The Chancellor’s office, where the number of people had increased.
In the center, seated around the table, were three individuals.
Arthur, who fidgeted with the teacup offered by the Chancellor, unable to settle,
The Chancellor, whose mood had spoiled not only from having his time disturbed but also from facing the daughter of his enemy,
And Lilith, who, seeing no one around, had returned to her human form.
Arthur was sweating cold sweat, oppressed by the electric tension flowing between the Chancellor and Lilith.
‘Damn it…!’
The Chancellor was the one who broke the uncomfortable silence.
“So, let me summarize what you two are saying— you want to have lunch together. Is that right?”
It was an unexpectedly casual tone for someone addressing an Outsider.
In direct opposition, Lilith defiantly raised her head, crossing her legs as she spoke.
“Yeah.”
Just that one-word answer made the Chancellor’s eyebrows twitch.
But the Chancellor continued, masking his irritation as best he could.
“To eat together, our rules state you must not be an outsider, so you’ll need to qualify as a housemate and become an insider?”
“Yeah.”
The Chancellor, exasperated by the absurdity of the situation, blurted out impulsively.
“…Are you two idiots?”
“What?”
“Hey, wait a minute, Miss Lilith!”
Arthur stood up abruptly only to be dragged back down by Lilith.
The Chancellor looked at Lilith disdainfully.
“Do you really intend to hide your identity? Not only have you been photographed, you’ve also made the front page of the newspaper with an interview, and now you want to share meals as well? Why don’t you just go around spreading the news door to door?”
The Chancellor still vividly remembered the newspaper with the picture.
When he saw a person in the Necronomicon whose appearance perfectly matched the one in the newspaper, it sent shivers down his spine.
Any human with even minimal knowledge of the Outsiders would surely harbor suspicions.
“Come to think of it, wasn’t it you who gave the interview? You sure are doing an impressive job.”
“Uh…”
“Why are you blaming our child for this?”
“Oh, come on!”
The Chancellor rubbed his aching head.
Why was it that Outer Gods always seemed to make his life difficult?
‘To hell with it. Should I just hand over everything to Nodens and be done with it?’
The Chancellor seriously considered it but quickly shoved the thought into the trash bin of his mind.
After enduring such a long time, he couldn’t let something like this ruin him.
“Phew, this is my lot…”
After pondering Lilith’s words, the Chancellor came to the conclusion that it might not be so bad after all.
“Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be better if we were found out early and Nodens took you away? It wouldn’t breach the contract because I wouldn’t have told you directly.”
On second thought, it seemed manageable.
As the Chancellor was about to accept Lilith’s request (command), his gaze caught something in the corner of his eye.
It was the paperwork he had been looking at just moments ago.
Upon seeing it, his immediate response was:
“No way, absolutely not.”
“Why?”
Red light flared in Lilith’s eyes.
The Chancellor sighed and handed her the file.
“Look.”
Arthur, who had taken the file, carefully scanned through the contents and tilted his head in confusion.
“What’s the problem? There doesn’t seem to be any issue. Except for the place of birth being from the Holy Nation…”
“It’s the Holy Maiden candidate.”
“Wha…What?!?”
Arthur nearly dropped the file but managed to catch it just in time.
“Se… Saint?! How could such a person be in the Magic Empire?”
“That’s what puzzles me too. I don’t understand why someone from the Holy Nation would attend our rival school, especially an imperial academy. I’ve heard the Holy Nation is a bit restless lately.”
Continuing his speech,
“The Holy Nation’s most important figure is coming to our Academy. Not merely a nominal dignitary but someone with real power. If this Holy Maiden candidate finds out your true identity, it could be disastrous.”
Though it would be welcome if the Holy Nation discovered her existence and Nodens appeared, as long as the Holy Maiden candidate was admitted as a ‘student’, it might not just stop there.
‘At worst, the Academy’s reputation might come into question… Damn. It wasn’t supposed to involve any kind of contract!’
If Lilith’s true identity is exposed to the Holy Maiden candidate, the Inquisition would be dispatched immediately to ransack the Academy.
That wouldn’t help the students either, and worst of all for a Chancellor researching Outer Gods.
“Holy Maiden? What’s that?”
Hearing Lilith’s confused question, Arthur replied.
“The Holy Maiden is one of the symbols of the Holy Nation. While the Holy Emperor provides actual governance, the Holy Maiden handles various diplomatic relations. Think of her as the second-in-command of the Holy Nation.”
“So, the Holy Maiden is the Holy Maiden… What’s this ‘candidate’ thing?”
“That’s… I actually don’t…”
Arthur trailed off and looked to the Chancellor.
With a sigh, the Chancellor continued.
“The Holy Maiden doesn’t just appear out of thin air. Dozens of women with outstanding divine power go through endless competition, and only the purest and most capable is chosen.”
At this, Arthur’s face contorted.
That method seemed familiar yet uncomfortable.
“…Isn’t that a perfect kind of solitude?”
