Super Righteous Player
Chapter 594 - 135: Ended up being forced to hug the thigh_1

Chapter 594: Chapter 135: Ended up being forced to hug the thigh_1

Although he couldn’t find evidence right away,

Frederick had already picked up on some clues...

— This "Justus" didn’t seem like Justus himself.

He knew Justus very well, perhaps even better than his own parents did.

Justus was a very pure person. He was self-centered and possessed a strong greed—not for material things, but for emotional ones. In other words, he treasured and valued every one of his relationships immensely.

Whether it was his friendships, his secret love for Ingrid, or his respect for Professor Gray, he would go to any lengths to protect those feelings.

Yes.

Justus was the type of person who would kill for a friend or a lover.

This, of course, included those who showed hostility or wickedness toward his friends or lovers... If someone tried to hurt them, he would be the first to rush forward; but if he experienced betrayal, he might also turn around and kill his friend or lover.

This sense of danger hidden in his logical conduct could make the friends who had just started getting close to him feel uneasy.

They would instinctually distance themselves from Justus... yet they didn’t realize that this in itself would be regarded by Justus as a betrayal.

This was precisely why Justus had only one close friend like Frederick.

As a member of the Melvin family, of course, Frederick was not a purely good person. After surviving the ritual of the God Child, his "humanity" was in fact all but extinguished.

Frederick had lost the carnal desires that ordinary people cherish... be it the pleasures of food and drink, or that of male and female affection.

He no longer feared failure, nor did he rejoice over success; he did not fear injury, and likewise, did not fear death. From this perspective, perhaps he could no longer be considered human.

He made friends, even friends of the opposite sex, more because "ordinary people need friends," to mimic mortals and moreover, out of a feeling of rebellion against carrying the "Melvin" name.

Of course, ordinary people would not become friends with Justus.

— But, luckily, Frederick was not an ordinary person.

He would not act out of desire, nor would he recoil out of fear. Therefore, Frederick would never betray. He simply had no motive.

So even if Justus was a dangerous friend, it was irrelevant to Frederick.

Rather, such a "useful", "lonely", and "loyal" friend was precisely what he needed to play the role of a common man. He could befriend him wholeheartedly without worrying about the many troubles the other might bring.

For instance, senseless socializing, feasting, or helping to expand his social circle held no meaning for Frederick. What he said he needed was not "many friends" but simply "to have friends".

Ingrid, compared to Justus, was a bit more problematic.

She was a good kid. Innocent, pure, and kind, the only thing she shouldn’t have done was to fall in love with a monster like him...

Frederick did not understand love. He could only try to mimic "acts of love" he had read about in books, to give the appropriate response.

Watching Ingrid leave the barbecue restaurant after receiving the message, Frederick calmly gazed at Justus.

— And this person before him.

Resembled Ingrid more than Justus.

Naive, straightforward, carefree. Like an eternal youth...

Frederick watched "Justus" for a good while. From him, he surprisingly saw a hint of divinity.

The presence or absence of this divinity was the key to learning spells from the Idol School.

Justus could not possibly have acquired divinity for no reason.

So there could only be one answer.

— This fool, smiling with the bright innocence of a silly dog, was not Justus.

He found himself in some sort of nightmare. Considering this "Justus" wanted to save him... it was likely his own nightmare.

Could it be that I am already dead?

Frederick watched "Justus" with interest.

When Ingrid left the barbecue restaurant, he clearly breathed a sigh of relief. So, was his task to keep Ingrid away from me?

Why?

Ingrid couldn’t possibly assassinate me.

She didn’t have the capability.

Then, did she carry something dangerous with her?

That was unlikely too, as I should have noticed immediately.

Therefore, "Justus"’s task could only be to [murder Ingrid].

This might suggest that Ingrid would later become some sort of impediment to me, might even harm me...

Frederick was devoid of mortal emotions. Therefore, it couldn’t possibly be about hurting himself emotionally... and he had already become a Silver-rank, with no chance of advancing to Gold in the short term.

—So, what could cause his death?

What could empower Ingrid to become stronger than himself... Could it be the path to corruption?

