The impact of the Taidin assassination attempt was immense.
Even while staying at the Bonfire Camp, you could feel it—outside, the sound of armored boots running by echoed now and then, and clueless passersby were pressed to the ground right on the street, their cries and curses blending into a chaotic chorus.
It was a struggle to make it to dusk.
As night fell, things finally quieted down outside.
Ella changed into her pajamas and clambered onto her bed with a soft thump, tucking herself in under her small blanket.
A lot had happened today. The first half was full of good fortune, the second half brought disaster.
Life’s ups and downs, joy and sorrow, had left her feeling mentally exhausted.
Better get some early rest.
Zzzz
Her sleep was shallow—Ella wasn’t even sure if she’d truly fallen asleep at all.
In any case, she suddenly woke up.
Because someone was hugging her from behind again, both arms wrapped snugly around her waist.
“Ce…”
“Sorry,” came Zero’s voice from behind her.
“I woke you up.”
Ella’s heart skipped a beat—she nearly blurted out Celes’s name.
And the moment she heard Zero’s voice, her whole body tensed up, even more than the last time.
There wasn’t any special reason for it.
Mainly, the Assassin Girl had also approached her from behind before, and even stabbed her with a knife.
Now she was behind her again—what would she do this time?
Ella didn’t dare imagine.
“I’m sorry.”
“N-no, it’s fine. I wasn’t really asleep anyway.”
No more apologies, please.
Ever since she’d become a beautiful girl, Ella dreaded hearing people say “sorry”—it always meant they were about to do something.
In her previous life, she’d even sent “sorry” messages on bullet screens herself.
“I’ve caused you all trouble,” Zero said sadly.
Oh, so that’s what this apology was for.
Faced with such a sincere child, even Ella couldn’t help but sigh softly.
She spoke gently, “This isn’t your fault. It was Vina who deliberately gave you the order.”
Honestly, how could that little witch be so wicked?
Zero let out a self-mocking laugh.
“Actually, you can’t blame Vina. Because I… I was the one who was eager to do it.”
Ella blinked at the air.
What did that mean?
The arms around her waist tightened a little, and her back was pressed completely against the Assassin Girl’s chest.
She could feel the warmth and heartbeat of the girl behind her.
“Ella, did you know? That day, when the guards came to take you away, I was hiding in a corner, too scared to come out. I saw Celes step forward to protect you. Seeing her like that… I was really jealous of her.”
“?”
Ella’s mind couldn’t catch up.
Wait, wait, what did that mean?
“So when Vina told me that killing that bad guy would protect you, I was so happy. I didn’t think about anything else—I just felt like, at last, I could put my skills to use. So…”
The Assassin Girl’s voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost trembling beyond recognition.
Ella’s feelings were complicated.
Although these were her true thoughts, it was still a bit one-sided. It wasn’t like she didn’t think at all—for example, the idea to throw the corpse onto the signature ornament in the Church Square and make the murder look like divine punishment descending from the heavens was quite brilliant.
How brilliant?
Let’s put it this way—it was almost like the Demon King herself, after becoming a beautiful girl, stripping down and lying naked in front of the entire Hero Squad.
A moment of rival brilliance, I suppose.
Feeling the trembling behind her, Ella let out a silent sigh and uttered two words: “Well done.”
“…Eh?”
“I said well done. You killed a truly evil person. How could that not be a good thing?”
Just like Vina had said at lunch, her intentions were bad, but Zero had carried them out perfectly.
“But this has brought you all a lot of trouble. I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe so, but trouble always passes in the end. I once… mmph.”
Ella almost blurted out the story of how, after her first failed tavern riot, she was hunted by the former Demon King and forced to go on the run for half a year.
“…Back then, I was caught and held in the Demon King’s castle for so long, but I made it through.”
Those words worked wonders—the trembling behind her stopped.
“Ella, you’re so kind.”
“It’s nothing. We’re companions, after all.”
“Ella, can I sleep holding you tonight?”
“…Alright.”
She’d wanted to say, “Aren’t you already holding me?” but, considering the mood, she let it pass.
Go ahead and hug her—just don’t stab her.
Like she’d said before, it’s just a hug, not anything more.
Zzzz
Dawn broke over the Royal City, a layer of clouds shrouding the sky in gloom.
For the residents of the Royal City, the second day of martial law had begun.
“Huuu~mm.”
Ella stretched lazily and climbed out of bed, finding that Zero had already left.
Only a faint trace of warmth remained under the covers.
She opened her window and took a deep breath of the morning air.
“That’s fine.”
The Demon King had changed her mind.
Although the Hero Squad disbanding wasn’t exactly a bad thing, since she’d chosen to use them for her own revenge plan, she shouldn’t change her mind so lightly.
Let the heroes stay together, it’d be so much easier to catch them all at once.
After getting dressed, she went downstairs to the courtyard, where Vina was already waiting for her.
“Good morning, Ella. Let’s head out~”
“Where to?”
“First, let’s check out the crime scene… well, the official one. Then we’ll go to the real scene.”
A few minutes later, Celes—already dressed and ready—walked to the door at the top of the stairs and knocked.
“Zero, don’t leave the camp these next few days. Be patient. I’ll figure something out.”
Then she headed for the Royal Palace.
As a member of the investigation team, she had to check in every day.
Half an hour earlier, Lia, who had gotten up early to watch the sunrise, had already packed her bags and now stood at the entrance of the Cathedral of Light.
“Saintess!”
“Saintess, you—”
“Yes, I’ve returned.”
Lia greeted them simply and headed straight for the Cathedral, planning to give the bishops a surprise.
The walk wasn’t short, but she knew the way by heart.
In no time, she arrived and saw several bishops and sisters gathered together, speaking in hushed tones.
“Remember to clean up the traces, footprints, and bloodstains… I know the investigation is strict, but if we don’t… what are you all looking at behind me—hiss! Saintess, y-you… why are you back?!”
Instead of surprise, everyone was frightened.
Bishops and sisters scrambled in panic, and someone nearly fell over.
Lia’s holy smile froze on her face.
She wasn’t stupid—she’d heard plenty of what they’d said just now, and their reactions had given them away completely.
No matter how they tried to cover it up, there was no way to play dumb.
“What happened?”
Her gaze was stern.
“Tell me the truth.”
The sisters glanced at each other. In the end, the bishop who managed the chapel stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Saintess, we took in a girl who was on the run.”
“So what… cough, I mean, it’s normal for the Church of Light to shelter those who suffer. Why are you all so nervous?”
After spending so long with her teammates, words like that slipped out before she could help herself.
Thankfully, she corrected herself quickly, she had to maintain her noble lady image.
The bishop glanced around.
Several sisters quickly went to shut the doors and windows, even drawing the curtains.
The amount of Light in the Cathedral dropped noticeably.
Just as Lia began to frown, he explained:
“That little girl escaped from a carriage… from Taidin’s carriage.”
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