Episode 40
"Young master, what are you staring at so blankly?"
As I lay on the bed staring vacantly at the ceiling, Kania approached with a puzzled expression and asked.
"Try guessing."
"...Excuse me?"
When I posed this question to Kania with a dazed voice, she responded with a slightly dumbfounded expression.
"How am I supposed to guess that?"
"...Serena could tell just by looking at my eyes."
But when I provoked her with a mischievous expression, her face scrunched up and she began approaching the bed where I lay.
"Ah... so you're looking at the System, then?"
After sitting on the edge of the bed and staring intently into my eyes, she answered thus.
"...As expected, Kania is remarkable too."
Seeing Kania's expression was so serious, I decided to stop teasing her there. I slowly rose from the bed and began to speak.
"That's right, I was looking at the System."
"...But why were you just staring blankly at it? I remember that when you looked at the System before, your pupils moved around."
"...Oh-ho."
At Kania's sharp question that probed into my words, I realized anew that she was quite intelligent. With a satisfied smile, I continued speaking.
"Normally there was a lot I could do with the System, but unfortunately, right now I can only stare at it."
"What does that mean?"
To Kania, who questioned me again with a puzzled expression, I answered quietly while looking at the System window floating before my eyes.
[System Updating]
"...The System is under maintenance, you see."
Because of the outrageous things I did at yesterday's ball, when I parted from Serena and got into the carriage, Villainy Points came flooding in at once—3000 points.
And from that moment, the System became unresponsive, displaying only that message.
Thanks to that, I can't use the 'Mind Reading' skill or the 'Information Search' skill I always used.
According to the prophecy book, when the System performs an 'update,' all abilities except the Penalty and Quest systems temporarily stop working... so 'Villain's Intuition' probably won't activate either.
'The System was going to become quite unhelpful after the update ends anyway... but this is really too much.'
Well, the System would only properly help with villainous acts, not with clearing this main quest.
Still, not being able to use useful skills like Information Search is quite regrettable.
"...Young master."
"Yes?"
As I was licking my lips in regret, Kania suddenly lowered her voice and spoke.
"Lady Serena is right outside the door."
"...How do you know that?"
"You know well that my dark magic power and the sun's mana, star's mana, and moon's mana are opposites. I can sense presence as much as I want."
"...Impressive."
Seeing that Kania, whose curse was only slightly neutralized, was already showing her capabilities, I smiled with satisfaction, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
"...Perhaps you knew I was here?"
"What?"
"I can tell from the speed you opened the door and your expression. Well, it's not a remarkable deduction, so let's leave it at that... may I come inside?"
"What business do you have?"
As Serena tried to push past me to enter, I urgently grabbed her and asked, and she answered with an expression that said it was obvious.
"Do I need a reason to enter my fiancé's room?"
"But..."
"...I told you, didn't I? That I'll turn your heart back within a year. So I'll always do my best."
After saying those words, Serena forced her way into the room and began checking here and there.
"Hmm... the room is quite clean, isn't it?"
"...There are many cleaners because of various matters."
"The cleaners must be quite skilled. Not a speck of dust to be seen."
Serena, who was running her finger along the windowsill while muttering, suddenly saw Kania sitting on the bed and looking nervous, and spoke up.
"So, why are you here?"
"I am the young master's servant..."
"Miss Kania, that's not what I'm asking."
Serena, who firmly cut off Kania's words, sat down beside the bed and began questioning with a cold expression.
"Do you intend to harm Mr. Frey? Or are you trying to help him?"
"...The latter."
"Yes, that's the truth. Thank you for your answer."
Kania, who spoke while extremely tense, was momentarily flustered when Serena accepted it so easily, then began shaking her head. Serena, who glanced at her, then smiled and began speaking to me.
"Mr. Frey, is this also part of your usual false philandering?"
"I've never falsely philandered even once."
"Another lie. You've become quite remarkable while we were apart, but you can't deceive me to that extent, probably."
Whether due to the Absolute Obedience Magic, Serena added "probably" at the end without realizing it, then suddenly stopped smiling and said with a cold expression.
"But I don't know if this was intended... or coincidental, but you chose your partner quite well this time?"
"What?"
"Well, a stray cat is always just a stray cat."
I was staring blankly at Serena, who was spouting incomprehensible words, when Kania quietly opened her mouth.
"...Come to think of it, Lady Serena hated cats."
"Yes, I hate cats. Very much so."
Then Kania said with a slight smile.
"That's unfortunate. The young master likes cats very much."
"Yes, he likes them as 'pets.' I know that well too."
The eyes of Serena, who was wearing a faint smile, and Kania, who was wearing a sharp smile, crossed.
I was watching the situation with interest when Serena suddenly frowned and slumped into a chair. I raised an eyebrow slightly and asked.
"...That chronic illness again?"
"Oh, you were worried about me just now? Probably."
"Fine, get out of this room quickly. I don't want to see you trembling and pathetic."
"Yes, I understand."
"No, wait. Wait a moment."
I was about to send her out because I roughly understood why she suddenly slumped into the chair, but I stopped her and gave a command.
