Tale Of Unknown: Hero From Zero

5. Falsehood

"Riyan, wakeup!"

A voice in the morning called out Riyan's name while shaking her body slowly. Riyan reacted and got up from his sleep, but he just sat with his eyes half closed. He looked around and found a beautiful girl with blackish brown hair and bright blue eyes standing next to his bed. That girl is Remia.

After confirming who woke him, he laid himself back on the bed and pulled his blanket over his body.

"Ten minutes to go..."

With ease, he said that.

Remia, who was standing next to her bed waiting for Riyan to wake up, could only fall into a state of confusion. Looking at Riyan who was back lying on the mattress with a soft snoring voice, he was a little confused by what had just happened. A moment later, he realized that Riyan had returned to his very good sleep.

"Riyan, wakeup! Otherwise I will be scolded!"

While slightly shaking Riyan's body, Remia shouted again with the intention of waking up Riyan who was back asleep. Useless in this way, he let out a heavy sigh.

"It seems like there's no other way."

He raised his right hand, closed his eyes and concentrated on the mana within his body.

"[Wasser]!"

A few moments later, slowly came out the water coming from his right palm. The water instantly slid right into the sleeping face of Riyan. When the water reaches its destination...

Pyaarrs!

"Phaa!? What's up!? What's going on!?"

At once, Riyan also stood up to sit on his bed with his eyes wide open. The part of his head to his chest was soaked from the water magic that Remia had just deployed to forcibly wake him, of course his mattress, blanket, and pillow as well. He was silent to find his body soaking wet on the bed.

"Buftt!"

Looking at the cute expression on Riyan's face, Remia could not help but laugh and ended up closing her mouth firmly with a flick of her body from before Riyan. Riyan had just noticed that Remia was trying to hold back her laughter, she looked a little upset.

A moment later, Remia turned her body to face Riyan after her laughter was overcome. He lowered his head and apologized.

"Sorry, I'm overreacting. I was just told to wake you up by Faleon."

'Faleon? What does he want from me so early?'

Riyan got up from his bed and walked over to Remia.

"What does the general want this early in the morning?"

"Morning? The sun is high."

Pointing at the ceiling, Remia said that.

"Oi, the sun can't be seen from this room if it's that high."

Hearing a reasonable reply from Riyan, Remia simply smiled wryly. He forgot that he was in the room. It can be seen from the window of the room, but the sun is too high to be seen from the window.

"All right, I'll get ready. You just tell the general to wait a little while longer."

"understandable. General Faleon is waiting for you in the backyard of the palace."

After telling that to Riyan, Remia walked out of the room. Riyan changed his wet clothes with a change of clothes prepared by the palace maid in his closet, so the disciples did not have to worry about changing clothes.

It had been 4 days since their meeting in the kitchen of the building where the students lived. Merkea became familiar because of Remia who often visited Riyan on the sidelines of his busy life. After that night, Remia learns that Riyan has always been ostracized by her friends. Therefore, Remia wanted to accompany Riyan so that he would not be too lonely.

***

After getting changed, Riyan and Remia walked towards the palace's backyard. For some reason, Remia did not move to tell Faleon at Riyan's request. He was just waiting for Riyan to change his clothes outside the room quietly. Riyan who knew this of course felt annoyed, but as usual, he harbored all of it so that his expression looked flat.

A few minutes later, the two of them reached where Faleon was waiting, the backyard of the palace. There are Faleon, Gilbert, Typhania, Layla, Rizu, and Johan, all who care about Riyan in their own way. Riyan was puzzled to see the five people gathered together with Faleon.

"Why are you here?"

None of them answered Riyan's question, they just shrugged and glanced at Typhania sitting next to Faleon. Riyan also turned his attention to Typhania who was downcast with a sad expression.

"Riyan, we're gathered here because there's something Typhania wants to say."

Faleon answered Riyan's unanswered question.

'Something you want to convey? What're those?'

Riyan looked a little astonished, but he kept his flat expression as usual. Remia who was behind him could only fall silent. Just as he was about to leave from there, his steps were stopped by Faleon.

"Servant girl, you're here."

"E-uh?"

"I hear you're pretty close to Riyan, I think it's okay."

"Be good then."

