Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 850

Haze was now truly dying, her complexion pale and wan.

“Quick, say it! Say it!!!”

“Come on! Say that it was your emperor who told you to do this and I will give you the antidote!”

The kings and emperors were now truly in a hurry. If things continued at this rate, then Haze would truly die. If she died at this point, then they would get nothing, nothing at all.

“Urk...!”

Red blood dripped down Haze’s mouth. She felt like all of the organs in her body were being twisted and her blood was flowing backward.

Elise, the emperor of Aplath Empire, grabbed Haze by the collar and shouted with veins popping out of his forehead, “Say it!!! Say that your emperor made you do it!!! Say it now!!!”

Haze was nothing but an ordinary human being. She was not strong and there was no way for her to overcome this difficulty. There was only one thing that she could do.

“I... will... say it...” Haze struggled to speak, feeling as if she would throw up blood at any given moment. She knew that she had less than three minutes to live.

“I lied solely because of my own greed and to fulfill my own self-interest.”

There was just one thing that she was good at and that was lying. However, the fact that His Majesty Minhyuk did not instigate her was the truth. However, she had to add a little lie so as not to let these people take advantage of even the slightest gap.

“I have been using my glib tongue to mislead people and live the life of a wealthy person!”

Haze had never bought a single luxurious item for herself.

“I told lies so I can eat lavishly and allow my children and grandchildren to live in abundance!”

The people ate better than her.

“I joined them to take advantage of the Beyond the Heavens’ emperor!”

Haze shouted like that, but that was not what she did at all.

“I am a b*tch who has gained so much by lying behind His Majesty’s back!”

Haze had never used her skills for her own good.

Haze’s breath slowly turned shallow. She had said all of these things to keep these people from going after her emperor. That was the final lie that Haze, the prime minister of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, an ordinary human and woman, would make.

“So, spare me! If you spare me then I will give you the Beyond the Heavens Empire as long as you give me a million platinum!”

‘Greedy up until the very end.’

At this point, even the emperors and kings could not tell if she was lying or telling the truth.

“This woman lies even until the moment of her death.”

“You want us to give you money? Even at your very last breath?!”

“What a mad woman. She’s truly crazy for money.”

“B*tch, do you think you’re worth a million platinum?!”

The emperors and kings finally gave up.

Haze smiled faintly, ‘Your Majesty, no one is going to touch you anymore.’

She was still thinking of him, up until the moment she died.

‘I hope Your Majesty will be happy. Please forgive me for not being able to become a God. I hope that you will be able to eat as much as you like.’

The kings and emperors slowly turned away from Haze.

“I will give you one million platinum. I will take your word for it.”

Then, at that moment, a voice rang out. It was very familiar to the dying Haze. She looked up at the ceiling, and noticed white coins raining down from the sky.

Clink, clink, clink, clink, clink–

Haze stared at the rain of white coins blankly.

[You have successfully collected one million platinum by using lies!]

[You can now change your class to God Class: God of Fraud.]

[You have triggered an Easter Egg.]

[You have found the God of Fraud’s real name.]

[Everyone pointed their fingers at this god knowing that all he could do was talk.]

[Most of the gods ignored this god because he did not have any special ability or strong power like the others.]

[He was a god who had been subjected to severe discrimination.]

[He was a god who had always been made fun of.]

[He was a god...]

[He was a god...]

[He was a god...]

[However, this god did not leave the Land of the Gods.]

[All of his lies were so he could protect the other gods.]

[One day, this god became the god who all of the other gods looked up to.]

[When the Eight Pillars invaded, he stood there alone and fought against them.]

[He fought with what he had. He lied to protect the Land of the Gods.]

[Because of his lies, the Eight Pillars were forced to give up and return.]

[With just his words, he was able to save the Land of the Gods.]

[He became the god who everyone loved.]

[He became the god who everyone cared about.]

[He became the god who earned everyone’s respect.]

[He...]

[He...]

[He...]

A voice rang constantly in Haze’s ears. The voice sounded like it had recognized her and her efforts.

The truth was, there were people who were quite reluctant to interact with her, as they viewed her as obsessed with money, in the Beyond the Heavens Empire. The children even called her Haze Who Cried Wolf. No one recognized her sacrifices.

However, even if no one recognized her, she still did not leave. Why? Because it was the empire that she loved. Because the people who she loved lived in this place. And because the emperor who she loved and cared for the most was there.

That was right. She became the girl who cried wolf. And as the story went, the ending of the girl who cried wolf was tragic.

[He...]

[He...]

[He...]

Haze looked at the man amidst the constant notifications and the rain of white coins that was walking toward her one step at a time. This man was the reason why she willingly became the girl who cried wolf. He was the reason why she never regretted all of the actions that she had taken so far. In fact, she would continue to lie for this man.

Haze smiled brightly as the man approached her.

***

This was a story from a long time ago. It was a story from when Beyond the Heavens Kingdom was just newly established.

