Although Leon couldn't attend the group meeting due to his "food poisoning," he didn't waste the time. He wandered through the castle's many corridors and rooms, hoping to trigger some special tasks exclusive to his "lone wolf" role. The information card had mentioned that completing tasks would grant him crucial advantages.
Leon was fighting alone. Even though he physically possessed the Black Sacred Stone, it felt more like a hot potato—the moment it was discovered, he would be eliminated from the game. This was especially true for the later stages, when desperation would set in and the other players would likely tear the castle apart to find it. He needed to build up his advantages now, during the game's early, relatively calm phase.
However, after a thorough exploration of the entire second floor, Leon hadn't found a single useful clue or task trigger. He hadn't come across any extraordinary game items like the one Rossweise must have used to "hard control" him and prevent his meeting attendance.
"Tsk... The chef's task was so easy to find. Why is the lone wolf's task so difficult?" Leon muttered in frustration as he returned to his room empty-handed.
About ten minutes later, he heard the distinct sound of doors opening and closing outside. The meeting on the first floor had apparently ended, and players were returning to their rooms—including Isha, the Doctor.
[Please find the 'doctor,' who possesses the antidote for food poisoning.]
His memory stone had been clear. He couldn't afford to waste time; if he was still suffering from "food poisoning" by the next group meeting, the suspicion against him would be too great, and the others would likely vote him out.
Knock, knock, knock—
"Come in," Isha's voice called from within.
Leon pushed the door open. Isha was sitting on the living room sofa, holding what looked like her initial information card. When she saw Leon, she slowly placed the card back into the wooden box on her coffee table and closed the lid. She then turned her head, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"What's up, brother-in-law?" she asked, her tone light and playful.
Leon shrugged. "The NPC said I have food poisoning. The message said you're supposed to have the antidote."
Isha was momentarily stunned, then nodded thoughtfully. "Ah, so that's how the rules work... Quite realistic."
"Yeah. So, sis, do you have the antidote?"
Just then, Isha's own memory stone chimed and projected a staff message: "The antidote is located in the 'doctor's' storage cabinet. Note: The antidote is a game item and can be safely consumed as fruit candy."
Isha raised her eyebrows, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hmm, interesting."
The red-haired beauty stood up slowly and made her way to a small storage room attached to her quarters. "Wait here. The Red Dragon's renowned doctor will fetch your medicine," she declared, fully in character.
Leon couldn't help but chuckle. She was certainly embracing her role.
Not long after, Isha returned with a few pieces of the "antidote" in her hand. She opened her palm to reveal several brightly colored candies. "Well, my frail and sickly brother-in-law, your choices are: the orange-flavored antidote, the apple-flavored one, or... oh, here's a mint-flavored one? Which will it be?"
"Orange, please."
"I knew you'd pick orange."
Leon paused. "Why?"
"Because Little Rose loves oranges," Isha stated matter-of-factly.
"...This has nothing to do with Rossweise, sis," Leon replied, even as he caught the orange candy she tossed to him.
"Of course, it does," Isha insisted with a knowing smile. "Lovers influence each other in the subtlest ways. What she likes, you'll eventually try, and often, you'll end up enjoying it with her."
Leon shook his head with a wry smile. "Well then, guess who poisoned me?"
Isha blinked her bright, intelligent eyes and quickly connected the dots. "Oh~ The chef, huh? An identity that allows for subtle, indirect attacks. This is much more interesting than the simple 'Werewolf' games we play at home." There was a clear hint of excitement in her tone. She loved complex, strategic games, and the fact that her own brother-in-law was a potential opponent made the challenge even more thrilling.
Leon popped the candy into his mouth. A moment later, his memory stone chimed, indicating that his "food poisoning" status had been cleared and he was now permitted to attend meetings again.
"So, why do you think Rossweise poisoned me?" Leon crossed his arms, furrowing his brow in a show of deep thought. He decided to test the waters and subtly frame his wife. "Could it be... that she stole the Black Sacred Stone, then poisoned me to stop me from attending the meeting, using that opportunity to persuade everyone to vote me out?"
Isha pondered for a moment before replying, "Knowing Little Rose, her reasons might not be that complicated."
"And?"
"And she might have done it just for fun."
Leon covered his face with his hand, silently lamenting. Using a precious "hard control" opportunity just for personal amusement was a baffling, inefficient move in any strategic game. But when he considered his cunning, occasionally mischievous wife, and the fact that he was the target, it suddenly made perfect, frustrating sense.
