Chapter 29: Emergency Measures (2)

‘Slow down when you’re in a hurry’. This was one of Sion’s core principles.

The more complicated and entangled the problem, the more carefully, calmly, and rationally one must act.

Getting agitated and acting rashly would only risk further escalating the situation.

Looking down at the two people lying on the floor, Sion reaffirmed that belief once again.

“Alright, let’s sort out the situation.”

She muttered, trying to suppress her anxiety.

The memory alteration on Carmine was complete.

She had also managed to put the most significant variable, the witness Mari, to sleep.

Somehow, she had succeeded in avoiding the worst outcome.

So, what was the next most urgent task? What needed to be handled first?

“Receiving the message.”

The answer came quickly.

Mari had come looking for Carmine because Isabella had contacted him.

So, to handle the situation, she needed to wake Carmine up quickly and send him to the communications room. That had been the original plan.

The problem, however, was that it would take at least five minutes for the manipulated memory to fully settle in his brain.

“Waking him now would be absurd.”

If he were woken prematurely and the spell broke, causing him to recall his original memory, things would become irreparable.

Especially if you do it after being asked, “Where did Beryl go?”

In other words, he had to respond to the incoming message without waking the head of the palace.

“There is only one way.”

Sion quickly reached a conclusion.

She then deactivated her invisibility spell and cast two spells simultaneously.

Disguise Self and Vocal Alteration.

With a sound of magic surging, Sion’s appearance changed to that of the head of the palace.

The transformation spell and the voice alteration spell — with these two, she could mimic Carmine for a few minutes.

Since she wouldn’t be in this form for long, there was no need for Polymorph.

Sion would head to the communications room in this state, pretending to be Carmine and responding as if she were him. That was her plan.

Sion glanced at the two unconscious people, stepped out, and closed the office door with a lock.

“Arcane Lock.”

For good measure, she added a magical lock as well.

Now, this door would not open unless a superior archmage suddenly appeared to interfere.

After briefly looking around the hallway to confirm no one was there, she moved.

“Let’s see, the communications room should be…”

She had entered the royal palace at the age of eight. Now at fifteen, Sion had lived in the palace for seven years.

This was over twice as long as the time she had spent adventuring with her companions, including Lier.

Naturally, she knew the layout of the palace like the back of her hand.

Soon, Sion, disguised as Carmine, entered the communications room.

“I was summoned. The princess wanted to see me?”

“Oh, you’ve arrived, Chief of Staff.

Actually, it was Lady Rosalia, the princess’s attendant, who wanted to ask you something.”

“Put her on.”

“Yes.”

The wizard waiting in the room bowed his head in response.

Shortly after, the sensation of telepathy flowed into Sion’s mind, much like when she used her own mental communication.

-“It’s me. What’s going on?”

-“Oh, hello, Chief. It’s been a while since we last spoke.

I’m contacting you because Princess Isabella has something she needs to confirm with you.”

-“The princess? About what?”

-“Well, you know that new maid named Beryl who joined the palace about a month ago?

Is she still at the palace?”

Alright. This is where it gets important.

Sion took a deep breath internally while maintaining a calm exterior and spoke with composure.

-“No, that girl resigned. About two to three weeks ago.”

-“Resigned? Why?”

-“I don’t know why. No matter how many times I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn’t answer. She just kept insisting that she be allowed to leave.

Really, quitting like that… I wonder if she even knows how that tarnishes the honor of Countess Freesia, who recommended her… It took some effort to clean up the situation quietly. Thinking about it again is irritating.”

-“I-Is that so…”

Sion flawlessly played the part of the “struggling middle manager.” Mimicking Carmine’s mannerisms was easy since she had seen him many times.

Even Rosalia, who was receiving the call, and the wizard beside her didn’t notice anything strange.

-“But why are you asking about her? Did she cause some trouble?”

-“Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s just that here in Anatolia, there’s a girl working as a store clerk who looks exactly like her. I thought maybe they were the same person.”

-“Isn’t it just someone else who looks similar?”

-“That’s what I thought, but oddly enough, this girl seems to have no memory of who she is.

The princess found that unsettling, so she asked me to check.”

-“Hmm…”

Sion pretended to stroke her chin thoughtfully.

-“No, if she’s in Anatolia, then it’s probably someone else.

I was going to put her on the airship as a companion for the Hero anyway, as her servant. I informed her of that.”

-“Oh, really?”

-“Yes. That was the whole reason she was brought in, to provide the Hero with a servant of the same age to support him.

I never expected she’d suddenly throw a fit and insist on leaving…”

Sion made a frustrated groaning sound, as if recalling an unpleasant memory. (Of course, it was an act.)

-“In any case, if she were planning to go to Anatolia, she wouldn’t have needed to resign. So, it must be a different person.

There are plenty of people in the world with similar faces. Just tell the princess that.”

-“That makes sense now that I think about it. Understood.”

Through the telepathic link, Rosalia nodded.

Sion’s reasoning for saying this was simple, to prevent Beryl or Isabella from coming back to Ashtaria and investigating.

Since the head of the palace himself had stated, “It must not be the same person,” it would likely divert their attention to some extent.

