"Relax, Mr. Barrett. It's common knowledge that the Meilan family never meddles in political affairs," Siegfried said casually, spreading his hands.

"As I mentioned, I'm just here for a chat."

Hearing this, Roy's tense expression eased slightly. He raised his lifeless eyes and asked with a hint of trepidation:

"Lord Meilan... what do you wish to discuss? As you can see, I'm nothing but a defeated general..."

Despite his words, Roy remained acutely aware of his surroundings. He had heard numerous rumors about the Meilan family and was terrified of inadvertently divulging information.

"Nothing major. Hmm~ Why don't you start with a self-introduction? Tell me what kind of person you think you are."

Roy was taken aback. He looked at the smiling black-haired man across from him, completely unable to fathom what the other was thinking. But under pressure, he answered earnestly:

"My name is Roy Barrett, the current head of the Barrett family, a viscount of the kingdom, and an honorable royal knight. I pledge my allegiance to Prince Roderick, and my loyalty is as unbreakable as my shield."

These were the words he had spoken to the young Roderick when he was knighted in the past.

However, Roy heard a sneer.

"Huh, loyalty?"

Siegfried's expression was a mix of amusement and mockery, his brow furrowed in derision.

Roy's eyes immediately turned red. He even forgot his fear and shouted angrily:

"A man can be killed but not insulted! Lord Meilan, even you cannot doubt my loyalty!"

(He took the bait... Now, let's see if your effect is as terrifying as I imagined.)

Siegfried took a deep breath. The following developments would determine how he would face this ability called [Deceptive Speech] in the future.

"You just claimed to be very loyal?"

"Is there a problem with that?!"

Siegfried chuckled softly as he stood up and began to pace around Roy's chair.

"No, not really. I just find it somewhat nauseating to use those words on people like you."

"What did you say?!"

Roy never expected this Meilan would insult him like this.

As a knight, he could endure all kinds of severe torture, but such slander was unbearable.

"Take back your words! Please retract what you just said! You're a Meilan! A hero! How dare you tarnish our loyalty like this?!"

"Isn't it true?

As a knight of the kingdom, you don't serve the country, the people, or even the princess, the first heir to the throne. Instead, you assist Roderick in staging a coup, causing widespread chaos and suffering. You call this loyalty?"

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"No! I just..."

"As a son, your dying father instructed you to serve the future king, but you disregarded his wishes and acted hypocritically. Is this loyalty?"

"As an elder, you chase and hunt a sixteen-year-old girl relentlessly. What kind of loyalty is this?"

"No! No! Shut up! Shut your mouth!"

"As an inner court official, you knew that the second prince and the princess were siblings by blood, yet you didn't persuade him to stop. Instead, you added fuel to the fire and joined this fratricidal conflict. Is this your loyalty?"

"It's not... it's not like that..."

The voice of defense grew weaker, and tears welled up in Roy's eyes. He knew all these truths, but what could a mere great knight do?

"Roy, you're just a pig, burying your head in the feed your master provides, blindfolding yourself with excuses of loyalty. Have you ever used your brain to think in your thirty-plus years? This world is still mad enough to call oneself a loyal subject just by wearing knight's armor."

"Roy, this isn't loyalty, it's stupidity."

"..."

"......"

Silence echoed in the dilapidated wooden house, so quiet it was suffocating.

Suddenly, a choked sob broke the silence, slowly turning into weeping, and soon into loud wailing.

"I know! I know all this! But what can I do? I'm just a great knight, just a small viscount. I can't even enter the royal palace. What can I do? What can I do! What do you want me to do?!"

Roy was in tears, slamming his head against the back of the chair in self-destruction. After a few strikes, the back of his head was covered in blood.

The moment had come.

Siegfried's eyes turned cold as he slowly walked behind Roy, bending down like a devil whispering in Roy's ear:

[It's simple. For the sake of the people, offer everything to the true ruler of this country, Kriemhild!]

Additional effect of Deceptive Speech: After the ninth truth, the credibility of the next lie increases by 100%!

Like a bomb thrown into boiling water, Roy's already turbulent thoughts completely exploded.

"Yes... yes... YES! You're right, I am a knight, a knight! I am a knight of the kingdom! I must be loyal... I must offer my loyalty! Surrender... I... surrender! Your Highness! Your Highness! Princess Kriemhild, I offer you my everything, Your Highness! Please accept me! Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Roy toppled over along with the chair, desperately crawling towards the door like a blood-thirsty monster.

The pain and confusion on his face had completely disappeared, replaced by a fanatical fervor as if possessed.

Siegfried walked out of the house without a word, stepping over Roy on the ground.

[Deceptive Speech], the horror of this ability was just as he had predicted.

Siegfried realized the malignant nature of this ability on the first day he obtained it.

He had always been avoiding opening this Pandora's box, and today was just a small experiment, a test run.

The fact proved that it indeed had the function of brainwashing others.

Lies, in essence, are things that alter others' perceptions and distort their will.

Some scoundrels use lies to make women believe they are worth entrusting their lives to, some swindlers use lies to make customers believe their products are worth buying, and some cults use lies to manipulate the thoughts of their followers, making them sacrifice everything for so-called faith.

Even worse, the former leader of the Third Reich once wove a huge lie, bewitching his people to march onto the battlefield, brewing the most terrible war in human history.

Siegfried realized the malignant nature of this ability on the first day he obtained it.

If good and evil were to be distinguished by purpose, Siegfried could be considered a good person for now. But if distinguished by means, he was undoubtedly thoroughly evil.

He had always been self-aware; his blood had turned cold when he was sixteen.

Bone-chilling coldness filled the young man's eyes as he silently uttered words devoid of warmth in the warm morning sun.

"But this world has never distinguished good and evil by purpose or means. The only criterion for judging right and wrong is success or failure. Whether it's brainwashing or killing, as long as you win in the end, it's all justified."

"""