_
Opening his inventory, Sekou moved to check if there was anything stored within it that could be useful to him.
"Hm looks like you were right Emma there is stuff in here that I can use." He'd say with a light smile as he looked at her.
"Mhm, even I got some useful stuff from there!" She'd say her tone of voice was filled with an odd amount of excitement.
'She must have gotten something pretty useful from there. Let's see what I have then! I'm sure it's nothing less impressive.'
Deciding to check his item inventory Sekou would go to interact with the "+" sign.
Three items could be seen within the inventory.
A robe, a book and a ring.
Every single one of them seemingly possesses the same symbol.
A snake coiling around itself creating the ♾️ sign whilst in the background a cross-like shape is present.
(Image?)
'These all sort of look interesting. Is there more information about this tho? Let's see here'
[Inventory:
Robe of Dolus x1 (+)
Ring of Fraus x1 (+)
Fallacia's Holy Book x1 (+)
]
'Well then! Let's see how useful they turn out to be!'
[Item: Robe of Dolus.
Description: A white and black priestly robe that possesses the symbol of a snake coiling into itself creating the ♾️ sign with a cross-like shape in the background. This very priestly robe is said to have been possessed by Dolus the Third Cardinal of the Church of *****. Legends say that whilst wearing this robe the old man couldn't be found.
Effects: The user can become invisible whilst inside a shadow or dimly lit area. Not only does their body become unseen but their very presence seemingly disappears.
"That bastard needs to stop scaring the Priests and Deacons."
Note: The user's mana will constantly be consumed whilst this effect is in place. ]
(Image?)
'Robe of Dolus eh? This one looks like a useful one. It's more than just invisibility. My presence completely disappears meaning that my heartbeat, breathing and even the sounds I make when walking are just gone.'
'Although constantly losing mana may be a nasty downside depending on what happens if I quickly lose a lot.'
'T.S.A. What happens when a being is rapidly drained of all its mana?'
[They will faint. This however is only if all the mana is drained out of their body and the severity of the damage they receive may vary depending on the method being used to drain the mana.]
[Overall for the item in question the damage the user can receive by being completely drained by it can vary from intense nausea to loss of consciousness.]
"Hmm" A slight hum would escape Sekou as he heard this. He didn't know exactly how much mana he had but the one thing he knew for sure was that he did not wish to run out of mana whilst in use of the item any time soon.
'Onto the next one, I guess. The first one was pretty good. Let's hope we can keep the same quality with the remaining ones.'
'I'll start paying attention to the lore of the items and minor details after I've seen them all so I don't accidentally miss anything here.' he'd think to himself.
[Item: Ring of Fraus
Description: A black ring with golden encryptions of unknown origins. It's said to belong to Fraus the Second Cardinal from the Church of ***** perhaps the most mysterious of the three Cardinals. To this day people still wonder how a seemingly normal man became a Cardinal.
"Stop trying to act all cool and mysterious and come teach the deacons damnit!"
Effects: The effects of this ring are unknown.]
'Hm well, this is unexpected. The effects of the ring are Unknown? Will I find out later on or something? T.S.A.'
[Answer. An ability is held within the ring however it seems like something is preventing you from seeing its information.]
'Well is it dangerous? Do I have to worry about this possibly being a cursed item?'
[Negative. The items the system gives you at the start due to your class will most likely always be positive. The chances of this not being the case are extremely low.]
'But there's a chance, right? Maybe it's the paranoia speaking but I don't like this at all.'
Sekou spoke with deep concern in his mind. 'Why won't it show me the effect? Now I don't know if I should equip it or not. What if I get possessed by the remnants of Fraus if I do?'
'Yeah, I am most likely not gonna equip that damn ring any time soon.'
'Next one.'
[Item: Fallacia's Holy Book
Description: A thick book containing the doctrine and beliefs of the Church of *****. This specific Holy book is said to have been carried around by the First Cardinal of the Church wherever she went. It's said that in her last moments, she sealed her consciousness and soul inside hoping that one day someone worthy of reviving the Church would find this book.
"Really, why am I the only one who does their job properly?"
Effects: Upon opening the book the user gains the following skills:
[Fallacia's Remnants Lv???]
[Prayer Lv1]
[Heal Lv 1]
]
'Ok, I don't think I like these items anymore. The Robe of Dolus was neat and carried no risk but other than that this is ridiculous.'
'One of the items has no listed effect so I don't know what the hell it does. It could very well be a cursed item that kills me upon use and as for the other one it straight up tells me that some entity is sealed within the book.'
Sekou's face would remain impassive as he looked at the inventory window before him.
'That aside this gives me information on the Church. It seems like there were three Cardinals and these seem to be their items.'
'It also seems like Fallacia was able to leave some comments on the items somehow. Nevertheless, this is… interesting.'
Sighing slightly he'd start to look around him. People were still talking to each other about their abilities and even showing off in front of the guards and the head noble.
To this, all Sekou would do is shake his head. 'Fools… although I'm starting to get a bit worried since Emma looks like she also wants to show off and talk about her abilities…'
'Is this perhaps a chance to use Veil of Lies? Not like anyone is going to notice or even be able to tell what's going on.'
"Emma." He'd say her name aloud.
"Yes? How can I help?" She'd ask whilst looking at him.
"Hm, how to word this?"
"How to word what?" she'd ask her confusion rising.
"Eh? Don't worry about it. I've noticed that ever since we got our "abilities" you seemed to be excited. Was what you got really that useful?"
"Yes! I-i I got-" It would seem like she had to forcefully stop herself from saying what came to mind.
'Yeah this is definitely bad I'll have to do something about this lest I see her unknowingly revealing her abilities.'
"Do tell me if I got this wrong but you said you didn't want to reveal your abilities to anyone right?"
[DING!]
[A lie spoken by the user has been detected!]
[Skill, Veil of Lies Lv0 reacts to the user's lie.]
[Your lie becomes extremely easy to believe.]
[Last Liar has activated. Truth is whatever you want it to be!]
