Half a minute later, Riezel finally learned from Lilith what had happened on her side.
'Hmm, so they pulled that trick, huh?'
Upon learning that Sorren was indeed connected to that mysterious organization, that even magic dolls had appeared, and that Sorren himself had switched identities with one of the dolls and used it as his double, Riezel's eyes immediately narrowed.
[Did you search the magic dolls' memories?]
Keeping one hand pressed against his temple, Riezel asked Lilith through Message.
[I did.]
Lilith, who could also use Control Amnesia, had clearly left several survivors alive specifically to extract information from them.
Unfortunately, the results appeared to be rather limited.
[From the memories of those magic dolls, I only learned two things.]
[First, they don't know Sorren Jinas's whereabouts. They only know that the person who brought them here ordered them to obey him from now on.]
[Second, the one who brought them to the royal capital was a black-robed individual whose appearance remains unknown. That person was Sorren's direct contact and is most likely staying with him right now.]
Lilith relayed everything she had learned to Riezel.
[Also, their purpose for coming here remains unclear. The black-robed leader never revealed their true objective, and Sorren seemed far too disdainful to explain his plans to mere magic dolls.]
[The only thing that can be confirmed is that Sorren has indeed joined forces with the people behind that mysterious organization.]
[In fact, he has even obtained a new power from them.]
Hearing that, the existence of that chilling energy immediately surfaced in Riezel's mind.
If he had to guess what Sorren's new strength was, that was the only possibility he could think of. Not only was that power genuinely dangerous, but there were also still many mysteries surrounding it.
Riezel had a feeling that if no method were found to deal with that mysterious power, it would eventually bring enormous trouble to both himself and the people of this world.
'Just what kind of power is that?'
Riezel had pondered that question more than once.
Based on his instincts, it seemed to be a power similar to magical energy, yet fundamentally different from it.
If magical energy was a wondrous force capable of creating endless possibilities and producing countless supernatural phenomena, then that chilling energy was its complete opposite—a power that extinguished possibilities themselves.
It might not necessarily be evil, but it was undoubtedly dangerous.
'And those so-called holy relics seem just as dangerous.'
Whether it was the standard weapons used by the magic dolls or the chains that had been used against him inside the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon, all of those items referred to as holy relics seemed to contain that same chilling energy.
Maybe to the mysterious organization controlling the magic dolls, those holy relics were equivalent to mystical artifacts in the eyes of ordinary people.
'Looks like I'm gonna have to find some time later to really figure out that chilling energy.'
Thinking that to himself, Riezel finally spoke to Lilith after a brief pause.
[Since Sorren has gone from being in the open to hiding in the shadows, don't stay there any longer.]
Upon hearing that, Lilith first acknowledged the order before asking a question.
[Master, what should we do about the missing Sorren?]
[We'll handle it the way it should be handled.]
Riezel replied calmly, his voice steady and composed without the slightest hint of agitation.
[If that Mad Dog Prince has disappeared, the one who should be worried isn't us. It's the father who's always covering for him.]
[I'd like to see what that king plans to do after finding out his son vanished without a trace and that several magic dolls, the same ones that caused trouble in Mavros Territory before, were discovered hiding inside the royal palace.]
[As for Sorren's whereabouts, the truth will come out sooner or later.]
He had already scattered the little fairies throughout the entire royal palace, so as long as Sorren remained within the royal palace and showed himself, Riezel would discover him immediately—unless he was no longer in the royal palace and had already left.
But was that really possible?
It should be noted that the purpose behind the mysterious organization's appearance in the royal palace this time was obvious—they were targeting either him or Lizbeth.
Naturally, the same applied to Sorren, who undoubtedly hated Riezel to the core. Now that he had finally found a powerful organization willing to support him, there was no way he would miss such an opportunity to seek revenge.
For that reason, Sorren was definitely still somewhere within the royal palace or, at the very least, secretly observing Riezel from nearby while waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Because of that, while Riezel had been surprised by Sorren's disappearance, he felt neither concern nor anxiety.
Compared to that...
'I'm not worried about that mad dog trying to bite me. What I'm worried about is...'
