When Iver saw Minister Drost's mind reel in shock, he knew he had succeeded.
"What do I want?"
Iver smiled teasingly. "What if I said I didn't want anything at all... Would that frighten you, Charles?"
At that, Minister Drost broke into a cold sweat.
If "Iver" wanted nothing...
Wouldn't that mean he had no intention of helping him?
As Minister of Trade, Drost was all too familiar with this. It wasn't asking for something that was frightening—it was asking for nothing. As long as there was a demand, there was a way to resolve it. Just as "anything" was the hardest dish to cook, saying nothing was the hardest thing to accommodate.
After gazing at him with a smile for a while, Iver finally relented. "How about this..."
When Drost saw "Iver's" smile soften, it was as if he truly were just Iver Moriarty. He immediately relaxed, though the skin on his scalp still prickled with lingering fear.
"Answer a few questions first. Then I'll decide whether to help you."
Iver drawled, "If you dare lie to me... Heh.
"Do you know? Human souls can be preserved inside gemstones. Though with your ugliness and lowliness, you aren't worth wasting a gemstone on... once your soul is sealed inside, if I suddenly remember one day that I was once deceived by some fat man, I can still awaken you from the gemstone and torture you as if you were alive."
He raised his right hand and propped up his chin, chuckling as he discussed turning a person into jewelry.
Drost's pupils instinctively flicked toward the Truth Fire.
It was still the truth.
"—What are you looking at?"
Iver said languidly, "I thought something was wrong just now... Why do your eyes keep drifting toward it?"
As he spoke, he pulled