[Your Title-related Skill, Pure Lie Lv0 has activated! Your lies now carry a hypnotic effect!]
[Due to the target of the lie having no wariness or distrust towards the user, effects are greatly enhanced!]
'Holy hell this is a lot of back-to-back notifications! But did it even work-'
"Ah no you got it right! Can't reveal any of my abilities to anyone because… because…" Emma's face would suddenly be filled with a frown as she grabbed her head.
"Why don't I want to reveal my abilities… I definitely said I didn't want to…"
It was interesting to see the effects of his skills take place. It seemed like she wholeheartedly believed that she did say that but when she went back to remember why nothing came up.
'Interesting. Well, my ability doesn't alter memories so if given enough time she'd probably find out that she did not say anything like that.'
'If given enough time that is.'
"Yeah you said so because people are often untrustworthy isn't that right? You don't know what could happen if others knew the full extent of your capabilities."
[DING!]
[A lie spoken by the user has been detected!]
[Skill, Veil of Lies Lv0 reacts to the user's lie.]
[Your lie becomes extremely easy to believe.]
[Last Liar has activated. Truth is whatever you want it to be!]
[Your Title-related Skill, Pure Lie Lv0 has activated! Your lies now carry a hypnotic effect!]
[Due to the target of the lie having no wariness or distrust towards the user, effects are greatly enhanced!]
'God what the hell? I can't have these messages constantly appearing each time I lie.'
He'd have to figure out how not to make this happen later on but for now.
"Yeah… that's it I did say that. Why couldn't I remember? It's coming back to me now!" Emma would say whilst looking up at him with what could only be described as shining eyes.
'Hm. Maybe… maybe controlling a few heroes won't be as hard as I thought it would be.'
And just as he thought about that.
[Veil of Lies Lv0 -> Veil of Lies Lv1]
'Oh neat.'
Whilst he thought about this Emma's previous excitement had died down. Probably due to believing that she didn't want to reveal her abilities.
'I sort of feel bad now but there isn't much I can do about it… It's a dog-eat-dog dog world out here.'
Sekou would console himself by having such thoughts. Couldn't let his conscience take over right?
/Chatter chatter…/
"Hey… What can you do? You aren't going to keep quiet like those bores over there?"
'The bores in question are me and Emma. Fucking-'
"Me? I can create this illusory sword… See?"
/Shine…/
"That's pretty cool… What's your class like?"
"Me?… It says I'm a… A "Fading Swordsman" whatever that means…"
'Did you not read your class description? Or maybe "Saint of Deceit" was an exception and most classes don't give one? I'll have to research more on this later.'
"I even have a Title! "Last fading sword practitioner"?… Doesn't seem that great to be honest…"
'You my friend are an idiot. Why don't you tell me your stats and give me a description of all your skills as well eh?'
The extremely sarcastic remarks of course wouldn't show on Sekou's impassive face.
[Poker Face Lv 0 -> Poker Face Lv1]
"You should be happy for what you have man… Still, that might be the reason for your Skill."
"As for me, I am even worse. I don't even have a Title."
/Chatter…/
'They are so damn loud damnit. The ones bragging and showing off their skills probably don't even realise that others could already be memorising or writing down what they got.'
"Emma, what do you think will happen from here on out?"
"That's sudden? Why are you asking?"
"Just cause… Kinda want to see if other people's thoughts align with mine." Sekou would say.
"I… haven't thought much about it. You did say that you were gonna do the thinking for both of us after all."
"True… my fault for asking just kind of confused at what we are gonna be going from here on out. The excitement is already starting to die down."
"Mhm, I just won't think about it. If you think too far ahead problems start to arise. My suggestion is to just deal with stuff when it arrives."
"Emma… I cannot begin to explain how dumb that is…"
"I know… I really know…."
Just like that the conversation between the two of them would end there. No more words were spoken. When Sekou wasn't trying to manipulate someone or figure out what was going on he just sort of had a slightly awkward air around him.
Just as Sekou was spacing out he'd received another message.
[Host has yet to be notified about the "Drop Item System".]
[Would the host like to proceed with the explanation of the "Drop Item System"?]
'Oh? Yeah sure, let's proceed with that.'
[Drop items are a special mechanic that all glass holders have. It allows a creature to drop an item apart from its body when defeated. Although uncommon.]
[This ability is shared with all "Heroic Roles".]
'Oh, that's good to know. At least now I'll know not to be surprised if some random Holy scriptures drop after I kill a monster. I'll know that it's related to my class and not to be worried.'
The young man would nod to himself upon finding out about this.
/Chatter…/
'So much noise damn. Well, it's to be expected. Moving on however.'
Sekou would look around in an attempt to tell what was happening around him. He needed to understand how the other groups were reacting to this.
The geeks formed a circle far away from the others, they seemed to be discussing their classes and abilities. Already talking about possible development routes and methods to further progress them.
They were by far the ones that needed to be looked at the most.
The rich kids were not confused by the situation. They kept themselves calm and collected as they went over what was happening in a rational and decisive manner.
'Hm I expected them to be more panicked but the majority of them are calm.'
'A pity. The more distraught people, the more opportunities for me.' Sekou would think to himself.
'Luckily I said "most" some of them are indeed distraught, just a very small number.'
They may not have adapted fully but they were certainly beyond most…
Unlike the muscular guys who were the most lost after the Lolis. I almost forgot the Lolis existed.
'The muscular guys are confused? That's good. Having muscle in a group is always a good thing. Especially considering that I have none.' Regardless of how much he trained his body, Sekou sincerely doubted that he'd ever be able to compete with some of the other people here.
At least in the physical realm. His main weapons were his words and his mind was his armoury other than that however he was yet to see how talented he was with magic and things of the sort.
That aside he'd start to pay attention to the other groups as well. After all, there was one other group who'd probably advance just as fast if not even faster than the Geeks and those were the edgy kids.
