Vol. 6 Ch. 38

“Hmm? Was there someone outside the door just now?”

As the words fell, the sound of footsteps echoed from within the room.

The girl outside immediately turned and ran, diving into a hidden passageway of the ancient castle.

The door to the room creaked open, and Leon stepped out, glancing left and right, finding no one.

“Did I mishear…” he muttered.

“You need to rest, Leon,” Constantine said, stepping forward. “We’ve been completing tasks for several hours straight. While the goal is to gather as many tool cards as possible near the ancient altar, if you’re not in good mental shape, it’ll be hard to handle the rest of the game.”

Leon blinked, surprised by Constantine’s unusually considerate tone.

When did this fire-breathing dragon become so understanding?

Still, Leon couldn’t deny that he was feeling drained.

Since the start of the player-versus-player phase, the tasks around the ancient altar had grown increasingly difficult.

The plague source was drawing closer, and the closer they got, the harder the tasks became—nothing like the simplicity of the game’s early stages.

Hours of work had passed, and despite not making much progress, they had expended a great deal of energy.

Constantine was right: it was time for a break.

“Alright, I’ll find a place to rest for a bit,” Leon conceded.

“Good. I’ll grab some food,” Constantine replied.

The two waved at each other as they parted at the room’s door.

However, Leon didn’t immediately find a place to rest. Instead, he wandered back to the castle corridors.

After pacing for a while, he eventually found a secluded corner in one of the hallways—a tranquil spot that radiated a peculiar sense of calm.

It was there that Leon noticed her.

She was sleeping soundly in the quiet corner.

Her closed eyes framed a face of exquisite beauty, though it was clearly marked by exhaustion. Her long tail lay naturally beside her.

Leon quietly removed his jacket and gently draped it over her velvet-soft form. He then sat down beside her.

Rosvisser’s tail twitched slightly, still exposed, suggesting that her sleep wasn’t deep.

The familiar scent of the jacket gave her a sense of peace. Even in her drowsy state, she instinctively knew the person beside her was someone she could trust and rely on.

“Mmm…” Rosvisser murmured softly in her sleep, her body unconsciously leaning closer to Leon’s shoulder.

Leon smiled silently, lifting his arm to support her. He rested his cheek lightly against her head, inhaling the soothing fragrance of her hair.

The weight of exhaustion melted away as the couple dozed off together.

A few hours later, Rosvisser slowly opened her eyes.

She glanced down at the jacket covering her and, without lifting her gaze, asked softly, “Did you part ways with Constantine?”

“Yeah,” Leon replied.

“And? Is he a ghost?”

“It’s hard to say.”

Rosvisser sat up, sniffled lightly, and pulled the jacket tighter around herself.

Curling her tail beneath her, she scooted closer to Leon, pressing him for details.

“What do you mean by ‘it’s hard to say’?”

“When I found him, he claimed we were on the same team,” Leon explained.

“He quickly confirmed it and even offered to help me with tasks.”

Leon continued, “Not only that, but he worked hard—efficiently and diligently—on tasks. He didn’t slack off or try to waste time like you’d expect a ghost to do.”

Leon spoke slowly, his tone reflecting his grogginess from having just woken up.

He analyzed the situation as he explained it to Rosvisser.

After a moment of thought, Rosvisser asked, “How did he confirm that you two were on the same team?”

“Oh, he had a tool card that could verify other players’ identities. It activates after completing a certain number of tasks. I think he used it to check me,” Leon replied.

Rosvisser nodded thoughtfully. “I see…”

“But that’s just what he says. Anyone could claim that,” Leon added. “I have no way to verify if he’s telling the truth.”

“Fair point. Did you two check anyone else’s identity?”

“You, Noa, Aurora, and Helenna,” Leon said. “So far, none of you are ghosts.”

He paused before adding, “He said he started with those who posed the biggest potential threat to the good faction. That’s why he checked you all first.”

Rosvisser’s silver eyes glimmered as she clenched her fist slightly. “But there’s still someone who poses an even greater threat, isn’t there?”

“I know,” Leon said with narrowed eyes, staring at the blank wall in front of him. “Constantine verified himself.”

“Verified himself?” Rosvisser echoed.

“Yes,” Leon confirmed. “And the results of the verification—whether someone is a ghost—only show up on their nametag for a few seconds before disappearing. I have no way of knowing if he’s telling the truth.”

“That’s why you can’t fully trust him,” Rosvisser concluded.

“Exactly. So, until proven otherwise, we should proceed as if he’s a ghost,” Leon said.

Rosvisser rested her chin in her hand, smiling slyly at Leon. “That’s your strategy going forward, isn’t it?”

“You always figure me out. No wonder I married you.”

“Marrying you and understanding you are two completely separate things, Leon,” she teased.

The two exchanged lighthearted remarks before diving back into serious analysis.

Still, if Constantine really was a ghost, why would he work so efficiently on tasks?

Leon couldn’t wrap his head around it.

“It is contradictory,” Rosvisser admitted.

“According to logic, a ghost should be sabotaging tasks, stalling until the thirty-six-hour mark before acting. This is the strongest argument against Constantine being a ghost,” Leon noted.

Leon found himself at an impasse. No matter which side he leaned toward, there was always a compelling argument pulling him in the opposite direction.

He couldn’t reconcile the contradictions surrounding Constantine.

Could Constantine truly not be a ghost?

Was Leon overthinking things?

Or… was there a deeper truth hidden within this paradox, one that could decide the game’s outcome?

“Ghosts…”

“Ghosts…”

“...Don’t verify their own identities…”

“Working with me would increase efficiency…”

“The plague source—”

Suddenly, a spark of realization lit up in Leon’s mind.

He sat upright abruptly, as if grasping an important revelation.

“What is it? Did you think of something?” Rosvisser asked, intrigued.

“The ultimate goal of the good faction’s decryption task is to find and destroy the plague source. That’s how we win the game, right?”

Rosvisser nodded. “Yes.”

“But what if…”

Leon swallowed nervously, turning to Rosvisser with a hesitant expression.

“What if the ones who find the plague source first… aren’t us, but the ghosts?”