The servant: "Can I help you, Mr. Adventurer?"
The maid called Venti "Mr. Adventurer" because during his walk with Deith, Venti repeatedly encountered servants and other staff who noticed his presence. After an explanation, they learned that Venti was the adventurer sent to find Deith's cat.
Venti: "Perhaps."
Venti replied with a polite smile.
Venti: "I'm looking for a black cat with golden eyes, a white patch on its head, and a blue collar."
"Have you seen it?"
Venti: "It was now time to use this skill for the first time."
The moment she opened her mouth to reply, Venti unconsciously activated his skill.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffff
It wasn't a voice or a vision, but a clear, almost instinctive impression. The woman's words resonated... without dissonance.
The maid: "No, I'm sorry."
"I didn't see him today."
No resistance.
No contradiction.
She was telling the truth.
Venti: "Interesting..."
Venti mused.
Venti: "So when my skill doesn't detect a lie, I don't sense anything."
He thanked her and continued on his way.
A few minutes later:
A little further away, two young servants were talking quietly near a door leading to the kitchens.
When they noticed Venti, they immediately straightened up.
Venti: "Excuse me for bothering you."
He said.
Same question as before:
Venti: "Have you seen a cat matching this description?"
Venti held up a piece of paper with a drawing of a cat on it that matched Aster.
One of them replied quickly:
Servant #1: "No, not at all."
Servant #2: "We didn't see anything."
FFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffff
Venti: "What was that feeling?"
This time… something was off.
The feeling returned, clearer.
A slight tugging, like a frustrated gust of wind.
The words spoken seemed right, but the intention behind them was unclear.
Not a complete lie… more of an omission.
Venti inclined his head slightly.
Venti: "Nothing at all?"
"..."
"Are you sure?"
The second servant hesitated, glancing quickly at his colleague.
The sensation intensified.
Servant #2: "Well…"
She said finally.
Servant #2: "Perhaps he was seen near the outbuildings, toward the back of the manor."
"But it was quick."
The invisible tension vanished instantly.
There, thought Venti.
Venti: "It really works."
He thanked the two servants and continued his investigation, becoming increasingly attentive to these invisible fluctuations.
With each conversation, he learned to distinguish between the honest truth, doubt, fear… and partial lies.
The skill was still clumsy, imprecise at times, but clear enough to give him a considerable advantage.
Within a few exchanges, a clear direction emerged:
Several servants had spotted a black cat slipping toward the less frequented areas of the estate, near the outer walls and the old warehouses.
Venti took a deep breath.
Venti: "Very well, Aster…"
He thought with a slight smile.
Venti: "I'll find you soon."
Venti left the bustling corridors of the manor and took a narrower passage leading to the rear of the estate.
As he walked, the scenery gradually changed:
- The elegant carpets gave way to a rougher stone floor.
- The ornate walls became simple, functional.
The whole place seemed different, less fragrant, more filled with the scents of damp earth and old wood.
Tap tap tap tap tap tap
Each footstep echoed softly, accompanied by the light rustle of his cloak.
In his mind, he replayed the servants' reactions, the subtle sensations provoked by his newfound ability.
This strange, almost instinctive perception was still recent… but already terribly effective.
Venti: "So this is lie detection…"
He thought.
Venti: "It's not a voice saying 'true' or 'false,' but a dissonance."
"Like a thwarted wind."
As he approached a door leading outside, a familiar sensation suddenly pulsed at his waist.
A vibration
Bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrr
The Adventurer's Crystal.
Venti stopped abruptly and looked down. The gem emitted a soft, greenish glow, traversed by thin luminous streaks that swirled slowly within its core. He didn't need to activate it to understand.
Venti: "Oh…"
He murmured, surprised.
A clear message dawned on him, as if the crystal itself were transmitting it:
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 1 → Level 2
Venti felt a slight warmth spread through his chest, followed by a sensation of clarity.
His perception was sharpening, becoming more stable, less tiring to use.
Where before he had to actively concentrate to sense lies, he instinctively understood that the skill would now respond more naturally, more fluidly.
Venti: "So… my theory is confirmed."
"Using it makes it progress."
He murmured with a subtle smile.
Venti: "Exactly like the others."
He gently closed his fingers around the crystal, the light gradually fading.
This silent, almost natural progression gave him a strange sense of continuity… as if he were slowly regaining something he had once mastered.
Venti: "Barbatos…"
He thought fleetingly, not yet understanding why that name seemed so connected to this feeling of growth.
The door opened before him, letting in the light from outside.
At the rear of the manor, the terrain was wilder:
- Walls covered in ivy.
- Crates piled near old warehouses.
- Shady spots where few people seemed to pass.
- A perfect place for a cat seeking peace and quiet… or to hide.
Venti took a deep breath, letting the wind brush against his face.
Venti: "Very well, Aster."
He said in a low voice.
Venti: "Thanks to you."
"Thanks to you, and I'm learning even more about my abilities."