They all seemed to be in their zone happily talking to each other about what was happening. They all seemed to already be showing adjustments and proficiency with their skills and abilities, Sekou even thought he heard one of them say something about "Levelling up and gaining a new skill" in which case he'd raise an eyebrow.
'Already? That's fast as fuck. What the hell did he even do to level up?'
A lot of thoughts would pass through his head as he took a small breath and calmed down. 'In the first place, I don't even know if that's a good thing. Earlier when I asked T.S.A if levelling up quickly was the best course of action all I got was silence.'
'Now call me paranoid if you want but silence is an answer in my books.'
'Just in case though. T.S.A is quickly levelling up the most optimal thing to do if I want to grow to my full potential?'
[Incorrect. It is easier to obtain achievements at a lower "State" or "Level" as you refer to it. Note that however being at a lower state usually equals being weaker than those in a higher state. Only a few anomalies may be able to evade this basic rule.]
'Well then good to see that I wasn't paranoid. Now what are achievements?'
[Achievements are feats recognised by the system to be impressive and worth rewarding. This usually applies to things like: being the first of your species to perform a certain grand action or being the first hero to do something. Of course, there are other feats that don't include being the first.]
'I see well I'm glad that I was able to pick up on this and casually asked you this question otherwise I'd have also been focusing on levelling up and in all honesty who wouldn't?'
On Earth at least for the people who played games, watched anime and read manga it was common sense that levelling up resulted in more power and that it should be the path most people take.
Sekou himself had just been really lucky and asked the right question at the right time. He was certain that some people probably already knew about this and if given more time a lot more people could find out about this.
'I need to step up my game here. As stated before my most powerful weapon is my mind and I need to make sure I'm fully utilising it.'
As he kept on thinking Sekou would suddenly feel a tug looking down he'd see that Emma had tugged at his shirt to get his attention.
"Eh? What's up?"
"Look over there. I think there's about to be a fight." she'd say whilst looking towards another side of the circle.
/Chatter… chatter…/
Tilting his head slightly he'd look in that direction and see a delinquent? Did those guys ever get tired of causing trouble?
'Wait a sec- I don't think it's that guy's fault this time around?' Sekou would think in confusion.
The delinquent was looking at someone and from his expression he wasn't happy. The guy he was looking at was from the Emo kids? The fuck?
'When did that group get guys? What's going on?'
'What is this? The oppressed fighting back? Well, call me surprised.'
"Repeat what you said to me again? Say that to me one more time and I will give you a straight ticket to the hospital!"
As he exclaimed, flames sprouted around his body, threatening to swallow them.
/Step back…/
A few onlookers stepped away silently not wanting to be dragged into their mess.
"Hehe, this is amusing." Sekou would mutter after a slight chuckle.
"What is? The fight? Shouldn't we do something?" Emma would ask whilst looking at him.
"The fight is also amusing but that's not what I meant. Look at the knights. They aren't stepping in or intervening meaning that they have no intentions of resolving inner conflicts."
"That's horrible… If they're doing nothing, shouldn't we?" Emma would once again ask.
"As much as I want to help, which I truly do."
[Veil of Lies is in effect.]
"It would be pretty risky to partake. In the first place are you certain that you'll be able to stop them? If not, don't you think it's wise to watch and subsequently help the person who gets injured?"
Emma couldn't really refute his logic and due to the Veil of Lies, she truly believed that he also wished to help. That only left her with the option of listening to him and hoping everything went well.
"You're right… We shouldn't be so hasty." She said.
"I fully agree." He'd say, giving her a light smile.
'Of fucking course I'm right! Why the hell would I risk getting burned or injured for some damn nobody?? I'll just go to the person who got injured afterwards and use my good ol Mani- I mean talking skills to "Guide" them.'
[Poker Face Lv1 -> Poker Face Lv2]
'This skill is levelling up so damn fast.'
That aside, back onto the ongoing altercation.
/Smirk…/
It looked like the kid who was being addressed by the delinquent smirked, not intimidated by the other boy's bravado.
"You are a fucking failure, Kim. It's no wonder your mom gives her ass in the alleys, look at the result…"
'Goddamn, even I'd swing on someone if they were talking shit like that. Fight back, Kim. Fight back, bro.'
/Fwoosh!/
Before he could even finish, the delinquent boy sent a furious punch to the kid.
The guy however didn't even try to evade it at all, smiling lightly as he saw the man run towards him.
'Nah it's up. The dude's way too calm he has something up his sleeves-'
Before Sekou could even finish that thought.
/CLANG!/
/CRUNCH!/
"AH… AHHHH?! M-MY HAND! AHHHH…"
/Glister…/
A translucent crystal wall suddenly appeared in front of the boy. Blocking the Delinquent punch as it glistered lightly in response to the impact.
"I-is that a barrier?" Emma would question in confusion.
"Yes, it is. Looks like the other students also got some rather… unique abilities." Sekou would answer.
"Should we help Kim?" She'd ask whilst looking at him before turning her gaze back to Sekou.
"Hm, not right now. Dude seems to have a very short temper for all we know he could lash out at us if we try to help him."
"That's true but… I think we should still go help. It doesn't feel right to just leave him like that…" She'd say.
"You don't want to do that because it could be dangerous." He'd say.
[Veil of Lies fails to convince the target.]
Sekou would raise an eyebrow.
'Well, that's a first.'
"I do want to do that. It's really not right to stand here and do nothing." She'd say as she took a step forward.
'Wait fuck this is the first time she hasn't listened to me. Um, let's try this instead.'
"W-wait. We agreed to go help him afterwards, remember? You said it yourself that you were worried he could feel anxious if we helped him in public."
"I-i didn't? Wait… did I?" She'd tilt her head in confusion.
[Veil of Lies activates, the target wavers.]
[Last Liar has activated. Truth is whatever you want it to be!]
[Your Title-related Skill, Pure Lie Lv0 has activated! Your lies now carry a hypnotic effect!]
"Yeah, you did. I'm kind of hurt to think you'd forget something we talked so extensively about this easily." Sekou would make his expression seem sour.
