Chương 24: Claire was dead

My mind spiraled into chaos, my brain nearly redlining as it tried to process this massive variable. The one who died was Claire Cassandra, and her killer was Henry McCaley. Two members of the original Hero's party. But why? Henry was a knight serving directly under the Royal Family. He should have been the very last person capable of such a betrayal. Was there some kind of misunderstanding?

Did Henry not know about the body-swapping between Rachel and Claire, and mistakenly thought the "maid" harbored ill intentions toward her mistress, leading him to "dispose" of her? But that didn't fit the code of a knight. If he sensed something off about a servant, the protocol was to report it to the master and let them handle it, not to resort to such shady, lethal methods. With Claire dead, what would happen to Rachel now?

Would the Royal Family leave her in the role of the Princess to save face, or would they be so consumed by the loss of their true daughter that they'd execute both Hustler sisters in a fit of rage? Regardless, I had to admit: Claire's death was incredibly beneficial to my previous plan. In the original Hero's party, Claire was actually quite useless. Her primary role was long-range DPS. Usually, this position doubles as a scout and tactical overwatch, neutralized approaching threats before they could get close.

Yet, she couldn't even manage that much. Having lived most of her life wrapped in silk and luxury, Claire was terrible at stealth because she refused to deal with discomfort or dirt. She was constantly spotted after just a few attacks, forcing her teammates to bail her out. The person usually tasked with those rescue missions was Henry. And every time a monster slipped through or the party was ambushed, I was the one who took the fall.

In short, Claire was always innocent; the consequences always fell on someone else. Calling her a "dead weight" would be an understatement. Recalling her contemptuous glares, the times she vented her frustrations on me when the adventuring life got too tough, and her arbitrary, spoiled demands... I suppose I should feel she got what she deserved. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

But having been born and raised in an era where human life is paramount, I couldn't bring myself to gloat over the death of a girl who hadn't even reached adulthood. I wasn't exactly sad, either. Let's be blunt about that. After all, my original plan was to find a way to dethrone this fraudulent candidate and return Rachel to her rightful place. How that plan would shift now depended entirely on whether Rachel could manage to stay alive. Perhaps noticing my strange expression, Lealia probed cautiously.

"Hey... did you know her?"

"Huh?"

"The maid. Why else would you be so fixated on this?" I gave her a half-truth.

"Yeah, you could say we were acquainted. But not close. I'm just... taken aback. I never expected something like this to happen." Lealia let out a heavy sigh.

"Who would have thought the first casualty wouldn't be from a monster, but a murder? I don't understand how people here think. I'm not sure if I can truly trust the people I'm supposed to face life and death with in the future. That's why I'm thinking about renouncing my candidacy. What do you think?" I wasn't sure what advice to give her. It was true that I was considering her as a replacement for Iris in my future party, but only if she were willing and determined.

"If you were truly set on leaving, you wouldn't feel the need to ask for advice from an outsider like me." Lealia lowered her head.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for dumping this on you. I don't even know why I'm telling you all this… I guess you just give off the vibe of an older brother. There's no one else here I can really talk to..." She was drowning in insecurity. Originally just a commoner selling herbs to get by, suddenly thrust into a foreign place that was as convoluted as it was dangerous, Lealia simply hadn't adapted yet. I understood; I had been there once, too.

I placed my hand over her tightly clenched ones and spoke firmly:"Lealia, I know you're anxious, but you need to make a definitive choice. If you head back to the battlefield with a half-hearted attitude, you'll end up getting yourself and everyone around you killed." Lealia's eyes reddened slightly. I pressed on:"No one has the right to force you to stay if you want to leave. But if you choose to stay, there will be countless people grateful for it. You know you have the talent, don't you?

You might feel like some people don't deserve your help, but you can also use that power to protect many other innocent people." Lealia bit her lip, her gaze still clouded with uncertainty.

"I... I will think about this very carefully."