The True Harashin (2)
[Hey, so what the hell are these Harashin bastards anyway? Someone spoil me please]
2. But in the process, they gained too much power and grew too big.
3. Eventually, the Harashin held more power than the Emperor, and having too much power, they themselves became the corrupt rulers.
4. Some members of Harashin felt skeptical and began to criticize their direction.
5. In the end, a civil war broke out, splitting them into two: the 'give up power and return to our roots' Light Harashin vs. the 'screw that, we're living the good life now' Dark Harashin.
6. In that civil war, almost everyone died, and only a few of the Dark Harashin survived, rebuilding the group based on their assassination arts.
7. That's the current Harashin.
This was the legendary "3-line summary of a 3-line summary of a 3-line summary" brain-rot incident that once took the online community I frequented by storm.
It was such a famous thread that even people who had never played the game before would jokingly say, "Harashin? Give me a 3-line summary."
Thanks to that, I happened to know the deep history of the Harashin—lore you could normally only uncover by completely wiping them out in the absolute late-game.
And this history was about to become the perfect nourishment for the logic-defying, monumental lie I was about to spin.
"The Harashin was originally a secret society founded in the Tuersi Empire to keep corrupt power in check."
"The Tuersi Empire...?"
"Yes. An ancient empire of the far east, unrecorded in the history you know."
First, I laid out the history of the Harashin to Ledare. I gave him the truth.
What is the most important thing when telling a lie? It's mixing in the truth.
To be precise, it was crucial to weave the truth between the lies so that the whole thing would slide down smoothly. The optimal ratio was nine parts truth to one part lie, or perhaps eight parts truth to two parts lie.
Take the unicorn as an example. A horse with a horn. It feels like it could exist somewhere in the world. That is a prime example of a successful lie-to-truth ratio.
But a horn with a horse attached? No one would believe that. That is a prime example of failing to balance the ratio.
"However... in that civil war, we—the fundamentalists who formed the core of the Harashin—were defeated."
I had spoken about eight parts of the truth by now.
"The traitors who won the civil war thoroughly purged us fundamentalists. To the point where they themselves were absolutely certain we had been completely wiped out. However, they did not know..."
Finally, the moment to drop the lie arrived.
"...that the will of us fundamentalists, the True Harashin, was never broken."
At this very moment, I attempted to resurrect the Light Harashin, who had been completely purged and buried in their graves.
The squinty-eyed protagonist had just played Monster Reborn.
"So that... is the True Harashin you belong to...?"
The effect was outstanding. It was the exact moment the Light Harashin, completely wiped from history, were resurrected.
I was about to answer in the affirmative, but instead, I offered a deeply meaningful smile. I figured this would be far more effective.
"..."
Confusion was written plain as day across Ledare's face.
"Y-you expect me to believe such nonsense?"
Oh, yes, buddy. You're practically hook, line, and sinker already.
Ledare denied my words just as he had at first, but his voice lacked its initial force. It was time to press the advantage.
"Shall we prove whether my words are true or not?"
"Prove it...? How on earth?"
At Ledare's question, I extended my pinky finger and wiggled it.
"Ledare, please take out the token of our friendship."
Ledare's already wide, four-white eyes grew even larger.
"Are you talking about the Promising Pinky...!?"
"Yes. The very one you said you'd gladly give as a token of our friendship, Lord Ledare."
"...I never said that."
A good sign. Ledare was playing along with my joke. It was proof that his wariness and hostility toward me, however slightly, had begun to fade.
"...What do you plan to do with the Promising Pinky?"
"I will make an oath upon it."
"What oath?"
"I, Sillon—"
I was about to swear on my name, but it felt a bit empty. It lacked flavor, so to speak. A last name. I needed a surname. A house name? Ah, right, perfect.
A noble family name from the Tuersi Empire... what was it again? Ah, right.
"Adonis. I, Sillon Adonis, swear upon the Promising Pinky. I will not speak a single lie in my conversation with you, Lord Ledare Liebringer."
"..."
Ledare's pupils trembled.
"...!"
Then, the moment our eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze to hide his inner turmoil.
"I don't have the Promising Pinky on me right now."
"Of course. It must be kept in the treasury of the Liebringer estate. But, Ledare, you have a way to bring it here, don't you?"
"What...!?"
Honestly, I was just taking a shot in the dark. Ledare had spoken earlier as if he could use the Promising Pinky at a moment's notice if needed. If I was wrong, I was just going to play it off with a casual "Ah, never mind then~"—but it seemed I hit the bullseye.
Ledare stared at me in shock, his face instantly turning into a picture of regret. Realizing it was too late to hide it, he spoke with a frustrated grimace.
"How... how did you know that? No, never mind. You don't have to tell me. I'm sure you'll just say it's another secret."
I froze awkwardly, right as I was about to raise my index finger and load up my classic "It's a secret" line.
"Ahem, how embarrassing."
"You really are... an unsettling fellow. Knowing so much about others while keeping yourself completely shrouded in mystery."
Ledare muttered as he fiddled with a few of the accessories on his body. A powerful surge of mana erupted, and a pair of rings set with crimson gems materialized in his palm.
"Oho, is it wise to show off such incredible magic right in front of me? What if I covet the secret to your spell?"
"Ha, it seems you know some things but not others. You covet the Liebringer treasury? Go ahead, then. Give it a try—if you think you can handle the consequences."
There was no bluffing in his voice, only absolute confidence. In fact, there was almost an air of anticipation, as if he wanted me to try.