"I-i I didn't- I mean I can't? Why don't I remember saying that? But you aren't lying so it must be true?" She'd tilt her head in confusion, a headache overtaking her.
"This is why we agreed to me thinking for both of us, remember? It was because you said you weren't currently ok." He keeps on speaking, mixing some truth in the mix to lighten any suspicion which might take root.
"I-i… why can't?"
"Don't worry, I forgive you for forgetting. Just leave the thinking to me alright?" He'd say with a smile.
"T-thank you? I apologise for forgetting… I must have…"
"Spaced out? Yeah, it happens to the best of us."
"Yeah, I must have spaced out." She nodded, still having an almost splitting headache but silently moving back to her previous location.
'Finally! Why were you so stubborn about this one? In the future when talking about helping people I have to start with delaying instead of outright denying helping them.'
'It seems like you are more kindhearted than it seems.'
"That aside, do you know who the other guy, the one who summoned a barrier, is?"
"O-oh yeah I know who he is, I believe he's called Vincent. I think he was bullied by them before we got transported here. B-but still! H-he went too far! Breaking someone's hand over it isn't right." She'd say.
'Eh I mean I don't really care but let's just nod along. I can use this info when talking to Kim later.' He'd think to himself.
Nodding along he'd just agree looking at her as she seemed relieved by the fact Sekou was agreeing with her.
That aside it would seem like the time was up.
[Time limit has been reached, the Temporary System Assistant is deactivating.]
[May you achieve "transcendence" Good luck host!]
"Eh? Seems like the time is up. Nevertheless, I already got the information I wanted. Don't you agree Emma?"
'What does it mean by reaching transcendence tho?'
"Wait, we could ask it questions?" She'd ask whilst looking at Sekou with a confused look.
"( °_°)"
'Did my skills mess with her mind that much? No, we could talk to T.S.A. Before that which means this is all natural.'
"I-I I knew we could do that… y-yeah I was joking haha." She'd try to casually pass it off as a joke but Sekou knew better.
"Sure." He'd pat her on the head almost as if consoling a child. Once again realising a beat too late that she was an adult.
Strangely enough this time he didn't feel particularly embarrassed about it. Sadly the same couldn't be said for Emma.
"You're so lucky that I actually got valuable information or you would have been left clueless. Later on when we get a chance we can talk about our classes and about how we should move forward in the future." He'd say.
"Of course only if you're fine with it." He'd say to which he'd just see her nod.
'Truly you're so enigmatic. One minute I need to use 2 different skills to get you to agree with me the next you just do so naturally. I'll never understand some people.'
/Cronk!/
/Creee…/
The large artifact began to creak and turn, slowly returning to its original appearance as its rings returned to their previous alignment.
/Stop…/
Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the ancient artifact.
/Silence…/
And after a minute, it stopped moving, sealing the strange matrix inside the metal rings.
/CLAP CLAP!/
"Alright, everyone! It has been around twenty minutes or so. It's time to explain some minor things and get going."
"…"
/Whispers…/
Due to his words, everyone stopped talking aloud in an orderly and polite manner. By now most people had already understood that things weren't normal anymore and that it was best to listen rather than rebel and risk getting knocked out.
'Yup can't do much against our captors now can we?'
Or at least that's what most people thought.
"Hm…"
Lupio would nod in seeming satisfaction as he looked at everyone and noticed that they had stopped talking.
"I am sure many of you are excited and some are afraid. So let me finish this quickly so all of you may rest in your rooms."
"Adapting takes time, and we'll deliver your answers in due time. I only ask for your patience."
'We ain't ever getting those answers. They'll probably wait it out until we forget or until they find something else to use to distract us.'
"And yes, each of you will receive a room and all of your necessities will be taken care of, the specifics will be discussed later."
'Basic decency that's pretty neat.'
"For now I would just like to show you all this:"
He picked a small tablet stone from a silver tray on his side, which looked very, very old.
There were a few other items on the tray, but it didn't seem like he had any intention of grabbing any of them.
"This is a "naming" stone. Each of you will receive one and only one."
"Crushing the stone with your fingers will give you access to our language and a series of common values used in our nation and
Some used in outside Kingdoms."
"You may question why the need for it given you already understand me, but this is only a temporary and highly impractical solution."
"The correct course would be teaching our language over time, yet that isn't practical."
"One of our summoned heroes of the past related this item to a "Dictionary", I hope this may help you in understanding what this is."
'Hm well, being able to read, write and understand what people are saying is a must in this society.'
/ Step step.../
As he spoke, the purple knights moved around handling the stones. Because of this, no one, even the bold ones, tried to cause trouble.
"As I said, make sure to break them in your hand, don't worry, they crumble fairly easily when you apply force. No matter what, don't throw them on the ground or have another person break them for you."
"Erm... Ex-Excuse me..."
"Yes, young lady?"
"H-How do these... Work?"
'Damn, what is it with people and questions? Y'all have more courage than I thought!'
'That aside this question is kind of pointless but we ball.'
"That would take too long to explain. But in short, 'neutral' memories and knowledge are extracted and 'pooled' inside a special chamber that when handled by the correct expert can then be solidified into what is essentially a bundle of experiences and understanding."
'This is actually a pretty interesting concept. Taking somethings memories or copying them.' He'd lightly nod to himself.
"These experiences are very tame and gentle, so they can't remain inside the mind for long, they merely function to pave in an outline, like blocking a river before building a dam."
"Over time, you'll learn the language and once the stone effects dissipate, given you practised the memories, you shall possess mastery over our language."
"Simply put, it's a skill that will naturally translate that particular language to one that you are most proficient in. It will increase in proficiency as you are exposed to that particular language. Becoming more and more capable of translating it until you master it fully, which will then change it from a mere translator to a gauge of your skill with the language itself."
"In its current state it can't translate slang and regional accents very well, so be wary of that."
"You may deactivate it any time you wish.
The Skill proficiency will increase even when it is deactivated. This is just one of the many skills you'll learn while you're with us."
