I heard a faint clattering sound. The window was forced open from the outside and I could feel someone creeping into the room. Peeking through a small gap, I saw an unknown man who was obviously not a servant of this house, carefully observing his surroundings.
I just silently dug my fingernails into the peel of the fruit in my hand. A faint sweet scent spread around the room.
… I shouldn’t have gone into a small cabinet in summer. It was hot. My body was sticky with sweat, and the air was stuffy and stifling. I shouldn’t be playing hide-and-seek at my age.
The man who was outside of the cupboard left the room; his footsteps were quiet and careful. My sharp ears, which I had inherited from my father, picked up the faint sound of him closing the door tightly.
I bit into the soft flesh of the fruit that I had just peeled, and its thick, sweet nectar overflowed. I spat that out into my palm which filled the air with a thick, sweet scent.
Finally, I crawled out of the cabinet.
The small parlour in the rundown mansion remained quiet as it was when I went into the cabinet.
… I looked through the open window and saw that the furniture was still in place.
I looked up at the upper floor. I didn’t have anything to worry about since I trusted them. I can just go up slowly when I hear the commotion.
I took a bite of the fruit in my hand with that in mind. I quenched my thirst with the sweet fruit which had the same texture as a peach.
――― There was a clattering noise mixed with a scream and a snarl of a beast.
I got off the sofa after making sure that it had turned completely silent.
Finally. I don’t know what kind of person he is, but the intruder seemed to be very careful. It took me almost half an hour to get to the room I wanted in this small mansion.
I had already eaten the fruit and wiped the nectar from my hands.
The mansion was completely silent even after I had left the parlour. There weren’t many servants in this mansion to begin with, but they went out to buy groceries or work in the kitchen during the day, so the number of servants in the mansion reduced even further. Especially today, since ‘I’ was going to be at the House of Lords, the servants prioritized their tasks outside of the mansion.
I walked up the stairs to the second floor. The door of one of the guest rooms which was located directly above the parlour was left open. It was the room I had assigned for Feyria since she would be absent from the Academy for three days.
I stepped into the room. The teacup that I had lent Feyria was broken, and the fragments were scattered on the floor.
Feyria was curled up at the edge of her bed while trembling in fear and the intruder was struggling silently on the floor in front of her bed. There were two people and one animal pinning down the intruder.
“… Hey, the cup is broken. I’m sure I told you not to let anything break.”
“We didn’t break it, he did.”
Gunter said with a displeased expression on his face, then he put more weight onto the man who he was pinning down. The man rolled onto the floor and his mouth moved painfully. The man breathed unsteadily, and drool dripped from the corner of his mouth. I could tell at a glance that he couldn’t catch his breath.
He wouldn’t bite his tongue to commit suicide this way, and his actions and thoughts would be much more restricted. Not being able to breathe is a very painful thing, and your body won’t even let you think about death.
“Strip him naked and tie him up before he suffocates, and stuff his mouth so that he can’t commit suicide.”
“I know.”
Theo, the other person who was pinning down the intruder, began to tie him up as he had done before with the bandits.
Finally, Rashiok, who was crushing the intruder with his huge body, looked at me proudly and barked. He swept his tail on the floor, but he was a draconis, not a dog, and his tail was more like a snake, so he didn’t sweep any dust around. He had been able to sniff the fruity scent that had told him that a man had intruded and passed this message onto Gunter and Theo. Draconis are really smart creatures.
Theo and Gunter didn’t usually come to this house, so they didn’t know who the servants were, therefore it was possible for them to make a mistake while seizing the intruder. I came up with this solution and informed Rashiok about the intruder with fruit. Rashiok was able to smell the scent from the second floor and together they caught the intruder.
“I’ve shown you something unsightly, Lady Feyria. May I pull down the curtains of your bed?”
When I spoke to Feyria, who was still pale and shaking, her shoulders jumped in fright. She hadn’t been told about the possibility of an attack, so she seemed very surprised. She didn’t seem to have been involved in the fight, and she looked pale at the sight of the seized man.
Then, she asked in a thin voice, “Hmm, is it possible… for me to move to another room?”
“It would be better for you to stay close to us. I’m not comfortable with leaving you alone under these circumstances. I’ll pull the curtains down. This isn’t something an unmarried woman should see.”
