The most reliable and universal method used by mages to avoid lying is simply not to create situations where they have to lie in the first place.
Of course, if they could answer every question with the truth, that would be best; but if that’s not possible, they need to steer the situation so that questions don’t arise in the first place.
People generally do not ask unnecessary questions.
For example, no one approaches a person sleeping outside in shabby clothes and asks, “Do you happen to be homeless?”
Whether that man actually has a home or not is not particularly important.
In truth, he could be a police officer lying in wait while pretending to be a homeless man, or he could be a poor person who has lost their way after being pickpocketed in a different city—details like these are hardly given any thought.
Without saying a word, one makes sure to prepare a shabby outfit and lie down anywhere, leading others to accept that “there is no home.”
This is the way of the mage.
Thus, for the time being, Third and Luke focused on erasing any traces of human habitation.
If they do not arouse any suspicion of human presence in the first place, then questions like “Has someone lived here?” will never arise from the police.
They moved all equipment and tools that seemed touched by human hands, hiding them, and scattered junk to make it look as if it had been poorly maintained.
Once it appeared that no one had lived there, Luke let out a sigh of relief and wiped away a little sweat that had formed.
“Alright, this should be good enough. The living room can’t be seen from the window, and there’s nothing to clean up, so it should be fine to leave it as is. It’s too risky to linger here any longer.”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
Third nodded in agreement.
He felt that this was indeed the best course of action. Surely, if someone were to sneak a glance, they wouldn’t even suspect anyone had lived there.
Unless, of course, they came into the room and took a close look.
—–
While waiting for the police to arrive, Luke sat on a nearby staircase and began to talk about how he and Third had become acquainted.
“So, that’s how Third and I got tangled up. Hmm. Now that I think about it, the circumstances leading to meeting this child were similar to yours.”
“……I see.”
Once he understood what kind of person that guy was, he felt that his impression was bad, but he didn’t think he was such a bad person after all.
However, even so, Shirud could not see him in a good light.
Somehow, he felt a complex mix of emotions towards him.
They both shared that they were “randomly met and helped fix a circle” and “were in the process of learning magic.”
But the difference was that in Third’s case, Luke was doing a lot more for him.
The bandages wrapped around his burnt hands, the clothes he helped him change into, and his asking whether he had taken his evening medicine all gave the impression of treating someone quite precious.
Moreover, Third treated Luke with a lot of respect, making it seem like they had a very special relationship.
Seeing that made Shirud feel an unexpected pang of jealousy.
But compared to that, there was one thing he had that was better: he had heard Luke say he liked him directly.
In that regard, he definitely held the upper hand.
Thinking of that made him smile slightly.
“……?”
However, Third had no idea why Shirud was making that expression.
What could possibly be so engrossing on his face?
Even though Third had managed to survive on intuition while wandering through back alleys, it was not easy to catch such rapidly changing expressions.
‘Kids’ thoughts really are hard to read.’
They were difficult to read in completely different ways from his master.
He always felt that his master’s expressions hinted at deeper meanings beyond what was visible on the surface.
That was why Third never judged Luke by his youthful appearance.
He wasn’t sure whether he could even judge him correctly in the first place.
But amusingly, in both cases, it ultimately turned out to be true that “it is difficult to read children’s thoughts.”
So, Third simply smiled at Shirud, who was meeting his gaze.
Upon seeing that smile, Shirud quickly turned his head away, feeling embarrassed for having shied away from such a small thing.
Third thought Shirud was simply embarrassed by his smile.
At that moment, Luke stood up from where he had been sitting and said, “Looks like the police have finally arrived.”
——–
In the moment when the three of them were all tense at the sound of police cars approaching, among the first officers to get out of the police cars was surprisingly a familiar face to Luke.
Luke waved excitedly, revealing his delight. “Siena! What a surprise to see you here!”
Siena Porphind.
A dark elf who was a friend of Yerna and worked at the police station.
She had used a tester on Luke in the past and had also given him strawberry-flavored candy, so they were rather close acquaintances.
Since there was already some background about him, it would be easier to explain if they had a connection.
Luke sighed in relief as he dodged other officers and headed straight for Siena.
She looked quite surprised and said, “Oh, Luke. What a coincidence. How have you been? Feeling better?”
“I’m doing really well, thank you for your concern.”
“But what are you doing here? Wait a moment. Since my sister is on duty, let’s talk in a bit. I have somewhere to be.”
“No need to go there. We are the ones who reported it. The child that was mentioned to have been taken by a ‘scary person’ is me.”
“What? Is that really true?”
Siena stopped her hurried movements and approached Luke.
“Are you the child that got taken? But… wait, who reported it?”
“That’s me. I had a misunderstanding.”
“Really? Can you explain what you mean in detail?”
Siena pulled out a notebook from her pocket.
Seeing that she was aware of the report’s contents, it was clear that they had reported something, but now that the officers were on the scene, they needed to clarify the circumstances.
However, Shirud couldn’t continue speaking anymore.
He worried he might make a verbal blunder.
