Killing the Lord – 5

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

Iris and Rije, Erica and Claudia were still dumbfounded by the situation unfolding before their eyes.

Where had the original Lord gone, and why was his daughter, Aurora, sitting on the sofa in an antique dress, conversing with the newcomer?

For them, who had never had a single good memory here, the fact that the mansion’s scenery could be so peaceful and warm was incredibly unfamiliar.

Everything, from the table laden with edible refreshments, to the maid treating them with courtesy, to the absence of that pig who used to scan their bodies with unpleasant eyes.

Aurora smiled sweetly and opened her mouth.

“First, I offer my apologies for the actions committed by that pig bastard, and at the same time, my gratitude for your efforts on behalf of our city despite everything. Knight Commanders of the Silver Dawn Knights.”

Aurora, who had risen from the sofa, slightly lifted the hem of her dress with both hands, bent her knees a little, and bowed her head in greeting. The four of them stared straight ahead, feeling bewildered.

Even though they clearly knew it was rude not to react while the other person was greeting them, their minds couldn’t keep up with the situation, so their bodies naturally didn’t move either.

They wondered what on earth they were seeing right now. As if understanding their confused feelings, Aurora let out a short laugh, “Hohoh.”

“I fully understand your feelings, Knight Commanders. You must be confused. I was the same at first. If even I was like that, how much more so for you? Please rest assured that I have no intention of considering it rude.”

“Uh, that, Aurora-nim. What on earth is going on here…?”

“We should probably clarify the titles as well. From now on, you may refer to me as the Lord. Or ‘Lord Aurora’ is also fine. Please call me whatever is comfortable for you.”

“……Huh?”

Claudia asked back in a dazed voice. Disbelief was clearly evident on her face.

“Because that pig bastard is dead.”

Rije dropped the snack she was about to put in her mouth. Iris, having gripped too hard, shattered the teacup she was holding, and Claudia’s jaw dropped. Erica, as if she had choked, coughed and thumped her chest.

“That pig bas… no, the Lord is dead?”

“You may curse him to your heart’s content, Rije Knight Commander. Whatever you call him, whatever title you use, I won’t mind. No, rather, I’d encourage you to call him by a more insulting title.”

At first, Rije had tried to use the title ‘pig bastard’ as usual, but perhaps thinking it was a bit inappropriate to call a father such a word in front of his daughter, she quickly changed her words. However, Aurora’s reaction was different.

She was rather encouraging them to call him by an even more insulting title.

“He is merely a biological father who passed on royal blood to me, not a family member with whom I share human-to-human interaction. Look. What do I call that pig bastard even now?”

“Ah, I understand. Then, Lord-nim.”

A pleased smile appeared on Aurora’s face. It truly was a sound that always resonated well. Yes, she should have been in this position all along.

Of course, she could never have achieved this alone, and there was someone else who made this accomplishment possible. Her golden eyes briefly glanced sideways at the man gnawing on a snack a little distance away.

Rije, who saw Aurora’s eyes scanning the newcomer with a strangely sticky emotion, fell into thought for a moment, then quickly returned to reality at the sound of her name being called.

“Yes, speak. Rije Knight Commander.”

“……Ah, yes. I’d like to hear a detailed explanation about that pig bastard’s death, if that’s alright?”

As the question that the other Knight Commanders were also curious about popped out of Rije’s mouth, three pairs of eyes filled with curiosity focused on Aurora.

No, perhaps four pairs, as the person who asked the question was also the same. Aurora calmly accepted their gaze and brought the teacup to her lips.

“Of course, I must tell you. Now, I will explain everything to you, one by one, from the beginning.”

‘Wow, it’s a lie I came up with, but hearing it like that makes it sound so real. Does Aurora have a talent for acting?’

Aurora told the Knight Commanders only the superficial reasons, as we had agreed upon beforehand. It was left to me to tell them the truth afterward.

The incident where I subjugated the headless armored cavalry and ‘accidentally’ discovered a book possessed by a demon.

