A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 203

Yesterday, I kept the camera on until the end of the broadcast, so as a reward, today is a break period.

But does that mean I can rest perfectly and do absolutely nothing today?

If you ask me that, I can only shake my head.

There’s VTuber activity that my Rebongi don’t know about, after all.

“Hmm…”

What game should I play today?

I pondered this, but it seems I’ve been too focused on the New Dimension World Quest lately because I couldn’t feel much excitement for any popular games I looked at.

I ended up wasting a whole hour like that.

You could say I have decision-making paralysis, and I’d have a hard time arguing against it.

In that case, I guess I’ll have to choose that method again.

[Inquisition Officer: Tuni, do you have any fun games that are good for broadcasting recently?]

Tuni, my mentor in my internet broadcasting life.

Out of all the games Tuni has recommended to me so far, not a single one has had a bad reaction.

You could say they are the best safe assets.

Moreover, Tuni knows that I’m VTuber Rene.

Thanks to that, I feel incredibly comfortable in this regard.

[Tuni: Fun games for broadcasting?]
[Inquisition Officer: Yes, I’m looking for a game to play today, but I can’t figure out what’s fun…]
[Tuni: In that case, I have one! I also enjoyed it in my recent broadcasts.]
[Tuni: It’s called Liar’s Room and it’s incredibly fun to play with viewers.]
[Tuni: Hold on, I’ll send you the OnTube link to the video I played.]
[Tuni: https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX]
[Tuni: The rules are really simple, so you should be able to enjoy it easily.]
[Inquisition Officer: Thank you!]
[Tuni: If you’re grateful, please keep the promise we made last time ㅡ.ㅡ!]
[Inquisition Officer: Yes.]

Now that I think about it, I also promised Tuni that we would drink together last time.

I’ve been so busy with various things that I completely forgot.

I’ll have to think about it after this World Quest.

Anyway, curious about the game I was recommended, I clicked the link Tuni sent.

[Hey! This is definitely a lie. Kill, kill, kill, kill! …Oh? Wait a minute. This isn’t right. This isn’t a bug, is it? You’re cheating, right? Ah, stop lying… AAAAAAAAAAH?!]

…This game. It’s totally made for me.

Coming to that conclusion, I immediately downloaded the game and left a Nator.

★

[레네 @LeneVtuber · 1 minute ago]

Today, I plan to play a game called Liar’s Room!

It’s a game I can play with my Believers, so I’m really looking forward to it!

Let’s have fun together!

★

[레네]

[I will not forgive lies]

[Liar’s Room | 6722 viewers | 00:01:45]

─Wow, it’s a viewer participation game

─What kind of game is this? I’ve downloaded it but haven’t played it.

─It’s a game where animals blow their heads off with guns and commit suicide.

─Is that real??

─LOL, not that it’s incorrect, but damn LOL.

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I’ve played a game with my Believers after Galactic Pen.

Realizing that made my heart race.

Effortlessly winning, as if it were natural.

And seeing me, my Believers praise and admire me.

The scene that popped into my head was nothing short of perfect.

…Back when I played Galactic Pen, I had a hard time because my Believers couldn’t recognize my immense talent.

Even Tada Shumi told me I had no talent, but gems are just ugly stones before they are polished.

I’m sure I’m just like that.

Yeah.

Anyway, this game I’ve brought is truly a perfect fit for me.

In short, it’s a game that can showcase my specialty perfectly.

“…Hello, everyone. I’m Inquisition Officer Rene from the Iya Cult…”

─Reha

─No matter how you think about it, the game master doesn’t seem to fit this game LOL.

─I wonder if my idiot senior even understands what a psychological battle is… ?

─For real LOL.

─I bet she’ll just declare lies and think.

In the chat window, Believers who know what kind of game I brought started talking to each other.

There were plenty of expectations that I wouldn’t be able to do anything in this game today, but I would wipe those expectations away.

“As I previously announced on Nator, today I’m going to play this game called ‘Liar’s Room.’ Initially, I planned to just do a normal matchmaking, but many fans said it would be more fun to play with them… So, I’ll make a custom room and play together with my Believers…”

─Can we participate multiple times?

“As long as there aren’t enough people, I won’t prohibit duplicate participation…”

─Interpretation) One game per person.

─But playing this kind of game is fun, but watching is fun too LOL.

─I agree; it’s basically a chatting game.

─It’s almost a streamer-exclusive game LOL.

─I think it’s going to become super popular on Livestreaming soon.

The reactions in the chat window were better than I expected.

Maybe they appreciate the fact that it’s a game we can enjoy together?

This shows that Tuni is truly amazing as a woman who never fails in game selection.

“Then, I’ll start….”

After saying that, I switched the broadcast screen to the game screen and created a custom room for Liar’s Room that I had previously launched.

“To participate, use the code below, and please come with your microphone settings off…”

And almost simultaneously with my words, the maximum four participants for Liar’s Room were filled up instantly.

