Chapter 355: Apples - Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster

Chapter 355: Apples

“I disappointed King Arthur. Because of something I couldn’t even control, I rendered Temperia completely useless to Aztera. Because of that, the deal backfired… and if not for Celestara starting this stupid war, the Holy Kingdom would’ve attacked Aztera.”

Oh? Is that why Arthur did that ’I’m going to die, so can someone take over’ bullshit?

Rael mused.

“I see… you’ve been wronged… junior?” Rael nearly stuttered. “So in the end, you are enacting your sense of justice upon the ones who wronged you, correct?”

“Yes!” Lucaviel stomped the ground in fury. “If I get rid of Celestara, then I’ll be able to get Aztera their deal back! I will also earn back King Arthur’s favor…”

He stepped closer and crouched down, his eyes leveled with Rael’s.

“Ancestor, what should I do? How do I get rid of those people? They seem so powerful… I don’t think funds alone will be enough to do what must be done.”

Rael hummed loudly and brushed his surprisingly long beard. After a few moments, he spoke.

“Why not change the path you walk on? You’ve already arrived at the end of your current path,” Rael said, leaning in slightly. “As it stands, if you choose to remain on your current path, you will be killed by that man.”

Rael held back a laugh as he deepened his voice.

“But what if you swear fealty to the man? What if, instead of chasing after lost opportunities, you create new ones?”

“Ancestor…”

Rael raised a single finger, silencing him.

“I saw what happened moments before you lost consciousness. The man said he could see through lies, but that is impossible,” Rael stated. “If all rulers could see through lies, then there wouldn’t be traitors running around, would there? Also, if it looked like he read your mind, that’s because you wear your thoughts on your shoulders.”

Lucaviel’s eyes widened. “So what you’re saying is… he lied to me?”

“Precisely.” Rael smiled. “He’s not omniscient, so if you got on his good side, you could reap uncharted benefits. After all, why settle with something as feeble as forgiveness when you can have even greater riches than now?”

Rael didn’t believe half the shit that was coming out of his mouth, but even so, his words came off like the words of a god to Lucaviel, who stared at him with a flustered look.

“Ancestor… your words… are you sure?” Lucaviel said before suddenly standing up and bowing. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to doubt your methods, Ancestor!”

Rael chuckled. “It’s alright, junior. Only by making mistakes do you truly learn.”

“I understand,” Lucaviel replied, his spirit reignited. “I know what I must do, Ancestor… since the man is not all-powerful, he won’t be able to tell apart my lies. I will pin the blame on a neighboring noble who helped me make contact with the mercenaries. If I gain Rael Sutekh’s trust, then—”

“Junior, your foolish thoughts are leaking,” Rael cut him off. “He may not be all-powerful, but he isn’t stupid. If you give him a mule, then he will think you only amount to that much.”

He glanced up, pointing at the apples growing from the branches.

“What do you see?”

Lucaviel followed Rael’s finger, his gaze landing on the red apples.

“Um… apples?”

“That is right. What is unique about those apples?” Rael asked.

A moment of silence ensued, giving enough time for Lucaviel to gather his thoughts. Then, he spoke.

“Some… are a darker shade of red?”

Rael inwardly facepalmed, and while that wasn’t the point he was trying to make, he’d go along with it.

“Let’s say those apples are people. What would your impression of them be?”

“The darker red shade apples represent… older, wiser people?” Lucaviel muttered. Noticing Rael’s silence, he continued. “The lighter shade represents young and naive people. Is that right, Ancestor?”

Rael didn’t answer him. Instead…

“Tell me, junior. Would you offer a man like Rael Sutekh a delicate apple, or one that’s endured the sun?”

“The latter, of course,” Lucaviel replied confidently.

“Wrong.” Rael shook his head. “You give him the tree.”

“Ancestor…?”

“You are an apple, Lucaviel. You are replaceable, and in a batch of millions of apples, you are not unique. If you give up your friend, all you will be doing is giving Rael Sutekh another apple,” Rael continued, his expression turning serious.

“Whereas, if you are the tree producing the apples, then you’d be far more valuable, right? Get rid of the tree, and there are no more apples. Correct?”

Lucaviel’s expression turned to one of reverence as he straightened his back.

“I understand now… Ancestor. I know what I must do.”

With those words, he slowly began to walk away, fading into the distance.

At the same time, the surroundings changed, turning darker by the moment until eventually…

<Ding!>

Rael’s vision returned slowly, revealing Lucaviel standing in front of him.

“Your Majesty…” Lucaviel muttered. “I think we can come to a different arrangement. You see… I wasn’t the one who did all those horrible things.”

“Bulls—”

Rael placed a single finger on Lilith’s lips, silencing her and sending a single message.

Seeing that, Lilith’s eyes widened in understanding as she turned quiet.

“I believe you,” Rael said with a smile. “How could an esteemed noble of the Holy Kingdom do such a thing, right?”

“Hahaha! Indeed!” Lucaviel burst out laughing, a sly smirk appearing on his face. “Your Majesty, while I don’t know who’s responsible, I have something… far more valuable to offer.”

There was one thing Rael wanted after the earlier exchange, the thing that his stupid apple metaphor was all about…

“Your Majesty, there’s… something else. I-I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but there’s this project the Holy Kingdom has been working on. They made a deal with Aztera and I…” Lucaviel choked on his words, an embarrassed look appearing on his face.

He cupped his hands, sweat pouring down his forehead. “I could tell you more about it if you’re interested…?”

Rael stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

Jackpot.

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