NOVEL NEXT Chapter 52: The Truth Revealed – The Conundrum of Decision Making
As the group walks toward the end of the underground facility, they can barely see the massive assembly line to their left through tiny windows.
“Are those eggs hatching behind the windows? I can’t see clearly,” Zidane asks with a worried expression.
Alex glances at Vivi, a small blue flash appearing in his eyes. Kneeling down, he places a hand on Vivi’s shoulder, speaking softly, “Vivi, whatever you’re about to see, stay calm. You’re different. I swear on my life.”
Vivi looks up at him, confused. “What do you mean, Alex?”
Immediately, Alex questions himself for acting on instinct. "What are you doing? These are just characters! Why are you getting involved emotionally? You’re exposing yourself, making them suspicious of you! What benefit does this bring? Your life is on the line! Stop with the sentimental nonsense!”
Alex takes a deep breath, trying to regain composure, feeling the need to justify his actions.
He then says more calmly, “The enemy we fought in the Ice Cavern, the way he looked similar to you… the villagers’ reactions, like they know you but are puzzled you’re walking around. The connection to the castle, the empty crates, the eggs… I have a bad feeling about this. You’ll understand soon enough. Let’s keep moving.”
As they pass through the dark section where the eggs hatch, they finally come face to face with a sight that leaves them speechless. Countless black mages, larger than Vivi but with similar features, are being transported along the assembly line to a packaging facility, ready to be boxed up and shipped like products.
Both Vivi and Garnet are visibly shaken, each grappling with their own turmoil. Zidane, staring at the scene, mutters, “They all look like Vivi. Maybe some small differences, but the resemblance is obvious.”
Suddenly, footsteps approach. Zidane, on alert, whispers urgently, “Someone’s coming. Vivi, Dagger, Alex, stay sharp!”
Vivi trembles. “Are they… dolls? What… what am I?”
Garnet, equally shaken, questions her mother’s role in all of this. “Why is she doing this? Could she really be behind everything?”
As they try to process their shock, Zidane hears the villager’s footsteps getting closer. In a panic, he pulls the two pondering companions into the packaging room to hide, hoping to avoid detection.
Alex, however, knows exactly what’s coming. Instead of following them and hiding, he calmly leans against the wall, allowing the villager to spot him.
The villager, alarmed, immediately confronts him. “WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”
Alex shows him the Mayor’s key still in his possession. “Inspecting the facility by order of her royal majesty, Queen Brahne. Show some respect or my good mood might take a turn, and trust me, that won’t be good for your health.”
As he says this, Alex brandishes his favored tool of intimidation, the mighty [Sword of Pluto]. As usual, a red flash flickers in his eyes, its source once again his [Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag], powered by his Basic Eloquence lvl 1 and 12 CHA. The effect triggers an emotional attack that a simple village worker has no chance of handling.
At this point, Alex is practically a master of intimidation, well ahead of most players in the use of tools to manipulate people. This being the first real-world he’s traveled to, the characters reflect that level of strength. A normal player wouldn’t be expected to possess a Deep Blue item focused on intimidation, along with a basic skill of the Charm stat at level 1, and 12 points in CHA. Even without the dog tag, Alex could likely lie or intimidate successfully. But with all these factors combined, his intimidation is highly effective, especially against non-combatants.
“Sorry, I didn’t know!” stammers the frightened worker, a simple henchman with no real will of his own, blindly following orders. Of course, he believes Alex. Lacking the strength or reason to question him, the worker succumbs to Alex’s blend of logic, charisma, and intimidation. His words seem reasonable, his presence too commanding to doubt, and the threat of force too real to ignore.
“Of course you didn’t. My good friend, the mayor, doesn’t pay you to know everything. Now, get back to work. The queen expects the next shipment of goods soon!”
The worker scurries back toward the others, who overheard the exchange. They continue loading massive barrels, each containing crates filled with black mages, just like the group that got “packed” into crates earlier.
“Hurry up! The ship’s already here if the schedule I’ve got is accurate!”
“Yes, sir knight! The transport ship landed just moments ago. We’re preparing the final barrel now!”
“Hmmm, good job. It seems the queen will be pleased. You’re in luck, when the queen’s happy, it means more business for your village and maybe even a pay raise!”
Hearing the promise of more business and pay, the workers’ ears perk up, and they smile awkwardly. “Thank you, sir knight!”
Alex’s head hurts a bit, but overall, he feels good. His necklace is a double-edged sword, amplifying his emotions and pushing his behavior to extreme degrees.
"Why do I feel so good after doing this? Using the threat of murder to influence people has become so normal to me... and I just killed the mayor because I think he’s responsible for the upcoming war. Is this really okay?"