And as he moved through this remote part of the estate, his senses were now sharper.
Venti knew that this quest, simple though it seemed, continued to help him grow, not only in level, but also in understanding his own powers.
Venti: "I will continue to search for you."
Suddenly, Venti stopped dead in his tracks.
Venti: "Huh?"
His gaze had just caught a quick movement in the back garden, where the manor walls met a wilder area, overgrown with bushes and tall grass.
A dark figure darted out between two overturned crates.
Venti: "...Aster."
He recognized him immediately.
The black cat with golden eyes was running at full speed, his blue collar flashing briefly with each leap.
His white spot on his head was clearly visible, contrasting sharply with his dark fur.
But something was wrong.
His run wasn't playful or curious: it was chaotic, panicked.
And right behind him—
Venti: "A dog?"
A medium-sized dog, its fur bristling, foaming at the mouth, its eyes bloodshot, was chasing him, growling ferociously.
Its movements were erratic, aggressive, as if it had lost all reason.
Each bark echoed through the air, charged with uncontrollable rage.
Aster tried to climb onto an old barrel, but slipped clumsily and fell back to the ground, letting out a high-pitched mew of terror.
The dog immediately leaped forward, closing the distance dangerously.
Venti: "This is too dangerous…!"
Venti thought, his heart clenching.
Venti understood what was happening:
Aster was being chased by a wild dog that might attack him and even kill him.
His body moved before he could even finish thinking.
Venti: "We have to hurry!"
He instantly activated his mass reduction, feeling himself become lighter, almost floating on air.
The ground seemed to recede beneath his feet as he surged forward, running at an unnaturally high speed.
The wind began to swirl around him, guiding each step between obstacles.
A few seconds later, he finally reached the garden where two animals were.
Venti: "Hey!"
He shouted at the dog.
But the animal only had eyes for the cat.
The dog leaped again.
Venti: "Now."
Venti snapped his fingers, releasing a burst of Anemo energy.
A precise, controlled gust struck the dog's flank and threw him sideways.
The animal rolled to the ground with a furious yelp, but immediately got back up, even more aggressive.
Venti: "He's really rabid..."
Venti murmured.
Aster, taking advantage of this brief respite, slipped behind a collapsed wall, but he was too frightened to go any further.
Meow
Cornered, his back bristling, he hissed desperately.
Venti gritted his teeth.
Meow
Venti: "Don't worry... I'm here."
He concentrated again.
This time, he used his telekinesis.
WOOF WOOF
The rabid dog, still in front of him to check, began to growl and bark.
Stones, dust, and leaves rose up around the dog, swirling in the air.
It wasn't a violent attack, but a distraction tactic.
The dog tried to bite whatever was around him, disoriented by the sudden whirlwind.
It was pointless, since he was trying to attack the dust and leaves.
FFFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffff
Taking advantage of the opening, Venti teleported behind Aster in a flash.
The cat whirled around abruptly, ready to flee… then stopped dead in his tracks.
Meow
Golden eyes met Venti's.
Venti: "Shh…"
He whispered softly.
Venti: "Deith is waiting for you."
Aster seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, then his posture relaxed slightly, as if he instinctively sensed that the immediate danger had just diminished.
Behind them, the dog tried to resume his run, but Venti took a step forward, his expression suddenly more serious.
The wind around him intensified, invisible yet oppressive, like a natural barrier.
Venti: "That's enough."
Even though Venti understood that some animals had to eat others and that it was the cycle of life, he categorically refused to let Aster become food for this dog, as he was now under his care and protection.
FFFFFFFFFFFffffffffff
A more powerful gust struck, pushing the animal far back until it crashed against a pile of bushes and didn't get up, stunned.
Silence fell again.
Venti exhaled slowly, then looked at the cat at his feet. Aster was still trembling slightly, but he was safe and sound.
Venti: "There…"
He said with a relieved smile.
Venti: "We found you."
"It was indeed faster than expected."
Meow
But at that precise moment, Venti understood something essential:
If he hadn't intervened immediately, this quest could have turned into a tragedy.
Aster was extremely lucky that Vinci had accepted the mission that other adventurers had refused because of their pride.
He leaned gently towards Aster, ready to take him back to his young master.
Meow
But he didn't know that a predator always returns.
The silence lasted only a moment.
WOOF WOOF
A low growl cut through the air, followed by a harsh, angry bark.
The dog, far from being out of the fight, reared up abruptly.
His paws clawed at the ground, his gaze fixed not on Aster… but on Venti.
He was now without a new enemy.
Venti: "Bad… very bad."
He barely thought it.
The dog leaped.
There was no time to think.
The instant the fangs drew dangerously close, something clicked inside him.
A purely instinctive reaction, deeper than thought, faster than fear.
The wind exploded around Venti.
A gentle but irresistible force lifted him from the ground, as if the air itself had decided to protect him.
His feet left the earth without him jumping.
In a fraction of a second, he found himself several meters above the ground.
