Chapter 56

When I returned to the Sylph household, to my surprise, the young lady was waiting for me in the entrance hall. Not only that, she had a table set up to have tea and read a book... I mean, what if there were sudden visitors!?

"Rage! You're back, finally!"

The welcome was so enthusiastic that I could almost visualize a dog's tail wagging furiously behind her. I couldn't even reprimand her... If the Earl found out, he would be angry. He would say it's "indecent." Next, he would probably say, "You seem to have won the favor of the young lady" (for the second time).

In any case, I moved to the room with the young lady. Of course, I had the table in the entrance removed.

"So... what happened at the Holy Palace?"

"Are you worried?"

"Of course! Rage is my..."

The young lady averted her gaze as she continued,

"V-vital protector, after all."

Young lady, I'm a bit troubled by your concern for a protector. But it's better than being treated poorly.

"I didn't stay there for long, and I didn't hear about the giant snake. Oh, by the way, I received one Holy Gold Coin for my efforts yesterday. However, His Holiness the King seems to be busy with the Riviere family."

I'll talk about the "Covenant" and the "Hidden World" if the Earl deems it necessary. As for the old man Hinga—Miss Lulu—there's something I need to tell him, but I thought it would be better to wait a bit after yesterday's chaos.

"Riviere family...?"

"Yes."

I told the young lady everything I knew about the situation so far. It should be fine to share this information.

"......"

The young lady furrowed her cute brows and thought deeply.

"...Rage."

After a moment, the young lady spoke.

"...Can you hear my idea?"

The young lady's expression was pale—minutes later, I would understand why.

The young lady was, after all, the young lady. Born with noble blood—though she disliked it at times—and given knowledge, she had above all, a sense of justice.

Even if it meant hurting her father.

During the day, I often checked the surroundings from the roof, but there was no sign of a coup. It was so quiet that it was scary.

The Earl returned home very late at night. He narrowed his long, slanted eyes when he saw that not only I but also the young lady was waiting for him.

"...What's going on?"

"Welcome back, Father."

"Thank you, Eva. I was already sleep-deprived and had to use a lot of nerves today, so I wanted to go to bed early... but it seems that won't be possible."

"I understand that Father is very tired, but there is something I must confirm."

"Understood. Sebastian, please stay a bit longer."

"Hai..."

The butler glared at me. He doesn't tolerate anyone, even allies, who might harm the Earl's health.

The maids and other butlers in the entrance hall looked anxious—they hadn't been told anything, so they were surprised by the tense atmosphere.

"Also, please ask Captain Maxim to join us."

"Hai."

Captain Maxim, who was on duty as the Earl's guard, also came. The Earl's private room was too small, so we moved to the guest reception room.

The Earl and the young lady sat on the sofas facing each other, while the butler and Captain Maxim stood behind the Earl, and I stood behind the young lady. The Earl looked visibly exhausted, but I also felt that we couldn't delay this conversation any longer. We didn't know what might happen tomorrow.

"Father, what happened with the Riviere family?"

"......"

The Earl glanced at me, who was standing diagonally behind the young lady.

(That's right? I was the one who told her. But this is information that the young lady should know, isn't it?)

This thought lasted only a moment before the Earl said as if nothing had happened.

"Due to the attempted assassination of Lady Kurvshrat and the crime of bribing priests involved in the 'Heavenly Altar' and diverting star-filled天赋珠玉, the Riviere family has been placed under the control of His Holiness the King. The head of the family resisted until the end, and other ducal families tried to support them, but evidence of the bribery of priests was found during the search of the house. There's no denying it now. Thanks to the giant snake. If the Holy Knights hadn't swiftly eliminated it, the damage would have been much greater, and it wouldn't have been just the Riviere family."

"...The Holy Knights eliminated it?"

I caught on to part of what he said.

"Yes. That's what I heard... The Holy Knights are actually seizing the remains of the giant snake."

So that's how it is. The Adventurers' Guild lost the battle with the Holy Knights.

"...Is something wrong, Mr. Rage?"

I shook my head silently. I'm not concerned about the Uroboros for now.

Then the young lady said,

"Father, the 'attempted assassination of Lady Kurvshrat' and the 'diversion of the天赋珠玉' are two separate incidents."

"...That's true. But what are you getting at?"

"The masterminds are different. Father, you were unconsciously using the words 'attempted assassination' and 'diversion of the天赋珠玉' separately."

At this moment— for the first time, the Earl's face showed a sign of disturbance. His eyes widened.

"If you listen without thinking, you might assume both were done by the Riviere family. The poisoner who put poison in Lady Kurvshrat's plate was found dead at the Riviere house, and as a result, the investigation led to the discovery of evidence of priest bribery... This makes it seem like the two incidents are connected. However, I believe they are separate and unrelated."

The young lady spoke calmly, as if trying not to let her emotions show in her words.

"Father, you knew that the attempted assassination of Lady Kurvshrat was not done by the Riviere family, didn't you? That's why you unconsciously used the word 'suspected.' Because you, Father, are the mastermind behind the attempted poisoning."

The next part, as you might guess, is titled "Father's Cold Blood" and is scheduled to be updated at 6 PM today.