"With all of the Key Members on our side."

  Looks like it's to meet the 'important' people (or whatever they are called).

  That list would probably include members of the royal family, ministers, Guild Masters of the top Guilds, Masters of Merchant and other miscellaneous Guilds, and some other influential people.

  In others, it would be a long ass list.

  And it's about time I joined their rank; not as a member, of course, but as the mastermind who helps them from the shadows.

  In that regard, the Elixir is only a stepping stone. Given the things I can create, they'll probably throw themselves at my feet and beg me to lead them.

  Hmm, but now that I think about it, that also sounds a bit like a pain in the ass.

  Going against a Class 1 world to protect a Class 3 one is quite amusing, but even that loses its charm when done more than once.

  After that, it becomes a chore and a heavy responsibility with practically no tangible benefits.

  Sure, my actions would save billions of lives and immortalise me in their eyes, but having my recommended 16 hours of sleep and drinking chocolate shakes sounds better.

  Eh, we'll see.

  Let's just show them the Elixir for now. The rest will depend on how bored I am.

  Ah, how about working on THAT next?

  Shit, how did I forget about it? It's definitely more interesting than an Elixir.

  Sed.

  "A-all of them?" Neia blinked a bit nervously.

  "Yes, all of them."

  "That… might be a bit hard."

  "But it shouldn't be impossible. You said that Azell is the bridge connecting the Royal Family and the Guilds, so his word should hold some weight. If he declares that we have made the discovery of the millennium, we should be able to get around 90% of them to attend."

  "What about the rest of the 10%?"

  "I have no interest in entitled pricks who think they are too important to attend a simple meeting."

  "Oh."

  "We'll need to discuss this with Azell first, however."

  "Of course, but… why only the key figures?" Neia asked.

  "Did you forget the problems I'll have to deal with if I made myself known as the inventor to the general public?"

  Is this woman suffering from short term memory loss?

  "The Key figures include Guild Masters, nobles and the royal family. The end result would be the same."

  Heh, how na?ve, Neia.

  "I already have a solution to that."

  "…Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?"

  "You're worrying over nothing."

  I mean, I'm a certified gud boi; how could she suspect me of pulling some outrageous stunt in front of the most important people on our side?

  I'm hurt that she thinks so lowly of me.

  "You're definitely up to something," she scowled.

  "Nah."

  "Hmm, what could it be…" Neia cupped her chin as she ignored me like a woman ignores her male colleague when he sends her a dick pic.

  "…"

  "Are you perhaps planning to turn down all their offers at once?"

  "That is on my agenda, yes."

  "Hmm…"

  "Look, you're thinking too deeply about this. It'll be a simple demonstration where I'll present the Elixir to them."

  "I see, I see…"

  She still doesn't believe me?

  How could she suspect a cute, little child like me?

  Like yea, I did pull off a horrible prank on her, but hey, new clothes, new me.

  She seriously needs to attend a trust building workshop.

  "Anyway, let's talk to Azell first. I'll need your help."

  "Alright."

  "Ah, but we'll change the story a bit."

  "What do you mean?"

  "What do you mean by what do I mean? You seriously don't want to tell him the truth of what happened today, do you?"

  "Well… we have to," she sighed.

  Wow, would you look at Ms. Drago McDumb here?

  "Think about it, Neia. How do you think he'll react when you'll tell him that not only did you beat me up when I was crippled from having lost both of my arms, you also left me alone in a forest full of monsters which forced me to use the only Elixir I had and come back to the Guild by myself?"

  "That is…" She averted her gaze.

  "He would call you a fucking asshole and treat you as a psychopath. He would be right, by the way."

  "Oi."

  "It might even ruin your relationship with him, and potentially with the rest of the Guild. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

  "W-we are friends. I'm sure they would understand."

  Huh, who would have thought that this woman was living in her own fairy tale?

  "Friendships are more fragile than you imagine, Neia. They require constant efforts to be maintained. And sometimes, those efforts include deception."

  Many a times, some things are better left unsaid.

  "B-but… I think they should know."

  "Really? Because from my perspective, this was something that happened between the two of us, and we've already resolved it. Dragging Azell and others into now would achieve absolutely nothing but will still ruin your relationships with them."

  "R-really?"

  "Well, perhaps you are right. Perhaps your bond is so deep that they'll find it within themselves to forgive you. But can you, with ABSOLUTE certainty, claim that they will be able to put themselves in your shoes and forgive you?"

  "…"

  "You cannot. The possibility of everything going to shit is still there. The risks far outweigh the benefits, so it's better to hide it."

  "So you want me to lie, huh?" She sighed.

  "Why not? There's nothing wrong with that."

  "Lying is wrong, Samur."

  "You consider truth to be something sacred, when in reality it's a luxury not many can afford. It is in our very nature to lie. You have a horrific nightmare and cannot sleep, yet you still maintain a smile on your face because you don't want to unnecessarily burden your friends."

  "…"

  "Small lies like those make up the world, Neia. If truths are the gears that turn the world, then lies are the lubricants that keep that system running smoothly. Remove any one component and the System will collapse."

  "Hmm…"

  "Besides, in the end, even they are subjective."

  "What?"

  "The statements that come out of your mouth are treated as facts. The listener's interpretation of that fact determines whether it's a truth or a lie. If enough people believe that something is the truth, then it becomes the truth."

  "That doesn't make any sense."

  "Let's take an example. I claim that the joke I pulled on you earlier today has no deeper meaning behind it. It's a statement, and you have decided that my statement is false. In other words, it doesn't matter whether I'm actually lying or telling the truth, because for you, I AM lying, and you won't change your stance until I, or a third party, goes out of their way to make you believe that my statement was the truth."

  "Hmmm…"

  "That's how it goes for every statement. If we lie about today's events to Azell and the others, they will believe us because they have no reason to do so otherwise. And unless we go out of our way to prove to them that what we had earlier told them was a lie, they will continue to think of it as a truth."

  "Really?"

  "Uh-huh. In other words, let's lie."