Chapter 56: You have to pretend to be sick

The sky, clear just moments ago…

Is now darkening with clouds.

In this gloomy weather…

Several women were gathered at Aias’s mansion.

Sitting around a round table, facing each other…

They shared a surprising number of similarities.

One of them was that they were all once villainesses.

And another was their love for Isabel.

With these shared feelings, they had much in common.

But they didn’t acknowledge it.

Instead, they looked down on each other…finding each other inadequate.

“…Greetings. So…one of you is the lord, and the other is a beastkin…?”

Belladriel put on a polite facade as she looked at Lunari.

Lunari sniffed the air and twitched her ears.

“Heh, you smell fresh. You must be the same as me…”

Seraphina sighed, dumbfounded by Lunari’s words.

“Huh? Fresh smell? Ridiculous. You’re just a beast. Anyway, Aias!”

“Y-Yes?!”

Seraphina is right in front of her.

Aias’s heart started to pound.

The woman who was once her idol is right here…

She felt a thrill.

But Seraphina, uninterested in such feelings, gave her a cold stare.

“Why are you trying to find our Isabel?”

“Well…”

“Heh? Our Isabel? Do you have business with our darling?”

“…W-Wait! Darling?!”

Layla stood up, taken aback.

“What do you mean, darling!?”

“Human, don’t you understand? Our darling. Our husband. Do you have business with him?”

“W-Who’s your husband!? Isabel…sees me as a beloved tool! His Master!”

Master.

Layla saw Isabel as her Master.

He redeemed her, saved her, and gave her a new life.

Not as a murderer, but as a tool to benefit people.

Belladriel sighed for the first time during this exchange.

“…This is ridiculous. Seriously, …”

“Y-Yes!?”

“…S-Saint…?”

Layla and Aias stared at Belladriel in surprise.

A gruff voice and foul language.

The saint always spoke with a gentle voice and beautiful words…

The sudden vulgarity made the atmosphere tense.

Belladriel continued, unfazed,

“You seem to be mistaken…Isabel belongs to our Luminous Garden. He’s a holy assistant priest. And…he’s the man who’s responsible for me…So shut your mouths before I smite you with divine judgment.”

Belladriel’s true colors were on full display, and everyone was speechless.

Lunari just smirked and said, “Oh, scary…”

“Huh? You’re the one who should shut up, nylon saint.”

“…What did you say? You’ve got quite the mouth, young lady.”

“Blah, blah, blah. This saint is a fake anyway.”

Seraphina sighed and stood up, crossing her arms.

“Darling, husband, master, man responsible for you…how ridiculous. He made a vow with me. To stay with me forever in Grace Field. If you call Isabel your possession one more time…I’ll separate your head from your body.”

“Heh? Is the old lady tough? Your body will be the one flying.”

Lunari retorted with a relaxed smile.

Seraphina narrowed her eyes and glared at the beastkin.

That beast-like human dares…What did she say? Old lady?

Seraphina glared at the beastkin with murderous intent.

“Huh…? Old lady?”

“Is there something wrong with being an old lady? You’re an old lady, aren’t you, girl?”

“You stay out of this, nylon saint.”

“No! Both of you stay out of it! Stop drooling over our Isabel!”

Layla couldn’t stay silent either.

She doesn’t want to lose her Master to anyone.

Aias broke out in a cold sweat at their tense standoff.

“Um…”

Everyone stood up, like Seraphina.

They glared at each other…

And the ground started to shake.

…A big fight is about to break out…

Aias sensed this and tried to calm the women down.

“E-Everyone, calm down! We’re not here to fight…”

But they just continued glaring at each other, ignoring Aias’s words.

Aias continued amidst the tension,

“We’re all here to find out about the Fox Mask…no, Isabel’s whereabouts, aren’t we? Let’s share information!”

Indeed…

That’s why they’re gathered here.

They knew that, so they held back.

“Sigh…that little Aias has a point…”

Seraphina, understanding the situation, quietly sat down.

She crossed her legs and looked down at the other women condescendingly.

“We’re all here for that, nylon saint, little girl. So calm down.”

