Ch.168168. Do I Need to Split My Head Open to Make You Understand?

“Huh? You’re faking it?”

“Come to think of it, it’s not fake, is it? You’re in a lot of pain right now, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine after receiving Lady Rebecca’s treatment earlier. I think I’ll be able to move normally after just an hour of rest.”

“Really?”

Tilting my head, I pressed my finger with all my might on Rio’s injured area.

And then.

“AAAAARGH!”

“See? It hurts. I told you it’s too much to move right away.”

“T-that’s not it, Young Master, you just…”

Rio Sergang’s voice trailed off.

He must have seen the madness in my eyes.

“What was that? Say it again, Young Master what?”

“…It’s nothing. On second thought, I do seem to be in a lot of pain.”

“Right? You should probably rest for at least a day, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I need rest.”

“Then I’ll go talk to Sir Serion Lykus, so you just rest here.”

Standing up straight with confidence, I headed toward Serion Lykus, who was conversing with Rebecca.

“Sir Serion Lykus, may I have a word with you?”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Looking at Rio’s condition, I think he needs proper rest. Perhaps we could delay our entry into the Succubus Sanctuary by just one day…”

“I-is that all?”

When Serion Lykus looked surprised, Rebecca, who had been in charge of the treatment, jumped into the conversation.

“What are you saying? Rio should be able to move just fine in a little while.”

“I just asked Rio directly, and he said he needs to rest for a day.”

“But I definitely healed his injuries completely…”

“The wounds might be healed on the surface, but he could still be mentally unstable.”

Serion Lykus desperately tried to calm down Rebecca, who took great pride in her healing abilities, and turned his gaze toward me.

“I understand what you’re saying, Selden Alphonse. We’ve been hunting demons at a breathless pace, so I suppose we could rest for a day.”

“Thank you. Let’s rest at an inn in the territory up ahead for just one day.”

“Understood.”

Leaving behind a still-grumbling Rebecca, I supported Rio as we headed to the inn.

In the process, we avoided the inn where Lucien was staying.

After unpacking our belongings in our respective rooms, we headed downstairs to the first floor for dinner.

“…You have an ulterior motive, don’t you?”

As soon as I sat down, Rebecca, who had arrived at the table first, questioned me.

I tilted my head innocently.

“What do you mean?”

“After I finished treating him, Rio clearly told me he was fine.”

“Of course he would say the treated area was fine.”

“He also said he would join us soon.”

“Maybe Rio’s definition of ‘soon’ means ‘a day’?”

“Are you playing word games with me right now?”

I shrugged casually at the fuming Rebecca.

“Well, I just stated my opinion. Besides, how would delaying the schedule by one day benefit me?”

“…Where is the succubus that Serion Lykus captured?”

“Didn’t you hear? I already released her with Sir Serion Lykus’s permission.”

At my words, Rebecca curled up the corner of her mouth as if she had expected this.

“What if the succubus you released informs all the other succubi in the Sanctuary that we’re coming to invade?”

“That won’t happen. The succubus I dealt with was the former queen. She’s been exiled from the Succubus Sanctuary anyway.”

“An exiled succubus appearing back at the Succubus Sanctuary… that sounds suspicious to anyone.”

“So, you’re saying I’m in cahoots with the succubus, buying time while they prepare a trap for us in the Sanctuary?”

“I just can’t understand why you would release such a hideous demon as a succubus.”

Haaa…

What kind of trouble am I going through because of Evareen…

But what can I do?

I already promised to buy her time.

On top of that.

Rebecca was taking it a step further, painting me as a shameless person who was stalling for time while the succubi prepared a trap.

No matter how much she might despise nobles, her mental state was definitely concerning.

Barely hiding my bewildered expression, I opened my mouth.

“I already explained that to Sir Serion Lykus.”

“I heard. Making deals with demons… as expected, nobles are a species that will do anything for their own purposes.”

“Yes, and thanks to that, we were able to stop the demon wave and save all the lives in Lake Territory.”

Rebecca was silent for a moment before continuing.

“…Anyway, Selden Alphonse can’t prove that he’s not deliberately stalling for time, can he?”

“How? Should I split my head open to show you?”

“Do you want to prove it?”

“Of course. No matter how terrible my personality might be, I’m not someone who conspires with succubi to put my companions in danger.”

“There is a way to prove it…”

“What? What’s this way to prove it?”

