Volume 3, Chapter 9 – A Puzzling Answer

What is going on?

A question mark popped up over Fia’s head. She was certain that in all the otherworld books she had read, including the names she had heard from Anastasia and Liti, the name “Thanatos” had never appeared. If she had to find something similar to “Thanatos,” only one result came to mind: the god of death named “Thanatos” from the Greek mythology of the Human Alliance’s ancient era.

Not only that, but Renee’s pronunciation of “Thanatos” was closer to the Human Alliance language Fia was familiar with than to the elf language of Silvar.

But just knowing this did not help the situation. Why would Renee call her Thanatos, and why would she display such a servile, slave-like posture? Wasn’t she from Prince Schain’s faction, a member of the Reinhardt earldom?

In an instant, the speculation that Renee was actually a spy planted by the elf princess popped into Fia’s mind. Renee had just said, “I almost exposed your identity during the day,” and during the day, she had been appearing as the elf princess. This meant Renee had not mistaken her for someone else. The Thanatos she spoke of was indeed the being named Dofilia Alexia Yushir.

However, what puzzled Fia was, if Renee was a spy planted by the elf princess, why would Anastasia not know her identity?

If it was to avoid exposing Renee, the confrontation between Anastasia and Renee during the day could be explained away. However, back in the room arranged by the village chief, Anastasia had not mentioned Renee’s informant status at all. Not only that, Anastasia had said right in front of her that Renee would be in the second batch to be assassinated, after Prince Schain. This was incomprehensible.

After all, besides herself and Liti, there was no one else in that room. There was no need for Anastasia to hide it from Liti as well. If Renee was really the elf princess’s spy, even if Anastasia didn’t point it out directly, she would have at least hinted at Renee’s informant status, or at the very least, not put Renee on the assassination list.

Her gaze fixed on Renee, whose forehead was pressed against the tip of her shoe, Fia’s mind raced.

Renee’s behavior could no longer be described as that of a servant; “slave” was a more fitting term. If she wasn’t dreaming, then there was only one major possibility.

—That Renee was a spy planted by the elf princess in the Earl of Reinhardt’s circle, and a very deep-cover one that even Anastasia did not know about.

This was not impossible. Fia didn’t know what kind of feelings the former elf princess had for Anastasia; she only knew that Anastasia was absolutely loyal to the elf princess. If the elf princess did not tell Anastasia everything, then the theory of Renee being a secret agent held up. After all, the former elf princess was an expressionless person who did not show her feelings, so it was understandable that she would keep secrets.

But even so, Fia could not just trust Renee like that. If she could gain her trust with just a few words and actions, she would be too easy to fool.

The course of action to take now was to first observe Renee’s reaction and purpose. She didn’t know Renee’s background. Even if Renee was a spy planted by the elf princess, no one could guarantee her absolute loyalty. What if she had actually been turned by Prince Schain, or was on his side from the very beginning, and was now just pretending to obey the elf princess? To trust her rashly would put her in a precarious position.

In any case, she could not place the same absolute trust in Renee as she did in Anastasia. For now, she would not reveal that she had lost her memories. If Renee was a long-term agent planted by the elf princess, then following her script for now was definitely the best choice.

Having made up her mind, Fia calmed herself, maintained the emotionless expression an elf princess should have, and took a small step back.

“Get up.”

Even her voice became devoid of emotional fluctuation.

Hearing Fia’s incredibly cold tone, Renee’s body trembled, but she still obeyed Fia’s command and timidly got up.

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“Y-yes.”

Fia observed Renee without a trace as she asked.

“You said you almost exposed my identity during the day—”

“Renee deserves a thousand deaths!”

Before Fia could finish, Renee abruptly knelt on one knee again. Fia almost couldn’t stop herself from taking a step back.

While Fia was composing herself, Renee hastily took out a neatly folded black formal dress from her storage item and offered it to Fia with both hands, her head bowed.

“Not only did I fall into the enemy’s hands, but I also caused you to personally rescue me, showing such an unsightly appearance in front of others. A-after your great cause is completed, Renee will atone with her life! Please take back your clothes. If Lady Erin Slate finds out I was wearing your clothes, she… she will surely skin me alive!”

Erin Slate? Who is that?

But seeing Renee’s terrified expression, she was probably a very scary person, Fia guessed. Although Renee’s words created more mysteries, they did explain what she meant by “exposing my identity.” That is, she was captured by the bandits and the two black-robed men, which “caused” Fia to have to rescue her, thereby “almost exposing her identity.”