I quickly pulled down the curtains, not caring that Feyria still looked like she had something she wanted to say. At the same time, the sounds of Theo mercilessly tearing and removing the clothes from the intruder echoed through the room.
A small scream sounded from inside of the curtains. Well, an ordinary noble woman wouldn’t hear sounds like this. The man, who was being mercilessly tied up by Theo, seemed to be gasping under Rashiok’s weight. But even though he was dazed from the lack of oxygen, he stared at me with confusion and astonishment, wondering what was going on.
He probably saw me departing for the House of Lords with two prominent escort knights in tow.
A child with black hair and red eyes. It must have matched exactly with what this man had been told about ‘my’ appearance beforehand… Well, of course, that child was an imposter, and I hadn’t actually left the mansion.
Anyhow, the mission went well. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to do something to Feyria with the master, guards, and servants out of the house, but… too bad.
“Milord, look at this. There’s something that looks like a family crest on this man’s clothes.”
Theo tossed me the intruder’s clothes. I nodded at Gunter and Theo after confirming that the lining was indeed embroidered with the Agren House crest.
“Indeed. Throw him into the winter preparations rooms when you’ve finished tying him up. All that’s left is for Freche’s son to get his act together.”
Gunter handed the man over to the military police for questioning.
The intruder was wearing a standard uniform supplied to servants in lower class noble homes in case he was spotted by another servant.
It was impossible to tailor an outfit for the intruder since the attack was unplanned and sudden. They probably made him wear that outfit to increase his chances of successfully completing his mission, fully aware that the chances of failure were high.
The Agren crest sewn into the lining of the intruder’s outfit was treated as conclusive evidence, and Viscount Agren was accused of attacking the Kaldia House and attempting to assassinate a noble on the same day.
In the evening the next day, Earl Kaldia, Viscount Agren, the daughter of Viscount Roguesia, who was thought to be the target of the intruder, and her father, Viscount Roguesia, were summoned to the church located in the noble district, where a trial would take place with the judiciary members and priests.
In just a few days, through this dispute amongst the lower nobles, the number of people involved with the trouble was discovered. This large-scale event became the impetus for a crackdown on illegal acts committed by nearly 100 nobles.
The priest, who was acting as a judge, noted down in his record that the Earl and Viscount were each looking very grim.
On the surface, Viscount Agren, who had been forced from the side of the hunter to the side of the hunted, was trying to keep his composure. However, his eyes were filled with hatred, ――― unexpectedly, his hatred was directed at Viscount Roguesia.
On the other hand, Viscount Roguesia, was also staring at Viscount Agren with an extremely cold expression on his face. I couldn’t grasp the relationship between them and could only look at them while feeling out of place.
Well, it was actually Feyria who was the target of the attack, and I was merely someone who got dragged in because I had provided her with a place to stay.
As I watched sparks secretly fly between these two viscounts, I wondered how things would turn out. I remembered these past three crazy days and got caught up thinking about the future.
When Feyria heard that her friend, Earl Kaldia, had developed a high fever on her way home from an outing, she rushed out of school and went to visit me. But unfortunately, my illness had passed onto her, and she also caught a fever, so it was decided that she would stay at the Kaldia mansion since I couldn’t let her go back to the Academy with a fever.
Firstly, that was ‘why’ Feyria was staying at my mansion. I told both the Academy and Roguesia House about this on the same day she had come over.
I sent my messengers to five places on that day.
One of them went to the House of Lords to inform them that I wouldn’t be attending the meeting that was happening on the following day.
One went to Earl Thelesia to report the current situation, my predictions about what was going to happen and the actions that I would be taking based on those predictions.
The last one went to Kaldia fief to summon Gunter, Theo and Rashiok to the capital. Rashiok and his sweetheart, the white draconis, brought the three of them to the capital within a day. The wings of a draconis are really powerful.
“――― So, when Earl Kaldia returned from the House of Lords, the intruder had already been captured by her fief soldiers who were staying at the mansion.”
I nodded even though the judge was just confirming the contents of the report.
“I was at the House of Lords during the day, so I wasn’t directly present at the time of the attack. The servants were attending to business outside, so there weren’t many people present at the mansion, but I’m glad Lady Feyria is safe.”
I said calmly, but of course it was all a lie. Radka was the one who had attended the House of Lords meeting, not me, and I was the one who had directly given the order to capture the culprit.
