abcnovels
Chapter 45: The True Harashin (2)
Chapter 45: The True Harashin (2)
Chapter 45: The True Harashin (2)
[So what’s up with these Harashin guys? Give us some spoilers.]
[Harashin is being Harashin, what’s there to spoil?]
[Philosophical question]
[Are they just assassins’ guild?]
[Badass gangsters ??]
[There you go Lolololol]
[Isn’t there some kind of ideology or service principle that these guys follow?]
[Service principle? are you sure about that?]
[Service principle won! We don’t kill people for free!]
[I love it, master! To kill for a living!]
[Look at their settings, They’re supposed to be the guardians?]
[Guardians? Did the meaning of ‘guardian’ change while I wasn’t looking? These guys do seem to love s**t.]
[Ah, it’s a bit complicated to explain]
[Let me sum it up in three lines]
[1. The Harashin were originally a secret society and group of assassins formed to check the corrupt powers of some eastern empire.]
[2. However, they gained too much power in the process and became too big.]
[3. In the end, the Harashin grabbed more power than the emperor, and as they became more powerful, they became the corrupt powers themselves.]
[4. Some members of the Harashin began to question and criticize the Harashin’s actions.]
[5. Eventually, they split into two, the “light” Harashin who want to give up power and return to roots, and the “dark” Harashin who say ‘f**k it, it’s too late now.’]
[6. After the internal discord, most of them died out and only a few of the dark Harashin were left. They used their assassination skills to rebuild the group.]
[7. That’s the current Harashin.]
[Excuse me, teacher, do you know what a three-line summary is?]
[Can someone give him a three-line summary of what a three-line summary is?]
[Ah, f*ck you guys, why don’t you try summarizing it in three lines?]
***
It were a legendary incident of the ‘3 lines of the 3 lines of the 3 lines of the 3 lines of brain lines’ in the community that I often participated.
It was such a famous incident. Even people who didn’t play the game would say, ‘Harashin? Summarize it in three lines’
Thanks to that, I knew about the past of Harashin, which you could only know after defeating all Harashin in the late part of the game.
The past of Harashin would now become a great tool for my destruction of common sense and lies.
“The Harashins were originally a secret society established in the Tuerse Empire to keep tabs on corrupt authorities.”
“The Tuerse Empire…?”
“Yes, an ancient empire in the distant east that isn’t recorded in the history you know.”
I first told Redar about the history of the Harashin.
I told him the truth.
What is the most important thing when telling a lie?
It is to mix the truth.
Precisely, it is important to mix the truth in lies so that it goes smoothly.
The optimal ratio was 9:1, or 8:2.
Let’s take unicorns as an example.
A horned horse.
It seems like it could exist somewhere in the world.
It’s a good example of successful control of the lie ratio.
But a horse with horns?
No one believes that.
It is a good example of a failure to control the lie ratio.
“However, in that discord, the principle-centered members that formed the backbone of Harashin were defeated.”
Maybe I should make the truth ratio about 8
“The defectors who won the internal discord thoroughly suppressed us principle-centered members. They were so convinced that our principles had become extinct. But they didn’t know.”
It was finally time to tell a lie.
“Our principle-centered members, the true will of Harashin, never ceased.”
At this moment, I tried to resurrect the Light Harashin who were completely extinct and buried.
I used the resurrection of the dead as a tool.
“So you are a true Harashin…?”
The effect was tremendous. It was the moment when the light of Harashin, which had completely disappeared in history, was resurrected.
When I was about to respond, instead, I showed a meaningful smile. It seemed like it would work better.
Redar’s face showed signs of confusion.
“Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?”
That’s right.
You have almost believed it.
Even when Redar denied my words, he didn’t get as aggressive as before.
It was time to push back.
“Shall we try proving whether what I said is true?”
“How will you prove it…?”
In response to Redar’s words, I flicked my fingers.
“Redar, please bring out our symbol of friendship.”
Redar’s already large eyes got even larger.