"Aside from being artificially made, these stones are also rarely found outside, but their price remains the same, so make sure to not mess it up since it's quite a hassle to make another."
Lupio raised his left wrist, looking at his wristwatch.
"The High priest's spell should be ending soon as well... Hush hush! We don't have a lot of time left."
""…""
/ Chatter.../
"…"
'Hm, I don't know how I feel about something reaching into my mind. I'll have to hope nothing bad happens.'
'Right now I can't defend myself from this even if I wanted to.'
"Pardon Hero, here."
One of the knights came close to Sekou and handed him a tiny stone stored within a wooden box.
"Appreciate it. Thanks."
'I don't know if I can still access descriptions or not without T.S.A. Let's hope it's the former.' Sekou would think before looking at the item.'
[Skill stone
Description:
An artificial stone containing information within. The information can vary from stone to stone depending on the methods used in its creation.
Effects:
Use it to gain the Skills, "Arlua Language Lv3, Barion Language Lv1, Elios Language Lv1, Drumben Language Lv1 "
Contains System related information.]
'Why did I even study English and Italian? Eh? Why did I put so much effort into learning those languages if now I can break a stone and instantly learn four?'
Sekou wanted to punch every English instructor he'd ever had, especially the ones who tormented him over some English exams.
'The education system fucking sucks.' He'd think to himself before attempting to break the stone.
'There really is no need to overthink this. In my eyes even if this is a test to see who will listen to them it would only be advantageous.'
'If they believe that I'll easily listen to what they say it will just be less surveillance for me.' He'd think to himself.
/Grasp…/
/Crumble…/
Putting some strength into his hand the stone would crumble. He had just used more force than he cared to admit. Looking at Emma he'd notice that she seemed to also break the stone which was handed to her with no difficulty.
/Nod/
Nodding he'd just look on as he received a bunch of system messages.
[DING]
[You have gained the Skill. Arlua Language Lv3]
[You have gained the Skill, Barion Language Lv1]
[You have gained the Skill, Elios Language Lv1]
[You have gained the Skill, Drumben Language Lv1]
[The system codex has expanded]
'Neat. Although they'll just end up filling my skill section. A pity but it could be worse.'
Soon the other heroes showed similar results... Only some of the weaker kids seemed to have
difficulty. But they soon broke their respective stones.
"It seems everyone is done! Allow me to explain those four languages!"
"The four languages you all just learned are the most common ones used across the entirety of the Human empire."
"The Arlua language is the most used language. Our mother tongue."
"The royal family together with the church makes sure that every single Human in its territory will receive proper education and grow up to be able to at least talk in this language."
"The Barion Language is the language mostly used between merchants. It's a slightly more complex language used by those of higher class since it's quite difficult to learn compared to the Arlua language. Nevertheless, you will most likely see the language being used commonly inside big cities."
"The Elios Language is a special language. It's a neutral language made in order to allow all races to properly communicate. It's the second most important language for merchants and people who constantly leave the country."
"The Drumben Language is a written scholarly alphabet. Its main aspect is how complex it really is. It's mainly used among scholars to compress information into books. We gave you all this language because 85% of all of the books in the royal capital are written in this format."
"Now I am sure you all must be tired so we will end our activities here for today. Please follow the maids towards your resting grounds. Any questions and inquiries can be made to the head butler of the castle. He will be waiting for you all in your dormitories."
/ Silence.../
"... If no one has any questions, please, follow the maids."
/ Chatter.../
As people started to speak whilst following the maids Sekou would once again turn his head and look at Emma.
"I have a question." He'd say whilst glancing at her.
"What's up?" She'd ask in what seemed to be both curiosity and mild confusion.
"I know I already asked you this before but in all seriousness what do you plan to do from now on?" He'd ask whilst he kept on walking.
"Oh? This again. I already said that I don't think that far ahead." She'd say whilst walking about half a step behind him.
"I know that. I don't mean in the far future I mean like tomorrow and after that let's say for this week in your free time what do you plan to do?"
"That's pretty far into the future tho…"
"(°-°)"
"I-i was joking."
"In all honesty, I'm probably just gonna follow you around and test my abilities out." She'd speak with a lightly monotone voice. It was evident she hadn't really thought much about it.
"Follow me? What about your other friends? From the group you were in pre-isekai," Sekou would ask.
"Oh them? Hm, how do I put it? We were "friends" but not friends… I know it's weird and kind of hard to explain-"
"So kinda like school friends. Y'all talked and hung around whilst in college/Uni but once outside of it you rarely talked to one another?"
"T-that's exactly- how did you know? Ar-are you a stalker?"
"(°-°)"
"Again! I was joking again! Stop looking at me like that…"
"Answering your question it's because I went through the exact same experience although all my "friends" were in different courses so none of them got transported here." He's say.
"Oh, I see." She'd answer whilst nodding.
"I have a question now tho…" She'd ask instead.
"What's the question?"
"Why did you help me?" She'd look straight at him as she asked this.
"Me? You're asking why I helped you?" He'd ask with a slight tilt of his head.
"Yup." She'd answer with a nod of her head.
"Because you were crying." He'd say with an impassive face whilst looking at her.
"You deliberately acted shy tho? Even though I haven't been around you for a long time I can already tell that you aren't exactly the type that shows emotions." She'd ask this time her tone filled with slight suspicion.
"You're perceptive." He'd comment.
"I get told that every now and then." She'd comment.
"So are you gonna answer?" She'd ask
"Guy with no expression walks up to a crying girl with some tea in hand and gives it to her. Look at me in the eyes and tell me that you wouldn't have been creeped out or at least thinking that I was up to no good." He'd say
"No smile, no comforting or relatable gesture, just a cold face with even colder eyes looking down at you." He'd continue.
"That's fair… I would have probably thought you wanted something from me. Not to say I don't think you have ulterior motives right now." She'd say.
"Does that mean you don't trust me?" Sekou would ask whilst raising an eyebrow.
He'd ask a question he already knew the answer to.
