"Poisoned? Why do you think we are poisoned?"
"Stop accusing the young man who is trying to help us."
Of course they didn't believe me. There was no reason for them to.
Charles' poison wasn't something that left symptoms or visible marks. It would only reveal itself once Charles activated.
Which meant proving my claims right now would be about as effective as confronting a doting parent about their child.
Telling them that their precious kid was secretly a porn addict with a one-terabyte stash hidden away wasn't something they would accept easily. In other words, it was practically impossible.
I studied the faces of the people. The fear, the exhaustion, the fragile hope they had already placed in him, and clicked my tongue inwardly.
Trust, once misplaced, was harder to break than bone.
Still, I couldn't let them die.
It was not out of kindness, and certainly not out of some heroic impulse. But because dead people were useless. If they didn't survive, the [2nd Scenario] would become far more troublesome to clear.
And I had no intention of making things harder for myself.
So I had to prove it.
"I did not poison anyone! You're lying because I didn't offer you free treatment. Truly shameless… calling someone like that a scum would be generous."
A few people nodded at Charles' words.
[Character 'Charles' has activated Acting Lv. 1]
[His words have become more believable.]
Charles let out a short, disbelieving laugh, as if the entire accusation was beneath him. He then looked around at the group with a calm, reassuring expression that felt carefully constructed for this exact moment.
"Think about it for a second. If I wanted to harm you, why would I waste time treating your wounds first?"
He gestured toward a man whose bandage he had tied earlier. "You were bleeding out. Who stopped it?"
The man hesitated, then muttered, "You did…"
"Exactly. I've only been helping. Meanwhile, he didn't help anyone but started accusing me. No proof, no reason. Just words."
His gaze then shifted towards me.
"Tell me… who sounds more suspicious?"
For a brief moment, silence settled over the carriage.
The seed of doubt that I tried to plant in their mind had backfired. Now they were starting to doubt and placing more trust in Charles.
Charles clicked his tongue and shook his head, as if disappointed in me.
"You're quite imaginative. Paralyzing poison? If I had something like that, wouldn't I have used it to paralyze everyone already? Why would I wait?"
He wasn't wrong. If I kept this at the level of accusations, he would win. Despite being a failed actor, his acting skills were great.
I wonder if he failed because of his script choices. Either way, I changed the approach.
"Then don't," I said calmly.
Charles' smile faltered for the first time.
"...What?"
"Don't touch anyone anymore."
The words were simple, but the effect was immediate. Charles' eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"I'm treating them. If I stop, who will help them? You?"
I didn't answer him. Instead, I looked past him, directly at the others.
"You all heard him, right? He said he's helping you. Then it shouldn't be a problem if he proves it."
The people were quiet now. I tilted my head slightly, as if genuinely confused.
"Or is there a reason you can't stay away from them for a while, Charles?"
The moment stretched and Charles didn't reply which was enough.Because a person who was truly innocent wouldn't hesitate here.
They would step back without a second thought. Charles didn't.
"…You're being ridiculous," he said, but this time, there was a faint stiffness beneath his voice. I let out a quiet chuckle and took a step forward.
"You said you're helping them, but not even an hour ago, you told everyone you were from the army. And now you're suddenly a doctor?"
People started remembering how Charles had introduced them. It was like a layer of dust had been removed from their memories.
"I guess that's part of your 'treatment' too."
"In a situation like this, does that even matter? I'm just doing what I can to—"
"It matters. Because lies tend to pile up. And we can't trust such people when our world has just ended."
[Character 'Charles Flintoff' skill Acting Lv.1 is wavering.]
Charles was cracking under the pressure. So I pressed on.
"You asked why you would wait if you had poison? It's simple. Because dead people aren't useful."
I didn't give anyone time to process it fully before continuing, keeping my tone steady as I laid it out piece by piece.
"You're not trying to kill them. You're trying to control them. Paralyzing poison is impossible to notice until it's too late. You move from person to person, pretending to check their wounds, and every time you touch them, you spread poison on their skin."
Charles opened his mouth, but I spoke over him again without hesitation, not allowing him to regain control of the situation.
"Let's not complicate things. We can prove it right now."
I raised my hand and pointed at Charles.
"If I am lying then why are your feets trembling? Are you scared your lies will get caught? That you will be killed?"
And that was the final blow.
[Character 'Charles' private attribute 'Coward of the worst kind' is taking effect.]
Private attributes weren't just titles. They showed what a person really was at their core.
And Charles at his core… was the worst kind of coward.
He belonged to the group of people who talked big when things were easy. They acted confident, made plans, and pretended to be in control.
But the moment things turned against them, the moment they were questioned or cornered, they started to break.
They hesitated and panicked. And looked for a way out instead of standing their ground.
If Charles had kept his head clear, he could have still denied everything. I hadn't shown any real proof. All I did was turn the situation against him.
He could have stepped back, refused to touch anyone, and waited for this to pass.
But he couldn't do that. Because he was scared.
Scared of being exposed. Scared of losing control. And that fear showed.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
With a distorted expression, he suddenly lunged toward me.