My Measurement: The Villain Desires a Satisfying Payback

I was not expecting her to give me a candid answer.

In fact, I would not be surprised if she were to run away from the situation.

"What do you know? Tell me."

After all, the only two ways she can hide these secrets is by pretending she is unaware of what I am talking about, or by not saying anything at all.

"If you flee, I will take that as you becoming my enemy and trying to hide the information I seek. I will also know if you are lying, do not even think about it."

Needless to say, I would not allow such a thing.

I can see through all feigned acts, and if she decided to escape the conversation, I would simply go about it the hard way.

Sana, Sona.

Everything I need for a kidnapping is already here.

Of course, it would be dangerous to commit such a crime in the midst of this place full of extremely powerful politicians and wealthy individuals, but it certainly isn't impossible.

It shouldn't be difficult to cover it up later on.

I can even use Emir to create an Absolute Contract that would not allow her to get away, and force her to sign it.

If necessary, I will not hesitate to go down that route.

"...A-ah..."

She gulped under the pressure of my intense gaze as stuttered murmurs escaped her quivering mouth. Her apprehension was palpable, but she knew what she was getting herself into when she approached me in the first place.

"I- I'm sorry..."

Just as the apology left her mouth, I was about to sigh inwardly at what needed to be done and clenched my fist ever-so-slightly. But then, she hastily spoke up once more as if to deter such thoughts from my mind.

"Bu-but! I... I really can't tell you everything, but there's something... Yes, there's something you have to know, no matter what...!"

Raising her fists, she stared at me with great determination.

Her sudden shift in attitude piqued my interest, and so I asked with mild curiosity, "And what might that be?"

Closing her eyes for a second, Araceli took a deep breath and looked at me with strange earnestness once again.

"You have to promise me... Leander-- No, Cipher. I know you don't take promises seriously, especially if it's only verbal, but... Please, just promise me that you'll remember what I say."

For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't know what to say.

Rendered speechless, I could only hear her words on repeat inside my mind.

She knew 'Cipher'.

Not only that, but she also seemed to know about my disposition.

How...?

No, asking pointless questions isn't going to get me answers in this case.

Her claim of being a fan was determined as the truth. But, she was only talking to Leander Herington at that time, so it's impossible to say who exactly she meant when she said that. It's quite possible it was a cover, which she threw away after being found out.

It just doesn't make any sense.

If she was a fan of the Truthseeker broadcast, then it would make sense how she could not lie about being a fan and also know about my inclination to lie about promises.

But it still leaves the main question unresolved.

How the hell can she know about Cipher?

Even if she was a fan of the stream, she wouldn't know about that name. She would have simply said Truthseeker instead of Cipher if that was all she was.

In that case, is it safe to assume she knows about all of my identities, even including Oscar Itou?

Just how much...?

"Please, promise... I really won't tell you anything if you don't, even if you kidnap and torture me to death."

Suddenly talking as my rambling thoughts ran wild, her words knocked me out of my stupor. Even the way she spoke, it now seemed as if she knew everything about me, down to even my willingness to use grim methods to attain what I want.

Is this what it's like to be on the receiving end...?

"...What are you?"

Letting out a cold whisper, I asked. The ferocity in my eyes probably appeared more severe than ever, but this was not a matter I could let go of.

"I'm just... A regular girl, right?"

Her words were not determined to be a lie.

Not wanting to make a scene in this public place, I leaned my face ever so closer.

"You better start talking quickly, or else you'll rue your actions on this day until the end of your wretched life."

Threatening her like so, she definitely appeared nervous, but not nearly as much as she should've been.

"At this point... Were you aware?"

"What?"

She started speaking nonsense out of nowhere, and I could glimpse something resembling pity contained within her bottomless eyes as she gazed into my own.

"About your 'luck'... You know, right?"

At this point, I was no longer surprised by her mentions of facts only I should know.

The slight trembling in her lips having ceased somewhere along the line, I felt an indescribable feeling as I listened to her ominous words.

"...What do you know?"

I could intimidate her, but I doubt it would work, and I wasn't able to act on such threats right now anyway.

As things stood, I couldn't do anything to her in this place; there were far too many witnesses, and everyone here was too influential for me to simply dispose of without consequence.

