"Hmm..."

Ethan’s expression hardened, clearly displeased, when I mentioned that we should meet with Bolt.

‘He really doesn’t like him.’

Strictly speaking, Bolt hadn’t directly harmed Ethan up to this point. The person possessing the hero might even be confused about whether Ethan was a villain or not. If Bolt had been certain that Ethan was the antagonist, he would have already warned him to release Lillis.

In the original storyline, after receiving such a warning from the hero, Ethan and Lillis would have fled to the Blackwood estate, where they would go into hiding. The hero’s pursuit of them at the Blackwood estate was a major plot point in the latter half of Part 2 of Luminor Academy.

Of course, in reality, if that had happened, Ethan would likely have stood his ground and clashed with the hero, leading to a bloody confrontation at the academy.

As it stands, I’ve never heard of Ethan receiving any direct threats or attacks from Bolt. In fact, after the Kraken subjugation, Bolt had even helped save my life by teaching CPR.

Although Bolt had repeatedly approached Ethan despite being warned to stay away and had indirectly caused trouble by instigating Natalie’s drunken outburst using Seraphine, these weren’t actions that would have earned Ethan’s deep-seated hatred.

However, it’s understandable that Ethan would be wary of a hero who always has women by his side. If I were in Ethan’s position, I wouldn’t want to get too close to him either.

Ethan’s concern that Bolt might steal me away was hard to shake off easily. After all, Lillis was one of the main heroines in the original game Luminor Academy, so his concern wasn’t entirely unfounded.

"Of course, I understand that you’re not particularly fond of Bolt, young master Ethan."

"...I can’t deny that."

"But right now, neither you nor Bolt have the strength to defeat demons or those who have been empowered by them. It’s not just you, young master Ethan; the hero is probably not at that level yet either."

"...If that’s the case, then why do you think we should involve the hero?"

"Because the hero is the only one who can cut down demons without bowing to status or power."

"..."

At present, Bolt doesn’t hold any special noble title. He’s simply known as the "Hero of Another World" or the "Prophesied Hero."

In other words, he’s a person free from the burdens of responsibility and rank, which is why he’s able to cause such a stir both inside and outside the academy without facing serious repercussions.

It would be unwise to reprimand a hero summoned from another world for his behavior, as it might lead to accusations of being in league with the demons.

The fact that Bolt enjoys such freedom is largely due to his success in reducing the number of demons, thus maintaining his influence.

In any case, Bolt is likely moving forward with his goal of clearing the game and is aware that McHart is a major antagonist in Part 4, so he wouldn’t pass up the chance to deal with him in advance.

If Bolt understood the seriousness of my proposal, he would likely agree to help.

‘If I were to gather people and ask for help myself, it would raise suspicion. But no one would find it strange if the hero gathered people to hunt demons.’

If Ethan or I asked another powerful figure for help—saying that someone important in the state seemed to be connected to demons and we needed to unite to take them down—we would likely be dismissed with, "Are you out of your mind?" at best. Even if it went well, we’d still risk being accused of treason.

However, if the hero Bolt and the saintess Celesta gathered people for a demon hunt, that would be a different story.

Those who had previously fought alongside Bolt and Celesta in demon subjugations would have some trust in them, and with the hero and the saintess on our side, revealing McHart’s connection to demons wouldn’t be difficult.

Of course, I was referring to the true saintess who could wield the power of a saint, not the fake saintess Celesta.

‘...This is complicated.’

Given the nature of the enemy, there was much to be done not only in killing McHart but also in dealing with the aftermath.

That’s why we needed the help of Bolt and Celesta, who would understand the situation and cooperate once it was explained to them, no matter how much Ethan disliked the idea.

"Alright, Lillis, since you’re insisting, it looks like I’ll have to meet with him at least once."

"Are you sure about this, young master Ethan?"

"I don’t like the thought of him keeping women on all sides of him, but it seems we need his help right now."

"Thank you for your brave decision, young master Ethan."

"So, how do you plan to arrange this meeting, Lillis? It seems difficult to approach Princess Seraphine given that your relationship isn’t what it used to be."

"I’ll ask Miss Agnes for help. She’s my friend and has worked with the hero before."

"Alright, I’ll leave the arrangements to you, then."

Our emergency meeting ended with a final note of caution to keep the upcoming secret meeting confidential. After several attempts, I finally managed to arrange a meeting with Bolt.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The day after I convinced Ethan to meet with Bolt, I managed to set a time and place for the meeting through Agnes’s mediation.

