Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

Real Lie Detector

This was a secret question the members of Scarlet Lynx had been wondering about.

–You shouldn’t lie.

–Lying is not okay.

These were words Yuuri often said in passing with a usual cheerful smile. Not exactly a reprimand, just a casual “don’t do it,” but when you really thought about it, it was subtly frightening.

Because whenever he said those words, they had all been telling a little lie.

To defend their honor, it should be noted that these lies were never malicious. They were exaggerations to make the conversation more exciting or playful teasing—truly harmless, relationship-smoothing communication.

But, facts are facts. They were indeed lying. And whenever Yuuri happened to pass by, he would inevitably smile and say it wasn’t okay… almost as if he completely saw through their lies.

…Thinking about it calmly, it sent chills down their spines.

Nevertheless, despite this realization, three people remained unfazed amidst the murmuring in the living room.

One was Ali. As the leader of Scarlet Lynx, Yuuri’s guardian, and an expert appraiser, he also served as Yuuri’s mentor in appraisal skills. To him, it was just “not a big deal”.

Another was Brook. Having known Ali for a long time, Brook was aware that Yuuri possessed abilities far beyond a regular appraiser. He hadn’t heard the detailed story from Ali; he simply knew firsthand that Yuuri was extraordinary after the recent incident with the subjugation artifact.

The last was Jake. As a scholar, he had an impressive amount of knowledge, probably the most in the entire clan. His knowledge was wide-ranging, absorbing everything he was interested in. Despite being said to have a different mindset from ordinary people, making him somewhat eccentric, he too understood Yuuri’s abilities fairly well.

These three knew that appraisal skills could include the power to discern truth.

Basic appraisals might not always hit the mark when one’s skill level was low. It might just be a feeling of something being off. However, if the appraisal skill level was high enough, it could indeed detect lies. Ali, who possessed the high-level skill of the [Mystic Eye], could easily see through lies as well. Though not widely known, they would share this information if asked… they just weren’t asked.

“Could Yuuri be able to see through lies…?”

“Kurresh, go ask him yourself.”

“Why me?!”

“Because you’re his best friend!”

“That doesn’t mean I should ask him that!”

Kurresh and Lelei were arguing about who should ask. All the trainees sided with Lelei, unanimously agreeing that Kurresh should do it. They all seemed to want to avoid the hassle and feared the shock of learning the truth themselves.

Ali, Brook, and Jake watched their antics with amusement. Clearly enjoying the spectacle, they weren’t about to reveal the truth about detecting lies.

“What’s everyone so excited about?”

“”Yuuri!?””

“…Huh? Why are you so surprised?”

Yuuri appeared with a large plate piled high with cookies, looking puzzled at everyone’s reactions. He wondered why they seemed so shocked when he had just walked in normally.

While thinking about whom to ask, Yuuri glanced at Brook, who was already munching on a cookie. Despite his knightly appearance, Brook had an immense sweet tooth and was the first to be won over by Yuuri’s treats. The others were too numerous to count.

“Brook, what’s everyone so excited about?”

“Hm?”

Brook tilted his head, a cookie in hand, and after a moment of thought, ruffled Yuuri’s hair and spoke with a smile.

“They have something they want to ask you.”

“”Brook!!””

The group cried out in unison, feeling betrayed by Brook’s casual sellout. They had been enjoying the delicious cookies, and now their peace was shattered. Brook was clearly teasing the juniors.

“What do you want to ask?”

“”…””

“What’s wrong?”

Despite Yuuri’s innocent questioning, no one could respond. But as Yuuri tilted his head in confusion, they all started feeling strangely guilty. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but Yuuri’s innocent demeanor made them feel like they were in the wrong.

Yuuri, being 17 years old, still looked much younger, often mistaken for a middle schooler even in Japan. In this world, with its Western-looking faces, he appeared even younger. The group knew he was 17, but he looked no older than 13, the same age as Yakk.

This made them feel like they were bullying a child. However, Yuuri was just genuinely curious.

“Um, hey, Yuuri.”

“Yes, Kurresh?”

Despite feeling pushed into it, Kurresh took the lead. Though reluctant, his odd sense of guilt towards Yuuri, his self-proclaimed best friend, drove him to speak up.

“Can you, uh, tell when someone is lying?”

Kurresh’s question echoed in the now silent living room. The emphasis made Kurresh gulp.

Yuuri blinked a few times before answering.

“Yes, I can.”

It was astonishingly straightforward.

There was an audible snap as everyone froze. Yuuri simply smiled, as if wondering why they were reacting this way. To him, it was nothing extraordinary. He accepted his abilities as natural and thought of his skills as just that—skills.

“Aren’t you glad to have your answer, Kurresh?”

“…Brook, you knew?!”

“Yeah, I knew. And so did Ali and Jake. You all should have guessed it, seeing as Ali can see through lies too.”

“”Ahhhhh!!””

The group erupted. They had forgotten that their leader, Ali, was an expert appraiser who could see through lies and often lectured them. It wasn’t that they didn’t remember, they just hadn’t connected the dots to Yuuri.

Yuuri was considered an appraiser-in-training, with Ali vouching for his potential. Actually, Yuuri’s [God Eyes]-san skill was so overpowered that even Ali couldn’t compete, but only Ali knew this and wasn’t planning to tell anyone.

“…Why the fuss?”

“They didn’t think you could see through lies.”

“But appraisal skills can do that, right?”

“It’s not well known.”

“Really?”

Ignoring the commotion, Yuuri and Brook continued their conversation. Brook, casually eating cookies, found the cookie competition significantly easier with everyone else distracted. Even Ali and Jake, who usually didn’t participate, reached for the cookies.

Learning that appraisal skills could detect lies, the group nervously eyed Ali and Yuuri. If they couldn’t lie to these two, it meant no secrets. Not that they wanted to lie, but complete honesty could be troublesome… mainly for surprise parties.

“Harmless lies are often overlooked.”

“Knowing something’s a lie doesn’t mean knowing the truth.”

Ali muttered while Yuuri tilted his head and explained. The group looked at Yuuri for clarification, but Ali explained, thinking Yuuri’s explanation might be confusing.

“It means knowing something isn’t true, not knowing the truth. You can still hide things unless it’s black and white… though they might notice.”

“Brook, that’s irresponsible!”

“I’m used to it.”

“Unbelievable!”

Brook supplemented Ali’s explanation, and Lelei yelled at him, feeling indignant. Kurresh and the trainees echoed this sentiment. The adults remained indifferent, watching the juniors.

By the way, Yuuri’s full lie-detecting abilities were usually reserved for catching cookie thieves.