“So, how do you want to do it?” Esme turned towards the young man, after all four of them had arrived in a forest area.
“I noticed that your illusions can be touched and even have weight. So, you just need to use that,” Ryuk said, turning towards her while lifting his left hand, already holding the boy he had punished after pulling him all the way here.
“I see, but I can’t copy force or strength to that extent since it costs too much energy,” Esme revealed, placing her finger on the edge of her mask, thinking about her low level being a major hindrance.
“It doesn’t matter. Just show an illusion of some Dariant you’ve ever met. I need to see their techniques,” Ryuk said, aware of the limits of her strength and also that she would definitely have something to hook him.
Naturally, his expectations were set high for this young woman.
He definitely didn’t mean to imply that she didn’t have any free will and was being controlled, but she always surprised him with something.
So, he was sure that this time too, she would have something.
This confirmation was all done through morning’s cooking for her. He had already observed that the markets here mostly offered meat, light vegetables, and some other dishes, but none of them were spicy and bland in taste.
More like these people’s taste buds aren’t accustomed to eating such things, and seeing their familiarity with Esme, it was clear she was a native of Titanora.
But still, she ate his cooking, which was doubly extra spicy, without breaking a sweat, further fueling his doubts about her always having a side that would somewhat impress him or be attractive— confusing way but most feasible at the time.
Yes, it’s a secret, but he did like cooking in his previous world very much, and for someone like him, seeing others eat without rest was more satisfactory than a simple compliment.
Not that she was programmed or something, but it’s more like they were made for each other.
In conclusion, just as he doesn’t have control over becoming a villain since birth, she also doesn’t have a choice but to be made this way.
He doesn’t want to admit it, but whenever he sees her, she looks like a tool created just to lure him in, a tool that will be discarded once he’s lured.
But leaving those thoughts aside, he could just wait for her to show some cards.
“Huh, how about my grandpa?” Esme’s eyes met with his, blinking while remembering her paternal grandfather.
“Wasn’t it grandma?” Ryuk, ignoring the Dariant boy rubbing his butt, inquired.
“Nah, I can’t copy her, and also, She is my Maternal Grandma. Right now, I am talking about Paternal one,” Folding her hand, Esme said.
“I understand, you can do it but where is he right now?” Ryuk inquired, moving towards the open ground just ten steps away from him.
“Oh, right now, he will be in the center’s kingdom while serving the king as the right-hand man,” Esme informed.
“Fine, show me his illusion.”
“Here it goes.”
SWOOSH
Instantly, an old man’s figure started to materialize in front of Ryuk, finally a figure with a short white beard, long same-colored hair, and a white handlebar-shaped mustache.
‘What’s with that pose?’ Ignoring physical appearance, Ryuk’s eyes settled on claws of both hands one after another being lined, forming an eye-illusion back one disappearing, but it was indeed there.
“I don’t remember much, Grandpa was talking about practicing his thesis or something, I just snuck a peek when he was copying it on a new page instead of the old one, don’t know why he was posing that day before writing,” Esme shook her head feeling confused at her old man’s confusing habit of posing before writing.
“He posed just so you can see and teach me, Esme,” Ryuk uttered the words which were an obvious conclusion.
He didn’t know if it would be helpful, but seeing this woman, he was sure she would have more surprises for him.
“Hm…I see, so we are fated,” Esme’s eyes widened before relaxing, understanding the joke he just made, not retreating while nodding.
“…Just show me all his techniques,” Ryuk turned his focus on the old man rather than her, narrowing his gaze to observe the postures.
.
.
.
.
Snap
“And this was the 1236th one,” snapping her fingers to switch the illusions, Esme again focused herself on seeing the hand wrestling of both twins.
“Damnit Mae! You monster, what is with your strength!” Sam’s eyes crimson red with veins bulged on his face, red skin due to intense force he is applying, while in front of him, his sister.
“Prepare to give me your last remaining gold coin.” Already defeated him more than 34 times in a row, now she was on the brink of having all his life savings.
“Damn, you greedy monster.” Eyes become teary yet his trembling hands didn’t back away, kept increasing his force, which was futile.
CLANK!
“Huh?” A pouch was thrown on the ground beside the rock, creating the sound which instantly rang Mae’s senses. ‘6,754 Gold Coins,’ even without looking inside it, she exactly guessed how much money was in.
“Guess the number of coins first and you can have all,” Ryuk came forward, already understanding the hidden obsession inside the young girl regarding money.
“It’s 6,75—”
“6,754 Gold Coins!” Mae instantly outsmarted Sam and claimed the money for herself, looking at the pouch with her eyes sparkling.
“Very good, you can have it now.” With a soft smile, Ryuk let her have it while not worrying about Sam, whose face was sealed using a small amount of mana.
Yes, it was Energy-kinesis, where Ryuk could influence things near a definite distance using his energy, though it took high concentration, but was a technique he had learned in a previous life.
“Mmph?!” Sam could only look towards the masked man who stopped him from speaking, and now the only support was his big sister, turning towards her, who seemed to scratch her mask’s chin, seemingly not in the mood to support him. ‘Traitors!.’
“Now Mae, can you use your ability to predict something for me?” Ryuk moved towards the rock where both were arm wrestling, kneeling beside it.
“Hm, hm, Yes, Big sister loves you.” Immersed in the pouch in her hand, Mae nodded, predicting something which was definitely not what Ryuk wanted to know.
“….”
“Oh my, you could have just asked me directly, why waste gold coins?” Esme turned her eyes towards the knelt man, while her hand was resting on Mae’s shoulder, looking with blinking towards Ryuk.
“Sigh, here I thought to give you ten times those coins.” Ryuk sighed, shaking his head.
[Why are you lying to a kid Host, weren’t those coins the only ones you have?]
“Wh-what!, T-ten times!” Mae instantly stood from her seat, and with the same pace knelt in front of Ryuk, copying his posture, fixing her eyes with him, inquiring with a whisper,” what you want to know, tell me.”
“Nothing much, just predict the locations of Flagbearers for me.” With a smile, he revealed his true motives.
“Pfft, Hahahaha, Finally got you!” Sam laughed, clenching his stomach, falling on the ground, while Mae blankly kept looking at the young man, who also understood that he asked the wrong person, prompting him to inquire,”….What is your ability, Mae?”
“I can predict things inside a mile range.” Mae too blankly looked at him with eyes blinking as the hidden grief shrouded her, a grief born only understood by someone whose lottery ticket number matched but it turns out, it was already expired.
So, it is obviously the Gramps whom Drishti is pissing off right now for getting hands on his thesis….
And also.
I am trying to leave clues here and there about Ryuk’s speculations about her, it is totally depends on the reader to either take it seriously or just mere thoughts from him.
But, Again I want to say, Don’t create a image of her being a puppet or programmed individual, She have freewill and also, there will be a reason for her to love Ryuk.
And a major Reason.
I will reveal this once the Ryuk enters phase of Second Option, Oh, Also, next chap is time skip of 2 months. Thanks