As for the “great cause” Renee mentioned, Fia really couldn’t understand what it meant. If this was something Renee had made up to deceive her, she had to admit that Renee’s imagination was truly rich.

After thinking it over and over, she fixed her incredibly serious, burning gaze on Renee’s eyes, not missing a single trace of emotion.

“Look into my eyes, Renee.”

“Yes…”

Although Renee’s light green eyes were filled with fear, she still raised her head to look into Fia’s.

“In your eyes, who am I?”

This question was very important. It could both explain what Renee was doing and, through Renee’s own words, tell her “what kind of person I am” and what to do next. More importantly, this kind of question, which sounded like a test of loyalty, would not arouse Renee’s suspicion.

However, to Fia’s surprise, Renee answered without a second thought, her eyes full of reverence.

“You are the leader who will guide us to complete our great cause. The gods… no, ‘the heavens are dead,’ the gods can no longer grant salvation to their believers. The world’s clock has been disrupted. The Darkborn will unite with the Chaos. We can only rely on ourselves to survive the apocalypse.

And you are the god who will lead us to victory over the Darkborn and the Chaos—no, you are a supreme being far above the gods. The gods only sent their oracles a few decades ago, while you predicted the apocalypse decades before that. Your profundity is something we can never hope to attain!”

Renee’s tone was so excited she sounded like a zealot. She clasped her hands together and fanatically praised Fia, a completely different person from the detestable Renee of the daytime.

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If this is also Renee’s acting… the position of vice-captain of the Fifth Division of the Royal Guard is truly a waste of her talent.

If not for Fia’s sufficient caution, she would have already believed that Renee was not lying—a liar is not a fool, and would not say foolish things that even a fool would not say. If Renee wanted to deceive her, she would at least have to make up something more realistic and believable. Her current words were like those of a patient with an extreme case of chuunibyou. No, the name Thanatos itself was strange.

Was the elf princess this kind of person?

A huge question mark formed in her mind, and Fia was troubled.

If Renee had said something normal, she could have handled it with ease. But now, according to Renee’s description, her identity in Renee’s eyes was probably that of a savior of the world, someone who could even predict the apocalypse before the gods…

It was hard to understand. If the elf princess really had such power, she wouldn’t have fallen for the Milcandis Holy Kingdom’s trick and been hit by the Unsinkable Moon.

Moreover, from Renee’s tone, “the leader who will guide us to complete our great cause,” there was the word “us.” Could it be that under the elf princess, there was an unknown organization?

It was too incredible.

Not to mention that the Elf King was no fool and would not allow the elf princess to have a secret organization under her command. And how she could build an organization without even Anastasia knowing, Fia could not think of a feasible plan. After all, Anastasia was the type to check on her from time to time to make sure she was sleeping soundly in the carriage.

Everything was so strange that Fia didn’t know where to begin her complaints. It felt like a person with no hands being presented with a large watermelon, with no way to start. She felt she should trust Renee, but also that she shouldn’t. It was a strange feeling to have two completely opposite thoughts in her mind at the same time.

“Y-Your… Your Highness, what’s wrong?”

Fia’s frowning, thoughtful expression made Renee nervous. She thought Fia was dissatisfied with her answer.

Fia held out her hand, palm facing Renee.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Although Fia wanted to ask, “What organization is it?”, “How many people are in it?”, “What is their strength?”, “When did it start?”, asking these questions would expose her. Fia could only remain silent. Renee’s expression did not seem fake. For now, she could only adopt an attitude of believing her, but not completely trusting her.

Unless Fia saw the organization for herself, or Renee could do anything for her, Fia could not believe what Renee said.

She needed to confirm Renee’s loyalty.

The easiest way to confirm loyalty was to order Renee to die. There was no better way to determine if Renee was loyal to her. However, such an order could easily make a loyal person have second thoughts, and Fia couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse to make Renee believe that ordering her to die was not a test of her loyalty.

Kneeling down and licking her feet would show servility, but servility did not equal loyalty. That was not enough to put Fia at ease.

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After much thought, Fia still hadn’t figured out how to handle it. She was missing too much information. No one could complete a puzzle with missing pieces.

“Lord Thanatos, why did you come to the Alfrieg Kingdom so quietly?”

While Fia was contemplating, Renee, still kneeling on one knee, asked, her face full of confusion, without a trace of seriousness.

Because I lost my memories, I deliberately extended the return journey to have time to learn magic on the way—that would be the normal answer. But she obviously couldn’t say that to Renee.

