Chapter 44

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Because Lamis was being so noisy, I had a magician cast a silence spell on her to make her quiet down. One of the guards Prince Alan brought with him was a magician. He was a muscular, well-built man with a dazzling white smile. Why is he a magician with such muscles?

Lamis, deprived of her voice, was opening and closing her mouth, her face turning red as she tried to say something. It was a good decision to cast the spell. Until I did, she had been talking non-stop about "Pete is different" and "Jin's success story as a consort." The "Prince Jin" Lamis described was far from the real Jin. While the appearance matched, the description of an ice prince or a solitary genius—whose is that? Is he not her lover after all? Still, I'm impressed she can idealize Jin so much. I can't figure out how she formed such a character. From my perspective, Jin is a wimpy, muscular lion.

Now that Lamis has quieted down, let's interrogate the real culprit. I'd like to confront them with evidence in a two-hour suspense style, but since the only evidence is from the identification magic, this will be more about capturing and escorting them. There won't be a confession scene on the cliff, which is a shame because it would have been the highlight.

"Hey, you there, Pete, right? Gaddock, what's his background?"

"Indeed. He has been in the intelligence department since last year. He's from Line Village, and his family are farmers. His performance at the time of hiring was excellent, and he has been working in the same department as Lamis since this year."

"Hmm, to be hired from a commoner background into the intelligence department, he must be quite talented."

To work in the palace, there is a hiring exam, and the intelligence department, which gathers intellectuals, is a difficult department to join. He must be very talented.

However, the identification magic has been writing "Caution! Identity Fraud!" in big letters next to the man with the messy hair. Oh, and this might be evidence.

"Prince Alan, there's a hidden pocket in the right pocket of that man's pants, and inside it, there's dried Berna grass."

"Berna grass? Guards!"

The guards pounced on the man with the messy hair, who tried to run away. He was easily pinned to the ground and let out an animal-like roar.

"Damn it! Let me go!"

The man's resistance was meaningless. The guards quickly found what they were looking for. Five packets of herbs wrapped in white paper. Prince Alan opened one and checked the contents.

"No doubt. It's Berna grass."

Prince Alan's face was fierce. According to the identification magic, Berna grass is an illegal herb that is not allowed to be possessed or cultivated. It causes a high, reduces fatigue, and provides a sense of happiness, but it is addictive and eventually ruins the body. It's like the drugs from my previous world. It was used as a recovery drug in the military a long time ago, but it was banned because it turned soldiers into wrecks.

The identification magic was about to start listing other banned herbs, but I declined, saying I was busy. I want to know about the other banned herbs, but now is the time to deal with the man with the messy hair!

Prince Alan said that possession of this banned herb alone is a life sentence as a criminal slave, and if it's sold, it's a capital offense. The other world is harsh.

"Let me go! That herb is different! L, Lamis-senpai gave it to me! I'm different! I'm different!"

Lamis's eyes widened as she looked at the man with the messy hair. She seemed to have trusted him, so the shock of being betrayed must have been great.

"Lying in front of the identification magic is pointless, you know?"

I squatted in front of the man with the messy hair. I met his gaze as he made excuses with a weak expression.

"Hey, Pete, I mean, your real name is Ryan, right? Where did you bury your cousin Pete?"

The man with the messy hair was speechless, his eyes wide open. His face was filled with shock and fear.

"W, why, why, why?"

"Should I list all the people you've harmed?"

The identification magic is displaying the names of the victims in big letters. It's showing pop-ups like "The greatest villain on the continent!" and "A rare scumbag in history!" But "Has a thorn on his finger!" is unnecessary information. The identification magic is really enthusiastic.

"Monster! Monster!"

"That's rude. I don't want to be called that by the greatest villain on the continent."

What kind of treatment is this for such a delicate and beautiful girl!

"Shiena, that's enough."

Prince Alan pulled me away. He looked worried, but I'm not damaged by anything that guy said.

"Guards, take that man away. Investigate Lamis as well. Viscount Gaddock, I want to question your son Louis, so come with us. For the time being, the intelligence department will be under the deputy director's jurisdiction. Everyone else can return to work, but if you leak any information from this room, you will be punished severely for treason. Be careful!"

Everyone nodded with tense faces. By the way, treason is a capital offense for the entire family. Scary. Before, in Kyrat Street, the young ladies said Jin was suspected of treason, but it's a good thing that was stopped. If a family was destroyed by a young lady's misguided jealousy, it would be terrible.

Lamis, who was being led out of the room, glared at me with a fierce expression. I'm her benefactor, so I don't understand why she's glaring at me.

---

After the investigation, we learned the true identity of Pete, who was actually Ryan. As the identification magic had revealed, Ryan and Pete were cousins. They looked very similar. Ryan's parents left him when he was young and went somewhere, and he was raised by Pete's parents. Compared to the excellent Pete, Ryan's behavior gradually worsened.

When Pete's parents died, and Pete passed the royal city's hiring exam, Ryan, who was also looking for work in the capital, left their hometown, Rain Village, with Pete. Ryan, who had always envied and hated Pete, killed him on the way to the capital and took his place, starting to work in the royal city.

At first, Ryan intended to start a new life and work normally as Pete. However, since only the talented Pete had passed the exam, Ryan lacked the ability to work in the intelligence department and quickly fell behind. Moreover, since he had never lived a serious life and was a spendthrift, it was only a matter of time before he returned to his criminal ways.

Ryan was not only connected to the fake knights but also to other criminal organizations and foreign organizations, and he is being interrogated harshly. Since he was also involved in the illegal sale of herbs, the death penalty is certain.

Lamis was proven to have no connection to the organization and was only a colleague of Ryan. However, some confidential information had been leaked from Lamis to Ryan, and as a result, the three members of the Gaddock family had to leave their positions in the intelligence department. The family was allowed to continue, which is considered a lenient punishment.

I received a sincere thank you from Viscount Gaddock, who said that the family was allowed to continue because I believed in Lamis's innocence. However, I didn't trust Lamis at all. I just said she was innocent because she hadn't committed a crime. I'm still upset about the shopping trip being ruined. I hate that guy.

Lamis was sent to the most strict convent in the Marita Kingdom. Entering a convent means leaving the secular world. She will lose her noble status and become a commoner nun.

Originally, Lamis was assigned to the intelligence department due to her excellent school and hiring exam scores. However, her arrogant and condescending personality caused her to have poor relationships and become isolated. Even when Viscount Gaddock tried to arrange a marriage, her personality led to rejections, and she became isolated. Indeed, at 22, Lamis is considered a late bloomer in this world, where women typically marry between 15 and 17.

I need to work hard on my own marriage prospects. I need to find a suitable partner soon.

This incident, of course, came to the attention of the king and queen. Since I was exhausted and fell asleep afterward, the king and queen were worried and came to see me, causing the work of the attendants and officials to be delayed. They complained to Grandpa Sand, and I was granted permission to use my recovery magic.

Instead of suddenly stopping the recovery magic, the plan is to gradually reduce the frequency while building up my stamina.

Without the recovery magic, I can barely stay awake, so I was really happy. Yay.

Still, relying too much on it isn't good, so I'll work hard on building my stamina.