Klein strolled through the marketplace, killing time. It had been a week and a half since his injury, and the adventurers had already cleared two monster nests. They started with giant rats as the weakest opponents and moved on to goblins, exterminating them all at the paladin's insistence. Getting to know these green-skinned monsters better, the young man vowed to kill them whenever possible. So today, the party was going to fight goblins, much to Lea's grumbling about "lack of sportsmanship and variety." However, there were still a few hours before the expedition, and Klein entertained himself with a lazy aimless walk.
The paladin glanced at the merchants' goods, but nothing caught his attention, so he turned to observing the people on the street. And here, there was plenty to see: apparently, a few wealthy aristocrats were out for a joint walk, accompanied by a retinue of guards and numerous servants. The aristocrats themselves—plump, content people—led the procession, chatting animatedly about something.
Klein examined their lavish, elaborate clothing, mentally estimating how much one item of such a costume might cost. After observing four of the aristocrats, the paladin's gaze shifted to the last one—a distinguished elderly man with magnificent handlebar mustaches and military bearing. Suddenly, he heard the rolling of dice, signaling a check for attentiveness. "20" - the number on the die when it stopped. A natural twenty—the maximum possible value without bonuses to characteristics. And Klein immediately felt the effect of this roll: his vision sharpened, the world slowed down, and he saw what had previously been hidden from his sight.
The young man blinked in disbelief. He no longer saw five aristocrats. There were only four. And walking beside them, instead of the respectable hussar, was a skeletal figure, conversing with people as if nothing was amiss. Klein wasn't particularly sensitive to auras, but the roll for attentiveness sharpened all his senses incredibly, and cold sweat instantly covered his body: the pressure from this skeleton was immense. His breath caught, his eyes teared up, and his heart raced furiously, sensing incredible danger. Klein stood frozen, unable to move, horrified by the sight of the creature hiding among ordinary people. After an eternity, with wooden movements, the paladin managed to turn away from what he had seen and, with unsteady steps, walked away. It didn't matter where, as long as it was far away from here.
Suddenly, the young man felt a hand on his shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat, forgetting how to beat. A cheerful voice sounded behind him:
- Oh, Klein, is that you!? Why didn't you come over and say hello? Well, gentlemen, I must take my leave. This timid young man is the son of my long-time friend! I'll see him off, it's been ages! Farewell, my dear friends.
The Lich waved to the aristocrats and led Klein, gripping his shoulder with a grip as firm as death. In a quiet voice, the undead spoke:
- YOU SEE THE TRUE ME, KID, RIGHT? EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. LET'S GO.
- I... I... I don't want to! - Klein weakly attempted to resist, moving his limp body.
- FINE, THEN I'LL JUST KILL EVERYONE HERE, OKAY?
The paladin shook his head again and obediently followed, led by the monster's strong hand. There were many people around, the streets flooded with city dwellers on this beautiful warm day, but Klein was completely alone here. No one would stop and help, he couldn't turn to anyone, couldn't call out to anyone. In the world, there was only him, the cold, death-like skeletal hand on his shoulder, and the Lich, calmly strolling among the people, who knows how long he had been living under the guise of a well-known lord.
Klein's thoughts completely stopped moving from fear, and he absolutely couldn't remember how he followed the Lich. Only when the door of the mansion closed behind him did he snap out of it. Looking around, Klein realized he was in the foyer of the undead's personal home.
- Ah, it's so good to be home - the skeleton said in a relaxed tone, taking off his elaborate clothes and putting on a deep purple bathrobe with silver stars. The previous clothes were picked up by a servant who appeared out of nowhere, neatly hanging them in the closet. - Come on in, let's chat. Sit down, would you like some tea? Ulya, bring us some tea, please!
The Lich approached a comfortable armchair and sank into it, sighing and groaning with pleasure as if he were an old man. Klein, caught up in this surreal scene, obediently sat down opposite him. "Pull yourself together, you rag!" the young man mentally scolded himself, gearing himself into battle mode. He subtly pointed at the monster sitting across from him, activating the miracle with a whisper:
- [Inspection].
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Name: Asceltak. Wizard (52 years old)
Level: 91 Lich: 96
Vitality: ?
Strength: ?
Dexterity: ?
Intelligence: ?
Wisdom: ?
Charisma: ?
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Klein slumped back, allowing the chair to envelop him with its softness. Ninety-first level. And in total—hundred and eighty-seventh. It was the most powerful creature he had ever seen in his life. He was sure that the Master-Paladin was incredibly strong, but this... This exceeded all limits. Besides, almost all information was hidden except for the name and level... For the first time in his life, the young man felt utterly helpless.