Feyria, who was standing at the corner of my eyes, knew the truth, but she looked down. Yes, that’s right, keep quiet and don’t say anything unnecessary; that is if you want to annul your engagement with the Agrens and marry Corneille Freche.
“If you have any excuses, then let’s hear it, Viscount Agren. The assailant wore a servant’s uniform that had the Agren House’s crest on it. I have also confirmed with the heraldry department that the crest was made for the Agren House. That is enough to prove that you are responsible for the attack.”
“… It is true that the crest worn by the assailant who attacked the Kaldia mansion belongs to my house. However, I don’t remember hiring such a person at all. You will find that I’m telling the truth if you check my family’s employment logs.”
Viscount Agren said with a pained expression on his face.
“I see,” the judge muttered. I was a little impressed with how they were able to prepare for a search in one day. So, nothing unsavoury would be uncovered even if the whole house is searched.
Viscount Roguesia glared at Viscount Agren provocatively. He is also a noble, the unusual calmness that he had shown in our first meeting had completely vanished and it made me think that he was a different person.
“Also, why must I have my son’s fiancée killed?”
“… I don’t know what you were going to do to my daughter, but you can’t say that you don’t have a motive, Viscount Agren.”
Viscount Roguesia’s cold voice interrupted Viscount Agren’s theatrical defence.
“I’m planning on suing Viscount Agren for another matter. There’s a serious problem with the business we’re running together, a problem that Viscount Agren had deliberately created, and he must have thought he could stop me from prosecuting him if he threatened my daughter.”
“What nonsense!”
Viscount Agren laughed off Viscount Roguesia’s words. He must have finished cleaning house and was confident that there would be no proof even if he was accused. He looked down on Viscount Roguesia who was glaring at him sharply.
“What are you accusing me of? I’ve been supporting your business for many years with devotion, and now your accounts are in the black―――…”
“Viscount Agren, would you refrain from speaking? I want to listen to Viscount Roguesia’s statement.”
The priest interrupted Viscount Agren who kept on talking. Viscount Agren choked on his words and glared at the priest in annoyance. The military policeman who was standing behind the Viscount thrusted the end of his weapon onto the ground and he finally stopped talking.
“Now then, please continue with what you were saying earlier, Viscount Roguesia.”
Viscount Roguesia, who was prompted to speak again by the judge, seemed to think his accusations were truly frightening. His face quickly paled, and his shoulders slumped down. Feyria, who was standing next to him, anxiously grabbed his arm while confused, then Viscount Roguesia finally opened his mouth.
“Yes… Simply put, I want to accuse Viscount Agren of causing people to become addicted to the beeswax we produce in the business that I co-own with him.”
“Addiction? Are you… sure?”
I guess the judge didn’t expect to hear such a word in such a small trial. His face twisted in surprise and suspicion.
“Yes. It was Viscount Agren who brought in the beeswax manufacturing method. He signed a sales contract for the process, guaranteeing its safety.”
After glancing at Viscount Roguesia, who had begun to stammer, an attentive military police officer gently offered me a cup of tea since I was now an outsider. He dropped a few drops of the tea onto the saucer to check for poison, then withdrew smoothly. The capital’s military police are excellent. They’re well-disciplined and slick.
While I was elegantly sipping on the tea, Viscount Roguesia’s statement had caused both the judge and the priest to pale.
According to him, they started producing that addictive beeswax five years ago, and the wholesale route was entrusted to Viscount Agren. They also produce normal beeswax, and although there isn’t much different in the way the two types are made, there weren’t any addictive components in the normal beeswax.
“What exactly is the difference between the two types of beeswax?”
“Well… roughly speaking, the wax is refined by adding the rembia juice.”
“Rembia juice? That can’t be. Rembia flowers are supposed to be non-toxic.”
The priest frowned. It’s true that the flowers themselves aren’t toxic. It would have been well-known if it was, since the flower is a garden species.
“However, when the dehydrated juice from the ripe fruit is mixed with honey and burnt, then the fumes become poisonous.”
“I’ve never heard about that before…”
“When the rembia fruits are ripe, they give off a strong odour that stings the eyes and nose, so basically all cultivated plants are plucked at a certain time.”
“Oh… I see.”
The judge, who probably left all plant management to the gardener, nodded uncertainly. The priest, on the other hand, probably took care of the plants at the monastery since he nodded in agreement.
