Chapter 29 – The King of Lies

After defeating the Land Crocodile, Zareen resumed his journey. Gifa’s Quest Book revealed his next mission:

> *Defeat the “King of Lies” – a chameleon monster that has taken the form of a kingdom’s ruler.*

> *Danger: Extremely high. This monster is not only physically strong but capable of manipulating the minds of the citizens. The real king has vanished, his body now corrupted by dark aura.*

> *Note: The people of this world do not know how to lie. Anyone who lies cannot be considered a true human.*

Zareen stared at the page for a long moment, feeling the weight of what lay ahead.

“A monster capable of deceiving an entire kingdom… this is nothing like the rat or the crocodile I fought before.”

He packed his belongings and set off toward **Velyra Kingdom**, one of the largest and most prosperous civilizations on the eastern continent.

---

### The Illusion of Peace

It took him a week to reach Velyra. At first glance, the kingdom looked vibrant and peaceful. Merchants hawked their wares, children ran laughing through the streets, and citizens greeted each other with warm smiles.

But the longer Zareen stayed, the more wrong everything felt. The people’s smiles were too stiff, their cheerfulness too perfect—like actors forced to perform. Every time someone mentioned the king, they would shout in adoration with almost unnatural enthusiasm.

“Our king is wise!” shouted a merchant, raising both hands.

“No ruler is greater than him!” cried another.

Zareen frowned. Their auras were pure, untouched by darkness, but something else was wrong—an invisible thread seemed to bind their hearts, forcing their emotions into obedience.

*This isn’t happiness… this is control.*

---

At the city center, Zareen finally saw the king himself. From the balcony of the palace, the ruler stood tall and regal, clad in crimson and gold robes. To the untrained eye, he looked every bit the perfect sovereign.

But Zareen could see what others could not—an oppressive shroud of black aura clung to the king’s body like a living shadow, suffocating in its intensity.

“Welcome, my people! Today is a blessed day—our harvest is bountiful, and our enemies have been crushed!” the king proclaimed.

The crowd erupted in cheers, their voices ringing with blind devotion. But Zareen remained silent.

Every word the king spoke was a **lie**.

Zareen knew—he had seen the barren fields on his way here. There had been no harvest. There had been no war. This king’s very existence was a contradiction. The people of this world were incapable of lying—yet here stood a ruler who lied with ease.

“That settles it,” Zareen muttered under his breath. “You’re no king. You’re the monster.”

---

### Whispers of Rebellion

That night, Zareen slipped into a small tavern, hoping to find someone who wasn’t completely under the monster’s thrall. In a shadowed corner, he spotted a weary-looking young man sitting alone, nursing a cup of water.

“You didn’t look too thrilled about the king’s speech earlier,” Zareen said quietly as he sat across from him.

The man’s eyes darted around nervously. “Careful what you say, stranger. The king’s ears are everywhere. Speak against him, and you might disappear by morning.”

“So there were others who resisted?” Zareen asked.

A bitter laugh escaped the man’s lips. “Once, yes. Knights, scholars, even priests tried to expose the truth. The king branded them traitors, and the people believed him. They were arrested… some never returned. Since then, no one dares to speak out.”

Zareen clenched his fist under the table. *This monster didn’t just steal a throne—it broke an entire kingdom’s spirit.*

---

### An Audience with the “King”

The next day, Zareen requested an audience at the palace, posing as a wandering mage who wished to pay his respects. The guards, seeing his pitch-black identification card, bowed deeply and let him through without question.

Inside the grand hall, Zareen finally stood face to face with the so-called king. Up close, the darkness radiating from him was suffocating, nearly making Zareen’s knees buckle.

“Welcome, traveler,” the king said, his voice calm yet heavy with authority. “I have heard of your deeds. You have rid the land of many monsters. That is good for my kingdom.”

Zareen’s grip on his staff tightened. “You are not the real king. You’re a chameleon monster, aren’t you?”

The room fell silent. The guards reached for their swords, ready to strike. But the king only laughed—a slow, mocking sound that echoed through the hall.

“Hahaha… so you can see through me. How amusing. My people are so easily deceived, but you… you are different.”

“They are not your people!” Zareen snapped.

The king’s smile widened. His teeth lengthened into sharp fangs, and his skin rippled as its colors shifted. In moments, the king’s face melted and reformed—into Zareen’s own.

“Then tell me, Zareen,” the monster said, now wearing his face and speaking in his exact voice, “who is the real monster here?”

The guards hesitated, their eyes darting between the two identical figures. Some of the citizens who had been summoned into the hall began whispering in confusion.

Zareen’s stomach twisted. *So that’s his true power—not just lying, but stealing identity itself.*

---

### The Battle of Truth

The doppelgänger struck first, conjuring a blazing spell and hurling it toward the crowd. Then it screamed, “Look! He’s attacking you! That imposter is trying to kill you!”

The people gasped, some rushing to shield the monster they still believed to be their king.

“Wait! That’s not me!” Zareen shouted, but his words carried little weight. In a world where no one lies, the first voice to speak is often the one believed.

*If this continues, they’ll turn on me. I need to reveal the truth—now.*

He remembered Gifa’s note: *A chameleon monster cannot hide its evil aura.*

Zareen slammed his staff against the marble floor, closing his eyes as a spell circle formed beneath his feet.

“**Reveal Aura.**”

The hall shook as a pale light spread across the room, illuminating every person within. The citizens and guards shone a pure bluish-white—untouched by evil. Only one figure stood wreathed in a suffocating cloud of black mist: the false Zareen.

Gasps filled the room. “Why is the king’s aura black?”

“That’s… that’s not human!”

Zareen’s lips curled into a grim smile. “See for yourselves. This is his true form!”

The monster snarled, its fake face cracking like broken glass. Its long jaw split open, tongue lashing out as its true reptilian features emerged.

“FOOLS! EVEN YOUR ‘TRUTH’ WON’T SAVE YOU!”

It lunged, tongue whipping toward Zareen. He raised a barrier of wind just in time, then retaliated.

“**Ignis Storm!**”

A vortex of fire spun into existence, slamming into the monster and scorching its scales. But it didn’t fall—its body flickered, shifting colors to blend with the surroundings.

---

The fight raged on. The monster conjured more duplicates, copying the faces of guards, even the innocent citizens, forcing Zareen to hold back his power to avoid harming them.

Finally, an opening appeared. As the chameleon once again tried to mimic Zareen’s form, its long tail slipped into view, twitching uncontrollably.

“This ends now!”

Zareen leapt, channeling every last drop of magic into his staff.

“**Final Ignis Strike!**”

The fiery blast struck true, engulfing the monster’s tail in a brilliant explosion. It screamed, its disguises shattering. Its body warped and twisted until the true form was revealed: a gigantic chameleon with glowing crimson eyes.

The citizens shrieked in terror, but this time they knew exactly who their enemy was.

“Kill it!” shouted one of the guards—this time, at the monster, not at Zareen.

Zareen charged forward and drove his staff straight into the creature’s chest, unleashing a final surge of fire. The King of Lies let out a last, ear-splitting scream before its body collapsed into a heap of ash.

---

### Liberation

Silence filled the grand hall. Slowly, the people turned to look at Zareen, disbelief in their eyes.

Then the cheers began.

“He saved us!”

“It wasn’t our king—it was a monster!”

“Thank you, traveler!”

Zareen exhaled heavily, his shoulders sagging from exhaustion. His body ached from the battle, but his heart felt lighter.

The kingdom of Velyra was free.

But deep within, Zareen knew this was only the beginning. The shadow that haunted this world—the legacy of the Black Ice Dragon—was far from gone.