16 The Second Lone Wolf
Question: What are the benefits of being bound to a [Chef]?
Answer: You get to enjoy a more sumptuous lunch than everyone else!
Using her identity advantage, Roswiser managed to gather a fair amount of ingredients and joined Leon in the shared kitchen for lunch.
After their meal, the couple counted the clues and item cards they had collected.
First up were the various hodgepodge clue information cards:
[Two friends had once received the princess’s grace; the three have been good friends since childhood.]
[Although the queen also deeply loves the princess, she seems to have another agenda.]
[Among the eight players, at least two are lone wolf players, isolated and helpless but with unique advantages.]
[There exists a special scene in the castle; completing the tasks within it triggers ‘everyone’s fate.’]
“So… Moon and Little Light’s friend group is definitely the good guy camp,” Leon remarked, his gaze drifting to the clue card related to the [Queen].
“But this card states that Claudia, the [Queen], has another agenda. If all good guy players’ main mission is to protect the princess and find the Black Holy Stone, then what could the [Queen]’s other purpose be?”
Roswiser shook her head, “Claudia hasn’t shown any signs; she barely spoke during the meeting. Figuring out her main goal might be a bit tricky.”
What Roswiser said was valid; over ten hours had passed since the game began, but Claudia hadn’t teamed up with anyone nor made any significant comments at the meeting.
Information about her was pathetically scarce, making it impossible to deduce her motives.
“No worries; the game’s just gotten started. As we gather more clues, we’ll piece together the answers,” Leon reassured her.
“Uh-huh.”
Next came a clue card about the [Lone Wolf].
This was the card Leon was most keen on.
Before obtaining this task card, he didn’t even know there was another lone wolf besides himself.
So who could this other lone wolf be…?
Is it Roswiser, who’s currently bound to him?
Or is it the enigmatic [Queen] Claudia?
Leon’s mind floated, uncertainties clouding his thoughts.
“Wow, there really are lone wolf players, and there’s actually at least two of them,” Roswiser said, smiling at Leon, “Who do you think it could be?”
General Leon shot back instantly, “Of course it’s Claudia! Am I one?”
A skill that any seasoned lone wolf player must possess: Unloading blame onto anyone at any time!
The Queen arched an eyebrow and then teased, “But you just said my sister might be a lone wolf too.”
“Your sister could be, Claudia could be too—didn’t it say ‘at least two’ here?”
“Hmm… You might be one too.”
“Your Majesty, I beg you, spare me! I’m really one of the good guys!”
Roswiser chuckled, propping her chin on one hand, her beautiful eyes gazing at Leon as she slowly replied, “But I… like my men a little bad.”
“I am a lone wolf, Your Majesty.”
Roswiser playfully punched his arm, “What? There’s no such thing as you.”
Inside, General Leon was thinking: Everyone, you saw that? I’m just telling the truth; it’s her who doesn’t believe me!
The couple shared a laugh before diving back into the last information card.
“‘Special scenes can trigger everyone’s fate’? I don’t quite understand; our family’s Werewolf game didn’t have any rules like that.” Roswiser remarked.
“But from the literal meaning, it seems that if one person completes a task, its effect applies to everyone, right?”
Roswiser nodded, “That makes sense.”
They didn’t pay much attention to this clue card and then laid out the item cards they collected that morning.
They had three cards in total:
[Super Influence]
[Effect: After using this item card, your vote count will become ‘5’.]
[Note: Can only be used once.]
…
[Master Detective]
[Effect: Can be used on any player to check if that player has ‘killed’ any other player within six hours.]
[Note: Can only be used once, no distance limit.]
…
[Avenger]
[Effect: If you witnessed a ‘killing’, you will gain a ‘killing’ ability for fifteen minutes.]
[Note: Cannot k*ll other players empty-handed without finding a ‘killing’ item card.]
…
Compared to the mysterious information cards, the item cards were more straightforward and rare, which was why after a whole morning, they had only found these three.
However, counting the initial [Mint Tea], they had four cards.
“It’s all here.”
Roswiser glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall, crunching the numbers, she said, “Our strong bond might expire soon, so let’s split these items.”
Leon blinked, “Why does that sound like dividing assets in a divorce…?”
Roswiser shot him a glare, then pointed her finger and poked him right in the chest, “You think you can divorce me? Dream on! I plan to torment you for the rest of your life.”
Each pause came with a poke.
If she kept this up, Leon would be looking like a pin cushion.
“Alright, let’s divide.”
Roswiser examined the pile of cards on the table, and handed Leon the [Mint Tea], [Super Influence], and [Avenger].
She kept only the [Master Detective] for herself.
“The tea was our agreement, so you get to use it. As for Avenger, still the same reason—you love to roam around, so your chances of witnessing a ‘killing’ are probably higher than mine, making this pretty suitable for you,” Roswiser explained her reasoning slowly.
