## Chapter 157 – Collusion (3)
Having returned to the mansion’s garden, Acer, as if his legs had given out, slumped down on the spot, clutching his chest and asking in a trembling voice,
“Was I okay? Did I not mess up?”
Charlotte, while helping Acer up, wore a radiant smile and nodded deeply.
“That was the best I’ve seen you, Master, recently.”
“What? So you’re saying I’ve been subpar until now?”
Seeing Acer playfully retort, Number 25 chimed in.
“I thought you were super cool too.”
Hearing Number 25’s praise, Acer blushed and stroked his head.
“Really? Then I’m glad.”
Supported by the two, Acer rose to his feet, dusted off his clothes, and stretched. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had such a pleasant day without engaging in any intimate relationships. Lifting the knot that had been coiling in his heart made the world seem different. As he was still trying to calm his racing heart, Charlotte cautiously spoke.
“So, what are you going to do now? I think it would be best to tear down that wall as soon as possible?”
The wall, which had been nothing more than a division between citizens who were friendly to him and those who weren’t, had now lost its meaning. It might be better to tear it down and bring in other buildings, but Acer rejected Charlotte’s suggestion.
“No, I’ll leave the wall as it is. It’s like I’m easily forgetting my past mistakes, isn’t it? Instead, I’ll open the gates. So that anyone can come in.”
Charlotte, as if surprised, didn’t say anything for a moment, then gave a faint smile.
“…Indeed. It’ll be hard to treat you like a mere child now.”
In the midst of the heartwarming atmosphere, a woman’s scream echoed from afar.
“Master! Lady Charlotte!”
As soon as she confirmed that the three were in the yard, Hilda immediately approached them, shouting in a frantic voice. The fact that Hilda, who had been thoroughly instilled with etiquette by Charlotte, dared to raise her voice in front of her master, and the terrified expression on her face, implied that something unusual had happened in the mansion.
Charlotte, after Hilda rushed to her side, trembling and unable to speak properly, calmed her down and asked in a composed voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“T-that is…”
In this area, excluding Acer and Charlotte, there was no one who could terrify her like this. The only thing that could be thought of was someone from outside.
Acer was lost in thought. Orca? No, that couldn’t be it. If she had come here with malicious intent, the mansion would have already been blown away without a trace, or there would have been maids’ corpses scattered in the yard.
Before Acer’s thoughts deepened further, a gentle but powerful voice called out to her.
“You’ve arrived?”
Just hearing the voice was enough to understand why Hilda was so terrified. The voice was heard from the yard, but Lowe was not visible in the yard. Since Hilda had come out of the mansion, it was safe to assume she was inside. Acer told the still frightened Hilda to rest in the yard for a while, then entered the mansion where Lowe was waiting.
The place where she was expected to be was the drawing room, and Acer’s prediction was correct. Behind the smoothly opened door of the drawing room, Lowe was about to take a sip from her teacup with a nonchalant expression. Acer, accustomed to Lowe’s comfortable presence as if it were her own territory, shook his head and sat opposite her.
Acer stared straight at Lowe’s face and asked bluntly.
“What’s the matter today?”
Lowe tilted her head with a puzzled expression and replied.
“Isn’t this a place I can come to without needing a reason?”
“That’s true… but if a Demon Lord from another district comes so suddenly, the others will feel uncomfortable.”
In fact, some of the weaker maids would faint or wet themselves and run away at the mere sight of Lowe. She possessed the power to terrify the surrounding life forms simply with the energy she carried, but she was unaware of this fact, so it was impossible to reason with her.
Lowe, with a nonchalant expression, once again reached for the teacup and said firmly.
“I haven’t done anything to harm those children.”
It would be easier to deal with Orca. Acer pressed hard on her temples and leaned roughly against the sofa.
Ignoring Acer’s attitude, Lowe smiled at Number 25, who was standing blankly, and patted the empty seat next to her as if telling him to sit down. Acer wouldn’t be jealous just by sitting next to her, but even so, Number 25 hesitated for a long time, gauging Acer’s reaction, before cautiously sitting next to Lowe. As soon as Number 25 sat down, Lowe, as if she had been waiting for it, asked in a gentle voice that was on a different level from when she was dealing with Acer.