Back then, the people, the soldiers and even the players would often whisper to each other whenever Haze passed by.

“I heard that she lied just to establish a trade with another kingdom?”

“Our kingdom only has around 600,000 troops. However, she exaggerated her words and made it seem like we have three million troops and took money from them.”

“How can someone like her be our prime minister? Tch, tch.”

Haze was young and beautiful, she also had an extraordinary mind and superb communication skills. However, the people remained wary and uneasy about her. Some thought of her as someone who built the kingdom with lies, while others were just plain jealous of her. After all, she was an ordinary young woman, yet she was already sitting in the position of prime minister.

Every time she went out, people would whisper about her.

“The girl who cried wolf is passing by.”

“She’ll hear you!”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

These whispers spread all over the kingdom until a report finally reached Minhyuk.

“Your Majesty, the people resent and hate our prime minister, Lady Haze.”

Minhyuk learned that they called Haze the Girl Who Cried Wolf and that many people did not like her. Upon learning about this matter, he quickly visited her to take a walk and have a talk.

“Haze, I know that what you want is all for the good of the kingdom. However, I want you to also think for yourself.”

“For me, Your Majesty?”

Haze was definitely a beauty. Her fair skin and wide and round eyes made her very attractive, despite having no accessories on her body at all.

Minhyuk, who saw the confusion on Haze’s face, smiled bitterly and said, “Haze, I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

Minhyuk was fully aware that of the sacrifice Haze was willingly undertaking, for him and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s sake. He also received a report from one of the knights.

–I have seen the Prime Minister crying in the food storage warehouse.

Haze was still young. No matter how mature she acted, she would not be able to bear the weight of countless people pointing their fingers at her and whispering about her. Minhyuk spoke those words because he was fully aware of this fact.

However, Haze just shook her head and said, “You’re wrong, Your Majesty. I am not telling lies just because of you, Your Majesty.”

She looked around the kingdom. It was peaceful with children running around and people greeting each other, as they bought their goods and went about their errands.

“I might have exaggerated my words, and will continue to do so for the sake of this nation. Why would you think that I’m only doing this for you, Your Majesty?”

“It’s been hard on you,” Minhyuk said, a bitter expression on his face.

Haze shook her head in response. “Of course, I’m having a hard time. After all, the people do not have any trust or faith in me anymore. Even so, I’m still happy. Seeing the children running around and the people living prosperously because of my words is enough for me. That’s all I need.”

Haze said that she was happy despite being criticized and discriminated against. Minhyuk could only stare bitterly at her back for a very long time after he heard those words.

***

Quite a long time had passed since then. The once humble Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had now become a strong and powerful empire.

Haze was very impressed with the God of Fraud–no, the God who originally had a different name–that eventually received the love of all of the gods despite only telling lies. At the same time, she thought, I can never be loved like that. Unlike that god, she could spin her words that could save the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

On the other hand, she felt envious. Envious of the god who was able to receive the recognition of many despite only telling lies. Meanwhile, Haze could not even get out of her room much in the Beyond the Heavens Empire. She had developed a social phobia from the scathing eyes and the fingers that were constantly pointing at her.

‘I also want to be loved by everyone.’

But then, at that moment, Minhyuk, who had been walking toward her, triggered his God’s Voice.

[She has received the dislike of everyone.]

[She has always been pointed at by everyone.]

[She always has a hard time talking to anyone.]

No one wanted to talk to Haze the Liar. But everything was different now.

[They heard that she collapsed from overwork.]

[They saw that the accessories that were usually dangling in her hands had disappeared.]

[They realized that they were living prosperously in the kingdom that she helped build.]

[One day, they started to care about the Girl Who Cried Wolf.]

[One day, they started to whisper.]

[She’s the one who loves and cares for the Beyond the Heavens Empire the most.]

All of these were things that Minhyuk had witnessed himself. He saw how the people, who disliked Haze, began to care for her and show her love. Minhyuk crouched down and held Haze’s slender hand the moment he reached her side.

Haze cried.

‘Do the people truly love me? Are there truly many people who care for me? Even though I’m just the Girl Who Cried Wolf?’

“I saw it myself.”

“Their thoughts have changed after seeing you work so hard to the point that you forget to sleep.”

“They have come to admire you after learning that you have not spent a single dime on yourself despite earning a lot of money.”

“The children dream of becoming you when they saw how dedicated you are to the empire.”

Haze felt delighted. The ending of the Girl Who Cried Wolf was tragic. Haze had already accepted that fact. However, at this moment, she knew that the ending of Prime Minister Haze would be a very happy ending.

“Thank you, Haze. Thank you for your dedication and devotion to me, the empire, and the people.”

Finally, the notifications that rang in her ears ended.

[The real name of the God of Fraud will now be revealed.]

[The name of the God that you have become a descendant of is ‘God of Devotion’.]