2-Person Hospital Room (2)

“So, how exactly do you plan to lure out Machart? Do you have a strategy?”

After all five members participating in the Machart subjugation operation had gathered, we began a serious discussion on how to defeat him.

There were two main preparations needed for the subjugation. One, as Gyeotmwa Josyegigot just mentioned, was to set a trap to lure Machart in for the subjugation.

After all, what a hunter needs most to start hunting isn’t a bow or spear-it’s the prey itself.

“Prince Machart likely won’t fall for just any trap. Since he already failed once in targeting me, he’ll assume I know his identity and am prepared.”

“…That makes sense. If he were the type to charge in recklessly, he would’ve approached Lillith at least once or twice by now. The fact that he hasn’t attacked while Lady Blaze and I are frequently with you suggests he’s more cautious than he appears.”

“That’s why it’s crucial to make Prince Machart think I’m alone. Specifically, he’ll likely try to create a situation where Young Master Ethan, Miss Agnes, or others can’t interfere. Since Miss Agnes and I have deliberately staged a fake conflict, he’ll probably assume she won’t intervene and feel somewhat reassured.”

“What about me and Celista? If he’s that cautious, wouldn’t he try to account for us if we’re nearby?”

“Of course he’ll be wary of the Hero and the Saintess, but I doubt he considers you as threatening as Young Master Ethan. Hero Gyeotmwa Josyegigot has hardly interacted with me or Young Master Ethan outside official settings, and Saintess Celista has only met me here in the church apart from formal occasions.”

From Machart’s perspective, the only real obstacles were Ethan and Agnes. After all, they were the two closest to me publicly at the moment.

“But the Hero and I have met Lady Lillith before… Wouldn’t he grow suspicious if we’re nearby?”

“If a baronet’s daughter were to publicly accuse the Empire’s Fourth Prince of being a demon’s pawn, most people would dismiss it as the delusions of a jealous noble girl unless they had absolute faith in her. Especially if I insult Prince Machart-it would just look like a low-ranking noble girl blinded by jealousy seeking revenge after failing to win his favor.”

“I, I see…”

Still, it was a relief that I had four people willing to believe such an outrageous claim. Setting aside Gyeotmwa Josyegigot and his companion Celista-fellow transmigrators like me-Ethan and Agnes trusted my words without question.

If I had only asked Ethan or Agnes alone to protect me, Machart would have seized the opportunity to approach me at least once during the semester. In that unprepared state, I’d have had to face him in battle again, and defeat would have been inevitable.

Now that I’ve awakened, there’s no need to fight this mid-boss one-on-one. A raid boss should be taken down with a raid.

“As bait to lure Prince Machart, I’ll use the noble social gathering held in the Imperial Palace during summer break. Since it’s an event where Prince Machart mingles with unsuspecting noble ladies-ahem-I’m certain he’ll attend without fail.”

“I regularly receive invitations but always decline. These kinds of aimless noble gatherings usually exist for… less than pure interactions between men and women.”

Given that Machart was indeed using it for that purpose, Ethan’s assumption wasn’t entirely wrong.

Meanwhile, Agnes, who had been examining the invitation Ethan brought for reference, suddenly gave me a puzzled look.

“I’ve never gotten one of those.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve never even heard of such a noble gathering.”

“Well, of course not, Lady Blaze. Didn’t I just explain the purpose of these parties? Lady Blaze is… um, well…”

“…What? Spit it out.”

“Since Young Master Ethan seems hesitant, allow me to explain. As he mentioned earlier, this party is for immature noble sons and daughters seeking ‘impure’ interactions. I suppose Miss Agnes lacks the qualifications for such impure activities…”

“…I thought the fake breakup plan was over. Should I take what you’re saying now as your real thoughts, Lillith?”

“My apologies. I only meant to explain why you didn’t receive an invitation…”

While modern people, corrupted by all sorts of lewd media, might appreciate a figure like Agnes, in this world, men who engaged in impure relations with her were usually suspected of having questionable tastes.