"If you start seeing any suspicious signs at the commoner dormitory, contact me immediately."
"I understand."
"Regarding this command, don't carry it out naturally—think of it as my earnest request."
"Yes."
When I finished the command, Serena wore a faint smile and instead of a farewell, she said the words she always said.
"I love you, probably."
After saying that, she turned and began heading outside the dormitory.
"...Young master, I have a question."
"What is it?"
As I watched Serena with a sigh, Kania beside me asked a question.
"According to what you explained to me in the carriage last night, Lady Serena currently cannot be certain about anything regarding you."
"That's right?"
When I nodded, Kania frowned and asked.
"Then why don't you reveal everything to Lady Serena?"
"........"
"Even if you reveal everything to Lady Serena, she will continue to 'doubt' everything until the end, so a 'penalty' won't occur. Yet, why..."
"...There are reasons."
I began to slowly explain the reason to her.
"First... it's because of the 'System's Trial.'"
"The System's Trial?"
"Yes, because of that trial, except for you, a dark mage... everyone who 'worries' about me will be cursed."
"...I see."
When Kania nodded with a stiff expression, I sighed and said.
"Right now, the existences 'worrying' about me are my sister Aria and my fiancée Serena. So I have no choice but to make sure neither of them worries about me."
"So you don't reveal everything to Lady Serena?"
"Yes, if I reveal everything, though she'll continue to doubt because of the command I placed... the possibility of 'love' and 'worry' emotions disappearing would significantly decrease."
When I spoke as calmly as I could, Kania frowned and opened her mouth.
"Still... after the curse ends, you could reveal everything..."
"No. The second reason is her family."
"...Ah."
When I said firmly, Kania began to show an understanding expression.
"You saw her suffering just now, right? Seeing that, the 'Family Subjugation' curse has indeed activated."
"...Terrible."
"In the previous cycle, the Moonlight family's leadership was all eliminated by the Demon King before they decided on my elimination... but because I proposed to the Imperial Princess, they decided on elimination faster than expected, it seems."
After saying that much and pausing for breath, I closed my eyes gently and continued speaking.
"So from now on, if she doesn't genuinely try to kill me, the intensity of her pain will become incomparably greater than the pain she originally felt. So for Serena's sake too, I must be hated by her."
"...If Lady Serena genuinely tries to kill you, it will be quite difficult, won't it?"
"I'll somehow manage until I catch the Demon King."
When I said with a bitter smile, Kania sighed and muttered.
"Somehow it seems like the whole world is designed to make you into a villain."
"Right? It's a truly damned world."
As I was looking at the floor with tired eyes for a while, Kania asked again.
"But what was the reason for giving Lady Serena that command?"
"That command?"
"You told her to report if something happens at the commoner dormitory."
As Kania tilted her head and asked, I smiled slightly and said.
"Don't you remember we agreed to go out together?"
"...Excuse me?"
"We should start getting ready to go. You prepare too."
Hearing that, Kania showed a flustered expression and opened her mouth.
"B, but... the 'Commoner Dormitory Attack Incident' hasn't ended yet, has it? If you and I, young master, leave our posts..."
"Actually, the reason for going out is because of the 'Commoner Dormitory Attack Incident.'"
"Excuse me?"
I stood up and put on clothes while saying.
"It seems the 'attacker' hasn't attacked because they've detected the surveillance. So if we, who were monitoring every day, disappear, won't they jump at the chance to attack?"
"But... if something happens while we're gone..."
"That's why I told Serena to contact us immediately if she sees 'suspicious signs.' She's smart, so she won't be detected by the 'attacker,' and she'll contact us before anything happens."
"...I see."
Then Kania also nodded with an expression of understanding and rose from her seat.
"By the way, where will we be going?"
"Since we have to return to the Academy immediately if contacted, to the closest..."
I was about to suggest going to a nearby clothing store, since I wanted to buy clothes for Kania who always wore formal wear...
"Frey!!"
"Eek!!"
Suddenly Serena burst through my door, startling me.
"Serena, what is this, coming in without even knocking..."
I, who had calmed my startled heart, began to speak while coldly glaring at Serena, but...
"I found suspicious signs."
".....!"
I froze at her confident words.
"I did well, right?"
After watching Serena speak with a bright smile for a moment, I quietly sighed and said to Kania.
"...Let's postpone the outing for a bit."
"Yes."
It seems the main quest has begun.
.
"What is this?"
We arrived at the commoner dormitory fully tense, but what awaited us was simply a peaceful commoner dormitory building.
Normally when this event occurs, the dormitory is burning or destroyed as a basic... I don't know what suspicious signs she's sensing in this intact state.
"...Look, doesn't it look strange at first glance?"
But Serena pointed at the dormitory with a confident expression, and as I was looking at her in disbelief, Kania suddenly broke into a cold sweat and spoke.
"...I sense terrible magical power."
Only then did I wear a startled expression and spread star mana in all directions, and I could sense enormous magical power beginning to circle the dormitory.
"You can use star mana after all? Why on earth were you hiding..."
"...Forget that I just used star mana."