A faint glimmer flashed through Riezel's eyes as he immediately issued a new order to Lilith.
[I understand, Master.]
After receiving her new order, Lilith respectfully accepted it.
Not long afterward, she cut off the Message connection and left the royal palace using teleportation magic.
Only then did Riezel lie back down once more.
"Mmm... Master..."
Perhaps sensing Riezel's body warmth, Lizbeth murmured in her sleep and unconsciously snuggled deeper into his embrace.
"..."
On the other side, Euryale, who apparently hadn't been asleep at all, immediately followed suit after seeing Lizbeth do the same.
And so, with two soft and beautiful women in his arms, the last traces of distraction in Riezel's mind gradually vanished.
'Forget it. I'm not gonna think about it anymore.'
At least for tonight, he had no intention of wasting time on complicated and meaningless matters.
In the end, Riezel extended both arms and pulled the women's alluring bodies closer into his embrace, one in each arm, before slowly drifting into a deep sleep.
Tonight was destined not to be a sleepless one.
===
Early the next morning, the moment Luna woke up, she immediately got herself ready and rushed toward Lizbeth's bedroom as fast as she could.
She couldn't help it.
'Her Highness must've been tricked by that sly man again, just like before. Her Highness is probably leaning against him in some completely improper state right now...'
Every time she remembered how she had gone to wake Lizbeth up over the past few days, only to witness that infuriating scene inside the bedroom, Luna felt utterly miserable.
Lizbeth was, after all, only fifteen years old!
Granted, she was no longer a child, and in this world, fifteen could already be considered an adult. In fact, in some areas, she was even more developed than Luna herself.
However, Lizbeth was still so innocent and inexperienced.
Such a pure and innocent princess should have been the one being cherished and protected by others, so why was she now serving as someone else's attendant and even sleeping beside him every day?
'What kind of nonsense is that? Didn't that man feel even the slightest bit guilty doing something like that?'
Luna continuously cursed Riezel in her heart, yet the more she cursed, the worse she felt.
Back then, she had been the only person Lizbeth could truly talk to.
How close and dependent had Lizbeth been on her at that time?
Now, however, Luna felt that Lizbeth had changed.
Lizbeth no longer needed Luna by her side.
Lizbeth now had someone she cared about more, someone she was closer to, and she no longer clung to Luna the way she used to.
In the past, the only person who slept with Lizbeth, ate with her, and even bathed with her had been Luna. Now, whenever Luna said even a few bad words about Riezel, Lizbeth would immediately rush out to defend him.
The more she thought about it, the more Luna felt as though her entire body radiated sourness.
Even her mouth felt bitter.
In a way, Luna was actually very similar to Lizbeth, with both of them fearing loneliness and isolation.
As Lizbeth's personal maid, Luna rarely had the opportunity to leave the residence, spending nearly all of her time attending to Lizbeth and having little to no interaction with anyone else.
Because of that, Luna had long regarded everything related to Lizbeth as the entirety of her own life and had always believed that she was the only person capable of accompanying the neglected princess.
Who could have imagined that after leaving the royal palace for a period of time, Lizbeth would change so much when she returned?
Now, Lizbeth no longer loved Luna, for her eyes only had room for that man.
Whenever that thought appeared, Luna felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
Perhaps that was why she stubbornly targeted Riezel no matter what.
Otherwise, no matter how immature she was, Luna understood perfectly well that a Sword Saint was not someone a lowly maid like herself could casually offend.
In short, she had already thrown caution to the wind.
'For Her Highness's sake, I must continue fighting against evil!'
Clenching her tiny fists, Luna quickened her pace even further.
It couldn't be helped.
Ever since Riezel had begun living in the royal palace, she had learned very well what kind of situation those three were probably sleeping in right now.
Although Lizbeth had repeatedly explained that everything was merely a stunt by that woman who looked strangely similar to her, Luna simply couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible would happen sooner or later if things continued like that.
Two unmarried women sleeping beside a strong, healthy man every single day was already dangerous enough.
Not to mention that the three of them weren't even wearing clothes!
If nothing had happened under those circumstances, then all those educational materials Luna had studied in the past would have been for nothing.
