“So this is the GAA headquarters,” Almond muttered as he saw the mega sci-fi magic structure with multiple roads streaking over each other in multiple directions and buildings situated around the one giant cone-shaped structure in the middle.
He had seen this many times in the news, but seeing it with his own eye was a different experience.
‘There used to be a similar big organization in my past life’s world,’ Almond remembered that as he had regained some of his memories.
The plane landed, and both of them got into the car before going straight to the central building.
After meeting up with Mr. Han, Dagon, and Almond followed him and entered the elevator that stopped on the middle floor of the building—the 32nd floor.
As they walked into the floor’s longue, Almond saw an imposing figure sitting on a couch while reading a hologram from a tablet in his hand.
‘Admiral Rudra.’
When Almond looked at him, Admiral Rudra put the tablet away and stood up, his gaze directly meeting Almond’s eyes.
At that time, Almond felt something very clearly. The willpower and other mental aspects of his old man were crazy high.
‘Divine Divider’s Harvest might not work on him as effectively as it works on others,’ Almond thought as his eyes glinted, and he used Riftveil Eyes.
[Willpower: Mental fortitude and resistance to mind-control, illusions, or fear effects. 99/100]
[Focus Intensity: Depth of concentration on a single task, impacting the effectiveness and efficiency of abilities or actions. 100/100]
‘Crazy.’
“Did you finish prying?” Admiral Rudra asked with a poker face as he stared at Almond.
“Cough…I apologize,” Almond coughed in response, his eyes shifting. He wasn’t expecting to get caught.
“Got you,” Admiral Rudra chuckled. “But I am surprised. Usually, I can sense it, but I couldn’t sense if you were prying or not.”
“What…then how?” Almond asked, his expression shifting from getting startled to curiosity.
‘He must have one hell of an intuition, too, if he caught like that.’
“Your eyes and body language gave it away, allowing me to throw a sure-fire guess,” Admiral Rudra slyly smiled. “Next time you use that scanning power of yours, create a facade outside.”
“Admiral, you’re already teaching him as if he is your student,” Dagon laughed. “So we don’t need to do the morality test, I guess?”
“The test will happen now. And I am betting on a positive result as well. Let’s go.”
Almond could only wryly smile, but he didn’t hold back and checked a couple more things using Riftveil Eyes.
[Insight: Depth of understanding or perceptiveness, affecting problem-solving skills and the ability to discern subtle truths based on the information captured via advanced awareness. 99/100]
[Sense of Justice: Moral compass or fairness, influencing the likelihood of defending others, intervening in conflicts, or showing mercy. 100/100]
‘Damn! Sense of Justice is at max…’ Almond looked at the old man’s broad back as he followed him with Dagon and Mr. Han. ‘But I don’t understand if this means he is a god saint or normal.’
‘I think I’ll find out soon during the so-called Morality test.’
Still, he wanted to see one more attribute.
‘Though I don’t know if it will show me this attribute…oh, there it is,’ Almond thought, and it appeared.
[Ego Strength: Balance between humility and self-respect, affecting pride, resilience, and interpersonal harmony. 100/100]
He felt kind of relieved. Sense of Justice and Ego Strength at maximum meaning that this Admiral Rudra was really someone extraordinary.
They walked through a corridor and soon entered through a door, arriving inside a big room with a white-walled chamber with one side made of glass inside.
There was a pedestal in the center of the room, holding a mysterious glass orb with faint sparkling blue, white, red, and green hues of energy.
“Come.”
Almond nodded and followed Admiral Rudra inside the chamber while Dagon stayed outside, observing them through the glass wall.
Mr. Han had already called Draven, so he soon arrived.
Dagon just glanced at him before turning his head back to the chamber.
Draven’s eyes were glued on Almond after he looked at Dagon and Mr. Han briefly.
Inside, Admiral Rudra gestured at the orb and said, “Put any one of your hands on the orb. This item is called Truth Seeking Orb, which can discern the truth from anyone touching it. I will ask you a question, and you simply have to answer it as truthfully as possible. If you do not resist the power of this orb, you will automatically speak the truest answer.”
Almond nodded as he put his hand on the orb.
“Before I ask the first question, let me tell you one more thing,” Rudra said, his expression somber, “Situations may change a person’s disposition, and this Truth Seeking Orb can discern that based on the question I ask. It will bring out your true feelings, your truth that you also may not be consciously aware of it.”
“However,” he added, his voice firm, “A strong mind does not truly bend, and a just heart does not truly break. The world is unfair, but fairness must be present in one’s heart, for a good blade must cut down evil for fairness.”
“Now, are you ready?”
“I am,” Almond nodded, his expression solemn. He knew he wasn’t a villain. He believed in goodness instead of going out of his way to harm others. He believed in fairness and accepting it, and he believed in repaying evil with punishment.
Hearing Almond’s reply, Admiral Rudra turned on the speaker to allow the people outside the chamber to hear his question and Almond’s answers.
Afterward, Admiral Rudra asked his first question.
“Why did you kill the three people who killed you?”
Almond didn’t resist the power of this orb because he believed in himself. Hearing the question, his mouth opened without his control, and his voice rang out.
“Two reasons. One, for revenge. They killed me without any reason or conflict. I didn’t do anything to them, yet they felt the need to bully me, depicting their vile nature. It is only right that I kill them.”
“Second, if I didn’t kill them, there was a hundred percent chance that I would’ve been hunted down by Jacob and his father, who had taught Jacob the ruthless way to live. My existence and my confession can bring them trouble, given that there are ways to discern truth easily thanks to magic.”
“If I may add, I had thought about sparring Lamp, who wasn’t keen on killing me. However, a weak-willed person like him with a broken moral compass, who bases his values on material things and following others, was bound to descend into complete vileness. He would spill to Jacob’s father, and I would be in immediate danger even inside the Labyrinth with people of his guild and he himself entering to hunt me.”
Everyone was shocked.
Although they had heard answers from people influenced by Truth Seeking Orb, Almond’s answer was simply too detailed, which was a testament to the breadth of his mind.
Almond himself was dumbfounded as he finished speaking, “I…actually think these are my personal thoughts. But it’s strange how I spoke automatically.”
Outside, Draven was gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, barely containing his killing intent.
On the other hand, Dagon laughed. “Well said. What do you think, Mr. Han?”
“Indeed. Based on that answer, I can imagine Admiral Rudra liking him already,” Mr. Han wryly smiled. Discover stories with mvl
Meanwhile, Admiral Rudra asked another question, but it was a simple one like what would he do if he saw five people getting chased by a monster in pursuit of death and he had the ability to save them?
Outside, Draven turned to Mr. Han after hearing his comment and said while frowning, “Mr. Han. I think that is wrong. Does he think he can dictate the future of someone by prediction? Lamp was a wimpy kid. He even begged Almond before he died. Doesn’t this make him ruthless and villain?”
‘This asshole,’ Dagon’s nose flared.
But before he could speak, Admiral Rudra’s voice rang outside as if he heard Draven’s question.
“Draven,” his voice was firm, resonating with authority, “We are not training saints here, nor do we need saints in this world. They will not save the world of this time.”
“A person with power must have the ability to discern cold, hard facts, to uphold fairness, and to apply logic in their reasoning. Almond had formed a compelling rationale and justified reason for his act. So, don’t you dare twist that in my presence!”
‘This old man is awesome.’