Red Blood

The remaining month of Frondier's service as Lily's knight passed peacefully.

The Shadow Unit would still be keeping an eye on Ameline, as she was alive and there was always a risk of the Shadow Unit's secrets spilling from her lips.

However, since Frondier had already given them an invisible warning regarding their assassination attempt, they would likely observe the situation for the time being.

Above all, it would be difficult for the Shadow Unit to move while Frondier was serving as 'Lily's knight'.

Ameline would also be careful with every move she made from now on. She wasn't a fool.

Even though there was no direct threat, she had heard several alarming sounds around her during the trip, and Frondier had asked Ameline enough 'meaningful questions'.

Even if she didn't know the exact details, she would have figured out that her uncle was involved in this incident. So, she wouldn't do anything dangerous like talking about it to someone else.

Therefore, Frondier no longer had to worry about getting caught up in dangerous incidents like the one with Ameline for the time being. He now spent his days receiving similar missions as other knights.

However, in Frondier's case, these missions were more troublesome.

"Wow, this is the, Frondier de Roach-nim..."

"Oh my, he's my 'Sir Frondier' now."

"Ah, right. I apologize, Madame."

A noble's mansion.

Whenever there was a social gathering of high-ranking nobles, Frondier was almost always summoned by one of them. In this case, the summoner could be either male or female.

Of course, in the case of men, it wasn't because they had homosexual tendencies, but because having someone of Frondier's stature as a temporary knight properly boosted their prestige.

The summoner this time was a woman, but the purpose was similar. Frondier was good to have around as a knight, a counterpart, and an ornament for the family.

That's why the woman who hired Frondier, Sophie von Meyer, would point out whenever other nobles deliberately mentioned the name 'Roach', but there was no displeasure on her face. It was precisely because she had hired the son of Roach as her knight.

In other words, this conversation, whether pointing out or being pointed out, could be seen as a predetermined sequence in a way.

'...But.'

Sophie glanced at Frondier, who was standing quietly beside her.

'He's really handsome.'

Sophie admired Frondier's face as he calmly held his position. In fact, it was closer to taking in his overall atmosphere rather than just admiring his face.

Sophie came up with the simple expression 'handsome', but she actually felt Frondier's luxurious aura more intensely than his appearance.

'To think that this kid was once called a 'human sloth'.'

The nickname 'human sloth' that Frondier had was only a nickname within Constel. Everyone in Constel knew it, but outside of Constel, few people even knew who Frondier was.

Nevertheless, 'human sloth' represented an entire period of Frondier's life, so after he shed that nickname, those past images were being re-examined.

"By the way, it would be nice if you could smile a little instead of standing there so stiffly."

Sophie said. In fact, Frondier wasn't stiff and was actually in a comfortable position, but she didn't have anything else to say, so she just said whatever came to mind.

Of course, Frondier was currently Sophie's temporary knight, so.

──He had learned to smile.

"Yes, it wouldn't be good if the mood became gloomy because of me."

Frondier said, forming a smile on his face, and

"Oh my."

That alone was enough to elicit admiration from Sophie and the surrounding nobles.

'Rather than smiling, it's a headache to have to come up with lines every time.'

Frondier thought in the meantime.

He could smile when told to smile, follow when told to follow, and stay put when told to stay put.

There was no problem with receiving orders, but the looks and subtle words that expected him to do something on his own were what perplexed Frondier.

Not too fast or too slow, not too light or too heavy to kill the mood, not too smooth or too stiff in his tone.

Certainly, it was a bit different from what a knight usually did.

'Well, it's about time anyway.'

Frondier listened to Sophie and the other nobles' conversations, sometimes responding appropriately, and briefly scanned the inside of the banquet hall.

Frondier had received several similar missions since becoming Lily's knight, but this one was a little different.

No, rather, he had set up similar missions beforehand as a smokescreen for this one.

* * *

"How did you get here, Lily-nim?"

"Huh?"

In Lily's room, after a minor(?) conflict with her.

Frondier brought up a question he had been harboring for a long time.

"Belphegor and Satan each used their own methods to cross over to this world. Satan used contracts with humans, and Belphegor possessed a human body."

Moreover, considering Belphegor's situation at the time, it seemed that the possession wasn't that free. He had been possessing the body until the moment he was defeated in the war.

"Aha, so that's what you're talking about."

"Yes. I think you would need a similar method to cross over to this world, Lily-nim."

"No, no, I'm the opposite."

Lily shook her head.

"The opposite?"

"I told you. I don't have any memories of when I was in the Demon Realm. When I came to my senses, I was here. So, my situation is the opposite of those devils."

"...Aha, so you're saying that you can be here, but you can't go back to the Demon Realm?"

"That's right. Unless I use the kind of method you just mentioned."

At those words, Frondier's hand touched his mouth.

'Then, as expected, it's not important whether the demons are in the Demon Realm or the human world, but it's difficult to cross worlds.'

Considering there was a case like Lily, it didn't seem like there was a problem with demons staying in the human world for a long time.

In other words, demons didn't necessarily have to be in the Demon Realm. It was just difficult to cross worlds.

'...Conversely, it means that there's a low probability of humans having problems staying in the Demon Realm.'

He had vaguely worried that the Demon Realm might have air that humans shouldn't breathe or be toxic, but that might not necessarily be the case.

"...This is just speculation, but when I talked to you, Lily-nim, you said you had 'no intention of going back'."

"Ah, did I?"

"Does that mean you think the place you originally belonged to is the 'Demon Realm'?"

The expression 'go back' meant that Lily's original place was the Demon Realm. Even though Lily didn't remember it.

So, even though she didn't have memories, her instincts remained, and she ended up using that expression?

But it was still speculation. Such expressions could come out unconsciously while talking. That's why it was best to ask Lily directly.