EXTRA:The yandere Villainess Is Obsessed With Her Special Servant-Chapter 31: ​The Prophet of the Accidental Truth

It was a question that truly haunted the mind: If the holy gods, spiritual concepts, and everything else were merely nonsense... what stopped us from becoming gods ourselves? Were we so weak that we had to shroud our consciousness in a lie? Was comfort so valuable that we would trade our intellect for it?

​"Can that device determine the age of this language?" Sam asked the prospector holding the scanner.

​The prospector grew visibly tense. "Sir... I believe you could judge the age of this language yourself far better than this device could. We estimate that this language has been extinct for at least five hundred years. It’s not just that the inscriptions are old; the language itself has left no trace for five centuries."

​This felt bizarre. If the language was that ancient, how could those people have constructed such magnificent architecture just for the sake of mockery? The engineering here was anything but simple; the hall was so vast it felt almost purposeless.

​"Then how did the device translate it if it couldn’t determine an approximate age?" Sam pressed.

​The four prospectors looked at him, puzzled by his strange question. Shouldn’t he already know this?

​"In truth, it doesn’t provide a precise translation," one explained. "It relies on deciphering linguistic patterns common to most known ancient tongues. While every language has its own rules, they often share the same core essence."

​This meant the translation could be entirely wrong. If it relied solely on grammatical guesswork, it was practically useless.

​From what they said, Sam began to grasp a little of the complexity. For instance, in ancient texts, a specific stroke might denote the subject, followed by a verb that mirrors it. It was the simplest example he could think of, but the science behind it was staggeringly complex.

After talking for a while, Sam decided to try a rather foolish plan. What if I just go straight? What if we just blast a hole forward and walk through? Surely the creators had forgotten the doors, or perhaps they were so primitive that the concept of a door hadn’t even been invented yet. No matter; they could simply cut their way out.

​"Look at this statue... doesn’t it look impressive?" Sam mused.

​He wasn’t sure how he’d convince them of his absurd ’just dig forward’ plan. Surely they would see through him. And what if he was wrong?

​"Yes, the carving and the way it’s shaped are quite unique," one of them agreed.

"In ancient times, engineering methods were simply invincible."

"Do you believe this statue is the key to our exit?"

​Sam shook his head. He stepped forward, heading toward the altar behind the statue.

​"If my theory is correct, this place has nothing to do with the dungeon at all. It feels more like a simulation of reality than reality itself. Even someone mocking the gods would look foolish for doing something as clumsy as placing an altar in the wrong spot."

Everyone was genuinely puzzled by his words. "What do you mean, Mr. Ra’s al Ghul?"

​As Sam passed by, he noticed a very faint line on the right wall—a thin crack where the marble hadn’t completely swallowed the surface. He pointed his flashlight at it. He had been observing it while walking, and a flash of inspiration hit him on how to use this simple longitudinal crack for his plan.

​"If we imagine that the altar is actually in front of the statue... and that the door, or the exit, is behind it... if we imagine that, then everything would be in order. The door would exist, and everything would be aligned," Sam explained.

​It was almost comical—how could a legendary figure utter such nonsensical words?

​"As a dungeon trying to simulate reality, I made a mistake in a single detail. Consequently, I must make another mistake to avoid breaking the rhythm. If you suddenly deviate from your path and try to return to the correct one, you might stumble. But if you commit a second mistake in the same manner... then you can return to the path without error."

​He said it with absolute confidence.

​"We don’t understand, Mr. Ra’s al Ghul. Please, enlighten us."

​Sam’s voice returned to its usual steady, authoritative tone.

​"Look at that crack over there. It is simply the continuation of the ’correct’ part of the dungeon. Therefore, it is the exit—but it remains incomplete due to the recurring errors. So, if we stand precisely between the statue and the altar, aligned with that crack, then what lies before us... is the exit."

​There was no doubt about it... he had put immense effort into inventing this absolute nonsense. At the very least, he would appear as an expert even though he understood nothing. In his mind, it was just "mitigating the losses."

None of them truly understood a word he said, but it seemed he knew exactly what he was talking about. After all, their limited intellectual capacities were no match for the majesty of Ra’s al Ghul. He certainly wouldn’t utter nonsense, nor would he mislead them—he had no need to, for he was profoundly wise.

