[The birthday of Miwako, and today's also the day she's treating everyone to dinner.

But I know… what she truly wants is an answer—the truth about her father's death 18 years ago.

Through my Seer abilities, I could easily uncover the truth. I learned that it was related to a crime committed by a friend. Back then, a security guard died during a bank robbery. Miwako's father didn't want that friend arrested—he wanted him to surrender.

After turning himself in, he left behind a missing syllable, turning the case from 18 years ago into an unsolved one. But if that confession had been understood correctly back then, maybe the case wouldn't have ended up that way.

The culprit ran for 18 years, even escaping overseas for more than three years. The stolen amount in that bank robbery was 300 million yen.

I divined that it was the bank president who took the fall for the robbery. But how could a bank president shoulder that kind of blame? Moreover, the stolen money was national property. No matter how much time passes, such a person absolutely cannot be allowed to walk free just because the statute of limitations expired.

If someone could get away with something like that, then wouldn't that turn the entire island nation into a playground for robbers?

As long as the stolen money is recovered, the outcome for the criminal is sealed. Exceptions can't be made, and this cannot be permitted under any circumstances.

So I didn't tell Miwako that the so-called statute of limitations is no longer an issue. It's actually better if she doesn't worry about that.

And if the unresolved case that has haunted the police for 18 years is finally solved by the daughter of the officer who died in the line of duty, it would make for excellent PR for the department. Though it might not get Miwako an instant promotion, some kind of reward would surely be on the table.]

Having written this, Ren stopped.

Today's diary ends here.

What followed was today's lucky moment.

The wheel spun, fate's indicator came to a stop.

[Lord of Mysteries]

[Acquired Sequence 8: Swindler]

Staring at the potion bottle in front of him, Ren finally let out a long breath.

"Looks like I'm lucky."

His Sequence progression had been on hold for a while, and the Marauder potion had already long been digested. Now, he'd finally gotten the Sequence 8 potion in an unorthodox way.

He pulled out the cork and brought the bottle to his mouth.

The scent of carbonated water hit him instantly.

"Himmer~"

The fizzing in his stomach made Ren burp like he'd just chugged soda.

In that instant, an inexplicable force surged through his body. The majority of it was spiritual in nature.

All of the Swindler's abilities revolved around deception.

Increased charm made people feel closer to him and more open to conversation.

Improved eloquence allowed him to make others believe him through dialogue.

When words alone weren't enough, misleading thoughts and mental interference became invaluable.

None of the abilities were physical. Everything leaned toward the spiritual.

So, in terms of pure personal strength, Ren hadn't gained much. The real enhancement lay in his spirit and mentality.

But the moment the potion entered his body, something surprising happened.

"Digested?"

The Swindler potion was fully digested the moment he drank it. This made Ren look at the now-empty bottle in disbelief.

He fell deep into thought.

"Have I done anything scam-related recently…?"

"Ah…"

After thinking for a bit, Ren remembered—he had tricked Klein. Not just Klein, even Audrey had unknowingly sacrificed the amulet he made to the Evernight Goddess. That was effectively deceiving the Goddess herself.

If that counts, then yes—he'd indeed committed fraud. And the target wasn't just anyone—it was a real deity.

"No wonder it melted in my mouth."

Fraud had become so second-nature that he didn't even realize when he was doing it anymore.

"So does this mean I can move on to Cryptologist now…?"

The continuous promotions made Ren feel a little uneasy.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he took out his maple leaf gold coin…

As long as there's no danger in advancing, there's no reason to delay.

He silently recited the question seven times in his mind, then flipped the maple leaf gold coin. The falling coin landed squarely in his palm, with the affirmative side facing up.

Having received a clear answer, Ren immediately pulled out the Sequence 7 Cryptologist potion from Sefirah Castle.

No hesitation. He downed the entire bottle in one go.

The sour-sweet flavor was similar to yogurt.

A cool sensation filled his chest, and his consciousness felt like it was dipped in a giant mint. It made him want to gulp down something icy, and his whole body felt completely refreshed.

"Hoo~"

Letting out a breath, he felt like he was exhaling that coolness too. Ren felt noticeably lighter, like a fresh breeze was flowing through him.

"This Cryptologist potion is way too refreshing."

After grumbling, Ren realized how much of a boost the Error pathway had given him.

It wasn't so much a boost in combat ability, but a complete shift in thinking patterns.

Through observation, he could accumulate a great deal of clues in cryptographic mode and piece everything together.

In other words, from this moment on, Ren could become an elite detective if he wanted to.

But then again, is there really a need?

With Seer abilities, he could already get 3.8 out of 4 answers. There weren't many situations where decryption was actually necessary.

Still, even outside of solving cases, cryptographic thinking had plenty of uses.

By analyzing and observing scenes and individuals, he could gather information and make the most optimal choices.

Then with the assistance of the Swindler and Marauder sequence, he could execute fraud and theft far more effectively.

The Cryptologist was essentially an analytical support role, prepping for the next step in the Error pathway.

Ren, already aware that Sequence 6 was the Prometheus, understood this all too well. The next stage was where the real heists began.

"I'll have to start using decryption mode more often from now on."

(To be continued.)

***

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