111 [2-45] My dad and LOLI look like they're the best.




"We've come to the wrong place at the wrong time, haven't we?

 A voice like a summer breeze, quiet yet warm and powerful. Her obsidian eyes peered at Catherine with concern.
 A broken atmosphere that does not match the title of Knight Commander. A man whose refined mannerisms give off a faint stench, like a faint bitterness mixed with a sweet syrupy potion.
 His jacket, like that of a wilderness adventurer, is probably battle-ready, although Catherine doesn't understand it. The sleeves hang limply down, and in their place, a mechanical right arm made of brass wire is attached to the top of the garment.

 Second Knight Commander Bertil Lagerbeck.
 Catherine had accompanied her father to Teirakainen to meet him and hear Rene's story.
 And now she's in front of Bertil. In the reception area of the inn he's given her.

 I don't like the idea of an unmarried man and woman being alone together. Even if it's just a child, Catherine, and a nearly forty year old man, Burthil. In aristocratic society, it is not uncommon for middle-aged or old men to take underage brides.
 So Bertil arranged for one of his subordinates, a female knight named Kaya, to attend the wedding in order to make it look like a military affair. Normally, a servant would accompany Katherine to and from work, but for now, Kaya was in charge of that as well.

"Come in, Miss Katherine.
"Oh, what? Oh, thank you.

 Kaya offered Katherine a cup of steaming tea. Katherine takes it, puzzled.
 She was surprised that Kaya had done a job that a servant would have done.

Excuse me. I don't want anyone else in the room at the moment. ......

 Bertil added, as if he understood Catherine's question.

"Then let's start .......
 We need to know what happened in King's Landing that day. We need to know what happened in King's Landing that day.

 "Possession.

"Possession, .......

 I have never seen her before in my life.

I've seen her twice, and her clothes are definitely different. But I don't think she changed her clothes during the battle. There is a certain validity to the assumption that the body itself is different.

 Katherine's theory is that Rene is an undead spirit, and that he is changing bodies.
 She was relieved that Bertil agreed with her opinion, which she had come up with in her own way. She was relieved that Bertil had accepted her opinion and that she had not been completely wrong.

I also believe that Rene is a mind reader.
"Hmm, ...... why?
"I'm afraid to say that one of our servants was a member of a criminal organization called the Night Pythons. Rene saw right through it. He read my mind with an ease that can only be described as mind-reading. ......

 In the middle of Catherine's words, Barthel's eyes widened as if he had realized something.

I'm sure you'll agree. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.
"What?

 I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to say. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. I'm not sure what I'm doing. I'm not going to do it.

 I'm not sure what to make of this.
 He's angry at something ......, probably himself.
 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

No, I'm sorry. I'm a little self-conscious. ...... Oh, God.
 Anyway! There's a good chance you have the power to read minds. But as is the case with the magical perceptions of undead monsters, their range is probably limited. At the very least, it doesn't have an area of effect large enough to encompass King's Landing.

 Then Bertil explained to Catherine about his meeting with Rene via Visioner during the siege of King's Landing.
 A subordinate came back with a message from Rene. A short-range visionary call sign (Visioner) against a caller. Rene's words as if to guide you to something: ......

So the Commander was tricked by Rene?
"Yes, I was. To be more precise, you were outsmarted in a game of deception.
 ...... She's a smart and strong girl. Even without her abilities as an undead, she has the makings of a general.

 Bertil's tone was bitter. As if to say, "I can't help you.

"Take a look at this.

 Katherine spread out a sheaf of papers on the table.
 I asked the Adventurer's Guild office in El Talev to prepare this for me. It was a transcript of the Abyssal Spirit data she had seen in the archives, as well as various other documents that might be relevant.

Is this a copy of the Adventurer's Guild material? Abyss Spirit ...... Possession and Emotional Sensing ......
I think Rene might be this Abyssal Spirit demon. It's not supposed to have the power to turn the person it possesses into a Dullahan. ......



