A perfectly measured expression appeared on Princess Renner's face, a complex mix of sorrow, exhaustion, and a faint hint of relief.
It was the ideal reaction, crafted from her past habits and fused seamlessly with Rei Ao's will.
"Lakyus-san, everyone…"
Renner's voice carried just the right amount of hoarseness and choke.
She lowered her head slightly and dabbed delicately at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, wiping away tears that weren't actually there.
"Thank you for your concern."
"The kingdom has indeed suffered a tremendous catastrophe. A group of unfathomably powerful beings attacked this place. My father… and Warrior-Captain Gazef and the others…"
Her words trailed off at just the right moment, leaving space for the imagination and deepening the mood of grief.
The members of Blue Rose all wore grim expressions.
They had already sensed the abnormal, oppressive atmosphere hanging over the palace, as well as those guards radiating death and malice.
Renner's explanation seemed to confirm their suspicions.
The kingdom had been attacked by an unknown, overwhelmingly strong enemy—and had likely already fallen.
"Who did this?"
Gagaran asked in a low, heavy voice.
Renner shook her head, her face showing a carefully crafted confusion and fear.
"I don't know. They were too strong—far beyond anything I could imagine."
"Their leader is a man like a demon god…"
Without realizing it, she painted Rei Ao's image as towering, terrifying, almost divine in his dreadfulness—yet when she mentioned this "demon-god-like man," a tiny flicker of warped infatuation flashed in the depths of her eyes, so faint that even she herself didn't notice.
Such a tiny anomaly might slip past normal people.
But to adamantite-ranked adventurers—especially someone as perceptive as Evileye—it was jarringly obvious.
Under her mask, Evileye's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
On the surface, Princess Renner's behavior was exactly what one would expect from a princess who had just seen her kingdom fall and her family wiped out.
Sorrow, fear, confusion… all of that felt very real.
And yet… there was this indescribable sense of wrongness.
Was it the way her mental state seemed a little too "stable" beneath the grief?
Or those fleeting hints of abnormal excitement that occasionally flashed through her?
"Then, Your Highness… what about you now?"
Tina asked cautiously.
Her gaze slid over Renner's dress—still as luxurious as ever, yet strangely out of place in this blood-soaked palace—and over her immaculate appearance.
By all rights, after such upheaval, even a princess should look at least somewhat disheveled.
And it was even stranger that she could stand here, talking calmly with an adamantite-ranked party instead of being locked away or tightly controlled.
Renner lifted her head and forced a brave smile.
But with her unnaturally flushed cheeks and those eyes where the feverish fanaticism had not entirely faded, that smile looked… unsettling.
"I'm all right."
"Those powerful beings don't seem to intend to kill me… at least not immediately."
"They're allowing me to temporarily retain my status as princess and handle certain matters."
She sidestepped the fact that she was already completely under control.
Instead, she framed the situation as a fragile, temporary tolerance.
To Blue Rose, this explanation, though odd, wasn't impossible.
Powerful conquerors did sometimes leave the former ruler's bloodline alive as puppets, for easier governance.
And leaving behind someone like Princess Renner—seemingly powerless, gentle, and harmless—especially given a woman's position in this world, made a certain cruel sense.
"We need more details, Your Highness."
Lakyus took a step forward, her gaze locking directly onto Renner's eyes.
"About the invaders—their numbers, their abilities, their goals. Any information might be critical. The kingdom can't just be allowed to…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but her meaning was obvious.
Of everyone here, it was righteous Lakyus who cared most about the fate of the kingdom.
Her hatred of evil wouldn't let her stand by and watch atrocities unfold.
Even if acting meant violating the rule that adventurers should not interfere in national politics.
Her teammates, on the other hand, exchanged glances—already thinking in terms of "it depends on the situation."
Renner's heart pounded violently in her chest.
Not from fear or grief—
But from the thrill of perfectly carrying out her master's will.
She was flawlessly playing the role he had assigned her, deceiving these former allies…
This feeling of dancing on the edge of a blade, of toying with others in the palm of her hand, resonated intensely with the twisted desires deep inside her that Rei Ao had drawn out and magnified.
In her mind, she followed a script designed to be logically consistent while keeping all core secrets hidden, and began describing the terror of the invaders.
She focused mainly on the power of the subordinates—mentioning only the "tip of the iceberg" that was Shalltear's strength—while keeping anything about Rei Ao himself vague and untouchable.
She emphasized their invincibility.
Without realizing it, her tone carried a faint reverence and… admiration for absolute power.
"…Their strength is the greatest I have ever seen, Lakyus-san."
Renner spoke in a voice that trembled in a strangely fascinating way.
"Resistance is meaningless. It's like ants trying to shake a mountain."
"Perhaps… perhaps what we need to think about is how to survive under the new order."
On the surface, it sounded like a despairing warning.
But paired with her subtle expression, it felt more like some kind of hint—or declaration.
"…"
The members of Blue Rose traded looks.
What Renner had just said contained an enormous amount of information.
And at the same time, it was full of contradictions and a creeping sense of unease.
Her grief seemed genuine.
But some of her words—and her state of mind—were anything but normal.
Especially the way she talked about the invaders' strength, with an almost excited fervor, and that faint sense of… alignment with them?
Evileye's suspicion grew stronger and stronger.
Behind her mask, the eyes that had seen through countless schemes and lies were fixed on Renner, determined to pinpoint the source of that dissonance.
The air in the side hall gradually thickened.
This meeting was quietly drifting in exactly the "interesting" direction Rei Ao had been hoping for.
And elsewhere, as Rei Ao observed everything in the side hall through simple monitoring methods, the playful smile at the corner of his mouth only grew more pronounced.
The show had begun.
And he was both its sole audience and its supreme director.