“What are you saying…! Absolutely not!”

“That’s right! We would never do such a thing!”

The priest and holy knights waved their hands vigorously, desperately making excuses that they had nothing to do with Sergio coming here.

“How can I believe that?”

However, Kalos did not believe their words.

More precisely, he was pretending not to believe.

This was all a trap he had set.

A trap to subdue the priest and holy knights so they couldn’t act recklessly.

Unaware of this fact, the priest and holy knights felt extremely wronged and frustrated, repeating like parrots that they hadn’t done anything.

“Hmm, well…”

“…This is too much.”

But when Kalos refused to believe in their innocence until the end, a disgruntled voice came from the priest’s side.

“I understand that you’re suspicious of us because this man is a priest like us… but it doesn’t seem right to treat us so harshly when there’s no clear evidence that we did it.”

“Please calm down, brother.”

The fellow priest beside him tried to restrain him, but that priest didn’t stop talking.

“It’s because Your Grace is acting like this that rumors are spreading that the Esper family is disrespecting and trying to antagonize the temple.”

He raised his voice, looking straight at Kalos.

“The very fact that you have such suspicions means there must be something bothering you, doesn’t it? Otherwise, why would you be on guard against us, bristling like a hedgehog…”

“Brother!”

Albard gasped and cut him off as he finally spewed out harsh words.

“…”

Only then did the priest seem to realize he had made a huge mistake in his heated state. He closed his mouth and watched Kalos’s reaction.

Soon he spotted purple eyes filled with chilling killing intent and tightly shut his own eyes.

An eerie chill pervaded the conference room, making their spines tingle.

The presence of the corpse made it even more creepy.

One might say there was an unpleasant premonition that if this situation wasn’t resolved somehow, they would end up like Sergio.

“I apologize, Your Grace.”

Albard hurriedly stood up and bowed his head to Kalos.

The purple eyes filled with killing intent shifted to Albard.

“My brother is currently exhausted in body and mind, having accumulated fatigue from a long journey and recently lost a trusted brother in an accident.”

Albard made excuses in a trembling voice.

“Then, being suspected on top of that, he momentarily lost control of his anger and made a mistake. I will punish him for that later…”

“There’s no need for punishment.”

Kalos smiled, curling up the corners of his lips.

“We shouldn’t punish someone for making a mistake when they’re tired.”

“…”

Though his voice was gentle, his gaze toward the priest who had spoken out of turn was as ferocious as if he would devour him at any moment.

“However, there seems to be a misunderstanding.”

While Albard was contemplating how to resolve this issue, Kalos continued speaking.

“First of all, it was not I who disrespected and tried to antagonize, but the temple. They keep attacking by picking strange faults, so I have no choice but to be on guard like a hedgehog.”

Although Albard was in a situation where he should be utterly apologetic, he couldn’t stand the insults against the temple and carefully refuted.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding… We have never done such things.”

Kalos tilted his head slightly and smiled.

“It seems you’re the one misunderstanding something. I said it was the temple side that did it, not you.”

“So…”

“Or do you know everything that goes on in the temple?”

Kalos asked the question while tapping Sergio’s coffin with his fingertips.

“…”

At this, Albard could only bow his head deeply without saying a word.

If he answered yes, not only would his earlier excuses about having no connection to Sergio become useless, but he would certainly be implicated with him.

If he answered no, it would mean hearing Kalos insult the temple he belonged to with his own ears and letting it slide, which was also awkward.

“Why no answer?”

At Kalos’s urging, Albard squeezed his eyes shut, bowed his head deeply, and answered.

“I dared to speak up without knowing anything. I apologize, Your Grace.”

After much deliberation, what Albard ultimately chose was ‘I don’t know’.

For now, he had to survive. Saving face was a matter for later.

“Prove to me that you really don’t know anything, that you have no connection to this man.”

Kalos smiled coldly as he closed the coffin lid himself.

The creaking sound of wood scraping against wood echoed eerily.

“Don’t expect to receive any hospitality from me until you prove that.”

Though I’m not sure if you can prove it.

Kalos gave a bright smile to the startled priest and holy knights before leisurely leaving the conference room.

*

After Kalos left, a quiet stillness settled over the conference room.

While everyone was silent and watching each other’s reactions, the first to speak was the fearless priest who had voiced complaints to Kalos.

“Prove that we have no connection to this man… How on earth are we supposed to prove that? Is that even possible in the first place…”

“Be quiet, brother.”

When Albard demanded in a deep, grave voice, the priest flinched and closed his mouth.

“If only you hadn’t spoken up, things wouldn’t have become this complicated.”

The priest protested in a small voice.

“B-but the Esper Duke…”

“It’s Your Grace.”

Albard firmly corrected him.