[Lene] [Lene_Love] [Prove It] [0530-PresentMe]

All game avatars, including me, were wearing shabby clothes as pigs.

What should I say about this?

Compared to the other avatars like wolves, foxes, and cows, it felt a bit shabby.

Well, it doesn’t matter because the game content doesn’t change no matter the avatar.

According to Tuni, that pig avatar is the most fun one to watch in the game.

Anyway, the game we’re going to play is ‘Liar’s Poker’, and the rules of the game aren’t really complicated.

Two jokers. Six kings, queens, jacks, and aces.

A total of 26 cards, and when the game starts, 5 cards are dealt to each of the 4 players.

Then, one card from the cards without jokers is designated as the “table card,” and from that point on, players can play cards from their hands to the table card on their turn.

However, you can mislead by lying about your hand, and if the next player does not point that out, the turn passes.

But if the next player declares “liar,” the player who played that turn must reveal their card.

If it was a lie, the player of that turn has to play Russian Roulette; if it was the truth, the next player who pointed it out has to play Russian Roulette.

Once that Russian Roulette is over, we go back to the beginning and restart the game.

That’s how the game proceeds, and the last player left standing wins—it’s really simple rules.

It’s a game that involves calculating your hand, the cards not dealt, and the numbers of cards the opponent plays each turn.

In plain terms, that’s the “Liar’s Poker.”

…Well, to be honest, I could say this is my specialty.

I was an Inquisition Officer in that world.

My job wasn’t just to catch heretics, but to interrogate and make them repent.

Why did they fall into heresy?

What sins did they commit as heretics?

Those are the things I’d pry into, making them acknowledge their sins and urging for repentance.

What’s most needed for that is a sharp eye for reading others’ psychology, and I’ve done that for ten years now…

Psychological battles in a game?

That’s something I simply couldn’t fail at.

It’s a game I absolutely must win.

A game that shows the overwhelming gap in skill compared to my Believers.

“Then, I’ll begin…”

Now, it’s time for them to praise how amazing I am…!

★

“I’d appreciate it, Saintess.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With that last exchange, a man in a priest robe left the room.

In the room, left alone, was Ariel, the Saintess of the Iya Cult.

She slowly opened her eyes and began to speak.

“Surely… now that that child has gone, several issues have arisen.”

‘In other words, that means Rene worked hard enough, right?’

“That’s true.”

At Iya’s firm words, Ariel nodded without any counterargument.

It was indeed true that Rene’s reputation made it easier to interrogate heretics.

“…Hmm?”

But suddenly, a question arose in Ariel’s mind.

“Goddess, may I ask you one thing? It’s a question regarding Rene.”

‘Hmm? What’s the question?’

“Rene, that child is said to have the condition called Aversion Syndrome, right? The one where it’s difficult to interact with people. I’ve heard that Rene’s condition is quite severe.”

‘…Isn’t that right?’

“Then how on earth did Rene manage to interrogate the heretics…?”

Interrogating heretics fundamentally proceeds in conversation.

Reading the psychology of the heretics, exploiting their weaknesses, and making them admit their sins.

But how could Rene, who struggles with conversation, possibly interrogate the heretics?

Such doubts flickered through Ariel’s mind.

“If the only issues arose during the process of capturing heretics, we could just overestimate Rene’s combat capability. But the time it takes for the heretics to repent is much longer compared to when Rene was around.”

‘That’s true.’

“How could a child with such a condition possibly finish interrogations at that velocity…?”

It was truly a contradiction.

A story that simply didn’t add up.

And in response to Ariel’s question, Iya answered.

‘You know that what’s most needed when interrogating heretics is…’

“The ability to read a heretic’s psychology.”

‘Yes. The role of an Inquisition Officer is to delve into their psychology, make them acknowledge their sins, and encourage repentance. It doesn’t end with simply saying, ‘I caught heretics!’’

Of course, Ariel nodded, as if she knew that, and Iya smiled as she continued.

‘However, Rene’s interrogations are different. When Rene interrogates heretics, she always only says two lines: “Have you repented?” and “Repent.” That’s it.’

“What?”

‘When she asks if they have repented, if they shake their heads or argue, she bashes their heads down.’

“…Wait, that’s that massive Warhammer, isn’t it?”

‘Yep. If they’ve been brought before her, they’re definitely a heretic. So, she brings it down hard enough to knock them out, heals them, asks again, and if they don’t acknowledge it, she brings it down again. She keeps repeating that until they acknowledge and repent.’

That was something only Rene could do because she moved only when directly spoken to by Iya, making it absolutely impossible for any other Inquisition Officer to replicate.

“So then, the keen insight I just mentioned…”

‘Is completely unnecessary for Rene. To put it simply, it doesn’t matter. …After all, what kind of keen insight would a child who can’t even properly converse with people possess?’

“…That’s true.”

Ariel had no choice but to nod at Iya’s logical statement.