INT 28—INT 0

Sympathy. Among human senses, there are strange things that cannot be explained by logic.

Unconditional empathy.

A nauseatingly instantaneous mutual understanding between individual humans who should not share a single thing in common.

Tooyama Naruhito felt that today.

“For the repeated failures and discourtesy of the knight faction, and above all for placing Your Excellency and your friend in danger, I once again offer my deepest apologies.”

After finishing their bath, Tooyama and Lazaar changed into clothes that had somehow been washed before they knew it.

Guided by the white-furred cat beastfolk sister, they crossed a corridor lined with stained glass, were shown into a room, and met that woman.

“Hmm…”

Lazaar’s eyes darted about at the woman’s atmosphere.

A scene from a religious painting.

True nobility, true intellect. The woman wore a dignity that made it impossible to believe she was the same person who had performed a vomit prostration only about an hour ago.

A chic brown fur carpet, a chandelier decorated with candles, and a sofa threaded with gold just enough not to seem gaudy. As the woman sat there, Tooyama and Lazaar instinctively held their breath.

“Please, have a seat. Svi, Tossle. Drinks for our two guests. They have just finished bathing, so clear water with honey dissolved in it, served in silver vessels.”

“As you command.”

Narrow eyes hidden behind long eyelashes. Her appearance, with pale skin contrasted against a black cape, stood out.

She was a beauty like a fox in human form.

The vomit prostration woman—no, according to the information shown by the “message,” the supreme leader of the Angel Church, the “Bishop.” Tooyama silently stared at her.

He sweated for reasons unrelated to the heat lingering after his bath.

This one is dangerous.

Sympathy.

An inexplicable sensation conveyed the woman’s essence to Tooyama. It was not a message or a hint, but Tooyama Naruhito’s own feeling.

Her bearing, movements, gaze, and voice.

All of it was artificial. Not one thing came from herself.

All of it was calculated, and she acted it out perfectly.

At the Dragon Embassy, because of his dispute with Drako, he had not thought anything of it, but only by facing her did he understand that incomprehensibility.

“Ah, yeah. We’ll sit.”

The proof was that Lazaar was being swept off his feet. That voice and gaze drew people in. It was an abnormality different from the dignity and pressure Drako possessed as a higher being.

Charisma. A fake version of it, yet one more captivating than a poor genuine article. The woman before him possessed that.

“……………Ugh.”

Tooyama groaned without thinking.

Suspicious as hell. Not a single word or glance was genuine.

“Please, your drinks.”

“…Thanks.”

A silver cup was offered, and the pale golden water reflected the chandelier flames on the ceiling.

“…Naruhito?”

“…………”

Lazaar, who apparently had no sense for this sort of thing at all, looked at the water pitcher and then asked Tooyama with his eyes.

His eyes were saying, “Can I drink it?” Do whatever you want.

“Hehe, please do not be so wary. There is no poison inside.”

“Ah! Right, how rude of me… Mmm, good.”

Lazaar tilted the silver cup, widened his eyes, and groaned. Yes, that’s nice. Good for you. Tooyama still did not touch his drink.

“Hehe, I am glad it suits your taste. It contains honey gathered this morning from an apiary operated by the Church. It will cool a body heated after bathing.”

“Thanks for the consideration, Bishop-dono. …I assumed we were going to be judged as sinners just like this. I thought letting us bathe might be some kind of final mercy.”

There were too many things to think about, and yet he understood far too little about his opponent.

Tooyama deliberately sharpened his attitude and probed her reaction.

That message had not shown an arrow, but it had said something about a speech challenge. In other words, some kind of trouble involving this woman was about to happen. That was the only information Tooyama could judge from.

“—Indeed. No, there is no need for complicated wordplay. Dragon slayer, Tooyama Naruhito-sama, and your companion, Lazaar-sama. I sincerely apologize for all the trouble the knight faction has caused you this time.”

“……….”

She did not seem to be lying, but she surely did not intend to tell the whole truth either.

That was how Tooyama saw it.

“How could we possibly speak of judging you? In this matter, the fault lies entirely with us, the Church.”

The woman bowed deeply with perfect movements. Considering her position as Bishop, her social status was incomparable to Tooyama and Lazaar, who had no fixed address and were saddled with orphans.

And yet the woman before them was seriously, sincerely bowing from the bottom of her heart. At least, that was how it looked.

“P-please, stop. The Angel Church’s prestige reaches even the Kingdom. This matter was originally a problem between us and those knights. You helped us, didn’t you?”

“My, what kind words, Lazaar-sama. It seems the angel’s light fills every path you walk.”

As for Lazaar-kun, he was already completely shrinking back.

It was hard to believe he was the same guy who had been rampaging just earlier in a super-cool dragon transformation while also wearing shadow, in a style that appealed to a childish dark fantasy sense.

He was like a borrowed lizard. He blinked repeatedly and sipped the honey water in tiny licks.

His partner had been completely ensnared. Precisely because of that, Tooyama could remain calm.

“So, what is your actual point, Bishop-sama?”

Brushing aside the Bishop’s words, Tooyama continued.

“N-Naruhito, your attitude is bad. This person is treating us with courtesy.”

