"(What he destroyed...it looked familiar, I wonder)"
Emile dragged a bench nearby effortlessly and sat on it, arms folded and legs crossed.
He shot Naki a patronizing look as Ivy walked to his side.
"Emile, I was wondering if you have some leftover spirit juice I could borrow?" Bisky asked.
"His hand was badly injured by Bruhne, and it'll be tricky to heal if we waste too much time," she added, pointing to Naki's dislocated shoulder.
Emile nodded, "You may have it"
"Thanks!" she grinned and turned to Naki.
"You just sit 'ere tight teach aite? I'll be rite back." She deliberately punched Naki softly on the broken shoulder.
"Argh! geez, that hurts!" Naki exclaimed.
"I wanted to make sure you're aware of the debt you're about to incur." She said with a cheeky smile.
"Oh I'm aware alright. Would you take care of it now?" he asked.
"Hehe, how impatient. Suck it up, you're my teacher aren't ya?" she said and made her way further it.
As soon as Bisky left, Emile cleared his throat to get Naki's attention.
"My partner Ivy tells me you have what it takes to be useful to me, Naruki."
"But I have to ask, why are you here?" Emile asked.
He put on an intimidating bullish outlet, but Naki was not to be drawn into his game.
He's encountered Frowart alongside 3 other instructors and made it alive with his tricks.
This time, he only needed words.
"Tales of the hero in Listeria are the stuff of dreams and legends. A benevolent and divine blessed soul, powerful enough to push back raids of demons from the lands, securing safety for all the citizens in the kingdom and beyond."
"An illustrious history, and a legend to be rewritten. It is to become a part of all this that I have been so focused on scouting your team," said Naki confidently.
"Hahaha, are all instructors in the academy these days as smooth with their tongue as he is, Ivy?" Emile asked.
"I think he has a gift." Ivy chuckled.
Naki smiled; his white lies appeared to be working.
"On the contrary. Ever since I hatched the plot, I've agonized over what I would say to get your attention, and to convince you of how useful I can be towards achieving your ambitions." Naki said.
"Hmph, my ambitions, huh. And what do you know about my ambitions?" Emile asked.
"I know just about enough to-"
"You know nothing about my ambitions." Emile interrupted with a frown, "And you will drop the mask you have on when speaking to me, or I shall have Ivy throw you out," he added.
Naki was slightly unsettled, "(tsk...did I push it too far? It'll seem I have to control how much silver tongue I use in my conversations to avoid suspicion.)"
"(Regulation. Make it appear authentic and genuine. Only activate when necessary, and when speaking to the right personnel.)"
"I shall make things easy for you, because you see, I trust my partner's evaluation." Emile added.
"Huh?" Naki asked, surprised.
"If Ivy thinks you're worthy, then it'll be a shame to miss out on your potential. However,"
Emile said and stood, walking calmly towards the goddess statue.
"Like them, you also have to prove yourself worthy of my trust," he said.
"...and how can I do this?" Naki asked.
"By answering my questions, no hidden agendas. That is all," said Emile.
"..."
"Now I ask again, why are you here?"
"...To join the hero's party," Naki replied.
"Why?" Emile asked again, stopping before the statue.
"...(A trick question...A truth or a lie...what works here?)"
"(Perhaps a devil will know.)"
Naki activated Gambit's Game
<><><>
[Gambit: Reversal - Use white lies to smooth-talk the query back to the hero]
[Outcome of success - Emile shall reveal his ambitions, but doing so means you can't backtrack anymore from this situation]
[Outcome of failure - Ivy shall move to throw out the devil child while barring Bisky from interacting anymore with him.]
[Play this gambit?]
<><><>
"(Tsk...so neither the truth nor a lie, but a reversal...)"
"(Emile already warned against the mask... is using white lie really the right option here?)"
"(I think because he's already identified my mask, this gamble will fail. However, the gambit itself is worth considering)"
Naki cleared his throat and answered.
"The first time I saw you, you had a freshman by the throat."
The hero frowned, but he didn't stop Naki from continuing.
"Those were not the acts of a hero but of a delinquent. Made me wonder, who really is the hero and what is he after?"
Naki smiled and stared at Ivy. "I figured just coming right up and asking about it won't get me any satisfactory answers, so-"
He turned his attention to Emile. "I concluded that becoming one of them and experiencing it for myself would be the best way to go. So tell me, what is the hero's party all about, Emile?"
Naki concluded, his look stern, but inside he was quivering as Emile stared back at him.
"(There. A blend of evidence and hidden truth, to reverse the question back at him. No white lies, but the gambit played.)"
"(My own words...I just hope it was enough.)"
Naki then caught Ivy smiling before being interrupted by Emile's laughter.
"...Hm...hahahahahahahahaha..." he laughed, opening his hands wide. "Now I see why my partner thinks highly of you!"
Emile grinned menacingly, his lips almost reaching his ears. "What is the hero's party about? Allow me to elucidate!"
Emile began his monologue,
"You see, I know it all too well! Humans desire nothing more than for me to rid their demons! Once that is done, they will swiftly cast me aside. After all, I have fulfilled my purpose."
"But no! I shall not allow an entire kingdom's will to define my purpose!"
Emile raised a fist in defiance.
"This burden brought about by this moniker shall not define who I am."
"I will not become their hero. No! For you see, while I still have this power, I'm going to claim what I desire for myself."
"With this divinity, no one can stop me!" he smiled and brought down his fist, shooting Naki a glare betraying a noble hero.
"...So you mean to ignore the upcoming demon lord and his raids?" Naki asked after the hero's pause.
"Oh, I will kill their demons, make no mistake about that. However, it shall not end there."
Emile said, walking back to Ivy.
"The testament of the demon lord's end shall bring about the rise of a hero that demands retribution. Through the power of will, I shall become the one thing they want to get rid of, but can't."
Naki frowned, "(Wait, does he intend to take the demons place after the deed is done?)"
"Come what may, I refuse to be irrelevant in this world, and I have just the right person by my side for it," he said, caressing Ivy's cheeks as she does the same to his muscled chest.
They traded brief, intimate smiles and looks before Emile turned his attention back to Naki.
"So, there is your hero, and that is his ambition. Tell me then, Naruki."
"Despite knowing my true intentions, do you still intend to join me?" he asked, peering into Naki's eyes for any lies he may spew.
"(What the hell...what kind of hero is he? He's not stopping the demons for the sake of it, he intends to become a menace himself...)"
"(All for the purpose of staying relevant? Is that the ambition driven by his will for survival? or his fear of abandonment?)"
"(I had a feeling he won't be your normal day to day hero in story books but to think he'll go so far. This makes it difficult to read his actions...I'll have to think of this, I need to buy time)"
Naki pondered how to approach the hero, but he wasn't being given much time.
"I will have your answer, Naruki, or was your desire to join me so shallow?"
Emile frowned as his hand twisted into a fist.
Naki knew provoking the hero any right now would risk an encounter, and he wasn't particularly in the right shape or form to survive a skirmish against one blessed by divinity.