Escaping from the suffocating mansion and being able to eliminate the zombies was good news.

Until now, I had been carefully observing Siena’s movements, which made me somewhat conscientious.

“If Siena interferes while going to exterminate the zombies, it could raise suspicions.”

The leader of the world-saving party was undeniably me. So, if they saw me in combat, it was natural for them to recognize who was at the center of this group.

So, I was inwardly boiling with irritation, but the situation changed when Aston declared that he would pretend to be a fake saint.

No one here denied the contents declared by the small god, Zero.

Regardless of the circumstances, the survivors survived by the grace of the god. In the face of the god’s command, they naturally complied.

With a god present in the present world, and with an agreement to protect them, there was no doubt as to why they shouldn’t question whether I was a real saint.

Rather, my image itself seemed to rise. It felt like being treated as an honorary knight who preserved the only royal bloodline of the imperial family.

“Good. This rise in reputation isn’t bad.”

The honor freshly added to the deeply rooted image of a villainess had a quite pleasant taste.

Adhering to all the tedious etiquette to be observed in the imperial palace, I, as a subordinate, showed respect to Aston as a lord.

It was practically a knight’s appointment ceremony. It wasn’t an officially held ceremony in the splendid hall, but I was satisfied.

“As a direct descendant of the Kiton Duchy and the heir, faithfully fulfilling the orders of His Highness Aston Del Heinzworth, the 2nd Prince of the noble Imperial Empire, I shall return after completing the task.”

May the shadow never fall upon the sun that has risen again.

Impressed by the somewhat dramatic remarks I added, someone raised both hands and shouted.

“Hail to Prince Aston, the Saint!”

“Hail!”

“Please, with our Duke, eliminate the zombies!”

“The future of the empire lies with Prince and Duke!”

In the eyes of the survivors, who shouted with a fervent desire, a lively spark ignited.

“I will do my best. As a citizen of the empire and as the last noble of this country, I will fulfill my responsibility until the last moment.”

In response to the somewhat theatrical statement, people gathered around, praising Aston’s name.

In the midst of the enthusiastic atmosphere, I cast a sidelong glance and observed one person’s reaction.

“……. ”

The person I was watching, of course, was Siena.

In the midst of the loud applause, she gazed at the figure of Aston on the platform with a somewhat dazed yet peculiar look in her eyes.

If she had seen something so vulgar, it might be mistaken for the crown prince falling for the second prince.

But unlike a girl in love, her dry smile, with only the corners of her mouth pulled up, gave me a sense of tension.

Alright, Siena. As you wished, I brought the ‘obstacle’ your master was desperately searching for.

Now, what’s the next move?
In case Siena causes an unexpected situation, I gave signals to Luce, Michael, and Benedict.

They were ready to strike her down immediately without me needing to signal, as soon as Siena showed her fangs.

Aston, too, appeared as if he were an ornamental sword, but he came prepared, tying a real sword to his waist in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Having completed thorough preparations, Siena was quiet as if she were not a zombie at all. She still looked delicate, like a single lily, and didn’t resemble a zombie at all.

‘What is she mumbling about?’

Seeing her thick pink lips making an unpleasant movement, I spoke to Zero.

‘Zero, I’m monitoring Siena’s reaction. Can you tell what she’s saying?’

「I’m not your personal search engine, you know? … Hmph. But I can do it for you.」

Why does he always have to resist at least once?

Although it was absurd, I waited for Zero’s search results in silence.

Zero mumbled.

「So… she’s saying something like this?」

‘Come on. You have to tell me the content.’

「I found it. What Father wants.」

“……!”

「And he’ll pull me back into the abyss.」

A chill ran down my spine.

‘The target I aimed for was Father!’

I could be sure that Siena, who revived again, had been given a mission to remove the focal point leading the survivors.

‘But what is the abyss?’

After pondering over the ambiguous word with unknown meaning, I reached a conclusion.

That’s something you can figure out by rolling around like a dog.

‘If Aston hadn’t presented himself as a fake saint, I might have died soon.’

Phew. I inwardly offered a prayer of thanks for the sense of relief and showered Zero with praise for a job well done.

“You did well, Zero. Great job. You really made a significant contribution.”

「Hmph, hmph! This body is so useful! Ehem! If it weren’t for me, those ordinary humans wouldn’t have been able to interpret a sound they heard just by looking at the shape of their mouths.」

“Oh, yes, yes.”

After giving Zero as much praise as he wanted, Aston raised his hand to calm the overheated atmosphere.