Item: Illusory Iris Confession

No wonder she was a girl who had grown up in a tavern.

Before long, the aroma of sizzling, grease-dripping meat filled the entire courtyard.

Lance was not idle either. As if performing a magic trick, he brought out all kinds of desserts and snacks, piling them across the long table in the courtyard.

After several rounds of drinks and a spread of dishes.

The girls' cheeks had all taken on a faint, tipsy flush, and the atmosphere gradually grew livelier.

"Hehe, let me show you something good."

Amber mysteriously pulled an exquisite black velvet box from her bosom and set it on the table with a slap.

"What's this?"

Nia leaned closer curiously.

"It was a farewell gift one of my dad's old adventure party members gave him."

Amber opened the box, her voice carrying a hint of pride.

"This is a genuine magical item. It's called [Illusory Iris Confession]."

"They say a witch made it herself."

At the mention of the word "witch," the other two girls' eyes instantly lit up. Flora, who had been somewhat dazed, sat straight up at once.

In this world, witches were an extremely special demi-human race.

They possessed unique soul structures and held an almost obsessive understanding of emotions.

Thus, in the ballads of bards across the continent, witches were often the heroines of tragic love stories.

Of course.

In some more realistic unofficial histories, they were also the creators of those horrifying, bloody love disasters.

"A witch-made item? Given to your dad?"

Sitting nearby, Lance suddenly had a bold thought.

Could that so-called party member have been trying to use this item to subtly confess something to Amber's burly Class-wielding father?

Why did that sound a little like one of those gut-wrenching romance stories?

But seeing how excited the girls were, he wisely swallowed that wild thought and leaned over curiously as well.

This was his first time examining such a rare magical object up close.

Amber took the cards out of the box.

The deck's material was extremely unusual. It felt cool and smooth to the touch, as though it had been polished from some kind of ultra-thin crystal slices.

The backs were decorated with intricate, exquisite silver iris patterns that shimmered faintly beneath the lights.

The fronts, however, were pure white and completely blank.

"This thing is amazing."

Amber introduced it like a salesperson.

"When you flip one over, a difficult question specifically for you will appear on the card. You must answer it honestly in front of everyone."

"Depending on how truthful your answer is, it will display a different color."

At that, Amber deliberately paused, grinning mischievously as she kept them in suspense.

"As for which color means what, you'll find out once we play."

"Me first! Me first!"

Nia had long been unable to contain her curiosity and raised her hand high.

She stretched out a finger and carefully flipped over the top card.

Like ink spreading through water, an image and words slowly emerged across the formerly blank card.

A vivid red two of hearts appeared in the upper left corner.

In the center of the card was a somewhat abstract stick-figure drawing.

It showed four little figures sleeping, their distinctive features clearly marking them as the four people present.

But strangely enough.

The figure representing Lance was sprawled out on his back, sleeping right in the middle of the three girls.

"Huh?"

Flora rubbed her eyes and voiced her adorably befuddled question.

"Why is Lance sleeping right in the middle of us?"

Lance looked at the image, breaking out in a cold sweat as he hurriedly waved his hands in denial.

"I've been wronged! That has never happened!"

How could this stupid card slander him out of nowhere?

Nia ignored the absurdity of the picture and turned her attention to the text below it.

[Among the four of us, whose sleeping face do you think is the cutest?]

"Huh?"

Nia froze and let out a brief cry of surprise.

What kind of question was that?

Before she could react, Amber suddenly put on a stern expression and urged her in a serious tone, "Answer quickly! Be serious! And you have to say it within three seconds, or this card will explode!"

"E-Explode?!"

Nia's face went pale with fright, her mind instantly going blank as she instinctively shouted a name.

"Flora!"

"I choose Flora!"

As soon as the words left her mouth.

The crystal card did not explode. Instead, a soft, gradually shifting azure glow began to spread around its edges.

The light was pure and transparent, like a clear sky after rain.

Amber reached out and took the card, the sternness on her face instantly turning into a sly smile.

"If it turns this azure color, it means you were telling the truth."

Then her suspicious eyes swept back and forth between Nia and Flora, as though she had caught them in something.

"Spill it. When did you two sleep together?"

"How come I didn't know? Were you forming some little clique behind my back?"

"We weren't!"

Nia's face reddened as she hurriedly explained.

"It was that time! The time Flora got drunk!"

Only then did Amber suddenly remember.

There really had been such a time.

Just like today, Flora had collapsed on the table after three cups of fruit wine, sleeping like a peaceful little piglet.

The two of them had both been watching beside her then.

"Wait—"

Nia suddenly realized something and pointed at Amber as she shouted.

"You were bluffing me just now! This card wouldn't explode at all, would it?!"

"Are you an idiot?"

Amber laughed triumphantly.

Puffing out her cheeks in anger, Nia pushed the remaining stack of cards toward Amber.

"Your turn!"

Amber did not refuse. She casually drew a card.

Three of clubs.

The scene on the card changed, depicting the four of them sitting together and playing cards.

[The first time the four of us gathered to play Three Dragon Cards, who lost the worst?]

Amber froze when she saw the question.

The miserable scene from that day instantly surfaced in her mind.

One certain overly confident receptionist had lost so badly that she nearly emptied out her breakfast money for the next day. In the end, Lance had secretly gone easy on her so she could win her money back.

But then Amber glanced at Nia beside her, whose eyes were wide as she waited eagerly for a good show.

Amber blinked and, without the slightest hesitation, quickly gave a name.

"Lance."

As her answer ended.

This time, the card did not emit an azure glow.

Instead, a warm golden halo, like the lingering light of the setting sun, spread around it.

"Gold?"

Lance was rather curious.

Wasn't this supposed to be a lie detector? Since she had lied, shouldn't it have turned some warning color like red or black?

At that moment, Flora, who had been quietly sitting nearby, was holding the velvet card box in her hands.

Pointing at the explanation on the bottom of the box, she softly read aloud, "It says here what the colors mean—"

"Pale gold represents... a gentle lie."

"It means the lie was not meant to deceive or harm, but came from good intentions."