“Do you mean the Absolute Promise…!?”
“Yes, the artefact that you, Sir Redar, would willingly give to prove our friendship.”
“I never did that.”
It was a good sign.
Redar acknowledged my joke. It was a sign that his guard and hostility towards me had somehow faded.
“…What do you plan to do with the Absolute Promise?”
“I’m going to swear by the Absolute Promise.”
“What will you swear on?”
“I, Ceylon-”
When I tried to swear with my name, I felt something was missing.
How should I put it, it didn’t taste right.
A surname.
I needed a surname.
Ah, that’s perfect.
The family name of the nobility of the Tuerse Empire, what was that?
Ah.
That’s it.
“Adonis. I, Ceylon Adonis, will swear on the Absolute Promise. Sir Redar Lebringer, I will not tell a single lie in our conversation.”
Redar’s pupils shook.
“…!”
When our eyes met, he avoided my gaze and spoke to hide his inner turmoil.
“I do not have the Absolute Promise right now.”
“That’s right. It must be stored in the treasure room in the Lebringer mansion. But Sir Redar, you must know a way to bring it here. Right?”
“What…!?”
Frankly, this was a provocation.
Redar, just a moment ago, that guy talked as if he could use the proof of promise right away.
It must have been correct.
Redar looked at me in surprise and then his face fell.
It was too late to hide it, I guess. His face turned angry as he continued.
“How did you know that? No, don’t bother. I know you’ll tell me it’s a secret anyway.”
In response to that comment, I stood frozen with embarrassment, holding up my index finger in a ‘it’s a secret’ gesture.
“Uh, I’m sorry.”
“Really… you’re an unpleasant guy. Knowing so much about others, but hiding everything about yourself.”
As Redar muttered this, he fiddled with a few pieces of jewelry he was wearing.
Then, a powerful mana reaction took place, and a pair of rings with red jewels were placed on his hand.
“Oh, you’re going to show me such a remarkable magic trick? What if I covet the secret of magic?”
“Ha, luckily, you seem to know one thing but not two. Are you coveting our Lebringer family’s treasure? Go ahead, try if you can afford it.”
There was absolute confidence in his words, not bluffing.
Even an expectation that I would do as hoped.
‘Is it an artifact that can only be used by the Lebringer bloodline?’
Oh.
Then, Redar threw one of the rings towards me.
“Put it on your left little finger.”
“But now that I think about it, isn’t it a bit awkward?”
“What is?”
“Well, about sharing rings between two men.”
“Indeed. Thankfully, it’s not a wedding ring, what a relief.”
Now, Redar was even making jokes with me.
I pointed at him.
“I guess that was a good one?”
“Just put it on already.”
The rings were on both Redar’s and my little fingers.
At that moment, the ring’s jewel emitted a soft glow.
I could feel the powerful mana reaction.
“What should I swear?”
“…”
Redar, his face grave, replied.
“Who are you? What’s your name?”
It seemed to be a ritual to activate the artifact.
This was probably a process to prevent deceit itself by using a false name or identity from the beginning.
“I am Ceylon Adonis.”
“What will you do if I tell you not to antagonize the Lebringer family?”
“Ha-ha, if I swear to that, wouldn’t I be unable to resist you at all, Sir Redar?”
“That’s true. Swear to only speak the truth in our future conversations.”
Swearing to only speak the truth?
That might be difficult to keep.
I twisted Redar’s request appropriately.
“I won’t lie to Redar Lebringer.”
Then, the jewel on the ring seemed to absorb my words and its glow grew stronger.
“… What is it that you want?”
Redar, who had been watching me, asked.
“Please keep everything about my identity and me a secret from everyone else.”
“Damn, to think I’ve made a secret pact with a man over some rings.”
“Please, stop making comments like that.”
That was the first time I saw Redar look so serious.
Looking quite exasperated, Redar declared towards the ring.
“I will keep the identity of Ceylon Adonis a secret from others.”
At that moment, the mana contained within both rings resonated.
