Super Righteous Player
Chapter 184 - 182: The Feigned Death Plot_1

Chapter 184: Chapter 182: The Feigned Death Plot_1

"...Is this, my nightmare?"

After a brief silence, Tan Juan Geraint spoke softly.

Once he saw "John" use the Silver Baron’s Divine Arts, he roughly understood what was happening.

"Naturally."

However, the one who replied wasn’t Annan, but Benjamin Foster.

He patted Tan Juan on the head and said with a light chuckle, "Didn’t you predict this would happen, Tan Juan?"

"...No, I was just a bit worried."

Tan Juan Geraint shook his head.

His eyes didn’t show the desolation of one aware of their own demise.

Instead, he furrowed his brow, deep in thought about something.

This attitude...was a little strange.

On the other hand, Benjamin gave a slight smile to Annan: "Long time no see, ’Giralda’."

"But I am not the Giralda."

Annan declared in advance.

Benjamin shook his head, "I know that. I’m very clear on what ’Giralda’ actually means.

"But upon seeing your face... I knew where you got the password from and what you would ask me. A person endorsed by Master Michelangelo is naturally guaranteed in character and ability."

"...Let me guess."

Annan replied softly, "Did you already surmise that the Third Prince intended to kill you?"

A slight smile formed on Benjamin’s face.

He didn’t answer directly but instead countered Annan with a question, "How many times have you come to this nightmare?"

"Including the failed times, this is the third."

Annan quickly answered.

Benjamin chuckled lightly.

On the massive wooden fist, three chairs with backs and armrests slowly grew out.

He gestured for Annan and Tan Juan to sit down.

"Since you’ve received Master Michelangelo’s endorsement and been able to see him... I deduce that the nightmare you entered must be Gerald’s."

Benjamin asked slowly, "That means Gerald... is dead, right?"

"Yes."

Annan answered honestly, "In addition, I saw Tan Juan murdered. You were ’Poison Killed’ by Claus with a counter-curse."

Hearing this, Benjamin’s mouth stretched into a silent laugh.

Tan Juan, by his side, also looked somewhat bewildered at Benjamin.

Curiously, Tan Juan turned towards Annan and asked, "What counter-curse... are you talking about the wizard’s Curse Binding?"

"...What about it?"

Seeing Tan Juan’s reaction, Annan’s heart stirred, and he asked in return, "It’s your old butler — he gave Benjamin poisoned wine mixed with squid ink. Is there something wrong with that?"

"That’s exactly the issue."

Benjamin laughed.

He tapped on the armrest, then asked Annan, "You should be aware of my Curse Binding, right?"

"Yes. ’Cannot consume squid’ and ’Cannot refuse wine given by someone older than myself.’

——So, when I drank the poisoned wine, how many Curse Bindings did I violate?"

Benjamin asked.

Annan’s pupils shrank slightly.

He suddenly realized something —

He had been thinking about the problem with the "poisoned wine."

But the true issue was...

If Benjamin had drunk ’poisoned wine mixed with squid ink,’ and if the poisoned wine itself was lethal enough to kill him, then there was no need to mix it with squid ink.

And if the strength of the poisoned wine wasn’t enough to kill him, then him drinking the poisoned wine meant he didn’t refuse it, implying he didn’t violate the latter Curse Binding.

——In other words.

The two Curse Bindings that Benjamin possessed were actually contradictory.

One way or another, he could only satisfy one...

And the only reason Claus would consider this his trump card was one possibility.

"——The information the Third Prince had, was it false?"

Annan blinked, coming to a realization, "He thought your Curse Binding was, ’cannot drink alcohol given by an elder’ and ’cannot eat squid’?"

Tan Juan looked somewhat bewildered at Benjamin.

Benjamin, unperturbed, nodded slightly, "It’s ’cannot drink alcohol given by an elder’, and ’cannot consume roasted green plums’.

"Well, reaction speed is okay, and memory is also not bad. It’s just that the brain is a bit slow to turn."

Benjamin commented somewhat harshly, "I’ll ask you again—you must have seen my corpse, right?"

"...Yes."

Annan nodded.

