Reincarnated Hero System - Chapter 919 - 919: Two Truths and a Lie I

Cyesera Region

Plomux North

Prime World Aramis

May 16th

531st Divine Year (Aramis) Year 1054 (50thGeneral Calendar)

“”””Rock, Paper Scissors!!!!””””

“Haha, I win!”

“Cooking duty is all on you, Arty!”

The group had spent the entire day navigating ancient ruins and dungeons dating back to an Aramisian Pre-Historic Era at Artemisia’s request.

By the time evening rolled around and the teens decided to wrap up their expedition, the clock was nearing 7 PM.

At Evan and Arthur’s suggestion, they agreed to embrace the spirit of exploration fully and camp out beneath the stars.

“Camping? But we didn’t bring any tents or anything. How are we supposed to camp out?”

Beatrix raised an eyebrow, glancing around the open field as she asked this and Artemisia nodded, her expression composed but curious.

Arthur and Evan exchanged a knowing look before both began to reach into their Subspace and Inventory. As they started laying items out, the girls’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Let’s see.”

Evan began, pulling out an intricately designed foldable tent.

“Got a tent right here.”

Arthur followed, setting down some high-tech camping gear, including a compact cooking stove.

“Here’s a stove. We might want to make something hot. Evan, I’d count on you to light it up.”

Evan nodded, pulling out a portable generator.

“For when it gets chilly at night.”

Arthur, following up, placed down an inflatable mattress.

“And a comfy spot to sleep.”

Beatrix stared at the growing collection, her arms crossed as she spoke.

“Okay, now you’re just showing off.”

“You two seem well-prepared. Is there anything you don’t have?”

Artemisia, asked as she glanced between the two, but Evan just laughed while Arthur retrieved what looked like a fully packed space suit, carefully folded.

“Dude, is that a space suit?”

Arthur looked at it briefly, then casually shrugged.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.

Used it when I was harvesting planetary cores back home.”

His causal reply had the other three blinking in confusion, speechless at the sheer absurdity of what they’d just heard.

But Arthur didn’t seem to see anything wrong with his response and just picked up one of the strawberry wines Evan set aside.

“Dude, you can’t just drop that line and not expect us to be curious. Also, the strawberry wine is off limits.”

Evan responded as he swiped the bottle from Arthur’s hand, replacing it with grape wine instead and Arthur, oblivious to their curiosity, raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? Are you wondering about the materials used to make the space suit so it survives the heat of a planet’s core?

Apparently, it’s the hide of a Mid-Tier Deity realm ‘Ebon Deer’.”

“…I was actually curious as to what you were looking for on a planet’s core in the first place?”

Artemisia asked the question on behalf of the other two and Arthur finally got what they were curious about.

“Oh, that. I wanted to cast a spell and I needed a pretty big energy core.”

Silence fell.

Arthur’s nonchalant response made them all speechless until Artemisia spoke.

“Last I checked, planet cores weren’t just ‘pretty big’, but that’s okay.”

Evan chuckled as he could tell from Artemisia’s reply that she definitely did NOT understand the scope of what Arthur was talking about.

Not wanting to dwell on Arthur’s absurd past, he focused on starting a campfire. More for the mood than the need—they didn’t lack warmth or light, just a bit of ambience.

As for the food to be eaten, Artemisia took a short trip to the nearby forest and came back with a dead Wing Serpent, turning the poor creature that had once ruled its section of the forest to dinner.

Beatrix, surprisingly deft with a knife, quickly skinned the Wind Serpent, and within minutes it was roasting over the campfire. As the aroma filled the air, she broke the silence with a casual question.

“So, what’s everyone’s favourite food?”

“Oh, I like strawberries best.”

Evan immediately responded in, biting into the meat with a satisfied nod while Artemisia rolled her eyes.

“Favourite food, not favourite fruit, Evan.”

The goddess grabbed her own meat skewer, applying a generous amount of sauce before taking a bite. Seeing this, Evan immediately pestered her for some, while Beatrix, lost in thought, finally spoke up.

“I don’t think I have any permanent favourites…

But right now, I fancy Flame Griffon meat. It’s pretty popular on Aidos.

The taste is otherworldly! Literally!”

“Of course, it is.”

Artemisia chimed in, savouring another bite of her meal before adding

“I’ve always been a fan of the classic Dragon Steak. Nothing beats that smoky flavour.”

At this, Evan froze, nearly dropping the sauce bottle he was holding. The group turned to him as he scooted a bit further from Artemisia.

“?…oh.”

It took Artemisia a few seconds to realise his concern and she chuckled dryly.

“Don’t worry, Evan. I’d sooner dissect you than eat you.”

“That’s not any better!”

“Pfft…!”

Evan exclaimed, prompting Arthur to burst into laughter. Beatrix joined in as Evan scrambled behind Arthur for safety.

“What about you, Arthur?”

At Artemisia’s question, Arthur shook his head and pulled a tablet from his subspace, scrolling through short-form videos as he responded.

“I dunno…I don’t care much for favourites when it comes to food.

Just as far as you aren’t giving me Intestines and stuff to eat. I hear some people like eating Dragon intestines.”

His disgusted expression earned an unspoken agreement from Artemisia, who silently nodded.

Beatrix was about to chime in, but Arthur’s eyes lit up as he turned the tablet around, eager to share something with the group.

“Hey guys, let’s play 2 Truths and a Lie.”

Arthur suggested out of the blue, drawing their attention to a movie playing on his tablet based on the same game.

“Oooh! I know that game! Lemme start!”

Beatrix exclaimed, her excitement evident and when Arthur gestured for her to begin, she started speaking with a cherry voice.

“Okay, so 2 truths and 1 lie!

I love Arty, Arty Loves me, and I’m the youngest out of five siblings.”