It was indeed possible.

Ingrid was innately pure, with clear and persistent desires; once on the path to corruption, she could potentially become a powerful demon.

Besides this, there was another possibility.

"Has the professor... been researching the Sacred Remains lately?"

Suddenly, Frederick spoke up and asked Justus.

Fortunately, Ingrid had left; otherwise, she would have noticed something was amiss immediately.

—The real Justus certainly couldn’t know the answer to this question.

Not to mention, "Justus" was currently not even a student of Professor Grey.

Even if he were.

Just moments ago "Justus" had learned of his adaptability to the "Skull of Honesty"... which also implied the opposite: Justus had been unaware of such matters before.

But it didn’t matter if Justus was unaware.

As long as "Justus" knew.

If he had entered from a future nightmare, he would most likely have investigated himself.

"Seems so,"

As expected, "Justus" answered without any guard: "I remember it’s something like ’Bone of Fearlessness’. But I’m not quite clear on the specifics or when it was."

—Bone of Fearlessness.

Just as he had thought.

Frederick narrowed his eyes.

He knew Professor Grey was always collecting pieces of the Bone of Fearlessness.

And not long ago, he had gathered all fragments of the Bone of Fearlessness and seemed to be trying to restore it.

So, could it be possible... If Ingrid didn’t die, then she would be used to "hatch the Bone of Fearlessness"?

It was very likely.

"Listen closely, Justus,"

Suddenly, Frederick began, "Don’t respond to me or ask me anything. Just listen.

"I’m currently sixteen, my self-awareness key is ’Young Wolf Liquor, the second, Snow Cotton Flower’. Again, there are three words: ’Young Wolf Liquor, the second, Snow Cotton Flower’.

"If Ingrid has merely undergone the Sacred Remains transformation by Professor Grey, then all is well; but if she becomes a demon, then she will be one inclined towards ’love’ or ’possession’. Her essence will be that of ’cage’ or ’imprisonment’.

"’Professor Grey’ is a pseudonym. His real identity should be that of a werewolf... I surmise he might change his name to ’Wolf Professor’.

"A piece of mysterious knowledge is that the ’Valley Wolf’ and the ’Tragic Playwright’ are in reality the same deity.

"The farmers of The Holy Nation and the United Kingdom scare their children from playing in the wheat fields by telling them that when the wind blows and the wheat stalks bend, it’s because there are wolves inside. This was initially to prevent them from trampling the sprouts, but over time people actually came to believe it.

"They regard this ’wolf’ as the god of the harvest, the spirit of the grain, aka the ’Valley Wolf’. It is usually represented as a black wolf with its tail held low... As opposed to the tail-up white dog that signifies the blight in wheat. If farmers were injured in the fields, it would be said that they were ’bitten by the white dog’. Some old farmers in the United Kingdom would have carpenters carve statues of black wolves with heavy tails and place them in the center of the wheat fields, as a ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest.

"But this ’Valley Wolf’ is not a real deity—it’s a myth created by the Tragic Playwright before he ascended to godhood to advance to the Gold rank. All those records of the Valley Wolf’s apparition or rituals proving effective are only because these rituals were actually directed at the Tragic Playwright.

"Yes, the Tragic Playwright is a divinity that elevated from being a werewolf. As both wolf and alcohol are spirits of grain, the ’Drunken Madman’ can originally be interpreted as ’man cloaked in wolf skin’..."

Frederick had just reached this point when suddenly the ground shook beneath him.

He immediately reached an understanding.

Glancing sideways at Ingrid, he watched as she was engulfed by the buildings.

Then he hurriedly spoke again: "Also, do not try to seek power from the Tragic Playwright through a ritual... He himself is a supreme Ritualist, and the sacrifice and rewards of the ritual will inevitably be Twisted by him!

"The next time you see me, just say the key! I will tell you the rest of the truth—"

Frederick hadn’t finished his words.

Husky and Thirteen Fragrances had simultaneously completed the main quest of [Escaping the Second Layer of the Dream].

The world before his eyes instantly changed—

Husky looked bewildered.

...What had just happened?