“Yeah, solitude. It’s just that now they call it ‘the chosen candidate.’ Factually, it’s like creating solitude. In fact, it might be even more cruel.”
Recalling old memories, the Chancellor pinched the bridge of his nose.
He still remembered meeting the previous Holy Maiden, even after so much time had passed.
The image of that young child, much younger than himself, forcing a laugh and offering a strained smile, never left the Chancellor’s mind.
‘Tch, why did that memory come back right now?’
Frowning, the Chancellor lost himself in thought.
Just as the Academy had an Outer God.
Just as the Academy would receive the Holy Maiden candidate.
There was no way to hope for zero friction between the two.
A solution had to be devised.
A way that the Outer God and the Holy Maiden candidate could avoid conflict.
The Chancellor’s eyes shifted toward Arthur.
So innocent…
A face that reminded him of someone he had purposefully tried to forget. The Chancellor pulled out Arthur’s file from memory.
Combining the information from the file with his impressions of Arthur, he formed an image.
‘Pure, clean, untainted youth… and yet with a certain degree of strength, and a mind that works pretty well.’
As the Chancellor continued to refine the image, it overlapped with someone else’s.
‘Ch, how could they be so similar?’
Nonetheless, after finishing Arthur’s image, the Chancellor nodded.
‘This is lucky for Lilith, having him as her contractor.’
A plan emerged in the Chancellor’s mind.
However, this plan was based on the assumption that the two people in front of him would cooperate.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have contemplated involving an Outer God in his schemes, let alone executing them.
But perhaps because Arthur reminded him of someone, the Chancellor voiced the plan.
“Alright. I have one plan that resolves the Holy Maiden problem and allows for your request for cohabitation.”
“Really?”
“What is it?”
The chancellor signaled for a pen and paper.
“Lilith, have you ever considered changing your name?”
“…What?”
Lilith’s face crumpled instantly.
—-
Some time later, the two people walked out of the Chancellor’s office.
“Thank you for your help, Chancellor-”
“Hurry up, Arthur.”
“Miss Lilith, at least basic courtesy-”
“Hurry.”
“…Yes.”
The Chancellor observed Arthur being dragged along by Lilith’s arm with a complicated expression.
‘Not sure if this is the right thing to do…’
In front of him lay two sheets of paper.
On the first sheet was Lilith’s photo and various pieces of information.
Of course, all this information was fake. This sheet was her forged identity.
‘Name: Lilina. Recently deceased merchant’s daughter with a connection to Bluepeace Orphanage, met Arthur during frequent visits.’
Bluepeace Orphanage really existed, and it was a place Arthur had attended.
There had indeed been a merchant among the donors when he entered the orphanage.
But the rest was completely false.
‘Truth lies between hidden lies.’
In short, it was a simple fabricated identity.
By the side lay the second sheet.
The top of the paper read:
– Cohabitation Application.
At the bottom were the names ‘Arthur’ and ‘Lilina’.
‘Now the only question is how well these two can lie…’
The Chancellor leaned back in his chair as he pressed his temples.
“Ah, I dealt with it as best as I could.”
A voice rang out in his head, making the Chancellor scowl.
After disappearing like a coward when Lilith showed up, this entity returned rather quickly.
“I did my best.”
“Hmm… Lilith might be fine, but Arthur seems a bit risky.”
“Why? Can’t he tell lies?”
“Uh, he seems too pure.”
At this, the Chancellor snorted.
“Hah, ‘pure’…”
The Chancellor reflected on what had happened just moments ago.
The way Arthur’s eyes changed as soon as he suggested creating a fake identity.
Then the plausible false identity spilled out as if he had prepared it in advance.
“This guy came prepared.”
“Wha-?”
“He probably didn’t know about the Holy Maiden thing, but he clearly came expecting how this conversation might conclude.”
Judging from the situation, Arthur’s mind likely held at least ten ways to provide Lilith with insider status.
And he would have a way to guide the result to one of them.
“Scary kid…”
The Chancellor modified the image of Arthur in his mind.
Pure? Hardly…
What could possibly be inside the mind of this young man that made him so cunning?
Then, someone else’s face came to mind.
“…Damn it, why does everything have to resemble that?”
To distract himself, the Chancellor picked up his teacup for a sip.
As he lifted the teacup, he stared down at the cold tea that had long cooled off.
Suddenly, he said,
“I need to go out briefly.”
“Huh? What kind of urgent outing?”
“There’s something bothering me, and I can’t focus on anything until I clear it. Better to check and deal with it quickly.”
Before anyone could respond, the Chancellor had changed into his outdoor clothes and scanned the office.
“I won’t be long.”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Looking skyward, the Chancellor said,
“Coincidence to this extent might as well be inevitability. Let’s check if that statement holds true again.”
With that, the Chancellor disappeared.
The silent Chancellor’s office was peaceful now, as if it had never been chaotic.
The only evidence left was the tea cups on the table.
One neatly emptied, one untouched, and one filled with cold, untouched tea.