Of course, Sion had made sure there would be no issues even if they did come back to investigate, but it was always good to have extra insurance.

After all, words were cheap.

-“Thank you for the quick and detailed response, Chief.

Then, I will take my leave now. Sorry for disturbing you.”

-“Okay. Carry on.”

-“Yes, sir.”

With those words, the communication ended.

Sion secretly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed she had managed to pass without raising any suspicion.

With this, one major hurdle had been overcome.

‘Now the remaining task is how to manipulate the memory of the witness, the maid…!’

As for Carmine, he could be left as he was.

Since he was someone who always piled up work, there wouldn’t be much suspicion even if he collapsed from overwork. After all, he had actually collapsed a few times in the past.

The problem was Mari.

A maid falling asleep during her duties in the palace was akin to a soldier dozing off while on guard duty. If discovered, it would immediately lead to a severe reprimand.

Mari had been working at the palace for quite some time, so she wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.

In other words, even if Sion manipulated her memory, she would still need a reasonable excuse.

‘An excuse for suddenly falling asleep during work… What could it be?’

Sion crossed her arms and pondered.

This was the moment when her creativity would be put to the test.

She needed to come up with a suitable ‘story’ that would make the two people feel no sense of strangeness when they woke up.

There must be… something he could use as material in this situation…

At that moment, a piece of information flashed through Sion’s mind.

Three years ago, while passing by the servants’ lounge, she had accidentally overheard some idle chatter.

Mari had been having a trivial conversation with a fellow maid.

‘Now that I think about it, she did say she had a thing for older men, didn’t she?’

Not just a year or two older, but much older—what people might call a preference for middle-aged men. Sion had heard it directly from her, so she was certain.

On the other hand, Carmine, likely due to his heavy workload, looked quite old for his age.

If someone looked at him, they could easily believe he was in his forties.

Still, his appearance was reasonably acceptable, and more importantly, he was unmarried.

Moreover, he had never heard of Mari having a lover…

‘This is it.’

At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed into Sion’s mind.

Without hesitation, she made her way back to the office.

Inside, Mari and Carmine were lying in the same positions as when she had left.

“Alright.”

Lifting both of them, Sion headed toward the sofa in the corner of the room.

Now, this part was crucial.

She first placed Mari on the left end of the sofa, sitting her down as if she were sitting, and laid Carmine down so that his head rested on Mari’s lap.

Then, she summoned a blanket with a conjuration spell and draped it over Carmine.

The result was what is commonly referred to as the “lap pillow” position.

It appeared as if Mari had offered her thigh to support the exhausted Carmine.

“Perfect.”

Sion smiled in satisfaction as she admired her creation.

Then, she placed her hand on Mari’s forehead and chanted a spell.

“Modify Memory.”

Once again, she cast the memory manipulation spell.

This time, the story she prepared went like this:

First, she erased the memory of Isabella’s call from Mari’s mind. Since she had already handled that, there was no need for Mari to relay it again to Carmine, which would only cause unnecessary trouble.

The reason for her finding the collapsed Carmine would be simply explained by her passing by the office and noticing him through the open door.

The important part was what happened next.

Alarmed, Mari rushed over to check Carmine’s condition and was relieved to discover that he had merely fainted from exhaustion. She immediately tried to wake him up.

However, upon seeing him sleeping so peacefully, she felt a strange emotion—a feeling of ‘fluttering.’

‘Seeing the normally strict and stern superior for the first time looking vulnerable must have stirred a peculiar sense of maternal instinct within her.

As a result, she decided to do something different from her usual behavior. Instead of waking the Chief of the Palace Staff, she chose to let him rest and recover some energy.

And the outcome of this slightly selfish act was the current lap pillow position.’

The reason Mari herself fell asleep was that, while gazing at the sleeping Carmine, she found herself nodding off without realizing it.

Later, upon waking and seeing each other, they would both be flustered and blush.

It was the classic setup for a romance novel.

A perfect flow.

“Conditional casting. Charm Person. The condition is when they wake up and see each other.”

As the final step, Sion cast enchantment spells on both of them to make them charmed by each other, completing her work.

With this, they would have no time to ponder what happened while they were asleep. Their minds would be too tangled with feelings of affection for each other.

Instead of getting rid of witnesses, she had paved the way for them to live together for a hundred years. How merciful of a Demon King was she?

“Hehe, then farewell! Greater Teleport!”

Sion cheerfully bid goodbye to the two people cozily lying on the sofa.

Bye-bye! Wishing you a long and happy life together!

-Shooo….

With a faint fluctuation of magic, the surrounding scenery changed.

In the next moment, Sion found herself back in the toilet stall where she had originally been standing.

She opened the door, stepped out, and returned to her seat.

“I’m back. Did the maid return?”

“Hmm? Oh, not yet—”

Just as Isabella was about to respond, the cafe door opened, and her attendant walked in.

“I’ve checked, Your Highness. It seems Miss Beryl left a few weeks ago and is no longer in the palace. However, the chief insists they are not the same person. He said there’s sufficient reason to believe so.”

Perfect, mission complete.

Sion covered her mouth with her hand, a sly grin spreading across her face.