Dominate Another World with a Brainwashing Skill!? No, If Anyone Finds Out, I’ll Be Executed, So I’ll Live Honestly and Upright! - Chapter 76: Hey, We Meet Again

Chapter 76: Hey, We Meet Again

“Mmmph! Mmmph mmph, mmph, mmph!”

“C-Calm down, Loug. Prince Lucas and Princess Lucretia are right here.”

Roan and Alyssa both gave us awkward smiles, while Lily shot me a pointed look that practically screamed, How could you forget to mention the stand-in?

I-It couldn’t be helped! So much had happened that it completely slipped my mind!

And Loug, please stop struggling—your drool is getting all over my hand…

“Hey, Loug. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Seeing the commotion, Prince Lucas stepped forward with a friendly smile. As we quickly tried to kneel, he raised a hand to stop us, placing both hands on Loug’s shoulders in a familiar gesture.

“How many years has it been since we last met like this? Sorry for the surprise earlier. I didn’t get a chance to introduce my sister to you properly.”

“H-Huh? Uh, um… what?”

“Let me introduce you—this is my sister, Lucretia.”

With a smile, Lucas gestured towards the sofa, where ‘Lucretia’—or rather, Merry in disguise—stood up confidently, placing her hands on her hips with a smug look.

“Lucretia here! Nice to meet you!”

…Yeah, she sounds nothing like the real deal.

“Lucre… huh?”

Loug looked completely bewildered, clearly thrown off by how little Merry resembled her. Still, at least now she understood that the person in front of her was just an impostor.

Seeing that Loug had calmed down a bit, Prince Lucas turned his attention to Recty.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucas von Reese, the third prince of this kingdom.”

“N-N-N-N-N-N-N-Nice-to-to-to-meet…!”

Facing the prince in person must have pushed Recty’s nerves to the limit. She was so tense she could barely get her words out. Watching her struggle, Prince Lucas smiled wryly and said, “Let’s take a deep breath, alright?” before gesturing for us all to take a seat on the sofa.

“Hugh, is that girl gonna be alright?”

“…Probably. Hopefully.”

Roan, who passed by as we took our seats, gave me a questioning look. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could confidently say yes. Lily was doing her best to reassure Recty, telling her to calm down, but I wasn’t sure if any of it was actually sinking in.

As we settled in, Alyssa placed teacups in front of us. A refreshing aroma filled the air—likely herbal tea. It was clear she had picked it out to help ease Recty’s nerves.

“Well then, first of all, Miss Recty, thank you for coming all this way in response to my request. On behalf of the royal family and the people, I sincerely express my gratitude.”

“N-No, I… I haven’t done anything yet…”

“No, you came here with the intention of helping my father. Let me first commend your courage. Truly, thank you.”

“Y-Yes…”

Hearing Prince Lucas’s words of gratitude, Recty let out a relieved sigh, looking a little more at ease.

…He really is a frightening person. With just his tone, choice of words, and pacing, he managed to instantly ease Recty’s nerves. Honestly, he might be more suited to being a con artist than a prince.

Just as I was thinking that, Prince Lucas turned to me with a bright smile. …Yeah, I should probably stop overthinking things.

“Prince Lucas, about His Majesty’s condition…?”

Lily asked, her expression slightly tense.

“He’s stable for now. But the situation remains critical.”

Hearing those words, Loug, sitting beside me, squeezed my hand tightly. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return.

“Your Highness, it’s time.”

Roan, who had been speaking with someone outside the room, called out to Lucas. It seemed like everything was ready for us to meet the king.

“Alright, let’s go. Just follow me.”

We did as Prince Lucas instructed, trailing behind him. Now that I thought about it, was it really okay to bring such a large group to visit a sick person? Including Merry, Roan, and Alyssa, there were eight of us in total.

After climbing a few staircases and walking down a long corridor, we finally arrived at a grand set of ornately decorated doors. Lucas stopped in front of them and knocked three times at steady intervals.

The doors slowly creaked open from within, revealing a middle-aged man with white hair.

“Sir Chancellor. How’s my father doing?”

“It’s the same.”

The man, addressed as Chancellor by Lucas, shook his head quietly.

“That’s Chancellor Marquis Chancer Prime,” Lily whispered into my ear, sensing my curiosity.

Chancellor… That meant he was the head of the bureaucratic faction supporting Lucas.

“These must be the ones you mentioned, Your Highness?”

“Yes, this is Miss Recty, the girl with the <Saintess> skill, along with her friends from the academy. May we come in?”

“Of course. Please, this way.”

It seemed everything had already been arranged, as Marquis Prime gestured for us to enter the room without any hesitation.

Contrary to the grandiose doors, the king’s bedroom was a rather simple space with minimal decoration. Aside from a canopy bed and a large sofa that could seat multiple people, the furniture was kept to a bare minimum. The spacious room felt somewhat barren.

In the middle of the room, lying on the canopy bed, was the king himself.

His golden hair, the same as Lucas and Lucretia’s, spread across the pillow. What must have once been a strong and dignified face was now sunken, his cheeks hollow, and his complexion an unhealthy pale shade. His cracked lips parted slightly with each labored breath.

I had heard about his condition, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.

Even to an amateur like me, it was obvious—he didn’t have much time left. They must have tried every treatment available, and Recty’s <Saintess> skill was their final hope.

“Miss Recty, I know this is sudden, but—”

Just as Lucas was about to ask for her help,

“Sorry to interrupt, Lucas.”

The door we had entered suddenly swung open with force, and a tall, broad-shouldered man with blue hair and a large crescent moon-shaped earring on one ear strode inside.

He looked to be in his early twenties. His sharp, well-defined features bore a striking resemblance to Lucas and the king. He stood over 180 cm tall, and his well-trained physique was evident even through his clothes.

The fact that he barged in and called Lucas by name without any formalities meant—this guy was probably…

“Well, well, if it isn’t Brother Brute. I heard you were supposed to be inspecting the Second Division today. What brings you here?”

“Oh, I just thought I’d drop by and see if this so-called Saintess skill can really pull our dying old man back from the brink. Don’t worry, I won’t get in the way.”

With that, the tall, blue-haired man casually dropped himself onto the sofa. So, this was Prince Brute…

I glanced at Prince Lucas to see his reaction, but he was still wearing his usual composed smile. It seemed like he had anticipated Brute’s sudden appearance.

However—

“By the way, there’s a bit of trouble brewing. That idiot brother of ours has been up to something shady again.”

“…Brother Slay?”

The smile disappeared from Prince Lucas’s face.

“Yeah, looks like he’s really buying into those ridiculous rumors. First with that sleazy old man Lechery, and now this… I think he’s getting too desperate.”

“…Sigh. What did he do this time?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

And just like that, within less than a minute, the doors to the room swung open.

Standing there was Prince Slay, the same one I had seen at Duke Lechery’s mansion, along with an elderly priest dressed in religious robes.

And someone else.

“No way…”

Loug’s eyes widened in shock. I was just as stunned.

Because standing there, with her signature pink drill-like twin tails swaying, was none other than Rosary Saint—the so-called “humble nun” we had met at the grand cathedral.