I’m eating! I’m eating eating eating!!
The Goddess Young Lady in the restaurant transformed her sorrow into appetite, devouring food wildly while casting sharp, venomous glances at Ileya beside her from time to time.
As for her dissatisfaction with her personal maid, the Noble Lady pretended not to notice and simply sipped the juice in her cup delicately.
Tap tap tap…
“Noble Lady~” Before long, Rhine Arthur came over with a smile.
Like a bard with a silver tongue, despite his scruffy beard, he managed to obtain some recent information about the town simply by offering a mug of beer.
This small town was only half a day’s journey from the Crystal Capital, not too far, so overall it was relatively peaceful.
At least there were no particularly active familiars or beasts nearby, and most of the residents were miners and farmers.
The former was the most common occupation in Eastern County, the latter the most widespread in the Kingdom.
However… due to the recent Moonlit Night Disappearance Incident, this quiet little town had been thrown into unrest.
Apparently, last night the Apothecary’s Apprentice went out to fetch medicine but disappeared during that time.
The town’s patrol guards and some hired mercenaries searched all night but found no trace whatsoever.
Is that so… Ileya gently swirled the cup in her hand.
Though this matter had nothing to do with her personally, as the daughter of the Marquis of Eastern County, she felt obliged to take some interest.
However… before she could ask for more details and start reasoning it out, she turned her head and saw a somewhat familiar figure outside the window.
Hmm?
Ileya’s pupils contracted slightly—this time, she was genuinely… surprised.
How come no matter where she went, she always ran into this guy?
Could it be that he was following her?
Or… was this still some so-called arrangement of fate?
“Interesting…”
…
“Sigh… Little Holly, this is really all I know…”
The old Apothecary looked at Holly, whose eyes were bloodshot and dark beneath, speaking with heavy concern.
Holly had been wandering back and forth from the herb shop to her home all day, but had found no sign of her sister.
At this moment, a figure gradually approached from afar. It was a young man, the old Apothecary’s son, and Ailu’s senior apprentice, Mein.
But even he wore a face of helplessness.
“I just searched the east side of town, but still… no sign at all.”
“Sister… sister…”
The young girl seemed completely deaf to the two’s words, turning back like a walking corpse, heading toward her home.
She seemed determined to follow that familiar path again, searching for any trace of her sister.
The Apothecary and his son exchanged a glance, and Mein stepped forward to stop Holly.
Hoo…
But in the next moment, another hand grabbed the girl.
This sudden restraint froze Holly mid-step; she stiffly turned her head to see Reliel beside her, who had appeared without her noticing.
Earlier, Reliel and the rest of the Hunter Blade Mercenary Group had been searching the town for any sign of Ailu.
But all efforts were in vain.
Continuing like this… would achieve nothing. They had to plan carefully!
Tap tap tap…
Silent, Reliel took Holly’s wrist and headed toward her home.
Holly was an ordinary person, already injured before, and having endured a whole sleepless night, it was a miracle her body had held up this long.
She needed to rest properly; otherwise, before they found any clues about her sister, she would collapse herself.
Hoo!
Just then, Reliel suddenly felt darkness sweep across her vision!
Huh?!
It was as if a pair of icy pale hands had covered her eyes directly. Then, a sharp sound, like two pieces of clear ice rubbing against each other, rang in Reliel’s ears.
“Guess… who I am?”
That voice… she paused slightly, then instinctively uttered a name.
“Ileya.”
Hoo… the moment she said the name, the hands covering her eyes dissipated like smoke drifting away.
Turning around on instinct, Reliel saw…
Across the street, at a window seat in the restaurant, the white-haired, red-eyed Noble Lady was smiling brightly at her and slowly waving.
The girl was slightly stunned. As a mercenary, her first thought was… if that person had wanted to kill her, there would have been no need to come out of the restaurant at all.
Is this… a transcendent being?
Then… she felt confused.
How was it that no matter where she went, she kept running into this Noble Lady?
Could the other party be following her?
Should she say the two were truly sisters… their first instincts were almost the same.
While she pondered this, Ileya made a beckoning gesture. Judging from her lip movements, Reliel understood.
She was saying… “Come in and have a seat~”
Just as well, Reliel wanted Holly to rest a bit, so she nodded to Ileya and pulled the walking corpse-like Holly into the nearby restaurant.
“This way~” The table could only seat four at most, so Ileya got up and moved to the adjacent seat.
Her red eyes, however, never left Holly’s hand, which Reliel was holding.
Tap tap tap…
Reliel had just reached Ileya’s side and before she could nod in greeting, Ileya grabbed her empty hand!
“Come here~” The Noble Lady forcibly pulled her sister down beside her, her face full of a kind smile.
Reliel was left utterly bewildered, not understanding why Ileya was so warm.
“Oh my~ What a coincidence… running into you in a place like this~”
Ileya said as she suddenly hugged Reliel, their faces pressed close together—
“Ugh…” This somewhat intimate gesture made Reliel instantly feel… strange.
Her ears felt hot…
“Hmm? And this must be…” Seeing Holly standing nearby like an outsider, Ileya kindly inquired.
At this moment, Holly had no mind to think about anything else.
Her heart was deadened. If her sister was truly gone, she didn’t know how she would face her grandparents, or how she would continue living.
So she only felt numb; she didn’t even know where she was, let alone the person in front of her.
Seeing this, Reliel sighed.
She helped Holly sit down at the table and pushed a glass of water that the waiter had just placed in front of her.
But…
“You know, this won’t help~” Ileya spoke at this moment.
Reliel knew it was useless, but at least giving her some water to calm down was the only thing she could do…
Splash!!
…What??
Before Reliel’s thoughts could settle, Ileya, still smiling, picked up the glass and splashed the water directly onto Holly’s dazed face.
Huh?
“…?” Not only was Reliel stunned, but Holly was also snapped back to consciousness by the water.
“How about it? Feeling a bit more awake now?”
“You…” Holly looked at the unfamiliar young girl smiling at her, at first angry, but then she just slumped back into her seat.
Right now… she had no energy to argue with anyone over such a thing.
“So, what’s your name? And what happened between you two?” Seeing Holly’s reaction, Ileya grew bored and propped her chin on her hand.
“I… I’m Holly. My sister disappeared. Last night… because of me… she went out at night and never came back.”
Holly spoke as if to herself, pain overflowing from her eyes again.
Oh? The apprentice who disappeared last night was her sister?
“Hmm… Are you sure she disappeared… and isn’t just angry at you and refusing to come home?” The Noble Lady raised an eyebrow and asked.
Ugh!!
Why did this person have to be so blunt and arrogant? Didn’t she fear getting hit?