For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

“‘Pierce at the speed of light. Shining Ray.’”

A white laser shot from my fingertips.

The Queen’s face turned as pale as the light.

“Kyah!”

A piercing scream.

Everyone except Nariell, who reflexively closed her eyes, felt the shock and hostility.

I wish they wouldn’t look at me with such eyes.

My target wasn’t Queen Nariell, but the guard beside her.

The guard, clutching his pierced heart, knelt on one knee.

Even though he was equipped like a traditional elven guardian with dual swords at his waist and a bow on his back… he collapsed without drawing any of them.

It was only natural. Shining Ray was one of the fastest and most precise spells for killing among intermediate magic.

Moreover, with the refined mana from becoming a higher magician, the mana control gained through becoming a dragon-kin, the word magic I’d been practicing recently, and the blessing of the Sun God, it had become an even more bizarre spell where the incantation was shortened, but speed and power were enhanced.

Wasn’t this closer to an advanced spell rather than intermediate?

No matter how much he was an aura expert and well-armored as the Queen’s guard… if caught off guard by such a spell at the perfect timing, he was bound to fall.

“Scoundrel!”

Another guard, drawing dual swords, blocked Nariell’s path. And now, Milone and Eda were also aiming at me from behind.

Our party also reacted, readying for battle, and the tension in the office became palpable.

I looked around at the grim atmosphere and grinned.

“Why the serious faces?”

“How can you say that?! How could you do that to Sir Hures…!”

The Queen, peeking from behind the guard, was angry. But due to her gentle demeanor, she didn’t seem scary.

Shrugging my shoulders at her, I said,

“I caught a spy who sneaked right next to Your Majesty. You should be happier.”

“…Huh?”

Nariell tilted her head in confusion, but that didn’t last long.

The one pretending to be down showed the tenacity of life unique to cultists, suddenly standing up and swinging his dual swords at Nariell.

An aura surge and the power of the Boiling Silence combined to make a deadly, yet silent strike.

Good judgment. By killing Fiona, I’d become somewhat of an authority on cultist-related matters.

Even if he died quietly here, it wouldn’t cause much trouble since it wasn’t the Queen herself, but just her guard dying.

Plus, I was the one who revealed Fiona’s true identity, the best hidden among them. He must be trying to do something desperate, knowing his identity would be exposed whether alive or dead. Ṟ𝖆ꞐŐ𝖇Ęṥ

Maybe due to the power of the Boiling Silence, or perhaps because he trusted his comrades so much. The other guard noticed the incoming sword strike a beat too late.

He tried to block it with his sword, but… at this rate, Nariell’s body would be sliced by that fierce aura.

Even if she was a High Elf with the full blessing of the World Tree, death was death.

But I wouldn’t let that happen.

Boom!

Not a sound of cutting flesh, but more like breaking through a solid wall. It was blocked by a shield I had prepared in between.

Though the hastily made shield only withstood one hit before breaking… it did its job.

“Damn!”

The confused guy cursed, quickly retracting his sword. Even if he couldn’t kill instantly, his determination to at least strike once was palpable.

But even with the resolve to die, impossible things remained impossible. Unless you had luck or talent…

It seemed like he had neither.

“Hures! You bastard!”

Clang!

The guard, with a look of betrayal, managed to block the deadly move aimed at Nariell.@@novelbin@@

Taking that chance, I threw the glowing lion dagger with telekinesis.

Whizz!

Even if it was an assassin whose everything was a lie, his sword expertise was real. He reacted swiftly.

His aura flared up like it was burning all over his body. An aura expert focusing on defense was as sturdy as a tank, but that was when the body was intact.

The aura that should circulate through the body was now leaking crazily through the hole in his heart.

The tightly wrapped aura flames went out, and another guard swung his sword widely through the gap.

Thud.

Hures’s arm flew off powerlessly, exposing his vital points.

“Gurk.”

Hures, with a look of resentment, glared at me as he was pierced through the neck. He tried to say something while frothing blood, but…

Flash!

Before he could, an additional strike from the dagger took off his head.

Well, like every cultist I’d killed, he’d probably just curse. No need to listen to that.

The headless body fell to the floor, and a red pool of blood spread on the luxurious carpet.

No one dared to speak, just staring at me.

Feeling awkward, I scratched the back of my head and said,

“Sorry about that. I have a condition where I attack cultists on sight.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

No one laughed at what was meant to be a joke.

