What I said must've shocked Sana so much that she instantly sobered and wore her usual Archbishop outfit, a white leotard with a black cape draped over her shoulder.
She took a serious expression and sat across from me elegantly, just like how it was supposed to be. The encaptured look from before was completely gone.
"What do you mean by that, Sir Arthur? Is there something going on that I don't know yet?"
"Did you hear about any incident last night?"
I replied to her with another question. As for now, I didn't know how widespread last night's news was and how it was distorted and spread to the masses by the Kingdom Knights.
Such an incident that happened in the Capital City would surely be covered in some kind of news to make people feel at ease. And because everyone who caused this incident came from the church, I was afraid those people would blame us without knowing anything.
'Maybe that's why the Royal Guard came to the village and asked Sophia and the others to retreat.'
Still, I had no idea what that crazy Princess had in mind.
"Last night? Do you mean the commotion in Capital City?" Sana asked once again, and I nodded in confirmation.
"If it's about that, I heard from the church in the Capital City. According to the Kingdom Knights, there was a rampaging Half-Vampire, and they managed to drive them away. Is that what you want to hear, Sir Arthur?"
I held my chin and frowned, falling into a deep thought.
'So that's how they spread the news?'
The fact that they knew about Half-Vampire meant Princess Carissa had <Appraisal> skill to see Mia's race.
And… the way they spread the news was as if the Kingdom Knights were the ones who settled this problem.
While that saved the church's image, as no church members were involved in last night's incident, they essentially stole the credit from me and indirectly said that I, the one who settled it, was part of the Kingdom Knights.
Thankfully, I had seen what the Royal Guard did to Sophia earlier.
'If this goes like this, then they will likely also steal my achievement from defeating Scylla.'
I wouldn't allow that. So a countermeasure was needed.
Raising my head, I looked at the Archbishop with a serious expression.
"Sana," I called out in a low voice. "Can you do me a favor?"
I explained everything that happened last night and my suspicion to her. Because Sana trusted me, she listened silently while nodding her head at my explanation.
Her expression turned into anger for a second when I mentioned that the Kingdom probably wanted to steal my achievement from last night, but she calmed down and that they essentially also saved the church's image by hiding the truth behind the incident.
Then there was a matter with Scylla. I told her what happened this morning and my plan for the future.
When I finished, she also agreed with my opinion and my words. After that, we began talking about everything we could do to reap the biggest benefit.
***
After talking with Sana for a while, I went to look at my masochistic sister. Finding her was easy. Just like usual, she was sitting on a desolate bench near the training ground behind the church.
She sat there, her body adorned in a form-fitting bodysuit that clung to her every curve. The fabric hugged her like a second skin, accentuating her athletic physique. Drops of sweat trickled down her brow and dampened her attire, evidence of her intense training.
The sunlight danced upon her glistening skin, highlighting the contours of her muscles and the beads of perspiration that adorned her brow.
"Fuu… That was great."
Letting out a long sigh, her lips morphed into a satisfied smile. Rania still didn't notice that I was walking toward her.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows upon the training ground, I called out to her while waving my hand.
"Rania."
Hearing my voice, her body jerked a little, and she turned around. Her smile widened, and she waved back.
"Arthur!" Her voice was filled with happiness. She stood up and ran toward me, stopping right before me. "Are you here to train? If so, I can accompany you." She asked.
"No." I shook my head. "I am here to find you," I said.
Rania somehow blushed and lowered her head, fidgeting like a shy maiden.
"Is it for that?"
Raising her head slightly, she looked at me with an expectant gaze. I knew what she wanted, but this wasn't the time for that.
"Unfortunately, no. I just wanted to ask you about Kingdom Knights and their structure." I shot her down immediately because I didn't want her to misunderstand me further.
'My bad, Raina. But I have plenty today.'
"Kingdom Knights?" Rania asked. Her disappointed tone was apparent, but she could understand and didn't force me to do something I didn't want.
"Their structure is actually similar to church knights. There is a squire, then normal knights, and then Captain. Those Captains then worked under certain Knight Commanders."
"Knight Commanders? Plurals?"
"Yes." Rania nodded. "The female Knight Corps have 5 Commanders; each has a Level higher than 45. Then there are male Knight Corps. Because of their large number, there are 7 Commanders with different duties. The most famous Knight Corps or group in this Kingdom is the Royal Guard, composed of skilled individuals."
'So there are many commanders.' I nodded in understanding.
I thought there would only be one, considering the Royal Guard said it was a direct order from the Knight Commander.
But apparently, the Knight Commander that man talked about was the one who commanded that elite corps, the Royal Guard.
'It's troublesome. Does the Grand Marshal and King Cassius know that the Royal Guard now probably changed their loyalty to the Princess instead of the King?'
The countermeasure I thought of and discussed with Sana earlier seemed to be on point. My suspicion about the Princess beginning to make a move faster than what I thought was also correct.
'The headmistress seems to know something more about it. I need to ask her for the details. Hopefully, she's willing to cooperate with me.'
"Is that so? Thank you, Rania." I smiled at her.
"You're welcome." She replied.
Knowing I had already finished my business with her, Ramia's smile looked sad. I wasn't that insensitive that I wouldn't notice it, so I stretched my hand and slapped her round ass.
Smack!
"Hyan!"
A surprised, loud moan escaped her lips as her body jolted. However, she didn't hate it. Instead, her expression turned into a blissful one.
"A-Arthur?!"
Looking at me with a flushed face, she protested.
I chuckled at her sight and gently patted her head.
"We will have a chance to be together again in the future. Just wait, okay? I was still a bit tired from all that happened."
"I understand that." My masochistic sister pouted. Then she calmed down, putting up a strict image of an instructor at Royal Academy. However, there was still a hint of blush on her cheek. "I can wait. This negligence play is also exciting."
As expected, she was still a masochistic pervert underneath that strict image, just like Emilia.
