Vol. 4 Ch. 20

Leon wandered through the castle alone, though not without purpose.

First, he returned to the location where Aurora had been "killed."

It was right outside a task room; he and his two daughters had just completed a group task, and before they could even celebrate, Aurora had been taken out of the game.

Now, there was a chalk outline on the floor where Aurora had fallen, courtesy of the game staff.

In the center of the outline was written: **Friend B**.

This was how the game marked “bodies.”

Leon stood at the “crime scene,” gazing down at the outline on the floor as he silently tallied the remaining players.

"Noa, Moon, and Senior Claudia should all be aligned with the good side. The only two left whose roles are uncertain are Rosvisser and my sister-in-law Isha."

"One of them has to be the other lone wolf."

He continued thinking, piecing together all the evidence. Rosvisser had spent nearly half the game so far bound to him, so he knew almost all the items she had acquired. But there were still stretches when they’d been apart. Could she have had time to pull off these ‘long-range kills’ during those intervals?

And then there was Isha… She was the only one with no clues whatsoever pointing to her. That alone was suspicious.

“Has she used some kind of item to hide information about herself, or are we just missing those clues entirely...?”

His investigation was narrowing, just as Noa had pointed out during the last meeting. Having a range of suspects made all the difference compared to running around aimlessly.

Still, Leon couldn’t ignore his own theory regarding the so-called “long-range killer.”

Technically, it wasn’t a theory as much as it was an instinctual feeling—one that any dragon slayer would develop when dealing with dragons. But since there was no hard proof yet, Leon had kept it to himself.

As he wandered, Leon found himself approaching another marked location.

Another chalk outline lay on the floor here.

**Guard**

“It’s little Helena’s ‘body,’” Leon muttered, moving forward with his thoughts.

He completed a solo task along the way, receiving an unexpectedly useful reward: another **[Detective]** card, which could verify if a player had killed someone within the past six hours.

The **[Detective]** card he and Rosvisser had used earlier had cleared his own name, but at this stage of the game, having another investigation card was critical.

With fewer players left, any information from an investigation card would be much more valuable.

Leon pocketed the **[Detective]** card and continued roaming the castle.

After about ten minutes, he noticed a staff member in the distance, crouched down and drawing something on the floor.

Frowning, Leon walked briskly toward him.

By the time he arrived, the staff member had just left.

Leon’s eyes followed the departing staffer for a moment before he looked down at where they’d been working.

And then he froze, taking a half-step back in shock.

It was another chalk outline, smaller than the others.

In the middle was written:

**Friend A**

Moon… had been killed.

For a moment, Leon couldn’t fully grasp what had happened.

When… and how… had Moon been killed?

A deep, cold dread began to creep through him.

Who would’ve thought a simple family bonding game could become a source of psychological horror?

Taking a steadying breath, Leon crouched, his fingers tracing the outline labeled **Friend A**. A bittersweet smile tugged at his lips.

“Little Moon… you didn’t even get a chance to eat Daddy’s offerings this time, huh?”

With a sigh, Leon straightened, clapping his hands together as his gaze grew more determined.

Even in a game, never underestimate the wrath of a doting father out for revenge.

---

In the communal kitchen, Rosvisser had just prepared a small cake, cradling it in her hands.

“Hope this helps somehow.”

“Helps with what?”

A familiar voice came from the doorway.

Luckily, by now, the queen had gotten used to such surprises and didn’t startle easily.

Turning around, she found Leon leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“What are you doing here?” Rosvisser asked.

“Moon was killed.”

She froze, her expression faltering.

In this immersive game with a “role-playing” element, there was room for personal emotions to blend into the experience.

For instance, the **[Friends Group]** wasn’t directly connected to the **[Royal Chef]** role.

But the charm of the game lay in how the two little girls from the **[Friends Group]** were actually the daughters of the **[Royal Chef]** outside the game.

So with both of them now “killed,” it was only natural for Rosvisser to feel a pang of emotion.

It wasn’t a negative emotion but was enough to alter the game’s tone and rhythm.

“Do you know who did it?” Rosvisser asked in a hushed tone.

“No.”