“What about Super Influence? You should keep it.”
“No way, you keep it.”
Leon blinked, a wave of emotion rising in his heart.
Despite their bickering, she cared for him!
Leon opened his mouth to express his gratitude, “Thank—”
“If I have this, I’ll end up voting for you at the next meeting. Five votes, just like that, and you’re done for!”
“……”
Emotions evaporated in an instant.
Just like earlier at the conference table, a few hours of cozy interaction didn’t stop them from being at each other’s throats during the meetings.
Now was no different.
Even after six hours of joint actions gathering and analyzing information, that didn’t affect the Queen’s ongoing plan to vote against Leon in the next meeting.
Forget lone wolves or queens; everyone has their missions in the game;
But this queen, her entire life’s mission was to single-handedly take down Leon Casmod in every game and conflict!
The two tidied up the cards, then Roswiser stood up and patted Leon on the shoulder, “This afternoon we’ll be soloing. Just remember, until I find the ‘killing card,’ don’t you dare kick the bucket!”
With that, the Queen walked away in her high heels.
Leon smiled at her tall figure before bowing his head to gather his few item cards.
Then he rose and left the kitchen.
The game was still on.
As various clues came to light, everyone was becoming increasingly immersed in this undercurrent of conflict.
Yet the game had only reached one-third of its progress.
The next steps would be filled with even more unknowns and crises.
…
After dinner, Leon planned to head back to his room to rest up for the evening’s actions.
He intended to relocate the Black Holy Stone hidden in the shared kitchen.
But just then, a voice from the Shadow Stone in his pocket alerted him, “Someone has opened the castle’s alchemy room and released a contagious disease. Please go to the [Doctor]’s room within an hour; there’s an antidote available.”
“Failing to comply will result in elimination.”
Leon frowned slightly, “Alchemy room… contagious disease…”
He recalled the card they discovered with Roswiser at lunchtime about “special scenes triggering everyone’s fate.”
Could it be… that the alchemy room is the ‘special scene’?
And the contagious disease is ‘everyone’s fate’?
With confusion swirling in his mind, Leon headed to his elder sister Isar’s room.
When he arrived, Moon and Little Light had just left.
“Dad, are you sick too?” Moon asked.
“Yeah, came to find Aunt Isar for the antidote.”
“The antidote is super sweet; Dad, you must try it!” Little Light chimed in.
Leon smirked; actually, Daddy tried it in the first round!
So, care to guess why Daddy’s sick, huh?
Of course, it’s your mom’s doing.
“Okay, Dad gets it. By the way, did you two find any useful clues this afternoon?”
“Oh, we found—”
Moon was about to spill but suddenly slammed the brakes and quickly corrected, “Nothing! Moon and Little Light didn’t find anything!”
Though her face showed, ‘I’m lying,’ Leon still smiled along.
“Fine then, eat the antidote and head to bed early. No staying up late!”
“Sure, Dad!”
The two little ones clasped hands and left.
Leon then pushed the door open.
“You’re the last one to come ask for an antidote,” Isar said, seated behind a wooden table, with the last antidote on display.
By the looks of it, it was probably orange-flavored.
Leon stepped up to the table, glanced down at the candy, and didn’t take it immediately. Instead, he posed a question, “Sis, you must’ve noticed the Shadow Stone’s information, right? Someone opened the alchemy room, causing our infection.”
Isar grumbled in agreement, “What a j*rk! Why open the alchemy room for no reason? It’s driving me nuts!”
“Who do you reckon… opened the alchemy room?”
Leon thought his usually sharp-witted sister might have a clue.
But Isar shook her head, “No idea… Everyone’s been coming to me for the antidote, even I, the [Doctor], have to take it; otherwise, I’ll be eliminated. So I’m not really sure who opened the alchemy room…”
Leon pondered and mused, “So, if we can figure out who opened the alchemy room, we could find a [wolf], right?”
“Yup, that’s how I see it. Do you have any clues or information about the [wolf]?”
Leon thought for a moment and replied, “I have information related to the [Queen]. It says that while she deeply loves the [Princess], she has another agenda. So I suspect Claudia is one of the [wolf] camp members.”
“Valid point… Let’s interrogate her thoroughly at the next meeting.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, eat the antidote. Don’t forget about the time limit.” Isar nodded at the candy in Leon’s hand.
Leon took the candy, hesitated for a moment, and then popped it into his mouth.
“Meeting at eight tonight; don’t forget!” Isar reminded him.
Leon nodded and then turned to leave Isar’s room.
As soon as he closed the door, he bolted back to his room.
He dashed to the bathroom and spat out that candy.
After rinsing his mouth, Leon retrieved the [Mint Tea] Roswiser had given him.
He opened the cap and downed it in one gulp.