To avoid letting Renee see through her, Fia turned around, feigning profundity. In any case, according to the persona Renee described, the elf princess was also expressionless and cold in secret. This would save a lot of trouble.

She remembered her promise to Estelle to spread the news of the alliance between the Chaos and the Darkborn. In terms of the apocalypse, the information Renee provided matched what Fia had found out. Renee was probably telling the truth.

In contrast, Estelle and Anastasia did not know that the Darkborn would ally with the Chaos, while Renee said from the beginning that they would. This was definitely not information that a vice-captain like Renee could possess, which further confirmed her credibility.

Fia carefully chose her words and said slowly.

“The Darkborn and the Chaos have already allied. Neither the Milcandis Holy Kingdom nor the Bart Duchy could escape.”

“Th-the Milcandis Holy Kingdom and the Bart Duchy were destroyed?!”

“No,” Fia denied Renee’s exclamation. “The disaster in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom ended before it began. As for the Bart Duchy, although I arrived a step late, the disaster did not spread.”

“Ah… that’s right. Since Her Highness, the First Princess—since Lord Thanatos arrived, it’s only natural that the disaster was resolved. After all, even that Lady Erin Slate has submitted to you… May I ask which Darkborn Lord Thanatos eliminated? We will cross their names off the list. Was it at the level of the Flower Demon of Lust? Or the Three-headed Sea Serpent?”

Submitted to me?

Fia’s eyebrow twitched. She continued to answer calmly.

“The Moon Dragon, Radric, and the Despair Demon General.”

“Th-the Despair Demon General?!”

Renee’s voice was so high it could have shattered glass. Fia even felt that her voice had reached the village above the valley.

“You eliminated the Despair Demon General? That Despair Demon General known for his cunning?!”

“That’s right. But that’s not the point. The point is that the Despair Demon General borrowed the power of the Chaos to slaughter everyone in Oro City.”

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“Ugh.” Renee’s excitement came to an abrupt halt, her face turning pale. “Oro City is one of the largest cities in the Bart Duchy. A city of that size would require at least an Eighth Rank spell to destroy. The Despair Demon General’s recorded strength is only at the Sixth Rank. To think the combination of the Darkborn and the Chaos could be so powerful…

I must report this to Lady Erin Slate when I get back. No wonder Lord Thanatos personally requested to go to the Milcandis Holy Kingdom. It was to stop the Darkborn…”

Although none of Renee’s reactions seemed like a lie, Fia couldn’t help but imagine Renee secretly laughing at her. If this conversation was all an act on Renee’s part, tonight would definitely be a stain on her entire life, and only by dismembering Renee could she vent her anger. Of course, for Renee to be able to deliver such cringe-worthy lines was quite remarkable in itself.

Fia raised a hand, signaling Renee behind her to be quiet.

“That’s enough about my affairs. Renee, how did you get captured by a group of bandits, and what was the mission my father gave you?”

“Uh…” Renee’s breath caught, and shame appeared on her face. She bowed her head deeply, not daring to look at Fia’s back.

“I-I failed. The mission was originally given by His Majesty to the Earl of Reinhardt, to investigate the situation in the northern territory of the Alfrieg Kingdom. Because I personally volunteered for it, and with Lady Erin Slate’s secret coordination, the mission was passed from the Earl of Reinhardt to me.”

“His Majesty’s investigation of the northern territory of the Alfrieg Kingdom is with the intention of annexing the Barony of Khesa into Silvar. Some time ago, Baron Khesa sent a secret letter to His Majesty, hoping to become a part of Silvar. As a welcoming gift, he would offer his entire territory to His Majesty.

His Majesty wanted to know if Baron Khesa was deceiving him. If not, I was to assess the value of the Barony of Khesa. If it would become a burden to the empire, then there would be no need to accept it.”

“And the result?”

So the purpose of the investigation was to annex territory.

If that’s the case, it’s no wonder it was top secret.

Renee’s tone became hesitant.

“The result was that while I was still in the process of evaluation, I happened to find traces of the Darkborn. That mysterious Darkborn, who is as infamous as the Absolute Evil, seemed to be planning something here. But just as I was investigating further, I fell into the enemy’s trap.

The two men in black robes you saw this morning were two of the ones who set the trap. I was too eager for success and fell into the enemy’s trap. Please punish me, Lord Thanatos!”

Punish?

Fia’s eyebrow raised slightly.

This was the perfect opportunity to test her.

I’ll take this chance to tie Renee up and make her jump off a cliff. If she passes, then I can trust her.