The Game and the Prototype

"Captain, do you think that guy will turn on us?"

In the interrogation room at the City Lord's Manor, Wendy returned after arranging for Jarvis to be brought in. She finally gave in and asked John, who was seated nearby, "What if he explains everything to the other two afterward and manages to convince them? Wouldn't that ruin your plan to turn them against one another? I'm telling you, you shouldn't have laid it all out so plainly for him."

"No. Quite the opposite. I did that on purpose."

At Wendy's puzzled look, John chuckled and shook his head. He explained why he had revealed his plan to Elvis. "Elvis was the first of the three to stab his allies in the back. Given how he always puts his own interests first, the other two trust him even less than a stranger now. He knows that perfectly well. Even if he tells them the truth, all he'll get is suspicion. They might even think I ordered him, an 'Empire agent,' to test them. That would only make things worse for him, so he won't waste his time."

"I also told Elvis the entire plan to show him that whatever he thinks of doing is meaningless to me. After all, if I could uncover his family's secrets, that means I have a well-hidden source inside the Lincoln Family. A transcendent Mage may be powerful, but there's an assassin hiding in the dark who could strike at any time, and whose strength he knows nothing about. As long as he wants to live, he won't disobey my orders."

"The more someone fears death, the easier they are to control."

"That's why I told him his future was already decided."

Wendy's face lit up with understanding. As if remembering something, John's lips slowly