The central square of Winston was a theater of the absurd, a stage where the truth had been bound and gagged while a lie took a standing ovation.
As the heavy iron gates of the castle swallowed Grid's soot-stained figure, the air remained filled with the cheers of a crowd that had been fed a poisonous narrative and swallowed it whole.
To the common eye, the "disgraceful" blacksmith had been removed for his crimes, leaving the beautiful Erina as the undisputed, radiant victor.
Valmont, standing on the velvet-lined observation deck, let out a dry, rattling chuckle that sounded like parchment rubbing together. He turned to Rabbit, whose face remained a mask of unreadable, glacial stillness.
"How is it, Chief Strategist?" Valmont purred, smoothing his silk lapels. "The variable has been deleted before he could ruin the sentiment. A clean operation. The people have their idol, and we have the deed to the forge."
"…That's right," Rabbit replied, his voice a hollow, distant echo.
But inside Rabbit's mind, the gears were turning with a frantic, metallic friction. His eyes remained fixed on the [Dagger of Malice] resting on a purple cushion nearby. He saw the Unique rating pulsing like a dark heartbeat. He saw the terrifying 282 Attack Power. He saw the nightmare that Grid had forged in a measly three hours while being pelted with the insults of a thousand fools.
'Unparalleled,' Rabbit thought, a cold shiver of professional greed running down his spine. 'To achieve the pinnacle of his craft at such an age, under such duress... that boy isn't a blacksmith. He is a mint that breathes. He is the most undervalued asset in the Eternal Kingdom.'
For Rabbit, loyalty was a commodity that depreciated over time. He knew the Mero Company was a sinking ship, weighed down by the bloated corruption of Valmont and the reckless, short-sighted tyranny of Baron Lowe. A dark cloud was gathering over Winston—the shadows of Earl Steim's eventual, inevitable judgment.
Rabbit's merchant instincts, honed in the shark-infested waters of high-stakes trade, screamed at him: Divest. Sell. Pivot.
On the stage, Euphemina—still draped in her Erina persona—descended the steps. Her heart was hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She knew the truth. She had seen the display board before the guards swarmed. She had lost the duel in every way that mattered, surpassed by a man who forged with pure, unadulterated spite.
Euphemina walked toward Rabbit, hiding her relief behind a mask of professional curiosity. "The development was... unexpected," she said, her voice low. "But the crowd believes I won. The Mero Company has achieved its aim. I want my reward."
Rabbit nodded smoothly, handing her a heavy, clinking purse. "I keep my promises, Miss Erina."
[Quest Success!]
[1,500 gold acquired. Title: 'Competitor' acquired.]
[Stats Opened: Fighting Spirit, Good Luck. Skill: 'Rolling Dice' generated.]
Euphemina felt a surge of warmth as the [Good Luck] stat settled into her soul. She checked the [Rolling Dice] skill and winced. 'A total gamble... but with enough luck, I can turn the world into my casino.'
Euphemina turned to leave, but Rabbit's voice caught her like a hook.
"You aren't a blacksmith, are you, Miss Erina? Or should I say... Miss Duplicator?"
Euphemina froze. Her hand went to her belt, her eyes darting toward the exits. "W-What are you saying? I made the dagger. Everyone saw—"
"White, delicate hands," Rabbit interrupted, his eyes sharp and predatory behind his spectacles. "Crude bellows technique. And the way you moved... you were a perfect, hollow mirror of Khan. You aren't an artisan. You are a thief of techniques."
Euphemina stayed silent, her mana beginning to hum. In the world of Satisfy, when an NPC catches a player in a high-level lie, it's either a death sentence or a quest prompt.
Rabbit led her into a narrow, lightless alleyway beside the headquarters, ensuring they were shadowed from the Mero guards.
"The Mero Company is a ticking time bomb," Rabbit said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial rasp. "I have managed many ventures, and I know when a business has reached its peak. Valmont is a fool who confuses cruelty with power. Baron Lowe is a dead man walking. I have no intention of going down with them."
"So? Why tell me?" Euphemina asked, her hand still hovering over a transformation scroll.
"Because I saw Grid," Rabbit said, his eyes gleaming with a terrifying fervor. "A man who can generate the revenue of a small duchy just by swinging a hammer. I intend to switch jobs. I will take over the business side of the Winston Smithy. I will build an empire around that boy's works."
He looked at Euphemina. "But for that to happen, the Mero Company must fall, and I must be the hero who saves the talent. I need you to rescue Grid."
