Truth or Dare

"I say... are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"

Sordil looked at the increasingly dense jungle around them and spoke with some concern.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying This Lady still led us the wrong way even while looking at a map?"

Hearing Sordil's quiet muttering, Diphiya, who was walking at the very front of the group, instantly flew into a rage.

So what if there's a map! In my previous life, I had maps far more detailed than this and still got lost. Is having no sense of direction a crime? Sordil loudly complained about Diphiya's behavior in his heart, but in reality, he said ingratiatingly, "You're right. How could Miss Diphiya possibly lead us the wrong way? It's all my fault, all my fault!"

Mevajena stared at the utterly shamelessly sycophantic Sordil in disbelief. She felt as if her worldview were slowly crumbling apart. Was this really the young lord who had held the power of life and death not long ago? The king who, in a fit of rage, had cast them all into hell? Where was the domineering CEO they had been promised? Why had he turned into a little puppy instead?

Unlike the deeply shocked Mevajena, the other four members of the party had long since grown used to it. After spending so much time together, they had discovered that although their young master—master—was forceful and domineering when facing matters of life and death, he was usually extremely mild-tempered and easy to get along with. It was not only Diphiya who could scold Sordil; even Murellia and Anna sometimes gave him orders. Lindel and Seraf had teased him more than once as well. So, seeing the scene before them, the four merely smiled and said nothing.

As time passed, not only Sordil, but Seraf and Anna, who were extremely familiar with the Kingdom of Tsuyioru Xiu, gradually noticed that something was wrong. Logically, after traveling toward Tsuyioru Xiu's capital for so long, even if they could not see the city walls, there should at least have been roads nearby. Yet the surroundings were becoming more and more desolate. Signs of human habitation were growing scarcer, while wild beasts were becoming more numerous. The group hurriedly stopped and had Diphiya take out the map to compare it, hoping to find out where they actually were.

"According to the markings on the map, we may be in the Dil'dixiu Mountain Range."

After comparing it for a long time, Seraf finally determined their exact location. Upon hearing this, Sordil suddenly realized that he had made a fatal mistake: did Diphiya, who had never used a map before, even know how to read one? Thinking this, Sordil pointed at the cross-shaped directional symbol on the map and asked Diphiya:

"May I ask, clever Miss Diphiya, do you know what this symbol means?"

"Huh? There's actually a symbol here. When was it drawn? Why didn't I see it just now?"

Diphiya stared curiously at the directional icon Sordil was pointing to. Hearing that, Sordil's heart went cold, but he still patiently continued asking:

"Then how did you follow the map just now?"

"When the route was drawn upward, I went forward. When it was drawn downward, I went backward. When it was drawn to the left, I turned left. When it was drawn to the right, I turned right. See? Isn't This Lady smart?"

Hearing Diphiya's words, Sordil felt that the fact he was still alive was practically divine protection.

"Sister Diphiya, that's not how maps are used! Back when I traveled with merchant caravans to do business, I heard the people in the caravan say that maps are read with north at the top, south at the bottom, west on the left, and east on the right. Then you choose your direction of travel based on the environment you're in."

Just as Sordil was worrying about how to wrest control of the map away from Diphiya, Anna delivered a perfect assist. Sordil immediately followed up, "Diphiya, I think you should first learn how to use a map from Seraf. As for what we do next, let Seraf be our guide!"

"Oh! I understand!"

After hearing Anna and Sordil, Diphiya realized she had made a huge mistake. Dejected, she handed over the map in her hands. Sordil passed it to Seraf and asked, "Seraf, if we retrace our steps now, can we leave this forest before nightfall?"

"Master, that is impossible. We are already deep within the Dil'dixiu Mountain Range. Even if we start heading back now, we will need at least until tomorrow to leave this forest!"

"I see. Fine, then we won't travel any farther today. We'll set up camp here and rest, then retrace our steps once it gets light tomorrow."

Once they learned that they would be spending the night there, the seven of them began to busy themselves with their respective tasks. Sordil took Seraf and Lindel to clear an open area and set up the tents. Diphiya and Murellia went into the woods to gather firewood, while Anna and Mevajena were tasked with finding drinkable water.

By the time night fell, Sordil and the others had gathered around the campfire, roasting game and quietly waiting to enjoy their dinner.

"It's so boring just sitting around and waiting. How about we all play a game?"

As a professional shut-in from the new century, Sordil had felt as though the world had lost all color after losing video games and his phone. Before, he could at least ease his boredom with books. But now that he was outdoors, having a gathering and barbecue like one of those socially active people from his previous life, the unique atmosphere suddenly reminded him of a game that had once swept across China. So he proposed it to everyone.

"A game? What's a game? Is it fun?"

Diphiya, who had been feeling down after having the map taken away due to her mistake, had her eyes light up anew at Sordil's suggestion.

"A game is an activity where everyone follows a set of rules and performs certain actions for entertainment. As for whether it's fun, won't you find out once you play it?"

Faced with Diphiya's perfectly normal yet tricky question, Sordil racked his brains before barely managing to come up with an answer. At the same time, he offered heartfelt thanks to his language and politics teachers. Then, after a round of Sordil's smooth talking, Diphiya and the others finally agreed to play the game he had proposed. Once everyone had agreed, Sordil began explaining the contents and rules of the modified version of Truth or Dare he had created.

"These are seven wooden slips. Six of them have numbers written on them, and the number on each slip represents one person's identity. The remaining slip has no number, but I painted one end red. Whoever draws it becomes the king, and the king can give orders to everyone else. The orders can either make another person take a dare or answer a question. But when answering a question, the person being asked must tell the truth. That's why this game is called Truth or Dare."

"That sounds so fun! Brother Sordil, let's start already! I can hardly wait!"

After listening to Sordil's explanation, not only Diphiya but everyone else became interested in the game, repeatedly urging Sordil to begin. And so, the first game of Truth or Dare in this other world began!