"What? No, no, no. I'm just saying that if you want something from me just say it straight up. You've still been helping me and giving me valuable advice so how could I not trust you?" She'd say whilst frantically moving her hands in a cross shape as if denying the very notion.
'Yeah, my skills already said you had no wariness or distrust towards me really just wanted to see how you'd word it.' Sekou thought.
"I just don't want this friendship to be built on lies and deceit. We are friends r-right?" she'd ask her last stutter making her look rather "cute." in his eyes.
'The irony for you to be saying this to the Saint of Deceit.'
"Yeah, of course we are friends. We are a duo right now, if I can't trust you I can't trust anyone." He'd say as he smiled lightly.
Sekou couldn't see Emma's expression after that and quite frankly he didn't want to.
[Poker Face Lv2 -> Poker Face Lv3]
…
While they made their way to the dormitories due to the maids being way more approachable than the knights, people began asking questions, especially the adults who were usually faculty members of the college and university.
'Props to them for being some of the more calm and collected people.'
Whilst all of this was going on of course Sekou would listen in and also gather information about their surroundings.
What he gathered was:
That the castle was simply amazing.
The Nadir Royal garden... Named by one of the heroes from the first generation.
In short, ever since the birth of the empire, every one hundred years, a Hero summoning would commence.
In other words, this place was one thousand years old.
Supposedly, this place is a separate part of the Royal Castle. Deep in the mountains, far away from normal civilisation.
'I don't know how much I like this. Limiting the people we are able to see and meet.'
According to the maids, this "palace" was located in the Royal Castle gardens. Around the middle, between its border and the castle itself.
To maintain the safety of the Capital, the royal garden was basically an entire valley limited by a mountain range, or as they said, "everything to the North of the Royal Capital."
This place was kind of like a "summer" house for the Crown. A place normally used by the princes and princesses of the royal family as dozens of Palaces and Manors had been built along the expanse of the many forests and rivers before the mountains.
Despite that, they had yet to see anyone of Royal blood aside from the King himself, which made this place feel rather desolate.
'No doubt in my mind that the goal is to completely isolate us and train us to become weapons or assets to this kingdom. Until then they clearly intend to limit how much the outside world can influence us.'
In truth the place had a several things:
Number one was a church. A massive place built to house the artifact used to give the Heroes their "Heroic roles" and to also house the artifact that brought them into this world.
'I don't know if we are going to be allowed to go there and even if we were it's not like I can do anything there.'
It seemed that they were two different objects judging from the way the Maids spoke of them.
They most likely were stored somewhere inside in different locations where both remain a tightly kept secret.
It was clear that the place was guarded quite well, you could see that by just looking at the number of purple knights protecting that singular hall.
They weren't the only guards of this place.
Everywhere, you will probably see blue and purple knights patrolling around, and if you were lucky, sometimes you would see knights wearing armor with a mixture of purple and red paint.
It would seem that Sekou's previous guess about the purple guards being of a higher rank was wrong. Although all he had to go by was the fact that they were blocking and parrying the heroes' attacks as for the purple and red knights he had nothing.
It would seem however that they were a corps, right below the Red knight, the king's right hand, and military commander.
Another conjecture he had been wrong about. It seemed that there weren't multiple red knights but a single one.
Nevertheless what he had come to gather from this was that if he saw someone wearing red then he'd just need to be mindful of their presence.
That aside.
Other than the church, there was also the royal library.
There is supposedly no library in the main castle. Not a big one at the very least.
Sekou would note to himself that he'd need to go and visit the library when possible reading up on the books in there to get a better understanding of the ongoing situation.
'Although there's most likely just some filtered books in there.'
The only place suitable to be called "Royal library" was this place. It contains a massive selection of books collected and revised over the centuries.
There is a series of small things like a training camp, pools for relaxation, massage rooms, and even a Zoo containing all sorts of exotic animals for study and observation.
But those weren't there purely for our entertainment.
They are also there for the "Heroes" that had some sort of animal-related Class.
That's also the reason for the greenhouse.
'Yea my thoughts are being proven to be right. They definitely want to use this area to train us.'
'Which isn't essentially a bad thing. Getting stronger is a net benefit. Just gotta make sure to not become a pawn or puppet whilst at it.'
'That being said I'm not the only non-trusting person here. It's rather clear in my eyes that they also don't completely trust us.'
'Just the way they look at us makes it so obvious '
What Sekou cared about right now was reaching a room alone and going through his class items. There wasn't anything else he really cared to do right now.
'Oh wait this also reminds me. I have to talk to Kim as well… this walk could not be any slower.' Sekou would think to himself.
…
/Stop…/
'Have we finally arrived? After all this time?'
After walking for who knows how long through the hallways of the Church they'd finally arrive at the foot of a wide and tall building.
It had a pretty Gothic appearance, being very grand. Its doors seemingly made out of a translucent crystal.
"Ahem."
An old man was standing in front of the doors. Wearing a butler outfit together with a monocle he looked like someone straight out of the Victorian era in Sekou's eyes.
The old man's eyebrows were so thick that most people couldn't see his eyes.
He had a thin mustache and seemed to be exuding the air of a calm old man.
"Welcome, young heroes. My name is Alfus. Keeper of this Palace."
"In front of you all is the "Adrius Palace" that housed every single Hero generation ever since the birth of the Empire, except the first one as despite building this place, not all of them had the chance to use it." He said with some regret as he looked at the top of the Palace's central tower.
"It was built in the old era when our nation was still in its fledgling stages. It has passed through many reforms to keep up with the times. I'm glad to be its keeper and to present myself before you like those before me did."
"The boys and girls are separated into the two wings to your left and right. Please be understanding of this."
"If any of you have any requests, I will try my best to accomplish them. The only thing I can't do is to provide each of you with a singular room."
"Unfortunately, we only have around eighty functioning rooms, of which, only sixty are currently available for accommodation."
"Barely enough for everyone. We weren't expecting so many Heroes this time around. So we didn't prepare an adequate amount of
rooms."
