Chapter 93
At the mention of the Order, Ruen's expression quickly hardened. Whether she liked it or not, a group so closely tied to her had suddenly come up, and she seemed unsure how to react.
As I watched Ruen's reaction, wondering how to respond, she took a deep breath and spoke to me.
If there's anything I can do to help, I'll help with anything: my standing in the Order, my abilities, and even my position as Saintess, if needed.
At first glance, it sounded reassuring. But considering Ruen's standing within the Order, her words took on a slightly different meaning.
She'd help me even if it meant giving up everything.
This wasn't just about pouring in all her effort. It literally sounded like she was willing to sacrifice herself to help me, which left me feeling a bit uneasy.
Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions.
Even though I thought it wasn't right to think this way, Ruen's expression seemed to convey that very meaning, and I couldn't help but feel a mix of worry.
...Is there something I don't know?
It might be. If I recall that Ruen was tormented by Poppy, perhaps something similar happened within the Order. Or, considering she goes around “saving people alone,” she might be disillusioned by the Order Faction's members neglecting their duties.
However, all of this was mere speculation, so I decided to observe a bit more and nodded to Ruen.
"Thanks." "No. It's what I should naturally do."
Instead of answering, I gave a small smile, then unconsciously stroked Ruen's head.
Ah.
Since I always stroked Shiren's head, I ended up doing it unconsciously. She didn't seem to dislike it, but I thought it best to apologize, so I said I was sorry.
You can stroke it more. Oh, and not just my head, but other places too... Ah, no.
A rather flustered reply came back. As I awkwardly smiled, unsure how to react, Ruen seemed to belatedly realize what she had said, and her face turned bright red as she spoke to me.
Ah, anyway...! Don't worry too much, I'll help as much as I can. Even though I'm oppressed here and there, quite a few people follow me!
It wasn't exactly reassuring, but I still trusted her. I nodded and looked at Ruen, and Ruen let out a silly little laugh, clearing her throat. Just as I was chuckling at Ruen's behavior, Liana narrowed her eyes and spoke to us.
"Could you two stop your little lovey-dovey act for a moment and let's talk?" "L-lovey-dovey?"
Ruen's face turned bright red as she looked at Liana. Liana shook her head and spoke.
Just kidding, let's get back to the main point... So, Lord Damian. What do you want to do with the Grand Duchess?
I couldn't give an answer to the question of what I wanted to do with Elysia. After killing Elysia, I had felt a subtle sensation. So, as I pondered, finding it difficult to say anything, Liana looked at me and spoke.
"Do you want to forgive her?" "No."
It wasn't that I particularly wanted to forgive her. Anyone hearing this might call me excessively cruel and heartless... but it was important to recognize that everything I was deciding in this situation was *because I had won*.
So, it's probably good to consider the opposite scenario too.
So I calmly sat down and fell into thought.
*Let's make some predictions based on my time with Elysia so far.*
First, if I hadn't annulled our engagement.
To elaborate, if I hadn't obtained the Spirit of the Sun, I would have been ignored by Daisy my entire life, and then she would have annulled the engagement at an opportune moment. Or, it was highly probable she would have clung to the Hero and would have made me suffer the indignity of being replaced by the Hero.
*Second, if I hadn't become strong,*
Considering she tried to kill me using Desuni, it seemed highly likely she would have imprisoned me and just drained my energy. That would have been more efficient, and she could have manipulated me however she wanted.
Of course, these are all just hypotheticals, and there's a chance it wouldn't have happened that way.
Based on over a year of observing her, it was highly probable things would have unfolded that way. Of course, I knew there was no point in thinking about it now, but I needed to remind myself that all these situations were only possible *because I had won*, so I was thinking it over once more.
Anyway, let's leave this here.
My conclusion was that there was no need to force things back together that had already broken. When I conveyed this to Liana, she nodded and spoke to me.
...So, should we lean towards killing her?" "That's not bad either. But I want a more proper revenge." "A proper revenge?" "Yeah. I felt earlier that simply killing her feels subtly unsatisfying and not refreshing at all. So, what I'm saying is..."
