Chapter 16: A Perilous Confrontation Unravels

Awaken. Kneeling before me does not absolve your sins.

His tone was as cutting as a blade. Like a cold rationalist unfazed by emotion, he nonchalantly gazed up at the corridor ceiling until he suddenly pulled out his glasses and put them on.

“The sin of shedding tears in my presence will not be taken lightly.”

‘Did you cry too…?’

Although his superior could be frustrating in many ways, he wasn’t completely short on ingenuity. There was something almost mesmerizing about his humanitarian nature.

Reverend Lechal helped Diches to his feet. They had been busy wiping their damp eyes, and when they finally met each other’s gaze, an awkward silence fell between them.

“Let’s head back inside for now.”

Reverend Lechal was the first to act, grabbing the door handle. Before Lara could even process the emotional surge, the sound of the handle clattering uselessly echoed in the hallway.

“The door is locked…?”

Hearing Reverend Lechal’s startled voice, Lara snapped back and stuttered, trying to explain.

“Uh, excuse me! I can’t exactly ask the old man to scale the window or order the Duke to do it, so I’ll go and climb it myself! Wait here, please!”

“No need. I happen to have the key.”

“Don’t… don’t open it!! Please!!”

In that brief moment as Reverend Lechal pulled a bundle of keys from his coat and turned the handle, a wave of doubt washed over him. What exactly had he done? Was he really trying to frame such a kind soul? Even his excuse about covering his shivering shoulders with his underwear wouldn’t hold water—it made him look like a pervert to anyone…

Then, Lara’s eyes caught an unbelievable sight—a man in a black robe was straddling Lady Elina III’s body. All three of them witnessed him cuffing her wrists as if he were about to hang her on the headboard.

At the sight of the man’s predatory posture, as if he were about to assault, Reverend Lechal rolled his eyes in disgust.

“You pervert! What do you think you’re doing in someone else’s house…!!”

It was a miraculous moment—an instant transformation where one potential pervert turned another into one in just three seconds.

As Diches lunged to catch him, the man deftly leaped off Lady Elina III and swiftly scaled down the window. His black robe fluttered wildly in the wind before disappearing without a trace.

Without pausing to process, Lara fled the room and headed toward the back door. She knew the mansion’s layout well; exiting through the window would eventually lead her to the rear exit.

Using the Lady’s Teleportation Technique, she swiftly and quietly reached the back door. Just outside, she spotted the fluttering black robe not far away.

“Hey, you!”

At Lara’s call, the mysterious robed man halted. Perhaps thinking her an easy target, he casually turned around. His deep hood obscured his face.

Surprised by his sudden stop, Lara hesitated before regaining her composure and speaking slowly.

“That robe—it’s the very one Lord Robes first wore in Volume 2, Chapter 25 of Magical Girl Lilica, isn’t it?”

He said nothing. Likely stung by her pinpoint observation. Lara, who had devoured not just the original Magical Girl Lilica but nearly every related fan comic, couldn’t fool her eyes. It wasn’t just any robe—it was the cosplay robe of Lord Robes.

“Don’t try to fool me. Just speak honestly.”

Though it wasn’t in his nature, she had to press on—she needed to know where he had obtained that robe.

Suddenly, the man tilted his head. Under his hood, his chiseled jaw briefly came into view, and his thin lips revealed a subtle, unintentional emotion.

‘Is this… the answer I was seeking?’

Seeing him glance toward the exit in haste, Lara stepped forward and shouted urgently,

“Then tell me just one thing! If Lady Elina III were your target, wouldn’t you have carried her off? Yet you tied her to Reverend Lechal’s bed—so she wasn’t your target? Were you trying to frame him? And where on earth did you get that limited-edition robe?”

In that moment of role reversal, his lips curved into a smooth smile that was so captivating, Lara felt instantly enchanted.

“Raan…! What’s your story?”

At that moment, a voice called out. Turning around, Lara came face-to-face with Diches, who had been chasing after her. Only then did her senses return.

When she looked back, the man in the black robe had melted into the night air, leaving no trace behind.

For a brief moment, Lara was at a loss, unsure of how to explain that she had lost sight of the culprit.

“Ah… well…”

“Aren’t you hurt?”

Contrary to her expectations, he didn’t display anger; he remained remarkably calm.

“Let’s go back inside.”

“But is Lady Elina III all right?”