She folded her arms smugly, daring them to guess, as if confident they wouldn’t figure out the ‘lie’.

Evan rubbed his chin, genuinely perplexed. With how Beatrix acted, she seemed like the spoiled youngest child in a big family.

But just as he was deep in thought, Artemisia’s cold, sharp voice cut through.

“Beatrix, the game is Two Truths and a Lie. Not Two Lies and a Truth.”

“Arty?!”

Beatrix gasped, her face a portrait of betrayal as she turned to her friend, while Arthur and Evan burst into laughter.

“Okay, what’s the ‘Truth’ in this case?”

Arthur asked, still chuckling and Artemisia responded with a completely straight face.

“That she loves me. This girl is an only child like me. And the other Lie is obvious.”

“…”

Beatrix was left speechless, her expression only adding fuel to Arthur’s uncontrollable laughter. Evan, barely able to hold it together, patted her on the back in mock sympathy.

“Poor girl, your love is unrequited on two fronts. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.

You’d find someone better.”

“Evan…has anyone told you you’re horrible at consoling people?”

“Hahaha, you wouldn’t be the first.”

As Beatrix and Evan continued their half-serious pity party, Arthur glanced over at Artemisia, who was calmly selecting her drink from Evan’s wine collection, completely unfazed.

“So, you do admit that that she loves you.”

“As much as I really don’t want to admit it, she does.”

Artemisia replied with a resigned sigh but before Arthur could comment, she continued.

“Oh, and it’s all 1000% platonic. She’s so attached to me that there was a point in time that I was genuinely scared that she…you know….”

Artemisia gave Beatrix a sidelong glance before turning back to Arthur.

“…swung that way. But I checked and I found out she’s completely straight.”

Her casual remark left both Arthur and Evan exchanging glances, their curiosity piqued. Arthur began…

“More so than her being straight…”

“…I’m concerned about how you checked?”

Evan finished, echoing Arthur’s thoughts.

Unfazed by their ‘concern,’ Artemisia popped open the wine bottle with ease and replied.

“Her reaction to any smoking hot guy is enough for you to tell you how straight she is.”

“Oh…that makes sense.”

“Yeah, it does.”

Watching the boys so easily accept Artemisia’s odd method of verification, Beatrix threw her hands up in frustration.

“How in the seven dimensions does that make sense?!”

She then turned to Artemisia, who was calmly filling the last wine glass.

“Also, Arty! Why do you need such a strange method to know my sexual orientation?!”

“Could never be too careful.”

“Too careful about what?!”

Artemisia’s silence answered nothing, leaving Beatrix to slump dramatically, mock-sobbing. Evan, ever the consoler, patted her back again—until Artemisia yanked him away.

“You go next.”

“Huh? Me?”

Evan blinked, caught off guard.

“Yeah. We’re four. We’d alternate based on gender. I’m after you and Arthur’s last.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed at being saved for last in the game he suggested, but quickly brushed it off. All eyes were now on Evan as he cleared his throat with exaggerated confidence.

“You guys would never guess the ‘Lie’.

First off…Strawberries are the best fruits in the Universe.”

His declaration earned an eye roll from Artemisia and a chuckle from Arthur, but they let him continue.

“What’s next….oh.

I once got stuffed down a dragon’s throat, and I’ve had my heart completely destroyed before.”

After he finished, Artemisia repeated the same words she had spoken to Beatrix earlier.

“Again, I say this. The game is Two Truths and a Lie. Not Two Lies and a Truth.”

“Yeah, I said two Truths.”

Evan shot back without hesitation, as though his choices were perfectly reasonable for the game.

“Strawberries aren’t the best fruits in the Universe, Evan.”

“Then you must be from another Universe.”

Artemisia facepalmed while Beatrix, now recovered from her earlier “sobbing,” giggled at the exchange.

“I’m gonna guess the one about the heart is a lie?”

Beatrix paused a second after her initial guess, then reconsidered.

“Wait…resurrection spells exist. The dragon one is the lie.”

“Only the third is true.”

Artemisia insisted on the third, still refusing to accept his strawberry claim. Arthur, on the other hand, pointed to Beatrix and agreed with her.

Evan, ignoring Artemisia’s protest, clapped his hands.

“Congratulations, you exceeded my expectations.

The truth is someone did want to stuff me down a dragon’s throat, but I killed the dragon and ate its heart before they could.”

Evan delivered the tale with a casual shrug, and Beatrix, who’d been mid-celebratory fist-pump, slowly scooted away from him, her expression twisting into one of concern.

“Evan…did you cook it first?”

“…what?”

“The Dragon Heart. Did you cook it?”

“…”

Her question was so random that even Arthur’s Ego Swords were dumbfounded. Beatrix wasn’t fazed by Evan eating a dragon’s heart—her concern was whether it had been properly prepared.

“…I didn’t.”

“Get behind me, you devil!”

“pfft!!”

Arthur couldn’t hold back his laughter, watching as Beatrix launched into a passionate lecture about food safety, rattling off about germs and bacteria while completely sidestepping the bigger issue.

Evan just blinked, baffled.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Artemisia had moved on to something far more unsettling—the part where Evan mentioned having his heart destroyed.

“Shut up for a second, Beatrix.”

Artemisia grabbed her friend by the shoulders and clamped a hand over her mouth before asking.

“When you lost your heart…did you die?”

It seemed like a ridiculous question. Everyone knew that humans couldn’t survive without a heart, and the same was true for dragons. Evan, being a Draconic Human, should have the same fatal weakness.

And yet, Artemisia still asked.

“…”

Evan momentarily went silent when faced with this question, allowing Beatrix and Arthur to realise there was something Artemisia had picked up on.

“I didn’t.”