Ileil quietly followed behind Prinshitt. The meeting convened by Duke Lokas was about to begin. As an important figure who had nearly been assassinated yesterday, the princess naturally had to attend.
The princess looked somewhat listless, as if she hadn’t slept well the previous night. When Ileil interacted with Prinshitt again, the princess maintained her usual demeanor toward her, as though the unpleasantness from last night had never occurred.
There was no morning training session today due to the urgent situation. Moreover, given Prinshitt’s weary appearance, even if Ileil held back significantly, the princess probably wouldn’t be able to endure more than a few moves.
But even after what happened to the princess yesterday… the security around her hasn’t been strengthened at all?
Ileil looked at the ordinary guards following Prinshitt as usual and thought to herself.
The safety of Princess Prinshitt didn’t have much to do with Ileil. She only needed to fulfill her most basic duties. These matters were not something a temporary guard like her should worry about.
As a major kingdom, Aressto’s king naturally had his own considerations—especially since the princess had a monstrously powerful saint by her side.
She pushed these unnecessary thoughts aside.
Right now, revenge should be Ileil’s top priority no matter what—followed by the witch with unknown motives and her own special constitution that could neutralize the witch’s Black Gold Flames.
…….
And so, Ileil followed the princess to the meeting venue arranged by the duke.
Dozens of key figures summoned by Duke Lokas had gathered in the conference hall. Ileil’s gaze swept across the room. Most of the people present were familiar faces. Having spent several months in Renn Town, she had gained a decent understanding of the locals. She saw Gro standing beside Duke Lokas, talking with the chief of security. As for Prinshitt’s mentor, Dorias Angus led the princess to the main seats upon seeing her enter.
—and Sister Emilia from the church was also present.
The nun seemed to notice Ileil’s gaze and responded with a calm look. However, Ileil had no desire to deal with her right now.
Ileil naturally followed Prinshitt’s steps, watching as she sat down in her chair, then stood behind her charge like the other guards in the hall. Meanwhile, Gro glanced at Ileil with a meaningful look, which inexplicably irritated her.
“Now that Her Highness the Princess has arrived, let us keep things brief and explain the recent events in Renn Town to everyone.”
Duke Lokas cleared his throat and formally opened the meeting with a loud, authoritative voice. Ileil quietly observed the others’ reactions. From their responses, it was clear that this young duke held unexpected authority. This made Ileil, who had confronted the duke just last night, feel slightly uncomfortable.
……
The duke explained the recent events in Renn Town to everyone in concise and clear terms—including Gro’s discoveries and speculations regarding the Mor Believers and the witch, the information Dorias Angus and the duke himself had found while reviewing the records, and most importantly, the incident where Prinshitt was attacked by the missing mercenary Cole during her investigation yesterday, as well as the disappearance of the mercenaries Kaze and Alyssa who had witnessed the assassination attempt on the princess.
As someone who had personally experienced these events, Ileil naturally knew the details. However, information sharing in Renn Town wasn’t ideal, and most of the people attending the meeting were unaware of the specifics. Ileil calmly observed their expressions. Their faces didn’t look good. If Ileil hadn’t intervened yesterday and the princess had fallen to the heretics’ plot, the fate awaiting these important figures of Renn Town would have been far from pleasant.
Ileil had been continuously observing Sister Emilia’s reaction. Like most of the other key figures in Renn Town, she showed an expression of surprise on her face, making it difficult to spot anything suspicious.
A witch who brought disaster, monsters corrupted by Black Gold Flames, and a princess nearly assassinated by heretics. These events were shocking to most people in Renn Town. Before the meeting began, people in the hall had been discussing in low voices. But once the duke laid out the full situation, the entire conference hall fell into complete silence.
“Sister Emilia.”
After spending nearly ten minutes explaining these matters, Lokas called out the nun’s name.
“I am here, Your Grace.”
She looked toward Lokas, who sat at the center of the hall, and responded in a moderate volume.
“It was you… who invited Her Highness the Princess to visit the church—and provided them with clues about the missing persons, correct?”
“Yes, it was me, Your Grace.”
Emilia answered calmly, her blue eyes showing not the slightest ripple.
The atmosphere in the entire conference hall became restless as quiet discussions broke out.
Even someone as fair-minded as Dorias Angus looked at Sister Emilia with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
“I’m very sorry, Sister Emilia… What I’m about to say may be somewhat offensive—but I have no intention of slandering you. I simply have a few questions regarding your actions and ask that you answer me truthfully.”
“I am happy to cooperate with your investigation, Duke Lokas.”
The corners of Emilia’s mouth curved slightly as she calmly swept her gaze across everyone present.
…….
“Do you know why Duke Lokas treats Sister Emilia with such respect, kid?”
At some point, Gro had moved along the edge of the hall to Ileil’s side and whispered to her.
“…….When did you get here?”
Ileil shot him an annoyed glance. Gro’s sudden appearance had actually startled her. This guy really moved without making any sound at all.
“I snuck over just now. By the way—you were staring at Sister Emilia a bit too intently, weren’t you? Being overly focused isn’t always a good thing.”
“So? What exactly is the relationship between Duke Lokas and Sister Emilia?”
Although Ileil wanted to stubbornly claim she wasn’t interested in this nonsense, this information seemed valuable to her. She didn’t want to miss any useful details.
“Emilia helped raise Lokas when he was young. How should I put it… she was like… the mother who raised him.”
“Mother……?” It was rare to hear Gro use a word related to family. Ileil said gloomily, “Doesn’t the duke have his own mother? Why would someone as suspicious as Emilia be the one to raise him?”
“You really have a sharp tongue, kid.” Gro placed his hand on Ileil’s head. She instinctively wanted to lash out, but Gro stopped her:
“The relationship we’re currently playing… is still ‘father and daughter’ for now, right? Don’t show any cracks in front of others. Only by playing this role can our current conversation avoid drawing suspicion.”
“Tch……”
Ileil gritted her teeth and decided to endure the contact with Gro for the time being. As long as it helped achieve her ultimate goal of killing him, she could tolerate this small matter…
“Duke Lokas’s mother died from complications during childbirth. He really didn’t have a mother to raise him.”
Hearing Gro’s teasing tone, Ileil finally understood why Duke Lokas had been so stubbornly insistent on Emilia’s innocence last night when she suspected the nun.
“Wait, then…….”
Ileil still had a question, but the voices from the duke and the nun’s side interrupted her.
Duke Lokas’s expression was complicated. He asked slowly, one word at a time:
“Sister Emilia……. Why did you deliberately conceal the cases of missing persons in Renn Town?”