"Eh? What do you mean?"
Liliana didn't quite understand what Karen meant. What did she mean by saying Akuto had been greedy and flirtatious from the very beginning?
Why did the Akuto in Karen's eyes seem so different from the one in Liliana's memory?
"Lady Liliana, I know you're confused right now, but I have my own perspective as well. Would you be interested in hearing it?"
"Yes. Go on."
Liliana really did want to know how Karen's perspective differed from her own.
"Lady Liliana, your feelings for Lord Akuto probably began with Marquis Voban's god-summoning ritual, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
That incident had already become a major event everyone knew about, so Liliana wasn't surprised that Karen knew of it too.
"Then, Lady Liliana, do you know why Lord Akuto went to Marquis Voban's god-summoning ritual in the first place?" Karen asked.
"To save his friend, Mariya Yuri?" Liliana frowned slightly.
Mariya Yuri, the shrine maiden from Japan, had always remained a knot in her heart.
In the original course of events, after Marquis Voban's god-summoning ritual ended, Liliana and Yuri should never have had much further contact, at least until Athena appeared and Liliana rescued Yuri from her hands.
But now the story had changed.
Liliana had maintained a rather good relationship with Yuri ever since, one that had come very close to the level of best friends or confidantes.
The reason it was only close, but not quite there, was because Liliana had a knot in her heart over the matter.
Liliana knew perfectly well that while she had approached Yuri partly out of concern for a fellow victim, the main reason had still been Akuto.
She had proactively stayed in contact with Yuri after the ritual and become close to her largely so she could gather information about Akuto in a more natural way.
That was why, even though Yuri already regarded her as a close friend, Liliana still couldn't forgive herself for having approached that friendship with ulterior motives. In her own mind, she was not qualified to truly be Yuri's friend.
...
"That's right. Lord Akuto's original purpose really was to save that shrine maiden from Japan." Karen nodded.
"But afterward, Lord Akuto also rescued Athena and the witches along the way."
"And after saving you, he even went on to save all the shrine maidens and witches who had taken part in the ritual as well."
"Lady Liliana, do you know what that means?"
"It means... Akuto is a kind-hearted good person?"
Liliana gave the answer that had always existed in her heart.
"I see. So that's how you understand it."
Karen smiled and sat down across from Liliana.
"Indeed, that's the first conclusion any normal person would reach. But I understand it differently."
"I do think Lord Akuto may truly be a kind person. You can tell from the way he repairs the battlefield after a fight. That alone shows how different he is from other Godslayers."
"But Lord Akuto did not choose to save all those shrine maidens simply because he was a good person."
"Then why?" Liliana asked in confusion.
"Because at his core, Lord Akuto is a greedy man. That is why he wanted to take in all of those witches and shrine maidens."
"Because Lord Akuto is fundamentally greedy, he wanted to save all of those witches and shrine maidens afterward."
"And because Lord Akuto is a greedy man, he wants to gather so many beautiful girls into his harem."
"So? Lady Liliana, if you look at him from this angle, doesn't Lord Akuto actually seem completely consistent from beginning to end?"
After Karen finished laying out her understanding of Akuto, she kept watching Liliana, who had fallen into stunned silence.
And yes, after hearing Karen's analysis, Liliana was genuinely frozen in place.
That's right. Why hadn't she thought of that before?
Karen's explanation was far smoother than her own interpretation.
"Karen, can you tell me the rest of your thoughts about Akuto as well?"
Liliana looked at Karen urgently, her eyes full of pleading.
"Yes, Lady Liliana. I'd be delighted to share."
Karen lightly licked her lips, the kind of soft smile Akuto happened to like very much spreading across her face.
She firmly believed that if she guided and comforted Liliana properly, she would earn quite a few points with Akuto.
When the time came, if she and Liliana went to him together, it would also make it easier to keep Akuto close.
Karen had always been the type who, if she couldn't resist life, would simply enjoy it.
And as for becoming Akuto's woman, she truly did enjoy that. Otherwise, she never would have let him remain inside her the entire night.
So, in order to tie Akuto down more securely, and to gain even more of his attention and affection, Karen decisively pulled Liliana, who was already halfway onto the chariot, all the way aboard.
Of course, Karen knew that even without her help, Liliana was destined to fall into Akuto's hands eventually.
