It felt good to be valued!
Being treated the same as the Sage Old Man had left Fu Qian feeling that his worth had been acknowledged.
As expected, a man's charisma couldn't be concealed. A man as outstanding as him was the center of attention wherever he went.
Of course, Charlotte and Scrooge, who'd been treated as less important, hadn't shown too much wounded pride this time. Instead, they wore matching expressions of disbelief.
They seemed quite shocked that they'd survived.
The flood of information in his mind receded rapidly. Fu Qian pondered their unusual reaction.
It wasn't the usual petty malice of "Why the hell isn't this guy dead yet?" They seemed genuinely astonished.
Had they thought he couldn't possibly escape?
Interesting.
Unfortunately, though the two had resisted the impact just now, their minds were clearly stretched to the limit.
Katon still seemed unable to speak, so he obviously couldn't explain things to Fu Qian.
"There's no danger now."
At last, the Sage Old Man's voice rang out, tinged with both emotion and resignation.
"Those things... they were... alive?"
At long last, Ess managed to speak, still shaken. Her gaze remained unfocused.
"They're dead now."
The Sage Old Man's voice had nearly returned to normal.
"They took the wrong path and became filthy vermin. They deserved to die."
"But the Holy Grail made the most of their worth. They ambushed us from hiding, then used Knowledge Infusion to delay our reactions once discovered, before copying our abilities to deliver a lethal blow."
"Unfortunately, not everything can be countered only after you've experienced it. That's why I had you undergo the baptism of 'knowledge' earlier."
After he finished speaking, the Sage Old Man's gaze settled on Fu Qian's face. His expression gave nothing away.
So he'd had us practice resisting