The room was quiet, with the ticking of an ornate golden clock on the wall. The afternoon sun poured through the tall glass windows, illuminating the silver teapot and cups laid before them.
"I'll… have to refuse," Dilek said.
The words hung in the air.
The group looked at him, shocked. Even the Count's smile faltered as he stared at Dilek, clearly not expecting that response.
"I'm sorry, Count," Dilek continued, trying to sound polite. "I appreciate your kindness… but I really can't accept this. It's a lot, I mean—" he chuckled awkwardly.
The Count laughed softly, attempting to lighten the mood. "Oh, is that so? Don't worry, Dilek. I'll be more than happy to support you."
Dilek's polite smile lingered, but his eyes sharpened.
'Ah… I'm irritated,' he thought, looking at the Count closely. 'For the first time in a while. He's forcing this. Normally I'd jump at the opportunity—but this guy… he has something in mind. And it's not the fact that I can heal.'
He folded his hands. "Count, I'm really thankful."
The Count smiled faintly, but Dilek caught something in his expression—something subtle, something only someone like him would notice.
A trace of desperation.
It wasn't visible to the others. But to Dilek—because of his past, because of ◻️◻️◻️ ◻️◻️◻️◻️—it was clear.
And that was exactly why he couldn't trust the Count.
He needed information,
'He won't say a word with everyone present,' Dilek thought. 'I'll have to make him ask the others to leave.'
He took a slow breath, then spoke carefully. "I recently… was kidnapped."
The Count and his wife gasped.
"I don't know why," Dilek said calmly, "but the person who kidnapped me was Duke Castorik."
The Count's eyes widened in shock.
"I know it sounds far-fetched," Dilek continued, "for someone like me, but—"
"No, I understand," the Count interrupted, lowering his gaze.
Dilek's lips curled for the smallest second.
'Gotcha.'
"I understand," the Count repeated.
Dilek tilted his head slightly. "You… understand? Why? Even I don't understand. How come everyone wants me?"
Ami muttered under her breath, "Self-centred bitch…"
Nandita, sitting beside her, nearly choked on her tea. She coughed violently, grabbing a glass of water from the table. Everyone turned to her as she quickly said, "Sorry—cough—sorry," before gulping down the water.
The Count's hand twitched. His gaze flickered—not toward Dilek, but toward the group.
He was debating whether to speak further with them in the room.
'Hm,' Dilek thought, glancing from the corner of his eye. 'He's panicking. Not because of Nandita coughing—but because they're still here. I kind of figured it back then… the reason Castorik wanted me wasn't related to healing. That means there's something bigger. Castorik said he wanted to join my faith, and this guy says he wants to fund it. How come?'
His eyes drifted toward the window, where the reflection of the Count and him sitting at opposites, reflected in the glass.
'Normally speaking,' he thought, 'if a man came into my town claiming to be a god's messenger and healing people for free, I would be suspicious about the part of him being God's messenger. Especially in a world where healing abilities already exist, Since that's means anyone who can heal can pretend to be the same or if not worse just pretend to be God.'
He leaned back slightly, his mind racing.
'Both of them said they wanted to help me in one way or another… why? Let's narrow it down—think like a noble.'
The sound of Marcus, Hela and Diego helping nandita filled the pause.
'A new man comes into my region, says he's god's messenger, and starts healing people. There are already existing religions. But he's using high-level healing for free. Why is he doing that? Suspicious, right? But Castorik and this guy aren't suspicious of me—they're encouraging it. Why?'
Dilek's brow furrowed slightly, his thoughts sharp as knives.
'They must already fund churches. Supporting a new one would cause backlash. So how would they do it? In secret? But if it's secret, it'd look suspicious. If the Emperor found out they were funding an unregistered church, he'd assume it was being used for something illegal.'
He inhaled slowly.
'That's the conclusion I'd come to. But if they do it publicly… yes. Castorik didn't tell me the details, but this guy wants to build me a church—and he's being public about it. Why? He has some motive. It can't be something illegal if it's public, that'd be stupid. And the other churches would disapprove, likely cutting ties if they saw a random church being funded.'
His eyes narrowed.
'No one would risk that. Then why?'
'Ah—got it.'
His lips twitched faintly.
'He plans to make it public because some people expect it. They expect this religion to form. He's certain it'll grow big. That means… he's heard about it somewhere. In a world filled with abilities beyond science, what would that be? Foresight? A prophecy?'
The idea clicked into place.
'Hm. A prophecy—it makes the most sense. Why would someone fund something that could bankrupt them? Especially when I'm not giving them any profit? I said I'd heal for free, so they're not earning anything. Would they want me to heal them whenever they want? No… not that simple.'
His expression darkened slightly as he came to his conclusion.
'Then I get it. He's not investing in me. He's investing in the prophecy of Yaguya, A new God. He's investing in the future—the one where my faith becomes dominant. That's it.'
Dilek leaned back, letting out a soft sigh as the gears of his mind turned.
'It's not about kindness. It's politics.'
'Phermola is planning to play the long game.'
The faint ticking of the clock echoed through the room.
Hugh looked at the group and smiled politely. "Ah, can I have a moment with Dilek?"
Hela and Duja both turned to him. Hela's mouth opened to protest, but Duja quietly shook his head. She hesitated, then remembered her promise—she would let him grow.
She exhaled softly, then nodded.
Marcus frowned, clearly uneasy, but rose from his seat. Diego followed with a carefree hum, stuffing the last of his pastries into his mouth. Ami stood up, brushing crumbs off her clothes, and offered a hand to Nandita.
"I can get up by myself," Nandita muttered.
"Huh?! Here I was being kind??" Ami retorted.