Having roughly grasped the situation, I quickly gave a command to Serena, who was approaching me with shining eyes.
"...Hmm?"
Then Serena momentarily wore a dazed expression, then began tilting her head.
'...As expected, I shouldn't abuse memory erasure.'
As Serena began looking at me with half-lidded eyes for some reason, I quietly muttered to myself.
The 'Absolute Obedience Magic' that makes the obedient subject follow commands without any doubt, but if I keep erasing memories like this, Serena, a genius among geniuses, might grasp the gaps in erased memories and become suspicious.
Isn't she slightly glaring at me right now? So, I should refrain from erasing memories except in emergencies.
"Now, look."
As I calmly met her gaze while thinking such thoughts, Serena, who had picked up a stone from the ground, threw it forcefully at the dormitory entrance.
*Pat!*
Then the stone, which was flying forcefully, disappeared like a touch the moment it touched the dormitory entrance.
"...It seems the inside and outside spaces of the dormitory have been separated."
"That's right, seeing the thrown stone disappear without a trace. Then wait in front of the entrance for a moment."
After I answered calmly to Serena's explanation and gave a command, Kania beside me urgently spoke.
"We should retreat for now."
"...Why?"
"Don't you know well? The existences who can cast this level of large-scale spatial magic are..."
"...Only the Demon King, or her closest aide, the second-in-command. I know that well too."
I said calmly to her and showed something I had slipped out of my pocket.
"But with this, there's nothing to worry about."
"...Excuse me?"
Kania began to wear a bewildered expression at the 'Stone of Domination' I had taken out.
"That's the 'Stone of Domination,' an item for mental manipulation, isn't it? I know it well because I overheard the conversation between you and the Demon King's confidant in the previous cycle."
"...Yes, according to the original scenario, this 'Stone of Domination' is an item to awaken the 'brainwashed attacker.'"
To her, I opened my mouth with a leisurely smile.
"But actually, the 'true power' of this item isn't something like 'mental domination.'"
"What do you mean?"
Leaving Kania, who was tilting her head, behind, I put the 'Stone of Domination' back in my pocket and walked forward while saying.
"That, you'll confirm with your own eyes in a moment..."
But the next moment, having discovered something, I grabbed Serena and Kania and threw myself into the nearby bushes.
"Y, young master? Why are you doing this?"
"You... what are you doing right now?"
Kania and Serena, flustered by this, opened their eyes wide and began scolding me, but...
"...So, what's the problem?"
"Hurry! We'll be late at this rate!"
"As expected, a variable has emerged."
When Isollet, Perloche, and Klana passed by where we had just been, the two urgently shut their mouths.
"Mmph, mmph?"
Of course, Serena's mouth was covered by me.
*Pat!*
Soon the three entered the entrance of the commoner dormitory, and at that moment, all three instantly disappeared from before our eyes.
"Phew... Frey? What exactly is this situation? Why do we have to hide like this?"
Watching that sight while sweating coldly, Serena began to question with an expression that said she couldn't take it anymore.
"...Surely, you're not planning to do something bad again, are you?"
When she looked at me with an expression of disbelief, I deliberately avoided her gaze and said to Kania.
"Kania, cast a perception-altering magic around us. So no one can approach the commoner dormitory..."
"I can do that too."
Serena, who cut off my words, rose from her seat and fully opened the fan she was holding.
"...There. Now no one will approach this place for a while. Satisfied?"
"No... but..."
"Speak. What exactly are you planning to do over there."
As Serena continued to press for answers, Kania, who was watching me from behind, began to show a troubled expression, and I quietly closed my eyes and spoke.
"It's nothing. So don't worry."
"...I'll believe you, probably."
Then Serena deliberately softened her expression and said, but her eyes were filled with anxiety.
'...As expected of Serena. If not for the Absolute Obedience Magic, this wouldn't even be a contest.'
The first reason Serena fell into anxiety would be because she couldn't be certain of everything about me, and the second reason would be because she read falsehood in my eyes.
That's right. Today I will subdue the unidentified attacker who borrowed power from the Demon King's side and take their place.
The reason is that the strategy I devised to clear this 'Main Quest' is for me myself to pretend to be brainwashed by the Demon King, become the final boss of the 'Commoner Dormitory Attack Incident,' and after being subdued, claim my innocence while revealing the Demon King's true identity to the world.
In other words, this incident will not be the beginning of the Empire's fall and the Demon King's debut... but will become the first step toward the counter-blade against the Demon King and a happy ending.
"Then, let's go."
Also, it's the first step to make Serena turn her back on me.
"Well, I'll have to experience it and deduce it myself."
"Be careful, young master."
With such thoughts, I moved my steps with Serena and Kania toward the entrance of the commoner dormitory.
*Zap!!*
"...Where is this?"
"My goodness."
And the next moment, what unfolded before my eyes was...
"Kieeeeeek!!"
"Grooooooh!!"
The dungeonified interior of the commoner dormitory, and intermediate-class monsters that began charging toward us at full speed.
"...Quest failed?"
It seems something went wrong this cycle.