Chapter 7: The Lion’s Den and the Lie Detector
Navigating the sprawling corridors of the Sterling estate was a stark reminder of exactly where Leon stood in the grand hierarchy of this brutal world.
He left the chaotic warmth of the grand kitchens behind and made his way toward the upper servants wing where the air grew noticeably cooler and the architecture shifted from practical stone to polished marble.
Along the way he passed by a pair of estate guards clad in heavy runic armor bearing the crest of a silver lion.
The two men were laughing about some tavern brawl in the capital city but the sheer physical presence radiating from their bodies made Leon hold his breath.
They were Adept level Aura Knights capable of crushing a normal man’s skull with their bare hands and they were merely the lowest ranking soldiers in the noble family’s private army.
In a world dominated by magical supremacy and martial strength a weakling was destined to be ground into dust under the boots of the strong.
Leon realized he desperately needed every single advantage this perverted system could give him if he wanted to survive long enough his new life.
As he walked down the quiet hallway he pulled up his holographic system shop and navigated directly to the utility section.
He spent eighty of his accumulated Shameless Points to purchase the passive skill known as ’Lie Detector’ which immediately etched itself into his newly formed mana core.
A warm tingling sensation spread behind his eyes and the system helpfully informed him that he would now be able to read minor fluctuations in a person’s aura and heart rate to determine their true intentions.
Now with his new secret weapon Leon finally arrived at a heavy mahogany door bearing a silver plaque with Beatrice’s name elegantly engraved on the polished metal.
He knocked twice and heard a crisp commanding voice grant him permission to enter.
The Head Maid’s private office was just as immaculate and terrifying as the woman herself.
The walls were lined with meticulously organized bookshelves and the room was completely devoid of any personal touches or decorations. Beatrice sat behind a massive oak desk with her hands folded neatly over a stack of inventory reports.
The temperature in the room was undeniably freezing because her natural affinity for Ice Aura was leaking out into the air to intentionally create an oppressive and intimidating atmosphere.
"Close the door and stand exactly two paces in front of my desk," Beatrice ordered without looking up from her paperwork.
Leon obliged and stepped up to the invisible boundary she had set.
The lingering effects of his minor aura resistance worked overtime to keep his teeth from chattering in the manufactured cold. He stood tall relying heavily on his enhanced charisma to project an aura of absolute calm that completely contrasted with his usual cowardly demeanor.
Beatrice finally looked up from her documents and adjusted her wire-rimmed glasses while piercing him with an icy glare.
Thanks to his active Lie Detector skill Leon could clearly see a faint pulsing aura of curiosity masking itself beneath her fiercely intimidating facade.
She was putting up a front to reestablish her authority after their scandalous interaction in the kitchen earlier that day.
"I have just received a rather interesting report from the scullery maids," Beatrice began in a dangerously smooth voice. "They claim that you violently threw Garret to the floor and threatened him when he asked you to clean the larder. That is a rather dramatic shift in behavior for a boy who usually cries when someone drops a pot too loudly."
Leon kept a straight face because the exaggerated rumors of the servant quarters spread faster than a forest fire.
Before he could formulate a proper response to navigate her interrogation the familiar crystal bell chimed in his skull.
[System Quest Issued: Unprofessional Conduct]
[Context: The Ice Queen is using her authority and her aura to freeze you into submission. A true degenerate recognizes that rules are meant to be broken especially when beautiful women enforce them. Break her rhythm entirely.]
[Objective: Lean across her pristine desk to gently adjust her glasses and tell her she works too hard.]
[Reward: +5 Agility, 40 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: The Host will endure thirty minutes of excruciating vocal cord paralysis making you unable to explain yourself to the guards outside.]
Leon stifled a massive groan of pure frustration because this ridiculous system was constantly playing jump rope with the line between bravery and suicide.
Leaning over the desk of an Aura Knight and touching her face was astronomically dangerous but losing his ability to speak would guarantee his trip to the dungeon.
He took a slow deep breath and completely ignored her question about his incident with Garret.
Beatrice narrowed her cold blue eyes as the scrawny male servant brazenly stepped past the invisible boundary she had commanded him to stay behind.
She prepared to release a concentrated blast of frost magic to knock him back but she hesitated for just a fraction of a second when his dark magnetic gaze locked onto hers.
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