He stopped his legs that were about to step away and turned back his body that had turned the seven people there. Only Riyan seemed confused by what happened, while the others looked forward to what Typhania wanted to say. As they were expecting that, Typhania raised her soft voice.

"What I want to tell you is about Riyan."

Hearing that, everyone gathered there was greatly shocked, not least Riyan himself. Talking about Riyan? That was the topic that Typhania wanted to talk about right now, which was why he gathered people who could talk to Riyan.

"Riyan, I'm sorry, but I can't hide this."

'What?'

Riyan made a look on his face that looked very confused with what was said by Typhania. Everyone who was there also looked confused, especially Riyan.

"The matter of that time, was actually just a misunderstanding."

For a moment, there was no response from a single one to reply to Typhania's words, until Riyan finally realized it. Gilbert and the others were in confusion, except for Faleon who also realized what Typhania wanted to say.

"The teacher's room was a mess, it wasn't Riyan, it was a misunderstanding."

'What I'm guessing.'

As Tifania said that, Riyan and Faleon panicked a little, but Gilbert and the others were only surprised, except for Remia who was confused by what had been said. Riyan kept his expression flat as usual, but in it he was annoyed and confused to hear that Typhania knew this.

He stared at Faleon with a sharp look of eyes, this time sharper. Faleon who realized he was being noticed by Riyan, shook his head quickly. Riyan thought Faleon had told Typhania this, but Faleon had done nothing, not even mention it.

"Riyan, what did you do to Typhania?!"

Suddenly Gilbert interrupted Typhania's conversation with a rude and angry question. Hearing that, Tifania was shocked, of course Faleon and Riyan were too. Their eyes widened because of Gilbert's question sentence, but Riyan remained expressionless as usual. Just the flat face he showed.

Riyan closed his eyes and thought about what he had to say to answer Gilbert's question.

'Indeed, this is how it should be...'

After a while of thinking about it, he got something pretty good. He opened his eyes and showed a faint smile that he almost never showed. Seeing Riyan's smile, Gilbert and everyone who was there were shocked. The ones who had seen Riyan's smile were only Faleon and Tifania, but they were also as shocked as the five people.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't work either."

The seven people were again surprised to hear the statement made from Riyan. Faleon, who had been troubled by her smile since then, now knew what the smile meant. Seeing the reaction of the people around him, Riyan smiled again.

"I'm sorry, Tifania, I tricked you. I intended to use you to get my good name back, but it didn't work at all."

The words from Riyan made everyone there surprised, not least Faleon, Typhania, and Remia. The three people were even more surprised. Faleon had expected what Riyan had said, but he had not expected that Riyan would be that frontal.

Gilbert immediately stood up with anger filling him, followed by Layla, Rizu, and Johan. Gilbert pulled the hand of Typhania sitting beside Faleon by force so that he stood up.

"Gi-Gilbert!? What are you doing!? Release my hand!"

Tifania tries to rebel, but Gilbert's grip is getting harder and harder to let go. Ignoring the cries and movements of the rebellious Typhonians, he continued to walk away from where they had gathered just a moment ago. He tried many times to break away, but it was just a futile act.

Gilbert, who had reached the limit of his patience, turned his gaze toward Typhania.

"Shut up! You don't have to get close to that rotten guy!"

"What did you say!? Riyan is not that kind of person! It's just a lie, isn't it, Riyan?!"

Tifania turned her head towards Riyan who was standing behind her. He was looking at Typhania with a faint evil smile. A few seconds later, Riyan raised his voice once more.

"What I'm saying is the truth, Typhania."

Hearing the words thrown by Riyan, his eyes widened in disbelief. He could not believe what he had just heard through his ears. Riyan who looked into Typhania's eyes deeply still smiled at the beautiful girl.

"So what I heard from behind that door was a lie to me!?"

With a loud shout, Tifania again asked Riyan.

"Yes." Yeah."

Slowly, the tears were visible and eventually flowed through her soft cheeks. Without retaliating, he turned around and moved his legs faster. Because of reflexes, Gilbert took off the hand of the girl who was dropping precious tears.

'All this time, I thought you were a good person, Riyan, but I was wrong. You were such an asshole from a long time ago.'