​"So, what do you think we should do, Mr. Ra’s al Ghul?"

​They had relied on him from the very start. He was a true leader; every word he spoke surely carried a hidden meaning, something far greater and more profound than they could grasp.

​"You will dig into this wall, specifically right here," Sam commanded. "And then, we shall pass."

​It was a completely unconventional solution. Had anyone else suggested it, they would have thought he was delirious. But after hearing Sam’s "explanation," they were so thoroughly confused that they gave their implicit consent.

Sam stood at a distance, watching the prospectors as they swung their pickaxes, trying to crack the marble walls. But the stone was unnervingly solid. Still, they persisted, striking again and again.

​Sam and Old Max stood by, observing the scene.

​"They won’t succeed in breaking through those walls," Max muttered. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Sam stroked his chin, lost in thought. "I know."

​Old Max let out a short laugh. "In the end, when they fail, they’ll believe they were the ones too weak... and that you guided them correctly, but they just weren’t up to the task."

​Has this old man misunderstood me too? Sam wondered. No matter. For now, things were under control... partially. In truth, there were plenty of other spots to try breaking if this one failed. He just needed to invent new ways to keep them working without looking like an idiot.

​But then, amidst their desperate attempts, one of the prospectors managed to pierce the marble using his magical strength. The pickaxe sank deep into the wall, meeting no resistance at all. He pulled it out and peered into the hole. There was a path.

​"Guys! I found it! I found it!"

"Really? Move aside, let me see!"

​While the group erupted in joy, Sam and Old Max were sitting comfortably behind one of the massive pillars, soaking in the atmosphere and listening to the shouting from afar.

​"Sounds like they’re fighting each other," Sam remarked.

"Survival of the fittest... what do you think about the idea of climbing over the corpses of your comrades?"

​Old Max looked at him with pity. "You watch too many useless movies."

"You’re a real mystery, Mr. Max... I see you everywhere. Just how many places do you work?"

​As the two chatted behind the pillar, three stone sentinels materialized before the four prospectors, blocking them from advancing further into the wall. The men tried to rally.

​"Damn it... is this really how it’s going to be? Fine, I won’t be merciful!" one shouted. He lunged at a sentinel with his pickaxe. "Get away from me, you bastard, before I shove this pickaxe up your ass!"

​More marble knights began to emerge from the walls. Behind the pillar, the two remained oblivious, feeling a strange heaviness but choosing to ignore it.

​"They’ll be fine... they’ll make up, right?" Sam asked.

"I don’t think so," Max replied.

The prospectors fought the marble knights with everything they had. They were convinced that Ra’s al Ghul was testing them—that this was a trial to measure their worth. Surely, he was watching and evaluating them, and if anyone were to fall, he would intervene.

​"I’m terrified of these lunatics... if one of them tries to attack me, can you protect me, Mr. Max?" Sam whispered from their hiding spot.

​While the prospectors eventually took down the marble knights, they worked together to demolish the rest of the wall, finally clearing the path. They looked around as the remaining marble knights vanished into thin air. Did we pass the test?

​"Hey, old man... looks like they’re finally done fighting. Let’s go," Sam said, standing up.

​As they approached the group and saw them drenched in sweat, with blood trickling from some of their wounds, Sam flashed them a smile, struggling to hide his underlying nervousness.

​"Congratulations... you are the heroes here now."

​In reality, he was deathly afraid they would realize he had simply been pushing them to do all the work in his place.

"Mr. Ra’s al Ghul, you are truly magnificent... we see it clearly now."

​What the hell is going on? Sam thought, bewildered.

​"This trial was actually the solution to an impossible riddle involving hundreds of marble soldiers hidden beneath every tile that gets displaced. After defeating all the knights, we were supposed to face that colossal statue... which would have awakened to attack us..."

​Sam forced a smile, masking his confusion. "And how did you discover this?"

​"It’s all right here! This wall depicts in graphic detail exactly what intruders had to go through to pass..."

​As they entered the passage, Sam saw the murals on the walls. They depicted a group of humans facing one grueling challenge after another, eventually managing to cross to the other side.