Lily's Knight (7)

When the workshop swallowed Lily, her mansion was left in a devastated state, as if bitten by a dragon.

Lily's mansion had no servants, and the knights did not reside there.

The reason Frondier visited Lily at this late hour was precisely because there would be no one else around.

However, with the mansion in such a state...

"Ugh, you... you dare...!"

Naturally, Lily's knights stormed in, swinging their blades at Frondier.

It was also natural that Frondier subdued them all.

"How dare you do this to Lady Ria Lis's mansion...! We should never have let you in!"

As Frondier fought them, he became certain of one thing.

Lily's knights were too weak. Perhaps even weaker than the first-year students at Constel.

Therefore, he was able to subdue this large number with just the Obsidian. He appreciated their willingness to throw themselves into danger for Lily, but it was still easy.

Conversely, it was because it was so easy that he was able to subdue them without killing them.

"..."

However, even after subduing them all, Frondier did not move.

Lily felt the long time she was trapped as torture, and in fact, that was Frondier's intention. But in reality, Frondier was also delaying his own decision.

Lily deceived me.

Lily was indeed a devil.

Then my course of action is clear.

Caw—

As Frondier was processing his thoughts, the cry of a crow came from afar.

The crow landed on his shoulder.

[Frondier, it's a report.]

"...Gregory."

[I roughly understand the situation, but listen first and then decide.]

"Yeah... that's right."

He had always fought based on information and circumstances, using all means available.

It wouldn't be any different now.

As Frondier nodded, the crow's mouth opened.

[According to Laurie, most of the knights belonging to Ria Lis are criminals.]

"Criminals?"

[Yes. To be precise, they are low-ranking members of criminal organizations. If they leave Lily's side, they will return to their groups and commit crimes again. Besides, they have nowhere else to go.]

Knights who swear loyalty to Lily. But even if the knights swore loyalty, their families wouldn't necessarily be loyal to Lily.

He wondered why there was no friction between the knights' families and Lily, but it turned out that they didn't have families in the first place.

[Lily has a deeper connection with the Shadow Unit than other Zodiacs. Every time Lily brings men under her command, the Shadow Unit covers up their criminal records. But they don't delete them. Because they don't know when they might leave Lily's side.]

"Why does the Shadow Unit help Lily? There's no benefit to it."

[As you know, the Shadow Unit works for the Empire. Lily's knights are all under 'Charm', but they haven't lost consciousness or had their memories erased. Their personalities haven't changed either. So they have their own information and knowledge about their organizations. It's nothing major since they're low-ranking, but when that many of them gather, it becomes quite useful information.]

"Lily's knights are loyal to Lily, so there's no need to hide that information, and Lily hands over their information to the Shadow Unit. In return, the Shadow Unit hides Lily's knights."

[Yes, that's the deal. The Shadow Unit is a group that the Empire turns a blind eye to. They cause problems because they don't care about their methods, but the benefits they bring to the Empire are so great that they are tolerated. You've had some friction with them, haven't you?]

Frondier knew that too.

More than anything else, Frondier didn't completely exclude the Shadow Unit because of a person named 'Laurie'.

He had seen how Laurie felt and moved within the Shadow Unit, how she was prepared to give her life in front of the fragment of Helheim in Yeranhes.

"...What about Ameline? Did you ask about her?"

[I asked, but Laurie didn't have any specific information. Just the same information that ordinary people know. It doesn't seem like Ameline is connected to the Shadow Unit.]

"Then Ameline really is just an ordinary person who got caught up in this."

[Yes. It's true that Lily tried to save her. Even at the risk of antagonizing the Shadow Unit, with whom she has a close relationship. I don't know why.]

Frondier sighed at those words. His eyes drooped sadly.

"...Did you come to stop me, Gregory?"

[Why would I? I just came to report. You ordered me to.]

"You seem to be defending Lily."

[That's a misunderstanding.]