The incident where I secretly brought the book to the Lord to discuss how to deal with it, but that bastard, blinded by greed, sent me away and secretly tried to summon the demon.

Fortunately, the demon residing in the book was greatly weakened, so there was no significant damage.

However, as a result of that aftermath, the Lord became half-human, half-demon, and thus, according to imperial law, all his rights were stripped, his existence erased, and Aurora filled his vacant position.

Since Aurora explained it so smoothly with a confident expression and tone, and even added details herself to parts she thought felt awkward, an even more plausible lie emerged.

“This is how the whole incident unfolded, Knight Commanders.”

Having finished her explanation, Aurora brought the teacup to her lips as if thirsty. A ‘horop’ sound was heard. It meant that the reception room was so quiet that the sound of tea being swallowed echoed clearly.

It was quite some time later that the conversation resumed. Iris, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling and organizing her thoughts, cautiously opened her mouth.

“……To be honest, I think it’s a truly preposterous story. Except for the part where that bastard’s personality is such that he would indeed summon a demon out of his own greed, the rest of it feels like a dream.”

“But it is also an incident that undeniably happened in reality.”

“Yes, Lord-nim. I know. If someone had told me the story exactly as Lord-nim did, I would have rebuked them, telling them to swing their sword one more time instead of telling such an absurd lie.”

“An absurd lie, huh… I see.”

Aurora chewed on that word and let out a small laugh. She must have felt ironic, knowing that the explanation she had just given was half a lie.

“By the way, newcomer.”

“Huh?”

Silver eyes turned towards me. It was the moment I was about to tag-team with Aurora and tell the four of them our real plan.

“Having heard that whole story, one question comes to mind.”

“……?”

I blinked, wondering what Iris was trying to say. There shouldn’t have been any particular flaws in Aurora’s added explanation. I briefly retraced where the explanation might have stumbled.

And, unexpectedly easily, I found what the problem was.

“There’s no way you would have trusted that Lord more than us, is there? If you had truly accidentally discovered such a book, you would have come to us to discuss how to deal with it, not the Lord.”

Only then did Aurora also make an ‘oops’ expression.

Indeed, considering how terrible the Lord’s reputation was in this city, the very fact that I supposedly went to him to discuss countermeasures made no sense from the start. Iris had accurately pinpointed that very point.

To the Emperor, who doesn’t know the circumstances here or my own situation well, the excuse ‘I hadn’t been with the Silver Dawn Knights for long, so I didn’t know the Lord was such trash’ might work. But there’s no way the excuse of not knowing the Lord well would work on the Knight Commanders.

“You’re right. You hit the nail on the head. It’s just as you said, Iris. If I had truly accidentally discovered such a book, I would have gone to you all for advice, not that pig bastard.”

I readily admitted it. I was going to reveal the real plan around this point anyway. It’s just that the timing was moved up a little.

“You’re readily admitting it. In that case, where does the lie begin, and where does the truth end?”

“Half of it is true, and half of it is a lie. First, the part about the Lord turning into a half-human, half-demon is true. And the part about there being no damage to the surroundings is also true. The part about Aurora taking that position is also true, and you can consider the rest to be lies.”

“I generally understand. In that case, what was the reason you told us the false plan first?”

“There’s someone who needs to use that. There’s quite a big difference between hearing a lie knowing it’s a lie and hearing it without knowing, isn’t there? So I wanted to ask you what parts felt awkward. And the plan becomes even more perfect if you all cooperate.”

“……Someone who needs to use the plan, you say? Who is that?”

“Someone who will soon come to beat up that demon in the basement.”

At my ambiguous words, Iris made a puzzled expression, then, as if realizing something, immediately turned a pale face towards me and stared.

“Newcomer, you, surely……!”

“It’s just as you think, Iris.”

Rije, Erica, and Claudia, who were next to her, had faces that were no different. With pale faces, trembling hands, they stared at me with expressions that seemed to ask what they had just heard.

“His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor. He’s the one who needs to use the plan we just talked about.”