- Oh? - The skeleton perked up, sensing something. - Did you just inspect me? What did you find?
- Nothing. - Klein replied in a dead voice. - Almost all information is hidden. Only your name and level are known. Ninety-first. And ninety-sixth—a Lich.
- Really!? Ye-e-ah! - the monster exclaimed joyfully, surprising Klein. - The last time I leveled up was forty years ago!
The Lich happily danced in his chair. Klein watched this and, smiling, came to the only reasonable conclusion:
- Ah, so I'm just dreaming. Of course, this can't be real, ha-ha-ha.
- You think so? - The Lich asked sympathetically. - That's an interesting theory, but I've heard that you can check if you're dreaming by pinching yourself. They say you won't feel pain in your sleep. Let's check? [Agony]
And Klein screamed. Thousands of needles pierced his entire body, causing inhuman suffering. The paladin opened his mouth in a silent scream, feeling himself falling into infinity. Losing any ground beneath him, Klein plunged into the abyss. There was nothing left of the material world, only infernal pain, lasting for what felt like an eternity. Klein screamed in agony for centuries. His voice wandered in the void, and no one answered him: in this world of emptiness and pain, the paladin was alone. He no longer remembered who he was or how he ended up here; he only remembered the pain. Finally, the command given by his mind to his hand at the very beginning of this torture reached its conclusion, causing it to twitch.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
And in that moment, Klein saw as, from the movement, his entire arm unraveled into a bloody mess: scraps of flesh scattered in all directions, exposed bones rotted from the inside, bursting outward like a bloated corpse, until the bone finally exploded from within, spilling a sea of pus around.
- Hey, what are you doing? Are you asleep or not? And hey, stop drooling already, it's gross. Ulya, dear, wipe the puddle, please, the boy's ruining the chair!
Klein blinked, coming to his senses. He was alive. And there was no pain. And no emptiness either. But there was an infinitely soft and comfortable chair, with a trickle of liquid flowing from his mouth. With effort, he turned his head and saw a lovely young maid in a maid's costume vigorously wiping his mouth with a cloth and the puddle that had already leaked onto the chair. And this girl, sternly scolded the powerful Lich sitting across from the boy:
- Sir, I asked you not to make my job harder! Just because you pay me doesn't mean I'm your property, and you can humiliate me with such orders! The fact that you have money doesn't make you better than others!
- I understand, Ulya, believe me, I didn't mean to humiliate you, I just wanted to help the boy figure out if he's asleep or not! And what about you? - the Lich turned to Klein. - Have you decided if you're sleeping or if this is reality?
- Reality, - the paladin weakly replied, - dreams can't be this nightmarish.
- Excellent! I would be sad at the thought that I'm just someone's dream.
- What was that spell?..
- Oh? [Agony]? It's mental pain magic. Oh, don't look at your amulet like that, it's working. Your little trinket just can't protect you from high-level mind magic, and that was eighth level!
- Ha. Ha-ha-ha. - Klein laughed incredulously. He had just been subjected to an eighth-level spell. - F****** s*** a** in a****** ******* ******.
- Hey. - The wizard gave the boy a stern look. - Watch your language, don't say such things in my house, and anyway, you're only seventeen, it's too early for you to know such words!
- What does it matter? You're going to kill me anyway, right?
- What? - the surprised Lich asked. - No, of course not.
- What? - Klein said in shock. - Why?
- What do you mean, "why"? Do you think I'm some kind of monster who enjoys killing people for no reason, then torturing their souls, denying them an afterlife, and using them as material for artifacts? - The Lich looked at Klein skeptically for a while, then reluctantly continued: - Well, maybe I do enjoy it, but listen, don't judge me! Everyone has their hobbies! Well, I won't kill you because I'm on vacation right now.
- Vacation? - Klein asked, puzzled.
- Yeah, you know, it's that time when you don't work and relax. Listen, if you haven't had a vacation, you should talk to your union. You have unions, right? Anyway, my vacation should be over soon.
- And then what?
- Carnage, of course. - The Lich replied calmly, as if it were self-evident. - But until it's over, I'll chat with you. You know, there's not much for a workaholic like me to do when I can't work. So, I live among people, enjoy luxury, chat with young killers, and raise children. One of whom, by the way, you recently killed. Well, not you specifically, but you actively contributed to it!
Klein stared into the intense gaze of necrotic fire burning in the skeleton's eye sockets. The intelligence check was successful, and the boy muttered:
- That goblin... She was your apprentice... And we killed her...