“Certainly, if the addictive properties of the beeswax and the sales contract of the manufacturing method are admitted as evidence, then Viscount Agren will be charged with defrauding Viscount Roguesia and trafficking drugs into the kingdom. I’m sure you will be accused of being involved in the drug trafficking as well, but…”
“Wait, I’m not involved in that! All that is just Viscount Roguesia’s nonsense. I don’t know anything about plants. How could I possibly come up with a way like that to produce poison?”
Viscount Agren raised his voice because he couldn’t bear with it anymore.
“You already know that a few days ago, I confessed in private that I suspect that Viscount Roguesia is evading tax. He’s trying to frame me in order to cover up his own wrongdoings!”
“What?!”
Viscount Roguesia, who had remained calm until this point, finally stood up because of what Viscount Agren had said.
As I sipped on the delicious tea that had been provided by the military police, I waved my hand at Claudia, who was standing behind me, to signal that it was time to end this confusing situation.
Adults are full of lies. I was appalled.
The ugly truth of the two Viscount’s quarrel was apparent to me, who had relied on Earl Thelesia’s information network after I saw that my own information network was limited for this matter, and I was amazed at how quickly they spoke with a double-tongue.
What the two Viscounts were saying was a mixture of exaggeration and lies. They had colluded and this was the worst possible way of them cutting each other off for profit. The beeswax manufacturing and trafficking as well as tax evasion… the dispute over their children’s engagement was a camouflage to allow them to act in secret, and I was dragged into this because they couldn’t get out of the situation no matter how much they struggled.
I’m going to have Viscount Roguesia alter the third-party evidence of those illegal activities that Earl Thelesia had given me, and then I’m going to submit it to the two judges, then it’ll all be over.
Viscount Roguesia will be left with a heavy debt, but Margrave Freche will take care of them without killing them or letting them off either. He should be grateful that Margrave Freche accepted his third son’s proposal: ‘you can get your hands on Ryunfeld’s fertile land and a large beekeeping facility for 15 million alcs’.
The Agren House’s wrongdoings are definitely connected to the Nordsterm House. Earl Theelsia’s goal this time was to expose Marquis Nordsterm before he cut off his tail and forced him out of the House of Lords, and I was his pawn in this occasion.
… Anyway, it was only a matter of time before this came to an end.
I looked up since a slight discomfort reached my ears.
“What’s wrong?”
Perhaps because of my sudden movement, everyone in the room, including the two Viscounts who were ugly arguing, as well as the judge and priest who were listening to their conversation calmly, suddenly looked at me.
I could hear a high-pitched sound rising in the distance.
“… Is there a commotion outside?”
“What?”
The priest was puzzled and quickly motioned to the guard who was standing at the door. The guard opened the door.
――― At that moment, the room filled with noise, and a strange sound of rustling dead leaves filled the room.
Just then, a guard came rushing in from outside and said, “There’s a fire! A fire has broken out in the vicinity! Please evacuate!”
Everyone rose to their feet. The sound was too strange to be a mere fire.
“We will adjourn the meeting due to the emergency situation. Everyone, this way please.”
The priest led the way while looking pale and guards were on either side of Viscount Agren and Viscount Roguesia. I pacified the confused Feyria and pulled her arm. I had lost Claudia who I had sent away to get documents, and I wondered if I could properly join with her later. She shouldn’t be that far away.
… At any rate, the commotion occurred at a bad time. I hope this commotion doesn’t cause this matter to be swept under the rug.
We quickly walked out of the temple. Everyone gulped since they couldn’t believe their eyes.
The sky was red even though there was still some time before dusk. On the other side of the wall that divided the city, black smoke was rising from everywhere and there were sparkles flashing everywhere.
“Are those… phosphorescent moths? No way, there’s that many?”
Viscount Roguesia muttered dumbfoundedly. I looked up at the sky while feeling the same.
A red sky… the sky looked red because countless phosphorescent moths were swirling in the air.
The phosphorescent moths swarmed like a surging wave and grazed past the commoners’ buildings which caused them to flare up. Screams echoed continuously. Everyone was speechless at the horrifying and unusual sight.
“What the hell is going on?”
“We should evacuate… it’s dangerous here.”
The priest turned around.
Then, I was suddenly hit by a strong force which knocked me against the wall. The impact ran through my body, and I stopped breathing. My weak body slumped to the ground.
“Everyone, stop moving! Don’t move!”
