Eremia and Riona, having escaped into the director’s office, bowed their heads once more to Kilpus.

“Sorry. I appreciate the opportunity you gave me to save her, Kilpus… Your Majesty.”

“Ah.”

Kilpus took a seat at his desk.

On the other side of the door, Lili was likely eavesdropping. However, there was nothing to say that would cause trouble. Riona was here as well.

“Riona. I’m going to tell everything, is that alright? Including the matter of the facility.”

Riona nodded without hesitation.

Knowing that noisy, fake Miku Orunkaim as well as I did, this expression and behavior felt incredibly fresh. If she were always like this, she’d actually look like a proper beauty.

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

Without summarizing, I explained everything I had heard from Riona in the rare dungeon to Kilpus as thoroughly as possible. Loud enough for Lili to hear as well.

Kilpus nodded from time to time, but as the story reached its latter half, he looked downward, propping his elbows on the desk and pinching the bridge of his nose as he listened.

He was probably thinking the same thing I had in the dungeon.

If it were him and Blythe, they could have crushed the Republic’s regime. But doing so would also bring suffering to countless innocent citizens living in the Republic. It was never an option for them.

There was nothing they could have done.

From the very beginning, there was no way to save Riona Belzhein.

As Kilpus sat there with a pained expression, I spoke to him.

“Your Majesty. I don’t believe she should be sent back to the Republic. Of course, putting her on trial under this kingdom’s laws is out of the question.”

Attempted assassination of royalty was invariably punishable by death. That was true not just in this kingdom.

“……Tell me what you want.”

“I don’t like to say things like this, but since Riona is an assassin from the Republic, she could be used as a bargaining chip.”

Not as a hostage. Riona had already been abandoned. She likely hadn’t been entrusted with any valuable information.

However, the fact that the Egil Republic had sent an assassin after the War Maiden of Galliant Kingdom was something that could be used as diplomatic leverage. Just like the fact that the real Orunkaim heiress had been successfully recovered—it was a clear weakness for the Republic. Of course, they would never admit it, but it could still serve as a deterrent.

I glared at Kilpus.

It was you who said it. That without cunning, one could not be royalty.

Kilpus raised his gaze. But rather than looking at me, he looked up at the ceiling.

“I understand that you’re angry about being targeted. But please, I ask you—give this girl a chance to live.”

He then lowered his gaze, meeting mine. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he closed it again.

After holding eye contact for a moment, Kilpus pinched the bridge of his nose once more and spoke.

“Did you… have a relationship with this girl?”

Not understanding the meaning or intent of the question, I stood there in stunned silence.

The only response I could finally manage was:

“…Huh?”

“I’m asking if she was your lover.”

The sudden, out-of-the-blue and utterly mundane question nearly unhinged my jaw in shock.

“W-What are you…?”

Talking about, Kilpus? Have you finally lost your mind from overwork?

Kilpus shifted his gaze to Riona. He pointed at me and asked her instead.

“Were you two in a relationship?”

“Yes. Seriously.”

What!?

Even Riona, with a completely serious face, was spouting nonsense.

Kilpus crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. The wood creaked as he did. Now, he lowered his gaze diagonally, covering his mouth with his right palm as he pondered.

Hmmmm?

What is this…? Are we at the “please let me have your son” stage!?

After a brief pause, Kilpus lifted his gaze.

“Well, this is quite something. I thought he was a bit precocious for ten years old, but to this extent…”

Of course. No father would want to believe that his son had been involved with an assassin.

No, that was completely and utterly untrue in the first place.

“Hey, don’t take her seriously, Kilpus… Your Majesty. She’s just joking. Right, Riona?”

Riona’s eyes widened.

“I’m serious about my feelings for you, El-tan.”

Now Kilpus was the one with wide eyes.

“El-tan…? Is that what—ah, no. Is that what you’re called?”

“Uh, yeah. Kind of.”

I grabbed Riona’s arm and pulled her to the corner of the director’s office, whispering in a low voice.

“Listen. If this is a joke, cut it out. Read the room.”

“I’m serious, though…”

“Look, I’m going to grow up. I’ll become the kind of adult man you fear. You get that? I won’t be small forever.”

“I know. But I think it’ll be fine. At first, I got close because you were my type and strong, but you turned out to be way cooler than I expected…”

Sure, during the homunculus battle, I did put myself on the line to save her, but that was mutual. And this was hardly the time for romantic nonsense. What the hell is wrong with everyone?

Riona, looking slightly embarrassed, took my hand.

“So, you know, if we grow together little by little, maybe I won’t be scared of adulthood anymore… Ah, you’re making a really fed-up face.”

Riona chuckled at my obvious exasperation.

“Because it is exasperating. I’m not living my life thinking about settling down.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I love that about you too. See, when people chase after me or demand things from me, it reminds me of my time in the facility, and it’s terrifying. But El-tan, you never demand anything from me, right?”

“Guh…”

Damn it. Shit.

So basically, all my past behavior had completely backfired? Wait, no. Could this be another case of psychological manipulation?

For example—

Say I blurted out something like “Actually, I love you” or “I want to be with you right now.”

Wouldn’t that mean I was walking straight into a trap that this little girl had just laid for me? Like a butterfly drawn to a spider’s web glistening with morning dew—was I being lured into saying it?

And yet, rejecting her would only make her affections stronger. Wasn’t that basically invincible?

Then what the hell am I supposed to do?

Teach me, Professor Void!