The Hero Party Couldn’t Kill Me

Chapter 8: Second Revenge (2)

‘… How the hell did he know?’

Iris had a brain freeze. Considering Edmund’s provocation with the Mystic Rose before, it’s highly likely that Edmund informed her.

But it is also questionable that the Duke of Valois accepted it as it was, and before that, Edmund wonders how she wrote her Mystic Rose.

Anyway, the problem now is… It’s to somehow dispel the Duke of Valois’ suspicions.

“I don’t know where you heard that rumor, but it’s absurd. We arrested the offender on the spot.”

“So, I heard that the wizard is also an old friend of the Duke. Does it make sense to suddenly change?”

“It could have been a mistake.”

“It was a mistake… ….”

As expected, the Duke of Valois doesn’t seem to believe it. In response, Iris fired at her, raising her voice as much as possible.

“You don’t believe me. It seems that you came to the conclusion that I was the culprit from the beginning.”

“… ….”

“You know what I am saying now, how dangerous it is. Can you take responsibility?”

Iris fired as hard as she could.

When she came out strong, the Duke of Valois also took a step back.

“… I just wanted to let you know that rumors like this are floating around in the world. Wouldn’t it be a waste if it spread like this?”

Though he said this, the Duke of Valois was still suspicious. He put the flower he had taken out and stood up.

“You don’t have to worry too much. If the suspicions about you are cleared away, I will swear allegiance, acknowledging that I am your subordinate.”

“… ….”

“Take care of yourself. Your body looks unhealthy here and there. After all, isn’t being healthy the most important thing?”

The Duke of Valois stood up and said.

He pointed to Iris’s right arm, which was wrapped in a bandage.

In fact, the bandage was only noticeable, but the excessively heavy makeup was also not easy.

“… Thank you for your concern.”

Iris forced a smile. But she burned endlessly inside her.

The plan to conclude a truce with the Duke of Valois has virtually collapsed. He will attack her over and over again, using rumors about her now floating around.

‘If the words of the Duke of Valois are true, there is a high probability that such rumors are circulating in Roswell as well.’

At this, Iris thought she would have to look around the city sooner or later.

She wanted to go outside immediately, but the moment she left her room, she felt dizzy and staggered.

As she managed to keep her centered against the wall, she put her bandaged hand to her nose.

As expected, the bandages were stained with blood.

“Iris-sama, are you okay?”

Belatedly, escort knights and servants came and helped Iris.

“No big deal. Get ready to go downtown right now.”

“No! You might as well take a break for now!”

“I’m thinking of taking a carriage ride anyway. Then it’s not that hard…….”

As Iris tried to raise her voice, she stumbled loudly again.

The lack of sleep wasn’t just hurting her looks. She was harming her health.

To solve this problem, Iris continued to take medicine, but her physical condition did not improve.

‘Damn it… ….’

Iris, barely supported by the servants, stood upright and bit her lip.

Her heart was in a hurry. She has to find the source of the rumor and pull it out, but her body doesn’t move as she wants.

Iris had no choice but to take a break from the servants. Of course, I couldn’t rest properly today.

***

A few days later. Iris didn’t even check the mirror anymore.

She already knew. It was as if she was getting older by a year each day.

Perhaps she looks older in the mirror now, as if she’s at least ten years older than she actually was.

“Tell me honestly. How is my face now?”

She sneakily asked the lady-in-waiting. If it was her original self, she should have answered immediately that she was beautiful, but her maid hesitated.

“… It’s okay. Then, put on heavy makeup today.”

Iris made her self-suggestions with her grooming.

Still, my condition was very good today. She didn’t even get dizzy, and her fatigue was tolerable as if she’d gotten used to it.

Of course, I thought it might be temporary, but today was the right time for her to go around the city.

After finishing her makeup, Iris checked her mirror.

From noble mtl dot com

Anyone could see that she was heavily makeup, but her faded hair color and her tired eyes indicated that her condition was not normal.

Still, this was enough for her to put up with.

Iris went out of her mansion and got into the carriage she had prepared in advance.

The carriage she prepared this time had a different design from the carriage she used to ride. In particular, all the fancy decorations were missing, and it looked rather shabby.

