Sure, here’s the translated text:
—
As expected, I can’t fool Lord Kalintz.
“Ah, you’ve noticed.”
“I don’t know about the culprit, but someone like us can’t help but figure it out.”
Well, a mere disguise can’t hide Karina’s overflowing sacred power. If she intends to use it, she could bring someone back from the dead easily.
“Lady Karina, this is Kalintz greeting you.”
“Please refrain from excessive greetings, Lord Kalintz.”
“Ha ha, how could I possibly lower myself when addressing a saint?”
Is this the power of the saint’s name?
As the former commander of the imperial knight order and a former duke, even he can’t help but bow his head to the overwhelming dignity of the saint.
Indeed, the name of the saint is quite terrifying.
…Though being entangled in troublesome matters because of that is a problem.
Still, this time might be a bit less troublesome, right?
The issue is that I don’t know what the demon brats will do if they encounter Karina. After all, Karina is the one they hate the most.
That’s why it was necessary to send all the demons over to Harpas.
There’s just so much to do while dealing with lovers. And how to deal with those outsiders…
“Hey.”
“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”
“I will tell the servants to prepare a room. You can rest comfortably here.”
“Grandfather, can Amy play with the guests?”
“Amy, that’s not polite.”
“We’re fine!”
“Hu hu, it’s okay.”
“It’s okay!”
“Whew… Amy, I told you to behave in front of the guests.”
I’m starting to think that courtesy is long gone the moment you’re cradled in someone’s arms. I couldn’t help but chuckle while watching the antics between the doting grandfather and his granddaughter.
I wonder if I could live like that.
It’s still a long way off, or maybe it won’t come at all… But I hope the day will come when I can live comfortably with my children.
“Hehe, Grandfather, put me down!”
“Just don’t act too rude.”
“Grandfather! Thank you!”
Amy dashed off across us to Lulu and Terry, who were hiding behind Sif, while leaving behind an overly cute farewell.
Was the goal always to befriend kids of a similar age?
“Hello!”
“Ah, hello…”
The usually rambunctious children seemed intimidated by the duke’s authority, looking more subdued and cautiously glancing around. Amy, unfazed by the atmosphere, asked while pointing at her ears.
“Can I touch your ears?”
“Nyah…? Ears?”
“Let me touch your ears!”
At Amy’s shout, Lulu and Terry instinctively perked up their ears. The warm sight brought smiles to everyone, including me.
“Uh, um… It’s an honor, nyah?”
“Haha! No need to say that!”
Watching Lulu and Terry cautiously lean their heads toward Amy, I turned my gaze to Lord Kalintz and spoke.
“She’s quite sociable, isn’t she?”
“Ha ha, our Amy is a good child.”
“Then can I head to the office now?”
“Are you planning to greet my son?”
“Isn’t it only polite for a guest to greet the host?”
“Go ahead. I’ll just watch my granddaughter play.”
I bowed my head to him and left the reception room.
———————–
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Just about.”
“Considering that, your face shows some hardships. I heard a student died a few months back? Could you tell me about it in detail?”
“Oh, that matter.”
I conveyed to Duke Ryan the story about the counterfeit magic book related to Bella. It also contained some information regarding the outsiders. After hearing my story, Duke Ryan sighed deeply with a serious expression.
“I have a lot to do already, and now there’s this annoying problem piling up. Do you have any way to prove the existence of these ‘outsiders’? Without evidence, the imperial family won’t budge.”
“Not yet. Even if there were evidence, the moment it’s shown, a disaster would occur.”
I don’t know exactly how the mechanism works, but the outsiders cause a mental contamination that can even lead elite soldiers with strong mental powers to a breakdown. Showing it as evidence would surely result in devastation for the imperial family.
…Isn’t this essentially a nuclear weapon?
“That’s quite the headache. Even if I want to give a warning, without evidence…”
“…However, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“Oh, really? What method do you have?”
Ordinary humans get mentally contaminated when they see anything related to the outsiders.