Something strongly pressed down on my back, and I heard Viscount Agren screaming hysterically right above me. When I managed to turn my head, I saw two men in black plunging their swords into the bodies of the guards.
Feyria’s scream pierced the air. I saw Viscount Roguesia fall onto the ground without a sound.
“What---?!”
Those were the last words of the judge. The sounds of the flapping wings of the phosphorescent moths drew closer, drowning out his last words.
The temple garden caught on fire. The fire built up gradually, then transferred onto the tunics of the guards who were on the ground. I could only watch in dismay as the fire spread.
“Great! I hope you all burn alive in the fire!”
Viscount Agren gleefully screamed, then he stomped on my back and something cold hit me on the back of my left hand…
“AAAAAHHHHH―――!”
An impulsive scream squeezed its way out of my throat and sweat gushed out of my body. My left hand felt hot. It was burning with pain. The guard’s spear that Viscount Agren had thrusted pinned my left hand to the ground.
The Viscount laughed loudly, drowning the noise of Feyria resisting to escape from the hands of the black-clad intruders. The awful sound of fire, screams, and flapping wings filled the area, then the sound soon faded far away.
I bit the back of my mouth and grabbed the hilt of the spear that was stabbed into my left hand with my right hand.
My breaths were short as I was still recovering from the shock of the impact. My left fingertips twitched from the intense pain as I heard a sickening gurgling sound.
The blade had pierced my hand without damaging my bone. Lucky. The nausea would have slowed me down if my bone had been damaged.
I pulled the spear up. The sweat on my palms made my grip slippery and I couldn’t lift the spear properly.
A burning sensation spread through my body because I was close to the fire. I’ll be engulfed by flames and will die if I don’t hurry… the people who had fallen around me will be the same.
I could see the priest convulsing on the ground. The priest and Viscount Roguesia should still be alive. It was already too late for the other three. The judge looked like he had been stabbed in the chest and the other two guards had already been engulfed by the flames.
I have to save the priest at least. I should be able to send Viscount Agren to the guillotine if the priest is saved… Well, I have to deal with my own critical situation first though.
But the heavy metal spear wouldn’t budge in a child’s hand.
I grew more and more impatient. The thought of another swarm of phosphorescent moths passing by sent a shiver of fear down my spine. I tried to calm my rising breath, but the heat made it hot and stuffy.
… The smell of people burning made me feel awful as I was forcefully made to recall some bad memories. I clicked my tongue at the sweat that was caused by factors other than pain and heat.
Calm down… Calm down, me. Since it’s already like this then why don’t I just pull my hand back as hard as I can and rip the flesh between my middle and index fingers with the tip of the spear? At worst, I might lose the use of my pinkie and middle fingers for the rest of my life, but it would be better than being burnt alive here. It’s not even my dominant hand.
“――― Eliza!”
Just as I began to think about this, by some stroke of luck, a familiar voice called my name from the sky.
“… Radka, I’m here!”
There was a burst of fire. A child with black hair and deep crimson eyes ran up to me after he tumbled down from Rashiok’s back. He frowned when he saw the spear stuck in my left hand, then he grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled it out of the ground in one slick movement.
Blood dripped to the ground with a sloshing noise. My entire arm shook from the intense, numbing pain.
I tore off my cloak with my mouth and right hand, and with Radka’s help, tied it around my left hand to stop the bleeding. I dragged the priest and jumped on Rashiok’s back. Rashiok gently floated in the air with Viscount Roguesia in his mouth and Radka, the priest and I on his back.
I heard the roaring sound of the wind. I wondered if the phosphorescent moths weren’t approaching us, even though we were flying through their flock, because Rashiok was using his magic to control the wind.
The downtown area of the capital which was spread out below us was in a really bad shape. People ran into narrow alleys to escape from the phosphorescent moths. Fire and black smoke rose from everywhere and people were screaming and shouting.
“What are you doing here?”
“Rashiok suddenly… put me on his back and ran out of the house.”
“I see,” I nodded.
Radka didn’t seem to grasp the situation. It must have been Rashiok who suddenly went into action.
If possible, I wanted him to take Theo or Gunter with him instead of Radka, but he seemed to have sensed that something was wrong and immediately flew to me with the closest person, so I couldn’t complain.
I stroked Rashiok’s neck with my fingertips while feeling relieved.
“Hey, don’t move your injured hand.”