One week later, in the theology building of Luminor Academy.

The meeting place was a room on the fifth floor of a massive church that housed the Aurelia Church Academy branch, the theology department’s educational building, and the theology dormitory.

We chose the church as our gathering place for two main reasons.

First, the church was a place where hundreds of patients and Aurelia Church believers came and went daily, so a student from another department visiting wouldn’t draw much attention.

Second, since Celesta resided in the church, we wouldn’t need to find a separate place to meet.

Bolt, Celesta, Ethan, myself, and Agnes, who had helped arrange the meeting, gathered in Celesta’s dormitory room on the fifth floor of the theology building. As the person who had set up the meeting, I was the first to speak and explain the situation.

"First of all, I’d like to thank the hero and the saintess for responding to my sudden request."

"Oh, no... It’s only natural that we respond if Miss Lillis requests it..."

"It’s fine. I didn’t have any plans before the evaluation anyway. Don’t worry about it, Lillis."

"...You might want to be a little more mindful. It seems you’re being overly familiar with my personal maid..."

"Young master Ethan, please restrain yourself. These people are here at my request."

"...Sorry, Lillis."

I had to caution Ethan before the meeting even began to prevent him from creating an unpleasant atmosphere, and then I quickly relayed the story to Bolt and Celesta.

I explained the recent attack by Prince McHart and how he had used demonic power to target me.

Since this meeting was meant to persuade not only the hero but also Celesta, I gave a detailed account of what had happened that day. As my story went on, I could see the expressions of both of them grow darker.

"Is that really true, Miss Lillis...?"

"...Saintess Celesta, isn’t your way of addressing me a bit too formal?"

"Wait, McHart targeted you? Was it because of that incident where you insulted him at Prince Antonio’s birthday banquet?"

"Yes. It seems I’ve thoroughly earned his dislike. I was fortunate to escape unscathed this time, but I doubt I’ll be as lucky if it happens again."

"Lately, I’ve been sticking close to Blackwood and keeping an eye on him. Since he’s using demonic power, who knows what he might do, but it’s definitely safer to face him together than alone."

"Has the story changed again? What’s the best way to handle this..."

"...Story?"

"Ah, nothing. Just talking to myself."

Bolt muttered to himself, lowering his head after listening to Agnes’s additional explanation.

Only Ethan seemed puzzled by his muttering, while Celesta and Agnes didn’t appear particularly suspicious, as if they were used to it.

Celesta, in particular, had been acting strange, avoiding eye contact with me as if she were guilty of something, and had been calling me "Miss Lillis" in an overly formal manner since the beginning. It was clear that something was off with her.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about her reaction; we needed to discuss how to deal with McHart first.

After considering the altered scenario I had shared, Bolt carefully began to speak.

"Actually, I had my suspicions too. I sensed demonic energy coming from Prince McHart."

"...Really?"

"That reaction seems a bit dubious. Are you just pretending to agree with Lillis now?"

"No, that’s not it. It’s just that, since we’re dealing with a prince, I’ve been trying to be cautious with my words. If I wrongly accused a real prince of being a demon and killed him, I wouldn’t be able to avoid punishment, even as a hero."

"......"

"Besides, I wasn’t the one who first noticed it. It was Celesta who did. I only started suspecting after she mentioned it... isn’t that right, Celesta?"

"Y-Yes! I’ve thought something was off about Prince McHart from the first time I saw him! There was just something strange about his aura and presence..."

...It seemed they were trying to go with the narrative that they had "already suspected" McHart from the start.

Although I could tell from Celesta’s reaction that she hadn’t known and didn’t yet have the means to detect demonic power, I didn’t point it out for the sake of the discussion.

"I see, Hero Bolt. So, may I understand your words to mean that you believe what I’ve said?"

"If it involves demons, of course, I have no choice but to help. Having a demon spy within the royal palace is particularly dangerous. It could lead to a crisis for Seraphine, and leaving a demon agent in the palace could allow other demons to spread across the Empire."

"Thank you, hero."

"...However, before I agree to help, there’s one last thing I need to confirm."

"What is it?"

All eyes turned to Bolt as he fixed his gaze squarely on me.

"Miss Lillis, could you step outside with me for a moment?"

"Excuse me?"

"I’d like to speak with you alone, without anyone else."

...Did he figure it out?