Previously: Liz, a woman from the underground guild, successfully infiltrated the clinic by pretending to be collapsed on the street.
“Hmm, so this is the ruler’s mansion…”
Liz, feigning collapse, was carried by a werewolf and successfully infiltrated the hideout.
Still pretending to be unconscious, she glanced around with half-closed eyes.
The interior was simple, without any extravagant furnishings.
She had expected a line of stern-faced guards, but surprisingly, there was no sign of them.
However, this was only the entrance. There was probably a door somewhere leading to an underground space, where a formidable number of enemies were surely waiting.
Never let your guard down. That’s me.
“Welcome, ah, Ringa-san.”
A young elf girl came pattering from the back. She was the one cleaning in front of the mansion last night. She must be a caretaker kept by the ruler.
The guards are not shown on the surface, and only a harmless caretaker is sent to greet them. The ruler seems to be a very cautious man.
Liz felt the elf girl’s gaze turn to her.
“Um… Ringa-san, who is that?”
“Ah, Ringa picked up someone collapsed on the street. Where is Zenos-dono?”
“Zenos is currently making house calls.”
“Mu, is that so?”
“House calls…?”
Listening to the conversation between Ringa and the elf girl, Liz frowned. What does “house calls” mean? Could it be some kind of code word? As she was wondering inwardly, Ringa said with a troubled look.
“When will he be back?”
“He said he’d be a little late because it’s far away.”
“Mumu, is that so? Well, there’s nothing we can do. Let’s just dump the person who collapsed back on the street.”
“–Wait, why would you do that?!”
Liz almost shouted out loud at Ringa’s words. The elf girl intervened.
“Um, for now, please put that person to bed, Ringa-san.”
“…Umu, is that so? Can’t be helped.”
For some reason, Ringa sounded disappointed as she instructed her subordinates to lay Liz down. Liz was laid on her back on a bed near the entrance door.
“We’ll keep an eye on her here, and when Zenos comes back, he’ll examine her.”
“I see, I’ll leave it to Lily.”
Ringa said with a sigh, then led her subordinates out.
A hushed silence filled the space.
Liz, with her eyes still closed, thought about the next development.
“Alright, now I’ll finally be taken to the ruler’s room.”
But–
Nothing happened. There was no sign of guards coming from the back.
“–What’s going on…?”
She tried to open her eyes slightly, and–
“–Oh, wha…!”
Liz almost shouted again, and hurriedly swallowed her words.
The elf girl was looking down at Liz from directly above. Her sparkling, beautiful blonde eyes were wide open, and she tilted her head slightly, muttering a single word.
“Hmm… what a beautiful person…”
Zokuzokuzoku
“–Wait, what, what, what…?”
A strange chill ran down her spine. A terrifying, cold pressure emanated from the entire body of the lovely young girl. She had thought she was just a slave caretaker, but this pressure was not ordinary.
“–Could it be that this girl is the ruler’s closest confidante… his strongest pawn…?”
“Hmm… her eyelashes are so looong…”
“–…Huh?”
“Her skin is so faaaair…”
“–Um, excuse me…?”
“Her breasts are biiiig…”
“–Um, could you please…?”
“Her legs are loooong…”
The girl stared at Liz as if licking her, muttering softly.
“–Th-This is…scary…”
Just as Liz thought she might be eaten, the elf girl slumped her shoulders dejectedly.
“Haau… Zenos is surrounded by beautiful women, and Lily is troubled.”
She started to say something strange.
What… what is this person saying?
Liz, trying desperately to make sense of the situation, reached a conclusion.
“–I… I see! It’s… it’s an examination. It’s an examination.”
She’s being checked here to see if she’s worthy of being presented to the ruler. That’s why she wasn’t taken underground, and there’s a bed near the entrance. Only those who pass are allowed to approach the ruler.
This girl is probably also serving as an examiner. That’s why she’s carefully observing her appearance.
“–What, you should have said so sooner. There’s no way I would be rejected. Go ahead, examine me to your heart’s content.”
Finally convinced and relieved, the girl, who called herself Lily, continued.
“Oh, no. This isn’t the time to be staring blankly. This person might be sick. Lily has to do something. Lily will protect Zenos’ absence…!”
She muttered something incoherently and ran to the cupboard. Looking with half-closed eyes, she saw her take out a small, handmade-looking black cloak and put it on with difficulty.
Lily looked around the room, then stood on a chair, put her hands on her hips, and puffed out her chest.
“Fufufu… I am Lily, the apprentice Dark Healer. I can cure any illness or injury in an instant…!”
“–Somehow… I don’t know why, but I have a baaad feeling about this…”
What kind of examination would she be subjected to?
Liz, still lying on the bed with her eyes closed, felt a drop of sweat trickle down her forehead.
Perhaps it was an auditory hallucination, but she thought she heard muffled laughter from the second floor.
A/N: Liz on the chopping board…!