No matter what, she absolutely had to drag them out of bed every morning to prevent disaster from striking one day!
'Your Highness, I'll protect you!'
Clenching her fists tightly and filled with renewed determination, Luna finally arrived at her destination in the next minute.
"Time to get up, Your Highness!"
Already mentally prepared to dress Lizbeth at lightning speed and deny that awful man even the slightest opportunity to take advantage of her, Luna pushed the door open without waiting for a response.
A few seconds later...
"No! YOUR HIGHNEEESSSSSS—!!!"
Luna's tragic scream echoed throughout the entire residence—the sorrow and despair contained within that cry impossible to describe.
===
"Die, sinner!"
Inside the dining room, Riezel, who had just finished washing up and sat down to enjoy breakfast, suffered the completely expected attack.
Luna burst through the doors with red eyes.
Tears streamed down her face as she charged forward in righteous fury, gripping a kitchen knife and stabbing toward Riezel's chest.
"Hmm, this bread turned out really good."
Riezel picked up a piece of toasted bread from the table and leisurely took a bite before standing up and brushing past Luna as casually as if he were about to take a stroll.
"Don't run!"
Completely missing her first attack, Luna showed no awareness whatsoever that she was a complete weakling. Seeing Riezel avoid her so effortlessly, she immediately turned around and stabbed toward his back again.
Whether intentionally or not, the spot she aimed for happened to be his side.
In other words, she was trying to stab his kidney.
"Oh, right, I totally forgot to grab some milk."
As though completely unaware that his kidneys were under malicious threat, Riezel slapped his forehead as if he had suddenly remembered something and turned back toward the dining table.
With that turn, he once again brushed past Luna and effortlessly avoided her anti-kidney kitchen knife.
"WHY?!"
Missing yet another attack, Luna became so angry that she stomped the floor several times before finally shouting in exasperation.
"You awful beast! Stop dodging!"
Faced with the little maid's completely unreasonable accusation, Riezel, who had just returned to the table and picked up a glass of milk, looked up at her in surprise.
"Oh, you're here?"
Riezel's single sentence instantly shattered Luna's defenses.
"Y-You... You—!"
Luna was so furious that she could barely speak.
Trembling with rage, she reached beneath her skirt and pulled out a second kitchen knife, finally making it impossible for Riezel to continue pretending.
"...Where the heck were you hiding that knife?"
Riezel asked speechlessly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Unfortunately, Luna completely ignored his complaint.
"Give Her Highness's virginity back!"
With tears in her eyes, Luna raised both kitchen knives and charged at Riezel once more.
"No, seriously... how am I supposed to give something like that back?"
Muttering under his breath, Riezel twisted aside and brushed past the little maid for the third time, effortlessly avoiding her grief-filled assault.
Just like that, the two continued exchanging moves—or whatever this could be called—throughout the dining room, repeatedly crossing paths and producing a constant series of crashes and bangs that left tables and chairs scattered everywhere.
"L-Luna!"
At this moment, Lizbeth finally managed to get herself into a presentable state and hurried into the room.
"Don't do anything reckless, Luna!"
Lizbeth quickly grabbed Luna as she ran past and desperately tried to calm her down.
"Let me go!" Luna shouted, refusing to listen and struggling violently despite being restrained by the princess she admired most. "Let me kill him! Kill this beast who dared lay his hands on Your Highness!"
"N-No, Luna!" Lizbeth seemed genuinely frightened as she replied pitifully. "I-I'm Master's attendant! If you threaten Master's safety... then I'll have to protect him!"
Her words caused both Riezel and Luna to speak at the exact same time.
"Bruh, that's not even the issue here."
"Your Highness, that's not the main issue here!"
One complained while the other shouted, causing Lizbeth to freeze on the spot.
In the end, the farce between two people quickly became a farce involving three, making the noise in the dining room even louder.
"???"
Euryale, not bothering to put on proper clothes and instead holding a blanket in front of herself, slowly appeared.
Looking at the chaotic scene before her, she tilted her head slightly as though a question mark had appeared above it.
Needless to say, today's breakfast turned out to be exceptionally lively and exceptionally noisy.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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