The Royal Palace, Renner's chambers. The slightly disheveled members of Blue Roses returned once again.
A tea set had already been arranged on the table. Renner clapped lightly, and the maids at her side poured freshly brewed black tea into the cups. The rich fragrance quickly filled the room.
"Princess Renner, please forgive us for dirtying your room."
Glancing at the dust on the floor and the dirt smudging her own clothes, Lakyus looked embarrassed.
In their current state, they were undeniably being impolite. Fortunately, Lakyus and Renner were close friends, so no one would make an issue of it.
"It's quite all right. If anything, I should be thanking you, Lakyus, for letting me witness such a marvelous battle."
Princess Renner covered her mouth with a soft laugh and gestured for the maids to withdraw.
"That guy Naohara is seriously a freak. He beat all of us with a single move!"
As soon as the maids left, Gagaran slammed her hand on the table and vented her frustration. The sturdy woman was clearly indignant.
At the beginning, they had been evenly matched, even holding a slight advantage. For a moment, Gagaran had been certain they had it in the bag.
Then in the next instant, reality hit her square in the face. One move. Just one move had wiped out all four of them.
Gagaran couldn't wrap her head around it. It was outrageous. Even a made-up story wouldn't dare exaggerate like that.
"He's a swordsman. Everything he has revolves around his sword."
Tina, one of the twin ninjas, spoke calmly. She didn't seem particularly upset. They had simply been outclassed.
If anything, she felt relieved. Had that been a true life-and-death battle, they would already be corpses.
"I know. It's just… the gap before and after was way too big. I can't quite process it."
Gagaran let out a long sigh. Even now, thinking back to that single strike made her scalp tingle.
It was just one extra weapon. How could that make someone that much stronger?
Recalling how Naohara had caught her hammer with his bare hands earlier, Gagaran could only curse him inwardly as a monster.
"Alright, let's reflect on our weaknesses and aim to defeat Naohara-san next time."
Lakyus offered reassurance, then turned to the petite figure beside her.
"Evileye, what do you think?"
"Why are we even talking about him? I don't want to see him at all."
Evileye replied irritably. Just hearing that bastard's name made her temper flare. She almost wanted to pin him down and give him a proper beating.
And to think she had actually worried about whether that jerk might get hurt.
Renner cast Evileye a subtle glance, quietly calculating.
After witnessing Naohara's strength, Renner felt it was necessary to draw him closer and deepen their connection. Evileye would make an excellent starting point.
From what she had observed during the battle, Naohara-san seemed unusually concerned about Evileye.
After choosing her words carefully, Renner smiled at Evileye and spoke.
"But from where I stand, Naohara-san seems to care about you quite a bit."
The moment those words left Renner's lips, Evileye reacted fiercely.
"That guy was clearly bullying me. Who goes around patting someone's head the moment they meet?"
Evileye snapped viciously. He had done it the first time they met, and again during the fight just now.
"If he were really picking on someone, why would it be you in particular?"
"We're all blonde here. Lakyus, Tina, and Tia would make far more suitable targets."
Renner put on a puzzled expression and gestured toward the three of them as she spoke.
Gagaran, standing nearby, looked indignant. "I'm blonde too!"
Renner's words caught Evileye off guard. She gradually calmed down, resting a hand on her chin as her thoughts began to wander.
Come to think of it, that was true. If he simply liked blondes, then all five members of Blue Roses were blonde. Why single her out?
Evileye couldn't figure it out. She didn't believe there was anything about her that would attract him.
"Rather than liking to pat heads, Naohara-san may have just been trying to get your attention."
Seeing everyone from Blue Roses fall into contemplation, Renner smiled faintly. The first step of her plan seemed to be working.
After waiting a moment and judging the timing right, she continued.
"When a man tries to attract a woman's attention, I don't think I need to spell out what that means."
Her words stunned the members of Blue Roses.
No way… right?
But thinking back on what had happened before, it was not entirely impossible.
Lakyus rubbed her temples with a headache. This was even more outrageous than being taken down in a single move.
Naohara likes Evileye?
What kind of absurd joke was that?
All eyes turned toward Evileye. She herself looked completely lost.
"N-no way… Th-that jerk couldn't possibly… possibly like me!"
Evileye lifted her small head. Beneath the mask, her face was filled with disbelief, her mind spinning.
The person she hated most liked her?
The sheer reversal was too overwhelming. Her first instinct was to deny it.
Yet fragments of the past surfaced in her mind. When Naohara had seen her true face, he had seemed to mutter something under his breath.
Then he had reached out and patted her head, later claiming his hand had moved on its own.
At the time, Evileye had not believed a word of it. But now that she thought about it… wasn't that love at first sight? Liking her so much he could not help himself?
A flush spread across her delicate cheeks, all the way to the tips of her ears.
An unfamiliar warmth swept through her body, and Evileye instinctively covered her face with both hands.
Even as a Vampire, she knew her cheeks must be burning like fire.
Evileye felt as if her CPU were overheating.
Meanwhile…
"I get it!"
"I was wondering why Naohara didn't attack Evileye during the fight. So that's the reason."
Prompted by Renner's words, Gagaran slapped her palm against the table as the realization dawned on her.
Lakyus and the twins also recalled the battle.
Now that they thought about it, that was indeed the case.
All four of them had been struck by Naohara.
Only Evileye had not.
Realizing this, they all turned to look at Evileye with strange expressions.
This duel had inside dealings. They ought to report it.
"W-why are you all staring at me like that?"
Evileye snapped back to reality and stammered.
"Who would've thought our little one could quietly charm an Adamantite Adventurer?"
Gagaran clicked her tongue teasingly.
It had started as casual chatter, yet it had uncovered such a shocking piece of gossip, and within their own team at that.
The members of Blue Roses exchanged looks, half amused, half incredulous.
"It's not even confirmed… Maybe… maybe it's not like that…"
Faced with Gagaran's teasing, Evileye did not fire back. She only muttered a weak protest.
"Then why not go confirm it? Otherwise, everyone will keep overthinking."
"And this last recording needs to be deleted anyway."
Renner smiled softly and spoke in a coaxing tone.
At the same time, she took out a crystal ball from the side. Inside, it preserved the footage of the battle between Naohara and Blue Roses.
Lakyus and the others nodded, their eyes gleaming as they looked at Evileye.
"Fine, I'll go!"
Seeing her teammates' barely concealed excitement, the face beneath Evileye's mask flushed even deeper. She grabbed the crystal ball in one swift motion.
Behind her, Renner watched as Evileye left the palace in a flustered hurry, a faint smile curling at her lips.
And so, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts, Evileye began searching for Naohara's whereabouts.
Today's victory belonged to Renner.