The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

"Why were you with someone like that?"

After leaving the palace, Lucy had returned to how she was originally as she looked at Shien and threw out that question.

Shien raised an eyebrow.

"Someone like that?" Shien spoke in a surprised manner, "What? Do you hate him or something?"

Lucy didn't deny it, but nor did she confirm it.

The reason for that is simple.

"I can't say it's to the point of hate, but he's definitely the kind that I want to stay away from."

Lucy said something like that.

"Why?"

Shien really didn't understand.

Logically speaking, Limgir shouldn't have shown anything bad in front of Lucy, so ho did he end up with an evaluation like that?

Actually, the reason for that is also simple.

"Although I don't know just what that person was thinking, but in his words, although the contents might sound like they were thinking of me, I personally couldn't feel an ounce of actual concern for me. All there was is a strongly self-centered attitude."

Lucy evaluated him without holding back at all.

"For someone like that, either they'd hide their real thoughts deep behind a mask, or they'd completely ignore the thought and feelings of others while only considering their own to be the truth. Those are very typical of the nobility."

It's because Lucy saw through that point that she ended up speaking so harshly to Limgir near the end, right?

Otherwise, given Lucy's status, she wouldn't normally push around a royal knight like that.

"You've seen through him quite well."

Shien ended up laughing out loud.

"It's because the vast majority of the nobles surrounding me are all that kind of people. The thing they value wasn't me the person, but rather my status, position, ability, and looks. They might act respectfully to me on the surface, but in their hearts, each and every one of them would love nothing more than to treat me like their private property and use me to satisfy their own ambitions or lusts. They're all things whose words and actions have no consideration of my own feelings in the slightest."

Lucy seemed to have remembered something unpleasant as she spoke uncharitably in a self-depreciating tone.

Shien understood as well. Lucy has simply seen far too many of those kind of so called nobles. That's why she understands them so well, and that's why she easily saw through the mask that Limgir was wearing.

That's why Lucy ended up using "someone like that" to describe Limgri.

Shien didn't have any objections to that.

After all…

"I really have only met him a few times, and ever time it was him who approached me on his own. The first time, he claimed to want to apologize on the behalf of his family and father, and every time after was just random conversation. It really was tiresome."

Shien gave a basic rundown of his interactions with Limgir.

"Apology…" Lucy spoke somewhat suspiciously, "Is it really just that?"

"I was suspicious at first as well." Shien spoke without denying it, "In the end, seeing how sincere his tone and attitude was, I actually even believed that he really might be different from his father."

Unfortunately, that young master who thought that he hid it well still ended up accidentally exposing himself.

"When I mentioned you though, there was an instant where he ended up showing hostile intent toward me, which got caught by my [Enemy Detection] skill." Shien sneered, "He himself probably thinks that he hid it pretty well, to the point where he even perfectly hid his hostile intent, huh?"

Truth be told though, if not for that instant where Limgir had accidentally exposed his hostility, Shien really might have believed him.

That goes to show that Limgir shouldn't be taken lightly.

But a single mistake will ruin the whole plot. And Limgir had completely exposed himself due to that one instant of hostility.

He himself might still believe that he's currently patiently forging a relationship with Shien, but he's completely unaware that he's already been entered into Shien's mental blacklist, and he had even also entered Lucy's own mental blacklist.

"Back in the audience chambers, when I was leaving, he, while hiding among the Royal Knights seemed to have shown hostile intent toward me then. I had been wondering just who it was, but now I have a match."

Shien rubbed at his chin while giving Lucy a glance as he spoke, "Say, what do you think I should do?"

"What do you mean by what you should do?" Lucy asked, confused, "Why are you asking me?"

"Why do you think?" Shien's smile didn't reach his eyes, "Don't tell me that you don't realize that he's only approaching me in order to get close to you?"

Lucy fell silent.

That showed that Lucy did indeed see through Limgir's intent.

"Do you need me to act then?"

Lucy turned to look at Shien.

"No need." Shien didn't look back at Lucy though as he spoke knowingly, "Let's first watch and see just what that guy is planning."

Now's not the time to deal with him just yet.

Later, when he's visiting the Stalim territory with little Airi, that's when he'll properly pull the rug out from under that guy.

Lucy nodded.

"If you need me to act, then just let me know."

Lucy so stated.

"Let's not." Shien waved his hands, annoyed, "If you were to help me, then those noble young masters will end up even more likely to make trouble for me."

Men are just that troublesome. When they see the woman they like being nice to some other man, then not only will they not give up, they'd instead end up turning hateful.

Of course, that's true for women as well.

While Shien was sighing over that bit, Lucy ended up going completely quiet.

After a bit…

"… You actually think that it's really troublesome being with me, don't you?"

At some moment, that quiet statement entered Shien's ears.

Shien came back to himself and looked toward Lucy.

With that look, Shien saw it.

Hidden within Lucy's beautiful eyes was a hint of unease and helplessness.

Shien's heart clenched.

Lucy didn't do or say anything though. She only stared at Shien while that same unease and helplessness that she had never shown before flowed through her eyes.

Shien fell silent.

After some time, Shien finally let out a sigh.

"Truth be told, it really is troublesome."

Shien spoke the truth from his heart.

Those blunt and undisguised words made Lucy unconsciously such in a breath.

Then, the next moment, Shien's words took a turn.

"But there's a lot of stuff that I find troublesome."

Shien said something like that.

"A lot?"

Lucy reacted slightly.

"Yep."

Shien grimaced as he spoke slowly.

"Dealing with people I can't get along with is troublesome."

"Having to deal with nobles is troublesome."

"The status of Hero is troublesome."

"Even the whole thing with transmigrating into this world, given all the mysteries behind it, seems to have become very troublesome."

"In the end, there's a huge pile of troublesome stuff. If possible, I really would rather avoid them all. Compared to dealing with all that stuff, I'd rather keep memorizing my magic incantations."

Shien then looked straight at Lucy.

"And your status, position, ability, and looks. To me, all of them are also troublesome, you get it?"

Does she get it?

Lucy look a moment to chew over those words before her eyes lit up.

In other words…

"The stuff I find troublesome, you actually find troublesome as well, right?" Shien spoke in an annoyed tone, "As for you the person, that's another discussion altogether. It depends on what happens in the future."

With that said, Shien left Lucy behind as he headed out the palace.

Lucy was still mulling over Shien's words though. After a moment, she finally smiled.

That smile was definitely the most beautiful smile that Lucy had ever made in her whole life.

Then, Lucy chased on after Shien in what appeared to be a much better mood.

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