Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 98
“What’s the reason for this urgent assembly?”
David asked sharply, glancing around the room. His tone was sharp as he eyed the High Priest, then the oracle, making it clear that he wasn’t in a good mood.
The councilman next to Leo let out a long sigh.
“Leo, explain to the councilman what happened.”
The knight holding the elder was Leo. Nancy felt a sense of déjà vu upon hearing the name.
It dawned on her when Aaron tightened his grip on her hand. Leo was the very person who had ignited Aaron’s competitive spirit and once sent him into a period of deep gloom.
“Yes, Father.”
Leo responded to the councilman and stepped forward.
“Around 2 p.m. today, I was patrolling the outskirts of the capital. We had received reports that demons had been hiding there.”
“Demons hiding in Verus?” David asked, frowning in surprise.
Leo nodded and continued.
“What I encountered was a Ferron. He looked desperate, as if something was chasing him, but as soon as he saw me, he attacked.”
“And of course, you defeated him,” Leo’s father said with a proud smile, casting a sharp glance at David.
David, not one to back down, lifted his chin and smirked.
“That’s fortunate. Even if it was just one Ferron, it would’ve been a tough fight for a knight without battle experience against demons.”
It seemed that the rivalry wasn’t limited to their sons. As the two men glared at each other, the other council members intervened to calm the situation.
Once the tension between the two subsided, the High Priest signaled Leo to continue.
“The Ferron had this imp with him. I interrogated the imp, asking what their relationship was and what they were doing. And they told me something unbelievable.”
The elder lowered his eyebrows and mouthed an apology to Nancy. From his expression, it seemed clear he felt guilty.
Nancy had a sinking feeling, already guessing what Leo was about to say. She exhaled deeply and let go of Aaron’s hand. She could feel Aaron’s eyes on her as soon as she did.
But how could she possibly look him in the eyes now? She bowed her head, bracing herself for the worst.
“This woman, Nancy, conspired with the imps to become the hero!”
Leo pointed directly at Nancy, his voice rising with disdain. His eyes were filled with contempt, as if he couldn’t believe such a thing was possible.
It seemed the elder had told Leo everything. He knew far more than Nancy expected, and he was exposing it all to everyone.
He revealed how the demons saw the paladins, who produced many Heroes, as a thorn in their side. To weaken them, they took advantage of the knights’ slumber to cast destructive magic.
“Aaron, that imp even cast a weapon-destroying spell on you. And Nancy knew about it.”
“You knew?”
Aaron finally spoke, breaking his silence. Nancy flinched without realizing it. Did that make it seem like she really knew? She hadn’t known anything until Chuck mentioned it today!
“He was the second most likely candidate to become the hero. She wanted to make you useless, unable to wield a weapon properly.”
As she listened quietly, Nancy’s frustration boiled over.
“What do you think you know? Did you read my mind? Why would I do something like that and then lend Aaron the hero’s sword?”
“You lent him the hero’s sword?”
Leo was taken aback, clearly not expecting that. Nancy seized the moment and shouted with renewed energy.
“How dare you accuse me without knowing anything! Who do you think you are—my companion? You’re just a paladin!”
Fortunately, some people seemed to agree with her reasoning, nodding their heads at the absurdity of Leo’s claims.
Leo’s father, however, waved them off dismissively.
“That woman was surely hoping the mission would fail. Why else would she have gone to the Demon King’s Castle with just two people?”
“That’s because…”
“It has always been customary to recruit the most popular Hero candidates to form a party. But this woman didn’t follow that custom.”
Leo’s father tried to sway the conversation back in his favor, suggesting that Nancy’s actions were suspicious.
Nancy, unaware of such customs, struggled to come up with a response.