"The twenty rooms not currently available are special rooms dedicated to those who have accomplished great results during our introductory week."
"It is... Not something I'm happy to see or proclaim, but it was a given that those who try their hardest be given the chance to achieve their full potential..."
"If not, go beyond it."
"If you wish to stay alone, or if you wish to stay with a group, talk with Lingy over here."
He pointed to a veiled blue-haired girl standing on the side and somehow, despite all this time, most people hadn't noticed her.
It was as if she'd been invisible…
'Hm I have a bad feeling about her… I'll make sure to keep a certain distance between us.' His thoughts however would just stop there as Alfus started to talk again.
"For now, let's settle the issue of the rooms.
Then we can think about other things...
" He said as he took a clipboard from a stone podium next to him.
"Please, follow Lingy for now."
"For the Ladies and gentlemen of... A more refined age. Please follow me for your accommodations."
"Any questions?"
One of the teachers lifted his hand, looking at his coworker with a frown.
"When you say "refined" age. What is the exact number?"
"Oi... Why are you looking at me?!" One of the older teachers asked as she looked at the
man.
"Nothing nothing..."
"An excellent question Mr... It was my oversight, please forgive me, everyone."
"All of those whose age precedes that of 25 may stay. The others are to follow me. Don't worry as I will answer all of your questions on the way..."
"Excuse me, mister... May I stay with my students?... My age isn't exactly that high either... I-I am only 25..."
"That's quite old Miss Mary." Said one of the delinquents with a scoff as he crossed his
arms.
'Insane work. Me personally-'
"##!!"
'These darned brats!'
She got visibly angry but kept her cool.
"Humm... I think it's proper to leave an adult or two to take care of the young ones. Do any of the male teachers want to stay?"
There were a total of six people who would be classified as teachers.
Three from the university and three from their school.
Miss Mary was one of the three teachers from the school alongside two other women.
From the university side, there were two middle-aged men and an old woman. They didn't seem enthusiastic about taking care of teen kids, and he could very well understand why.
"I will stay, can't let Mary stay alone." One of her colleagues said as she sighed audibly.
She didn't seem enthusiastic about taking care of those brats even in another world.
"If that's the case. Then I can't be the only one left."
In the end, all teachers remained to watch over the kids.
'Time to recall who the hell they each were.'
Miss Mary, 25, rather shy but professional.
She has long dark hair and wears casual modern clothes making her seem like a university graduate. Which in fact, she was.
Having just started her professional career, she was met with this situation. She was the
current history teacher.
Miss Danielle, 28. A fierce looking girl that talks and acts even fiercer!
She has a tomboyish look with her clothes consisting of tank tops and shorts although she wears a gym jacket most of the time.
Her skin is slightly tanned due to her passion for beaches and swimming. She was the current PE teacher.
And finally, Miss Charlotte. A short "29" or so she says. Most likely a 34 or higher…
She has a very strict look, wearing thick glasses and a rather long skirt that hid her knees, which didn't help to make her seem younger.
Her dark hair was braided into a ponytail.
She would be beautiful if her fashion sense wasn't so old and stiff. As such it was to no surprise, she was the Math teacher.
Just like the previous two, she was also single.
'If this was one of those normal isekais then someone would designate all of them as harem targets. This is not one of those stories tho.'
And even if it was, I already said I don't like older women… yea i'd definitely cuss out the author if this was one of those stories.'
Moving on.
"If no one has any other questions… The others, please follow me."
/Step step… Chattering…/
Everyone who was over 25 followed the old man. This included the department heads some older students and most of Sekou's teachers.
"Everyone… Come with me…"
A beautiful and calm voice entered their ears.
The voice was extremely soothing… and calming… almost as if… as if…
'Why am I getting… tired?… St-strange…' Sekou's thoughts would start to slow down as he strangely enough felt calm.
Shaking his head slightly it wouldn't take much to realise that something was off, yet strangely enough, he felt almost too calm.
In a moment in which he should be feeling extremely anxious all he felt was an almost endless calm.
'No, I'm better than this. I am in full control of myself at all times. I am in full control of myself at all times. I am in full control of myself at all times. I am in full control of myself at all times.'
[Skill, Veil of Lies Lv1 reacts strongly.]
[Target starts to believe the lie.]
[Last Liar activates strongly! Truth is whatever you want it to be!]
[Title-related skill, Pure Lie Lv0 activates.]
[Your lies carry a hypnotic effect!]
[Veil of Lies Lv1 -> Veil of Lies Lv2!]
[Pure Lie Lv0 -> Pure Lie Lv1]
Sekou was glad to see that his previous theory of self-hypnosis was correct although unfortunately for him it didn't seem to be strong enough to completely break him out of the hypnosis? No. Emotion control. That was currently overtaking him.
[Veil of Lies Lv2 is still in effect!]
[Title-related Skill, Pure Lie Lv1 is still in effect!]
[Veil of Lies Lv2 -> Veil of Lies Lv3!]
[Pure Lie Lv1 -> Pure Lie Lv2]
The fact that Sekou's skills were levelling up so fast was almost proof of how strong the emotion control was. He himself was still under it's effects just to a much lesser extent than the others.
'At least I'm aware of what's going on and the fact that this surreal feeling of relaxation and calm isn't natural, the others are just feeling it and not suspecting a single thing.' If it wasn't for his nigh-perfect poker face he'd have already shown signs of distress.
[Poker Face Lv3 -> Poker Face Lv4]
By far this was the skill that was advancing the fastest out of all the ones he had. Sekou was slightly disgruntled by the thought that it may reach a point where his face just won't show emotion at all externally.
How was he going to get close to people if his face showed no emotions? That was a thought he'd have to have for later on.
'Right now I have to deal with this. Did that Lady named Lingy do this? It's likely that this is the case.'
'Then does that mean that she has a skill similar to mine? I don't know if I like that…'
'Nevertheless one thing is certain I have to keep my distance at all costs.'
Whilst his thoughts went in such a manner he just followed the rest of the now calm and silent group of heroes.