So the people of Roswell won’t suspect Iris is riding in her wagon.

She, of course, since she rides in a carriage, you know that her status is somewhat high.

“Mark. You can also hear distant sounds with magic, right?”

“Yes.”

“You, too, accompany me today. Check carefully to see if you hear anything about me.”

“Okay.”

So Iris headed for her town with her own escort knight and Mark.

Roswell was in full swing preparing for the festival.

The patterns symbolizing the Rosie family were again placed here and there, and the shops were decorated with multi-colored roses to match the festival theme.

People were busy moving.

‘I can’t hear anything like this.’

Even though the carriage was moving slowly, Iris couldn’t hear the people passing by. At least she only hears the melody of a song she hears from time to time and gets stuck in her ears.

“Marc, are you listening now?”

“Yes, nothing special yet.”

Mark also seemed to have had no particular harvest yet. In response, Iris instructed the coachman to move to the market place.

A lot of people gather there.

As expected, the closer we got to the market, the more people came and went. But she still felt unwell. Iris couldn’t hear the people coming over.

The only thing that can be heard in her ears is the unique singing voice.

‘… For a moment.’

But at that moment, Iris thought something was wrong with the lyrics of her song. She may be mistaken, but she sure seems to have heard her name.

“Mark. Do you hear that strange song too?”

“… You mean the children’s song?”

“Yes.”

Iris once again listened to her song.

“Ring around the rosies”

(Let’s go around the rose)

Pocket full of positions

(A bag full of flowers)

Iris! Iris!

(Iris! Iris!)

The lord fell down!

(The monarch has fallen!)”

The moment she heard the entire lyrics, her face turned red.

Now this song… Doesn’t that imply that she in fact poisoned her predecessor?

“… Did I hear you right now?”

“Some of the lyrics are weird, but aren’t they just kids songs?”

“How can that be? This is obviously mocking me. Stop!”

Iris immediately stopped her carriage. She, and she, with her escort, she got off the carriage and headed for the source of the song.

There, young children were playing in circles.

“Duke!”

Others who checked Iris immediately bowed to her on their knees. The children also looked at the reaction of the adults around them and belatedly stopped playing and knelt down.

Iris asked, glaring at her children.

“What did you just say?”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“Don’t pretend. Now these children have sung a profane song! A song against this Iris Rogier!”

Everyone around flinched as Iris raised her voice and shouted. Some of the children even burst into tears.

But that didn’t stop Iris’ anger. Rather, she exploded.

“Arthur! What are you doing? Kill those children right now!”

Then, words beyond her imagination came out of Iris’ mouth.

Everyone around her was shocked when she heard that, including her escort driver.

“Duke….”

“Can’t you hear me? They sang blasphemous songs and spread strange rumors in this city!!”

“But they are still children. How can you blame them….”

“Noisy! Does age matter now? Those guys insulted me! You’re just conniving at this, so that’s why such absurd rumors are spreading!!”

Iris screamed. There was madness in her eyes.

“Duke, please calm down! Mercy for once….”

“Are you disobeying my orders until now?”

“… ….”

“All right. I do it myself.”

When Arthur refused to step forward, Iris herself pulled out her dagger from her belt.

Then at that moment.

“Aren’t you ashamed now?”

Someone shouted behind her.

At that confident cry, Iris turned her head away.

A middle-aged man with her hair bald was looking straight at Iris.

“What did you just say?”

“Are you really the lord of this city, to react so violently to mere children’s play?”

“What….”

“As expected, the former duke was right. You were not supposed to be a lord.”

“Ha… Where are you teasing that dirty snout? Oh, now I get it. Did you teach these kids that song? Arthur, hurry up with this guy…….”

Angry to the point of her head, Iris was about to order the innocent looking man to be killed.

But at that moment, Iris’s back bone suddenly craved and the sky started spinning.

“Keuugh!”

Iris staggered greatly, and her escort knight barely supported her. He quickly put her Iris in her wagon.

In the carriage, Iris shouted something, but against her will, the carriage started and left the marketplace.

Starting from this incident, public opinion about Iris in Roswell changed dramatically.