Previously, Kiriko and Naofumi Iwatani were dragged into the throne room, where the Shield Hero was accused of being a criminal with both witnesses and evidence stacked against him.
"Bring forth the evidence!"
A knight stepped forward, somewhat awkwardly holding up a piece of purple clothing.
To be precise, it was a woman's underwear.
"This was discovered in the Shield Hero's bed."
Upon seeing the lingerie, Myne screamed dramatically, covering her face with both hands.
Motoyasu Kitamura heroically shielded her behind him, shouting righteously:
"You animals! With solid evidence right here, what else can you possibly say?"
Everyone in the throne room—including the knights standing beside Kiriko and Naofumi—changed their expressions dramatically.
"That... that's..."
Naofumi's mind was completely blank.
Last night, he and Myne had clearly slept separately, so how could this have appeared on his bed...?
"Heh heh... Ha ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!"
Kiriko covered her face with one hand, bursting into hysterical laughter like Iori Yagami.
"Zero Hero, what's so funny?"
The King frowned, visibly displeased.
"Motoyasu Kitamura. Here I thought your luck was just rank E because you're a spear-user—but your intelligence is also rank E?"
"What?!"
Kiriko sneered coldly, turning to face everyone present.
"Are all of you idiots? Hey, is everyone in this kingdom brain-dead or something? Not a single person here has common sense?"
"What did you just say?!"
Even Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi, who'd been silent until now, wore expressions of anger.
Kiriko grabbed the lingerie from the knight's hands without hesitation.
"You're condemning someone based solely on women's clothing? If that's not idiocy, then what is?"
Motoyasu frowned, staring coldly at Kiriko.
"Kiriko-san, how long do you intend to keep making excuses?"
Kiriko matched Motoyasu's gaze, sneering right back at him.
"Motoyasu, use your brain for a second. How exactly do you know this underwear belongs to the woman behind you?"
"What?"
Everyone present froze, momentarily speechless. Their gazes immediately locked onto Kiriko.
Although no one said it out loud, their eyes spoke volumes about their suspicions:
Could... could it be that the Zero Hero had engaged in some indecent midnight activities with the Shield Hero?
Even Naofumi himself stood stunned.
Of course, as the person directly involved, he knew he hadn't done anything last night.
Yet Kiriko stepping forward like this deeply moved him.
That's right—if Kiriko-san claimed ownership of the lingerie, his innocence would instantly be cleared.
Of course, Naofumi knew clearly this would severely damage Kiriko-san's reputation. But afterward, no matter what Kiriko-san asked of him, he'd willingly comply—
Eh?
Naofumi stared blankly as Kiriko held the lingerie out towards him.
"Kiriko-san... What are you doing?"
"I understand. I completely get it."
Seeing Naofumi's blank face with no reaction, Kiriko swiftly placed the lingerie directly over his head without further explanation.
Then, adopting the wise tone of someone who had clearly "been there," she spoke earnestly:
"I was once a man—cough, cough—I mean, I once heard some men have certain special hobbies. Don't worry, don't be afraid. Be brave, say it proudly—I support you."
Kiriko took a deep breath, then shouted passionately:
"What's wrong with heroes wearing women's clothes?!"
Perhaps Kiriko shouted a bit too loudly, or maybe the information revealed was simply too overwhelming, but the throne room suddenly fell deathly silent.
So silent you could hear Myne's faint sniffles clearly.
"This... This is just sophistry!"
A minister glanced at the King's rigid expression and hastily broke the awkward silence. "These are merely baseless excuses!"
"Excuses?"
Kiriko plucked the lingerie from Naofumi's head, carefully inspecting every inch of it, not missing even the tiniest detail or indentation.
Just as she had expected, there was no identifying mark on it whatsoever.
The only notable feature was a faint scent of perfume.
In fact, even Naofumi—who'd briefly worn it on his head—now smelled faintly of the same perfume...
Hmm. Definitely cheaper than mine.
"Unless you find a label reading 'Myne Sophia' somewhere here, how can you be certain this lingerie isn't Naofumi's own?"
Kiriko spun the lingerie casually around her finger like a fan blade.
"Sh-shameless! Motoyasu-sama, you must defend my honor!"
Myne once again adopted her pitiful-lamb persona.
"Well..."
Even Motoyasu now showed clear hesitation. Previously, he had unconditionally supported Myne, but at this moment...
He couldn't deny Kiriko's logic.
Even Ren and Itsuki's expressions became uncertain and hesitant.
The King's gaze toward Kiriko grew even darker, carrying a deeper and sharper hostility.
An eyesore. A thorn in his side.
"Hmph. The Zero Hero certainly has a sharp tongue. Fine, even if the lingerie indeed belongs to the Shield Hero, that still doesn't absolve him of his attempt to assault an innocent woman!"
Kiriko fearlessly met the King's gaze.
"Your Majesty, are you serious? If there's no solid proof, how can you possibly—"
"The Zero Hero, did you not hear Myne's testimony earlier? That itself is proof!"
"That's nothing but a one-sided claim! How can that—"
"Melromarc is a nation that deeply respects women's rights. Attempted sexual assault carries a death penalty!"
The King had rudely cut off Kiriko's explanations twice already, refusing to listen to their side at all, simply declaring them guilty outright.
Kiriko's eyes narrowed slightly.
Looks like there's a hidden agenda here that I don't know about yet.
They say, "Those who kill should be prepared to be killed."
Since His Majesty was so eager to condemn them, he'd better not blame her for being merciless later.