"...Thanks, then?" Nandita said as she stood.
"From today I will never help you—watch it," Ami grumbled as they both walked out, Kelid looked at dilek one last time before shutting of the gate.
The heavy wooden doors closed behind them, and silence filled the room. Only Dilek, Hugh, his wife, and his young son remained.
Hugh turned to his wife. "Can you take Estona out?"
She nodded gently and held out her hand. "Come on, Estona. Papa wants to talk."
The little boy looked at them before following after her, leaving the two men alone.
Hugh's expression hardened as the door shut. His tone dropped low. "Dilek, I can tell you... why the Duke kidnapped you."
Dilek tilted his head, acting surprised. "You know it?"
Hugh nodded slowly. "Dilek, you see… there was a prophecy around twenty years ago."
Dilek smiled faintly to himself, 'I was correct.' Then, masking his satisfaction, he asked with wide-eyed curiosity, "The prophecy? What prophecy?"
Hugh hesitated. The faint sound of a chair creaking, as he shifted, unsure if he should continue. Finally, he sighed. "It talked about a religion... I think."
"You think?" Dilek asked.
'Is he unsure—or pretending not to know?'
"Yes," Hugh said. "Recently there have been whispers among the nobles. Most think it's a myth, but there was a prophecy which only the Dukes and royals know of. It was strictly confidential, so I don't know much. All I know is—something related to religion was there."
Dilek's eyes narrowed slightly. The Count's voice trembled. 'He seems to not know much… It's probably only a part of the prophecy. Still, It's useful.'
He smiled softly. "Count, I understand your intentions. I'm sure you must have thought that the prophecy is about saving the people—and you expect me to be that savior."
The Count's eyes widened, then lit up. "Yes! Yes, I wanted to help you succeed so our empire can be saved! The other faiths don't heal the poor, and I care too much for them."
The Count's smile looked genuine—his practiced charm shining through. Dilek forced a polite grin, he thought, 'Disgusting... yet impressive. He's mastered that smile. He's probably thinking I'm naive enough to believe him. I can't let him snitch to Castorik, so I'll play along.'
"Count," Dilek said warmly, "thank you. But can I have some time to think about it? I'm quite nervous now—and honestly, happy that someone like you is looking after me."
The Count nodded with a soft smile. "Of course, please take your time. You can send me a letter. I'll support you. Also, if you wish, I can request security for you fo—"
"That's alright," Dilek interrupted with a calm smile. "It'll only attract his attention. And Count... you aren't politically strong enough to stop him."
The Count froze at the words, clearly surprised, but composed himself. "I understand. But please, whenever you need help, contact me. I'll do what I can."
Dilek smiled again, his eyes glinting faintly. "Of course."
—
Outside the mansion, the sunlight reflected off the marble streets as the group walked till the gate where their carriage was stationed.
Marcus glanced at Dilek. "What did the Count talk to you about?"
Dilek sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Oh, that guy was talking about some bullshit. It's nothing—don't pay it any mind."
"Huh?" Nandita joined in, folding her arms. "So you aren't going to accept his help?"
"Not at all," Dilek said flatly. "I don't intend to. He's the same as Castorik—but a little better, I suppose."
"Castorik, huh?" Marcus murmured.
"Fine, should we get going to the festival then?" Nandita asked, glancing at Hela. "How long will it take?"
"Oh," Hela said softly, gripping Duja's hand. "I think we'll reach by night. The festival starts tomorrow, so it's alright."
Dilek suddenly stopped walking. "Hold on. Duja, can you delay it? I just remembered—another errand."
Duja blinked. "Your shoes? Are those not good enough, the ones I gave you?"
Dilek looked away, embarrassed. "Uh, no—it's quick. I'll buy some sweets on the way back." He started jogging off. "Don't follow me! I'll be back in half an hour!"
Ami cupped her hands and shouted, "GET THE BISCUITS THE BEARDED MAN GAVE US!"
Dilek raised a thumbs-up before turning down the road.
—
He reached the outskirts of the city. stone walls replaced polished marble, and the scent of smoke, and dirt hung in the air.
It had taken him only five minutes of asking around before he found the slums. The moment people spotted him, their eyes brightened.
"You came!"
"Thank you so much!"
"Please, save my mother!"
Dilek stopped in the middle of the dirt road as the crowd surrounded him. "Right, the sick people, right?"
They nodded eagerly.
"Of course," he said softly. "I can even heal the sick."
A faint glow flickered before him.
———
BP: 156
Liar's Shop
Lying Skills (low level): BP cost 1
Lying Skills (high level): BP cost 100
Lying Classes (low level): BP cost 100
Lying Classes (high level): BP cost 1000
Lying Truth (change the truth): BP cost 5000
??? BP cost: ???
??? BP cost: ???
??? BP cost: ???
—
A message appeared before his eyes.
Lie detected. The skill you can obtain is a low-level skill only. Would you like to get it?
"Yes," Dilek whispered.
Skill acquired: Did you just cough? (Can heal sickness)
Dilek blinked. "That's... a weird name." He chuckled softly, then frowned as a new notification appeared.
———
You have reached the maximum amount of skills you can hold. Delete a skill in order to replace this.
Skill List:
Skill: Painful Healer
Skill: Fullbright
Skill: Communication with Blockheads
Skill: Brave Against Edgelords
Skill: My Sonido Is the Fastest Among the Espada!
Skill: Monster Rider
Skill: Believe in Me for Super Good Heals
Which skill would you like to delete in order to obtain the new skill?
———
"Huh?... What... I have a limit?" Dilek muttered, staring at the floating screen as the crowd waited hopefully behind him.