Chapter 19: Advice and Sincerity

After hearing everything the Queen had to say, Compass Carburettor looked around once, asking, “Where is the rest of the Royalty?”

“The King’s sick while his other wives are under house arrest. As for the numerous princes and princesses, I killed them.” The Queen said frankly, looking at Compass Carburettor shudder once.

He then asked, “But why? Is it because of a problem with the succession?”

“There is that too since I was only his third wife.” The Queen nodded, “But the main reason is that all of them didn’t realise the threat our kingdom faces and simply continued to eat through the royal treasury. They have also committed enough atrocities to the extent the common populace was planning a rebellion. So, I killed everyone who was problematic and took the throne for myself.”

“Was General Artica part of the group that killed the problematic people?” Compass Carburettor asked.

“She was my right hand. She executed all the princes and princesses herself. It was because I trusted her wholeheartedly that I left the task to her.” The Queen expressed her sadness, sighing.

“Last question,” Compass Carburettor turned serious, “Was Prince Regriel the fat man that was dragged out from the throne room when I arrived?”

“Yes, him.” The Queen nodded, watching Compass Carburettor’s face beam with a smile instantly, puzzling her.

“Then it’s simple,” He spoke, “General Artica hasn’t betrayed you. She’s fallen under his control. Unless he’s killed, she’ll behave like a different person.”

“Is this…the truth?” The Queen’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing him state it with such confidence.

“Yes, you can use the truth serum to validate it.” Compass Carburettor nodded, “And, I’ll be frank with you. I was speaking the truth yesterday, but I hid some things from you. Prince Regriel is my target. Through him, I’ll be able to reach my home.”

“But, Regriel has no talent in anything. And, how was he able to control General Artica? Even if he found some evidence that might target some guilt of her past, she could have easily killed him to erase all evidence. And, she had gone to kill him in the first place. Also, she had stopped only when her sword cut a bit into Regriel’s neck.”

“That’s because he’s a Sy…” Compass Carburettor said casually when he gasped for air as intense pain emanated from his heart, turning his face beet red as he began to sweat profusely while his body temperature continued to increase.

Danger!

He felt an intense sense of danger surpassing the Deer System he had seen in the System World. It was the part of the Money-Making System—that had become his—warning him that if he continued to speak any further, he would mysteriously die.

“Are you okay?” The Queen was alarmed, hurriedly getting up as she noticed Compass Carburettor’s complexion visibly change. She touched his face, retracing her hand in reflex, ‘He’s burning up.’

Compass Carburettor raised his hand, weakly signalling that he was okay as he took in deep breaths, continuing to do so as the pain slowly subsided. His completion soon returned to normal as his body temperature cooled down to normalcy.

‘That…makes sense. So, talking about Systems is taboo. Now I see why despite knowing about Systems, the residents of this world would think of it to be fiction. It’s similar to how it was on Earth. If I hadn’t obtained the Money-Making System, I too would have just treated them as fiction, and not part of reality.’ He thought.

‘So, if I assume based on what Fourth said, the first generation of Systems that enter a world would spread ideas about Systems in that world through the form of media. So, they might also use some of their powers to restrict information about Systems from being leaked out to prevent people from knowing they exist in reality. Maybe that’s why I felt that intense sense of danger.’

‘Right, in all the stories I read, none of the main characters ever divulged that they possessed a System. They either lied their way through it or blamed their rise on a cheat weapon or shamelessly attributed everything to their hard work.’ He clenched and relaxed his fist, noting that he didn’t suffer any damage.

He then apologised to the Queen, “Sorry, it seems I am unable to divulge the information to you. Just think of it like this: Regriel obtained a mystical treasure that allows him to enslave other people, probably only women.”

‘Judging based on how that System looked, it is probably related to enslaving women. Probably named the Slave Maker System or something.’ He thought.

“Fine,” The Queen nodded, “Then, will you be able to kill Regriel and make General Artica normal once again?”

“I have zero guarantees of being able to kill Regriel.” Compass Carburettor said, ‘All Systems are plot armours. Something would happen when I am on the verge of killing a System Host. Any System User is bound to reach the peak of his/her life.’

“If you can do it, my kingdom will be indebted to you. You’ll be handsomely rewarded for your efforts.” The Queen said.

Compass Carburettor nodded, showing that he would accept it, “That was my plan from the start. But, I need to obtain confidence that I would be able to emerge victorious. And, that would depend on your sincerity.”

“What do you need?” The Queen frowned, wondering if he would use this chance to rip her.

“Teach me your technique,” He said, “Once I learn that, my chances would be slightly above zero.”

“We don’t have time, the longer we delay, the greater the number of talented women he would have enslaved.” Compass Carburettor said with a frown, “And, it is for the best if you send some men as spies, the most talented in your kingdom to keep track of Regriel’s behaviour. That way, I’ll be able to prepare accordingly. If he obtains strong, influential companions from Heroica Empire, then it might cause a war if I were to kill them.”

Compass Carburettor laid down everything openly. And, judging based on what he said, his preparation and the success of this operation would depend entirely on the number of companions Regriel obtains. And, if he obtains anyone other than General Artica, everything Compass Carburettor said would be confirmed as the truth.

It was easy to verify. So, after a moment of thought, the Queen nodded, “Alright.”