"I'm aware of it. Actually, it's all I can think about right now."
"So, you also believe in Instructor Cattleya's innocence?"
"Yes, I do."
"It was fortunate you returned when you did. King Darius believes Instructor Cattleya tried to kill him and is currently in a state of confushion."
"Prince Heath is trying to mediate the situation, but it's unpredictable when the death sentence might be carried out. It's a precarious situation."
"So, Prince Heath understands that Instructor Cattleya isn't the culprit, right?"
"Of course. All those who have received guidance from Instructor Cattleya feel the same way."
"If Instructor Cattleya's execution proceeds before the truth is revealed, it will be an irreparable stain on the royal family."
"Graduates of the Royal Officer's Academy, whether in the military or government offices, all support Instructor Cattleya. If the royal family executes her, they'll lose significant authority."
"Besides, as a student, I sincerely hope for Instructor Cattleya's survival."
I listened silently to Platanus's words without responding.
This guy might be smart, but he's the wrong type of genius. Truly intelligent people answer questions, not talk incessantly about things nobody asked. Those who blabber their knowledge without being asked just want to show off their intelligence; they're not really interested in providing useful information. In short, they don't want to be wise, they want to be seen as wise. At least it's better than those pretending to be foolish while hiding their intentions.
"Well, I have to meet someone about future plans, so I'll leave it at that for today. Please take care of Shion's tutoring."
"Of course. And please, do what you can for Instructor Cattleya."
"I'll try my best."
"Looking forward to seeing your efforts..."
For the first time, I noticed Platanus's expresshion change from a forced smile to a blank face.
His thin eyes slowly opened, revealing emerald-like pupils. Looking into those eyes, I sensed a glimpse of the man's ferocity.
"Ah! Big brother, you're back!" Shion exclaimed, sprinting down the hallway and leaping into my arms. "Welcome back, big brother."
"Yeah, I'm back. Sorry, I said I'd be back sooner."
"It's okay. You're busy, right?"
"Well, it's going to get busier from now on. You know, right? Instructor Cattleya is in danger. We have to save her."
At that moment, Shion, who had been burying her face in my chest, looked up. "Do you want to save Cattleya?"
"Yeah."
"Should I save her for you?"
With an innocent and adorable expresshion, she said, "Should I just kill everyone? Those trying to kill Cattleya. Even that arrogant guy called the king?"
Just like that, as if it was nothing, she suggested she would kill anyone, any number of people, if I asked her to.
To Shion, everyone else, other than me, might as well be the Demon King she's destined to defeat in the future. Right now, she's practicing to defeat the Demon King because I asked her to. So, if I request it, she would kill anyone without hesitation.
"No, it's okay. I'll handle it myself."
"You sure you don't need my help?"
"Yeah."
"If you need my power, just let me know, okay?"
"Sure. I think I'll need your power soon."
"Don't worry, big brother. I'll protect you. From everyone and everything."
It's hard to believe Shion's current mental state is normal.
I'm honestly happy that she's fond of me. Being adored by such a cute girl feels good. And being trusted by the hero is truly something to be proud of.
But this isn't right.
I can't let her continue to blindly trust me while disregarding everything and everyone else. I hope having Platanus as her tutor will help ease this situation a bit."Hey, Shion. Have you already met the person who's going to teach you?" I asked.
"Platanus? I've already started learning from him."
"Really? How's studying going? Is it fun?"
"Not really? It's neither difficult nor fun. I'm just doing it because you told me to."
"I see. Well, it's going to be useful for you, so keep at it."
"Okay. Don't worry, I'll work hard in both training and studies."
At that moment, Shion suddenly sniffed at my chest.
"...?"
"...Holly."
Shion's gaze turned cold as she looked at Holly, who was beside me.
"You entered big brother's body again, didn't you?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"It doesn't matter. As long as you're protecting big brother when I'm not around, I won't complain."
"Hmph! How arrogant."
"Anyway, you can only enter his body. You can't even kiss or hug him."
"…!"
I heard a 'snap' sound, as if it came from Holly's forehead.
"Well, just do your best to be useful to big brother, okay? Old hag."
"One day, I'll really make you cry. Brat."
Oh, fate.
Oh, gods who govern fate.
Why can't these two get along?
And why do both of them like me?
Honestly, it's overwhelming. It's scary.
After enjoying a chat with me and a verbal spat with Holly, Shion ran down the hallway to her swordsmanship training.
Left alone with Holly, I started a conversation.
"Holly, I have a question."
"What is it?"
I asked Holly, "Besides Cattleya's Explosive Sword, which other saintly swords have the power to destroy a part of the castle in an instant?"
"The Demon God Sword Gram, I suppose."
"But the Demon God Sword is hard to wield, right? What about the possibility of Heath's Thunder Sword?"
"The Thunder Sword that Prince Heath possesses is effective against individuals, but it doesn't have enough power to destroy castle walls. Lightning tends to flow in the path of least resistance, so if it hits a wall or floor, it often passes through without causing destruction. Against humans, it can instantly boil and evaporate the body's water content, causing electrocution. But it's hard to destroy non-water-containing substances like rock or metal."
"So, nine times out of ten, the perpetrator of this incident is a saintly sword wielder unknown to me."
"I hesitate to say this to you, but Cattleya's Explosive Sword could easily destroy castle walls."
"That's not possible."
"…Oh well. You blindly trust that baby-faced woman, don't you?"
"It's not that."
I looked at Holly, who was standing beside me."I have a reason to believe that Instructor Cattleya is not the culprit."
"What is that reason?"
"If she was the perpetrator, she wouldn't have failed the assassination. She would have definitely killed the king."
"…"
"The fact that the king is still alive eliminates the possibility of Instructor Cattleya being the culprit. It's impossible for her to fail to kill someone she intends to. And she definitely wouldn't have gotten caught so easily. Setting up enough bombs in the king's room and detonating them when he's there is something she could do without fail, Holly."
"…"
For some reason, Holly looked at me, holding her breath, with an expresshion as if she was swallowing her words.
I decided to return to my private room.
Already there were Iris and Safran, and...
"...Who are you?"
"It's Heath!"
"Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be beaten up by Shion and become incapacitated, never to appear in front of me again?"
"What's with that plan! I just got discharged from the hospital."
"Oh, is that so? I won't say it would have been better if you had died then, but seriously, why are you here?"
"...You guys are planning to save Instructor Cattleya, right?"
"Yeah."
"I want to help too."
"No, thank you. Please go back."
"What's with that attitude! I'm also a Saintly Sword bearer, you know? I'm quite a significant force!"
"Yeah, I know, but you never believe anything I say. Even if you're strong, it's kind of meaningless. Frankly, I don't like you and don't want to share the same air as you."
"Don't mess with me! Do you even understand the situation? If I hadn't stopped it, Instructor Cattleya would have been executed long ago! I was the one who stopped the execution until you guys returned!"
"Is that so? It would have been nice if you had shown that kindness when I was about to be executed. Maybe then my negative impresshion of you would have improved from minus 100 to minus 80."
"Minus!? It would still be minus!?"