The morning sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the Duke’s mansion, outlining the tidy bookshelves and the desk in the study.
Julius stood in front of the desk and gave a brief account of last night’s infiltration of the warehouse: the hidden counterfeit liquor, the Secret Passage, and their successful capture of a follower of the Abyss.
Eleanor listened quietly to the end and only nodded, her tone exceptionally calm:
“Well done. I’ll arrange for someone to interrogate him.”
She turned a page of the document in her hand and didn’t look at Julius again, as if all of this was nothing more than the natural course of events.
The young man bowed slightly and withdrew from the study.
Julius didn’t stop walking. Soon, he arrived outside Helos’s workshop.
When he pushed open the door and entered, he saw that Kyle and Selina had already arrived before him and were recounting every detail of last night to Helos.
The young girl sat quietly at the workbench, her long hair shimmering silver in the sunlight.
Her fingertips tapped soundlessly on the table, as if she was sorting through her thoughts.
As Julius walked into the workshop, Helos’s gaze shifted slightly and landed on him.
The young man met her eyes for a moment, his heart inexplicably tightening — there was something strange about her gaze, no matter how he looked at it.
“…What’s wrong?”
He couldn’t help but ask.
“I was just thinking,”
Helos arched her brows lightly, her tone carrying an elusive undertone, “Tell me, what kind of person do you think is most skilled at using threats and kidnapping as their methods?”
Julius was taken aback, and subconsciously answered,
“Uh…Abyss followers?”
The girl immediately revealed a meaningful smile, her tone carrying a hint of mockery:
“But I think the three of you are quite adept at those methods yourselves.”
“It was all Mr. Kyle’s idea.”
Julius put on a righteous face, glanced at Kyle, and solemnly shifted the blame, “I was forced into it.”
“What? How did this end up on me?”
Kyle was stunned, scratched the back of his neck, and looked innocent, “Th-this isn’t right, is it?”
“But he’s not wrong either.”
Selina spoke up coolly from the side, even poking Kyle’s waist as she did so, a slight smile at her lips, “At the very least, it was you who first suggested kidnapping, wasn’t it?”
“Well, I suppose that’s true.”
Kyle coughed awkwardly, trying to save a bit of face, “But the other party was an evildoer to begin with. Using a villain’s methods against a villain isn’t going too far, is it?”
“I never said it wasn’t allowed.”
Helos shrugged lightly, her tone breezy, her gaze sweeping over the three of them, a hint of curiosity flickering in her eyes:
“I just want to know — how do you plan to pry something of value out of that guy’s mouth?”
“Miss Eleanor said she’d send people to interrogate him. We just have to listen in from the side when the time comes.”
Julius replied quickly, then looked at Helos, “What, do you have another plan?”
“Me? I don’t have any special ideas.”
The girl’s fingertips gently rubbed her chin, her expression thoughtful, then the corners of her mouth curled up slightly,
“But…I’d quite like to hear for myself what he has to say.”
“Wouldn’t it be too dangerous for you to appear in front of him?”
Julius stared at Helos, worry evident in his tone, “What if something unexpected happens—”
“It’s nothing serious, is it?”
But Helos seemed to have made up her mind long ago, “As long as I wear that disguise properly, even if I killed him, he could never guess who I really am.”
Hearing this, Julius, Kyle, and Selina all looked at each other in unspoken agreement.
None of the three spoke first.
“…Alright then, but on one condition.”
In the end, it was Julius who sighed, “You can’t get too close. Even if you’re just listening, you need to keep your distance.”
“If something goes wrong, at least we can shield you.”
“Sure~”
Once she got their approval, Helos deftly retrieved the specially prepared disguise from a nearby cabinet.
A wide black cloak draped over her shoulders, the heavy fabric falling to her ankles. The hood was pulled low, casting her whole face into shadow.
Next, she picked up a specially made dark metal mask and gently fastened it onto her face.
The cold touch of the mask spread across her cheeks, even the area around her eyes cleverly hidden, leaving only blurred glimmers of light visible—no one could make out her expression at all.
She raised her hands and gathered up her silver hair, tucking it beneath the cloak and leaving only a few strands, dyed black, hanging down.
Thick leather gloves tightly covered her fingers, and an old leather pouch for potions was tied at her waist, swaying softly as she moved.
Once she put on this disguise, the girl’s entire aura grew colder and more aloof; even standing quietly, she made people instinctively unwilling to approach.
“This getup is pretty impressive. You’re like a different person with it on.”
Kyle crossed his arms and sized up Helos, muttering to himself.
“That’s exactly the effect I want.”
Helos nodded, deliberately lowering her voice.
The mask concealed all traces of her youthfulness, and her tone was now edged with coldness, making it almost impossible to recognize her true voice.
“Let’s go, then.”
Helos said softly.
Once everything was ready, the four of them left the workshop together and quietly made their way into the private dungeon of the Duke’s mansion.
The heavy iron doors closed slowly behind them, and the air instantly turned cold and oppressive, as if even breathing was tinged with the taste of rust.
Dim lights cast a gloomy shadow over the stone chamber.
It wasn’t long before footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
With the resounding clank of iron boots, a tall man entered the cell.
He wore a dark cloak draped over his shoulders, and though his armor wasn’t fully fastened, he still looked steady and formidable.
His features were chiseled and stern, brow bones high, and his brown eyes carried a trace of sharpness.
His short brown hair gleamed in the firelight, and the longsword at his waist radiated a silent but unmistakable menace.
Julius focused his gaze, and soon recognized him — he was one of the Duke of Eisend’s personal guards, named Werner.
Werner was said to be a man of few words, but was renowned for his loyalty and ruthlessness.
Just standing there, he gave off a pressure like a blade held to the throat.
Werner’s footsteps echoed across the stone floor as he walked up to them, his sharp gaze sweeping over each of them.
When his eyes passed over Helos, he paused briefly, as if he wanted to take a closer look, but ultimately withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened.
Helos instinctively reached up and adjusted her mask.
To avoid accidentally letting her curse affect those present, she retreated to a more distant corner of the cell, quietly leaning in the shadows, keeping a safe distance from the others.
Inside the cell, the dim firelight illuminated the iron chair.
The man in the black robe was slumped over the back of the chair, his head nodding and bobbing, a garbled snore occasionally escaping his lips, with a strong smell of alcohol lingering about him.
Werner frowned, standing to the side and looking coldly at the prisoner.
“…He’s really drunk.”
His voice was deep, laced with a hint of mockery.
Even as he spoke, Werner lifted a finger, and magical energy began to gather from all around.
In no time, a huge sphere of water hovered in midair.
Wouldn’t she still be short?