 Quickly flipping through a stack of papers, Bertil thrust them back at Catherine.
 Katherine didn't know what she had done, but she had a feeling that he had read the entire document in those few seconds and put it in his head.

You've come a long way. You're much more concerned about Rene than I am. As a person who holds the name of the Second Knight Commander, I am unworthy.
"No, not like that .......

 This is a great way to make sure you are getting the most out of your time and money.

...... You call her Rene too, don't you?
Oh, ...... yes, I do.

 "Yes, that's right." "Rene, not the Rose of Hell. That's what Bertil called her.
 Catherine was very happy about that. She felt as if she had been forgiven for her thoughts, even immoral ones.

"Miss Catherine. I heard that you were captured by Rene, but I don't see any fear or hostility towards her.
"Yes, .......

 I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.
 Catherine herself wondered.
 She wondered how many people Rene had killed. How many people had he killed and would he kill again? Some of them were justified as revenge, others were collateral damage for it. If we make a common sense judgment, we should hate Rene and stop ...... him.
 But at the same time, Catherine couldn't help but pity Rene for his "common sense" part.

I want to save Rene.
"Oh, my God!

 I want to save René." "Oh, my God," said Catherine, and Bertil seemed taken aback by her bold declaration.

How exactly are you going to save him?
...... To tell you the truth, I don't know. Can you get rid of your problem?

 No matter how much she thought about it, Catherine couldn't figure it out.
 In the picture books she had been read when she was a little girl, there were stories about wicked witches who were reformed by the love of princes. But Catherine knew that reality was not so easy.

There are times when even you don't realize what is your salvation.
 But if there's one thing I can tell you, it's that Rene is lonely and needs a ...... friend or someone to take the place of a parent. After all, she lost her mother in the worst possible way.
"Friends ......

 Strangely enough, this was the question that Catherine had left unanswered with Rene.
 Rene is not only a terrible man. She's a crazy avenger, but she's also just a girl of Catherine's age.
 If we could be friends with Rene, would we be able to help her heal her loneliness?
 ...... Is it really that simple?

I'm not going to say that love is the only thing that will save you, but I'm not going to say that love is the only thing that will save you, like a priest preaching. But I can't say that love is the only thing that can save you.
 It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it.
"...... the world?

 I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

"Oh, no. I'm not sure if I've said too much. I was just thinking of someone who said 'the world' about Rene.

 Bertil waved his hand jokingly to cover his mistake.
 He seemed to be speaking only as a metaphor.

"At least you have a grudge against the four major powers. If all of them were destroyed, ...... even if there were survivors, the world population would be about half of what it is today. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.
That's ......

 I can't accept such a thing. You can't trade half of the human race for her salvation, no matter how pitiful Rene is.

 Suddenly, Bertil's gaze became sharp and stern.
 Katherine felt as if she had been drunk on ice when she caught his glare.

'I am, Miss Katherine. I'm talking to you as if you were an adult, not a dreamy child.
 ...... Not everyone has a path to salvation. I think the world is not so easy. It is possible that you can only be saved by theoretical and unrealistic means. There may be such people.
......

 Catherine felt as if something had caught in her chest.
 She realized how naive and arrogant she had been.
 She was thinking of a way to save Rene. She turned her back on the hopeless possibility that such a method did not exist in the first place.

So, if that's the case, should we defeat ...... them? Shinden tells us that ...... the undead can be saved by defeating them. I can't do that, though. ......
"At least you won't have to suffer anymore. But to call it salvation would be a play on the part of those who want to get rid of Rene.

 I didn't need to hear that.
 It's not salvation, it's more like a ...... mercy strike (misericordes) to a mortally wounded and suffering soldier.
 It's not the worst, just a terrible ending.

"Miss Catherine. Please remember her name. Even if it's only for our own satisfaction.


