"Hm, hm, I get it now."
Aura's voice was gentle as she spoke with the nobles. They asked all sorts of questions and even brought piles of gifts.
Aura just nodded vaguely, responding half-heartedly as if none of it really mattered. Only after the nobles left did she finally relax.
"Who were they?" Kai asked curiously.
"Some nobles from minor families trying to get acquainted with me. It happens pretty often."
"…Not even any family members came to visit?" Kai looked at Aura in disbelief.
"Why would they need to visit?" Aura tilted her head at him.
After all, she knew perfectly well how ridiculously overpowered she was. Family visits weren't necessary, and they knew that too, so they weren't worried about her.
"…Still, if you ever get hurt or something, just let me know, okay?"
"Why?"
"Is it not allowed?"
"Uh… no one's forbidding it."
After that, she rummaged through the pile of gift boxes the nobles had given her and pulled out an expensive, high-class box of sweets.
"Here, I don't feel like eating cake."
"Oh nice, if you don't mind-"
Before he could even finish speaking, Reito, Baron, Tyler, Rocker, Alice, and Kanna immediately snatched pieces and started eating. Nothing was left.
"…" Kai stared at the group devouring the cake, then glanced at Aura, who was calmly putting the now-empty box away. She noticed his look.
"It's all gone. Besides, I didn't say it was just for you, did I?"
Why does everyone love picking on me like this?
Then it was the turn of Rocker's colleagues from the association to come over.
"Hello, we're from the People's Safety Protection Association. We're here to check on your condition."
It was a guy who looked a few years older than Kai. He had a very dazed, absent-minded expression, was holding a book, and dressed in a very… sloppy way.
"Oh! Vellor! What brings you here?" Rocker stood up with a big friendly smile and walked over to the group.
"Nothing much. Some people were coming this way anyway, so I tagged along… and also bought a few limited-edition furry hentai volumes." Vellor casually flipped open the book, proudly showing off an ultra-rare furry hentai anthology.
…Is this guy really from the People's Safety Protection Association?
"Uh… who is he?" Baron asked curiously.
"Vellor? He's the team leader and also the unofficial secretary of the Captain. Basically, he's my direct superior!" Rocker slung an arm around Vellor's shoulder. Vellor looked visibly annoyed by it.
"The 'Captain' he's talking about is the president of our association. Don't misunderstand," Vellor said, waving his hand lazily.
"But you call him Captain too?!" Rocker asked in confusion.
"My position is right below his so I can call him whatever I want, can't I?"
Kai blinked and looked at the people following behind Vellor.
They all had serious faces, were dressed properly, and carried both guns and swords on them.
They looked like actual military personnel! Their uniforms were stylish and sharp too! Way more professional-looking than Vellor and Rocker!
Right after that, a plain-looking woman quietly tried to squeeze through. The people around her stepped aside to let her pass.
She walked straight to Vakoth's hospital bed, sat on the nearby chair, and set her basket down.
"That's…?" Reito asked, stunned.
"His wife," Abaric, who could finally speak answered.
"Huh?! She's Vakoth's wife?! She looks so… normal!" Reito exclaimed in surprise.
She gently looked at Vakoth, slowly reached out, and removed the bandages wrapped around his mouth.
"Honey, you really picked a ridiculous fake name. Even your coworkers are calling you by the fake one."
"…Wait what?" Now it was Abaric's turn to be shocked.
"You guys aren't worthy of knowing my real name," Vakoth smirked at the group, though only Reito and Abaric seemed to care.
"Honey, is that how you talk about your coworkers? Just tell them your real name already!"
"Fine, fine. It's Vokath. Happy now?"
"…"
…He just… swapped the 'o' for an 'a'…
"I came here to ask a few questions, if you don't mind?" Vellor said, raising a hand to signal one of his subordinates to step forward with a notebook and pen.
"Uh, no problem," Kai nodded.
"First, the original adventurer party that took this quest consisted of Irelia, Vakoth or now Vokath, Reito, Kanna, Kai, and some other NPCs…"
"Plus three additional people who came looking for you guys: Aura Clint, Baron Libert, and Abaric."
"And wow… almost everyone unimportant died, while you guys are still alive. Normally I'd just say it's because this dungeon is A-rank, so casualties are expected. The problem is…"
Vellor pulled out a very familiar-looking item.
The Relic of a Greedy Mage
"This thing can absorb the souls of the dead and convert them into mana for the user, while also greatly enhancing their magical abilities. It's an extremely powerful Gear."
Then he glanced toward Irelia.
"And I can sense an insane amount of mana inside her. A terrifying amount. So I'm a little curious… is she perhaps the one who intended to kill you all?"
"…"
At that moment, the whole group fell dead silent. Tyler and Rocker just stood there watching without intervening.
For Tyler, even though Irelia was a student from his school, she wasn't from Class F, so he didn't care much.
But after hearing what Vellor said, his impression of her worsened even more, because he actually cared a lot about Class F.
Suddenly, one hand went up.
It was Kai.
"…You're the guy who, together with your classmate, helped Rocker take down that cannibal killer, right? Do you have something to say?"
"I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"
Everyone looked confused for a second.
Why are there suddenly good news and bad news?
"…Good news first."
"The good news is: you're right. She really did kill the other party members. She even planned to kill us and then wipe out the entire kingdom afterward," Kai said bluntly, without hiding anything.
…He just straight-up said it like that?
"…That's the good news? Then what's the bad news?"
"The bad news is… I'm not sure whether this Irelia is actually the Irelia we know."
This time Vellor raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"Try looking at her and comparing her to the one in the photo. They're completely different."
"…Indeed." Vellor ordered someone to bring the photo, then compared the Irelia lying on the hospital bed with the one in the picture.
One had an innocent, pure aura; the other was chillingly cold. They were drastically different.
"But just because her appearance changed, how can you be sure she's not the Irelia we know?"
"I thought the same thing at first. But Violet shot something at her that completely changed her."
"Violet?" Vellor looked confused, only now noticing the girl lying in the bed next to Irelia.
Only now did they realize she was even there. Weird.
"Yes. And it seems she did something that made everyone forget her existence — as the price she had to pay."
"Then how do you remember?"
"No idea."
"…If you can't give me a reason, why should I believe you?"
"How am I supposed to explain it? Should I just say some evil god possessed me and made me immune to the effect or something?"
Everyone was just watching, eating popcorn, listening to Kai and Vellor talk.
"Anyway, as long as Irelia or Violet wakes up, we'll immediately know whether this Irelia is guilty or not. And I believe she's innocent — because this Irelia doesn't feel like our Irelia at all!" Kai adjusted his glasses, straightened the bow on his collar, and spoke in full Detective Conan mode!
"Wow! I clapped but I understood none of that!" Rocker cheered and clapped.
"…Fine. I'll wait until she wakes up then," Vellor said, finally relaxing. He grabbed a nearby chair, sat down, and pulled out his furry hentai book.
Okay not gonna lie, he lowky chill.
"Wanna read?"
"I don't like furry stuff."
"Boring. You people really are a bunch of weirdos who don't know how to enjoy life," he muttered, flipping open the book.
…Bro, you're the weird one and it's the world's fault?