"Huh?"
Lasha's declaration struck Shien with unimaginable force.
Not because of what she said, but because of what it implied.
"Um, Miss Lasha..."
Shien looked at Lasha with a complicated expression and timidly said something.
"You said you were giving all of yourself to me, but hadn't that already happened?"
That was right. That should have happened long ago.
Previously, Lasha had hinted several times that, while he was muddleheaded from sleep, he seemed to have done all sorts of things to her.
Because of that, Laisha had flown into a rage and fought Shien to the death, nearly scattering his ashes on the spot.
Now, hearing this maid suddenly say something like that left Shien rather confused.
But what truly confused Shien came afterward.
"That was fake."
Lasha said those words with complete calm.
"...What did you say?"
Shien stared blankly at Lasha.
"That was fake." Lasha repeated expressionlessly. "At the time, I only deliberately led things that way in order to keep Milady here."
"Wh-why?" Shien's eyes widened, then he seemed to realize something. "Was it because of the Demon Lord's jewel?"
"Yes." Lasha nodded in admission. "At the time, only I noticed that the jewel was on you. Milady, having lost her power as a Demon Lord Candidate, could not sense the jewel's existence. In a sense, that was fortunate."
According to Lasha, she had wanted both herself and Laisha to remain by Shien's side.
Since the Demon Lord's jewel had escaped the Supreme God's control, it would not be strange for the Demon Lord to revive at any time.
And if the Demon Lord needed to revive, they, as Demon Lord Candidates, would inevitably be entangled in the consequences. They might even invite some crisis or attract the Old Demon Faction's attention.
To prevent matters from