“How was District 3?”
“Um… it was good. There were many things to see, and I met a lot of good people. Oh, and…”
Lowe looked at Number 25, who was excitedly talking, with a kind smile, and stroked his head, interrupting him at the right moment.
“Yes, I’m glad to hear that. All the diverse experiences you have become your flesh and blood, so cherish them.”
“Let’s go together next time, Lowe.”
Acer, watching their conversation as affectionately as if they were real parents and children, cleared her throat and opened her mouth.
“You didn’t come here just to have this kind of conversation, did you?”
From the start, it was Lowe who suggested that he go to District 3. Lowe visiting the mansion immediately after returning to District 7? She wasn’t foolish enough not to know what she was up to.
“Did you find the answer you wanted?”
“Of course. Did you think I went there to play?”
Lowe, after listening carefully to what happened in District 3 and Acer’s words in the plaza just now, wore a subtle expression.
“Sincerity towards the public… it’s not wrong, but it’s not the right answer either.”
Based on what she had just experienced, Acer was convinced that she was not wrong. In the midst of this, Lowe’s words that it was not the right answer could not help but irritate her.
“What’s wrong with it? What do you know, when there’s not even a single person in your district?”
“Even if there are no people, I can still know that much.”
As the conversation dragged on, Lowe stretched as if trying to change the atmosphere, then handed one of the cups placed in front of her to Number 25.
“Honey, aren’t you thirsty? Have some of this.”
Number 25 examined the cup Lowe handed him before drinking it. The subtly shimmering white liquid looked like milk, but it had a much sweeter scent than ordinary milk. This smell… Number 25, who had spent a long time in District 2 and had been intimate with Lowe several times, couldn’t possibly not know.
No, not only Number 25, but everyone in that place noticed that the drink was breast milk. As Number 25’s face turned red, only touching the cup with his finger, Lowe opened her mouth again.
“Perhaps it would be better to drink it directly?”
Acer moved before Lowe, who was naturally trying to take off her top. Unable to watch any longer, Acer jumped up from her seat, drank the obscene liquid in front of her, and raised her voice.
“What are you trying to feed the kid!?”
“What’s wrong with a mother’s love?”
Acer, roughly wiping the breast milk from her mouth with her sleeve, showed a nervous appearance in a tired tone.
“Seriously… I’m tired, so go back quickly.”
“No, the real conversation hasn’t even started yet.”
She was already tired enough, and the main topic hadn’t even started yet? Acer was beyond just having a headache; she was on the verge of dizziness. No matter how many times she dealt with this woman, she couldn’t keep up with her flow. Since it was impossible to send this woman away by force anyway, Acer judged that it would be faster to listen to her and send her back, so she lay back down on the sofa.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“It’s nothing much. The academy… it would be good to graduate in a legitimate way, wouldn’t it?”
She came all the way here just to talk about that? Acer brought her upper body closer to Lowe, looked her straight in the eye, and said.
“A legitimate way? What greater honor could there be for the students there than to be chosen and taken away by a Demon Lord?”
Lowe shook her head as if Acer’s appearance gave her a headache. She looked like she was dealing with a child who couldn’t understand.
“…Ryu’s graduation has no justification. A Demon Lord suddenly takes away a child who hasn’t taken a proper exam there and hasn’t shown any ability…? What do you think people will think? People who have doubts once will not try to look at Ryu with the right eyes. They will point fingers behind his back, and he won’t even be able to build proper relationships. Do you want this child to suffer such pain? If so, I think it would be better for me to take him back.”
Lowe unusually poured out a long speech, and Acer, after listening to her words, was lost in thought for a moment. It wasn’t completely nonsense. It might not be the people in District 7, but she didn’t want Number 25 to be labeled as a parachute when he went out to do activities outside.
“Then what should I do? Are you saying I should have him listen to classes moderately until he graduates?”
“Classes? Don’t you still know that he’s a child who doesn’t need to listen to such things?”
Lowe stroked the cheek of Number 25, who was sitting next to her, with a gentle touch and offered a suggestion.
“Just show them. Who you are.”
Acer immediately realized what Lowe’s words meant.
A martial arts competition that all students can participate in.
It meant proving his skills there.