“For the record, I’ve gotten them too. Ever since I started being active as the Hero, I’ve been invited to these gatherings now and then. I’ve always been too busy to attend, though.”

“I-I’ve gotten one too… Just once, last winter break…”

“I’ve also received them consistently since enrolling at the academy. Before that, I hardly participated in social events, so I never got invitations.”

“I-I’ve always been famous… Not that I wanted to be, but I’ve attended social events regularly… Why…?”

It couldn’t be helped. The likelihood of being invited to this event was based on the “Charm” stat. Agnes’s low Charm stat made her chances of receiving an invitation practically zero.

Of course, even if she attended, there were hardly any worthwhile items to gain, and it would only damage her reputation, so skipping it was usually the better choice. But this time, the act of attending itself was the goal, so I had no choice.

Since Agnes didn’t have an invitation, it was decided she would attend as Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s partner. Celista’s expression soured momentarily, but she nodded in reluctant agreement, acknowledging it was necessary for dealing with the demons.

“I’ll figure out a way to lure Prince Machart out. I’ll create a situation where it looks like Young Master Ethan and I are fighting over relationship issues, creating some distance between us temporarily. I doubt Prince Machart would let such a rare opportunity slip.”

“…The problem is whether such a simple plan will work. If Machart has been patient and hasn’t attacked Lill… Lillith yet, it means he’s cautious. Wouldn’t someone like him suspect an obvious scenario like this is a trap?”

“Would you like to see a test run? Judge for yourselves whether Prince Machart would fall for my acting. Young Master Ethan, please play along for a moment.”

“Wait, if you’re suddenly asking me to act, you should at least tell me what to say-“

“You’ll figure it out as we go.”

These things tend to come naturally when the moment arrives, so I began acting without waiting for Ethan to recover from his confusion.

With the self-affirmation that I was no longer a nobleman’s exclusive maid but a sharp-tongued noble lady.

“Ed. We need to talk.”

“…Lillith?”

“Oh? You don’t even want to call me by my nickname anymore? Fine, then I’ll do the same, Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“S-sorry. That just slipped out, Lili.”

“It wasn’t just your words that slipped, was it? You were staring so intently at that lady over there earlier-seems like your eyes were doing more mischief than your mouth.”

“W-wait, Lili! Why would I look at another lady when I have you right beside me?”

“Oh, really? So my eyes were just playing tricks on me? How terribly sorry for mistakenly labeling you a lecher, Ed.”

“N-no, Lili, that’s not what I meant…”

“Honestly, I should’ve known something was off when you brought me to this obviously shady party. You’re not satisfied with just me in bed anymore, are you? If you’d told me you were looking for a girl to share your ‘long, hard candy’ with, I could’ve helped you find someone with a big mouth and a long tongue.”

“D-don’t say things that could be misunderstood, Lili! I-I really didn’t mean it like that, and I never even looked at another girl…”

“Sure. It’s not your fault-it’s all mine. If only I were prettier and more charming, I could’ve kept your eyes on me every second. Maybe I should’ve worn a dress with a shorter hem? No, wait-you like breasts, so I should’ve gone with a deeper neckline.”

“W-what are you saying, Lili! You’re already beautiful and charming!”

“Whatever. I’m going out for some air. Don’t follow me.”

“Lili, wait…”

“Take one more step, and it’s over between us. Consider this your warning, Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Considering Ethan had to improvise, he did a decent job playing along, making the scenario fairly convincing.

Of course, in the real situation, we’d need to start from a more natural setup, but this was enough to persuade the others.

“I plan to act something like this in the real situation. Do you think this level of acting would be insufficient?”

As soon as I finished speaking, three-no, four heads, including Ethan’s-shook side to side.

“L-Lili.”

“It’s Lillith, Young Master Ethan. Thank you for humoring my sudden request.”

“Y-yeah. …Just asking, but you’re not actually mad at me, right, Lillith?”

“Of course not. I’m always grateful to you, so there’s no need to worry.”

“O-okay. If you ever are mad, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll fix whatever it is right away…”

For some reason, my response made it feel like there was now some distance between Ethan and me. Even though I’d clearly said it was just acting.