“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Iris, Lize, Erica, and Claudia were still dumbfounded by the situation unfolding before them.
Where on earth had the original lord gone, and why was his daughter, Aurora, sitting on a sofa in an elegant dress, chatting with the newbie?
For someone who had never had a single good memory in this mansion, the fact that the scenery could be so peaceful and warm was extremely unfamiliar.
The sight of delicious treats laid out on the table, maids treating them with courtesy, and the absence of that pig glaring at them—everything felt surreal.
Aurora smiled sweetly and spoke.
“First of all, I’d like to apologize for the actions of that pig, and despite that, I want to express my gratitude for your efforts for our city. To the Silver Dawn Knights’ commanders.”
As Aurora rose from the sofa, she lightly lifted the hem of her dress with both hands, bent her knees slightly, and bowed. The four of them stared blankly ahead.
They knew it would be rude not to react as the other party greeted them, yet their minds couldn’t keep up with the situation, causing their bodies to remain still.
What on earth were they looking at? Understanding this confusing feeling, Aurora chuckled softly.
“I completely understand your feelings, commanders. It must be confusing. I felt the same way at first as well. If I felt that way, how could you not? Please rest assured, I don’t think it’s rude at all.”
“Uh, um, Lady Aurora, what on earth is going on…?”
“It seems we need to clarify how to address me. From now on, just refer to me as Lord. Or Aurora Lord is fine too. Please feel free to call me whichever you prefer.”
“……Huh?”
Claudia asked back in a dazed voice, her face clearly showing disbelief.
“Because that pig is dead.”
Lize dropped the snack she was about to put in her mouth. Iris squeezed her teacup too hard, shattering it, while Claudia’s mouth hung open in shock. Erica coughed as if she had choked, beating her chest.
“That pig… I mean, the lord is dead?”
“You can curse as much as you want, Commander Lize. I won’t mind what you call him, or which title you use. In fact, I would encourage you to use more insulting titles.”
At first, Lize tried to stick with her usual name for the pig, but realizing it wasn’t appropriate to refer to a father that way in front of his daughter, she hastily changed her words. However, Aurora’s reaction was quite the opposite.
She was actually encouraging them to use more insulting titles.
“To me, he was merely a biological father who passed on the royal bloodline; he wasn’t family in any sense of the word. Look, even now I’m still referring to that pig, right?”
“Ah, understood. Then, my lord.”
A satisfied smile spread across Aurora’s face. It was truly a delightful sound to her ears. Yes, she should have been sitting here long ago.
Of course, she wouldn’t have achieved this alone, and there was a person responsible for making such accomplishments possible. Her golden eyes briefly glanced at the man munching on snacks not far away.
Seeing Aurora’s eyes scan the newbie with an oddly sticky emotion, Lize fell into thought for a moment, then snapped back to reality at the sound of her name.
“Yes, please speak. Commander Lize.”
“……Ah, yes. I would like a detailed explanation about that pig’s death, if that’s alright?”
As the question that all the other commanders were also curious about popped from Lize’s lips, three pairs of curious eyes focused on Aurora.
No, the one who asked was also part of that count, so four pairs. Aurora leisurely accepted their gazes and brought the teacup to her lips.
“Of course, I’ll explain. Now, let me go through it step by step from the beginning.”
Wow, this is a lie I thought of, but hearing it like that makes it sound so real. Does Aurora have a knack for acting?
Aurora only relayed the surface reason to the commanders, as we had previously arranged, leaving the truth for me to reveal later.
How I defeated the Headless Armored Cavalier and “happened” upon a Book Inhabited by a Demon.
I had secretly brought the book to the lord, intending to discuss how to handle it, but that greedy fool was blinded by desire and tried to summon a demon instead of sending me away.
Fortunately, the demon inhabiting the book was considerably weakened, so there was no significant damage.
However, as a result, the lord was transformed into a half-human, half-horse being, and following the imperial law, all his rights were stripped away, and his existence was erased, leaving me to take his place.
Aurora’s confident demeanor and voice as she explained, as well as her addressing areas she found awkward with added embellishments, made her lies even more believable.
“The events unfolded as follows, commanders.”
After finishing her explanation, Aurora brought the teacup to her lips as if she was thirsty. Gulp, sounded out in the now eerily quiet reception room, where the sound of the tea flowing was echoed.
It was quite some time before the next voice emerged. Iris, staring blankly at the ceiling while organizing her thoughts, cautiously spoke.
“……To be honest, I think this story is utterly absurd. Aside from him being the type to summon a demon for his selfish desires, the rest feels like a dream.”
“But it is a fact that it really happened.”
“Yes, my lord. I know. If someone had told me what you just said, I would have told them to swing their sword one more time instead of weaving such absurd lies.”
“Absurd lies, huh… I see.”
Aurora chuckled at that word. She knew that her explanation was half-lies, so it must have felt ironic.
“However, newbie.”
“Hmm?”
Silver eyes were directed at me. Just when I was about to pass the baton to Aurora and reveal our true plan to the four, she interjected.
“Listening to all that makes me wonder about one thing.”
“……?”
I blinked, not understanding what Iris was trying to say. Aurora’s additional explanations shouldn’t have contained any flaws. I took a moment to recall where the explanation might have stumbled.
And unexpectedly, I could easily discover what the issue was.
“There’s no way you trusted that lord more than we did. If you truly happened upon that book, you would’ve come to us to discuss how to handle it, not him.”
At that, Aurora made an expression of realization.
Indeed, considering how bad the lord’s reputation was in this city, the very act of going to consult that fool sounded ridiculous. Iris had accurately pinpointed that point.
For the empress, who was unaware of the situation and my circumstances, the excuse “I didn’t know the lord was that terrible since I just joined the Silver Dawn Knights” might stand, but that excuse wouldn’t hold any weight with the commanders.
“That’s right. You pointed it out correctly. Iris, you’re right. If you truly found that book by chance, you would have gone to consult with you guys, not that pig.”
I acknowledged the statement without hesitation. At this point, I planned to reveal the true plan anyway. It was merely a matter of timing.
“You’re admitting it quite readily. So then, where does the lie begin, and where does the truth end?”
“Half is truth, and half is lie. First of all, the part about the lord turning into a half-human, half-horse is true. And it’s true that there was no damage done nearby. It’s also true that Aurora took that position; the rest is all lies.”
“I roughly get it. Then, why did you reveal the false plan to us first?”
“Because there’s a person who needs to make use of that. There’s a significant difference between hearing it knowing it’s a lie and hearing it without that knowledge, right? So, I wanted to know what felt off to you guys. Plus, having you cooperate makes the plan more perfect.”
“……A person who needs to make use of the plan? Who is that?”
“Someone who’ll come to take down the demon in the basement soon.”
At my ambiguous words, Iris looked puzzled for a moment, then realized something, her face turning pale as she looked at me.
“Newbie, you’re not…!”
“Just as you think, Iris.”
The faces of Lize, Erica, and Claudia beside her were no different. Their faces paled, trembling as they stared at me in disbelief.
“Your Majesty. That person we just mentioned who needs to use the plan is him.”
