98
Chapter 98
"...You don't have to worry about what happened earlier."
I told Miss Rubia.
Actually, I knew that giving her some alone time was the best thing to do in these situations.
But with the way things were, I couldn't help it.
The consecutive uses of Stigma.
The Divine Power consumed by the final blow I dealt to Balzac.
With those problems piling up, the efficiency of her recovery dropped extremely low, leaving me with no choice but to stay in contact with her for a long time.
The result of that was Miss Rubia lying on my lap, sniffling.
Her face turned as red as a ripe persimmon from sheer shame.
If I just left her alone, it looked like she would bite her tongue and choose death right then and there.
"Being sick isn't something to be ashamed of. I'm telling you, no one's going to laugh at you for something like that."
The sound had echoed so loudly, and Ciel's Shadow Passage was still open. All of our companions had already heard the news about Miss Rubia.
I offered her warm comfort in a calm voice so as not to provoke her. Patting her shoulder to cheer her up was just a bonus to show my support.
"Nooo... it's not like that!"
However, Miss Rubia sobbed as she spoke.
I wondered just how unfairly she felt she had been treated. She even brought up the Mana Oath, insisting she was perfectly fine.
Miss Rubia was the one who said it. She couldn't possibly be ignorant of the weight of a Mana Oath. So, I started to wonder if what happened earlier really was just a misunderstanding.
But if that were true, there was one thing that didn't make sense.
"Then why the diapers......."
If she wasn't sick, why would she buy them? At my natural question, Miss Rubia broke into a cold sweat and avoided my gaze.
"Th-That's because my father is very ill..."
She then claimed she bought them for her father.
Since Miss Rubia herself said it, I obviously wanted to believe her.
'Isn't that a bit strange?'
I couldn't help but have my doubts.
The message left by the employee clearly stated that it was for adult women.
Why would she order an adult women's product for her father to use?
My face stiffened as I pondered over it for a long time. It was inevitable.
If she wasn't sick and still bought such a product. There was only one possible use that came to mind.
'...Her tastes are quite unique.'
Ageplay, really.
I had judged Miss Rubia to be the most normal among our companions. I guess I'm the only sane one after all.
"I'm really worried. I should go visit him sometime."
Her father, believing in his capable daughter, had stepped down from the frontlines and was enjoying his retirement in a distant resort.
A man who had been so hale and hearty had suddenly turned into an old man at death's door just from a few words from his daughter.
I couldn't let Miss Rubia become an unfilial daughter any more than this.
"I see. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."
I had no choice but to wrap up the situation with those words.
Perhaps thinking I was being completely serious, the worry faded from her face. Although, it wasn't long before a wave of guilt seemed to wash over her.
...How should I put this.
I genuinely started to worry about what kind of man would end up taking that Noonim in. She was so high-maintenance that someone would really need to take good care of her.
One concern led to another.
Thinking about it, Ciel, Rien, and Lucy were all good-natured at heart, but every single one of them had their eccentricities.
I felt like they'd eventually meet someone and get married, but I couldn't imagine any grooms who could actually handle them.
'I don't know who it'll be, but they're definitely going to have it rough.'
Unless they were superhumans, there was no way they'd make it out in one piece. I was having these thoughts while continuing to treat Miss Rubia when it happened.
...Footsteps suddenly echoed.
Raising my head, I saw a black-haired Knight.
"Did you really think I would just die so easily?"
A chilling voice rang out.
A wave of Bloodlust washed over us.
Balzac, having appeared out of nowhere, pointed his sword at us.
"You were the ones who discarded honor first, so don't expect a clean death."
His eyes filled with hatred, Balzac swung his sword with a mad smile.
Thousands of Sword Auras rushed towards us.
They reached us before we even had a chance to dodge. Blood spurted from Miss Rubia. Making a mockery of our entire rescue operation, Miss Rubia's life was snuffed out in a pitifully easy manner.
Having exhausted both my Divine Power and the power of Stigma, I couldn't withstand the attack either.
And just like that, we all died.
......At least, that's what didn't happen.
"How was that! Pretty convincing, right?"
Balzac.
No, to be exact, the soul that had taken over Balzac's body said that and laughed heartily.
"The operation is completely finished, my Lord. Rest assured, the original personality has been thoroughly destroyed."
Hearing those words from Lucy as she followed Fake Balzac out, my expression naturally brightened.
Taking Lucy in was definitely a good decision after all.
I'd seen her ruthless side at the Great Temple. Her Villain persona had made me slightly hesitant to recruit her.
If I hadn't brought her into the fold, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.
Handling souls and Curses might seem a bit ominous, but she's on our side, so who cares?
It's always been a rule that a mysterious power used by our side is a divine miracle, while the same power used by the enemy is dark sorcery.
"This is... definitely beyond my expectations."