While the necklace is a useful tool for manipulating others, it makes Alex highly susceptible to external influences. If he feels a strong dislike or affection for someone, he can’t help but act on those emotions. His earlier reaction to his innate skill surprising him threw him off balance, putting him in real danger of being blinded by arrogance, only caring about himself and viewing others as inferior. Meanwhile, his empathy for Vivi pulled him in the opposite direction, which was also an irrational response in these circumstances. "I need to be careful not to let this necklace drive me crazy," he chastises himself again.
Alex leaves the facility as the workers prepare for cleanup, having already delivered the barrels, now waiting for the cargo ship to pick them up.
As he exits, he spots Steiner, who, as Alex knows, has spent the entire day investigating, trying to find a way to bring the princess back to the castle. “Steiner might as well have slept in, and nothing would have changed. His CHA & INT stats are probably only at 2 or 3 seeing how bad he is at gathering information,” Alex chuckles to himself.
Steiner ruthlessly stabs his sword into a large barrel after noticing it shake slightly, inspecting its contents.
“Who in their right mind stabs into random objects like that? Does he expect the goods to scream, ‘I just got damaged,’ or does he expect people inside and wants them to cry out in pain after being stabbed? Neither makes sense,” Alex muses, somewhat relieved to realize that those around him are acting even dumber and more irrational than he is.
Unexpectedly, Zidane screams and bursts out of the barrel and punches Steiner square in the face.
Alex stays hidden behind the cargo ship, near the underground exit, knowing who is about to show up. He prefers to repeat his strategy of ambushing the enemy rather than engaging in an open fight.
“Stats, skills, equipment, they all come second to the element of stealth. I took down the first Black Waltz with a single ambush. I need to focus on smart strategies to get through this. Concentrate!" Alex tells himself, determined.
A few minutes later, the group is still arguing after crawling out of the crates. Everyone is criticizing Steiner for his reckless decision to stab his sword into the barrel.
“What if you hit the princess?” Zidane’s argument stings, and Steiner, enraged, starts blaming Zidane, as usual. By now, Alex understands that Steiner will always find a reason to blame Zidane; it's simply part of his character.
At this point, Steiner tries to claim that the transport ship, which everyone knows is headed to the castle, is actually flying to Lindblum. The obvious lie is immediately exposed, but Zidane signals to the rest of the group to keep quiet, hinting that he has a plan.
At this point, as Alex predicted, Black Waltz No. 2 makes his entrance. It’s an impressive display of magic and arrogance. He flies toward the group, teleporting multiple times around them, flaunting his powerful magical abilities and superior mobility. His appearance alone sets him apart from the regular black mages and Black Waltz No. 1. With imposing wings, a twisted hat sprouting horn-like shapes, blood-red gloves, and a colorful blue robe, he radiates menace.
Black Waltz No. 2 orders Garnet to return to the castle, completely disregarding the rest of the group, showing no respect even to Steiner, who, in theory, holds a high rank within Alexandria’s military. His arrogance is palpable.
Garnet refuses to go back, and Steiner’s pathetic attempt at negotiation, offering to personally escort her to the castle, falls flat. Black Waltz No. 2, half-mad with superiority, declares that he is far beyond the capabilities of his predecessor, dismissing Steiner and the others as insignificant insects.
Alex has to admit, Black Waltz No. 2 is definitely more dangerous than the first, probably three to four times as strong. But he isn’t overly concerned. The real threat in their last battle wasn’t the Black Waltz himself but the Sealion monster he summoned. This time, it's five against one, and Alex knows he has the element of surprise. The Waltz’s arrogance blinds him to the group's potential, and more importantly, Alex knows that Black Waltz No. 2 can’t attack Garnet, he is bound by his orders. This gives the party a significant advantage since Garnet can freely heal them without being in any real danger.
As the battle begins, the group struggles to keep pace, but Garnet’s consistent healing keeps them on their feet. She casts her potent Cure spell across the entire group, completely unimpeded by Black Waltz No. 2.
Meanwhile, Vivi’s magic proves highly ineffective. Each time he casts a spell, the Black Waltz counters with a stronger version of the same element. Vivi’s Fire spell is returned as a devastating “Fira,” forcing him to stop attacking and shift his focus to supporting Steiner, who deals the most damage using his magic blade.
Watching this unfold, Alex hesitates. Should he intervene or let the group continue handling it? "The Waltz has taken a few hits but looks far from defeated," Alex muses. "I can’t afford to sit back and let the group do all the work. I need time to grow stronger, eclipse other players, and dominate future worlds, but for now, I have to play it smart. I can’t be too cautious or overly prideful. I need to make rational decisions."
As Black Waltz No. 2 prepares to cast another spell aimed at Zidane, Alex spots an opening. The enemy remains still while casting, an opportunity Alex knows he can exploit. Zidane is bracing to dodge the spell, but Alex sees the moment to strike.
“Why change something that already worked?” he thinks, remembering how he took down the first Black Waltz with a surprise ambush.
"TIME FOR ACTION!"