Ileil stared at Gro as he locked the door behind him. The action gave her a strong sense of dissonance.
Whenever this man behaved unusually like this, he always brought her troublesome news. Ileil held her slightly dizzy head and watched as Gro finished locking the door, walked over to the windowsill, and deliberately looked outside.
“So—what exactly did you come here to tell me?”
Ileil spoke first. Gro’s expression seemed different from the heaviness of last night.
“I’m here to bring you some good news.”
Gro turned around. He still wore that smile that made Ileil uncomfortable, but a rare seriousness flashed in his eyes.
“What good news?” Ileil pressed, but Gro didn’t answer immediately.
“Kid, stay still.” He said in a low voice, then raised his right hand. A faint blue light appeared at his fingertips.
Before Ileil could react, an invisible force rose from beneath her feet and quickly formed a magical barrier that enveloped the entire room, isolating it from the outside world.
“What are you doing?” Ileil instinctively took half a step back, her golden eyes scanning her surroundings. She had no idea where Gro had obtained such a barrier from. However, her instincts as a witch told her that this thing seemed capable of blocking magical power.
“Don’t be nervous, kid. I’m doing this to cut off certain ‘ears’ that have been eavesdropping on our conversations from behind the scenes.”
Gro narrowed his deep blue eyes and gave Ileil a meaningful glance:
“Listen carefully. I’ll only say this once—Kaze and Alyssa are fine. They’re currently hiding near Grey Rock Town and are temporarily safe.”
Ileil’s pupils contracted slightly when she heard Gro’s words.
“…How do you know that?” she asked coldly.
“The barrier won’t last long. This isn’t the time to explain.” Gro shrugged. “Listen—after attending the meeting Duke Lokas is holding this morning, I will immediately set out to rendezvous with Alyssa and Kaze.” He paused and glanced meaningfully around the room.
“What you need to do is keep a close eye on the people around the princess for me. Don’t let them learn of Kaze and the others’ whereabouts. I suspect the witch’s spies have infiltrated the princess’s or the duke’s side.”
The silver-haired girl’s heart skipped a beat.
Although Gro had indeed realized that the black-haired witch who started the fires was secretly monitoring everyone, he had drawn a completely wrong conclusion.
Ileil didn’t know whether the witch had other spies. But in truth, she herself was the person Gro should trust the least.
The witch’s power resided within Ileil’s body through unknown means. Not only could the witch silently transmit her voice to Ileil at any moment, but she also seemed capable of monitoring Ileil’s movements.
……
Oh? Mr. Gro seems to have trusted the person he should trust the least…
The so-called magical barrier had failed to block the witch’s sight at all. Her sneering whisper echoed in Ileil’s ear.
The arrogant ‘Black Edge’ thinks he can control everything? My kin… You don’t even need to do anything, and you’ll get to watch him die with your own eyes…
…….
Gro’s words and the witch’s whispers intertwined in Ileil’s ears. The girl stared somewhat dazedly at Gro as he gave her instructions. He continued telling her several things she needed to watch out for, but Ileil didn’t absorb any of it. She simply nodded mechanically, pretending to have taken everything in.
Gro, however, didn’t seem to notice anything strange about Ileil. He waved his hand, and the barrier’s light quickly faded, along with the oppressive atmosphere in the room.
“Alright, I’ve said pretty much everything I needed to. Don’t disappoint me, kid.”
“……You don’t need to tell me that.”
Ileil nodded and replied softly.
Once the barrier disappeared, Gro relaxed. He stretched exaggeratedly and said in an over-the-top manner:
“Whew. Your room is really stuffy. You don’t even open the windows!”
Ileil stood rigidly in place, her fingertips unconsciously digging into her palms. It was as if the secret conversation had never happened. But what Gro didn’t know was that his so-called ‘secret discussion’ had been completely overheard by the witch.
In other words, Gro had miscalculated in the witch’s hands for once…
Ileil never expected that the revenge she had obsessed over for nearly eight years would progress in such an unbelievable way. She had originally thought the deal the witch proposed was merely a tool to use her.
That black-haired witch was unexpectedly sincere. Even before Ileil had agreed to the deal, the witch had already promised to help her eliminate Gro first…
Ileil still didn’t know what the witch’s true purpose was… Of course she wasn’t foolish—she knew better than anyone that the witch definitely wanted something from her. However, Ileil had no desire to think too deeply about it. For her, as long as she could avenge her father and kill the smiling, treacherous man before her, any means would suffice.
But……
Right now, Ileil only felt exhausted. Ever since her last assassination attempt on Gro failed and she was forced to sign that humiliating contract, this indescribable sense of confusion had grown stronger with each passing day.
Especially after learning fragments of memories related to Gro—and even her father—from the witch’s black feather and Dorias Angus’s words. After thinking about it alone for a long time, Ileil had come to a realization:
—The witch was deliberately intensifying the conflict between her and Gro.
She was using Ileil’s hatred for Gro to pull her onto the same side.
There’s no need to feel lost, my kin.
The witch’s voice sounded once again, but now it only irritated Ileil.
Think about everything you’ve endured so far… None of the sinners connected to Gro deserve your pity. Hypocrisy will not avenge your dead father…
Shut up…
Ileil gritted her teeth. She was almost unable to tolerate the witch’s attempts to manipulate her thoughts any longer—her nails dug deep into her palms, and the pain helped her barely maintain her composure.
“Hey? Kid…” Gro waved his hand in front of her eyes. “What are you spacing out for? As a witness to the princess’s assassination attempt yesterday—you should attend the meeting as well, right?”
Ileil snapped back to reality. A trace of panic flashed through her golden eyes.
“I understand…”
However, Gro didn’t notice anything unusual about Ileil. She had thought her expression wouldn’t escape his sharp eyes, but today Gro was acting unusually thick-headed and carefree, completely different from his usual perceptive self.
“I know you can’t stand the sight of me—so I’ll get out of your way. Take some time to freshen up.”
Gro didn’t plan to linger in front of Ileil for long. He turned toward the door, but paused the moment he grabbed the doorknob. With his back to her, he said without turning around:
“By the way, Ileil.”
“…….What?”
He tilted his head slightly and let out a soft sigh:
“Listen to your own heart.”