“Why? Why do you look at me like that…?”

“Aren’t you asking because you already know, Master?”

“Was exploding the head too extreme? It seems like quite a shock. Next time, I’ll prepare a spell that tears up the insides instead of just piercing the heart cleanly.”

“…I kind of like the shameless side of you, Master.”

I dismissed Carla’s half-resigned comment with a glance and turned my attention elsewhere.

After dealing with the rat, finishing the support request I originally intended, and cleaning up the corpse and the bloodstains, I saw Nariell crouched in the corner of the now tidy office.

Even though there was no danger left, the remaining guard was still on high alert, scanning the surroundings with fiery eyes.

Milone was crouched next to Nariell, calming her down after she got startled.

The distance was too great to hear what they were saying… but watching Milone stroke Nariell’s shoulder and tidy her pink hair, I could see the tension melting from her face.

Her complexion, which had been dull from fatigue, was visibly brightening. Her dark circles were still there, but her sharp eyes had softened, and her previously stiff lips had relaxed.

I could see it all clearly.

As I watched them with satisfaction, Faye, who had been peeking from beside me, suddenly clung to me, whispering into my ear.

Thanks to her aggressive chest, a desirable situation occurred where her breasts touched my shoulder before her hand could reach my ear, but she whispered steadfastly,

“Senior. Don’t you think there’s something odd about those two?”

“Specifically, how so?”

“A queen and a chancellor should be like someone who took power and someone who lost it, right? I thought it would be more hostile, but… how do I put it? They seem too affectionate.”

“Affectionate, huh? Well, that can happen.”

“That can happen? Even though they’re both women?”

“Yes. That can happen.”

“???”

Faye rapidly blinked her eyes, puzzled by my firm answer.

I couldn’t explain the reason here, but my words were indeed correct. After all… Milone likes Nariell, in a romantic sense.

Of course, Nariell, being quite oblivious and innocent, only considered Milone a good person, but that was just a matter of time.

This couple was quite famous in H&A. Players who were charmed by Milone’s unique character, or Nariell’s cotton candy-like appearance weren’t few.

During that process, a peculiar condition was discovered.

Surprisingly, neither could be romanced by male characters…

So, could you enter their route if you started as a female character? Of course, you could. However, there was no route for Milone or Nariell alone. You had to romance them both simultaneously.

I used to think it reflected the developers’ firm stance against involving men in yuri relationships… but now, after hearing all the truths in Fafnir’s lair, I knew.

It was just that Nariell hadn’t realized her own identity yet, and both were firmly lesbians with no other possibilities…

While I was teasing Faye, who was complaining about not understanding, by tickling under her chin…

By then, the consolation had ended. Nariell, feeling embarrassed by her behavior, had her face flushed red, and Milone approached with a complex expression of relief, satisfaction, and slight guilt.

“First, thank you for catching a spy we didn’t even know about. Thanks to you, we could overcome a significant threat without anyone getting hurt.”

“Th-thank you…”

Milone bowed her head, expressing gratitude with fluent words. Her dignified posture made her look even more appealing while bowing.

And Nariell, admiring Milone with longing eyes, quickly bowed her head in a flustered manner.

Watching them made my heart tingle. This might be why they were popular among some users.

I wasn’t really interested in yuri, where I couldn’t intrude, so for me, it was just, “Oh, I see.”

“It’s nothing. I just did what I had to do.”

“…The rumors were true.”

“Rumors?”

“There’s a story that Count Lindelheit can distinguish cultists just by looking into their eyes.”

“It wasn’t to that extent, but… it’s not a lie anymore.”

In H&A, I’d seen Nariell’s assassination event several times, so I knew someone had snuck in, but I didn’t know who it was. Not to mention, there were two guards, not one.

So, distinguishing the assassin this time was thanks to the cultist detection trait I got after defeating Fiona.

Until now, there was no need for the detection to activate since either Rebecca caught them before they got near me, or they weren’t sent at all.

So this was how it would give a signal, huh?

While I was recalling that sensation in my mind, Nariell, who had been alternating glances between me and Milone, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“Ah!”

Then, clapping her hands loud enough to make a sound, she exclaimed,

“Come to think of it, the Circulating Life told me to bring a guest! I forgot because of what happened!”

“Oh? What’s it about?”

“I didn’t hear the details, but… it won’t be a bad thing. They said there’s a gift for you.”

“Let’s go right away.”

Did a set from the World Tree series drop?!