Chapter 64: The Lie That Was True
Karlune's skies were unusually clear the morning the summons arrived.
A sealed parchment. Wax-stamped in gold, bearing Apollo's crest—the balanced sun over scales.
It wasn't a request.
It was a directive.
Isaac read the letter once, twice, then handed it to Lira without a word.
Her brow furrowed. "Thalen?"
Isaac nodded. "He never stopped watching."
The message was polite. But beneath its elegance was a clear undertone:
Come to the House of Order. Be measured. Be known.
Isaac didn't argue. He folded the letter, burned it with a flick of soulflame, and prepared.
The House of Order sat three levels above the Guild Hall—stone, sanctified, silent.
It wasn't a temple for prayer.
It was a courthouse for truth.
Thalen was waiting near the gate. Robed. Neatly composed. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"You came," he said.
"You called," Isaac replied.
Thalen's eyes narrowed. "This isn't punishment. It's precaution."
Isaac said nothing.
They walked together through the arches.
Lira remained outside. Uninvited.
But watching.
The chamber was circular. Lined with radiant mirrors—sunlight condensed and shaped through divine geometry. A single man stood in the center.
White robes. Golden cuffs. A face carved by calm conviction.
"The High Adjudicator," Thalen said. "He will ask only one question."
Isaac stepped forward.
[Passive Detection Triggered – System Warning]
You are being evaluated by [Skill: Truthrender Gaze – Rank S]
Effects: No known skill or disguise can alter perceived truth within its radius. Perception draws from intent, omission, and resonance.
The priest's voice rang clearly in the sacred silence.
"Do you really have EX-rank skills?"
Isaac didn't flinch.
"Yes," he said calmly. "I possess a skill called [Skill Fusion Protocol – Rank EX]."
The priest's brows lifted slightly. "Explain it."
Isaac nodded.
"It allows me to do the following:
– Fuse compatible skills to form new or unique ones.
– Sacrifice high-rank skills to upgrade weaker ones.
– Decompose any skill into raw stat points.
The conversion is precise. E-rank gives 1 point. D gives 10. C gives 100. B gives 1,000. A gives 10,000. EX gives 100,000. Once a skill is decomposed, it's permanently gone."
He let the words settle.
"I've used it to dismantle skills I no longer needed. To convert my strength into something cleaner. Sharper. That's why my stats are what they are."
The High Adjudicator looked stunned.
Even Thalen blinked, taken aback.
"…That's how you got around the System," Thalen muttered. "You didn't break it. You bent it by turning skills into raw growth."
Isaac didn't reply.
He didn't need to.
[Truth Confirmed – No Falsehood Detected]
Internal Evaluation: Subject possesses one EX-rank skill. Statement accurate. No evidence of deception or falsification. No alert triggered.
The priest exhaled softly, like a man releasing the weight of paranoia.
"That explains the overload," he said. "No wonder the crystal cracked."
Isaac offered a slight nod.
"I never meant to deceive anyone. But I didn't exactly want to be dissected, either."
Thalen closed his eyes. "No. I understand now. Your strength makes sense. Your system isn't broken—it's just… equipped differently."
Isaac turned to leave.
Outside, Lira met him at the stairs. "So?"
"I told them exactly what they needed to hear," Isaac said. "And I meant every word."
"But you left the rest out."
"I wasn't asked."
He paused, then turned back to the chamber, calling over his shoulder.
"One more thing."
Thalen and the High Adjudicator both looked up.
"I'd appreciate it if what I shared today stayed between us," Isaac said. "I don't need curious ears or greedy hands sniffing around something they don't understand."
Thalen's face tightened. The High Priest looked... troubled.
"That won't be easy," the priest said quietly. "A discovery like this—an EX-rank skill still functional, active—it must be reported. If we don't, someone else will. Divine protocol demands disclosure to higher ecclesiarch councils."
Isaac rubbed his temples slowly.
"So you're saying within a week, half the continent might know?"
"Possibly less," Thalen admitted. "Guilds, orders, noble houses… Some might come to observe. Others to recruit."
Isaac groaned. "Great. Just what I needed."
"There's even precedent," the priest added, almost apologetically. "An unaligned EX-ranked individual is considered an asset of exceptional interest. Some monarchs might see… marriage as a path to legal protection or inheritance rights."
Isaac stopped walking. "…Excuse me?"
Thalen actually looked embarrassed. "It's not uncommon. Noble families sometimes offer daughters—or sons—when they can't compete with coin. You have no backing. No homeland. You're a free piece on a very large board."
Isaac let his head fall backward with a long, exhausted sigh.
"Perfect. One day I'm absorbing corpses. The next I'm getting proposed to by political strategy."
Lira coughed, clearly failing to hide her grin.
He glanced sideways at her. "Don't you start."
"I said nothing," she said, clearly enjoying it.
Isaac shook his head. "If someone tries to hand me a princess, I'm throwing them out a window."
But he already knew.
The lie that was true had opened a door—and now the world would come knocking.
And just maybe, the next chapter of his life… would be even more ridiculous than the last.