- Yeah. It's rather upsetting, actually. I had some hopes for her. And you made me suffer losses. I don't like that. So, I marked your souls and now always know where you are. And I also gave information about you to my other apprentices, setting a reward for you. So, good luck!
- Why are you telling me this?.. - Klein asked, feeling a headache coming on.
- Well, of course, so the strongest survives. If my subordinate dies, like that girl, it means she was weak and unworthy of my patronage. And the one who kills them will become stronger. And then I'll kill a stronger enemy and gain a lot of experience! So, I would like the strong to become stronger and the weak to die. If you're strong - kill my apprentices, get stronger, and after the vacation, I'll devour you. But if you're weak - my apprentices will kill you. It's simple.
The maid returned to the room, holding a tea set in her hands. She placed the cups on saucers and began pouring tea. Meanwhile, the Lich got serious, becoming much more somber. His voice and manner of speaking changed. Klein felt the atmosphere instantly tense and dangerous.
- I'VE ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS. NOW IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO ANSWER. I WILL ASK A QUESTION, AND IF YOU LIE OR DON'T ANSWER - THE PUNISHMENT WILL BE SEVERE.
Everything inside the paladin clenched, and he felt like a mouse cornered by a bored dragon. He swallowed heavily, preparing to hear the question.
- WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
- Wh-what?..
- ANSWER.
- Blue! My favorite color is blue!
- Alright-alright. - The monster relaxed again, leaning back in the chair. - Blue, huh. The color of luck. How banal for a paladin of the god of luck.
- Do... do colors have meanings?..
- Well, of course! Blue means lucky, yellow means smart and brave, orange means strong, and red means fast...
- Red means free! - the maid suddenly intervened fervently, abruptly stopping pouring tea. She straightened up sharply and passionately continued her speech, interrupting the powerful monster. - Red is not about speed, but about the burning flame of our hearts, carrying revolution, enlightenment, and justice for all and each! Red is the color of the bourgeois blood that will rain down on the ravaged earth, and the souls of the simple proletariat, quenching universal injustice!
Klein listened, trying to understand what the girl was talking about, and suddenly realized that, actually, Asceltac dispelled his illusion back when he entered the house, and all this time had been sitting in his true form of a horrifying, dark magic-covered skeleton. And it didn't bother the cook at all. To make sure, Klein asked her:
- Hey, wait a minute, don't you see that... Well... Monster sitting on that chair?
- Of course, I see! He's a monster, deserving punishment! He owns many treasures and material goods taken from the suffering poor common people! A wealthy cursed capitalist sucking the labor and energy of others, producing nothing himself!
- No, I mean, he's really a monster. A Lich. A skeleton. Undead.
- Yeah, so what? Not any better, not any worse than the other capitalists. They're all vampires and monsters!
- Then why do you work for him? - Klein asked, puzzled, surrendering to the girl's logic.
- Because... - the maid hesitated for a moment, embarrassed. - I need money. Unfortunately, to break this damned system and open the eyes of the common people, I need money for publishing my works, for hanging up posters, and for meetings with the proletariat. In this disgusting world of decaying capitalism and feudalism, to destroy the established rusty anti-humanist principles and create a utopia where everyone is equal and the bourgeoisie are dead, I need a starting capital...
- I see. Understood. [Inspection].
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Name: Ulyana Washington (21 years old)
Level: 2
Vitality: 1
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 3
Wisdom: 2
Charisma: 7
Titles:
1. Master Chef (33% chance to cook a dish one level higher)
2. Chosen by Largaven (charisma +5, +25% chance of charisma increase when leveling up, +25% effectiveness of monster skills)
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- Hold on, - Klein frowned, - why did Largaven bless you? Isn't he the Golden Dragon, the patron of monsters?
- That's him. I found out that one of his postulates is equality for all! Despite being the master of monsters, it turns out he's a very reasonable being, knowing what truth and justice are! However, it's worth remembering that everything he does, he does for money! And he's no different from bourgeois scum! Moreover, all of his followers boast that he is the richest creature in the world! So after we establish order here with a firm red worker's hand, wielding a sickle and hammer, we'll ride the wave of world revolution, giving power into the hands of the workers, and finally, we'll reach the heavens themselves! Where we'll find this self-proclaimed god of capitalism and send him to the Gulag as a clear example!
- I see, I see, good plan. Well, good luck. - Klein said, stepping back. What a pity that the statistics don't indicate that the person is insane. It would make life so much easier..