Strangely enough some heroes seemed nearly infatuated. He'd take note of those people deeming them the 'Low self-control/Mentally weak types.'
…
The inside of the palace really didn't have much, generally seeming rather bland but definitely high class if one paid enough attention.
"Everyone... Get into a line so we can quickly and efficiently assign you a dream room!"
Her melodic voice once again clashed against his Mind, causing Sekou's eyes to twitch.
/Step…/
"E-E-Erm… Excuse us…"
The first ones in the line were the delinquents who right now were no different from dogs with their tails down from how tame they looked and acted.
"I see you are already in a group! Would you like a big room so that you can all stay together? You are all friends, right?"
"Ah... No... I mean... Yeah. Isn't that right, boys?"
"Yeah yeah... Friends.."
"Of... Of course... Anywhere is fine... Isn't that right, Kim?"
"Uhhhh..."
".. Is your friend okay?"
"H-He's just overwhelmed... Broke his hand just a few moments before..." One of them replied as they looked away.
It was evident they were all embarrassed and flustered.
"That's such a shame... I hope he gets well soon." She said gently as she moved around slightly
[Veil of Lies Lv3 -> Veil of Lies Lv4!]
[Pure Lie Lv2 -> Pure Lie Lv3!]
[Poker Face Lv4 -> Poker Face Lv5!]
'I think I'm starting to get a headache… I need to constantly tell myself that I'm in control to diminish the Emotion Control she has over me yet the slightest of movements reinforces said Emotional Control she has…'
All of this and he wasn't even fully resisting the Emotion Control. Just partially so he wouldn't be acting like the idiots over there.
'This is really ridiculous. Had I not had these exact said of skills I'd have been hoed. Shit had I been slower in reacting to this I'd have been hoed.'
Looking over at Emma it would seem like she like all the other people here hadn't even noticed that something was off.
'Really why do I have to deal with all of this…'
"I will provide a room for all of you so that you can stay together!... Next, please!"
…
Slowly and efficiently, she grouped everyone into their respective rooms, having over eighty people settle down in less than twenty rooms.
Strangely enough, no one ever asked to be placed in a single room... Although she did place some people into single rooms seemingly at random.
But that didn't seem to be the case. Sekou had noticed that she was carefully choosing people based on their personalities and common traits in order to avoid as many conflicts as possible.
Like placing the geek girl together with the mean girls... That would have been stupid as hell and can be seen as a way to start farming conflict.
'This at least tells me that she's attentive. That's… good yea let's go with that.'
Sekou had already seen that Emma was given a room with another girl from the "Mean and Pretty" girls group. He hoped that she fared well.
/Step../
It wouldn't take long before Sekou's turn came and in said turn nothing crazy really happened. It was rather quick if you asked him. A summary of the conversation would be:
"Ah you don't seem like the expressive type."
"…"
"Not much of a talker either I'm guessing?"
"…"
"Just to be sure you're able to speak right?"
"(°-°)"
A slow nod.
"… Ahem single room it is then! Of course, if that's fine with you."
A second slow nod followed by a quick.
"Thank you."
That being the end of the conversation as he was sent over to his room. Before you start judging him! Social anxiety, remember? The only person he feels even remotely comfortable to speak with in here is Emma as of right now.
Simply because she's most of the time an airhead that will just follow what he says. Most of the time…
…
Sekou could be seen sitting down in a couch next to Emma near the entrance area as they waited for Lingy to finish sorting everyone.
"Emma."
"Yes?"
"I got a priest like class that lets me heal people." He'd whisper.
"Why are you telling me this now?" she'd ask.
"Thought I'd at least tell you this since we were among the first people to get sorted and not many people are close enough to eavesdrop." he'd say.
"True." She'd mutter.
"…"
"…"
An awkward silence would overtake them for a second before Emma spoke.
"My class let's me…" She'd look down.
"It lets me summon invisible hands…"
"(°-°)"
"…"
Silence would once again takeover once more.
"So hypothetically right now."
Sekou would feel something graze his neck. Looking down however, he could see nothing.
"Um…"
"I-is it strange? I knew you'd find it weird… I shouldn't have said anything…" She'd say whilst covering her face out of embarrassment.
"N-no it's cool."
"Really?"
"Y-yeah… just don't um.. Don't ever prank me with this please…"
A smile would cover Emma's face.
"Hmm I'll see if I feel like it."
At that moment Sekou felt like he'd be having a bunch of headaches in the future.
It wouldn't take long before Lingy was done with the sorting of everyone and with having Emma to speak to the time would fly by pretty fast.
After Lingy had finished she'd give everyone a key with a number on it. The key itself was beautiful, probably made out of Jade or an Emerald like material. That was Sekou's personal guess at least.
After giving everyone their keys she'd go on to explain the dormitory rules. They were so many that Sekou knew he'd probably have to ask a maid to give him a written format later on.
Nevertheless some of the rules he'd manage to memorise were:
-All are to return to the dormitories after
10PM and their respective rooms past 12AM.
-Do not enter the opposite sex section without a Maid or Butler present. Unless it's an emergency.
-No fights inside the dormitories under any circumstances.
-No Skill testing inside the dormitories under any circumstances.
-Do not use your skills inside the dormitory under any circumstances.
-The three rules above can be scrapped in the case of emergencies.
-Don't enter the prohibited areas unless under supervision. Even during emergencies.
-No weapons and gear inside the dormitories' common areas.
-You may talk with any of the dorm staff in case you have some sort of inquiry or request.
-No pets unless they have been approved by the staff.
There were many more and he knew that he'd have to move carefully if he didn't want to accidentally break any.
Luckily for him however, Lingy gave people rulebooks just in case. He was glad that this was the case as he wouldn't have to later on ask a maid due to this.
That aside, the first thing Sekou would do upon everything being done is go straight into his room.
And after checking if the room was bugged or not and finding nothing he'd close the door and sit down on the bed. He wouldn't even wait to appreciate the room's furniture as a single thought would overtake his mind,
'Time to deal with my damn class items!'