Certainly! Here is the translation:
—
It’s definitely Mr. Penguin!
As a subject of the Empire, it is only natural to respect and follow His Majesty the Emperor!
His Majesty’s glory has inspired not only the Empire but also the governor of Sky Island and even reached the Demon Realm to persuade Mr. Penguin!
Every hour, every second, Pastel can only think of His Majesty the Emperor and cannot help but be in awe once again in front of this most deserving miracle!
So!
“I have my doubts about your sincerity. I was well aware of the possibility that the governor might hold a grudge against the royal family. However, given the circumstances of the past, I thought reconciliation would be difficult and extended an olive branch. If you had already cultivated a friendship with the Demon Lord in secret, that’s another matter.”
Hwaah!
I didn’t do anything wrong!
Pastel became like a white mouse before a cat. Originally a mouse that loved money, nothing much has changed.
“It’s a misunderstanding! My heart has always been focused solely on the future of this Empire and the wellbeing of His Majesty the Emperor! In the past, present, and future!”
Mr. Penguin looked down with more suspicion.
Uaaah!
Maybe I overdid the flattery!
What should I do? What should I do!
This can undoubtedly be perceived as having impure intentions.
How dare I know the identity of the Demon Lord and not report it when I met His Majesty the Emperor!
This insolent Pastel!
May you become a cherry blossom bun!
Uaaah!
I don’t want to be a cherry blossom bun!
I’d rather be a cherry blossom salad!
At least match the character count…!
Pastel fell into a panic. Her head spun in chaos.
Emergency escape! Emergency escape!
With a firm suspicion against her now, any excuse she made would not hold any weight. Moreover, Mr. Penguin had not revealed his identity, so it was certainly very, very suspicious.
Ugh!
An excuse is meant to exploit the gaps and blind spots in the opponent’s logic.
In a situation like this, where facts have rendered all gaps and blind spots useless…
Just break the opponent’s premises!
Pastel had a smart expression.
Now, that is true cleverness!
One! Two!
“Actually, the Demon Lord is a fake!”
Mr. Penguin paused.
“Excuse me…?”
Seeing that reaction, Pastel instantly grew confident.
Puh! Puh! Puh!
Because Pastel is very, very clever, she will never fall into such a crisis!
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means exactly that. The Demon Lord that was discovered is actually a fake. It is merely an essence created by Ellie and me.”
It’s real!
Ellie believes so!
Though Pastel might not completely believe it, she couldn’t deny it because the princess said so!
“Excuse me?”
Mr. Penguin looked bewildered.
Pastel casually crossed her arms and raised her chin. She arrogantly looked down at Mr. Penguin.
“It’s disappointing. From your reaction, it seems you were unaware. Is the Empire’s intelligence only as good as this? With such capability, how can you serve His Majesty and protect the Empire?”
Mr. Penguin was uncertain if this was a lie but could not rebut it.
“Use your brain, use your brain.”
Pastel tapped her temple. She made a condescending expression similar to the one Ellie had when looking at Dustyn.
“His Majesty has already implied that there is a demon spy. Even if I don’t know who it is, there’s a high likelihood they attended the meeting, and I merely threw out some bait.”
Pastel sighed deeply.
“What do you think would happen if you react like this right away? After the meeting, there should have been enough time passed to confirm my attitude and position through an intermediary before interrogating or arresting me. Otherwise, everything gets figured out like this.”
She carelessly held up one finger.
“One, coming to see me right after the meeting means there was no other intelligence network to cross-verify the betrayal.”
She held up another finger.
“Two, thus, it is highly likely that the only trusted information network around the princess and the governor is just you.”
She held up a third finger.
“Three, despite this, there is sufficient standby force to deal with Governor Craft if he resists or attempts to escape.”
Mr. Penguin was left speechless.
Pastel strolled leisurely around the sealed room with her arms crossed.
“I understand. Due to a lack of budget, you cannot freely expand the intelligence network, so you have to risk revealing yourself using the limited forces you have as a hedge. You have no choice if you want to meet the tight annual targets and keep that budget.”
Mr. Penguin rubbed his face with one hand.
“Your speculation is excessive, Governor.”
“Perhaps.”
Pastel chuckled.
She simply turned her head to look at Mr. Penguin.
“To check if there are rats, you first need to stir the rat holes. If you still haven’t found the hidden Demon Lord, it’s far better to announce that the Demon Lord is here and investigate the onlookers.”
She smiled sweetly.
“The princess had been anxious about the railway development, so I pushed her a little, leading to the creation of a fake Demon Lord. The princess is in a pressuring situation. If found out, she can rationalize the catastrophe she must endure as a sacrifice for the Demon Realm.”
Mr. Penguin thought for a moment, then his expression hardened.
“I can’t believe that. Such an excuse for evading a crisis could have easily been prepared by the governor beforehand.”