At that moment, Serion Lykus came down the stairs, apparently having finished organizing his belongings in his room.

Rebecca flashed a sinister smile and raised her voice toward Serion Lykus.

“Serion! Selden Alphonse says he wants to come with us to the Succubus Sanctuary to slay the succubi!”

*

“Haaa…”

As soon as I entered my room after finishing dinner, a deep sigh escaped me.

Thanks to Rebecca’s scheme, I was now set to go to the damned Succubus Sanctuary.

Originally, I had planned to hold out here for a day, buying time, and then see off Serion Lykus and his companions as they re-entered the Succubus Sanctuary.

Then I was going to meet Lucien and head to Lake Territory.

But.

Rebecca had suddenly forced me to join the expedition to the Succubus Sanctuary by questioning my relationship with the succubus.

If I refused, it would only increase her suspicions.

Moreover, if by chance there really was a trap in the Succubus Sanctuary?

I would instantly become the prime suspect without any way to defend myself.

So, I had no choice but to reluctantly agree to join them.

“…Did you really deliberately buy us a day’s time?”

I nodded at Rio’s question as he suddenly appeared in my room.

“Yes, I did.”

“So you’re not hiding it from me.”

“Of course not. I deliberately told you to fake being sick, and besides, I don’t lie to people I trust.”

I meant it to make him feel good, and it seemed to work as Rio smiled gently.

“I see.”

“Aren’t you suspicious of me like Rebecca is?”

“How could I doubt you after all these years I’ve known you, Young Master?”

“Padericks always says he trusts me, but sometimes he gives me this squinty look.”

I imitated Padericks’s narrow eyes with my fingers, and Rio tried to suppress his laughter with “kuk! kuk!” sounds.

I wondered if an honorable knight of a noble house wasn’t allowed to laugh out loud.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I’m deliberately acting silly, so I appreciate the laugh. What are you sorry for?”

“…Please don’t tell Padericks about this.”

“Are you afraid of Padericks?”

“When he gets upset, it lasts a long time.”

I nodded vigorously, feeling like I understood what he meant.

“Kuk! Padericks does get upset easily.”

“By the way, are you really planning to go to the Succubus Sanctuary with them?”

“What choice do I have, with Rebecca being so suspicious?”

“Since you have nothing to hide, I don’t think you need to go…”

“What if, by bad luck, there really is a trap in the Succubus Sanctuary? Rebecca would foam at the mouth trying to pin it on me.”

“That’s true, but having been to the Succubus Sanctuary once, I judge it to be quite dangerous.”

I looked at Rio with a smirk.

“Are you worried about me now?”

“T-that’s not it…”

“Then what is it?”

“If something were to happen to you, Young Master, I would lose my place to return to.”

For a moment, it felt like something blunt had hit my head.

A numbing feeling, you could say?

Then a surge of emotion welled up from deep in my chest.

To think that Rio and I had built such a trusting relationship…

Well, we had been through a lot together, knowingly and unknowingly.

Rubbing the tip of my nose that had suddenly become emotional, I waved my hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry, I won’t need to step up anyway.”

“You mean you’ll stay in the rear?”

“Of course! I am a noble, after all!”

I joked while adjusting my clothes, and Rio smiled again.

“Then I can rest easy.”

“How are Luna and Rinadiel? I noticed they’ve been sticking together.”

“Perhaps because they’re both women, Rinadiel seems to rely on Luna a lot. She’s also gaining experience as planned.”

“Has Luna shown any sudden changes or anything like that?”

“No, she hasn’t.”

That’s strange.

When I checked earlier with my “Insight,” her affection deficiency level hadn’t increased…

Has she found something fulfilling?

Or perhaps she’s so focused on her goal of becoming stronger that she’s forgotten about her hunger for affection…

After chatting a bit more, Rio returned to his room for tomorrow’s schedule, and I lay alone on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Serion Lykus and Rebecca hadn’t yet accurately gauged my abilities.

Even in the Forest of Death where we had been together, wasn’t it Rio and Luna who did the hunting?

So there was no need to show off.

Why?

Because if they thought I was exceptionally skilled, they might invite me to join them on difficult demon hunts in the future.

Of course, I could refuse, but I didn’t want to create even the slightest possibility.

Looking out the window, darkness had already fallen.

As I closed my eyes to sleep, I made a promise to myself.

‘Tomorrow, I’m really just going to watch.’