After waking up the next morning, I checked my smartwatch and noticed that the email mentioned by Professor Zia had been sent. In fact, it had not just been sent to us 4, but the entire school had received it.
Now, everyone is aware of my amazing actions!
As our group ate our breakfast awkwardly, a sudden vibration erupted from all of our smartwatches.
Checking my email, I saw that the school had just sent us an email.
[Task #1: Make your way to the attached location and complete the puzzle inside. Time Limit: 1 hour.]
Clicking on the attached image, I saw a half-broken-down hut that seemed to be located on the outskirts of the city. Alongside the picture, there was also a set of coordinates for us to use.
Instantly, the four of us got up from our table, leaving behind our plates of food, and rushed out of the hotel building.
Leading us was Zach, as he asked.
"The mana train is the fastest way there, right."
Nodding our heads in approval to Zach's question, the four of us sprinted through the city and to the nearest train station.
Ignoring the long line of civilians outside the train stations, the four of us flashed our student IDs to the security guards and skipped the entire line.
Descending down the stairs, the four of us finally arrived at the drop-off station for the mana train; however, alongside a gigantic crowd, a flashing sign awaited us.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the arrival of all mana trains has been delayed 15 minutes. Please bear with us, and we thank you for your patience."
Opening the navigation map on my smartwatch, I plugged in the coordinates and calculated the amount of time we would have after the train ride.
15 minutes.
As I turned to face my groupmates, who were doing the exact same thing, Zach asked.
"The mana train is the fastest way, right?"
Checking my smartwatch once again, I saw that walking would take 3 hours while traveling by bicycle or carriage would take 1 and a half hours.
Tasks were the only weakness in my entire plan.
If I failed a task and was sent back to the academy before reaching the cruise ship, there was nothing I could do.
After what seemed like an eternity, the sound of screeching entered my ears, signifying the arrival of the train.
Pushing past the crowd, our group squeezed our way into a compartment and found some seats.
When the station before ours was announced, the four of us stood up and camped beside the train doors.
As the train doors slid open, I was the first to exit as I sprinted through the crowd, twisting and turning through the gaps between people.
Feeling the sunlight on my head, I glanced around and noticed there were almost 0 people, so I started to speed up.
Nearing the hut from the attachment, I turned around and saw Irene and Ruby slightly behind me while Zach was in the distance.
Stopping at the entrance to the ragged hut, I took a breather while Ruby caught up to me and asked.
"This might be the first time I've seen you serious. Why the change in attitude? Oh, maybe a l-"
Interrupting Ruby's speculation was Irene, who responded from behind us.
"Who the hell cares? Let's just get this over with."
After another few moments, Zach caught up to us, panting like a dog and sweating bullets while staring at us in amazement.
Contrary to its rugged and broken-down exterior, the inside of the hut was actually quite cozy. There were two armchairs, a polished wooden table, and a well-made bed.
Sitting down on one of the armchairs, I tried examining the entire hut again with my eyes, but nothing else was revealed.
Still standing at the entrance, Zach also glanced around the hut for a second before asking.
"... what exactly is the puzzle here?"
Sitting down on the bed side by side, Ruby and Irene stayed silent, also pondering the next course of action.
With the time limit of 1-hour closing in, the four of us got more desperate for clues on the puzzle as we basically flipped the entire room upside down, searching under all the furniture.
Even I was at a loss for words.
Was the school trying to screw me over?
Interrupting our frantic search of the room was a sudden voice.
"Congratulations on reaching the hut. Please, all of you, take a seat."
Sound Magic?
Following the sound's directions, Zach and I sat across from each other on the armchairs while the other 2 sat on the bed.
"Completing this task can either be easy or very difficult. Please open the last book on the third shelve of the bookcase and read it for instructions. There is no time limit; all you must do is complete what is said in the book."
"... although, I would appreciate it if you finished it as soon as possible. I am required to stay at the school until your competition."
"... Also, don't worry about me listening in; the sound connection in the room will be cut off no-"
Leaning against the armchair, I relaxed my tensed body. Sure, it was odd that the school was giving us a task with no time limit, but at least I have time to plan now.
If that voice hadn't come out at that exact moment, I would have probably done something drastic, like burning down the hut or cutting it into a million pieces.
Irene, not sharing the same sentiment, immediately rushed to the bookshelf and grabbed the mentioned book.
Watching Irene's expression as she read the book, I saw her face twitch up and distort into a disgusted expression before she put the open book onto the table.
[Getting to know your teammates is essential for cooperating as heroes, both inside and outside dungeons. This leads us to your current task: The Truth Game.
During this game, each person creates a question and asks it to one of their teammates. Each person must ask and answer a question. The game ends after this.
Finally, if ANYONE is detected to be lying, you will all automatically fail the task and be sent back to the academy.]