Balzac's death.
Once it became known, the suspicion would naturally fall on Miss Rubia, who was the last person he visited.
In the worst-case scenario, we'd barely kill one Sword Master, only to end up with two Sword Masters coming after us.
This was the countermeasure to prepare for that.
Since his body and mind wouldn't be perfectly synched, he'd be much weaker than the original owner. But other than that, he was Balzac in every exact same way.
Add the acting skills I just witnessed to that, and....
"That's definitely going to work."
A smile naturally spread across my lips.
It was time to plant a spy right in the heart of the Imperial Army.
*****
The ruined mansion.
There was an uninvited guest hiding there, avoiding everyone's eyes.
The blond man desperately held his breath as he watched the scene unfold before him. His face was painted with shock.
I never expected to witness something like this....
When the Third Princess ordered him to monitor Balzac's actions, he thought he would just be wasting his time on a fool's errand.
There was no way a direct Imperial Guard of the Imperial Family would betray them. He figured nothing extraordinary would happen even if he kept watch.
As the 3rd ranked agent in the Imperial Secret Intelligence Department.
For someone of his caliber to have to follow such an absurd order to just secretly watch them because something bothered him, he couldn't help but feel skeptical.
But the scene he had just witnessed was shocking enough to completely wipe those thoughts from his mind.
'The identity of the Black Fang Leader, the newly emerged Hero, the death of a Sword Master, and the intelligence operation using Fake Balzac.'
Even as someone who encountered all sorts of shocking secrets due to the nature of his job, he couldn't hide his astonishment at what he had just witnessed.
The Third Princess's intuition was beyond imagination.
Until now, he had considered her to be nothing more than a capricious little girl. But this was enough to overturn that assessment.
'The Empire is going to be turned upside down.'
The move she made based on her intuition would lead Black Fang to complete ruin.
His hands trembled with excitement.
He quickly escaped the mansion, secured a safe distance, and then contacted the Princess.
Was it a stroke of luck?
The Third Princess answered his message much faster than usual.
The blonde girl appeared on the floating screen.
"I have an important report to make."
He announced in an urgent voice.
The incidents he had just witnessed firsthand. Every single one of them was information that could flip the future of the Empire.
Which one should he report first?
The answer was far too obvious.
While the other matters were also highly critical, they couldn't even compare to the story about the Hero.
That was why the man spoke.
That the Leader of Black Fang, a man named Ian, was the Hero of this generation.
...No, he was about to say it.
[You are mistaken about something.]
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor's voice echoed.
His head instantly spun.
He knew exactly what this was.
The restriction placed on the Imperial Intelligence Department.
What happens when you come across a secret that even you must never touch.
But.......
Why?
What exactly triggered that restriction?
This was clearly the bullet that would pierce the heart of Black Fang.
So why did it trigger the restriction?
[A Hero by the name of Ian does not exist.]
Hearing those words, the man's face filled with horror.
This was a restriction set by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor himself in the past. It was placed to erase the memories of the intelligence department, who knew well about the Former Hero.
A restriction that was powerful, detailed, and strict above all else.
A modification of memories carried out much more thoroughly than with anyone else.
...It wasn't that the Leader of Black Fang hadn't noticed him. He had already been detected long ago.
That bastard knew everything and used an alias.
He used the exact same name as the Former Hero to trigger the restriction, intending to use His Imperial Majesty's power to erase the man's memories.
[Such a person never existed in the first place.]
His mind began to grow hazy.
He couldn't even remember what he had been thinking about.
[Everything related to that person is nothing more than unimportant trivialities. You simply need to forget it all.]
Ah! That's right.
Why didn't I know that?
Those things aren't important.
The birth of the new Hero. Balzac's death. The intelligence operation. They were all just worthless nonsense.
So I just need to forget about it.
[......What, why did you stop talking?]
The man, who had been wearing a blank expression, quickly snapped out of it. The Third Princess appeared on the screen before him.
[So what is this important report?]
The Third Princess asked with a frustrated look on her face. But the frustrated one was actually the man.
"Important report? What are you suddenly talking about?"
To think he contacted her first and then started rambling about an important report. There was a limit to how dumbfounded one could be.
[......You little shit.]
Starting with those words, a string of abusive language loud enough to hurt his ears followed. The Third Princess threw a fit at him, as capricious as always.
'She's the one who made the call, but now she's feeling awkward so she's just taking it out on easy old me.'
As expected, the Third Princess was unreliable.
Since he couldn't defy a Royal, he outwardly pretended to apologize and say he was sorry.
But the man had now firmly made up his mind.
Which line he needed to take.
It would be best to spread the word to his colleagues in the intelligence department as well. To tell them that woman was nothing but a rotten lifeline.
'As I thought, the only one we can rely on is the brilliant Second Prince.'