“It’s stopped bleeding. It’s alright. It won’t get worse if I don’t use my palm.”
The bleeding had already stopped in my tightly bound left hand. Pushing the stinging pain out of my mind, I motioned Rashiok to go down to the canal.
Phosphorescent moths were weak against water, so they didn’t approach the canal. The commoners, who had failed to escape, were huddled in the centre of the canal and shivering.
“Radka, take care of the wounded. Do your best to make sure they don’t die, especially the priest over here.”
With that simple command, I ripped off the cloak that was hindering my movement and pressed it into Radka’s arm so he could use it as bandages. “Alright,” Radka widened his eyes. Then, he lowered the two unconscious men into the high-water.
“Stay in the canal. Phosphorescent moths don’t go near water.”
“Where are you going with that injury?!”
“Viscount Agren has escaped with Feyria Roguesia. I’m going after them.”
“HAH?!” Radka screamed behind my back as I ordered Rashiok to fly. The wind immediately roared, and I felt my organs sinking as we floated into the air.
“Follow Feyria’s scent, quickly!”
They couldn’t have gotten far. If he wanted to take advantage of the chaos, then he wouldn’t run in a direction where there is no chaos, as long as he has his conspicuous attendants with him. He would definitely not head towards the noble district.
But since I don’t know who those black-cladded men were, I can’t be sure that Feyria and Viscount Agren won’t split up. Therefore, I had Rashiok rush.
I won’t let Feyria be taken away. We’re almost there ―――.
Rashiok landed in a hall in the commoner’s district where the fire was less intense, and from there, he began running fast down the street. He used wind to push away the occasional fire sparks and phosphorescent moths as he ran down the deserted streets.
The phosphorescent moths had started behaving strangely and were flying in swarms. They were still fluttering around in swarms, but they weren’t fluttering like waves.
This is rather eerie, I thought.
The abnormal behaviour of the monsters has been going on for several years. However, they shouldn’t clearly deviate from their ecological behaviour unless it was because of a natural disaster. The knowledge that I have accumulated negates that.
It was impossible for the phosphorescent moths to cause this incident since it wasn’t their normal behaviour.
――― So, this must have been caused by someone.
… People are usually involved when something out of the norm happens. I don’t know how they did it, but there is someone out there who has the means to make monsters and magical beasts rampage.
Though, I couldn’t find anything in my ‘previous memories’ that indicated that such a method was possible.
I was lost in thought when Rashiok let out a low growl.
“You found her?”
I pulled out the sword I wore around my waist. It was a ceremonial sword, but that didn’t mean it was inadequate as a weapon.
I saw two men dressed in black in a small square with a fountain. One was carrying Feyria on his shoulder while the other was keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings with a spear in his hand.
There was a figure on the other side of the fountain… Viscount Agren wasn’t alone. There was one or two people standing opposite him.
Do I need to get Feyria back first? I can’t do anything while they’re holding a hostage. ――― I can’t let them take her for personal reasons as well.
“Go, Rashiok. It’s time to hunt.”
Rashiok instantly sprung out like a released arrow.
The tip of the spear, which had been swung in panic at the sudden attack, bounced off Rashiok’s scales, and Rashiok bit into the defenceless body. Rashiok continued rushing forward and crushed the fountain, spraying water high into the air.
I jumped off Rashiok’s back at the same time, and my rapier stabbed straight through the nape of the man who was carrying Feyria.
Hostages are meaningful when they’re held out in front of you like a shield, and not when they’re being carried. Remember that in your next life.
I pulled Feyria off the man’s shoulders as he let out a strange sound when the sword pierced his throat. I rolled on the ground with her screaming in my arms, blocking the impact for the both of us. It was difficult for me to catch a sixteen year old girl who was bigger than I am.
“Stay down.”
I said in a commanding tone out of habit. I left Feyria who was staring at me in a daze and got up. Then, I took the spear from the corpse that Rashiok had spat out. It was a little heavy, but it would do.
At that moment, I heard the sound of something heavy falling from the other side of the fountain. Two figures swayed beyond the raining water and turned around to look at me.
“My, oh my, Eliza Kaldia. It’s been a long time. I’ve come to see you, but I didn’t expect to see you so soon. You’re an excellent killer, just like your father.”
There stood a girl in a nun’s uniform; ――― she was definitely the nun who had attacked Kaldia.