"...Um, Frondier?"

"..."

"My arms hurt..."

"Be quiet."

At Frondier's words, Lily closed her mouth again.

Now that things had come to this, Frondier had become rapidly calm.

Indeed, don't look at her from a human perspective. Those were truly the right words. Frondier felt like he was starting to get a grasp on how to treat Lily.

'Lily doesn't prioritize her own life. I don't know if all devils are like that, but if I can understand her, she could be more useful than a human.'

Meanwhile, Lily slowly opened her eyes. Frondier hadn't told her to close them.

Lily saw Frondier's eyes.

The same eyes she had seen in the Emperor's bedroom, in Ludwig's mansion, in the Imperial Palace conference room.

The very eyes that had used even Frondier himself as a pawn, completely excluding his temporary emotions and desires.

'...Ah, as expected, it's a shame to die like this.'

When Lily thought that...

"Lady Ria Lis, I have a question."

"...Can I put my arms down?"

"If you think it's okay to put them down, then put them down."

With an answer like that, there was no way she could put them down.

To Lily, who was keeping her arms raised, Frondier said.

"Why did you try to protect Ameline? She's someone who has nothing to do with you."

"That child, she's quite isolated within her family. She was close to her uncle, but he suddenly went missing, so she's in a situation where she can't easily trust anyone, including her family. Her obsession with the knight fantasy is probably because of that."

"...So, what does that have to do with you?"

To Frondier's question, Lily said.

"I don't like that."

"Don't like what?"

"Being alone."

Frondier's words stopped at that.

...Indeed, is that Lily's motivation?

"Lily, you were alone too."

"That's right. You see, I have almost no memories of the Demon Realm. When I came to my senses, I was on this continent. And I have no intention of going back to the Demon Realm now, so I'm staying here."

"So, you can't leave someone who's alone? Is that the same with the knights? Because they're people from criminal organizations without parents?"

"It's not that I can't leave them alone, it's that I want to have them. I'm not saving everyone. The important thing is their appearance, their appearance."

That part was devilish.

Lily, who brought low-ranking members of criminal organizations under her command.

It wasn't righteousness to save people from crime, nor compassion to protect those who were alone.

Lily only moved for herself.

"...I see. That's not morality but..."

"It's desire, Frondier."

Lily said.

"Devils don't move by morality. It's hard to understand such things in the first place. The reason I live in this world is not because I'm adjusting to human society. It's just that the 'desire' I have happens to be somewhat tolerated here."

In other words, even though Lily was good at thinking things through, her starting point was simple.

Unlike humans, who took a long time to figure out what they wanted and what they should decide, Lily's overly simple motivation meant that her mind was already made up, and she was the type to use her head to achieve that.

'If her motivation is simple, it will be easy to mutually benefit from each other. There's no need to worry about whether she's a good guy or a bad guy. She's a devil, after all.'

If only he could continuously draw out Lily's desires, it wouldn't be difficult to make her a complete ally.

If he couldn't trust Lily, then he wouldn't need to trust her in the first place. He would just lead her desires as he wished.

Frondier, can you do that?

While Frondier was briefly lost in thought, Lily suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.

"Actually, you were the same, Frondier."

"...I have family and friends."

"Yeah, that's right. I knew that, but somehow..."

Lily tilted her head as she said that.

"I wonder why? I thought you were similar to me."

Frondier was startled by that, but he didn't show it.

He had thought something similar.

Frondier, who had suddenly entered this world, and Lily, who lived in the human world knowing she was a devil. Lily must have felt somewhere that they were fundamentally alone, just like Frondier had.

"...Put your arms down."

"You're not going to kill me?"

"It's true that you saved Ameline, and I'm pissed that you used me in the process, but in the end, things went well because of it."

"...Even though I used Charm on you?"

"It didn't work, so it's fine."

Lily put her arms down.

Then, rolling her eyes around, she slowly opened her mouth as if it were something difficult to say.

"...I'm a devil, you know?"

Devils shouldn't exist on this continent.

There was no need to study how the humans of the continent treated devils. Living on this continent naturally led to a hatred of devils.

Humans could be good or evil.

But devils were all evil, without exception. That's why they were devils.

On this continent, it was impossible for an Imperial citizen not to have this thought. Even the wisest sage.

However, Frondier was different.

For him, the continent's hatred of devils was nothing more than 'knowledge'.

"What does it matter if you're a devil?"

Only Frondier could say that.

"..."

At that moment, Lily couldn't help but recall the desire she had tried to forget.

The desire to know Frondier.

How he could think beyond Lily's options, how he could be so strong, how Charm didn't work on him.

How he could say that at this very moment.

While Lily stared at Frondier blankly, he said.

"More than anything, the period hasn't ended yet."

"Period?"

"The one month I agreed to be your knight."

Ah. Lily let out a sound as if she had forgotten.

"So, let me say it again, Ria Lis."

"Yes?"

"If you tell me to be a dog, I will be a dog."

Ria Lis opened her mouth.

"If you tell me to die, I will die."

You're saying that in this situation? Seriously?

Because Lily was a devil, she was a bit more lenient than others when it came to the standards of 'weird people'.

But Frondier was really, truly weird!

"So, never again, no matter what happens..."

But Frondier's words didn't end there.

With a face that was hard to tell

"So, never again, no matter what happens..."

But Frondier's words didn't end there.

With a face that was hard to tell whether he was angry, sad, or feeling nothing at all...

"Don't lie to me."

"...If I refuse and ask you to tell me how you weren't affected by Charm in exchange for killing me, will you do it?"

"No. Think about it yourself."

Lily's eyes wavered at that. She stared at Frondier silently, unable to say anything.

But Frondier didn't wait for her answer and...

"La, Lady Ria Lis!"

"Lady Ria Lis!"

He deactivated the workshop, and the fallen knights shouted upon finding Lily.

Frondier, unseen by anyone, turned his back and let out a quiet sigh.

...The words Gregory had spoken just before entering the workshop came to mind.

—Frondier, when you fought Belphegor, you endured the power of Sloth, but it wasn't ineffective.

—So be careful.

—Even if it's not as strong as the power of the Seven Sins...

—You might have been affected by 'Charm' without even knowing it.

"For one month, I'll definitely find out about that too."