333 Ten Questions
"The mirror in my room, I brought it there. True or false?"
I had a brilliant strategy. By asking five absolute true or false questions initially, I could force Joeveirian to expend his lies or truths right away.
This way, no matter how he answered my last five questions, I would be able to know if he was being honest or not.
In simple words, here's an example:
I could just ask, "You are a man. True or false?"
If he chose to lie and said "false," I would follow up with another absolute question like, "Earth is round. True or false?"
This would force him to lie again or tell the truth. If he continued to lie and replied with "false," he would have used two of his five lies.
Just like this, if he decided to be truthful and answered those questions as "true," I would know he had used up two of his five truths.
Yes, I know that it would be a little challenging since I'd need to keep track of all his truths and lies, but I think I could lead him to a checkmate.
But like every other strategy, there was a way out. What if he doesn't straight up use five lies or five truths to answer my first five absolute questions?
What if he lies and tells the truth alternately? If he does that, he could still deceive me when I ask him my last five questions.
But that problem was still salvageable. I could bend my words in a way where he'd have no choice but to be transparent about his lies and truths.
However, all of that would be the best-case scenario. In the worst case, my attempt to outsmart him could just anger him.
In my childhood, I once read somewhere that gods don't like to be tested. So I don't think it would be wise to put his patience to the test when he could just kill me as easily with a swipe of his finger.
Yeah, no, thank you. I'd rather stick to the rules than have my head severed from my body again.
Noticing my honest approach, Joe couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the smirk on his face widened to the point where he was practically grinning.
"Good choice," he said. "If you had tried to pull something, just know that it wouldn't have ended well for you."
I resisted the urge to click my tongue. God or not, this guy infuriates me to no end.
After a moment of thought, Joeveirian finally responded, "True. It was indeed you who discovered the Heavenly Sight and brought it into your room."
…I believe he's telling the truth. – I thought internally, inspecting the God on the throne with my eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I waited for a brief moment before posing another question.
"I've always been Lucas. In one of the past timelines, I died and reincarnated on 2021 Earth. In that universe, you killed me and I transmigrated here. True or false?"
Joeveirian closed his eyes as if he was not interested in my questions. "False. You are Noah. You insulted my creation. You will be punished for your blasphemy until you entertain me. Stop searching for meaning in your pathetic existence."
"Tsk," I clicked my tongue. Was he lying? I believed he was. But what if he wasn't? No, I was convinced it had to be a lie.
With a heavy sigh, I presented one more question.
"Lucas knew that I would transmigrate into his body. He also knew of the future, as he somehow retained memories from other timelines. Is this true?"
Joeveirian opened his eyes, a somber shock visible in his deep, dark eyes. "That is true. Lucas was aware of everything."
"But how?!" I burst out. "How could he have known I was going to transmigrate when I hadn't even been killed at that point?!"
A delighted smirk crept onto Joeveirian's lips. "Remember, only true or false questions."
"....." I clenched my fists, teeth bared in frustration. I entertained the idea of casting my strongest spell upon him, but I knew it wouldn't even scratch him.
In the end, I could only ask another question, stating, "The vampire monarch is the only threat I need to watch out for, correct?"
"False," Joeveirian shook his head slightly, his hand still propping up his chin while his enigmatic eyes locked with mine.
I swallowed hard, an unsettling sensation gripping my heart. "The Ebony Dragon... is it the final threat? Must I defeat it to stop the apocalypse?"
"False," Joeveirian sighed, not explaining any further than that.
My eyes quivered as I voiced another question. "There is a way to save this world. I will be able to save it, correct?"
This time, Joeveirian didn't reply immediately. He held onto the answer for a while before finally responding, "False."
No... No! That had to be a lie! It must be a lie, right?! I was one of the prophesied heroes! I was! ...Wasn't I?
With trembling lips and a heavy heart, I asked, "I am one of the three promised heroes destined to save the world, am I not?"
Joeveirian looked at me expressionlessly for several moments before throwing his head back and erupting into hearty laughter, as though he'd just heard the most amusing joke of his life.
After several long minutes, as I stood there in silence, observing the King of Gods with a startled expression, his laughter died down, and he gave me an amused smile.
"You?" He scoffed sarcastically, his voice condescending. "You actually think you're one of the three heroes? Have you perhaps forgotten that you're not the protagonist of this world, Lucas?!"
Joeveirian raised his voice until the traces of amusement in his tone were replaced by something different… a hint of sadness.
I stood there, bewildered, as the King of Gods continued, "False! You are not the protagonist! Remember who you are, Lucas Morningstar! Remember that you are nothing!"
Joeveirian rose from his heavenly throne, his voice thundering down upon me, "You are pitiful, feeble, and unstable! Your very existence is a continuous cycle of failure and downfall! You are a disgrace! So, no, Lucas! You are not destined to save this world!"
I looked up at Joeveirian, a deep furrow forming on my brow, my jaw clenched, and my eyes distant. Strangely, I didn't feel anger toward him.
No, instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of pity for him. Yes, I was pitying a God - and not just any God, but the one who had killed me before.
After a long silence, I posed my eighth question. "There is a way to reach a happy ending. True or false?"
"False," Joeveirian instantly replied, as if he had been waiting for me to ask this question from the start.
Drawing in a deep breath, I finally voiced the question I had been wanting to voice since the start too. "Are the prophecies all true?"
"False," Joeveirian silently shook his head. "The prophecies are all false. Crafted by someone to deceive the entire world... past, present, and future."
At this point, I was uncertain, unsure of what to believe. This could be a lie, or just as easily it could be the truth.
A defeated sigh escaped my lips as I posed my tenth and final question.
At first, I wanted to ask him about my future, but since I could only ask true and false questions, I settled for the next best option.
I thought about all the future choices I would someday have to make and stated:
"The way to reach the ending, whether it be happy or tragic, is as follows: I join the Space Defence Force after graduation, leaving the Vampires in the north for the Protagonists to handle. I eliminate the space threat before returning to Earth. I then participate in the War of Union and bring it to an end. Finally, I face the ultimate war, defeating the Vampire Monarch with the help of other heroes. After that, I'll be prepared for any future threats. True or false?"
Joeveirian once again closed his eyes, but this time, he nodded. He placed his hands behind his back and spoke, "There will be unforeseen obstacles but for the most part... true. That is one way to reach the ending."
After a brief pause, Joeveirian sighed and extended an open palm in my direction. "Now, it's time to send you back."
Instead of resisting as I had done the last time, I nodded and took a moment before speaking again. "Oh, and before I forget, I will make you a promise now."
Joeveirian's lips curled into a slight grin as he inquired, "And what might that be?"
I waited a few seconds before returning a bright smile. "One day, I will kill you."
As soon as I said that, suddenly, red chains erupted from the ground and enveloped me, shackling me in place.
Thwoosh—And with that, in the next moment, my head was once again severed from my body.