So, Luke stepped a few paces forward.
Shirud felt tense, and Third thought that he would be the most suitable person to explain, as he was the least credible of the three.
Luke looked up at Siena and assumed a “persuasive posture,” putting on a harmless expression as he spoke.
“Well, to start off, that report that was just made was not accurate. Nothing happened to us.”
Siena had the impulse to respond with, “I see! Got it!” but restrained herself as she looked at the man standing behind.
He looked suspicious and kept sweating coldly.
While Third was taken aback by his master’s unusual display, it was enough to raise Siena’s suspicion.
“Hmm, really? Then why were kids like you out here in the first place? What’s this about sneaking into an abandoned house, and who is that person standing behind you?”
“We just stopped by on our way home, and we only went into the abandoned house briefly before leaving; that person didn’t drag me away. He’s my friend.”
Luke answered immediately.
It was indeed true that they had stopped by on their way home, and it was true that they had only gone into the abandoned house briefly. The fact that Third was his “friend” was also completely true.
“Hmm.”
Seeing Siena appear to be mulling something over, Luke interrupted her thoughts.
“Can’t you trust me?”
“No, that’s not it, but…”
Ultimately, as her train of thought was interrupted, Siena began to jot down Luke’s words in her notebook while asking, “Is what the man behind you saying correct?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“Guess he doesn’t mind admitting to something that doesn’t put him at a disadvantage,” Siena thought.
“What’s your name?”
“Third… is my name.”
“Your last name?”
“I don’t have one.”
“I see. Then what’s your profession?”
“I’m a student.”
That was unexpected.
A student with that face?
However, a slightly older appearance is common enough.
Siena, due to her job’s characteristic—encountering all sorts of people—was confident that she had seen everything, from absurdly old-looking young people to absurdly young-looking old people.
One cannot always tell someone’s age by appearances alone.
“……? Hmm, I see. What school do you go to?”
“Tenegan Academy.”
“You go there? That school is for kids aged 10 to 18…”
“Yes, I’m 15.”
“Excuse me?”
But that was very surprising.
Fifteen years old with that appearance?
Siena looked at Luke in shock.
Her pupils were wavering, and the pen that had been moving hastily above her notebook had stopped.
She seemed to be in deep thought.
Luke spoke with certainty, as if to reassure Siena.
“That’s also true. He is 15. If you check his identity, it should show that.”
“……Really?”
“Exactly. So didn’t I say he was my friend?”
It’s not that age corresponds to friendship, but he said it to enhance his persuasiveness in this case.
But why did everyone seem not to believe that Third was 15 years old?
No matter how old Third might look, it shouldn’t be that much.
Having correctly guessed his age during their first encounter, Luke couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with him.
Siena, finally managing to suppress her bewilderment, alternated her gaze between the notebook, Luke, Third, and Shirud before sighing and saying, “Well… I guess if he’s 15, he could actually be a friend…”
“Yeah, thanks for acknowledging that, even if it’s late.”
Siena jotted something down in her notebook one last time before putting it in her pocket.
“But don’t go wandering down paths like this anymore. It’s dangerous. Do you really want to get kidnapped? People going missing has been on the rise lately.”
“I will be careful.”
As Luke nodded, Siena looked around and muttered, “But it’s quite dark here now. I didn’t even know such a place existed. I think it would be good to do a thorough survey today and enhance the patrols.”
Luke said, slightly flustered, “Wait a minute. You’re going to strengthen patrols here?”
“Yeah, is there a problem?”
“Oh, no, not at all. Haha, it would be good to strengthen it. It would make the streets safer, which is reassuring.”
“Right? The police are making efforts for you guys.”
Siena patted Luke’s head and said, “Then you all should head home quickly. Don’t go riskily lingering around places like this! Or should I escort you home?”
“Oh, no! We can manage.”
“Right! Don’t take any detours, just go straight home! Understood? If you’re really going home, I’ll be here watching around. If I run into you, I’ll really be angry, you know?”
“I understand….”
As she said that, Siena and her fellow officers began to disappear from view.
Luke looked up at Third with a perplexed expression.
“Well, now it seems you won’t be able to enter your home for a while.”
“……It seems so.”
——-
It was while Siena was considering the patrol route with several police officers that a policeman asked her.
“By the way, Siena. Do you think the recent increase in missing persons cases over the past few weeks is the work of one individual?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but I do think there’s a connection. There were common points at every scene.”
With a sigh, he responded to Siena’s words.
“You mean the slightly scorched traces left at the location where the victims were last seen? I really don’t understand why the criminals would do such a thing. What could be the purpose behind leaving those traces? To show off? Or are they just trying to taunt us police?”
“Well….”
Siena looked up at the sky, deep in thought.
‘Those scorched traces somehow resemble Yerna’s burns. It felt oddly familiar; I’ve never felt that way before.’
When she saw those traces at the scene, she continued to recall Yerna’s burn marks.
Even though the analysis of the magical traces showed they were entirely different, still.
“Perhaps it’s something they must leave behind.”