“That much is true.”
Pastel walked toward the door.
She casually glanced back at Mr. Penguin before opening it.
“Your Highness, you know you’re not good at acting, right?”
A puzzled look was directed at her.
Without further explanation, Pastel opened the door, poking her upper body out to look around.
Ellie was standing at one end of the corridor, tapping the ground with her shoes. Ellie turned around.
“Are you done talking?”
Having returned from the brink of d*ath, Pastel turned teary-eyed upon seeing her friend.
“Ellie!”
Hug me!
“What’s wrong? Did Redmond h*rass you without an apology?”
“Uh-huh!”
Totally harassed me!
“Really?”
Ellie approached. Once at the door, Pastel pulled Ellie into a tight embrace and stepped back into the sealed room, where the soundproof magic circle reactivated.
“I’m sorry, Ellie!”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Mr. Penguin totally cruelly cornered the poor Pastel that led to me revealing that the Demon Lord is a fake!”
Ellie’s jaw tightened.
Pastel couldn’t see Ellie’s expression since she was holding her tightly, but a different kind of fear started to creep in.
She won’t get angry, right?
“You….”
Ellie moved her hands and tried to break free from the embrace. She wanted to show her angry face.
Gulp.
She really looks angry…!
Uaaah!
Pastel hugged her even tighter.
Scholar Ellie grunted but then surrendered and whispered in Pastel’s ear.
“Are you not going to let go?”
A very chilly voice.
Pastel froze in place.
Ahaha.
She obediently released the hug and stepped back awkwardly.
Then she looked at Mr. Penguin instead of the scary Ellie. She pointed back at Ellie, looking like a child caught in a lie.
Look, an angry Ellie.
The Demon Lord being a fake is truly real.
Please believe me!
If you don’t believe this, I’m really going to cry a lot!
Mr. Penguin observed the princess, and his expression turned bleak. He rubbed his face with both hands.
Ellie, who still hadn’t grasped the situation, opened her mouth in anger.
“Pastel, is that really what you should say—”
“Your Highness.”
When her words were cut off, Ellie flinched. Her angry expression slowly faded and transformed into one of growing alarm.
From a scolding position to a scolded position!
Pastel cheered!
“What on earth made you do something so outrageous?”
Mr. Penguin seemed genuinely furious, his cheeks trembling.
Uh-huh!
That’s right!
Ellie is bad! Ellie, who was scolding Pastel, is totally bad!
Scold her! Scold her!
Pastel subtly stepped back and opened the door. She fell into a “I don’t know anything~” state as she backed away and then firmly closed the door. The suspicious Mr. Penguin and the angry Ellie disappeared from view.
Pastel raised her arms in a bright expression.
“Yay! I’m alive!”
To survive such an ultra-level crisis!
Could it be that I’m a super-genius?
Puh! Puh! Puh!
Pastel skipped joyfully down the corridor.
“I am the great Governor Pastel~.”
Clap, clap!
“But that’s too long, so just call me Viscount Pastel~.”
She spun around!
Striking a pose, she pointed back toward the sealed room.
“Crisis! Response! Crisis! Response! Nothing can be an obstacle in front of the Empire’s greatest strategist!”
Ahahaha!
Pastel ran away in a hurry.
Having come out of a not-so-secret building where the secret meeting took place, she jumped into a carriage.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Escape!”
She shouted at the coachman and slumped onto the sofa in the carriage.
Ellie will probably calm down by tomorrow, right?
Still, since I’m slightly afraid, I think I’ll say that the weak Pastel caught a cold and will be absent tomorrow!
Governor Pastel is set to be cough-cough sick tomorrow!
Is this what it’s like to be a powerful figure who can refuse unwelcome visitors by claiming to be sick?
Pupupu~.
Pastel felt all her tension evaporate. Her spinning mind became relaxed and comfortable.
Ugh.
Mr. Penguin is a spy for His Majesty the Emperor?
He definitely hinted at having a close relationship with Nastasha Duke while during the meeting.
A demon secretly favored by the leader of the republic (a would-be traitor).
But he was a spy for His Majesty the Emperor~.
Uaaah.
Nastasha Duke!
Are you reading this…!
Pastel shivered with the terror of the political central.
Having never properly experienced it, and look at her now!
The pink Pastel shouldn’t be in a place like this!
She flung the carriage door open and shouted again.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Escape!”
The coachman turned around and looked perplexed.
“Governor, no one else has arrived yet. Are we really departing like this?”
Ugh.
Now that I think about it, I rode along with Ellie.
Since I can’t leave Ellie (who’s really mad), I have to go with her.
Gulp.
The great Governor Pastel soon faced Ellie.
Ellie was genuinely, truly angry.
The character count has doubled…!
Uaaah!
Save me!
—