“…I’m not a little girl…”

But…

Since Seraphina was right, Layla sat down too.

Belladriel sighed softly and sat down as well.

She rested her chin on one hand and looked at the others.

Lunari, looking annoyed, stomped her foot.

“W-Where are you going?! Divine Being!”

“…To get some fresh air. You guys talk.”

Spending a long time with unpleasant humans…

Lunari grumbled and left the room.

Aias sighed softly and looked at the women sitting before her.

…What’s so great about the Fox Mask…?

Aias couldn’t understand.

The Divine Being, Seraphina, Layla, and even the saint…

Why are they so obsessed with Isabel…?

She couldn’t comprehend their feelings.

She had a brief encounter with Isabel and developed some fondness for him, but…

It didn’t go any further, so she couldn’t understand such deep emotions.

The preciousness they found in Isabel.

The redemption they received from Isabel.

And even the compassionate feeling of love…

Of course, it’s all twisted…

But they all love him nonetheless.

“So, Aias?”

“Y-Yes? Countess.”

“What…did Isabel do?”

Just as Seraphina was about to start questioning her…

Aias raised her hand.

“W-Wait. Before that, I have a question for you, Countess…”

“Sigh, what more is there to ask…? What?”

Aias continued, unfazed by Seraphina’s irritated tone,

“Tell me why you established the guild. Then I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Sigh, fine…nylon saint, little girl?”

Seraphina looked at Belladriel and Layla.

“…Is it okay to talk about Isabel?”

“God said it’s better to share information to learn about Isabel…so let’s talk.”

“Seriously, I’m not a little girl…!”

Their reactions were different, but they all agreed.

Seraphina looked at Aias and said,

“I’ll tell you. Why we established the Guild Association…”

Seraphina began to explain to Aias seriously.

The explanation went on for a long time.

And as soon as Seraphina finished, Aias began her own explanation.

Like this…

The conversation flowed smoothly.

And eventually, they started sharing their experiences with Isabel.

Layla and Belladriel joined in as well.

They became one, sharing their stories…

And exchanging even the smallest pieces of information.

And amidst all this, they even argued about what kind of skinship they had with Isabel…

A ridiculous wife battle…

And amidst this heated atmosphere, information continued to be shared.

Of course, they were all thinking the same thing.

If I can find Isabel using this information…

I’ll be the first to go to him.

We finally arrived at the village.

A sweet fragrance wafted from the entrance.

Seeing the bustling crowd, I was certain.

This is definitely Fruit Beria.

I’ve arrived at my destination.

A village with a perpetual spring-like atmosphere and endless joy.

And with abundant food, no one starves here.

Lush trees are planted throughout the village…

And their delicious fruit, the sweet, star-shaped “Frusta,” is a local delicacy.

This fruit is so common in this village that people eat it whenever they’re hungry…

And it’s used in various ways in their daily lives.

“…Hmm. First, to meet Shirarai…”

I have to pretend to be sick.

She’s a skilled physician, so she must be working as a doctor.

I have to approach her as a sick patient.

Of course, I can’t just pretend half-heartedly.

I need to look like I’m in critical condition. I need to look injured…

“Hmm, I can’t ask someone to hit me…”

Should I ask a passing bandit to stab me…?

I thought about it…

But I don’t want to actually get hurt.

Or should I get hit by a carriage and go to the clinic…?

But that would really hurt…

Then, what kind of illness should I fake…?

I can’t pretend to be mentally ill, since I’m perfectly normal…

And I don’t want to drool, that’s too much effort…

Oh…!

Come to think of it, there’s no need to worry!

A thought struck me, and I opened the system window.

“I should have used this…Hehe.”

The skill I received from Lunari Evergrace.

Yoho’s Mischief.

I can use this.

The skill’s effect is as follows:

[A deceptive skill that allows you to play pranks and trick others by changing your appearance. You can activate this skill once on a target of your choice, transforming yourself into any form or state you desire to deceive them. You can even change your gender and appearance.]

…Wow, as expected of Lunari’s skill.

I can use this to prank my way into the clinic.

The clinic where Shirarai is…