For a moment, Gilbert looked at Riyan with angry eyes while saying that in her heart, then went after Typhania who was walking in front of them, of course the other three people also followed Gilbert from behind.

On the other hand, Riyan took off a smile and a relieved expression.

'This is the best.'

Seeing the five disciples move away and finally disappear, Riyan smiled satisfied knowing his plan was going well. After that, he turned to face Faleon and Remia who were standing behind him. As he turned his head, he got something from the servant girl.

Plaac!!

A loud slap from Remia landed on his left cheek. So hard, he fell and his parameters reduced to 9 points from the total. Riyan sat on the ground with red cheeks from the slap.

When he raised his head, he saw the tears of Remia who had fallen on the ground while looking into his eyes with an annoyed expression. Riyan was surprised to see the water droplets coming from Remia's eyes, but he again put on his flat expression.

"At first I thought you were a good person. But the reason why you were so far away, it was supposed to be."

After saying that, Remia walked away leaving the two remaining people there with quick steps. While walking like that, her tears fell upon hearing the truth of Riyan.

Riyan stood up while holding his left cheek which reddened the former slap of Remia. He knew it would happen, but he did it anyway.

"Admisleading..."

Grimacing in pain, he was about to walk away leaving Faleon alone. But before he could make his fourth move, he was stopped by Faleon's worried voice.

"Riyan, are you sure about this?"

"Hm? What's?"

Without turning her head, Riyan responded to Faleon's question.

"Are you unconscious!? You've lost the trust of all your friends! Be it your new friend, that servant girl, or the five heroes who cared about you all along! With this you will be even more lonely!"

Hearing Faleon's words, Riyan was shocked. He did not know why the great general of the kingdom of Alivonia still believed in him after all what he said. Then he turned around and looked straight at Faleon's eyes.

"Why do you still trust me after hearing what I said just now, general?"

"Why did you say?"

Faleon was slightly bowed because of the question from Riyan. A moment later, he raised his face that was staring at the grass of this palace backyard and looked at Riyan with a glare of sharp eyes.

"Do you think everything I heard back then was a lie from you? With a reaction that yearns for the presence of someone to accompany you!? No kidding!"

"It was all a lie I told because there was Typhania on the library doorstep eavesdropping on the conversation."

"You realize!? I just didn't realize! Don't lie any more than this, Riyan!"

"Who lied to you, general? I'm telling you the truth."

Riyan again showed off his thin smile aimed at Faleon. Even so, Faleon remained in his stance and continued to try to destroy the disguise of Riyan.

"I also don't need what's called a friend. They're just tools to me, no matter who they are, including you, general."

Hearing that, Faleon was slightly surprised. He was about to step forward giving a warning blow, but that intention he paused seeing something unusual from Riyan. He simply flashed a small smile at Riyan, before finally his soft voice sounded.

"You can lie with words, but the heart can't escape the truth, Riyan."

"Huh?"

Tests...

"What's this?"

Noticing the water running down her cheeks, Riyan looked puzzled. His eyes were filled with water blocking his sight. Subconsciously, he had taken out and showed his heart to Faleon.

"Tears? Mine? What's wrong with me?"

He tried to wipe away his tears, but still fell to the ground. Faleon who saw Riyan like that smiled. During this time, he had never seen any expression from Riyan, except for his flat face, it was only natural that he would feel happy. Riyan had always harbored his feelings for many years, Faleon was relieved by that.

"You think too much about others so you don't care how you feel about yourself. Sure you can hold it, but in time your heart will scream, like this."

He walked up to Riyan and patted her on the back while saying that. Riyan still wiped his tears, until a few minutes later it stopped. After which, the two of them walked back to the building where the heroes lived.

***

In her room, Typhania shut herself up without anyone accompanying her. He buried his face in a soft roll that he hugged on the mattress while lying down.

"What the fuck is that... Actually? Why...why did Riyan lie at that time? To general Faleon, to me. I knew that I accidentally heard it, but it was impossible for Riyan to notice me eavesdropping on the outside from the inside."

Her tears flowed down the roll she was holding.

Elsewhere, in a room, Remia also did more or less the same thing as Typhania. He cried, but not like Typhania who was lied to, but regretted being friends with Riyan.