After Ryze-san left the room, Alice—who had just finished receiving my lecture—immediately bounced back and hopped onto the sofa.
"Man, for him to lay his heart bare like that... you really are something else, Kaito-san."
"Hmm? Alice, are you and Ryze-san acquaintances? Well, I guess that’s a given since you’re one of the Six Kings."
"Yeah, something like that. Actually, that man is a 'regular client' of mine, so I know him fairly well."
"...A regular client?"
"Well, he seems to rotate the staff who come to deliver the requests every time, though."
Alice spoke with a suggestive tone, which likely meant he was a client for the kind of work done in the shadows.
"He’s an interesting man in his own right. As he said himself, his innate talent is strictly average. In terms of competence as a ruler, the Emperor is superior. However, he has a sharp nose for things, and more importantly, he’s fully aware of his own mediocrity."
"Meaning?"
"He understands exactly where his own openings are, so he sets traps there and waits... Just when you think you’ve successfully outmaneuvered him, he sinks his teeth into you. If I were to rate them, the Emperor is a single Copper Coin as a person and a single Platinum Coin as a ruler. The King of Sinfonia, on the other hand, is a single Silver Coin as a ruler and five Gold Coins as a person. Well, the human evaluation is entirely based on my personal taste, of course. I feel a certain kinship with people who play the clown like that."
"Hmm... I don't really get it."
"Ahaha, that’s fine. I like you best when you’re just being your natural self, Kaito-san, without any of those masks or acts."
"T-Thanks."
A playful smile danced on her lips as she expressed her affection. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. It felt a bit frustrating to be flustered by Alice, of all people.
Continuing this topic was getting awkward, so I decided to change the subject.
"B-By the way, Alice. What happened with that matter I asked you about before?"
"Hmm? Oh, the evidence for the incident four years ago? It’s all gathered."
With those words, Alice pulled various items out of thin air and arranged them on the table.
"This is the original report that was swapped out. This is the pen and ink used to forge the new one. This is the discarded draft paper. This is a report on the movements of everyone involved in the swap over several days. Oh, and I’ve also secured the people who actually carried out the orders."
"Secured?"
"Yep. After a little Illusion Magic to give their brains a good shake—they were more than happy to cooperate."
"...What were you about to say just now?"
I felt like I heard a very terrifying phrase, but I decided it was just my imagination. No, I desperately wanted to believe it was my imagination.
Still, as expected of the Phantasm King... To gather this much evidence in just a few days for an incident that happened four years ago was incredible. How did she even do it?
"A-Anyway, with all this..."
"Exposing their crimes would be easy, but... let’s hold off for now."
"Eh? Why?"
"Well, as it turns out, the two nobles involved in that incident were actually kicked out to the borderlands about two years ago."
"...Huh?"
According to Alice, the nobles who framed Lilia-san's Order of Knights were currently relegated to the frontier. Why?
"For the record, the King of Sinfonia was the one who did it."
"Ryze-san did!?"
"Yeah. Like I said, the man has a good nose. Based on the circumstances at the time, it seems he had a hunch about who did it... but he couldn't find the evidence. So, he apparently used a separate matter to somewhat forcibly hang them out to dry and get them away from Duchess Albert."
"Then why didn't Ryze-san tell Lilia-san about it?"
"Well, he couldn't get the evidence for the incident from four years ago. Since the opponents were nobles with a fair amount of power, he probably kept quiet so the Duchess wouldn't act impulsively."
It seemed Ryze-san had already marked them, even if he couldn't catch them red-handed. So he used a different pretext to force them out of the Royal Capital.
"Anyway, that's why they're currently at the border. Even if we expose their crimes now, we couldn't arrest them immediately. It would be a pain if they holed up in their territory, so we should wait for the right moment. Well, I could catch them easily enough, but that's not the direction you want this to take, right, Kaito-san?"
"When you say 'the right moment'..."
"Those two are part of the First Princess Faction. They will definitely show up for the First Princess's Birthday Party on the 21st of the Month of Earth. That’s where we’ll strike."
"..."
