Everyone has a secret that they don't want to reveal. This was even more true for someone who was hiding their true identity.
[In exchange for an answer, you must reveal one hidden truth about yourself that no one knows about to the world.]
A voice rang in his ears while droplets of water dizzyingly assembled themselves into words in front of Lloyd. It was a message from the Jewel of Truth, which demanded that Lloyd pay for its services. He scrunched his nose.
What is this? Reveal a hidden truth? A secret about me that only I know? That's what I need to provide to activate the Jewel of Truth?
Lloyd's question was answered immediately as if the Jewel of Truth read his mind.
[That is correct, the one who seeks the truth.]
He had doubted his ears, but they were right. To confirm, Lloyd asked once again in desperation.
Wait, does that mean I have to reveal the secret about my identity? Like how I'm actually not Lloyd Frontera or something.
[That does not satisfy the requirement to activate the Jewel of Truth.]
What? Why is that?
[Someone knows that secret aside from you.]
Lloyd concluded that it must be the King of Hell or Dragon King Verkis. Lloyd gave a sigh of relief.
Well, that's for the better. It'd have been more problematic if I had to reveal that secret.
On second thought, it really was the case.
No one in the fiefdom knows that I'm not the real Lloyd yet. Javier, the count, and the countess don't know. Even the residents of the land are unaware. They merely like and respect me for advancing the fiefdom and all my accomplishments because they think I'm their Lord's son who's next in line to inherit the family name.
What if the fiefdom discovered he wasn't the son of Count and Countess Frontera? Would the people's favor and respect for him remain? Lloyd trembled. He wasn't optimistic about it, and in the worst-case scenario, he would lose all his honor and be exiled.
But still, I have to tell the count and countess one day.
Lloyd had made a promise to the real Lloyd back in Hell that he would come clean to them about what happened to their real son. The thought of breaking their promise never even crossed his mind. It was also what he was compelled to do out of respect for the count and countess. However, now wasn't the right time yet.
Once I finish all my work first, that's when I'll tell the truth, but only to them.
After making that resolution, Lloyd's mind moved on to the issue in front of him.
What am I supposed to reveal to the Jewel of Truth, then? The King of Hell and the Dragon King know about my identity, so that won't work. What could be a hidden truth about me that will be harmless to reveal here?
Lloyd pondered for a long time. At last, something appropriate popped into his head.
Um? How about this? It's a small one.
Lloyd spoke to the Jewel of Truth inwardly.
When I pick my ears, I cotton-swab the bottom first before going clockwise. I move then to the left, top, and right to excavate that gunk. Afterward, I rotate the swab exactly five times on each side to make sure everything's out. This has been my ear-picking routine since I was a child. Does this count?
He tried just in case. That would make this situation a lot easier for him if it did. At last, the Jewel of Truth replied.
[You have shared a truthful secret about yourself that no one else knows about in exchange for a truth you desire to know.]
Oh, oh! It worked!
Lloyd clenched his fists. A split second later, words written in light appeared on the altar's flat surface. They spelled out the secret he had revealed earlier. Bzzt!
Similar to a white inscription on a black background, the pale, shiny words began to float until they catapulted out of the water and fixed themselves in the sky for everyone to see. The glittering words were printed across the sky in the same vivid and clear quality as a modern computer screen with QHD resolution.
[Jewel of Truth's Announcement: Lloyd Frontera has a unique way of cleaning his ears. First, he cotton-swabs the bottom… Clockwise... For a successful excavation, five rounds each way... What a wonderful routine of his! This is the truth coming from the Jewel of Truth that tells nothing but the truth.]
When Lloyd looked up at the sky, a wave of shame washed over him. For a long time, he stood in a daze, unable to speak.
Dammit. I should have thought a little harder.
But it was too late. He had to pull himself together.
Okay. Embarrassment is a fleeting emotion. I should be happy I met the requirement without compromising my identity. Now, I can hear the answer I've been looking for.
Yes. It was all good. Embarrassment was a fleeting emotion. There were greater things to come. Thinking so, Lloyd was about to proceed when...
Splash! Abruptly, someone dove into the water and came by his side.
Javier?
Lloyd spotted Javier swimming toward him. His face looked a bit stern for some reason.
"Hey. What brings you all the way down here? I thought I told you to stay far away for safety reasons." Lloyd talked using his underwater breathing skills.
Javier, who couldn't speak, simply gave a nod and made a hand gesture.
"Are you saying that you're fine?" asked Lloyd.
Javier nodded again.
"Hmm, are you here because you wanted to check out what the words in the sky were?"
Another nod.
"I see," continued Lloyd. "You came here because you were worried that something dangerous might happen once the Jewel of Truth is activated."
Javier nodded again.
"So, in short, you were worried about me," said Lloyd, touched.
This time, Javier only gave a hard stare, and his eyes seemed to say, "You're pathetic." He then gave a sigh and shook his head.
"Wow. Are you saying I'm not worth worrying over?" Lloyd guessed aloud from Javier's gesture.
Javier nodded.
"Why are you here then if you aren't worried about me?"
Javier didn't speak. He looked away.
"Seriously," tutted Lloyd. "You just can't ever be honest with yourself. So, are the engineers and everyone else somewhere safe now?"
As Javier continued to nod with a straight face, Lloyd couldn't help but laugh.
This bastard, really.
Lloyd was grateful. Even though Javier was never afraid to lay into him whenever the opportunity arose, he was always there for him in times of need. That was always the case, whether it was when he was trapped in the cave of ants, fighting against Hell's Knight, or battling the Gigatitan. There were more dangerous incidents that followed than he could list, but Javier was always the first to run over and protect him by his side, facing everything with him. With the exception of his muttered complaints, Javier had never seriously expressed his displeasure or left Lloyd alone. The knight was a loyal comrade to the other man.