"Lily is using Charm to control them, but is the fact that she took them from criminal organizations an excuse?"

[Well, that's none of my business. And Lily probably isn't using the knights thinking about excuses either.]

There are countless other ways to have your own knights or rehabilitate criminals. It would be even easier for someone like Lily.

Lily was just doing what she wanted to do.

[Lily is a devil, Frondier. You know that, right?]

"So?"

[You've met a few devils, so you know, don't try to judge their way of thinking from a human perspective. It's not just devils. Monsters and Gods are the same. They're not human.]

Frondier recalled the non-human beings he had met so far.

They were fundamentally impossible to communicate with. The monster Kraken, who was hostile from the start, and the God Rudra, who claimed to love Elodie, were no different.

[If you say you're going to kill Lily, I'll tell you to do it. Lily is a devil. That alone is enough reason to kill her. Plus, didn't she try to use you? 'Charm' is a dangerous power. If you had been charmed, I don't know what she would have done to you. At the very least, you would have acted completely differently from the 'Frondier de Roach' I knew.]

Gregory said. There are enough reasons for Lily to die. And all of those reasons were the reasons Frondier had thought of. As expected, their thoughts were aligned.

[But.]

However, the crow tilted its head there.

[Why are you asking me, Frondier?]

"...!"

[I had no intention of doing so, but did I come to stop you? Why are you looking for excuses for Lily's actions? The reason I reported to you was because I didn't want you to make a 'wrong judgment' due to lack of information. If you still think Lily deserves to die after hearing me out, then do it. I think it's justified too.]

"Gregory..."

[I won't interfere with whatever you do.]

Frondier's eyes met the crow's eyes.

[But if the reason you asked me is because you're hesitant.]

He sees Gregory's eyes, still somewhere in a prison, quietly watching him beyond the crow's eyes.

[Your face right now doesn't suit you.]

"..."

Frondier closes his mouth once again. He sighs more often than usual today, and eventually lets out another sigh.

With that sigh, a calm gaze permeates.

Confirming that, the crow said.

[Have you decided?]

"Not yet. There's something I need to confirm."

Frondier said that and approached one of Lily's knights.

It was the very man who had fought at the forefront against Frondier and had picked a fight with him a few days ago.

"Hey."

"What, if you're going to kill me, do it quickly."

"I have a question."

"I'm not going to answer any of your questions,"

"If Lily dies."

At Frondier's words, the knight's eyes blazed. His body, bound by Frondier's Obsidian, trembled, and his muscles bulged as if trying to tear the Obsidian apart with force.

Seeing that, Frondier continued.

"What will you do?"

"...I will kill you. I will tear your limbs apart and hang them in the plaza. I will reveal your ridiculous appearance to the countless people who believe you are a hero."

A curse-filled statement. Frondier's eyes close for a moment at that.

And so Frondier said.

"Yeah, that's right."

"...What?"

"Kill me, tear my limbs apart, hang them in the plaza, and then."

There was no momentum in Frondier's eyes when he opened them again. To the threat of killing him, Frondier looked at the man without any murderous intent, nor any mockery or ridicule.

"What will you do next? After you have achieved justice by killing me, what will you do next?"

"..."

"Will you become a criminal again?"

Frondier's question made the man's eyes widen.

With Lily gone, the man would lose the person he swore loyalty to. He would have nowhere to go.

So, would he return to his original place, the criminal organization, to live?

Understanding the meaning, the man clenched his teeth and said.

"...I will become a knight."

"Even without Lily?"

"Lady Ria Lis took me in, even though I am insignificant now, but I will become a proper knight. I will not return to that kind of criminal den."

Hearing those words, Frondier looked up.

He checked the faces of the other knights who had been listening to their conversation.

After confirming their gazes, expressions, and the determination lingering within them...

"...Is that so."

Frondier stood up.

He turned around and walked away, towards the workshop.

Surprised, the man shouted.