“Please don’t forget that this is Esper territory, brother.”

Kindly informing him that Kalos might be listening from anywhere at any time, the priest tucked his neck in like a turtle.

“…I’m sorry.”

“That will do.”

Albard ran his hand through his disheveled hair with a deep sigh.

Although he spoke as if he knew better, he was just as perplexed about how to resolve this.

It was especially troublesome given the grave duty of finding out why the monsters had gone berserk during the Poyeon Festival and catching the culprit as soon as possible.

First, let’s try to identify this priest.

Albard asked the priest next to him.

“Please find out which temple this priest belongs to, when he left his post, and if he left a destination, why he went there.”

“Yes.”

And he also asked the holy knight right behind him.

“His Grace has probably gone to meet the imperial investigation team, so later meet with them separately and find out what they discussed with His Grace, and if they obtained any information about the monster rampage, what kind of information it was.”

*

At the same time Kalos was chatting with the priests.

In a reception room of Esper Castle.

“…”

Irene was dressed up prettily, waiting for Abel.

Her legs hidden under the wide skirt were shaking uncontrollably.

As the jewels on her dress shook with them, Irene lightly tapped the jewels with her fingertips.

She hadn’t intended to dress up this much.

She had only meant to observe proper etiquette, but when Jessie was indignant that she couldn’t do that, she had no choice but to dress up and come out.

From the beginning, Jessie was reluctant for Irene to meet Abel.

When Irene said she wanted to meet Abel, Jessie asked several times if she really had to meet him.

She also asked why Irene wanted to meet Abel.

Irene couldn’t bring herself to say the reason and just earnestly begged to meet Abel.

Then Jessie looked at Irene as if very perplexed, then let out a deep sigh and said she would ask Abel.

After getting Jessie’s permission with difficulty, what if Abel said he didn’t want to meet?

Contrary to Irene’s worries, Abel readily agreed to meet.

Moreover, Jessie barely managed to stop him from coming to Kalos’s bedroom where Irene was staying.

Saying that it didn’t make sense to let Abel into his bedroom without the owner’s permission, even if Abel was Kalos’s friend.

Irene also agreed with Jessie’s thinking.

So they agreed to meet in one of the many reception rooms of Esper Castle, but… when is he coming?

Knock knock−.

“…”

Just as her thoughts reached a conclusion, there was a knock at the door, and Irene startled, looking at the door.

“I’m coming in.”

Soon after, the door opened and Abel entered in splendid attire.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, as they say.

Irene calmed her surprised heart and stood up to greet Abel.

“Welcome…”

Irene grasped the hem of her dress and bent her knees slightly like a noble lady, offering a greeting.

“Thank you for granting my request when you must be busy.”

“Puhaha.”

At that, Abel burst out laughing as if he had seen something very amusing.

Why is he laughing like that?

Though she didn’t know the exact reason, Irene blushed and lowered her gaze, feeling as if he was mocking her.

After laughing for a while, Abel placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head slightly.

“Thank you for your warm welcome, my lady.”

It was a polite greeting, but because of the laughter in his eyes, it felt like he was teasing her.

Abel sat down on the sofa, leaving Irene standing awkwardly behind him.

“Don’t keep standing, sit down.”

Only then did Irene sit on the sofa.

Unlike Irene, who was perched on the edge as if ready to jump up and run away at any moment, Abel leaned back comfortably as if this was his own bedroom and asked.

“So. You wanted to see me?”

Thanks to his arrogant attitude that seemed ready to accept anything she said, the tightly strung tension loosened a little.

After all, he had said to ask him anytime if she wanted to know something… so it should be okay to ask comfortably, right?

Irene carefully began speaking while watching Abel’s reaction.

“You said you knew why His Grace… brought me here, didn’t you?”

The purple eyes curved prettily like crescent moons.

“What? I thought you said you’d wait for Kalos to tell you, but you’ve changed your mind already?”

“It’s not that I’ve changed my mind.”

“Hmm?”

Abel crossed his arms and crossed his legs crookedly.

“Then why are you asking me about it?”

“There’s something I want to know before that.”

More precisely, she couldn’t wait until Kalos told her.

Abel smiled brightly and asked.

“What do you want to know?”

“…”

There was no particular problem in stating the introduction, but when it came to the main point, her words got stuck as if someone was choking her.

But I have to say it.

I have to find out, no matter what.

Not wanting to waste this hard-won opportunity, Irene struggled to calm her churning heart and spoke calmly.

“His Grace said he brought me here because he needed me… is that true?”

“That’s right.”

She thought he might delay answering or evade the question, but surprisingly, Abel answered readily.

Encouraged by his unexpectedly cooperative attitude, Irene asked what she wanted to know most.

“Then… does His Grace still need me?”