Tatakau Shisho-Volume 5, Chapter 5: Rebellion of Despair – Part 3

But when he opened his eyes… nothing changed.

He was still at the battlefield with the setting sun overhead. And Hamyuts was still there, clutching her sling and smiling.

Yet he was alive. He could feel neither the wound on his back nor the one in his chest. It was as if he wasn’t hurt at all in the first place.

“Man… you should’ve seen your face!”

Hamyuts called to him.

“…Huh?”

“You really believed me, didn’t you?”

She once again went into a laughing fit. She nearly rolled on the ground.

Volken furrowed his brows and slowly rose up. He couldn’t understand what was going on at all. f𝔯𝒆𝚎𝚠𝑒𝚋𝓃૦νℯƖ.co𝘮

“I thought Photona taught you well… but you still fell for such stupid tricks!”

Volken shouted in anger at the laughing Hamyuts.

“What’s going on here?! Explain!”

Suddenly, thoughts were sent to his mind.

‘I’m sorry, Volken. It had to be done.’

“M-Mirepoc?”

Her sent thoughts sounded apprehensive.

‘We’ve made a… bet. All of us Armed Librarians. We wanted to see how long we could keep up the act as if we were persecuting you…’

‘T-then what about Olivia?’ f𝐫𝑒𝗲𝙬𝒆𝚋𝐧૦𝘃𝗲l.c𝚘𝘮

He couldn’t believe them. He wasn’t sure what was more incredulous, the truth about the Indulging God Cult or this.

“I was also acting, silly.”

He heard a voice from behind. Turning around, it was Olivia. She had a smile on her face. Could she read his thoughts as well or what?

“You did a good job!”

Hamyuts praised her and raised her thumb.

“But… this can’t… how…”

‘I’m sorry, Volken… I didn’t want to do it, I swear… Mattalast made me…’

“Oh my, Volken. Even though you have the ability to create illusions you were fooled by much simpler ones… I would be embarrassed if I were you.”

Volken’s face reddened. He could barely speak.

“But… but… if that’s true… then… why?”

He muttered.

“Why did you do all this?”

Both Olivia and Hamyuts widened their smiles. He could also somehow feel Mirepoc grinning from the other side of her Thought Sharing.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Hamyuts finally said.

“APRIL FOOLS, SUCKER!!!”

And then Volken died of shame.