[Quest: Help Rabbit's Job-Seeking Plan]
Difficulty: S
Description: Rabbit wants to destroy the Mero Company from within to clear his image and secure his future. Help him rescue Grid and cause the downfall of Valmont.
Reward: 5,000 gold. Peak affinity with Rabbit and Winston residents.
Euphemina stared at the S-rank notification. 'Grid... that horrible, petty, girl-hating man is the center of everything in this village. If I help him, the rewards are astronomical.'
"I'll do it," she whispered.
Clang!
The sudden sound of steel meeting stone rang through the alley, sharp and final. A figure stepped out from the deepest shadows, his silver-white hair catching what little light remained. He carried the massive greatsword Dainsleif, the blade drawn and glowing with a faint, predatory light.
Arthur had appeared.
"Rabbit," Arthur said, his voice a low growl that vibrated in the air. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't cleave you in two right now. You resorted to falsely acused and then arrested my fellow apprentice brother, to cheat the result of a duel you yourself proposed?"
Euphemina gasped, stepping back. She had seen Arthur at the competition. He was another of Khan's disciples. But here, in the dark, he looked less like a blacksmith and more like a god of war. The pressure emanating from him was suffocating.
Rabbit didn't stutter. He didn't even flinch. He adjusted his glasses and looked Arthur in the eye. "I understand I have played a dirty hand, Arthur. That is why I have just commissioned Miss Erina here to rescue Grid. I am also on my way to persuade the garrison guards to switch sides—they can smell the rot in the Baron's office as clearly as I can."
Rabbit straightened his coat. "I will capture Valmont and Lowe. Then, when Earl Steim arrives, I will present him with the evidence of the Baron's treason and Valmont's extortion. I am siding with 'Justice', I am siding with the people of Winston."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. He knew Rabbit's history. In the original records of this world, Rabbit was a viper who served the highest bidder, only switching sides when the ship was already underwater.
"You're a snake, Rabbit," Arthur said, the tip of Dainsleif lowering but the edge still humming. "You've spent years calculating the doom of these residents. You think a 'makeover' fixes that?"
"It doesn't," Rabbit said calmly. "But it frees your friend. And I have the access keys for the castle dungeon's inner gates. Without me, you'll be fighting through a battalion of knights and 1000 man Winston's infantry. With me... the doors just happen to be unlocked."
Arthur looked at the system prompt appearing before him.
[Quest: Help Rabbit's Job Seeking Plan (S)]
Arthur knew he needed Rabbit's logistical genius for the future, even if he couldn't trust his heart. For Grid to become the "Overgeared," he needed a merchant who could sell salt to the sea.
"Very well," Arthur said, sheathing Dainsleif with a sharp clack. "Help us free Grid and Huroi. If you do that, I'll overlook your 'employment history.' But Rabbit... if you betray us again, there won't be enough of you left for a funeral."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Rabbit said, a faint, terrifying smile appearing on his face. "There's no money in being dead."
While the plan was set in the alley, the reality in the castle was much bleaker.
Inside the deepest dungeon of Winston, Grid lay in the dark. He wasn't just locked up; he was bound hand and foot with heavy hempen ropes, and a thick cloth gag had been stuffed into his mouth because he wouldn't stop screaming insults at the guards.
Grid lay on the cold, damp straw, his bloodshot eyes staring at a floating crimson window that had appeared the moment the cell door slammed shut.
[Wait]
Difficulty: S
Description: You have been captured and falsely accused of treason against Baron alongside Huroi. But hope still remains as the Apostle of Justice will come to your rescue within the time limit.
Quest Clear Condition: Be rescued within 3 hours and 24 minutes.
Quest Clear Reward: Second Class: Apostle of Justice's Partner.
Grid didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he truly got rescued, this was an unexpected windfall—a second class just for lying in the dark? It was the kind of "easy" quest he had been jealous of when Huroi got it.
But the silence of the dungeon was heavy. He could hear the dripping of water from the ceiling.
'Arthur...' Grid thought, his muffled groans vibrating against the gag. 'You better be coming. I've produced a Unique item! I'm a Legend! I can't die in a hole because of some lucky Orator's quest!'
Grid held onto that hope as the timer ticked down. 3 hours, 23 minutes, 59 seconds...
Outside the castle, the sun had fully set. Arthur and Euphemina moved through the shadows like twin ghosts, guided by a merchant who knew every crack in the fortress walls.
The rescue had begun, and the "Apostle of Justice" was about to meet the most reluctant partner in history.