บท 8: Liar
"Hey! Stop standing still! We don't have much time!" Harald exclaimed as he waved his hand calling Zayne to him.
Zayne looked at Amelia in confusion as he didn't understand what was happening. He expected a new quest to come before him, but there was nothing.
Amelia didn't answer anything, she just smiled weakly and followed Harald. On the way, she gave Zayne a sly look, as if to say that he had no other choice.
"Boy, I'm trying to help you and my patience isn't endless!" Harald shouted clenching his fist with a menacing stare.
'Damn... For someone who treats people, he looks too dangerous.' Zayne inwardly muttered before heading for the exit of the pharmacy. He didn't know what had changed Harald so much, but now he had to find out.
'Fine. Come on, we haven't got a minute to lose!"
...
Harald, Amelia, and Zayne quickly moved toward the main building in the village. Normally this would have attracted a lot of attention since Zayne was a player, but no one could understand it. In Fallen Fate Online there weren't any special inscriptions or signs above NPCs and Players, it helped with immersion in the virtual world, so for the rest of the world then Zayne was just an NPC following Harald.
"It's already sundown, it will start to get dark soon and the Elder will pass judgment." Harald looked at the receding sun behind the mountains and turned to Zayne, "Good thing you came today, otherwise we might not have made it."
Harald entered the tall, cylindrical wooden building heading for the last, third floor. Amelia followed him with a slight smile while Zayne felt uncomfortable but kept stepping forward.
On the top floor was the Elder's office, so there was a long line of more than ten people in front of the massive wooden doors. They all had important business that required Elder's participation.
However, Harald didn't seem to care. He walked forward, passing through the line and making his way directly to the door.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" The man with the thick black beard was angered, but Harald didn't seem to hear him and just kept walking on.
"Yes, he's right! Get to the end of the line! You have no respect for others at all!" The woman with the long red hair frowned as she stomped her foot impatiently.
Harald's veins bulged on his forehead, but he still just ignored them.
"You think you're better than the others! You better not piss me off!" The man standing second in line exclaimed menacingly as he clenched his fist, then Harald finally stopped.
The man smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He thought his threat had worked on Harald, but it wasn't quite true.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Harald exclaimed in a thunderous voice as his shout seemed to shake the entire building.
The people in line were stunned for a moment as well as Zayne. He didn't expect that the best doctor in the village could do something like that. He turned in confusion to Amelia as Zayne's eyes went wide. Amelia was the only one not surprised, she just smiled deviously with narrowed eyes as if enjoying the show.
"If I'm going to the elder it means it's an emergency! I don't care how important your business is or how long you wait! If anyone doesn't like it then the next time you feel bad go to another doctor because if you come to me you'll leave crippled!" Harald's expression twisted in anger as he pointed his finger at everyone in line.
People's reactions were unexpected to Zayne as they simply stopped talking and looked away, some just staring at the floor with an awkward expressions. It looked as if they had been scolded by a teacher and had nothing to respond to.
"Well... Dr. Harald probably wouldn't be in such a hurry for no reason..." Someone said slowly shaking his head.
"Yeah... We're just all tired by the end of the day, Mr. Harald, come forward. Surely the Elder will listen to you, though he is still talking to the Traveler." The woman glanced at the wooden doors with a complicated face.
'Traveler...?' Zayne muttered inwardly, 'Jafa called me that, so the Village Elder is talking to the Player now?'
Harald only grunted before walking to the door and going inside. Amelia and Zayne hurriedly followed him.
Crackle.
They were in a spacious room, at the center of which was a massive table with two leather sofas on either side. On the left sat a middle-aged man with thick black hair, a short beard, and green eyes. His skin was wrinkled and rough, as his gaze was deep, filled with wisdom.
Opposite the man sat a guy with a confident smirk on his face. He had short gray hair and brown eyes and his lean body was covered by a leather jacket with a long sword on his belt.
"Hmm? I'm not finished yet." The man said seriously before turning around. As soon as he saw Harald, his eyes went wide and he asked, "What's going on? Why are you here and who is this young man with you?"
"Mr. Aron, don't worry, I can wait if necessary." The young man smiled as he looked greedily at Amelia, "There are quite a few beautiful girls in your village."
"Elder, I wouldn't bother you for nothing." Harald bowed respectfully and stood as straight as a soldier before a general.
Aron nodded meaningfully, he knew Harald for a long time, so his sudden appearance without warning surprised him.
"This young man beside me says he killed the Black Wolf." Harald pointed at Zayne and glanced at the wound on his arm, "I can't exactly determine if this guy is telling the truth, but some wolf definitely attacked him. I guarantee it."
As soon as Harald said this, the young man's face went pale as his eyes grew wide, but after a moment he calmed down.
"Hmm... Young man, no, Rolf, did you really lie to me?" Aron stared at the young man as his eyes seemed able to pierce through him. Aron had no proof, but he thought it strange that Harald had suddenly brought a young man who had been wounded by a wolf bite while Rolf was unharmed.
"What? Mr. Aron, you are the Village Elder, I would not lie to you about something like that. I don't know what this guy is talking about, maybe he got really scared and confused, but I brought you the corpse of a black wolf, so obviously, I killed it!" Rolf said calmly with a confident look.
The room fell silent for a while until Zayne and Rolf's gazes met each other.
[Ding!]
[Unique Quest Created!]
[Liar Who Tells the Truth
The Village Elder must reward the one who killed the Black Wolf, thus releasing the villagers from fear of this terrifying beast. However, the situation has become more complicated due to the fact that now it's not clear which of the two candidates is the real hero.
Whoever loses in this argument will be severely disgraced in the region, or maybe even beaten! Do everything to prove that it was you who killed the Black Wolf, even if you didn't!]
At the same moment, Aron, Amelia, and Harald's eyes were covered in a blue flame for a few seconds, with magical symbols floating among them.
"Well, well, it looks like fate has decided that this is an important event." Aron muttered as he looked at Rolf, then at Zayne, and said, "One of you is definitely a liar, though there is truth in what he said. In any case, only the one who killed the Black Wolf gets the reward!"
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