“Yeah, Lazaar-kun. You stay just like that. This kind of thing is my job. …You’re sly, you know. My companion has already been taken in.”

Stopping Lazaar, Tooyama tilted his head slightly and stared at the Bishop.

Her eyelids did not move from the shape of a smile, like a single thread. What color were the eyes beyond them?

“Now then, whatever do you mean?”

“You’ve already investigated everything about us, haven’t you? Lazaar’s personality, my circumstances. You came here to decide the match before it even began. I’ve got no chance like this.”

It was a random probing remark.

A single line that would be profitable if the opponent took the bait.

“Hehe, whatever are you speaking of?”

Ping.

The Female Bishop’s narrow eyes did not change. She merely kept her gentle smile pasted on and directed it at Tooyama.

An arrow appeared.

“…Still playing dumb? What exactly do you want from us? What are you trying to get?”

“N-Naruhito?”

“…Hehe, my. You make such a frightening face. Not at all. We merely wish to protect—no, to support you.”

“…Answer the question, Bishop-sama. I asked what you want. Or more accurately, what you want, how you want it, and how much you’re planning to pay for it… something like that?”

Tooyama could vaguely guess the Female Bishop’s objective.

That vomit prostration, the existence of the so-called saint, the relationship between Drako and the Church he had seen at the Dragon Embassy, and the perception of dragons spoken of by the knight Stolu.

He also understood the fact that he was being called the dragon slayer.

“…Well now. How impressive. As expected, just as I thought.”

Her narrow eyes opened slightly, as though a slit had been cut into them. What peered through were eyes like melted dark amethyst.

“What nasty eyes.”

His brown eyes reflected that suspicious color.

“Oh my, how cruel. Hehe. You wound me. Tooyama-sama, you are a mean person.”

Sympathy.

The two were not hurling killing intent at one another. They were not exchanging hostility either.

And yet the saint, the spy, and the Shadow Fang did not utter a word.

The room filled with an unpleasant air, like a poisonous insect and a venomous snake smiling as they watched for the moment to sink their fangs into each other.

The Female Bishop’s narrow eyes remained cheerfully curved as she looked at Tooyama.

Tooyama made no attempt to hide his sharp eyes, like those of a Tibetan sand fox, and glared at the Female Bishop.

Sympathy. In one sense, the two were very similar, and yet they would never understand one another.

However, both of their thoughts were one. Behind a smile and an empty face, they were thinking exactly the same thing.

((This one has a terrrrrrible personality!! No way they have friends or a lover.))

“Heh, hehehehehe.”

“Ahaha, ahahahaha.”

The two laughed cheerfully at the same time. At the exact same time, while keeping their eyes on each other, they brought the drink in their silver cups to their mouths.

“Ugh.”

“No, Captain. I understand how you feel, but we should leave this to our master.”

The Bishop and Tooyama were smiling, but their eyes were not laughing. The saint grimaced, and the cat sister admonished her.

What began here was a battle of deception. A human battle where desire and desire were placed upon the tongue, and profit was scraped away not with swords, but with words.

Intelligence. The element that made humans human. If it could be visualized between them here—

The human ability shown by the grave good Character Roll, adopted by the Adventurers’ Guild.

Tooyama Naruhito’s intelligence was 7.

It was intelligence sufficient to make his way through the world, see lies as lies, and learn from history.

By contrast, the intelligence of the narrow-eyed smiling woman was, in fact—

INT 28—

That meant a rare talent capable of deceiving the world with her own lies.

An extraordinary genius who could create even history with her tongue and mind.

Tongue meeting tongue, the hopeless speech challenge bega—

“Nobody move!!! This is official business of the glorious Angel Church Knight Order!! I repeat, nobody move!”

It did not begin.

The door was kicked down, and the room echoed with the sound of military boots and silver armor scraping.

“Report! Two sinners confirmed! They are rebels who defied the Knight Order!”

“Block the entrances! Deploy Church magicians in the corridor!”

“Second Knight Lady Brena and the other Ten Swords, along with the Deputy Commander, will arrive shortly! Keep the path clear!”

“Do not move, sinners! If you move even slightly, we will strike off your heads!”

Numerous knights noisily gathered in the room all at once.

The four corners were secured.

Drawn swords, broad straight blades with a silver gleam, were pointed at Tooyama and Lazaar.

“Ahem! Ah, well done, gentlemen. That is exactly the work of the glorious Knight Order. Hello, Bishop, allow me to intrude. I will not take no for an answer.”

A huge fat man with a mustache, wearing swollen silver knight armor, pushed into the room with an arrogant face.

“I am the commander of the Angel Church Knight Order, Baron Doago von Supana. Filthy rebels, ‘dragon slayer’ and ‘Shadow Fang,’ assassin of the Kingdom royal family, we will take custody of you for execution. By the angel’s prestige and the honor of knights, submit to your bonds under Heaven’s decree!”

The muscular, mustached barrel made his shiny, greasy face gleam.

““Huh??””

Tooyama and the Bishop raised their voices at the same time.

By coincidence, at the same time and in the same place, veins bulged at their temples.