Leveling Up by Seducing Milfs-Chapter 54. The Trial of Truth

Rick sat next to her and noticed that the water in the fountain was warm even though the air was cold. "Why are you showing the garden to me?"

"Because this is where the Trial of Mind starts. You and I will sit in this garden and talk tomorrow morning and for the next seven days."

"Just talk. No fighting, no tests of strength. I’ll ask you questions, and you’ll tell the truth when you answer them."

"And in return, I’ll be just as honest when I answer your questions." Sylvia looked him in the eye. "This trial isn’t meant to see how smart or knowledgeable you are. It’s about knowing who you really are deep down."

Rick’s stomach hurt. He could deal with physical pain. He had demonstrated resilience in dealing with physical pain, but being open about his feelings and thoughts was a different challenge altogether. That was scary in a whole new way.

"What will happen if I fail?" he asked.

"You won’t fail unless you tell me a lie. The only rule for the Trial of Mind is to be completely honest."

"I can tell if you’re trying to hide something or lie about who you are. Rick, dragons can tell when someone is lying."

"It’s one of the things we can do best." She reached out and held his face in her hands. "Now that we’re about to start, I’m asking you."

"Can you tell me the whole truth? Even about things that make you feel bad or weak?"

Rick thought about his old life, when he died while watching adult videos in a gaming chair. His parents were delighted when he died.

He reflected on all the times he had felt embarrassed and pathetic, which ultimately led to his rebirth in this world. He should have felt ashamed to share all of that with someone as old and powerful as Sylvia.

But when he looked into her amber eyes, he saw something that shocked him. Her weakness stemmed from her own fear, possibly about what she might discover regarding him or what she might reveal about herself.

"Yes," Rick said in a low voice. "I can tell you the truth."

Sylvia smiled, and it made her sad and joyful at the same time. "Let’s get started then."

The first day came with clear skies and cold air from the mountains. Rick saw Sylvia already in the garden, sitting on a stone bench surrounded by flowering plants that smelled sweet and light. She pointed to the seat next to her.

"First question," she said without any small talk. "What do you think makes a good leader?"

Rick had thought it would be more personal and intrusive. The philosophical question surprised him. He thought for a moment, knowing that she would be able to tell if he just said what he thought she wanted to hear.

Rick said slowly, "I think a good leader is someone who knows that their job isn’t about them."

"It’s about the people they are responsible for. A successful leader does have to make tough decisions, but they never forget that those decisions have real consequences for real people."

"They don’t hide behind duty or authority! And they take responsibility for their actions!"

"And what about power? Please elaborate on that," Sylvia asked. "You’ve observed how power is valued in dragon society. Do you believe a leader can excel in their role without being the strongest?"

"While strength is important, it isn’t the only factor that matters. Many of history’s worst leaders wielded power, yet they lacked intelligence and compassion."

"A trustworthy leader knows when to be strong and when to hold back. They encourage people to be loyal by what they do, not just by being scary or in charge."

For a moment, Sylvia was quiet. "You’re talking about an ideal that most leaders don’t live up to. Many times during my hundreds of years of rule, I have not lived up to it."

Rick said, "That doesn’t mean you’re a bad leader."

"It means you know enough about yourself to see your mistakes. That’s not something that happens very frequently because people in power often think that every choice they make is right because they made it."

"Do you think that’s what I did when I sent the Ancient Black Dragon to fight Valdris? Convinced myself it was right?"

Rick didn’t back down from the direct question. "No. You made a choice that you knew was bad, and now you feel bad about it!"

"You didn’t try to make excuses for it or act like it was something else. That’s what makes a tyrant different from a leader who has failed."

Something moved in Sylvia’s eyes. "You see things better than I thought you did."

...

That first day, they talked for hours about leadership, responsibility, and the heavy burden of making decisions that would affect thousands of lives. Rick felt like he had run a marathon by the time the sun went down, even though he hadn’t moved from the bench. Being emotionally and mentally tired was different from being physically tired, but it was just as real.

The questions got harder on Day Two.

"Tell me about your death," Sylvia said as soon as Rick sat down. "Your real death, in the world you came from. What happened to you?"

Rick’s stomach sank. She would definitely ask about this. Of course, the thing that made him the most ashamed would come up.

"I died alone in a gaming chair at three in the morning," he said in a low voice. "Heart attack caused by not getting enough sleep, drinking too much coffee, and... I was watching adult videos."

"Women who are older, in particular. I had been watching them for hours, completely lost in my addiction..."

"Just one more video was the last thing I thought before I died."

He couldn’t stop looking at Sylvia. "My parents found me."

"They were pleased when I died. I heard them at my funeral say that I had let them down and that maybe now they could finally move on with their lives."

"I was twenty-four years old and had spent my whole adult life as a shut-in loser who didn’t do anything good for the world. That’s who I was, Sylvia. That’s the person you’re with right now."

The quiet seemed to last forever. Then Sylvia spoke in a soft voice. "And who are you now?"

Finally, Rick looked up. "I don’t know."

"I hope it’s someone else. A person who is important to people, but I’m scared that deep down, I’m still the same sad person who died alone in front of a computer screen."

Sylvia said firmly, "You’re not."

"That man wouldn’t have made it through the Trial of Strength."

"That man wouldn’t have made real Spirit Bonds with three strong women."

"He wouldn’t be sitting here with me right now, sharing his deepest shame instead of merely pretending to be brave." She gently reached out and lifted his chin. "Rick, your past doesn’t define you."

"Everything you do, and all that I’ve witnessed from you, has been brave, kind, and genuine."