Mage Manual-Chapter 264 - 228 The Game of Unearthing Inner Darkness
Chapter 264: Chapter 228: The Game of Unearthing Inner Darkness
Chapter 264: Chapter 228: The Game of Unearthing Inner Darkness
Was this an opportunity to demonstrate power? Igula understood, Hanna’s words almost explicitly conveyed, “I know you all want to compete, but no matter what you scheme, I will be the ultimate winner.”
Compared to hollow threats, this kind of confidence that seemed to have everything in control was more likely to intimidate people.
“However, if everyone guesses correctly, the scores will be the same, which isn’t interesting.” Hanna thought for a moment, “Plus, if everyone asks their own questions, there might be some special questions they are too embarrassed to ask… Got it!”
She pulled out a stack of memo pads from a drawer next to her, “This is ‘Telepathic Memo Paper,’ which automatically writes down what people are thinking in standard size 4 font. That means it’s impossible to identify the writer from the handwriting; it’s essentially an anonymous memo.”
She then took out a black box, “Everyone writes a question, then throws it into this box. We’ll draw three questions to ask, so no one will know who asked which question. With so many safety measures, you can freely pose any questions you’re curious about, right?”
Seeing such a well-prepared set of props, Igula knew that Hanna had definitely prepared beforehand. She might have been waiting for them to burst out with demands and thus propose this game… But why this game?
What could Hanna achieve with this game?
When Igula got the memo paper, he suddenly realized the interesting part of the game.
Now it was known that everyone had to answer honestly.
And the questions were random; no one knew who the questioner was.
That means Igula could freely ask, “Are you planning to murder Igula, Ash, Archibald, and Liss,” thus finding out whether Hanna planned to eradicate everyone after the Weaving Festival. And since he was just one among them, he wouldn’t attract Hanna’s hostility!
No… It was too good an opportunity to be wasted just on questioning Hanna. Given that everyone else was also required to answer honestly, he could craft a brilliant question to hear everyone’s true thoughts—
Igula was startled.
He finally understood Hanna’s scheme.
It was a despicable and shameless open conspiracy, but even Igula, recognizing its cleverness, couldn’t help but dive in.
No wonder the game was called “Guessing Heart.” The focus was not really on ‘heart’ but on ‘guessing’!
When you attempt to delve into the dark side of human nature, you can only retrieve the answer you desire. Human nature can’t withstand testing, and true intentions aren’t guessable!
“Brother Banjee, do you have a small mirror?” Liss suddenly asked, “I want to see if Aunt Bokin braided my hair nicely.”
“Of course, Miss Liss.” Banjee promptly took out a small mirror, though it was a mystery where he had produced it from.
Clap.
After everyone had submitted their memo papers, Hanna clapped her hands lightly, “Now that all the questions have been collected… Mr. Bokin, please lead the next question and answer session and the betting phase. Since I brought out the box and memo paper, if I were to lead, you might suspect I rigged something.”
Igula couldn’t refuse such a reasonable request, he drew a piece of paper from the black box, his pupils dilating slightly.
“The question.”
“If given a chance, would you kill the other five people present to fulfill Divine Lord’s wish?”
“Oh, ho,” Hanna laughed, “That is indeed a thrilling question.”
Everyone placed gold coins under a handkerchief, then moved into the betting phase. Hanna was the first to speak, “I believe the number of people answering ‘yes’ is 0.”
“I have a different opinion.” Harvey pressed down a silver coin, “I think it’s 1.”
“I also think it’s 1.” Igula followed suit.
Ash spread his hands, “I disagree with you two, I choose 0.”
Banjee also chose 0, only Liss pressed down 2 silver coins. Everyone was slightly taken aback but quickly understood—perhaps in Liss’s view, Hanna and Banjee, seen as controlling figures, would naturally be capable of murder.
But that was impossible, at least Banjee wouldn’t do that—since the option of ‘killing the other five’ included killing Hanna.
