“Oof, alright.”
Squish, squish.
Iris climbed onto my back, diligently stepping on my shoulders and lower back.
No, neither Iris nor I had developed a new hobby—it was just a massage to deal with the aftereffects of my dragonization, which left sore all over.
Normal massages with hands didn’t do much because my durability stat was too high, but Iris’s body weight hit the sweet spot, applying just the right amount of pressure.
“…Take this! And that!”
“Oh, right there. Keep doing that.”
“Like this, Master?”
Squish, squish.
“Perfect. A few more tis, and we’ll call it a day.”
“Hmm. Just when it was starting to get fun….”
“Oh? If it’s not hard for you, keep going. I’m not complaining.”
“Got it! Leave it to !”
Iris humd a tune as she carefully stepped on my back.
Her small, soft feet pressed against my tense muscles and stiff joints, making them feel like they were loosening up.
…Well, not really. It was just the sensation.
After trying potions and even getting healed by Helena, I was told my body was back to normal.
The lingering soreness and dull pain were said to be from residual discomfort caused by my body adapting to the rapid changes.
It wasn’t exactly phantom pain, but sothing similar.
Because of that, massages at the right intensity helped relax my hypersensitive nerves.
Not that I’d admit it, but even though I was mostly recovered, I pretended to still feel sore—just to see Iris struggling and stepping on my back like this.
As I enjoyed the perfect pressure and the little wiggles of her toes, Iris suddenly tilted left and right, stretching out her arms to balance herself.
“Now that I think about it, it’s been a week already.”
“Huh? What has?”
“Since we’ve been lazing around and eating in the palace’s guest chambers. It’s already been a week.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She was right.
It had already been a week since we defeated Fiona and thoroughly humiliated the Boiling Silence.
The Boiling Silence had boldly declared it would send assassins after us, but so far, nothing had happened. It seed infiltrating the palace in its current state was too much.
Thanks to that, we’d been able to laze around like this, though the palace staff had been incredibly busy.
Havel had graciously taken care of the troubleso tasks. Whether it was due to his credibility as a Swordmaster or just his efficiency, the aftermath was handled smoothly.
For one, the Lindelheit family’s false charges were completely cleared.
Fiona’s disbelief when we exposed the truth had been witnessed firsthand by Havel, which left no room for doubt.
Soon, Carla would likely be freed from her slave status and reinstated as a Lindelheit and a duchess.
While I nodded to myself, Elisha and Iona sat on either side of , perching on the edge of the bed.
“What’s this? What were you two talking about?”
“Oh my, isn’t it obvious what Yandel is thinking about? Either deciding which cultist to kill next or how to tornt us on this bed. One of the two, right?”
“…Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“Is it wrong?”
“……”
I didn’t deny it.
I had been pondering where the next ambush event might occur and what we’d do when we returned to the Academy, possibly involving Faye.
Seeing seal my lips shut, Elisha chuckled and pulled out her fan, lightly fanning .
“Instead of that, you should focus on your new family na.”
“Oh, right.”
As part of the rewards for this ordeal, I was granted a countship. I even had the privilege of choosing my own family na.
Usually, a noble title and surna would be granted by the Emperor, but in cases like this, where I could choose it myself, it signified being treated as more of an equal.
It was an honor—but also a bit of a hassle.
“I’ve been thinking, but nothing brilliant has co to mind yet. I have a few ideas, but…”
“What’s the issue?”
“They don’t sound cool enough.”
“Hmm. Coolness is definitely a major factor.”
Elisha nodded sympathetically.
At first, I considered using my surna from Earth, but it felt unnecessary. I wasn’t particularly hosick, and there wasn’t anyone waiting for back there.
Maybe I should go bold and pick sothing like “Fafnirson”?
As I mulled over the idea, Elisha spoke, her tone oddly nostalgic.
“By the way, a count? Hohoho! You’ve finally risen to a position that suits , my dear.”
“Aren’t you a slave, though?”
“Ack… W-well, I’ll be regaining my honor soon enough!”
“I don’t know about that, Elisha. It seems like it’ll be tough for you without solid evidence.”
Carla had witnesses and evidence to support her case, so her wrongful accusations would soon be cleared. Elisha, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.
Her trial had taken place in the Alfheim Kingdom, not the Levantin Empire, which made it difficult to track down related parties or overturn the verdict.
At least within the Levantin Empire, they were exploring ways for her to be treated as a quasi-noble.
Iris, anwhile, had clear evidence of her attempted spirit summoning, but since she’d played a role in this mission, she was also set to receive quasi-noble status.
Though to , it seed more like they were extending that courtesy because she was “with .”
As I chuckled at Elisha stomping her feet in frustration, Iona began idly tickling the back of my neck with her finger.
“Well, whatever happens, it’s up to you, Yandel. The family na doesn’t matter as much as what title you hold and how much power you wield. Speaking of which, what about that thing I asked you to look into?”
“You an asking Sir Havel about it? I ran into him on a walk in the garden this morning and asked.”
What Iona wanted to know was simple.
She wasn’t just curious about our rewards—she was more concerned with what would happen to those connected to Fiona.
It made sense. They needed to root out not just the Boiling Silence’s minions but also anyone who had followed Fiona’s orders for their own gain.
“First off, the Crown Prince has been isolated, and they’re investigating whether Fiona tampered with him in any way. So far, nothing unusual has co up, but they’ve asked for Helena’s help as a saintess, just in case.”
“Oh my. What do you think, Yandel? Is the Crown Prince guilty or innocent?”
“You’re asking the sa thing Sir Havel did. From what I can tell, he’s innocent. There’s no sign he was manipulated in any way.”
He was just a normal human who inherited his father’s talent for aura. That was why he ended up dying to Fiona after a brief struggle in H&A.
Based on Fiona’s remarks, I suspect she purposely didn’t ss with him because she wanted to see his genuine reaction when his entire world was destroyed.
But that was just speculation. Fiona’s dead, so we’d never know for sure.
What was certain was that events were unfolding differently from H&A, where he killed Fiona to prove his purity.
“Proving innocence is always harder than proving guilt, isn’t it? He’ll probably live under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of his life, but there’s nothing we can do about that.”
“How tragic,” Iona clicked her tongue.
Though it was unfortunate for the Crown Prince, I thought it was good that suspicion was focused on rooting out the Boiling Silence’s spies.
From Fiona’s maids to the nobles and their children who had aligned with her, everyone was under investigation.
Given the Boiling Silence’s nature, not all of them would be caught—so would hide before they were discovered.
Still, the important thing was that the Boiling Silence’s cult could no longer operate freely within the Levantin Empire.
As for Count Kipros, investigations revealed he wasn’t a cultist—just a sadistic pervert.
He wasn’t released, though. His illegal activities were uncovered, leading to his title and wealth being confiscated, and he was exiled.
What an amazing piece of work he was.
As I mulled over these thoughts, Iris pressed the sole of her foot gently into my shoulder and spoke.
“Now that I think about it, I noticed the Empire didn’t try to hide or downplay what happened. Instead, they made it public and warned neighboring nations about cultists. I didn’t expect that.”
“I can explain that.”
“Ah, done praying, Helena? Then tell us—what’s the reason? Why would they so easily throw away the image they’ve built up until now?”
Helena, who had been quietly clutching her dallion in prayer, nodded with a gentle smile.
“It’s simple. They’ve calculated that it benefits them more this way.”
“Hmm?”
Iris tilted her head in confusion.
As she shifted her weight, she lost her balance, flailing on my back in an adorable display.
So cute.
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