He recalled the scene when he emerged from the instance:

At that time, Benjamin was sprawled across the table, his mouth overflowing with blood, staining his teeth and plate, his eyes pitch-black. Beside him lay the equally blood-mouthed Tan Juan, and the old steward with the sword piercing his back, dead with eyes wide open.

The only difference was that the silver ring on Benjamin’s right hand had disappeared. The robes and jewelry on his body had also been removed, as though he were just an ordinary old man.

...As though he were just an ordinary old man?

Annan’s pupils constricted.

—It was not until this moment that he finally understood everything.

Benjamin was a Transcendent!

Transcendents of the bronze rank, after death, wouldn’t show any particularly obvious changes.

But Transcendents of the silver rank were different...

Just like Gerald at that time. When he died, he turned into a skeleton and then directly crumbled into pieces.

How could Benjamin’s corpse look so normal?

Just missing a vessel and some robes, appearing like any ordinary old man...

But the problem was, Benjamin was not just any ordinary old man!

"...That was a fake corpse, wasn’t it?"

Annan answered quickly.

Benjamin nodded in approval, "Exactly. Just like the body you are using right now... This is a basic Spell of the Idol School, called ’Puppet Golem Body’.

"My original plan was to drink the poisoned wine, feign death, and then use ’I Am Not Here’ to mask my own presence. I would then use a shaping spell like I am now to grow an identical substitute in my seat, and create my substitute with ’Puppet Golem Body’.

"So if you had examined my corpse closely, you should have found that it weighed much more than an old man."

Benjamin’s words carried the habitual aura of a mentor as he commented:

"Those people couldn’t hide their emotions at all. That Claus, just an advanced failure who would never achieve Gold in his lifetime, a nobody from the countryside. He had no idea how grand a wizard could be... The fear and restlessness in the hearts of those he brought were plain for me to see."

...Well, I wasn’t a Transcendent at that time.

Annan shook his head and remained silent.

—Benjamin was indeed capable of using Soul Snatching spells.

Annan still remembered Salvatore telling him this.

Benjamin could use ’Soul Reaping’, ’Transformation’, ’Shaping’, and ’Idol’ spells, but only Transformation and Shaping were close to the level of Gold.

...Which means, at the very least, the spells of the Soul Reaping and Idol schools should be at the lowest level of silver rank.

One question answered, yet it gave rise to more questions in Annan’s mind.

"So, what eventually happened to Claus?"

Annan asked.

Benjamin’s lips curled slightly upward, "Are you asking me about the future?"

Without saying much, he replied, "I suppose I will let him leave... because we do not want to startle the snake."

"...Teacher, am I really dead?"

Tan Juan Geraint asked, barely able to contain himself.

Benjamin looked at him with a calm and steady gaze, "That depends on how you define ’death’.

"This is what your father entrusted to me; he didn’t want you entering Frostwater Harbor because there resides a true deity. The deity would know at a glance who holds the Fragments of Truth. But by imperial command... you must die here. Only Frostwater Harbor is a place entirely beyond the Rotting Man’s reach, yet still within the Kingdom of Noah—hence, you are only allowed to die here.

"His Majesty would rather offer the Fragments of Truth you are about to conceive to the Bone Prince than to the Rotting Man.

"The Three-Eyed Crow will never betray the crown, so you have no choice.

"Because you are the person to hatch the truth. Only with your death can the Fragments of Truth manifests.

"If you stay in the Royal Capital, you’ll just die suddenly one day, letting the Rotting Man become a true deity...

"So the plan between your father and I was to let you die directly here. To toss out the hot potato that is the Fragments of Truth. Then, to try and steal your soul to resurrect you. After all, you are a Transcendent... albeit only bronze, but at least there is a faint possibility of resurrection.

"I didn’t tell you this in advance because your acting wasn’t convincing enough. Only a real death could convince Claus."

Benjamin said calmly, "So, ’Tan Juan Geraint’ must die, but perhaps you can still live on. I brought a lantern to imprison souls this time, maybe I can save you. Then find you an infant body with the direct bloodline of the Geraints... You may have a chance to be resurrected.

"But from now on, you are no longer Tan Juan Geraint. You must never think of him as you. You are also forever severed from this name—remember this well.

"Do not covet your former fame."

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