Kōichi's warm breath tickled Chris's neck, making her shrink back instinctively, but there was nowhere for her to escape within his embrace.
She lowered her head in resignation, her silver hair falling across eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"...It's a Divine Treasure called Random Summoning. The name might sound ridiculous, but it can ignore all rules and costs to summon immensely powerful creatures from other worlds or the Demon Realm. That bastard Alderp seems to have obtained it through some illegal black-market channel, or perhaps by trading with remnants of the Demon King's Army."
Chris's voice grew grave as she spoke, even taking on a hint of the majesty unique to a deity. That dignity vanished the instant Kōichi gave her another squeeze.
"Yah! You moved your hands again! Let me finish! ...The most dangerous thing about the Divine Treasure is that it distorts the nature of whatever it summons according to its owner's desires. Anything summoned by someone like Alderp, whose mind is filled with nothing but filthy thoughts, is certain to be a disaster. The evil power Aqua sensed earlier was probably the aura leaking from the Divine Treasure before it activated. Unless we recover it tonight, he might summon a Devil capable of destroying the Royal Capital by tomorrow..."
"I see. No wonder that idiot Aqua suddenly started acting like a proper Goddess. Looks like that fat pig is planning something big."
Kōichi narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, a dangerous smile curling across his lips.
"Since we're talking about something as noble as saving the world, a champion of justice like me obviously can't stand by and do nothing."
Kōichi finally loosened the grip that had left Chris beside herself with humiliation and moved his hands to her shoulders instead. His voice became unexpectedly dependable.
"I've hated Alderp for a long time anyway. Looking like a giant meatball is bad enough, but now he's hiding a dangerous toy that can summon Devils. Suppose he summons some kind of tentacle monster. Axel's peace would be ruined. I'm definitely helping you with this."
Chris stared at him in surprise, apparently not expecting the scumbag who had just been harassing her to agree so readily.
She turned her head. Moonlight reflected in her bright eyes, and a trace of gratitude flickered within them.
"Kōichi... You may be a hopeless pervert, but you're surprisingly brave when it matters. Then I'm counting on you. You have to help me distract the guards..."
The tender moment did not even last three seconds.
The pounding of hurried boots and clattering armor suddenly echoed from the corridor, accompanied by a frantic roar.
"There's an intruder! We heard something in the second-floor display room! Hurry! Surround the room and don't let the Robin Hood-like thief escape!"
It was Claire's voice. Judging by the noise, she was leading a large squad of elite Knights straight toward them.
"Tsk. They couldn't have picked a worse time."
Kōichi's gaze sharpened, and he shoved Chris toward the window.
"Your stealth and escape skills are maxed out, right? Get going. I'll handle things here. And remember, you owe me a huge favor. I'll be collecting interest the next time we meet!"
"W-We can discuss the interest later! Just be careful, and don't let them arrest you as my accomplice!"
Chris no longer had time to feel embarrassed. She nimbly climbed onto the windowsill and flashed Kōichi a playful yet grateful smile before vanishing into the darkness like a graceful bird.
Almost the instant Chris disappeared, the display room's door was kicked open with a bang.
Claire charged inside with more than a dozen torch-bearing Knights behind her. The blazing light instantly illuminated the entire room.
"Kōichi?! What are you doing here?!"
Claire frowned at Kōichi, who stood calmly in front of the safe, and pointed her longsword directly at his throat.
"There was clearly someone moving around in here just now! Where is the Robin Hood-like thief? Did you see which way they went?!"
Kōichi yawned and replied in an infuriatingly innocent voice.
"Robin Hood-like thief? What thief, Claire-sama? I woke up needing to use the bathroom and got lost. Then I noticed this door was open, so I came in to check whether Alderp-sama's windows were properly closed. After all, I'm an extremely responsible guard. As for the noise... Perhaps a very large cat that happened to look vaguely human jumped out?"
As he spoke, he casually positioned himself in front of the window Chris had used to escape. His face bore the kind of perfectly sincere, innocent smile that made Claire grind her teeth.
Kōichi watched Claire's beautiful face twist slightly with fury as she forced herself to remain composed for the sake of royal dignity, and a thrill of wicked satisfaction surged through him.
Deceiving this group of painfully serious Knights by himself was entertaining, but if he wanted to muddy the waters even further and ensure Chris escaped completely, he needed the assistance of a master who had reached the pinnacle of shamelessness and nonsense.
Kōichi took a deep breath and unleashed an earth-shattering scream toward the far end of the corridor.
"Kazuma! Help me! Kazuma!! Claire-sama has gone insane! She couldn't catch the Robin Hood-like thief, so now she's trying to frame me, the dearest friend of Her Highness the Princess! Help! Murder!!!"
His shriek was especially piercing in the silent mansion, even startling the birds sleeping in the courtyard.
A few seconds later, hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Kazuma Satou burst into the room wearing loose pajamas and dragging his slippers across the floor. Although he clearly had no idea what was happening, his face was lit with excitement at the certainty that there was something to gain from it.
"What?! Who dares lay a hand on my dearest friend Kōichi?! Claire, have you finally lost control and decided to murder the heroes who have served the royal family so faithfully?!"
The moment he entered, Kazuma slipped naturally into the role of victim. He even snatched a vase from a nearby display stand and held it protectively against his chest while pointing at Claire with a look of righteous outrage.
"We've been working ourselves to the bone guarding this estate and can barely get any sleep! Kōichi even held in his urine so long while patrolling that he nearly developed a prostate crisis, and you still suspect him of being an accomplice?! Where's your evidence? Without evidence, this is blatant workplace bullying! I'm going straight to Her Highness Iris to file a formal complaint!"
Their combined performance infuriated Claire so badly that she nearly exploded on the spot. Even the longsword in her hand began to tremble.
"Kazuma Satou! Stop making such outrageous accusations! I was only asking why he appeared at the scene of the crime! And put down that antique vase! It belongs to Alderp-sama!"
"Asking? Who asks questions while pointing a sword at someone's nostrils?"
Kōichi immediately picked up the rhythm, hiding behind Kazuma with an aggrieved expression.
"Kazuma, you have no idea. When that Robin Hood-like thief jumped out the window, Claire-sama was standing right there in the corridor, yet she failed to stop them. I'd say she's trying to cover up her own negligence by harassing me, the only eyewitness. What a sad state of affairs. What has become of the Royal Guard's credibility...?"
"I see! Claire, did you make some kind of secret deal with the Robin Hood-like thief?!"
Kazuma gave her an extremely malicious look of suspicion and even began stirring up the surrounding Knights.
"Look at your commander! Her face is bright red, which clearly means she feels guilty! Everyone, write this down. This is a serious case of suspected dereliction of duty!"
The Knights exchanged awkward glances. They all knew the pair were spouting complete nonsense, but because of their unusual status, none of them dared step forward to argue.
"Y-You two despicable scoundrels! Shameless villains!!"
Claire trembled with rage, her teeth clenched tightly. Her usual cold and dignified image completely collapsed beneath Kōichi and Kazuma's combined barrage of shameless nonsense.
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded outside the display room.
Alderp-sama staggered into view with the butler supporting him. His face was still swollen like a pig's head from Aqua's beating, and he shouted in a slurred voice.
"What's going on... Burp... Who broke into my display room?! Is my Divine Treasure... Is my precious treasure still here?!"