"You're so annoying."
Both of them said the same thing at the same time, but the next instant, both of them fell into a strange silence.
The first to speak was still the silver-colored knight.
For some reason, he, who was used to silence, suddenly wanted to say something.
In this world, everyone wears a mask. They always have a side that they don't want others to see. What I like the most, no, the only thing I want to do, is to tear off other people's masks and see what's underneath … Can you understand? This feeling of worrying about personal gains and losses while guessing? "
"That's why you killed that Wild Elf?"
At the mention of Molly, Jack stomped his foot.
"Yes, she's so annoying. She always forgets to wear her mask, so what fun do I have? And you, you're even more annoying. You! You don't even have a mask! "
The next instant, Jack threw away his enchanted longsword and picked up an ordinary bronze spear with both of his hands.
Nobody knew that the most outstanding swordsman of the younger generation of Silver Elves, the future Sword Saint seedling, was actually best at spear techniques, a technique that only Aishi's cannon fodder would learn.
Holding the spear with both of his hands, he stepped forward and backward, exerting force, leaning forward, and stabbing.
It was a simple stab, a stab that only the militia would practice repeatedly. Jack, who had nothing better to do, spent at least fifty years practicing it.
There was no phenomenon of a dragon roaring from the spear, nor was there any sound of wind. It was just the inertia of an inferior bronze spear.
There was no way to dodge, no way to dodge, and all reaction time was locked.
It was just a simple technique, but it was inexplicably shocking. This was a technique, but it was also a sincere attack.
Unintentional techniques had reached the realm of reflecting one's heart with technique.
In Aishi, people respected those who relied on their techniques to reach a realm where magic couldn't compare, and they called them Saints.
What future Sword Saint? He was just an active Spear Saint!
Four Legend-ranked professionals, including a Sword Saint, fell to this simple stab. Even so, Jack only used it in front of a mortal enemy, calmly shouting out the name of the technique.
"Stab."
The peak of a fourth-ranked profession, the glorious Saint of Hidden Martial Arts, faced with a first-ranked profession, he didn't hesitate to use his full strength and used his strongest killing move.
A lion hunting a rabbit? No, it was probably an instinctive disgust, and he couldn't tolerate the other party.
* Clang! *
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