Golden hair that sparkles like the sun.
Bright blue eyes filled with visible confusion and questions. It seems like this person is completely lost in the current situation.

When I think about it, it’s not surprising at all.

At this point, she wasn’t even a bodyguard yet.
Out of nowhere, here I am, knocking on the door alongside the Third Princess, with no prior connection. If she didn’t panic, that would’ve been the real surprise.

‘Maybe it would have been better to consider other options?’

Seeing the doubt and turmoil in those eyes, I momentarily questioned whether I could really gain her cooperation…

But I quickly shook off that hesitation.
Besides, there were no other options to begin with.

Among those who might know the location of the former hero’s corpse, the only one likely to cooperate is the Second Prince.

I certainly can’t ask the Emperor of the Empire or the fake Heinrich himself to help dismantle their plans.

It’s now or never.
I have to give it a shot, whether it works or not.

“I have something urgent to report.”

I gather my thoughts and speak again. Renya frowns a little, as if lost in thought over my words.

“Something you need to report?”

Now this is the crucial point.
It’s possible to straightforwardly say that the fake Heinrich is trying to destroy the world and ask for her help to stop him.

But that’s also a major stretch.
If people readily believed that the world was coming to an end, the subways wouldn’t just be a mess; they’d be apocalyptic all the time!

Therefore, I need to bring up something else.
A tantalizing story about various gaps caused by my reincarnation that could wipe away Renya’s suspicions in one go.

And I have just the thing in mind.

“I’ve uncovered the identity of the leader of the evil terrorist organization, the Black Fangs!”

It’s the Empire’s eternal adversary.
There’s no topic more likely than this one to temporarily paralyze Renya’s reasoning.

“Tell me more.”

Maintaining his composure, his voice still reveals a hint of excitement that can’t be hidden. It seems picking this subject was indeed the right call.

Renya looks at me intently, eagerly awaiting my answer.

I give him a grave expression and lower my voice for added gravity as I declare,
“Heinrich. He’s the leader of the Black Fangs with ambitions to bring down the Empire!”

A blatant lie.
A statement with not an ounce of truth, but that doesn’t matter at all. In a case like this, credibility isn’t the point.

“That doesn’t… make sense. The name of the Black Fangs’ leader is…”

Renya speaks up.
It seems he’s figured out the name of the Black Fangs’ leader somehow, but I try to hide my agitation as I continue.

Whether he knows that guy’s name or not, it’s irrelevant to me.

“Of course, because that Heinrich isn’t the real one. He’s just a traitor who killed the Empire’s Swordmaster and stole his name.”

Since this Heinrich isn’t the real one, naturally, he must have a different name. There’s no need to fabricate a lie.

Listening to me, Renya begins to waver.
With a shocked expression, he mumbles to himself,
“No way, is that idiot really infiltrating the palace…?”

Why is that idiot being mentioned here? It’s quite a mystery how a complete fool trying to cover up his tracks ended up being a topic of discussion.

I restrained my patience, resisting the urge to ask, “Why on earth is that name coming up here?”

“Yet… how did you figure that out?”

As expected of a rather capable prince.
He calms his excitement and asks me again.

I wouldn’t be lying if I said I didn’t want him to just brush it off casually, but even if he does, it won’t be a problem.

“I noticed. The difference between the real and the fake.”

As I speak, Renya’s face colors with confusion again.
His eyes reveal his curiosity.

Seeing that, I subtly tweak my approach.
If I talk about the differences between the original Heinrich and the current one, it would imply that Renya failed to notice those differences.

No one likes being pointed out for their mistakes, after all. So it’s better to word it more gently.

Therefore, I create a sorrowful expression and speak up.
“I couldn’t help but realize. He’s… my father.”

Tears begin to roll down my cheek.
Renya looks increasingly flustered, struggling with how to respond. It seems even royalty avoids touching on parent-related topics lightly.

“The expressions, the tone, the habits ingrained in him… all of them deviate slightly from before. And, above all, he forgot the promise I made with him.”

He’s being scrutinized.
“I’ll come to find you once everything is over.” He neither kept that promise nor remembered it.

Even when I hint at it or gently bring up memories, there’s no response.
“I asked out of curiosity; it could all be just my misunderstanding. I was told by my disciple, Sian, a few years ago, ‘Have you forgotten me?’”

“……”

“That lie? He believed it and apologized for forgetting. That’s how I was sure. That man isn’t my father. The one who threatened my father dares to wear his mask.”

The expression on Renya’s face becomes complicated.
Yet there’s subtle suspicion absent from his gaze.

This is somewhat understandable.
A suddenly appeared genius swordmaster.
Isn’t it odd that someone like that wouldn’t have any backstory or mystery surrounding their birth?

“Since then, I’ve been trying to gain the trust of the impersonator to figure out his true identity. And… finally today, the result has come!”

I was offered a chance to join the Black Fangs.
I also discovered why the Black Fangs infiltrated the palace. I conveyed this information to Renya.

“The corpse of the hero. The Black Fangs plan to use that today to capture the god of light.”

Renya’s expression still looks complicated.
He seems hesitant, unable to reach a conclusion just yet.

I take his hand and speak earnestly.
“I’ve mobilized everyone I could—though my capabilities are limited—as much military strength as possible. I even asked for help from the Third Princess.”

To avoid suspicion, I really hoped not to bring along the Third Princess, and didn’t want to put Siel and the executives on alert either.
But in an unpredictable scenario, the core troops must move together with Renya to where the former hero’s corpse lies.

So there’s nothing to do but hope Renya buys the explanation.

“I didn’t want to impose on you, Prince, knowing the favors I owe you. But… facing the leader of the Black Fangs is definitely beyond my capabilities.”

I look directly into Renya’s eyes and say,
“Please, will you lend me your strength?”

“Do everything you can, then leave the rest to fate.”
I’ve done all I can; now all that’s left is to wait for the results.

*

Suspicious.
This is incredibly suspicious.
Sure, Sian’s explanation sounds somewhat credible, but there are too many awkward details here.

How on earth did a spy infiltrating the palace gain such thick trust and share their plans? How did my little brother charm them into joining?

And then there’s the energy I feel from outside.
What kind of connections are being used to gather such powerful allies?

Since he’s a spy of the First Prince, it could partly explain how he gained trust from Heinrich before.
And my foolish brother is simple enough to easily charm others, so I can overlook that too.

But the last one is undeniably suspect.
That abnormal strength.
I can even imagine he might’ve brought in the vessel of a demon king with that ominous aura he exudes.

For such a powerful presence to suddenly appear, and coincidentally it’s Sian leading the charge… that seems downright suspicious.

The Black Fangs.
There were similarities between the testimonies about their executives and the traits of the girls Sian brought.

But… Renya quickly brushed those thoughts aside.
Thinking it through, it makes sense.

Sian himself swore himself not to the Black Fangs but to Mana. While the reinforcements he brought might remind one of the Black Fangs,
that would mean Sian is their leader and doesn’t even know he is.

Such a foolish situation wouldn’t happen in reality, of course.
‘Sian is my person.’
He’s not just a subordinate.
He’s someone who will become my right hand in the future.

For someone like that to call me lord and rely on me while coming with their head bowed… If I disregard that,
if I let my fear of being deceived lead me to suspect my own hand, filling my mind with doubts…
then how can I even discuss the next emperor?

The task at hand was clear.
He gave a confident smile and declared to Sian and the allies he brought,
“Follow me. I will personally lead you.”

…It was time to seal the deal with the Black Fangs.