Is it an artifact that only those of Liebringer blood can use?
"Hey."
Ledare tossed one of the rings toward me.
"Put it on your left pinky."
"But thinking about it now, isn't this a bit much?"
"What is?"
"Two grown men sharing matching rings."
"Tell me about it. We should be glad it's not the Promising Ring Finger."
Now he was the one initiating the jokes. This guy? I pointed at him with a grin.
"Hey, that was actually pretty good."
"Cut the chatter and put it on."
The rings slid onto Ledare's pinky and mine. In that instant, the gems on the rings emitted a faint, soft glow. I felt a powerful surge of mana.
"What should I swear?"
"..."
With a dead-serious expression, Ledare spoke.
"Who are you? Reveal your name."
It seemed to be the ritual to activate the artifact, a process meant to prevent the other party from deceiving them with a false identity.
"I am Sillon Adonis."
"What if I demand you swear never to host hostility toward the Liebringer family?"
"Haha, if I swear to that, wouldn't I be completely powerless to resist you, Lord Ledare?"
"Yes, indeed. Sillon, from now on, speak only the truth when conversing with me."
Speak only the truth? That sounds a bit too restrictive. I subtly twisted Ledare's demand.
"I will not speak lies to Ledare Liebringer."
At those words, the gem flared with a brighter light, as if drinking in my vow.
"...What do you want from me?" Ledare asked, watching me closely.
"Keep my identity and everything about me a secret from others."
"Damn it. Swearing to be secret friends with another guy while wearing matching rings."
"I beg of you, please stop phrasing it like that."
It was the first time since possessing this squinty-eyed character that I actually scowled. Ledare spoke toward the ring with an utterly fed-up expression.
"I will keep Sillon Adonis's identity a secret from others."
In that instant, the mana within the two rings resonated. A thick, liquid-like crimson light flowed out from the gems of both rings, merging in midair. After swirling and mixing together as if being kneaded, the crimson light split back into two streams and flowed back into our respective rings.
◈ Description: The target's actions are bound to the oath inscribed in the ring. Promises made with pinkies crossed must be kept.
◈ Actually, even without crossing pinkies, keeping promises is basic decency. Because of people who don't even know the basics, all sorts of weird rituals have been created. Perhaps the person who first invented the pinky-promise ritual just wanted to touch the other person's pinky finger? I'm really curious what kind of ritual they invented next.
I could feel the vast mana contained within the Promising Pinky flowing through the ring and into my entire body.
Not exactly a pleasant feeling. It felt like countless microscopic loaches swimming upstream through my blood vessels. Over time, the bizarre sensation gradually faded until it vanished entirely. The effect of the Promising Pinky had been fully applied.
"Sillon Adonis," Ledare spoke immediately.
"Is everything you just told me the truth?"
No. It was a lie. To be precise, it was a mix of lies.
I had sworn upon the Promising Pinky not to lie to Ledare. And now, the ring's effect was active. Therefore, under normal circumstances, I would have no choice but to answer "No" to Ledare's question.
"Yes, it is the truth."
Black Cloth Does Not Stain
Unique Grade
◈ Description: You are completely free from all forms of mental interference and constraints.
◈ Since you're already sufficiently stained, a little sweat and blood won't even show. The privilege of filthy people.
If not for this trait, that is exactly what would have happened.
"..."
Ledare stared at me in silence.
"Then what is your goal, Sillon? What is the true purpose of your... True Harashin?"
"Just because I must speak the truth doesn't mean I have to tell you everything, right?"
"Then I will change the question. Sillon, are you—is your True Harashin our enemy? Are you a threat to us? Are you... mindless killers?"
I answered without a single shred of hesitation.
"No."
Whew. Ledare let out a deep, heavy sigh of relief.
My conscience pricks me just a tiny bit.
Fortunately, I had plenty of excuses. Is it better than killing Ledare? Yes, it is~ Is it better than brainwashing him? Yes, it is~ This was what they called a white lie.
"In that case..."
With that sigh of relief, Ledare's wariness and hostility faded visibly. In their place, curiosity took over. From then on, he peppered me with question after question.
After a long conversation, we had truly blossomed into secret friends—and finally, we stepped out of the barrier.
"Sillon!"
"Hey, idiot!"
"Sillon!"
"Hey!"
The moment I stepped out of the barrier, my companions greeted me warmly. Even Lady Drin ran to me first, worrying about me before her own brother, Ledare. It was a truly touching scene.
But... Lady Drin's voice wasn't registering in my ears at all right now.
Ah, damn it. How did I end up making a promise like that...?
Ledare had asked me who the leader of the True Harashin was. I figured saying I was the leader would make me look like some cheap, rootless fraud, so I dodged the question. Drawing inspiration from the Harashin's "Eight Arms," I made up a leader called "The Right Hand."
And somehow...
—Thank you for humoring my stubborn request. If this meeting happens, our Liebringer family will be able to understand your True Harashin much more deeply.
The leader of the True Harashin, "The Right Hand." And "Ledare," the eldest son and heir apparent of the prestigious Liebringer family.
I had somehow agreed to arrange a meeting between the two.
I figured that if we secured the "deep understanding" of the Liebringer family, I could use this "True Harashin" group to my absolute advantage in the future, so I just went for it. I didn't think my judgment was wrong.
The problem was...
Ledare had asked me what kind of person "The Right Hand" was.
How the hell should I know?
I didn't know either. I had to figure it out within three days. No, I had to create him within three days. The leader of the True Harashin, "The Right Hand."