“Why wasn’t Noa with Moon? And… why didn’t you call an **[Emergency Meeting]**?”

Leon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as though making a difficult decision.

After a moment, he pulled the **[Detective]** card from his pocket.

“Before answering, would you mind if I used an investigation card on you?”

Rosvisser shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Leon used the **[Detective]** card.

The result read:

**“Player [Royal Chef] has not killed any players in the past six hours.”**

Rosvisser let out a relieved sigh. “You just wasted a valuable investigation card, you know.”

Leon shook his head slowly. “No, it wasn’t wasted. I think I finally understand the mechanics behind the ‘long-range kills.’”

“What mechanics?”

“It’s less about ‘long-range’ and more about ‘timed’ attacks.”

Leon explained,

“Think about it—from Aurora to Helena to Moon, don’t you notice something about when each of them was killed?”

Rosvisser’s silver eyes flickered as her thoughts raced.

After a moment, realization dawned.

“Each kill happened a certain amount of time after a meeting ended!”

“Exactly. The lone wolf must have an item card that triggers a death after each meeting ends.”

Leon continued,

“This not only creates the illusion of a ‘long-range’ killer but also keeps their identity hidden.”

“It’s designed to make us suspicious of each other and to create uncontrollable chaos.”

“And then, that lone wolf can quietly wait for the final victory.”

After digesting Leon’s theory, Rosvisser pondered aloud,

“But could there really be an item card with such an exaggerated effect? Wouldn’t that disrupt the game’s balance?”

“I’m guessing… such a powerful effect would require more than just an item card. It would need something… big enough to affect all players…”

As their eyes met, husband and wife spoke in unison,

“Fate of All Players!”

“The only Fate-triggered event so far is the Alchemy Lab.”

“After the disease outbreak in the Alchemy Lab, we all went to—”

Their conversation was interrupted by footsteps from the doorway.

They fell silent, turning to see the source.

A cascade of blue hair entered their line of sight.

It was Claudia.

“Well, well. Meeting in the kitchen—quite the unique date spot,” Claudia joked with a smile.

Leon chuckled, preparing to speak, “Senior, did you find anything—”

Leon’s words were cut off by the sound of another pair of footsteps.

And the newcomer wasn’t a player but a staff member in uniform. She approached Claudia and politely took her by the arm.

Claudia shrugged with a wry smile. “As you can see, Leon, I’m being escorted to the Divine Observation Room.”

Both Leon and Rosvisser sucked in a sharp breath.

Wow, the red dragon was on a killing spree.

They might as well hand her the title of "Strongest Dragon Slayer!"

“Is it because your role and motive were exposed in the last meeting, so you were targeted?” Leon asked.

“I suppose so.”

Revealed roles were always the easiest to eliminate.

And given Claudia’s hidden task of destroying the Black Sacred Stone, she was too much of a threat to the lone wolf who wanted the Stone.

“Was it another long-range kill?”

Claudia blinked, then gave a sly smile, barely shaking her head.

“Miss Claudia, please refrain from speaking too much as a ‘deceased player,’” the staff member reminded her.

“Understood. My apologies.”

Turning to the couple, Claudia said, “Well, it’s up to you two now. You’re going to win this, right?”

Without waiting for their answer, Claudia left with the staff, winking at them as she departed.

As her footsteps faded, Leon turned to Rosvisser, his expression grim.

The queen returned his gaze with equal seriousness.

“Should we go for a direct kill on my sister?” she asked.

“I don’t have any cards that allow me to kill directly. Do you?”

“I…”

Rosvisser looked at the small cake she’d just finished baking. “This cake is different from the one you ate at the beginning. Eating it will immediately eliminate the player.”

Leon raised an eyebrow, then sighed with a bitter smile.

“But your sister’s too smart to fall for that, isn’t she?”

“Exactly… so our only option is to locate Moon or Claudia’s ‘body’ and call an **[Emergency Meeting]** to vote her out.”

Leon, as the other lone wolf, now had no choice but to ally with the good side.

This sneaky red dragon queen’s kill mechanics were just too overpowered; they had to

work together.

If they weren’t careful, it might be three against one, and she’d still win.

Calling an emergency meeting to vote her out was the only viable option.

