Dominate Another World with a Brainwashing Skill!? No, If Anyone Finds Out, I’ll Be Executed, So I’ll Live Honestly and Upright! - Chapter 78: Apologies Aren't About Sincerity, They're About Money

Chapter 78: Apologies Aren’t About Sincerity, They’re About Money

After the king regained consciousness, we were asked to leave his bedroom. The royal physicians were going to examine him thoroughly. Only Marquis Prime, the chancellor, remained in the room while everyone else, including the princes, exited.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll go and dismiss the army I had on standby, just in case.”

With that rather ominous statement, Prince Brute walked off. He sounded like he was joking, but… was he really? I couldn’t tell. Prince Brute had the same air of mystery as Prince Lucas—seemingly carefree but never missing a beat.

“Roan, let’s pull back the knights we deployed as well.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

In response to Prince Lucas’ command, Roan signaled to the knights waiting in the hallway. Turns out, there was more happening behind the scenes than I realized. Apparently, Prince Lucas’ Royal Knights and Prince Brute’s forces had been in a silent standoff.

This situation was far more serious than I had thought. If the king hadn’t recovered, there’s a good chance things would have escalated into civil war right then and there…

But thanks to the efforts of the two saintesses, that crisis was avoided.

“We did it, Recty!”

“Y-Yes, Miss Rosary!”

Recty and Rosary exchanged a high-five, smiling at each other. It seemed that working together to save the king had created a bond of friendship between them. Rosary had already warmed up to Loug earlier, so she was probably just good at making friends.

“My, my, Miss Recty, your performance was truly as impressive as the rumors suggested.” 

Cardinal Maricious said with a gentle, grandfatherly smile as he approached Recty.

“How about it? If you’re willing, wouldn’t you like to put your incredible gift to use in the Church of Divine Gifts?”

“Oh my! That would be such a wonderful idea, Grandfather! Recty, let’s work together to spread God’s will across the world!”

“E-Eh!?”

Caught off guard by their invitation, Recty looked flustered, glancing around nervously. It was clear she needed help, but before I could step in, Lily had already rushed to her side.

“I’m terribly sorry, Your Eminence Cardinal Maricious. Recty has only just enrolled in the Royal Academy, so at the very least, you’ll have to wait another three years.”

“I see. Then please do consider it as a possible future path after graduation.”

The cardinal gave a respectful nod before turning away, heading toward Prince Slay, who stood with his arms crossed and a sour expression. He probably wasn’t too happy about Recty and Prince Lucas taking credit for the king’s recovery.

“Well then, I should get going now. Recty, Sir Loug, and Sir Hugh! I look forward to seeing you all again!”

Waving her hands enthusiastically, Rosary cheerfully walked off towards Prince Slay and Cardinal Maricious.

“T-Thank you, Lily.”

“You’re welcome. I hope I didn’t overstep?”

“No, not at all! The church has helped me a lot with their charity meals, but… I don’t think I’m ready to work there just yet.”

Recty glanced over at me, as if trying to gauge the situation. What is it?

“Fufu, that’s fine. As a future career option, it’s not a bad idea, but you don’t have to decide right now. For now, let’s just enjoy our academy life, okay?”

“Yes!”

Recty nodded energetically. She must be tired after healing the king, but she seemed to be holding up well. If anything, Loug might be the one who’s more exhausted.

“You okay, Loug?”

I asked, noticing how she was clinging tightly to my right arm. She had been quiet for a while now and only looked up when I spoke.

“Fue…?”

That wasn’t exactly a reassuring response.

“Hey, are you sure you’re alright?”

Maybe she was just feeling relieved after seeing the king recover, but she looked a bit too out of it. Her face even seemed slightly flushed.

“Yeah, I’m fine… I just zoned out after feeling relieved…”

“Loug, stay still for a moment.”

I knelt down to match Loug’s eye level and placed my hand on both our foreheads. …Yeah, she definitely felt a little warmer than me. It wasn’t a high fever, but it seemed like she might have a slight temperature.

“Your Highness Lucas, it looks like Loug is a bit worn out. I’d like to let him rest for a while.”

“Could be a stress fever… Alright, let’s take him back to the room we were in earlier to rest.”

Following Prince Lucas’ suggestion, we decided to head back to the lounge. But considering how far we had walked already… and the stairs we’d have to go down, I wasn’t sure if Loug could manage it on her own.

“Loug, hold on tight, okay?”

“Fuh… kyaa!”

As I lifted Loug into my arms, she let out a small squeak and clung tightly to my uniform collar.

She was a lot lighter than I expected. Since my current skill was <Pyrokinesis>, I didn’t have the physical boost from <Body Enhancement>, but with how light she was, I could manage just fine.

If it were Lily, things wouldn’t have been this easy… As that thought crossed my mind, I glanced at her, only to be met with a knowing smile.

…Yeah, I should probably never think about that again.

“Huugh, put me down… it’s embarrassing…”

Loug’s face turned even redder, her deep blue eyes shimmering with embarrassment. She clung to me all the time, yet somehow being carried princess-style was too much for her.

“Just bear with it for a little while.”

“Muuu…”

Pouting in defiance, Loug puffed out her cheeks. Seriously… she’s too cute.

I carried Loug in my arms all the way back to the lounge. Along the way, Recty tried using Heal and Cleanse on her, but they didn’t seem to have much effect on Loug’s fever.

“No way…! Even my skills can’t cure it!?”

“Well, it’s probably nothing serious…”

It was likely stress-induced, which explained why Recty’s skills weren’t working.

I remembered from my past life how I’d get fevers from overwork and stress right before I died. Since the fever wasn’t caused by an infection, even taking medicine didn’t help much. The exhaustion and low-grade fever made it impossible to rest properly—it was pure misery.

But Loug wasn’t in that bad of a condition. A bit of rest would probably bring her fever down.

Once we reached the lounge, I gently laid Loug down on the sofa. As I did, I noticed she was already breathing peacefully. Looks like she must have been more tired than I thought.

“Hugh, Lady Lily. I’d like to discuss what comes next. Can I have a moment of your time?”

Right after I laid Loug down on the sofa, Prince Lucas called for us. I wanted to stay by Loug’s side until she woke up, but there was no helping it. Luckily, Recty, Alyssa, and Merry stayed behind in the room, so I left Loug in their care and followed Lucas to another room.

The room across the hall was almost identical, with Roan standing guard outside. Only Lucas, Lily, and I went inside.

As soon as we sat down, with Lily and me facing him, Lucas wasted no time and said,

“I’m sorry. I misjudged Brother Slay’s movements.”

He bowed his head toward us in apology.