Venti: "Wh—"?!
The dog flew beneath him, narrowly missing its target, crashing heavily to the ground with a furious growl.
WOOF WOOF
Venti, on the other hand, was floating.
Suspended in the air.
Motionless.
Venti: "…Huh?"
His heart was pounding.
He looked down at his feet, dangling in mid-air, then at the ground far below.
A light breeze held him, like invisible hands beneath his feet.
Venti: "I… I'm flying?!"
He instinctively flapped his arms, which only caused him to spin slightly.
Venti: "Whoa!"
The world rotated, the garden seemed to tilt.
Venti: "No, no, no, wait—I didn't mean to do that!"
A green energy now completely surrounded him.
He could feel it clearly:
This wasn't teleportation, nor mass reduction.
It was something else.
More continuous.
More stable.
Flight
He thought suddenly, as if the memory were forcing itself upon him.
He remembered this ability, similar to "Mass Increase/Decrease," which allowed him to increase the mass of an object or person.
They usually used it on themselves to move faster, but he had never used his flight ability before.
WOOF WOOF
Below, the dog barked frantically, jumping in vain to reach him.
Aster, taking refuge behind the low wall, raised his head and stared at Venti, his eyes wide, clearly just as surprised as he was.
Meow
Venti: "Okay... okay..."
Venti murmured, trying to remain calm.
Venti: "If I went up... I should be able to come back down, right?"
Venti had never used his flying ability, so he didn't really know how it worked, right now, five meters above the ground, while the dog was below him, jumping and trying to bite him.
WOOF WOOF
He tried to lean down.
Nothing.
He tried thinking about descending, about forcing the wind to release him.
Still nothing.
FFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffff
On the contrary, a small gust of wind lifted him a few more centimeters.
Venti: "Hey!"
"Stop, that's enough!"
His stomach knotted slightly.
Venti: "Very well... very well... panicking won't help..."
He took a deep breath, trying to remember how he had activated the skill.
Instinct, fear, the desire to avoid the attack... He glanced down at the ground, then at the dog, which continued to bark in circles.
Venti: "Well... at least up here, he can't reach me."
"Besides, he's even stopped paying attention to Aster, which means he's safe right now too."
"I just have to hope no one comes near here."
But a new, far less reassuring thought crossed his mind.
Venti: "...But if I don't know how to get back down... what exactly do I do?"
FFFFFFFFFFffffffffffff
The wind blew gently around him, almost mockingly.
Venti was still floating, stuck in mid-air, without the slightest idea of how to return to the ground.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, he realized that his powers could be as problematic as they were useful.
WOOF WOOF
Alerted by the furious barking echoing throughout the garden, one of the maids rushed over, slightly lifting her skirt to avoid tripping.
Her face was etched with worry, convinced that something serious had just happened.
Venti: "I was just hoping no one was coming from that direction."
When she finally reached the far end of the garden, the scene before her made her stop dead in her tracks.
Meow
The maid: "Aster!"
The black cat suddenly sprang from behind the low wall and leaped straight into her arms, clutching her apron as if afraid of being separated again.
The maid breathed an immediate sigh of relief and gently hugged the animal.
The maid: "There he is at last… The young master was so worried…"
Without the slightest hesitation, she recognized the manor cat:
- His glossy black fur
- His golden eyes, shining with emotion
- The small white spot on his head
- And the blue collar that jingled softly when he moved.
There was no doubt that it was Aster.
But her relief was short-lived.
Her gaze shifted forward… and froze.
A few feet away stood the dog.
His lips curled back, his eyes bloodshot, he was still growling, clearly frustrated at having lost his prey.
His paws dug into the earth, ready to attack again.
The maid: "A… a dog?!"
"What's he doing here?!"
The maid took a step back, clutching Aster to her chest.
The cat began to hiss violently, its back arched, claws extended.
WOOF WOOF
The dog responded with a hoarse bark and advanced slowly, each movement charged with aggression.
That's when she noticed something even stranger.
A shadow passed briefly on the floor.
She looked up.
The maid: "HUH?"
Above her, floating awkwardly in the air, was Venti.
His arms slightly outstretched, his body rigid, he seemed as surprised as she was.
FFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffff
A light aura of wind surrounded him, making his clothes and hair ripple.
Venti: "Uh... hello..."?
[Venti's Stats — Visible only to him]
Name: Venti
Level: 11/100
Max HP: 3200
ATK: 740
DEF: 410
Elemental Mastery: 180
Identified Skills:
- Telekinesis — Level 2/10
- Stat Boosting — Level 2/10
- Intangibility — Level 1/10
- Flight — Level 1/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 2/10
- Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 3/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 1/10
- Resistance Reduction — Level 2/10
- Stat Reduction — Level 2/10
- Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 2/10
- Teleportation — Level 4/10
- Wind Communication — Level 1/10
Stock exchange: 9000 Moras
Chapter 24: Tell me the truth
The End