Once things had settled down with Fia-sensei, I returned to Lilia-san’s mansion with her in tow.
The reason she was accompanying me was, of course, to explain the situation to the rest of the household. Since she had inadvertently involved them in the chaos, she insisted on explaining everything in her own words. We used my teleportation magic tool to make the trip back together.
Noin-san had also intended to come along, but she was clearly exhausted from her battle with Lilia-san. Fia-sensei eventually put her foot down and issued a Doctor Stop.
Specifically, the place where Lilia-san had punched her apparently involved several broken bones. Fia-sensei had mended the fractures with healing magic, but the fatigue was significant enough that she ordered Noin-san to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Noin-san tried to argue her way into coming, relying on some baffling logic about how she could overcome a broken bone or two through sheer willpower, but Fia-sensei practically forced her to go home.
Actually, when I remembered that Noin-san had been sitting there calmly eating her meal despite having broken ribs... it reminded me once again that she was a total superhuman.
According to Noin-san, she would be completely healed after a single night's rest. I wasn’t sure if that was due to her demonic physiology or simply because Noin-san herself was a freak of nature, but I was relieved to hear it wasn't anything serious.
Eventually, we reached the office where Lilia-san, Lunamaria-san, and Sieg-san were waiting. Fia-sensei and I knocked before heading inside.
Fia-sensei had a minor klutzy moment where she tried to push the door even though it was a sliding one, so it took a few extra seconds between the knock and us actually entering.
"Welcome back, Kaito-san. And welcome, Fia-sensei."
"We're back."
"It's been a while, Lilia-chan, and you too, Sieg-chan. Ru-chan, we saw each other just the other day, didn't we?"
"Wait, Fia-sensei, were you already acquainted with Lilia-san and the others?"
"Oh, yeah. We've met several times through Ru-chan."
That made sense. Since Fia-sensei was Noah-san’s primary physician, it was perfectly natural for her to be acquainted with the rest of the household through Lunamaria-san.
"I’m truly sorry for all the trouble I caused the three of you this time."
"N-No... please, don't worry about it. It’s just that, embarrassing as it is to admit, we don't quite understand what happened. We would appreciate it if you could explain the circumstances."
"Of course. I’ll explain everything... let’s see, where to begin..."
Since they were already acquaintances, the explanation began smoothly. Fia-sensei started recounting the events of the incident, speaking each word carefully as if pulling them from her memory.
Once Fia-sensei finished her story, a heavy silence filled the office.
The shocking truth was out: the Demon King was alive, and that person was Fia-sensei. Within the quiet room, Lunamaria-san was the first to react.
Her eyes went wide with shock. Then, as if her legs had given out, she collapsed to her knees and whispered.
"No way... Big Sis Fia is... the Demon King?"
"Yes. I’m sorry I kept it from you all this time, Ru-chan."
"Ah, n-no! That's... wait, n-no, that's not it!"
Lunamaria-san was clearly stunned, but for some reason her face turned pale as she shouted her denial.
"I-I was only talking about the general image of the Demon King! I wasn't making fun of Big Sis Fia specifically!"
Ah, I see. Now that I thought about it, I remembered Lunamaria-san trash-talking the Demon King quite a bit in the past. Since that figure turned out to be the person she looked up to as an older sister, she was frantically trying to walk back her previous comments.
"It’s fine, don't worry about it. In truth, I really was a terrible fool, just as you said, Ru-chan."
"That's not true! Big Sis Fia isn't that kind of person! If I had known, I would never have said those things!"
"Eh? Ah, u-um... thank you? Er, so you aren't angry that I kept it a secret?"
"Of course not! How could I be angry at Big Sis Fia? If anything... I'm so sorry for saying such awful things to you without realizing it."
It seemed Lunamaria-san truly adored Fia-sensei. She appeared more distraught over the fact that she had unknowingly insulted her than she was over the revelation of Fia's true identity.
As Lunamaria-san apologized with a submissiveness that was completely unlike her usual self, Fia-sensei flusteredly tried to comfort her.
Watching them, Sieg-san spoke up as well, her voice calm as she processed the news.
"I was certainly surprised to learn that Fia-sensei was the Demon King... but like Luna, I don't feel any anger. If anything, I’m incredibly grateful that you shared such a difficult secret with us."
"Sieg-chan..."
"That's right! No matter what your past was like, Big Sis Fia is still Big Sis Fia!"
"Ru-chan..."
Both Lunamaria-san and Sieg-san made it clear that because they knew who Fia-sensei was now, they wouldn't despise her for her past.
Hearing that, Fia-sensei flashed a truly radiant smile and patted the head of the nearby Lunamaria-san.
"......"
However, throughout the entire exchange, Lilia-san hadn't said a single word. She was just staring intently at Fia-sensei.
"Lilia-chan? I’m sorry for surprising you... and for the trouble I caused."
"......"
"M-Milady! Please don't blame Big Sis Fia. She’s been suffering through so much too!"
"......"
"Milady?"
Lilia-san remained silent. She just kept staring straight at Fia-sensei, not moving a single muscle. Wait... was something wrong?
As the question crossed my mind, Lunamaria-san tilted her head in confusion and leaned closer. She waved her hand back and forth in front of Lilia-san’s face several times... but there was no response.
"...She's fainted."
"Lili... To think she could faint while keeping her eyes open. She's getting quite skilled at this..."
She fainted with her eyes open? Was that a new technique? I really wasn't looking for more variety in her fainting spells, though.
Apparently, Fia-sensei's story had far exceeded Lilia-san's capacity for shock, and she had lost consciousness somewhere in the middle of the explanation.
"Oh no! I’ll use Awakening Magic right away—"
"Eh? Ah, Big Sis Fia!?"
Fia-sensei, who wasn't used to Lilia-san's delicate constitution, rushed to the fainted woman's side with a worried expression. She manifested a small magic circle and held out her hand.
Light overflowed from her palm, and Lilia-san’s frozen eyes finally blinked.
"Huh? I..."
"Lilia-chan! Are you alright? You suddenly fainted... Are you suffering from overwork? Does anything hurt?"
"N-No, I'm fine... Hahaha, I'm sorry. I think I was having a very strange dream. A strange dream where Fia-sensei was actually the Demon King..."
"U-Um. But I am the Demon King?"
"......Eh?"
"No, really. I’m the demon who was once called the Demon King—"
"A-Ahaha, I see. So it wasn't a dream... Y-Yes, the Demon King. I know the Demon King. Fia-sensei is the Demon King... and the Demon King is Fia-sensei... the Demon King is the Demon King... kyuu~"
"Lilia-chan! Get a hold of yourself!"
She fainted a second time the instant she woke up. Lilia-san... I... well... sorry.
Fia-sensei frantically caught Lilia-san as her eyes rolled back. Yeah, I had a feeling this was going to happen. She was probably going to wake up and faint a few more times before this was over.
"...Shall I go brew some tea?"
"...I'll go bring some food to Bell-chan and Rin-chan."
Dear Mother, Father——Fia-sensei explained everything to Lilia-san and the others, but as expected, Lilia-san fainted again. Honestly, how should I put it? I'm always truly sorry.
I think I need to buy more stomach medicine.