As if to reset the conversation, Oujin cleared his throat once.

“I-I was just trying to say that since Orunkaim-san saved my life, if there's anything troubling you, I'd like to help—”

“Then just say that from the start. Why bring up stories of the Eastern nations? You make no sense.”

I pointed at Riona.

“I understand that you're confused because this one suddenly came back after pulling such a stunt, but calm down a little. You alright?”

“……”

Oujin was staring up at the ceiling of the training hall.

Wondering if there was some interesting human-shaped stain up there, I followed his gaze—but there was nothing.

“What? Did one of your deflected swords get stuck up there?”

“El-tan… maybe let's be quiet for a bit, okay?”

“Why—mmph!”

Riona hugged me from behind and once again covered my mouth with both hands. Pulled into her embrace, my face pressed against her chest. Well, not that there was much to press against.

After a while, Oujin finally shifted his gaze back to Riona. I’ll say it again—there was nothing on the ceiling.

“Somehow, I feel like I'm the one who should apologize. What I'm about to say is just me repaying the debt for saving my life—I'm not trying to make you feel obligated or anything like that. Ah, but I guess Eremia would say I’m being too long-winded again.”

The “long-winded” that had been on the tip of my tongue—I swallowed it down.

“Of course, I can’t help with the assassination of His Majesty Kilpus, and from now on, I intend to stop it.”

After a pause, Oujin scratched his cheek with his index finger.

“But if you're in a situation where you’re so cornered that you have no choice but to do that, you can rely on us first. I have at least some skill, and you have Void and Eremia too.”

“…I see. Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Ryoka-chan. But I think I’ll be okay now.”

“Then that’s good.”

Why was he rambling on? He could’ve just said, “I forgive you. Next time, talk to us first,” and that would’ve been the end of it. But with my mouth covered, I had no choice but to stay silent.

Oujin cleared his throat again.

“So, can I ask your name again? You’re not Orunkaim-san anymore, right?”

“Yeah. I’m Riona Belzhein. Miku Orunkaim is a different person. I really did something awful to her.”

“You mean the impersonation.”

“Yeah.”

I shook my head to free myself from Riona’s grasp and filled in the missing details.

“For the record, the real Miku Orunkaim is alive and well.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Oh, right. There was still something I was concerned about.

I turned from Oujin back to Riona.

“Riona, if you enroll in this school under Miku’s name, won’t Mald—ah, I mean, Lord Orunkaim—find out who you really are? And if the real Miku couldn’t even take the entrance exam, wouldn’t that be unfair to her? That old man might storm in out of love for his daughter. He’s the strongest warrior in the frontier—we wouldn’t stand a chance against him right now.”

Oujin furrowed his brows.

“You know a lot about this. Eremia, do you know General Orunkaim?”

“Wha…!?”

Damn it. I slipped up again.

Damn. Why am I talking like Blythe?

“A-Ah, well, the Neu family is also a noble house in the frontier, so, you know… we’ve got some connections…”

Riona’s eyes widened.

“Really!? That was close. El-tan might’ve figured out my identity right away. I was completely off guard.”

“Yeah, guess so.”

Now I was just piling lies on top of lies.

Good thing Void wasn’t here. If he’d heard this conversation, he’d definitely say, “If you knew the general, you should’ve figured it out sooner, idiot,” with his usual sarcasm.

That guy had suspected Riona from the very start without any hints. How does he do that? I’ve spent ten times longer on the battlefield than him. If what he said was right, and he’s just naturally smarter than me… I don’t want to admit it. I really don’t.

Well, anyway.

Honestly, I’d like to meet Lord Orunkaim again. There’s a lot I could learn from that great warrior. If he weren’t defending the border as a margrave, the war with the Republic would be going much worse for the Kingdom.

Blythe, the Sword Saint, and Mald, the Wall of the Kingdom. That’s what people used to call us.

But since I have to protect Riona now, avoiding contact is probably for the best. A shame.

“I don’t really get it, but His Majesty Kilpus said he’ll handle the Orunkaim family somehow.”

“I see.”

If it’s Kilpus, I doubt he’ll do anything reckless, but I’ll keep it in mind.

“And… is there a risk that the real Miku will remember your face?”

Riona shook her head.

“Nope, not at all. I’ve never met her. When the kidnapping happened, I was already in Lehan, gathering intel.”

“You were working separately?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t even told who the other operatives were. They probably knew about me, though.”

Of course. If Riona had been captured by the Kingdom’s forces, they would’ve had to eliminate her to erase the evidence. Just like how Void, as a child soldier, was expendable on the battlefield, Riona, as an assassin, was disposable in espionage.

I let out a sigh.

“So I had nothing to do with the kidnapping itself. There’s proof, too. If they check the guest logs at the inn in Lehan, they’ll see I was there. I was just made to study Miku Orunkaim and the ‘War Maiden’ of Lehan Knight Academy at the facility. The former was to avoid mistakes while impersonating her, the latter because she was our target.”

“I don’t know how many years this plan took, but they were extremely thorough. Well, I suppose in this case, we have no choice but to be thankful for that.”

Fighting that old warrior in this ten-year-old body wouldn’t just be difficult—it’d be hopeless.

There are still things to worry about, but for now, we’ll have to trust Kilpus’s judgment.