If I hadn't intervened in the original plot of the story, Javier would have become a renowned knight across the entire continent at this point in time.
But because Lloyd hadn't died like in the original novel, Javier remained as a knight of his fiefdom, ready to rush toward his side at any time. Lloyd felt both apologetic and grateful for this.
That's why, you bastard. I'm going to take care of you until the very end. Once I, your wise and older friend, solve the restoration of destiny problem, you're going to enjoy the rest of your life by my side in peace.
Even though Lloyd wouldn't be able to make him a renowned hero across the continent, he could offer him a lifetime of leisure and indulgence. Thinking so, Lloyd smiled at Javier.
"Fine, you bastard. I'm going to activate the Jewel of Truth now, so stay put and don't do anything foolish."
Javier blinked. It was an affirmation. Lloyd then turned around toward the Jewel of Truth and placed his hand on the altar to find the best answer to his question.
I want to find out how I can stop the restoration of destiny.
Lloyd inwardly spoke aloud the question he had been keeping deep inside him. He waited. Soon, the answer came.
Bzzt! His manaheart automatically made a movement, transferring a small amount of mana to the altar. After being amplified, the mana shot up dozens of feet high in the water until it burst through the surface.
A ripple spread across the dam's water, causing a violent shockwave that brought the Jewel's answer into Lloyd's head.
[Lloyd Frontera is not the main protagonist of this world.]
Eh...?
Lloyd froze at the voice inside his head. He's not the main protagonist of this world? What could that mean?
Well, that's just an obvious fact that even I know. Javier is the main protagonist. But my question was how I could stop the restoration of destiny. What's wrong with this answer?
Something was off, Lloyd could tell. An ominous feeling gripped him. The Jewel continued to answer.
[Lloyd Frontera was originally supposed to die, but he did not. You revived Lloyd Frontera and came to act as the main protagonist, who was originally supposed to be Javier Asrahan.]
What?
His heart plummeted. A sense of nervousness started to grow in him.
[A person who is not the main protagonist has come to act as one and changed the rule that governs this world. Therefore, this world has perceived you as an error.]
Me? An error?
Lloyd couldn't believe it. Because he took away the main protagonist's role? Because he was acting as one in place of Javier?
[As a result, this world has begun to react in order to return the main protagonist's position to Javier Asrahan and to fulfill Lloyd Frontera's fate by routinely inserting unexpected dangers throughout the story when there is an opportunity to do so. It was all to get rid of you and reintroduce Javier Asrahan as the main protagonist.]
Lloyd was too disoriented to speak. He took a deep breath in and went back to the events that had led up to this point. It finally dawned on him.
So, the ant cave. The warlock. The Gigatitan. The undead Mastodons. Hell's Knight. Yong Yong... Everything?
They were the world's way of intervening to get rid of him. The thought was outrageous, of course, but it was senseless to deny it. Meanwhile, the Jewel continued its response.
[But you did not die. By surviving each event, you interrupted the intended flow of the story and did not return the role of the main protagonist to Javier Asrahan. Therefore, the world has decided to opt for an alternative plan titled "Incomplete Reset" and remove your existence that is seen as an error.]
The world was forced to resort to a plan called "Incomplete Reset" because he refused to die.
Wait. This incomplete reset... Is it...?
[The "Incomplete Reset" the world has decided to pull is what you are aware of as the restoration of destiny.]
Of course, Lloyd thought.
Dammit.
His fists clenched by themselves. He was taken aback by the revelation about the restoration of destiny.
Ha. So, my existence itself was the problem.
It finally dawned on him. A scoff escaped him as he recalled the plot of The Knight of Blood and Iron. Lloyd Frontera who died at the beginning of the story. He had desperately tried to lead a respectable life after he found himself in his body. However, all of his choices and actions had disrupted the natural flow of this world. Lloyd, on the other hand, didn't let the revelation hurt him. Instead, he chose to be shameless.
Ha. Why. What? So, what?
Lloyd shot a poisonous glare at the altar. It didn't matter to him whether the world was trying to kill him or that he had disrupted its natural flow. Up to this point, all he had been doing was diligently working toward building a good life for himself.
So, there's no need to feel wronged or get discouraged. Everyone tries their best to have a good life, don't they? Is that a crime? Is that so wrong? What a load of bull.
There was nothing that what he heard now would change even if it was shoved in his face as the truth.
I plan on continuing the life I've built for myself until now and allowing myself to leisurely enjoy all it has to offer. The cause behind the restoration of destiny is completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters to me is how I can stop the damned restoration of destiny and the incomplete reset plan.
That was all he cared about. Lloyd didn't care what the world thought of him or whether they desperately wanted to destroy him. None of it was his problem, and he had no plans to pay any attention to it.
All right, so give me the solution.
Lloyd stared at the altar when he felt a touch on his shoulder. He found Javier staring at him when he turned around.
There was a look of worried concern on Javier's face. He seemed to be asking if everything was all right.
"Oh, everything's fine, dude," assured Lloyd in a bland tone, realizing that his face must have looked pretty grim. He smiled at Javier and thought to himself. You're my only friend, Javier. I couldn't have overcome all the obstacles in front of me without your help. So, my trustworthy and reliable comrade, stick with me until I become a lazy lord and you become my personal guard. I hope we will be able to grow old together...
Just then, the Jewel of Truth gave its answer.
[As a result, in order to stop the restoration of destiny, you or Javier Asrahan must die or vanish from this world.]
