"...Excuse me, Sir Knight."

As Frondier's thoughts progressed, Amelie cautiously spoke up.

"Yes. What is it?"

"It's quite... noisy around us, isn't it? Ahaha."

Amelie let out a dry laugh as she spoke. Frondier smiled gently in response, as always.

However, his next words were unexpected.

"My lady."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Amelie's mouth momentarily froze.

Taken on its own, the line was quite romantic. It was something an old lover who had built trust with each other would ask.

However, the current situation wasn't exactly romantic, so Amelie replied with a slightly tense voice, "O-of course I do. We met at the Imperial Palace, didn't we?"

"Yes. You approached me and greeted me. It was my first time experiencing an Imperial banquet, so I was truly grateful that you were the first to reach out."

"Oh, it was nothing..."

Amelie's face flushed slightly. She was happy to hear that he was grateful, but she was also a little embarrassed that she had been the one to approach him.

"But as time passed, I started to find it a little strange."

"Strange?"

"I wondered why you, of all people, were the first to approach someone like me. At the time, I was nothing special."

Amelie blinked at Frondier's words. His face held a self-deprecating smile. Seeing that expression, Amelie was convinced. Frondier was being sincere. He was genuinely curious.

"But, I told you when we first met, didn't I? I had wanted to meet you for a while, and I had heard about your accomplishments in the joint operation..."

Frondier shook his head.

"You don't have to lie about that anymore."

"...Sir Knight..."

"Before the joint operation, I was literally a nobody. There's no way you could have known me. And as for the joint operation, there were other promising individuals who performed much better than I did."

There was Eden Hamelrot, the top Pro 1st Year student, in that party. He was the one who officially made the greatest contribution. In fact, everyone else greeted Eden and those who had performed similarly first, and Frondier came after.

Only Amelie sought out Frondier first, before anyone else. That's why she was a step ahead of everyone else who greeted him.

"My lady. I believe that through this journey, we have built a greater level of trust."

"I-I think so too."

"I'm not trying to blame you for lying. I'm simply curious. You didn't approach me with any ill intentions, did you?"

"O-of course not!"

Amelie nodded vigorously, as if it were obvious, and clenched her fists. Frondier asked again,

"What was the reason you sought me out first? I'm just purely curious."

"Ah, that's... I..."

As Frondier said, Amelie didn't approach him with any bad intentions.

However, the reason itself was so trivial to her that she couldn't recall it immediately after so much time had passed.

"Did you perhaps hear about me from someone?"

"Oh, ah! That's right!"

"...For example, from 'Joseph von Wexler' or perhaps..."

Clap!

Amelie clapped her hands together.

As soon as Frondier mentioned that name, her face lit up with delight.

"That's right! My uncle told me about you!"

"...Your uncle, Joseph is your uncle."

"Yes! He said it would be wonderful to become acquainted with Sir Frondier, that you were the hidden gem of this Empire!"

Amelie's face beamed with satisfaction as she recalled the memory.

In contrast, Frondier's smile gradually stiffened, and his head slowly lowered.

'...Joseph von Wexler.'

Frondier knew that name for a specific reason.

...He was one of the masterminds behind the 'Mana Injection' incident.

He was among the Shadow Agency personnel who had made a pact with a devil for the Mana Injection and lost their lives as a result.

He was the very person Frondier had intended to find himself at Philly's request, but the sudden attack by Mei, the Calamity of Metamorph at the time, had caused the matter to be left unresolved.

"...Did your uncle mention anything else?"

"Hmm, he said that if things worked out with Sir Frondier, humanity would make great progress. He called it a solution that would change the very foundation of humanity."

"...Perhaps something about Mana?"

"Yes, that's right! So Sir Frondier has also spoken with my uncle!"

Still oblivious to Frondier's frozen smile, Amelie's face remained filled with joy.

"He said that humanity's Mana would experience a significant and dramatic increase. A technology that allows Mana to be introduced into the body without any harm to humans."

"Have you ever mentioned this to anyone else?"

"Huh? No. My uncle specifically told me to keep it a secret... Ah! But I just said it! But, it's okay, right? Sir Frondier already knows about it. Right?"

"...Of course. I already know about it."

He already knew about it.

And it was a story he thought no one else knew except for him and Empress Philly.

In other words...

"...You are the only one, my lady."

"Huh? What? What do you mean the only one?"

She knew the Shadow Agency's secret.

She didn't even realize how important that secret was.

And there was a high possibility that the Shadow Agency had discovered that she possessed their secret.

'...Lily.'

The image of Lily's smiling face as she assigned him today's mission came to mind.

If he got caught up in Amelie's situation, he could be dragged into the Imperial Palace's affairs. If he wasn't careful, Frondier might even become an enemy of the Imperial Palace.

That would be no different from becoming an enemy of the entire Empire.

Frondier had stopped the Shadow Agency's plan alongside Philly, but it wasn't the entire agency's plan. He had merely blocked the actions of an overly radical faction.

Philly acknowledged the existence of the Shadow Agency. She knew that the Empire needed them.

Therefore, he had to prevent a situation where the very existence of the Shadow Agency was exposed.

He absolutely couldn't allow the disgrace of their secrets being revealed by a loose-lipped young lady.

'Lily, you've played an interesting trick on me.'

The best course of action for Frondier right now was to withdraw from this situation.

Then, whether it was the Shadow Agency or the Imperial Palace, they would deal with Amelie themselves.

...However.

Frondier finally began to see through Lily's intentions.

─They say Frondier shows no mercy to his enemies, but for his allies, he goes all out without regard for his own well-being.

─So, what about this time? It's not exactly an enemy or an ally, but someone who means you no harm and even holds favorable feelings towards you. However, it's a ticking time bomb that will inevitably drag you into trouble if you stay with her.

─Will you become an enemy of the Empire to save a girl you barely know? Or will you turn a blind eye to the death of a single girl?

─Frondier, as you know, I'm not your enemy. You already know how to avoid getting hurt, don't you?

─I simply want to know. What kind of person you are.