The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Chapter 130

“Who... is this?”

As Alice entered the room and fell into silence, Mia Crowfield asked in a somewhat anxious voice. To be more precise, it seemed she couldn’t grasp the current situation.

But I didn’t answer her question. Neither did Alice.

I simply walked slowly forward, looking down at the man’s face.

The man was staring blankly at the floor.

What should I do?

It was quite an ambiguous situation.

It was true that this man had beaten me. He probably didn’t intend to kill me. I had lost consciousness, but I woke up shortly after.

Since Claire was able to escape alive in the original story, it must have been a literal “processing” of me that left me in such a state. If he were going to sell me to a necrophiliac, it would have been better to kill me right there and take me away than to keep me alive and hand me over fresh after killing me.

Should I grab his hair and lift his head?

After seriously contemplating, I decided against it. Doing so while squatting like this would mean that the inside of my skirt would be completely visible to him. Moreover, Alice and Mia Crowfield, who were standing, would also see... But then again, these two weren’t in school uniforms, so maybe it wouldn’t matter.

Hah.

Am I really so shallow that I’d have such thoughts in front of a man I had given up looking for?

“...”@@@@

Well, one thing is certain.

That night, if it hadn’t been me, another girl would have suffered the same fate. There were orphanages other than the one we were in.

“About ten years ago.”

As I sorted through my thoughts, I finally spoke.

“There was an orphanage that burned down. Do you remember it?”

“...”

The man didn’t answer for a while.

Just as I thought he had no intention of responding, he answered in a rough voice.

“I remember.”

He was speaking formally.

He might not know who we were or why we were here. But he couldn’t possibly miss the emblem of the royal family, a griffin, clearly depicted on the armor of the knights who burst into this building. Even commoners from neighboring countries would recognize such a symbol.

It was a seldom-seen emblem, but here it was, in such proximity.

“Were you nearby?”

“Yes.”

Does he know why I’m asking this? Perhaps he just thinks that refusing to answer correctly in this situation would be far worse for him.

“Back then... there was a woman beside you. Do you know where she went?”

At a glance, she seemed like a noblewoman, but upon closer inspection, it appeared she was dressed overly extravagantly. While it was this man’s job to process and select the children, she must have played a significant role and likely was nearby.

“...The last time I saw her, she was at the institute.”

“...”

I shut my mouth and quietly stared at the back of the man’s head.

His hair was thick. It looked like someone who had never truly suffered. Well, considering the role he played in life, he must have “really” suffered at some point, but at least he lived proudly off money that was less than honorable.

I slowly raised my body and glanced around.

As soon as I entered the room, my gaze had been fixed on the man, preventing me from taking in the surroundings.

“How did you purchase this mansion?”

“...”

“Who introduced you?”

I heard Mia Crowfield gasp, but I didn’t turn around.

My gaze remained fixed on the back of the man’s head.

“Did you have any connections with anyone in this land?”

“The em—”

As I spoke, Mia Crowfield took a step forward and made a loud sound, but it seemed Alice stopped her. The sentence was cut off midway. It seemed that reason had fled when Alice grabbed her shoulder.

“...”

The man didn’t answer.

Bang!

A loud sound erupted. A small scream came from behind. At that moment, the knight, who had been pressing down on the man’s arm, looked up at me. Through the slit of his helmet, I could see his surprised eyes wide open.

The man’s head slammed against the floor, making a loud noise before bouncing back up.

The well-kept hair on the back of his head became disheveled. Thankfully, it hadn’t broken.

Was that a good thing? It could break and be put back together.

What happened to the man’s face? Had he smashed his nose into the floor?

I heard a small groan. His head wasn’t hanging low, so he didn’t seem to have fainted.

I slowly looked down at the floor again and asked quietly.

“Answer me.”

“...”

I decided to count to five in my mind.

5, 4, 3—

“You’re being unreasonable.”

With two seconds left, the man spoke.

His voice, which had been normal just a moment ago, now sounded rough as if it were ground into the earth. Moreover, it seemed to seep out through clenched teeth.

“Unreasonable?”

When I asked back, the man continued.

“...Wasn’t the imperial family already aware of this?”

“...”

The room fell silent.

I shifted my gaze back to the knight’s face.

Just as I had seen when I swung my foot earlier, his eyes were wide open.

“Could you please tie this man up and step outside for a moment?”

When I spoke in a calm tone, the knight nodded.

“We’ll continue the conversation once he’s gone.”

“...”

The man remained silent.