Master, Lady Lina is here to see you.

　Inside the study, the mansion's maid reports to me.
　I can't help but make a difficult face.

'Lina?　On your own?　Or are you bringing someone with you?
Yes, sir, only the guards are allowed.
Well, okay, send him to the parlor.
I understand.

　A maid bowing and leaving.
　Now, Lina.........

　The fact that she's not my enemy makes her a troublesome opponent in more ways than one.
　The timing is definitely one of the mithril cases that my sister sent to me without permission.
　Thinking of a way to cheat, I left the study and headed for the parlor.

　As I entered the parlor, I saw Lina, crisp but quiet, as usual.
　She was sipping on her teacup in an elegant manner, and smiled when she saw me enter the room.

'It's been a while,'
I feel like I've seen you around a little bit.
I think I'd like to see you some more.

　The first punch came in the air.
　Lina is doing me a lot of favors.
　That "favor" is just a pain in the ass for me, so I'm going to have to do something about it.

　I sit down across from Lina and cut her off.

'Is this about Mithril?'
You're going there all of a sudden?
The timing makes it seem like it's the only way.

　I chuckled.

'I don't know, I'm sure you do a lot more than that.

　You mean Gon.
　I thought for a moment, but Lina wouldn't come with that.

　So far, the fact that I'm the leader of the Dreamscape Group hasn't been discovered.
　It's possible to guess that I'm the one who almost started the whole thing, given the circumstances.

　And for some reason, I feel a certainty.
　Lina doesn't come to denounce me like that.

　I smell the same as my sister.
　A race that can't help but want to raise me up at every opportunity.
　Lina seems to be that type of person.

　You can easily go through Lina's lighthearted comments like that.

It's just as well that we're meeting in person. Just don't make it public that I found that one.
Why?
...because I'm a pain in the ass.

　Once I was convinced, this whole thing ended up attracting people like Gon.
　It's not even close to being troublesome - and it also put Ortia in danger.

　I've come to think again that it's best to live quietly, modestly hiding my abilities, after all.

'You're not greedy.'
I just really don't want any trouble.
Since it's a great discovery, I could make a second class special promotion to the count - or even the marquis - for this one.
Seriously, give me a break.

　Duke.
　Marquis.
　Count.
　Viscount.
　Baron.

　There are five levels of Aegina's title.
　I'm currently the second viscount, and Lina says the discovery of Mithril was such an accomplishment that it could have made the Count between us disappear.

　I'd really like to apologize for that.

You can't blame them if they don't like it that much. I'm not going to make it known that this is your discovery. I won't even give you an award for it.
What?
What's that, huh?　Because,
No, I just thought it was too easy to back down.
I just didn't think it was worth it to push the car through.

　Lina stood up.

'Are you leaving now?'
I don't think I can talk you out of it, so that's enough for today.
Oh, yeah...

　Lina stalks to the door.

'....Lina.
What.

　Lina put her hand on the doorknob and just turned around to face me.
　Somewhat cliché, though, I stopped her.

'Well...'

　But then, I don't know what to say, poof.

Bad.
Don't worry about it. I'll save the imposition of the title until you have inadvertently made it public from the beginning. Be prepared for that to happen.
Ughhhhhh... go easy on him.

　I chuckled.
　Lina hooked up and just walked away.

　This kind of joke - or not even a joke.
　If you can return it like that, I'll feel a little better.

　　　　　☆

　A few days later, in the audience hall.
　In the midst of his usual duties, Mimis reports.

'It has been decided to bestow the Order of the Cross of Ksifos on our lord.
...What?

　The normal tone and what I've heard before.
　So I almost went through it for a moment.

'Wait, wait, wait, what is that, what is that about?'
I understand that this is a decoration for defeating a slime lord.
'A slime lord?　Again?
Again. That's three.
Why would you...
'His Highness Lina said that His Highness applied for it. In regards to that, His Highness said very strongly, 'It's about the Slime Lord, nothing more, nothing less.'
On the contrary, I doubt it!

　What are you pretending to do?　You'd think an elementary schooler would know how to handle it.

'I see. His Highness is at the same time insisting that the discovery of mithril mining from the salt lake was 'discovered by me, I'm sure of it.'
Timing!

　Even an idiot can associate my involvement with that timing!

Huh, well I had some idea of what to expect.

　Lina said she wouldn't give me credit for it.
　That being said, it was hard to believe she wouldn't do anything about it.

　I knew she would do something, I knew she would do something.
　Sure enough, she didn't follow me to Mithril, she followed me to the slime road.

　I was expecting it, so, well, I'll take it.

'Oh no, but,'
Hmm?

　Mimis was grinning, what a surprise.

"There's a lot of talk about this one, all over the place.
What?
The Third Cross is a major factor in the discovery of Mithril, so it would seem.

　I was thinking, "I don't need to say it in such a far-fetched way anymore.
　The next moment, I heard even more shocking words.

The two orders of the cross until now that were suspected in the first place. The rumor is that the two unidentified ones may have been a Mithril-class handiwork as well.
''Well that's indeed a wet dress!

　He rose from his chair and shouted loudly, though.

"You can't shut your mouth on people, can you?

　Mimis said with a smirk.
　Ughhh!