"So, sis, what's your main task as the doctor?" Leon asked, switching to a more direct approach.
"Me?" Isha's eyes sparkled. "I'm a veterinarian, specializing in treating small animals. Like a certain food-poisoned relative," she said, teasing him with a playful tone that expertly dodged his question.
Leon knew she was evading, but he hadn't expected an easy answer anyway.
"What about you, brother-in-law? What's your main task?" Isha turned the question back on him.
"Protect the princess," Leon lied with a perfectly straight face.
"Oh? Protect the princess?"
"Yes," Leon continued, utterly serious in his nonsense. "The Black Sacred Stone has been stolen, and the princess has ordered the castle sealed. I suspect the real thief might get desperate and target the princess directly to create chaos." He looked Isha right in the eyes, his expression radiating pure conviction. "So, naturally, we good guys have to protect the princess. If she gets 'killed,' the game might end immediately, right?"
When Leon boldly declared himself part of the "good guys," his face was a mask of such pure heroism that one would never guess the Black Sacred Stone was currently hidden in a crevice under the kitchen water tank. It was the confident aura of a true legend.
Isha didn't comment on his performance, only saying, "Well then, good brother-in-law, you'd better hurry and pledge your loyalty to the princess."
"Why?"
"Because you didn't attend the last meeting. In your absence, everyone discussed the situation and now finds you highly suspicious. The general consensus is to investigate you first."
"I didn't attend the meeting because Rossweise poisoned her own husband!" Leon protested.
Isha spread her hands innocently. "If she doesn't tell anyone she did it, how would they know?"
Leon had to admit it was a clever move. Hard-controlling the lone wolf like this created a perfect storm of suspicion, allowing accusations to fly while he was unable to defend himself.
"So, do you trust me, sis?" he asked, trying a different tack.
Isha smiled sweetly. "As your sister-in-law, I trust you implicitly. But as the in-game doctor, sworn to uncover the truth, I'm afraid I need to keep a very close eye on you."
Leon had to acknowledge her sharpness. Her answer was diplomatic and clever, leaving no openings even in a simple game of identities.
"Fair enough," he conceded.
He paused for a moment, then added, as if a new thought had just occurred to him, "Wait, sis, what if Rossweise didn't just poison me for fun? What if her real plan was to accuse me during my absence? If that's her strategy, it strongly suggests she might be the one who actually stole the Black Sacred Stone."
Isha considered this new angle. "That's certainly a possibility. This game is complex enough to have a 'lone wolf' role capable of attacking at will. And..." she trailed off meaningfully.
"And?" Leon prompted.
"And Little Rose targeting you first was something I fully expected," Isha finished with a grin. "Let's be honest, if you had the chance to strike first, you'd be targeting her too, wouldn't you?"
"..."
Clap—
Isha clapped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with delight as she declared, "Wow, you two are perfectly matched in this way! A true made-for-each-other couple~"
Don't be gross, sis! Leon thought, though he couldn't suppress a small smile. But to be honest, she was right. If he'd had a "hard control" item, Rossweise would have been his first target too. Married men don't have many hobbies, but one of them is undoubtedly "targeting" their wives in playful competition.
"So, what will you do next?" Isha asked, bringing the conversation back to the game.
"Exactly what you suggested," Leon said, heading for the door. "I'll go and pledge my loyalty to Noah. She's the princess, after all. Having her trust could be a powerful shield."
"Mhm... Good luck," Isha said, her tone unreadable.
"Thanks for the orange-flavored antidote, sis. I'm off." Leon waved.
"Bye! And try not to fall for Little Rose's tricks again," she called after him, laughing lightly as if she already had a shrewd idea of what had transpired between Leon and Rossweise in the kitchen earlier.
Leon smirked but didn't answer. He simply opened the door and left.
After he was gone, the playful smile slowly faded from Isha's face. She sat back down on the sofa and reopened the wooden box on the coffee table. She didn't take out her initial information card. Instead, she retrieved a different, newer card she had obtained from completing a hidden task immediately after the group meeting had concluded.
The card was stark and simple. It had only one word written on it in elegant, dark script:
"The Only."
Isha's mind raced, her brilliant eyes narrowed in intense concentration as she stared at the cryptic message.
"The Only"... What in the world does that mean?