So, if we direct them into experiencing the threat of the outsiders without them actually seeing it, wouldn’t that work?
Just in time, I had a way to let them indirectly experience the threat of the outsiders.
“My magic book is a grimoire presumed to have been created by the outsiders. If I use my magic book to demonstrate the dangers posed by the outsiders… wouldn’t they realize the severity?”
“…So it’s a magic book made by the outsiders?”
“That’s correct.”
“Can you show it to me?”
“It’s currently in the lounge, so I need to call for it.”
“What?”
Duke Ryan looked at me as if my statement was utterly outlandish. A wizard just carrying a magic book around usually isn’t something you’d see.
“I’ll go fetch it.”
I left the office promptly and brought Rue with me. Rue followed me with a baffled expression, looking back and forth between me and Duke Ryan, then spoke.
“Oh! I think I get it! A secret meeting!”
“No.”
“…Is it because of the book? It’s unique.”
Rue is a bit unconventional, isn’t she?
“Rue, show me the book.”
“Hmm? The book?”
“The real body, that is.”
“Oh!”
What in the world is she doing? The sight of Rue suddenly opening her chest made me instinctively block her with my body.
“What are you doing?”
“I was told to take out the real body!”
Why is she pulling it out from there? While I was covering myself, I watched as Rue stuck her hand between her cleavage, pulling out the book from within her body.
…I think I need to have a word with Karina about this common sense thing.
“Here!”
“…Just sit over there.”
“Okay!”
“…As you can see, she’s not quite familiar with common sense yet.”
“She’s an amusing friend. And… how does she take on human form?”
“It’s the power of the outsiders. This girl has the ability to interfere with human minds.”
I cautiously handed the book from Rue to Duke Ryan. He examined the tentacled and eyed book, flipping it over before handing it back to me.
“This book has an unfamiliar aura about it.”
“I cannot pinpoint its exact origin, but it’s a grimoire that came from a fissure that the outsiders were involved in.”
“Perhaps the fissure itself is a part of their scheme.”
…That’s a plausible theory.
I felt that Duke Ryan’s speculation held quite a bit of credibility. Upon reflection, no one truly understood what caused the fissures to begin with. Perhaps it could be seen as one of the outsiders’ schemes.
But that’s not the important part right now.
“I’ll create a place for it. For now, you focus on the debutante dance.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll call upon the most popular lady in the capital, Mrs. Lawrence, to have a dress made for you.”
Is this what nobility is like? Just calling someone to resolve things. Though, I suppose it would be odd for a high-ranking person to get up and move themselves.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, and the person accompanying you to the debutante dance will be… the saint?”
…Wait, how does he know? Did Kalintz give him a heads-up?
No, he’s also a wizard, so he likely sensed the aura surrounding me.
But what to do? If I ask her to accompany me, she’ll undoubtedly say yes, but is it right for her to make an appearance at such an official gathering? If the Kalon Church objects, it’d get troublesome.
“I see what you’re pondering. Are you worried about whether it’s appropriate for the saint to appear in an official capacity? Don’t worry about that. Archbishop Pierre is in the imperial capital for a meeting, so you can discuss it with him.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“So don’t hesitate and do as you wish. To put it bluntly, no one would criticize the saint for standing beside you, considering what you’ve achieved.”
I have a feeling the First Prince might cause a fuss.
But who cares? That brat isn’t even the Crown Prince yet—what could he possibly do to me? If he tries anything sneaky, I also have my ways to respond, so it’s no trouble for me.
“Then… I’ll ask her first.”
I wonder how delighted Karina will be. Or perhaps she’ll feel burdened. Regardless… just imagining Karina at the debutante dance makes my heart race.
“Oh, and a real estate agent will arrive tomorrow afternoon, so you’ll get to see some good properties. He’s a trustworthy agent, so you don’t have to worry about being cheated.”
“Thank you.”
“Hmm, it wouldn’t be right to keep standing here like this. Then, make yourself comfortable. Welcome to Duke Ryan’s residence.”
He said that while drawing a crescent shape with tired eyes.
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