“Alright, let’s move.”

The couple dashed out of the kitchen, staying vigilant and alert as they searched.

Claudia’s recent “death” made it clear—Isha was no longer content with simply triggering deaths after meetings.

She was now using kill item cards directly!

Just as Leon had suspected at the beginning, Isha was proving to be the toughest opponent in the game.

“Leon,” Rosvisser called as they ran.

“What?”

“You’re not going to let my sister capture you again, are you?”

*Skreech—*

Leon came to a sudden halt. “What do you mean, ‘again’?”

“Remember that game we played at that store event when I was pregnant with Aurora? You ended up losing to her back then, didn’t you?”

“…That’s never going to happen again! I’ll win back what I lost!”

Rosvisser stifled a laugh. “Alright, then. Go get her.”

With that bit of banter out of the way, the two resumed their search through the castle, hoping to locate a “body” from this round.

According to the game rules, they could only call an **[Emergency Meeting]** if they were standing beside a current “body.”

But after combing the castle twice, all they found were the previous outlines for Aurora and Helena, with no sign of Claudia’s or Moon’s.

Not even the outline Leon had seen earlier for Moon remained.

“What’s going on… Our dear little Moon fell right here!” Leon pointed to a corner of the hallway.

“Oh, you’re just the picture of fatherly devotion,” Rosvisser quipped as she searched nearby. Had Leon simply remembered the wrong location?

“Looking for little Moon’s outline, are you?”

The sultry, magnetic voice came from the far end of the hall.

They turned to see a crimson silhouette—a poised figure with an elegant smile, holding an item card.

“**[Cleanup Card],**” Isha announced. “It allows me to erase any trace of a ‘body’ after a kill.”

“This means you’re unable to call an emergency meeting until the fixed meeting time.”

“So, shall we see how long it is until that 8 PM meeting?”

“Oh, it’s a full hour,” she answered herself.

*Clack—*

Isha took a step forward, her heels clicking against the floor with a sharp, crisp sound.

But to Leon and Rosvisser, it sounded more like the Grim Reaper dragging a scythe across the floor.

“Conveniently, I have three kill item cards left. So all three of you… will have a turn.”

An exposed lone wolf, ready to go all out, meant she would kill every remaining player before the final meeting.

One hour would be more than enough.

Leon kept his gaze locked on Isha, taking a slow step back as he subtly grabbed Rosvisser’s hand.

“Are you planning to run with my sister, Rosvisser?” Isha asked, then added a little surprise, “Before you flee, let me tell you something interesting.”

“Your dear husband here… he’s the second lone wolf.”

Rosvisser’s brow furrowed. “How did you know?”

“A clue card, one everyone likely found at the start of the game: **‘Only One.’**”

“But the wording seemed too ambiguous; we already dismissed it…”

“No, no, Rosvisser. ‘Only’… the letters O-N-L-Y. Try rearranging them.”

“O-N-L-Y…,” Rosvisser muttered.

“Ly-on… Leon…”

The Red Dragon Queen smiled in satisfaction. “Exactly. The answer was right in front of us all along, just barely out of reach.”

“But doesn’t making deductions based on players’ names cross into out-of-game territory?”

“That’s what makes this game so interesting. It only gives us our characters’ **[Roles]**—like Princess, Doctor, and Old Friend—but not their names. So the players’ names are also part of the game.”

Rosvisser pursed her lips as she recalled, “So that’s why you spent so much time scribbling notes after the second meeting—you were piecing together this clue.”

“Exactly. I avoided targeting Leon too early, just to see how you two would fare working together.”

A glimmer of smug satisfaction shone in Isha’s crimson eyes as she continued,

“Though it’s a pity, really. You two didn’t live up to my expectations.”

“Well, then. Let’s end this game quickly. Once I finish off the two of you, I’ll move on to my dear little niece, ensuring a lovely family reunion.”

“Run… Rosvisser! Run!”

Leon finally made his choice, pulling Rosvisser with him as they sprinted down the opposite hallway.

Watching the couple’s retreating figures, Isha didn’t even flinch.

“No rush. I’ll go take care of the **[Princess]** first.”

_____________________

TL NOTE

: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!