Yet, after a few seconds of absolutely nothing happening, Deon’s shoulders loosened just a tiny bit.

He had expected spikes to shoot out from the wall, or poison gas hissing from the ceiling. The Dining Hall remained exactly as it was.

But the trap doesn’t always have to be so obvious in presentation.

As if the room read his mind, the smell of roasted meat grew thicker and thicker. It curled through the air like steam, slipping into his nose and crawling straight down to his stomach.

The table was loaded from end to end with food that looked far too delicious. Golden bread still split at the top as if it had just been pulled from the oven. Bowls of soup shimmered with a glossy layer of oil just on the surface. And all sorts of fruits were stacked into one ridiculous tower in the center.

Everyone’s stomach seemed to growl in sync, causing them to all stare at each other...but not one word was spoken. It was an unspoken rule, commonly called the ’Gentleman’s Agreement,’ allowing the entire party to save face.

Still...

Jin stared at the table with the expression of a starving puppy watching someone drop meat on the floor. Mina wasn’t much better. Even Nami, who had been half-slumped against her sister’s shoulder, had her eyes fixed on a plate of fruit.

Hana pressed a hand against her stomach and looked away like she was ashamed of being tempted.

That was the worst part. None of them had really eaten since the First Game.

Sure, the Point Store had supplies, but buying food with Points felt like being robbed and the thief selling back your stuff at twice the price.

Deon clapped once, causing everyone to stare at him. "Listen carefully. No one eats anything."

Jin frowned so dramatically that his mouth could’ve fallen off. "Not even a single piece...?"

"Nothing."

Vivian placed a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking. "How tragic. A banquet no one is allowed to eat."

"Laugh it up," Deon said. "You’re not eating either."

"I wasn’t planning to~."

"Right...anyways. Let’s split up and look around. Maybe there’s some kind of lever or object that could get us outta here."

Jin stared at the roasted meat for another second.

"Jin."

"I didn’t do anything!"

"You were thinking about it."

"You can’t prove that."

"Your face is transparent."

Jin immediately looked away, but unfortunately, that only made him stare directly at a silver platter stacked with small pastries dusted in powdered sugar.

Deon sighed before pulling up the Point Store with a thought. The familiar blue screen appeared in front of him.

[Shop]

[Canned Food - 5 Points]

[Bottled Water - 5 Points]

Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes...But I got them into this mess. Sure as hell have to take responsibility for it.

[Purchase Complete.]

[Point Total: 121]

Two cans of food and three bottles of water appeared in his arms with a soft flash. The total loss made his soul hurt more than the garden ever had.

"Here."

He tossed one bottle each to Jin, Hana, and Mina. Then he handed one of the cans to Mina as well. "Share it with Nami. Slowly. Don’t eat too much at once."

She blinked. "You’re giving us food?"

"Just enough to hold you over."

Hana held the bottle with both hands, staring at it for a moment before smiling softly. "Thank you, Deon."

He turned away, finding the nearby shelf to be oddly interesting, and started digging through it. But his act of distraction actually turned out to be fruitful, as in one of the drawers, his hand arrived on cool metal.

Deon flinched, thinking it was a metal spike about to pierce his palm. But when that obviously did not happen, he pulled the drawer open fully, catching a glimpse of the object inside—

A locket.

It was small enough to fit neatly in his palm, oval-shaped, and made from what looked like pure gold. The surface had been polished carefully, but one side of it was jagged and uneven, as if the other half had been snapped off.

Because it really had been...only the right half remained.

"Found something," Deon muttered.

Hana was the first to come over. The twins moved closer as well, with Nami leaning against Mina for support. Vivian took her time but eventually made it.

"Whatcha got there?" she spoke in a happy-go-lucky tone.

"Seems like half of a locket," he replied, finding that the locket was jammed somehow. "The left side is missing."

Hana leaned in carefully. "What’s even on it?"

Deon turned it over once, checking for markings, then slowly nudged it loose.

Click.

Inside was a family portrait. Marcel stood in the back, stern and noble. Rosaline sat near the center with her usual untouchable beauty. Leo stood behind one chair while Elliot sat in the front, small hands folded neatly in his lap.

And beside him—

There was a shadowy figure. Its hand rested near Elliot’s shoulder, face and expression unrecognizable. But from the silhouette, Deon recognized long flowing hair.

"That’s her..." he whispered.

Hana frowned. "The missing member?"

"Probably." Deon looked toward the scratched-out chair at the far end of the table. "The fifth seat."

Yet the more he looked at it, the more his suspicions were confirmed. She had been hidden everywhere else, but this locket in a seemingly obscure place seemed to contain her.

Even so, her figure and face were wiped out entirely. It was like the mansion had erased her entirely, but even when it missed one, the subconscious still tried to cover her up...

[RandomToastEnjoyer: sister reveal???]

[ClownWithWifi: family tree really got patched out]

Deon would usually ignore the comments, but his thoughts were the same. What did this person do that warranted such severe treatment?

Yet upon inspecting the locket a bit closer, Deon realized that the locket wasn’t broken in half evenly. A bit of the left edge was still present.

He brought it to his eye, managing to spot the thin slot running along the torn hinge, barely wide enough for a folded piece of paper to slide into.

Not another half, then?

"A note..." Hana muttered softly.

Deon glanced at her. "You noticed too?"

She pointed toward the narrow slot. "It looks too thin for another portrait."

"Maybe it’s not?" Mina questioned. "Pretty much anything could fit in there, no?"

The group kept discussing on, trying to see what could and couldn’t fit in the tiny slot. While they did, Jin stood several steps away from them.

At first, he had meant to follow...really.

He knew that they’d managed to survive this far by listening to Deon’s words. They weren’t always correct, but his sheer wit managed to make up for it.

But the smell...

The smell was right there.

It had gotten worse after Deon opened the locket, or maybe Jin only noticed it more because everyone else was distracted It wrapped around his head until his thoughts started fraying.

His logic started falling apart.

If it was poisoned, it’d be obvious, wouldn’t it? If it wasn’t, then maybe everyone could eat? I’m helping in a way, aren’t I?

His fingers closed a fork with a small piece of meat on it. And without anyone looking...he ate it.

Clink!

The silverware dropped on the floor, resounding across the hall and causing everyone’s head to snap back.

Deon’s eyes widened as he saw Jin, who was standing up, but his limbs were slack. His arm hung downwards like they’d completely became paralyzed.

It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

"Damn it, Jin! Hey! Stay with me!" Deon rushed over to the kid, trying to find out what had happened to his body.

But just when he arrived, Jin pulled out [Fire Axe] from his pocket, the weapon appearing in his hand—

And he swung.