It seemed Alice had already decided how to handle them. However, in my heart, I wanted Lilia-san to be the one to settle things in the end. As if reading my mind, Alice gave a gentle smile.
"It’s okay. I understand what you want. I won't be the one to expose their crimes and take them down; the script will be written so that Duchess Albert is the one who triumphs over them. I'll have the scenario ready."
"...Thank you. I'm counting on you."
"As you wish."
When I thanked Alice for so accurately reading my intentions, she bowed with a theatrical, exaggerated flourish. I gave her a wry smile, my heart filled with appreciation, until—
"...Ugh, I've got goosebumps. Serious Mode is over—Ow!?"
"...You..."
Alice was still Alice. She immediately reverted to her usual antics. I wondered if she could stay serious for even a little while longer. Then, I remembered something and asked.
"Come to think of it, on a different note... Like I said before, did you properly save some living expenses?"
"Right! I have a lot of preparations to get started on!"
"Wait a minute, you..."
The moment I spoke, I grabbed the scruff of the neck of the Alice who had tried to bolt. I had previously lectured her after finding out she gave half her earnings to her subordinates but spent the rest on gambling. I’d told her she needed to keep some for herself, but...
This brat... She spent it the moment I took my eyes off her, didn't she?
"I told you, didn't I? Save your money properly. I said I wouldn't forgive you if you used it all up..."
"I-It’s fine! R-Really! I properly saved some!"
"How much?"
"Eh? Ah, no, that is..."
"How. Much. Is. It?"
"...10R..."
I felt a wave of dizziness. By the time I lectured her before, Alice should have had over ten Platinum Coins left after paying her staff. She blew through it all in just a few days...
And because I specifically told her not to use it all up, she kept exactly 10R. Somehow, that felt even more infuriating than if she’d spent every last cent.
What was I going to do with her? At this rate, lecturing her again didn't seem like it would work, and no matter how much I hit her, I couldn't exactly expect to deal meaningful damage to one of the Six Kings.
Wait... actually...
"...If that’s how you’re going to be, then I have an idea of my own."
"...Eh? An idea? A-Ah, wait, Kaito-san, your face is scary! Eek!?"
Intending to give her a little scare, I lowered my voice and reached out. Alice shrank back, probably expecting to be hit. Instead, my hand swept over her head, grabbed the string of the opera mask on her face, and yanked it off.
"...Eh? A-Ah?"
"..."
"T-T-That’s my mask... A-Ah... Hyaaaaaah!?"
"!?"
Her beautiful blue eyes, usually hidden by the mask, were wide with dazed astonishment. Then, the moment she realized her opera mask was in my hand, her face turned bright red with explosive force, and she let out a scream.
"Hawawawa! K-Kaito-san, g-give it back! W-Without that, I-I..."
W-What have I done? I only meant to teach her a bit of a lesson, but she actually started crying. I often forgot because of the mask’s impact, but without it, Alice was a stunning blonde beauty with blue eyes and wavy hair. Being cried at with a face like that made me feel like I had committed a terrible crime.
"S-Sorry! I went too far!"
As she clung to me in tears, I hurriedly handed the mask back. Alice snatched it, donned it instantly, and then slowly hugged her knees.
"...I've been defiled... This is a total violation... I can't get married now..."
"N-No, I’m sorry! I didn't think it was that big a deal! I’m really sorry!"
"...A luxurious dinner..."
"I-I get it. I’ll treat you to whatever you want."
"...And a date with me that includes that luxurious dinner..."
"...F-Fine."
"Then I forgive you!"
"That was fast!?"
I had been desperately apologizing to the seemingly devastated Alice, only for her to recover with terrifying speed. Don't tell me... was that an act just now?
I couldn't shake the feeling that I’d been played, but since I was the one who went too far, I decided to just be glad her mood had improved.
Dear Mother, Father—It seems Alice, as expected of the Phantasm King, has already gathered all the evidence. However, she’s still as hopeless as ever. I thought I’d teach her a little lesson, but for some reason, I ended up promising a date.
Serious-senpai: "...Fine, I'm going home..."
(By the way, the person who previously requested the assassination of the Baron's family was one of Ryze's men.)