The 20th District, known as the Plains of Silence, lives up to its name. The territory itself is quite vast, but beyond grass and massive boulders, there's nothing else to see.
No animals inhabit this place.
Digging into the soil might reveal worms or similar creatures, but...
Neither beasts nor monsters exist here, and the same goes for humans. Merchants might pass through, but no one has ever settled here, building homes and living permanently. This is because the Dominator of this territory forbids it.
The identity of the 20th District's Dominator remains unknown, but they're likely a member of Helten. After all, Helten was the one who commissioned me to come here.
I strode across the plains aimlessly. They wouldn't have used Pesica to commission me here just to mess with me.
Something will turn up if I just keep walking.
My hunch proved correct, but what actually appeared was far from what I expected.
"This way."
It was a raccoon.
A gray-furred raccoon stood about ten meters to my right, waving one of its short front paws at me.
I narrowed my eyes. Was this raccoon actually talking to me?
Come on, even for a fantasy world, that's a bit much... Is someone else hiding nearby?
I scanned the surroundings, but there wasn't a trace of another person.
"This way, you clown," the raccoon said, its mouth moving. Upon closer listening, its voice was surprisingly deep and gravelly. I had to admit the raccoon was speaking.
"...What are you? I've never heard of a talking raccoon before."
"I'm a raccoon, you idiot."
Resisting the urge to punch him, I approached the raccoon.
...Is this really a talking raccoon? Or is someone controlling it with a special skill?
The possibilities were so numerous that it was impossible to guess.
As I approached, the raccoon widened the distance between us, moving away. Assuming it wanted me to follow, I silently trailed behind.
"Raccoon, where are you going?"
"Shut up and follow. You'll find out soon enough. And I'm a raccoon."
"...Are you an executive of Helten?"
"You should already know that."
No, I don't know, which is why I'm asking.
The author of God's Atlantis hadn't fully fleshed out every aspect of Helten. Only some of the executives appeared in the story, leaving others whose identities remain unknown to me.
Judging by this raccoon's arrogant attitude... he must hold some rank within Helten.
Lost in thought, I arrived before a massive boulder. The flat, over four-meter-wide rock lay haphazardly in the middle of the plains.
"Why are we here?"
"You're such a fool. You have no eye for detail."
The urge to kick the raccoon surged, but I barely restrained myself.
The raccoon straightened up on its hind legs and swung its paw at the boulder. Instead of striking the rock, its paw sank into it.
I immediately realized the truth: the boulder was a disguise. Some kind of magic or skill had been used to conceal an entrance to another space behind the rock.
"This is..."
"I don't feel like explaining. There are no traps, so just follow me. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered with this elaborate charade in the first place."
Raccoon slipped smoothly into the rock. I followed close behind, extending my foot into the opening. Once I confirmed my foot had entered completely, I stepped inside.
Territory 3,709: Star Discrimination.
This is a Hidden Zone.
In Territory 3,709, Truth and Falsehood will be discerned.
The Dominator's settings have disabled penalties for falsehoods.
Due to the Dominator's special settings, all Divine Thrones except the Contracted Divine Seat are unable to observe the conditions within this zone.
Due to the Dominator's special settings, spatial teleportation methods, including Scrolls, cannot be used to exit this territory.
Hidden Zone... I didn't know such places existed.
The scenery remained unchanged: a night sky, a grassy plain, and the same cool air I'd felt before entering.
The only difference was a rocky area some distance away.
"Stop daydreaming and follow me!"
I followed Raccoon through the rocky terrain. The boulders resembled the famous modern-day Stonehenge.
Five figures stood among the rocks, each wearing a mask and cloaked to conceal their identities.
"I brought him!" Raccoon declared, approaching a man leaning against a boulder and nestling into his arms. The man's head was bowed low, as if asleep, his face hidden beneath a black cloak.
"Good work, Raccoon," a young man's voice said. I turned toward the sound and saw a man perched on a boulder at the center of the area. Dressed in the leather garb common among Exiles, he wore an octagonal mask that concealed his face.
It was a strange mask, devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth. Though it seemed impossible to see through, he stared directly at me.
"Pleased to meet you, Heavenly Demon. I am the leader of Helten."
Truth.
The System notified me. This Territory's unique feature was Truth and Falsehood Discrimination, which applied even to spoken words. In other words, any lie uttered here would be immediately exposed.
I felt cold sweat trickling beneath my Clown Mask.
...I never imagined I'd meet the leader of Helten like this. I thought I'd only encounter his executives at most...
And that wasn't all. The others present were no ordinary individuals either. The assembled group likely consisted of Helten's top executives.
"I am Cheonmada," I declared.
Rude to speak informally? These guys don't care about such things.
Truth.
The System notification popped up, confirming the veracity of my statement to them.
"Pesica told me you want to join Helten. What's your purpose?"
Another notification flashed: [ Truth. ] But blindly trusting the System's alerts would be foolish. If my opponent was the Dominator of this Territory, they could likely manipulate its settings.
"I believe joining Helten will grant me greater benefits."
"What kind of benefits? Money?"
"Power. My goal is to grow stronger by using Helten."
Truth.
Truth and Falsehood can discern truth from lies, but it can't uncover deliberately hidden thoughts. Keep this limitation in mind, and it can be quite useful.