"Are you going to promise?"

She brought back that thing. It seemed that, unless I agreed to her silly little promise, we would be stuck at an impasse.

I didn't see the point in such a thing, especially as she already knew it meant absolutely nothing to me, but whether I said it or not didn't matter, and I just wanted to get as much information as I can out of her while I have the opportunity.

"Sure, fine, I promise, so tell me."

She stared at me for a moment, and although I couldn't tell what was running through that head of hers, apparently it was enough to move on.

"Alright. Make sure you keep it. Please... What I wanted to tell you is very important."

Taking a breath, she paused for a moment.

"...Cipher..."

Calling me, her eyes began to glisten as if on the verge of tears.

What...?

Why on Earth is she crying?

"Please..."

Next, she peered into my eyes and spoke as if to beg.

This woman...

Just who the hell...?

"When you find out the truth... Please, please remember my words and don't abandon who you are inside."

"..."

"I... can't tell you anything more than that... I'm sorry..."

None of my questions were answered.

I still did not know.

Who this woman Araceli Arévalo really was.

Why she knew so much about me.

What the truth of anything is.

I knew none of it.

But, there was something definitely strange about what she is saying right now.

When I find out the truth.

The Professor said a similar thing about what will happen at that time.

'You will oppose the world.'

'Don't abandon who you are.'

As if those outcomes are an inevitability, they utter such things; a statement and a plea.

As if they came from the future.

Even though neither of them should possess such capabilities.

It is impossible for them to have done something like travel into the past.

They have no connection with Azaki Kiryuuin.

I can even ask.

Is Marcus Lynton from the future? Or, does he somehow have a link to Kiryuuin?

「No」

And, what about Araceli Arévalo?

「No」

See?

So, they cannot have come from the future.

In the first place, even coming from the future does not prove anything; they would have come from but one of infinite branches of possibility, after all.

Indeed, it may be possible that I would go crazy after finding out some Forbidden Knowledge.

If the reality were that severe, then I could certainly imagine it.

Something like that would only be all the more worthy of being called 'Forbidden Knowledge', after all.

But, that is not me.

It may be me in another timeline, but it is not the me of the present.

I don't care what the truth is; why would it matter so much to me what is the reality of the world?

This me.

I only want to uncover the veil in front of my eyes.

Besides, I wouldn't go crazy. Such a notion is nonsensical; after all, the Professor and Araceli themselves know the truth, don't they?

Their entire basis for not wanting me to know the truth is because they are convinced that, once I realise it, I will go mad and want to destroy the world or something, isn't it?

That idea is fucking preposterous.

The one thing I can do is know things.

It's all I'm good at, okay?

Ever since I was introduced into this world, it's been my identity.

So, what's the point if I can't even know something like the truth of the world?

That's why I want to know.

That is all.

"...Araceli Arévalo."

I called the name of the person in front of me.

I don't know if that is her true identity, but it's the closest I'm going to get.

"I don't know a lot of things, but I will find out, and nothing can stop me from doing so."

Not you, nor the Professor, nor anyone else.

It's all I can do.

"You seem to be under the impression that I am weak-willed, that I cannot handle the truth or something."

If that's what you thought, I would be severely disappointed.

You know so much about me, yet you underestimate me so?

"You are a fool if you think I'd succumb to madness because of something like an unknown truth."

If there is one thing I'm good for, it's knowing the truth.

"Since you don't seem to understand, let me make it crystal clear for you."

It's all I'm good for, but in that regard, I have no match.

"No one has the authority to gatekeep or mess around with the truth except for me."

I have discovered countless hidden truths in the past, and I will continue to do so in the future.

"So, Araceli Arévalo."

Do you think I am unable to handle one more unknown?

"It doesn't matter what you know right now, or what you think might happen in the future."

I will do the one thing I can.

"Because I will know the truth."

Nothing can be done to prevent that, so what will you do afterwards?

"Once I find out, what will you do?"

There is no one who can tell me what to do when it comes to discovering knowledge.

"Stay out of my way, watch me learn the truth you're trying so desperately to hide, and remember."

Because I am the one who possesses the Measurement of Truth, not anyone else.

"If a bastard like you intrudes on my territory again, you'll get what's coming to you."

You are in my domain.