How Did You Figure It Out?

The treehouse was silent.

The faint sounds of the organs inside the jars and bottles were audible.

The beating of hearts, the churning of stomachs, the trembling of eyestalks, the breathing of gills... and the noise of the wicker chair rocking back and forth.

Creak, creak, creak-

That irritating sound was particularly grating in the quiet room, drilling into Svanney's ears over and over.

"..."

The aloof elf's eyes flickered slightly. For the first time, she raised her gaze and looked squarely at the relaxed, white-haired youth before her.

He possessed beauty that rivaled an elf's, pale gray eyes like pure crystal, snow-white hair that seemed blessed, and a half-dry, slightly translucent silk robe.

Rather than a Holy Cleric serving as the Prison Warden, he looked more like a young noble who belonged at an aristocratic ball.

Coupled with the wicked smile curling his lips, which hardly suited a Holy Cleric, he seemed more specifically like a rakish young noble.

One glance was enough to tell that he was the sort who excelled at twirling noblewomen around a dance floor, or being secretly pulled into secluded corners by a few married ladies for some intimate emotional exchange.

Seriously, was he really a Holy Knight?

Although Svanney could not resolve that doubt, such trivial questions paled beside the real reason her attitude had changed: her projection had been exposed.

With his strength, he shouldn't have been able to see through my disguise.

So where exactly did things go wrong?

Despite being exposed, Svanney's demeanor barely changed. She neither denied it vehemently nor flew into a rage, remaining as aloof as ever.

She nodded at Herbert and said, "You surprised me a little, too. How did you figure it out?"

"How should I put it? Intuition?"

Herbert tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, teasing her. "I just get the feeling a beautiful woman like you would be good at deceiving people."

Svanney did not smile. Instead, she frowned. "Are you saying that all Dark Elves are skilled liars?"

Herbert: ?

"Uh, no. I didn't mean anything racist by that. Don't read too much into it."

He wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead and added awkwardly, "What I meant was, I think you're really pretty!"

Wait.

Even in another world, why were dark-skinned people still so sensitive?

That's not what I meant! I didn't say that!

I've never persecuted any of you!

"Is that so?"

Svanney's brow shifted slightly, and she shook her head. "No, even if that really is what you think, it doesn't matter."

"Dark Elves are indeed a race exceptionally skilled at deception and intrigue. That trait has always run in our blood, and in that respect... I'm no exception."

"You're right. That's exactly the kind of person I am. I am very good at deceiving others."

The Dark Elf's utterly serious attitude left Herbert somewhat speechless. He felt this conversation was becoming rather difficult to keep going.

What was this lady's deal?

She was terrible at making conversation.

Seriously, were you actually that withdrawn?

"Ahem."

Herbert cleared his throat, forcibly skipped past the subject, and took charge of the conversation. "Of course, intuition was part of it. But what really let me figure it out was your behavior."

The youth lifted his chin slightly, indicating that she should look at the skull on the table, which had now lost every trace of life.

"The biggest giveaway was right here."

"When I handed it to you earlier, you didn't take it, did you?"

Watching Svanney's thoughtful expression, he continued leisurely:

"It was one of your own people, and it was only a skull, yet you wouldn't even touch it... were you afraid?"

After speaking, Herbert slowly swept his gaze over the assortment of bizarre organs in the room and gave a self-explanatory smile.

You were afraid?

I should be the one who was scared.

"Of course, there's another possibility. You're an extreme germaphobe, and you don't want to touch anything a filthy person like me has handled."

"But rather than believe that somewhat strange possibility, I'd rather trust my own intuition-you aren't actually here. What's here is merely an incredibly realistic illusion."

"And the facts have proven my guess correct."

"My gamble paid off."

Herbert rolled his neck in satisfaction and found a more comfortable position to recline in.

His pose and demeanor all but spelled out his smug arrogance.

Heh↑ heh↓

"Since I've already figured it out, there's no need for you to keep up the act, right?"

After listening to Herbert's explanation, Svanney pondered for a moment, then slowly stood and nodded at him.

"You're right. In that case, please follow me, Prison Warden. My real body is upstairs, and I can't get away just now."

With that, she headed straight toward a seemingly featureless wall without waiting for Herbert's response.

The bark wall slowly split open as she approached, revealing a dark passage.

Herbert narrowed his eyes, studying the stairs formed from glowing vines before looking up into the darkness, where the top was nowhere in sight. His eyes narrowed again.

Should I go?

So far, I could still say I hadn't ventured deep into the cell and had only wandered outside the bars. If I went any farther... there really would be some risk.

Svanney turned back at the passage entrance. Without speaking, she watched him in silence.

Weren't you the one who wanted to see my real body?

Well, would you follow me now?

"Of course. No problem." Herbert rose with a cheerful smile and followed her with easy steps.

Having come this far, why would I stop halfway?

Let's see what you're really up to!

Seeing him follow, Svanney said nothing more. She merely nodded silently and led the way.

The passage was long and deep.

Not long after Herbert began following Svanney upstairs, Nenasya, who had been silent for quite some time, could no longer resist speaking:

["Hey, how did you figure it out?"]

["I never told you. I was waiting to laugh at... waiting to see when you'd notice."]

*?*

Herbert narrowed his eyes and challenged her inwardly. "You deliberately stopped halfway through that sentence, didn't you? You're picking a fight on purpose, aren't you?"

["Of course~"]

Completely unashamed, Nenasya laughed. ["But I really am curious how you noticed. There was more to it than what you explained to her, right?"]

"Yes. Aside from the reasons I just mentioned, there was another crucial point."

"Her reaction when she saw me was far too subdued."

Herbert calmly explained a reason that sounded somewhat narcissistic.

"According to you, all Magical Beasts will feel an inexplicable fondness for me. Even if they don't like me, they should at least show some goodwill."

"But she was too calm, even so cold that she hardly seemed like a living person."

"Besides that, there was actually one more reason."

["What was it?"]

"It was... her scent."

Nenasya: ?

Y-you had something wrong with you, didn't you?!