Though Ash and others didn’t know how long Banjee had lived with Hanna, Banjee was over sixty years old, and for him, Hanna might as well be considered his daughter. In addition, since he had no descendants, how could he possibly kill Hanna, his only relative in reality?
However, the reverse was different; if Hanna was sufficiently driven by greed, she might be willing to kill Banjee for her desires.
That’s why Igula bet on 1 person, because the most likely person at the scene who could answer ‘yes’ was Hanna.
However, when the handkerchief was lifted, everyone was stunned.
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4 “no”, 2 “yes”.
Among the six of them, two were willing to murder others without hesitation for the Divine Lord’s wish!
Igula looked around, first, he himself was “no”, Liss was definitely “no”, and Banjee was likely “no”.
That meant the ones who chose “yes” could only be Hanna, Ash, or Harvey!
Even if Hanna took up one spot, it meant that either Ash or Harvey was undoubtedly a prepared butcher!
Harvey, needless to say, by escaping Shattered Lake Prison, he had already stepped towards destruction; Igula felt his escape was merely about choosing the most tragic way to die. As for Ash, although Igula believed he was not like that, based on Ash’s subtle sympathy shown towards Liss and his past actions, it proved he hadn’t yet lost his humanity.
But what if it was all a disguise?
And even if it was all true before, could it prove he had no darkness inside him at the moment?
He could show compassion for a little girl, fly into a rage over Ronald’s matter, attack Eternal Damnation to prevent hurting himself… but he could equally harbor killing intent for the Divine Lord’s wish.
Swindler’s third law: Everything has a price for betrayal, even the sun can be forsaken by daylight if the price is right.
Facing the immense, incalculable benefit of the Divine Lord’s wish, any decision Ash made was highly logical. Even if he was genuinely kind-hearted, it didn’t stop him from being occasionally cruel.
Moreover, Hanna might not necessarily be the other “yes”. Compared to the former death row inmates, Hanna had always been a law-abiding gray zone worker, which was evident since she had made the list — illegal activities significantly reduce the chances of making the list.
Hanna probably hadn’t killed many, could someone like her, whose hands were not drenched in much blood, truly resolve to murder Banjee who had followed her for years, and the innocent little girl Liss?
Ash and Harvey, was it a choice between the two… or both?
Meanwhile, Ash had similar thoughts.
Between Banjee and Hanna, there could be at most one “yes”. He was “no”, Liss was “no”, that meant one “yes” was either Igula or Harvey.
Among them was a murderer willing to kill everything to seize the Divine Lord’s wish.
When Ash looked up, he happened to catch Igula looking at him.
That was the terrifying part about Guessing Heart.
You guess someone’s true intentions, and they guess yours. When the seed of suspicion falls to the darkest places, it sprouts during the next argument, grows stronger in the subsequent conflicts, and one day the big tree will be ignited into a torch by rage, staining the darkness of the soul with a bloody hue.
“It’s trouble,” sighed Ash, “Liss, I didn’t expect there to be two villains here…”
He pretended to speak to Liss to intentionally avoid Igula’s gaze, but Liss gave him a cold glance, lacking any of the previous affection.
She seemed to look at a mere weed, her gaze devoid of innocence and even possessing a cold cruelty.
Ash was startled, thinking she had reached her rebellious phase so soon?
“Only Liss guessed right, Liss scores 1 point, everyone else still has 0 points,” Hanna remarked, seemingly unconcerned with the prior question. “Let’s move to the next one.”
Despite the bright sunshine outside, the atmosphere in the living room had become somewhat oppressive. Igula sighed internally, the first question had already planted the seed of suspicion in everyone’s heart, it was dreadful to imagine what would happen at the second question.
He pulled out the second strip of paper from the black box, raised his eyebrows, then charged over and started scuffling with Ash.
“Ash!—”
“How do you know I wrote it!?”
“Who else would be so nonsensical?”
Harvey picked up the slip of paper Igula had dropped, and couldn’t help but burst into chuckles:
“Ha ha, asking, asking.”
“Do you think Igula should wear pretty girls’ dresses?”