But to help Liliana accept Akuto more smoothly, and to spare Akuto a bit of effort, Karen resolutely decided to step in herself.
And so she began to slowly explain her understanding of Akuto.
"Lady Liliana, I think Lord Akuto is actually an irresponsible person."
"Irresponsible?"
Liliana tilted her head slightly in confusion. Why would Karen think that?
"Lady Liliana, you've read Lord Akuto's mission reports before, haven't you?" Karen asked.
"Yes, I have. Akuto completed every commission from the hidden world flawlessly, and he accumulated an enormous fortune because of it."
Liliana openly admitted that she had investigated Akuto in private.
"That's right. Lord Akuto completed every commission from the hidden world perfectly. At school, he was an absolute top student. In the hidden world, he was the utterly dependable Holy Prince. But when it came to carrying the burden on his own shoulders, he failed."
"You mean Marquis Voban's incident..." Liliana frowned.
"Exactly. That incident."
"Although Lord Akuto successfully saved you and the shrine maiden from Japan, he still failed to save everyone."
"I believe anyone else would have considered rescuing everyone impossible, and thought that such an outcome was already good enough. But Lord Akuto is different."
"Once he realized those shrine maidens had died because of 'fate,' his life and work began to change drastically."
"He started focusing on the myths of the world and became a renowned scholar in the field of researching fate. He also frequently traveled to ruins around the globe connected to deities with the divinity of fate."
"And now, Lord Akuto has finally obtained that power."
"Hm?"
Halfway through, Liliana suddenly lifted her head and looked toward the door.
She had sensed a familiar presence outside.
Erica's presence.
Click.
Erica clearly had no intention of hiding. Once she realized she had been noticed, she casually used unlocking magic to open Liliana's door.
Come to think of it, her room and Liliana's room weren't far apart at all. One was to the left of Akuto's room, the other to the right, with only a single room between them.
"Lily, it sounds like you were discussing something very interesting."
After entering the room, Erica walked over to Liliana's desk with a bright smile and looked down at her.
"Erica. Don't say eavesdropping on someone else's conversation so lightly," Liliana snapped softly.
"Eavesdropping? Lily, what a funny way to put it."
"I wasn't eavesdropping. I heard your conversation from the very beginning. And choosing to come to your room at this moment was my own decision. Otherwise, there's no way you would have noticed me."
As she spoke, Erica slipped over to the side of Liliana's desk and pulled out a bug she had hidden underneath it.
"Allow me to introduce modern technology."
"I knew you're very sensitive to magic, Lily, so using magical means to spy on you would have had a high chance of being discovered. That's why I simply planted a listening device instead."
"Erica, you're as despicable as ever! What exactly was the point of putting something like that there?!"
Liliana's displeasure was visible to the naked eye.
But very quickly, she realized something.
"Wait. If you've been listening the whole time, then why did you deliberately come in front of us and let me notice you?"
Erica covered her lips and let out her signature refined little laugh.
"Bingo. Lily, you finally noticed the important part. Of course I came here to ease your worries."
"Lily, you're troubled over Akuto right now, aren't you?"
"If there's anything you want to know, you can just ask me directly. After all, I arrived several days earlier than you did, so I understand His Majesty better than you do. And since we've been such good friends for so many years, I'll tell you everything I know."
"Hm? Erica... you'd really be that kind?"
Liliana looked at Erica suspiciously.
She had to admit Erica was right. If Erica only wanted to spy on her, there had been no need for her to reveal herself.
And yet Erica had come right to her door and deliberately let herself be discovered.
It almost seemed that the only explanation was that Erica really had come to help her.
Liliana wasn't wrong. Erica truly had come to answer her questions.
But beyond that, she had her own little scheme.
It was precisely because she had overheard the conversation between Karen and Liliana that Erica decided to come to Liliana's room.
Because Erica absolutely had to draw Liliana's attention to herself before Karen successfully finished guiding her over to her side.
The increasingly intimate flow of Karen and Liliana's conversation had given Erica a strong sense of danger. She was worried that if she didn't step in immediately, Karen really might manage to coax Liliana over to her camp.
Erica was willing to serve Akuto together with Lily.
But only on the condition that her turn came before Liliana's.
So once she realized Karen's goal was to do everything possible to get Liliana into Akuto's bed, Erica moved without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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