"If that is truly the case, then it is fortunate."

Fjodora lightly folded her hands atop her lap.

"This humble one was worried that the two of you might intentionally be concealing information."

"Your Royal Highness is surprisingly suspicious."

"One must be."

The answer came immediately.

"If an unknown phenomenon capable of threatening the Imperial Palace itself has appeared, should this humble one not be suspicious?"

"..."

"Especially when the people most closely connected to that phenomenon are sitting directly before me."

Her gaze alternated between Reisir and me.

Neither of us replied.

Not because we were intimidated.

But because her reasoning was sound.

At least from her perspective.

After a brief silence, Fjodora continued.

"Then allow this humble one to ask directly."

The atmosphere in the reception room changed.

"The two of you can also see the 'window,' can you not?"

There was no longer any point in hiding it.

Reisir answered first.

"Yes."

I followed shortly after.

"I can."

The moment we admitted it, satisfaction flickered across Fjodora's eyes.

Not surprise.

Satisfaction.

As though a hypothesis she had already reached had finally been confirmed.

"As expected."

Then she asked the next question.

"When did it first appear?"

"The day I was caught in the anomaly."

Reisir answered naturally.

"The same for me."

"Immediately?"

"Not immediately."

Reisir rested his chin on his hand.

"It appeared after everything ended."

"The same here."

"I see..."

Fjodora quietly organized the information.

"The appearance of the window occurs after surviving an anomaly."

"A tentative conclusion."

Reisir immediately corrected her.

"There are too few samples."

"That is true."

Fjodora accepted the objection without resistance.

"Then let us call it a possibility."

For a moment, no one spoke.

The First Princess seemed to be sorting through countless thoughts.

Eventually, she spoke again.

"This humble one wishes to establish a cooperative relationship."

My brows twitched.

Reisir's expression also changed slightly.

A cooperative relationship.

In other words, an information-sharing alliance.

"As things stand, the Imperial Family knows almost nothing."

Fjodora spoke calmly.

"The same is likely true for the ducal families."

"..."

"People are already dying."

The room became silent.

"Not from wars."

"Not from political struggles."

"But from an enemy whose nature we do not even understand."

Her fingers lightly tapped the armrest.

"Such an opponent cannot be fought through individual effort alone."

For the first time since entering the room, I felt genuine sincerity in her words.

This wasn't about authority.

Nor was it about political gain.

At least not entirely.

She truly viewed the anomalies as a threat.

A threat large enough to endanger the Empire itself.

"Information should be shared."

Fjodora looked directly at us.

"If either of you learns something related to these anomalies, this humble one wishes to know."

Reisir narrowed his eyes.

"And in return?"

"This humble one will do the same."

A straightforward answer.

No embellishment.

No hidden bait.

At least on the surface.

Reisir remained silent for a moment.

Then—

"Fine."

He agreed more easily than expected.

Perhaps because he understood the danger of the situation.

Or perhaps because even he recognized the value of imperial intelligence.

In any case, his answer came first.

The First Princess then looked at me.

"And you, Karvaldr?"

Three pairs of eyes focused on me.

The First Princess.

Reisir.

Even Yor, who had been quietly curled up on my lap, lifted her head and looked up at me.

"Nyan?"

As though asking what the problem was.

The problem?

There were too many.

Sharing information sounded simple.

The issue was that I possessed information I should not possess.

Information from the original story.

Information from the future.

Information about Awakened, boss monsters, Demon Realms, and countless events that had not yet happened.

If I agreed carelessly, I could easily create problems for myself.

If I refused, however, I would only attract suspicion.

This is exactly why I hate troublesome things.

After a brief moment of thought, I answered.

"I have no objection to sharing information that I personally confirm."

A careful response.

Neither acceptance nor rejection.

Fjodora smiled.

"A prudent answer."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"It was not intended as one."

"Then I shall take it as one anyway."

For the first time, the corners of the First Princess's lips twitched upward.

Meanwhile, Reisir openly laughed.

"You two get along surprisingly well."

"We do not."

"We do not."

The First Princess and I answered simultaneously.

A brief silence followed.

Then Reisir laughed even harder.

"..."

"..."

For some reason, that made me feel vaguely irritated.

At that moment—

Knock. Knock.

A knock sounded ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) at the door.

The attendant's voice followed.

"Your Royal Highness. The guest from House Tremler has arrived."

Ríolíkin.

The final participant had finally appeared.

The First Princess straightened her posture.

"Send him in."

A moment later, the door opened.

And the timid young man who had once challenged Nidr despite knowing he would lose cautiously stepped into the reception room.

The instant he spotted the faces already gathered inside—

His entire body froze.

"...Huh?"

His eyes moved from me.

To Reisir.

To the First Princess.

Then back to me again.

The confusion on his face was so obvious that even Yor tilted her head.

"Nyan?"

"...Why are all of you here already?"

It was an entirely reasonable question.

Unfortunately for Ríolíkin, it seemed the truly troublesome part of today's meeting was only just beginning.