Iri scoffed inwardly, facing the unseen figure speaking from the darkness.
"Hoh… this guy is indeed very detail-oriented. It seems the one I need to be wary of is this leader. He mentioned 'this time'… 'this time' implies there were previous times, doesn't it? Is he unintentionally conveying that I used to work under him?"
"Thank you!" Iri feigned gratitude.
"Then there's one more thing I need to ask you, Clementine," the leader continued.
"Please speak, Bishop," Clementine replied. "Are there still questions? I should have said everything I could, right? Or does this guy want to keep scrutinizing my details?"
"You said you've met Ainz… that Great Demon, right? Can you describe Him?" the leader asked.
"Ainz's situation? Honestly, shouldn't you know? Astrology Thousand Miles has been monitoring the battle on Katz Plains, hasn't she?"
"Although Qianli immediately shut down after seeing Ainz's Ultimate Magic, thanks to Qianli's shutdown, Iri had room to bluff later. Otherwise, if Qianli had kept observing, my previous statements would have been impossible."
"I'm very sorry, Bishop, but since I don't have the skill to conceal my presence, I observed them from a great distance. Therefore, I could only vaguely see that the Great Demon was an undead wearing a black robe. I don't know anything else," Iri said.
"Considering the small goat's field of vision, a long distance was certain, so Iri used her lack of presence concealment as an excuse. However, a general description of His appearance was still possible."
"Hmm… very good, Clementine. The reason we called you here was merely to understand the situation," the leader said.
"Just to understand the situation? Gelos already explained the situation, didn't he? You're clearly here to interrogate me, aren't you? Is it necessary to put on such a show just to ask about the situation?" Iri thought.
"There's one more thing. Due to your active performance this time, Clementine, we've decided to give you a reward. Is there anything you want?" the leader asked.
"Hmm? A reward? This is a bit strange. Why give me a reward? Honestly, my current identity isn't suitable, is it? Although they could use a reward to numb and confuse me, I still feel a sense of incongruity," Iri thought. "It would be better to decline here."
"How about giving Clementine the Kingdom's secret treasure she seized for her to use…" Before Iri could refuse, another dark figure said.
"That's a good idea. What do you think, Clementine? After all, it's a treasure you painstakingly seized. I think it's very fitting for you to use it," the leader agreed.
"Upon hearing this, Iri understood… Thank you for reminding me. If you hadn't mentioned this, I almost forgot about it."
"Hehe!" Iri snorted inwardly. "Is this being too clever for your own good?"
"No! Bishop! I don't need any secret treasures. I… I worked so hard to complete the mission, merely… merely to restore my reputation! Although I lost my memory, my brother, Queen Aeseth, told me that I was expelled from the Black Scripture because of very serious mistakes in previous missions! I… I don't want any secret treasures. I only want to restore my reputation! I implore the Bishop to restore my reputation as the Ninth Seat of the Black Scripture." Iri feigned a very sincere expression, stood up, and bowed to the four shadowy figures.
"Iri had almost forgotten about this, only focusing on how to get through the interrogation by these leaders. Thanks for bringing it up."
"Presumptuous! Do you know what kind of shocking mistakes you once committed?! And you still want to return to the Black Scripture?!" someone among the shadows cursed.
"Hey, hey! That's Gag Sister's fault, I'm not taking the blame!" Iri was quite annoyed, but there was nothing she could do. Her current persona was Gag Sister with no memory, so she had to accept whatever blame came her way.
"But… I…" Iri wanted to continue using her current achievements to argue.
"Alright, alright, I understand your feelings, Clementine, but it's difficult for everyone to accept your return based solely on your performance in this mission," the leader said.
"As expected, it's like this. After all, the power of speech is in their hands. Iri can't refute any blame they throw at her; she can only accept it. And the only card Iri has to play is her achievements from this mission."
"So Iri didn't have much hope for this at first, and she simply dismissed it when confronting them. The result she got now is pretty much what Iri had expected."
"However, this old man is not a devil. I will give you another chance to earn merit," the leader said. Upon hearing this, Iri felt that something was wrong. Did she fall into a trap? Or was she being played?
"Thank you, Bishop!" Although she felt something was amiss, Iri had no option to refuse now. Since she had already said such words, how could she go back on them?
"Then, I'll briefly explain. The Dragon Kingdom recently sent a plea for help, stating that they are under attack from the Beastman Kingdom and can only barely hold on, requesting our country to send reinforcements. However, Theocracy is currently busy dealing with an impending major crisis, so we don't have enough manpower to meet the Dragon Kingdom's expectations. Originally, our intention was to ignore them, but considering the annual tribute the Dragon Kingdom pays to our country, abandoning them would not be in line with our country's conduct," the leader said.
"The intention is clear. I really fell for it! This old man is quite cunning! He must have learned from Gelos's report that I really want the title of Black Scripture, so he set a trap for me! When he mentioned giving me a reward just now, he must have been planning to trick me! But what can I do even if I know? Even if I know it's a trap, I can only brace myself and step into it!"
"Does the Bishop mean for me to go and support them? But if it's just me…" Iri decided to struggle a bit. She knew absolutely nothing about the situation between the Dragon Kingdom and the Beastman Kingdom!
"In the original work, it was only mentioned in a cutscene. What can I do alone when two countries are at war? I'm not Ainz, who can casually wipe out tens of thousands of people."
"Of course, it's impossible to send you alone. This old man wouldn't be so heartless as to send you to your death. At that time, I will send some people to you," the old man said.
"This guy said 'to your death,' didn't he? This guy really intends to send me to my death, doesn't he?! No need to say it, the people he gives me will definitely be cannon fodder. He's really calculating!"
"If I can fulfill this mission without fail and return, it will be enough to prove my strength and 'loyalty' to Theocracy. At that time, giving me the title of Black Scripture would be no problem."
"If I fail… Hmph… I'm just a pawn, and he can use this to brush off the Dragon Kingdom's plea for help. This move is indeed ruthless!" Iri was extremely annoyed now, but there was nothing she could do.
"I understand. I will definitely not disappoint the Bishop," Iri could only feign a resolute expression and accept.
"Very good, I look forward to your results. Now, you may withdraw, Clementine."
"Damn it! I was actually manipulated!" Iri walked out of the main hall, extremely displeased.
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