“You’ve got the wrong person… Huh?”
Milin had originally intended to brush it off like she did on the street earlier, but the elf woman she had knocked over had such an exaggerated reaction that it irritated her a bit.
‘What’s her deal? I’m not some monster. Why’s she looking at me like she’s seen a ghost?’
But since it was her own fault for rushing around the corner and knocking her down… Milin stood up first, then reached out her hand to the elf woman still lying on the ground.
“I wasn’t looking where I was going and knocked you down. Sorry. Are you hurt?”
…
……
………
“N-no, I’m fine.”
‘Why is she of all people here?’
Luc hadn’t been this flustered in a long time… She never imagined that just going out to buy something on the street, she would run into her sworn enemy.
She didn’t accept Milin’s help and got up on her own. Then she gave Milin a hasty nod and turned to leave.
“Huh? Wait a second. I just realized you look a bit familiar.”
But Milin grabbed her sleeve. For a moment, Luc almost wanted to turn around and punch her right in the face—
‘Calm down. I have the Imitation disguise. There’s no way she can recognize me. And if she did, she would attack me immediately, not just grab my sleeve.’
‘Besides, it’s not a good idea to shake off her hand and just leave… If I do that, it’ll definitely arouse unnecessary suspicion.’
“What do you want?”
Even though she had rationalized it, her body and facial expressions couldn’t keep up with the change in thinking.
Luc turned around stiffly and gave her sworn enemy a rigid smile.
“…Why are you making that face? Is my face really that displeasing to you?”
“Uh, no, not at all.”
Seeing Milin studying her features, Luc’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly wiped the awkward smile off her face and tried to act as if nothing was wrong.
“Ah… I remember now. We met at the dance party!”
Milin looked for a moment, then clapped her hands.
“You are Miss Grier Rickwood, right? You’re from the Shadow Forest Domain in the south. You remember me, don’t you?”
“…Of course. You are Miss New Hero. I’m rather surprised you remember me.”
Seeing that she had naturally switched to honorifics, Luc followed suit and adopted a polite social tone.
‘At that dance party, our conversation didn’t even total five sentences… Yet she remembers the family name and birthplace of someone she only met once so clearly?’
“Of course I remember. You left quite an impression, after all.”
‘…Impression? From a conversation that was only a few words?’
“Ah, I mainly meant your aura,” Milin explained when she saw Luc’s bewildered expression.
“When I saw you that day, I felt an inexplicable familiarity—as if we’ve met somewhere before. And looking at you now, that feeling is even stronger… Haven’t we really met somewhere? Like at a previous Crown Festival or other celebrations?”
Milin tilted her head and looked at her. She seemed genuinely puzzled… Her gaze felt as if it pierced through the Imitation, seeing Luc herself underneath—
‘Of course, that’s impossible.’ But being stared at like that, Luc couldn’t help thinking it.
“I believe that must be your imagination. I have never left the Sea of Trees.”
“Ah, is that so… Then maybe I really misremembered.” Milin’s smile grew a bit awkward. To hide her embarrassment, her mind began to race.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now…”
“Please wait a moment… Um, you’re a guest of the Nelf Family, right? If so, you should be staying at the mansion inside the Giant Tree used for entertaining guests…”
‘She’s also staying in the Giant Tree… Is she trying to invite me back together? But why?’
A dozen speculations about her motives instantly flashed through Luc’s mind… And the most reasonable one was this:
‘Probably because this fake identity’s family has ties with her family’s company, so she’s trying to befriend me.’
As a company heir and a noble, this was a perfectly reasonable social mindset. If it were Luc herself, she would have done the same.
“I don’t—”
But Luc had no reason to continue indulging her. Just as she was about to cut off any possibility of further entanglement at the root, a voice called out in her mind.
“New Moon.”
“…Lord Jiuye Yue.”
Even without taking it out to check, she was certain that the moon-shaped brooch in her pocket was glowing.
“She is one of the important monitoring targets. Since you have encountered her, try to obtain some information from her.”
“Understood… Have you been watching all along?”
“Yes. By the time you return to the Giant Tree, rooms in the mansion will be prepared. I will have your companion go there ahead of you.”
“…Are you not staying in the Giant Tree? It seems I assumed wrong again. Heh…”
“No, that’s not it. I am indeed lodging in the Giant Tree.”
Luc’s attention returned to Milin. The chilling voice of Jiuye Yue did not come again in her mind.
This meant her orders were absolute. Now Luc could only hope that her sworn enemy’s thoughts were indeed aligned with her guess.
“Ah. May I ask what business you have in the Lower District?”
“Nothing important. I heard that a specialty green tea cookie sold on the nearby street is delicious, so I came to look around…”
On this matter, Luc wasn’t lying.
She and Selene had been receiving “guidance” from Jiuye Yue in the underground area of the Giant Tree for the past few days, and only today did they get a short period of free time.
When Luc invited her, Selene flatly refused. And when she left, she shot Luc a big eye roll.
‘You’re going to buy food? Then I’ll pass. I need to double-check the action items for tomorrow’s audience ceremony.’
‘Only when supplies are secured can plans and actions go smoothly. Why can’t Selene and the others ever understand the importance of eating, eating well, and eating enough?’
Only when thinking about this issue did Luc not reflect at all. She didn’t think that it was her own problem—being a Demon Race yet having an urgent need for food like a human.
“Green tea cookies? I’ve eaten those! Yesterday when I came around here, Natalia bought some for me. Shall I take you there? Then after we eat, we can go back together…”
Having found a common topic, Milin’s eyes lit up… But then, as if remembering something, she continued:
“Ah… Sorry, I got a bit excited. I actually have some business in the Lower District, but it should be done quickly. If you don’t mind, would you like to move together with me for a while? Who knows, you might even get to see a legendary figure.”
“A legendary figure… Could it be that you are going to meet Iyue Nairfu… Lord Iyue?”
“You’re quite perceptive,” Milin praised softly. “How did you know?”
“I heard that she appeared in the city, and Her Majesty the Queen also announced her summons, just like she summoned you.”
“That’s exactly right! So, would you like to come with me?”
“Of course. I have always… always looked forward to seeing for myself the demeanor of the hero who struck down the Demon King.”