{Vincent Dracyian's POV}
*** An hour earlier ***
"...I guess I should start preparing now..."
Standing up, I put on my jacket and headed outside for some fresh air.
"Haaa... here we go...."
Under my breath, I muttered the words that were to play a big part in my plan.
"[Monarch's Facade]."
While walking through the hallways following my memory and instinct, I stumbled upon the gates to the back garden, which had a small maid loosely standing nearby with a lofty expression.
"Can I help you?"
She was holding a broom, and lightly tidying any of the dirt inside.
Staring at her with crimson eyes, I coldly replied.
"I need you to find something for me."
The maid wore a complicated expression on her face, presumably torn between the idea of helping me or her saving reputation among her colleagues.
However, for some inexplicable reason, she felt the need to carry out my request. As if it was something ordained by her fate.
"U-uh... what is it?"
If what I had learned before was correct, it was that my skill worked best on people who were significantly weaker than me, so it was no wonder that she had started to lose face here.
"My father has requested an artifact from me and wants me to bring it to him before the dinner begins. I have left it in my room, but after my absence, it seems that the servants here have the audacity to take it from me."
Right now, I was using an extremely complex skill. One that if used wrongly, would lead to dangerous consequences.
Of course, it was the art of bullshitting.
"O-oh, I see. Do you need me to find it for you?"
After she said these words, I don't really know why, but I felt that it was my natural instinct to leave a dramatic pause here.
Thus, I stared blankly into her eyes, with a placid look on my face.
Perhaps it was the effect of the higher understanding of my skill, but currently, my mind was as empty as a tranquil ocean.
I didn't feel any fear or pressure right now, allowing me to carefully process everything calmly. It was almost like the feeling of watching a movie play behind someone else's eyes.
"This item is specifically wanted by Victor himself, so I would need as many hands to find it as I could."
By emphasising the blame on the current head of the family, the authority and authenticity of my words would only increase.
"Could I know what exactly is the item that you need...?"
Ah, I hadn't thought about that yet.
Normally, I would have started panicking now, but instead, I calmly assessed the situation.
'Hmmm... What is something that they will never find, and we would never have?'
I went through millions of items and artifacts that I had been able to acquire in the late game of 'WOV', and finally had an idea for what item they 'should find'.
"I need you to get me [Lucifer's angelic necklace] as soon as possible."
{A/N: See the end of the chapter for a brief description of the item :) }
"I see... I will recruit all available maids to see if they have stolen anything or look for the item. I-is that all...?"
"Pff..."
I let out a small chuckle, but then quickly regained my composure.
"Yeah, do that. But anyway, have you seen the butler anywhere?"
"...He should be in his room today, I heard he was sick, so he will try briefing some free maids."
"I see. Well then, I hope you find the item quickly, and make sure to recruit every single free maid, as this item is a high priority."
"Yes sir."
Deactivating my skill, I returned a slight smile, before running towards the butler's room.
At the same time, the maid was blinking her eyes in confusion, with her mouth agape before she could say anything to me.
"...Was he not going to go to the garden...?"
******
BANG BANG BANG
I gave three sharp knocks on the large wooden door, before swiftly letting myself in.
I needed to be quick about this since the butler would have already told the maids what to do by the time I arrive late. And thus my plan would be doomed to fail.
"Hello, sir. Could I have a quick chat with you?"
The old man was flustered, as he turned his head to face me while still being in bed.
"H-how did you get here? I don't remember letting you in-"
Before he could finish talking, I dashed towards the butler while utilising my awakened speed.
Luckily, the only stats that had been locked were my strength and stamina, so I could reach him much faster than a normal civilian could.
"[Utter annihilation]."
The second I was within a few metres of his bed, I activated my skill and mana began to collect in a bubble around me.
Like a cannonball, the mana surrounding me shot outwards, not stopping but pushing my momentum forwards and crashing onto the bed.
POOF
BANG
The butler fell straight back onto the pillow, while I crashed over the top of his legs.
"Ughhh... so that is how the skill works..."
The buildup of mana had been almost instant, which I guess was the side effect of severely nerfing this skill.
This messed up my timing and made it much harder for me to stop before him.
"Haaa... oh well... I still have to improve, but now that I have gotten this out of the way, I just need to influence Victor into picking me...."
In the back of my mind, I also couldn't help but think,
'Isn't this exactly like an assassination mission?'
______
A/N: This is the artifact description of the item. Keep in mind, that the description shown here implies that the item has not been used before, and hence has 1000 durability.
-[Lucifer's Angelic Necklace] {'S' rank} { 1000 Durability }
{Grants the user the body of half an angel, and half the devil upon activation. Increases all stats to SS+ rank. The user loses rationality and will kill anyone in sight.}
{ An item that was owned by the devil himself. Lucifer had received this necklace as a dying gift from his lover, which contained the will and body of his angelic lover. However, when he had been killed by a human, his desire for vengeance did not dissipate and was imbued onto the necklace as well, corrupting the effects of the artifact. }