“It seems he only intended to bind her hands. There was no sign he planned to tear her clothes off.”

“That’s a relief.”

Feeling a momentary respite, Lara followed Diches back into the mansion. Then a thought crossed her mind—if he had checked her clothes, he must have seen Lady Elina III in her uniform, right?

She stole a glance at Diches’s profile, but his thoughts remained a mystery. Making her way down the long corridor, she entered a room and found Lady Elina III sitting on the bed.

Her long silver hair, damp with cold sweat and neatly tied back, did not evoke the image of a knight. Exposing her delicate frame, she turned to look at Lara.

“…Lara.”

Her voice was slightly husky. Though it was just a bout of fever, Lara rushed over, fussing over her.

“Oh! Edgar III! Are you alright? Edgar III? I can’t believe you’re this sick…”

“It’s just a cold.”

“But Edgar III is usually so healthy. Edgar III… this isn’t like you.”

Lara deliberately repeated Edgar III’s name.

“Edgar III…?”

Diches fixed a stern look on Lady Elina III, as if to say that even though she was dressed as a man, the disparity in treatment was astonishing.

He stood rooted by the door in disbelief, as if realizing that a childhood joke his parents had once dismissed was, in fact, true. It was as though his whole life had been invalidated in an instant.

“If you claim to be Edgar III… does that mean that this luxurious head of hair is the real deal?”

‘No, how can this be happening?!’

Being a noble lady—and a woman—was a much more significant matter. Lara suppressed a laugh in disbelief, though the gravity of the moment forbade an outright chuckle.

“Answer me.”

“…I had no intention of deceiving the Commander.”

Lady Elina III lowered her head. No explanation could erase the fact that she was a noble lady—a breach of rules that disgraced the Knight Order.

“…I’m sorry.”

She tried to sound composed, but her trembling voice and tightly pressed lips betrayed her.

If only she had been born a man. She resented having to hide her true gender. As Lady Elina III lowered her head even further, Diches broke the silence.

“Then why did you wear a wig? I truly thought you were suffering from hair loss… I was even going to suggest we visit a hair clinic together.”

His gentle tone resonated as Lady Elina III looked up at him.

Before she knew it, Diches reached out and ran his fingers through her abundant hair. The falling strands confirmed their authenticity. A faint glimmer of resignation briefly lit his lips before vanishing.

“Well, it seems it’s time to let that go.”

His expression conveyed an overwhelming sense of betrayal, as if accepting a paltry 20% discount for the favor of a friend.

“I’m sorry you don’t have hair loss, but that doesn’t give me the right to dismiss your roots entirely.”

“Commander.”

“Let’s keep this between us.”

“Fishik―”

Lara stifled a burst of laughter by clamping her hand over her mouth. However, both Lady Elina III and Diches had already turned their gazes toward her.

“Why are you laughing? Do you find hair loss amusing?”

“…No, a funny memory just came to mind… I’m sorry.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lara apologized sincerely. Turning, she saw Lady Elina III departing the room after having thanked Reverend Lechal outside. Lara exhaled deeply.

Though the incident seemed wrapped up, it hinted that her world of romantic fantasy might be coming to an abrupt end.

* * *

With her body and spirit weary, Lara climbed into a carriage. As exhaustion pulled her eyes shut, the image of that mysterious man in the robe flashed through her mind.

Where did he even get that limited-edition robe? He was impressively tall and lithe, reminiscent of Lord Robes chasing after Lilica and the Seal Rose in the early chapters of Magical Girl Lilica.

Readers had long been curious about Lord Robes’ true identity ever since his dramatic, midnight appearance—a scene that had cemented the Lord Robes X Lilica couple long ago in Volume 35.

Lara, who first discovered the fan comic of Lord Robes X Lilica before reading the original, might say that her passion for collecting fan comics was born from her staunch admiration for Lord Robes.

‘That handsome man… he nearly embodied the original Lord Robes flawlessly.’

Recalling her brief yet striking encounter with the dashing figure, Lara sank back into the sofa.

When she opened her eyes again, she had arrived at the mansion. After two days without any word, her family must be terribly worried. Passing the main gate and entering a darkened living room, she found it completely empty.

Who in their right mind would be awake at this hour? The thought that no one was there to share an extra’s sorrow brought tears to Lara’s eyes.

‘Time to unwind with some of my treasured fan comics…’

Just as she struggled up the stairs, the moment of reckoning arrived.

“You…”