I recalled what I had learned previously and spoke.
"How about we *raise* Elysia?"
"...?"
Liana's expression was filled with bewilderment. I looked at her expression, let out a small laugh, and continued.
I realized this when I used Poppy this time. If you use a Representative, stability increases, and you get a lot more options.
If it were just me acting alone, it would be different. But now, not only I, but also Shiren, Ruen, Liana, and the Karsaril Family members are people I must protect, and their numbers have grown. So, operating while revealing my identity has become quite tricky.
Bluntly, even with the 'Order' that I'll be fighting from now on, if I just poke them, there's a high chance the Karsaril Family will face retaliation.
Considering this point, I thought it would be quite good if we used a Representative, someone they wouldn't suspect we put forward, to manage affairs.
*And if I use Elysia on top of that.*
All problems and responsibilities would fall on the half-destroyed North, so it didn't seem like a bad idea. As I thought this and added various explanations to Liana,
Are you *insane*?
Liana stared at me in horror.
"No, at that point, it might be better to just kill her... Don't you feel any pity?"
"Isn't killing her *more* pitiful?"
"...No."
It was an answer I couldn't understand. But as I just accepted it and nodded, Ruen suddenly spoke to me in a hesitant voice.
Lord Damian, sometimes you seem to have a very aggressive side.
At her words, Lorraine nodded in agreement.
Not just sometimes, but quite a lot. Young Master generally has that kind of disposition, doesn't he? What did I do? All I've done is actions mixed with... a bit of rational judgment.
Honestly, I felt a little stung as I said it, so I paused for a moment before speaking. Liana shook her head and spoke to me.
"Terrorism?"
"..."
As soon as I heard the word 'terrorism,' I had nothing to say. Just as I was thinking it was frustrating but true, Shiren suddenly popped up and spoke to us.
Damian isn't like that.
Just as I was thinking, *Of course, only Shiren would say that,* Shiren spoke with a somewhat triumphant air.
Damian isn't aggressive; he just wants to burn the world down.
After saying that, she looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “I did well, didn”t I?' I looked at Shiren, sighed, and lightly flicked her on the forehead.
Ow.
It probably didn't hurt much, but Shiren rubbed her forehead and looked at me. I looked at Shiren, let out a small laugh, and spoke.
Anyway, let's stop joking around here. Let's start planning the infiltration of the Order.
Everyone nodded at my words.
* * *
Our ultimate goal was the annihilation of the Dark Mages. The current operation was to infiltrate the Order, retrieve Elysia, and eliminate anyone connected to the Dark Mages.
*Since the Dark Mages and the Order are intertwined.*
It wasn't yet clear what they were trying to create, but the fact that they were deeply intertwined with the Order meant they were no different from my enemies. So, I planned to eliminate them to nip it in the bud.
However, there's one problem.
In the North, the Duke of the North, a Sword Master, had completely 'neglected' things for reasons unknown, so there were no issues.
However, Paladins exist in the case of the Order.
There were several problems with acting as openly as before. Therefore, this operation wasn't to be a frontal assault, but rather to infiltrate the Order and cause trouble... no, to carry out the operation.
Ah! Lord Damian, you can disguise yourself as my attendant.
Well, it wasn't about completely blending into the Order. After figuring out Elysia's location and who were the Key Figures to eliminate among the Order's members, it would be a matter of kidnapping Elysia or assassinating the Order's Key Figures, so we just needed to put on a decent act.
As we agreed to this and put on white robes, Liana looked at us and gave us instructions.
You don't need to actively do anything. I'll go out and gather information, so just stay quiet until I ask for help.
Just as I was thinking how incredibly reliable she was in such moments, Ruen chuckled beside me and spoke.
No need to worry! Just trust me!
I looked at the confident Ruen and nodded.
*
So, the first thing that greeted us as soon as we arrived at the Order was... a Disciplinary Committee for Ruen.