Our group's faces displayed a variety of expressions: Irene remained disgusted, Zach's expression lit up, Ruby wore a grin, and I remained indifferent.
Surely, we have no idiots among us who decide to ask a stupid-ass question?
Breaking the silence, I calmly asked.
"So we're not going to be idiots, are we?"
Since I wasn't asking a specific person, this wouldn't count as my question, but maybe the others would believe I had wasted my question.
I could ascertain Ruby's true intentions possibly, but of course, completing the task came first.
"Ren, what's your favorite color?"
"... Zach, it's blue. Hey Zach, what's your favorite color?"
"Thanks for asking, it's red!"
Well, there goes my answer and question!
Well, even if Ruby did answer my question, she would have to expose her identity as a villain to both Zach and Irene, and that would cause some trouble.
Turning my head to face the two girls, I saw Ruby turn to Irene and say.
"Who do you li-"
Is this what the school wanted us to do during this damned truth game? Ask each other about our favorite colors and romantic interests? What are we?
As I stared at Ruby, who still held a smile while speaking, I honestly had no idea what she was thinking. What could have compelled a great and powerful antagonist to ask another great and powerful antagonist who they liked?
Interrupting Ruby's question mid-way, I asked Irene.
"What's your favorite color, Irene?"
There was no rule about not being able to ask more than one question; all it said was everyone must ask and answer a question for the game to end.
I wasn't about to risk my entire plan because someone wanted to know someone else's love interest.
" *ahem* I like the color Red as well."
Now that Irene had answered a single question, she had no obligation to answer any other questions.
For the game to end now, Ruby would have to answer and ask a question, and Irene would also have to ask a question. From the bed, Ruby tilted her head before asking.
"Ren, why did you do that?"
Since I had also answered a question, I had no obligation to answer hers, but knowing Ruby, she would probably refuse to ask any other question, leading to the four of us being stuck here for ages. If she wanted to, Ruby could force us to answer any question by just refusing to ask any other.
Could I mix in some lies and truth in my answer, or was it all required to be true? Deciding against risking failure on this task, I answered truthfully.
"I didn't want to fail the task."
Instantly, Irene's gaze at me transformed into a glare.
What are you looking at me for? You know damn well you were about to lie.
Although I was curious about Ruby's intentions with that question and, as a whole, I didn't want her to reveal her villain identity or just lie, so I asked.
However, a moment before my question, Irene's voice spoke out.
"Why did you ask that, Scarlett?"
"What's your favorite color, Scarlett?"
... I just saved her, and now she's already screwing me over???
The rules didn't mention anything about answering if two questions were asked at the same time, so Ruby would probably get to choose which question she answered.
With a grin remaining on her face, Ruby turned to Irene and responded.
"I wanted to make sure our likes didn't overlap."
With that last answer, the door of the hut flung open as everyone had asked and answered a question truthfully.
The rest of the train ride back was spent in silence, but I didn't really mind it as we had completed the task.
There was some animosity between Ruby and Irene, but they would have to get over it eventually.
I still had some curiosity about Ruby's last answer, but like Irene and Zach, I didn't question it further.
Does she also like Liam? She was said to enjoy the company of powerful people, so it's not out of the question.
Looking at Irene, who was twitching, I wondered how this would affect her. She already had Lily as a competitor so with Ruby in the play, she might just give up.
After arriving back at the hotel, the four of us put on our academy uniforms before heading into the award ceremony, which was held in the hotel lobby.
Sitting down in the front row with Ruby next to me, I glanced around and saw some familiar faces from the book.
However, there was one face that almost made me pull out my daggers and charge.
Ren's former father was here.
Dressed in an expensive and elaborate suit with his long black hair tied into a ponytail, Ren's father mingled with the other important figures, including Irene's father, while eating from a plate of food.
My anger at Ren's father, mixed with Ren's fear of his father leaking into my own emotions, immediately caused my legs to tremble with an undescribable emotion.
Before I knew it, my shining, blood-red eyes locked onto him, refusing to let his figure out of my sight.
Do I just kill him now? Who's going to stop me? This asshole doesn't deserve to live another day.
Snapping me out of my trance, I heard a familiar voice call out from my right.
"Lot of animosity between you two, isn't there?"
Forcing myself to turn my head away from Ren's former father, I looked at Ruby while suppressing all my emotions. While I couldn't suppress Ren's emotions specifically, I could simply quell all my emotions.
"It's one-sided."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's already forgotten about your existence."
Before I knew it, my hands were raised off my lap as I replied.
"Are you trying to piss me off?"
Letting out a laugh, Ruby imitated me by raising her hands and responding.
"No, it's just interesting to see someone like you showcase so much emotion. It's actually quite nice, you know?"