48. Life is like a play, all depends on acting skills
As the saying goes, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated,” and also, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”! Kephir might not know these hard truths, but I do! My original plan was: since Moriarty was putting on a flawless act in front of Kephir, and I lacked the strength and rapport to make Kephir draw her sword against Moriarty immediately, I could only resort to a “curved rescue”!
I wanted to use Letty’s assistance to find evidence of Moriarty’s ultimate motives during what was clearly a “main storyline” experimental project! In comparison, the risk of Letty possibly “taking me out in one shot” was something I could endure.
However, this little midget was truly difficult to handle; not only was she unyielding, but her arrogant attitude made me want to spank her. Reluctantly, I had to stay by Kephir’s side the entire time to prevent Letty from causing trouble out of “displeasure with Kephir,” which also served to… prevent my own death script from unfolding.
But just a few days had passed, and the situation was somewhat different from what I had imagined?
At this moment, in my dorm room.
As usual, my good roommate Heliushkov gave me a thumbs-up upon seeing Kephir appear once again, then ran out to drink, unlike before when Miss Nilu was present, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Now, with just Kephir and me alone in the room, I could still hold my ground, but my Kephir…
It seemed to have reached her limit.
“Once the mining equipment is assembled, we can head to the Siberian region for experiments. According to Professor Moriarty’s plan, it should be in the next few days…”
For instance, right now, as Kephir spoke about the blueprints, her initial “imposing demeanor” had turned into her stuttering over her words, hesitating for ages.
Finally, Kephir couldn’t hold it in anymore.
She threw the blueprints onto the floor! Her little face flushed red, and she questioned me, “You charlatan! I’ve put up with you for several days! A few days ago, when you said you wanted to research with me, I believed you, but what exactly are you researching!?”
Of course, I’m researching the truths of human life and the origins of the universe…
“New energy collection~”
—
I answered with righteous indignation!
“Then why don’t you look at the blueprints!” In a fit of excitement, Kephiel directly grabbed my clothes, “What are you staring at me for! It’s only been a few days!”
“!”
It’s over! It really seems to be the case. These past few days, I’ve been so focused on staring at Kephiel’s script that my gaze just floated around and ended up on the big shot! I hadn’t even had the chance to explain, and Kephiel didn’t seem angry at all, quickly giving up on the matter.
She let go and gently pushed me away, seemingly too lazy to pursue it since I hadn’t “denied” anything.
“Have you looked enough? If you’re done, then focus on the project.”
After saying that, she lowered her head, and I could hear a murmur that sounded a bit like a complaint or perhaps a hint of smugness.
“Clearly, there are plenty of opportunities to look every day…”
I felt the need to explain; otherwise, the big shot might misunderstand that “I just like her cold and beautiful, unparalleled, world-shaking face,” and it might not be very good for me to cling to her in the future.
“Um… Kephiel, the truth is I’ve been following you these past few days because of the prophecy.”
Although I had no evidence, I wasn’t lying. Initially, I had good intentions to find Letty to “ask for sponsorship,” but who knew that little furball looked like it needed a good dose of socialist discipline, and she really was being unreasonable.
So what would Letty do after angrily running off? Of course, she would make trouble!
【Ivan Letty decided to make trouble and create chaos.】
The script wrote it that way; it wasn’t interesting to compete with someone like me, who was just clinging to Kephiel’s leg, so Letty would definitely be targeting Kephiel. Thus, these past few days, I had been sticking to Kephiel like a stubborn gum, purely for self-preservation and to keep an eye on her.
Now that Kephiel was asking, I had to answer, so I immediately confessed with a strong desire to survive.
“Recently, Letty might do something to cause trouble for you, so I’m here to watch over you.”
As soon as Letty was mentioned, Kephiel’s expression turned a bit unpleasant. Worried that the big shot might get jealous, I quickly added, “Ah! Of course, I have no other intentions; I just hope you don’t harbor too much hostility toward that Emperor of Rosia. After all… our current enemy isn’t Letty, right?”
In this script, Letty, the “big BOSS,” seemed more like a supporting character, coming over to cause trouble! The real threat to me right now was Professor Moriarty from the “kill me” script. Moreover, since I had already “ jumped the gun,” there would definitely be parts in Professor Moriarty’s script that would hinder Kephiel’s advancement!
In comparison, I could treat Letty’s malicious script against me as if nothing had happened.
Before I finished speaking, Kephiel sighed and set down the blueprints.
“I don’t have any hostility toward that shorty; it’s just that she…”
However, this attitude sounded less like a complaint and more like… jealousy?
“Alright, you mystic! Why are you asking so many questions!?”
“No, I haven’t asked yet…” Glancing at Kephiel, I immediately changed my words.
After all, whatever she said was right; if she said I had ulterior motives, then I had ulterior motives.
“Ahem! In any case, I’m by your side to help you keep an eye on the prophecy in advance.”
“Clearly, nothing has happened these past few days?” Kephiel shot me an unhappy glance. She didn’t seem angry, but… the atmosphere around us suddenly fell silent, gradually tinged with a pink hue that made me a bit uncomfortable.
I truly wasn’t trying to drag you into anything messy; it was really to protect you! As for why it seemed like it had completely turned into a two-person world these past few days, how was I to know that Letty said she was going to cause trouble but hadn’t come to stir things up at all?
If I were to make eye contact with Kephiel now, it might really lead to something big happening. Thankfully, a thought that just popped into my mind kept me from noticing Kephiel’s reaction.
—
Yes, just because Letty didn’t come to “cause trouble” doesn’t mean she “won’t cause trouble.” For safety reasons, I glanced at Letty’s script once more; however, it didn’t matter that I didn’ t look, but once I did…
【Ivan Letty is drinking with Moriarty!】
My heart sank! You must know, Professor Moriarty is very likely the spy from back then! Regardless of what Letty intends to do, just being with Moriarty, the combination of their scripts, coupled with my side’s “death script”…
【Ogilvy was framed by Moriarty and died.】
I suddenly had a very bad feeling because… the entire flow of the script instantly formed a complete story! And at that moment, I understood what Professor Moriarty meant by “framing” in my death script!
“Ogilvy.”
Kefir’s voice turned serious after she saw my expression. She immediately put away the blueprints, realizing that I was about to “take action.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Letty might be in danger, and… she’s with the professor!”
“…”
I decided to explain later and immediately grabbed Kefir’s hand.
Before Kefir completed her upgrade path, I couldn’t let any related plot points in her script face any trouble.
First and foremost was the safety of Letty, the Empress of the Rosian Empire! If something happened to her, not only would Kefir’s upgrade topic be in jeopardy, but our entire team would suffer! I hope this troublemaker doesn’t get into any mishaps ! Professor Moriarty is dangerously ruthless!
“Kefir, can you accompany me… for a performance?”
“A performance?”
“Mm!”
Life is like a play, all relying on acting skills.
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