Following that, a viscous red light, like some strange sort of liquid, flowed out from the jewels of both rings and joined together at a midpoint.
For a while, the convoluted red light mixed together like dough, afterwards, it separated again, flowing back into each of our rings.
[Artifact : Absolute Promise ]
[Grade : Legend]
Description: The behavior of the target is bound by the oath entered into the ring.
A promise made while crossing one’s fingers must be kept.
In fact, even without crossing one’s fingers, a promise should always be kept as a basic principle.
Some peculiar rituals have evolved due to humans who do not understand such basics.
Isn’t it possible that the first person to invent the ritual of crossing one’s fingers just wanted to touch the other person’s fingers?
I’m really curious to know what ritual that person would invent next.
The vast mana contained inside the Absolute Promise flowed through the ring into my entire body.
It didn’t feel pleasant, like tiny eels the size of cells swimming against the current of my bloodstream.
But as time passed, that strange feeling gradually faded, ultimately disappearing.
It seemed the effect of the Absolute Promise had fully applied.
“Ceylon Adonis.”
Redar began to speak immediately.
“Everything you said to me, was it true?”
No.
It’s a lie.
To be precise, there are lies mixed in.
I swore on the Absolute Promise.
Not to lie to Redar.
And now.
The effect of the Absolute Promise had taken effect.
And so, I had no choice but to answer ‘no’ to Redar’s question.
“Yes, it’s the truth.”
[The black cloth does not stain]
***
[Trait : The Black Cloth Does Not Stain]
[Grade : Unique]
Description : You are free from all mental interference.
I guess it won’t show since you are already dirty enough with sweat and blood.
It is the privilege of the dirty ones.
***
If I didn’t have this trait, I’m sure that it would be a mess.
“…”
Redar stared at me silently.
“So what’s your goal, Ceylon? What is the true goal of your – True Harashin?”
“Just because I have to tell the truth, doesn’t mean I have to tell everything, right?”
“Then I’ll change the question. Ceylon, are you – is your True Harashin our enemy? Are you our danger? Are you… indiscriminate murderers?”
Without a moment of hesitation, I answered.
“No.”
Phew.
Redar let out a deep sigh of relief.
‘It’s a bit guilty on my conscience.’
Fortunately, there were enough excuses.
Isn’t it better than killing Redar?
‘It’s better~’
Isn’t it better than controlling him?
‘It’s better~’
This is what they call a white lie.
“Then-”
The suspicion and hostility in Redar faded noticeably after his sigh of relief.
Curiosity took their place.
And since then, he has been asking me questions repeatedly.
After a good amount of conversation, we became true secret friends-
Finally, we left the barrier.
“Ceylon!”
“Hey, idiot!”
“Ceylon!”
“Hey!”
The moment I stepped out of the barrier.
My companions greeted me warmly.
Even our Miss Drin worried about me before her dear brother Redar and rushed to me.
It was truly a moving situation.
However – right now, I wasn’t hearing Miss Drin’s voice.
‘Ah, damn. Why did I make such a promise-‘
Redar had asked me.
Who is the leader of the True Harashin?
In response, it seemed like it would look too baseless if I said I was the leader, so I fumbled around and created a leader named ‘Right Arm’ borrowing from Harashin’s ‘Eight Arms’.
And somehow-
-Thank you for accepting my nonsense. Once this meeting is arranged, our Lebringer family will be able to understand your True Harashin more deeply.
I arranged for a meeting between the ‘Right Arm’, leader of the True Harashin, and ‘Redar’, the eldest son of Lebringer and a considered successor.
If the Lebringers could ‘deepen their understanding’ of the True Harashin, I thought that the group called True Harashin could be very useful in the future, so I just went for it.
I think my judgment itself was not wrong.
The problem is.
Redar had asked me.
Who on earth is this Right Arm?
‘How would I know.’
I don’t know either.
I have to find out in three days.
In three days, I have to create it.
The Right Arm, the leader of the True Harashin.