"You're honest. Well, what we do is a bit illegal, but it's the perfect way to accumulate power. But Helten's goal isn't just about gathering together to become stronger."
"I know. Even if I crave power, I'd never betray you."
"Ah, you know. You know what our true purpose is. How?"
I felt the gazes around me sharpen instantly. Until now, only Helten's leader had shown any interest in me, but my last statement had changed that. Now, two more executives besides the leader were showing interest.
"Helten is the most notorious criminal organization in Atlantis. I became curious and did some research."
"That's true."
Their idea of research and mine are different. I met the author of [ God's Atlantis ] and investigated various aspects of the story. I also already know Helten's true objectives through the original work.
"Truth, huh... You're more capable than I thought," said the man to the leader's left.
He wore a mask densely studded with jewels and dressed in the attire of a wealthy merchant.
"Until just now, your value was only about 4 million pennies. But with that statement, it's risen to 80 million pennies."
"A twentyfold increase? Still seems pretty stingy. Someone like me should be worth at least a billion pennies, don't you think?"
"Perhaps that will be the case in the future. But right now, your value is 80 million Pennies. There's a critical flaw in how this Territory distinguishes between truth and falsehood: its subjectivity. You might be completely misunderstanding our true purpose, mistaking it for something trivial. Therefore, on behalf of the boss, I'll ask again: What exactly is Helten's objective?"
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I tell them? ...No. The water's already spilled. If I don't answer, they'll suspect me for other reasons. In that case, I might as well...
From their perspective, I was utterly weak. If I fought any one of them right now, I likely wouldn't last ten seconds before being killed. So, I needed to emphasize my unique value to them.
"Your goal is... to prevent the next Atlantis from opening, isn't it?"
"...Oh."
The Gem Mask let out a soft gasp.
"How did you know? Even Pesicado doesn't know this. Only we know, and the lower ranks wouldn't have a clue... Is there a traitor among us?"
"I figured it out myself. I can't reveal the exact method, but... no one among you told me. That includes Helten's executives who aren't here, of course."
Truth.
"I see. It's no wonder the boss is interested in you. I'll raise your value to 1 billion. Do you realize what that means? It means you're worth killing as quickly as possible."
Truth.
"What a flattering assessment."
"That's a lie."
"Heavenly Demon."
This time, the one to call out to me was the figure to the Leader's right, his voice androgynous. He wore a cracked lion mask and held a spear in his right hand.
"Will you betray us, Helten?"
"No. If you don't interfere with me and treat me fairly, I'm willing to cooperate, even if it means killing the Divine Throne."
Truth.
The King of the Demonic Heavens chuckles.
The Lord of the Heavens scoffs at you.
Rather than anger, the Divine Thrones mocked me. It was the reaction I'd anticipated. From their perspective, a human claiming to kill them must seem beyond insulting utterly comical. It was a claim far more impossible than a human ascending to godhood.
"I like those words," he said, the Lion Mask glinting as he reclined on a nearby rock.
"Sparkle and Lion seem to have taken an interest in you," the Leader remarked. "Sparkle and Lion" were nicknames, similar to code names. Since they concealed their identities behind masks, using their real names was out of the question.
"So... does that mean I'm now a member of Helten?"
"Correct. But you can't become an executive. You're too weak, and you haven't done anything for Helten yet. If you want to become an executive, start from the bottom, build your strength, and work for Helten. Once you reach a certain level... I and the others will acknowledge you."
"It's the truth."
I felt a sense of unease.
This was why Helten's leader had insisted on meeting me personally. If they merely intended to make me a low-ranking member, they wouldn't have bothered with such a direct encounter. After all, low-ranking members of Helten were ultimately disposable pawns.
"You seem puzzled by our decision to summon you here. Why do you think we called you here? Here's a hint: I'm the only one who's truly interested in something about you. The others are only here because they're curious about why I summoned you."
Is this some kind of test?
I pondered for a moment.
What could possibly interest the leader about me?
Successfully retrieving a branch of the Seven-Branched Sword at Pesica's request? Wearing a Clown Mask and operating under the guise of wanting to enter Helten? Acting under the name "Heavenly Demon"?
Helten wouldn't be interested in something so trivial.
I briefly recalled my memories, and one thing stood out:
The reason the Leader might be interested in me.
I had explicitly told Pesica about it before, and she must have reported it to Helten.
"...It's because of the Divine Throne I contracted with the King of the Demonic Heavens."
"Correct."
That is the truth.
"The King of the Demonic Heavens is a unique Divine Throne, even among the highest-ranking ones. He doesn't contract with just anyone."
The King of the Demonic Heavens tilts his head in confusion.
The King of the Demonic Heavens looked puzzled, but it wasn't strange that the Leader knew about him.
After all, the Leader's Hunter Ability allowed him to see events from the first to seventh iterations of Atlantis.
"Do you know the King of the Demonic Heavens' identity?"
"I do. Judging by your reaction, you don't."
Truth.
"What is the King of the Demonic Heavens' identity?"
"That... I can't tell you. I don't want to make an enemy of him. Besides, even if I didn't tell you, you'd figure it out soon enough."
Truth.
"..."
I frowned. In the end, I couldn't uncover the King of the Demonic Heavens' identity. I considered pressing the issue but decided against it.
"So, is that all? What should I do now?"