The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the courtyard, casting a golden halo upon Helos’s silver hair.
She bent over, carefully searching among the flowers, her fingertips gently parting the leaves.
The girl sighed softly, standing up to brush the dirt off the hem of her skirt.
A flicker of disappointment passed through her pale purple eyes— as expected, she couldn’t find materials like Moonlight Mushrooms or Snakevine in the duke’s courtyard.
“Looks like I’ll have to buy them after all……”
She muttered quietly, the silver strands at her hair’s end swaying lightly as she shook her head.
Just then—
“Oh~ Miss Helos? What are you doing out here in the courtyard?”
A cheerful male voice suddenly came from behind.
Helos spun around sharply, her silver hair tracing a shimmering arc through the air.
“Eh? That voice……”
She blinked, and two familiar figures were reflected in her pale purple pupils.
Kyle stood not far off, his fiery red hair striking against the sunset, beside him the gray-haired girl— Selina.
“Mr. Kyle? And Miss Selina?”
Helos tilted her head, surprise written across her face. “What are you two doing here?”
Kyle laughed heartily:
“Julius must’ve told you about our mission, right?”
Seeing Helos nod, he continued to explain:
“We have the duke’s permission to stay at the manor for a while to assist in tracking down the Abyss Cultists.”
Helos’s gaze unconsciously flicked toward Selina.
The vampire girl seemed a bit reserved, shyly waving her hand toward Helos.
Both appeared aware that Helos’s constitution was somewhat unusual, so they kept an appropriate distance.
“By the way, Miss Selina, are you really… a vampire?”
Helos hesitated for a moment, unsure if the question was proper. “Is that true?”
“Ah… yes.”
Selina’s voice was as light as a breeze. “Sorry if I scared you before.”
A trace of apology flickered in her pale gray eyes:
“But don’t worry, I don’t usually feed directly on humans.”
Kyle jumped in at the right moment, patting the water pouch at his waist:
“I’ll prepare blood bags from animals for her.”
Helos waved her hand:
“That’s not really what I’m worried about….”
Her gaze turned serious. “Are you sure your identity is okay? Operating openly in the human world?”
Selina’s lips curved into a faint smile:
“Usually, it’s not a problem.”
“Since the War Between Humans and Demonkind ended a hundred years ago, several towns have formed along the border where humans and demonkind live together.”
She gently lifted her hand as a fallen leaf drifted into her pale palm:
“It’s just that we rarely venture deep into human lands… so areas farther from the border might still harbor some prejudice against us.”
Kyle suddenly interrupted, his red eyebrows furrowing:
“Of course, it’s also because of some restless demonkind—like those guys in the Abyss Cult, always scheming to disrupt the peace.”
Selina nodded, her silvery-white hair swaying gently:
“They always think demonkind should rule over humans…..”
Her voice lowered gradually. “Just as detestable as those extreme Human Supremacists.”
As Selina’s words fell, a thought flashed through Helos’s mind:
If players from Some Star were here now, they’d probably be furious.
Helos jolted back to reality, hastily clearing her throat to cover up her distraction:
“Ah, I see.”
The sunset’s glow warmed her slightly flushed cheeks, her pale purple eyes shimmering with an awkward light.
She quickly changed the subject:
“Well then, good luck on your mission—oh, by the way, have you seen Julius?”
Kyle grinned, raising his hand to point toward the workshop:
“The boy seems to have gone to your workshop.”
The young man winked at Helos. “He looked a little tired—he really helped out this afternoon.”
“What kind of help?”
Helos tilted her head, silver eyebrows slightly raised.
Selina took a step forward, her voice soft as a breeze:
“The owners of the apothecaries—he provided us with an entirely new lead.”
A smile flickered in the vampire girl’s pale gray eyes:
“Come to think of it, Julius said it was you who enlightened him.”
“Really?”
Helos blinked, seeming to recall what she had said.
But soon she shook her head:
“Well, as long as it helps you guys.”
Suddenly turning around, she waved to the two:
“I’ll be going then!”
The girl’s steps were light and swift as she ran toward the workshop, her silver hair trailing behind her like a flowing moonbeam.
The sunset stretched her shadow long and thin, intertwining with the roses’ silhouettes in the courtyard.
Selina and Kyle stood still, watching her figure disappear around the corner.
A gentle evening breeze passed by, carrying a faint scent of flowers and herbs.
Kyle sighed softly as he watched Helos’s retreating back:
“Ah, such a good girl.”
His voice lowered further, “Why does she have to be so neglected?”
Selina stepped closer, her voice barely above a whisper:
“I heard Miss Eleanor mention something—apparently it’s related to the late duchess.”
She paused, hesitation flickering in her pale gray eyes.
“But the exact reason… I don’t know either.”
Both their gazes turned toward the main building of the duke’s manor.
***
In the twilight, the imposing silhouette looked especially stern.
Kyle shook his head:
“Forget it, it’s not something we should meddle in.”
Selina nodded, her silvery-white hair sliding down her shoulders.
Suddenly recalling something, she pulled a small cloth bag from inside her cloak:
“By the way, these are samples we managed to get from those apothecaries while keeping our identities hidden.”
Kyle took the bag, his fingers pausing slightly as they touched the contents:
“Hopefully… this time we can find some useful clues.”
“Julius~”
Helos burst through the workshop door, spotting the black-haired boy looking somewhat weary.
“Oh? Looks like you’ve been busy this afternoon?”
“Yes….”
Julius sighed. “We secretly visited most of the city’s apothecaries separately this afternoon. Honestly, it was exhausting.”
“Did you find any clues?”
“There are indeed some leads….. but we can’t confirm their involvement yet.”
Julius looked at Helos, his voice growing serious as he answered, “For now, don’t sneak out secretly anymore. Those Abyss Cultists… might have really infiltrated the city.”
“Miss Eleanor was already attacked once before. We absolutely can’t let that happen to you too.”
“You really care, huh~”
Helos smiled cheerfully, stepping closer to Julius. “So does that mean you’ll be going to those apothecaries again in the next few days?”
“Yes.”
“Then could you help me buy some other herbs too?”
Stars glittered in Helos’s eyes as she clasped her hands together. “Pretty please~ Julius-kun~”