"Fr, Frondier! Wait! You, damn it! Let go of this! Aaargh!"

The man struggled, but with his body still unable to properly wield aura, he couldn't overcome the Obsidian. The other knights were the same.

Glancing at them, Frondier said.

"If you really want to be a knight, improve your skills a little more."

With that, Frondier opened the workshop door and entered.

* * *

When Frondier entered and saw Lily, she had quite a few cuts from blades all over her body, and blood was flowing.

Swoosh—

As Frondier removed the blades that had touched Lily's body, she collapsed as if her strength had left her.

Lily's voluptuous figure, her daring outfit, the wounds all over her body with blood flowing, and her blood-soaked clothes clinging to her body.

In a chilling yet alluring appearance, Lily breathed shallowly.

"...I'm a little late."

Frondier literally said that because his contemplation had been longer than he had originally intended. But Lily probably wouldn't hear it that way.

"...Heh, hehe. Ahahaha."

Lily, with her head down, let out a laugh with an unknown emotion. Frondier's approaching steps stopped at that.

He had done such a thing to a Zodiac. Was it already too late to decide what to do with Lily? Would he have to engage in a fight with Lily where they tried to kill each other?

"You really..."

Lily's voice trembled. And Frondier's vigilance rose accordingly. As if responding to Lily's voice, Frondier's Obsidian vibrated.

And Lily suddenly raised her head and said.

"You're strong!"

"...Yes?"

"Ah, really! I didn't expect you to exceed my expectations this much! These weapons, I couldn't move at all! I tried to escape using aura as much as possible, but every time I did, the angles of the weapons changed strangely, so if I tried to escape, I would have to be prepared for fatal wounds. It was really amazing!"

Lily's eyes sparkled like a child chattering about their impressions after riding an amusement park attraction.

"You solved Ameline's escort mission in a way I never imagined, and Charm didn't work on you either! And the look in your eyes when you were angry! Wow, it's been a while since I felt my heart shrink like that against a human! No, wait, you can get angry? That's not a common thing, is it? Only I must have seen that expression, right? Even your close friends and colleagues wouldn't have seen that face!"

...What the hell is going on?

Frondier quickly racked his brain as he saw the sparkle in Lily's eyes.

Is she acting? Is she waiting for a chance to escape or counterattack while acting like that? But even if that were the case, this is the workshop, Frondier's domain. He detects all abnormalities within it.

The workshop is too calm for any plotting. There is no murderous intent in Lily's appearance.

"...I expected you to be burning with the intention to kill me, or trembling in fear, but you're showing a completely different side."

"Intention to kill? Why would I? Ah, I was scared, though. I still am. My whole body is trembling."

Lily seemed to be taking the fear that Frondier was trying to instill as a thrill like a horror movie, as there was pleasure on her

Lily seemed to be taking the fear that Frondier was trying to instill as a thrill like a horror movie, as there was pleasure on her face as she said she was scared.

"You gave me what I wanted."

"What I wanted?"

"I wanted to know who you are. What kind of person you are. What kind of disposition you have, what kind of values you hold, what choices you make at important crossroads."

Lily had always been like that since meeting Frondier. As Frondier knew.

Lily kept testing Frondier, curious about his reactions, and observing his choices.

"...Was that so important? To the point of risking your life?"

"Well, I didn't want to lose my life, and I didn't think I would, but if I were to put those two on a scale..."

Lily tilted her head for a moment.

Without even taking the time to think about it...

"Well, that's right. It's more important for me to know what I want to know."

She said.

—Don't try to judge their way of thinking from a human perspective.

It was no wonder that Gregory's words from just before echoed in Frondier's ears.

"So, well, since I saw your 'angry face' that you wouldn't casually show to others, I'm quite satisfied, I guess?"

Saying that, Lily raised both arms. Like a believer waiting for God's grace.

"Now, kill me."

"..."

"..."

And Frondier just watched her silently.