Does that mean that I should see Renai as a person and not a thing?
That's pretty much it. It's sad, isn't it, that she died a horrible death and became undead, and is now just a demon to be exterminated.
 And if you want to save Rene, you have to know her first. But if you look at her as just a monster, there will be parts of her that you will never understand.

 Then Bertil smiled to reassure Katherine.
 Kaya compared Bertil to a green summer forest. Katherine understood a little of what he meant.

We don't even know ourselves very well. We don't even understand ourselves, much less others.
 ...... How can Rene be saved? The only way to get an answer is to know everything about Rene. That's all I can say responsibly.
 I'm sorry for all the generalizations. If you don't mind my irresponsible advice, I can make a lot of assumptions.
No, not like that! It's very ......, um, helpful.

 If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can always contact us.
 She had hoped that Bertille would be able to cut through Catherine's troubles with a swift sword. However, he knew the weight of saving a person, so he could not say anything rashly.
 Just knowing that made it worthwhile for me to come here today. It was important for Catherine to know that she had been naive.

You said that the Count would be staying for a few more days.
Yes.
We'll talk about anything else that comes to our attention during that time. It seems that we are at the forefront of the world in terms of countermeasures against Rene.
World's most advanced?
Yes, that's right. The adventurer's guild is the first to investigate named monsters, but the adventurer's guild of Ciel-Teirah is not working due to the fall of the royal capital.
 The guilds of the Gilesh Hathar Federation are in charge, and the branches in each city are working together to barely protect the refugees and the minimum distribution of goods. We are in no condition to conduct research on the Named. Since the domestic guilds are in such a state, the information probably hasn't reached the foreign guilds either.
So that's what happened. ......

 At this time, Catherine thought from the bottom of her heart, "I'm glad Bertil is here.
 She had been researching Rene as if she were motivated by something, with no particular goal in mind, but she had never imagined that before she knew it, she would be in a position where she could be responsible for the fate of the country.

"Miss Catherine. Please, take this.

 Barthel held out a golden plate to Katherine.

"A talisman. Do you know it? I'll give you one.

 It's a disposable armor that prevents magic.
 Katherine had never seen one before, but she knew of its existence. And the price.

"Such an expensive thing. ......
I hope you don't mind. I hope you don't mind. I've invited you all the way out here. I hope you have a safe journey home at least.
"Thank you for .......

 Katherine bowed her head again, sincerely grateful and impressed.
 She had been taught that it was not polite to bow like a merchant, but still she couldn't help but bow.

 "So, Kaya.

"So, Kaya. How is the Keeley family?

 When Kaya came back to the room after dropping Katherine off, Bertil asked her.
 This included the time when she had accompanied him as his bodyguard.

Nothing in particular. He didn't seem to be wary of us. The reason for coming to this city is probably nothing more than what he stated.
"...... Well, he's a man of many sides. It's not his fault, but the timing is too bad. It's not his fault.

 As expected, Barthill could not help but feel sorry for Count Keely.
 We've jumped into the middle of this chaos, where all the elements are mixed up and we don't know what to do. I wondered if he had been entrusted with something by the opposition lords and was here for political maneuvering, but I guess not.
 And ...... perhaps the Keeley family will be involved in the battle for Teiracaines, and then the Count will have no choice but to protect Gislain whether he likes it or not.
 The future of the country should be decided through the selection of the crown prince by the council of lords, and as one of the lords, he would have to stand up against any conspiracy that would upset that decision. The concept of "seriousness" is something that he would definitely consider as he walks around in his clothes.

Anyway, we'll be ready. It seems that there have been some unscheduled incidents, but the Noah's Curio army is still in retreat. Which means this town is going to be in trouble soon.
"Yes.

 Barthel changes his mind.
 It was Bertil's way of thinking to give up on the things he couldn't control and deal with the things he could.

 --This is where my job comes in.

 Neither the Marquis Edfelt nor Kaya knew that Bertil was in a kind of informal position with René.