Episode 30
“Put it on.”
“…?”
Katrina looked at the scarf he offered her with visible reluctance.
What is this?
Seeing her expression, Lucifer smiled kindly and spoke with concern.
“It’s cold.”
Why do you care if I’m cold?
“I’m fine. Just keep doing what you were doing.”
“Why?”
“…Because I don’t need it.”
She didn’t want to accept Lucifer’s kindness. She’d rather freeze to death.
Lucifer stared at Katrina silently.
It was then—
“Ahem! I’ve been waiting for you. I am the lord of this castle, Gilbert.”
Gilbert, the lord of Asius, appeared.
He was a round and portly man. Katrina’s eyes swept over the expensive jewelry adorning his body.
Those look too luxurious for a lord of a small territory…
Just then, the lord’s eyes landed on Katrina.
“I received word from Lady Hildegard. She said she was sending someone to help.”
“I know I’m lacking, but I came because I wanted to be of help.”
“Hmm. It won’t be easy.”
His tone suggested he didn’t particularly welcome her presence.
“Now that I think about it, Lady Katrina and I have met before. It was years ago when you were just a child.”
Eleven years ago, when the incident involving the Pied Piper first occurred, Katrina had come down to Asius.
Back then too, she had been dragged here by Hildegard.
“You’re a candidate for sainthood, Katrina. You better not act like a coward and disgrace yourself over something like this.”
At the time, Katrina had thought: whatever was happening in Asius, Hildegard was far more terrifying.
“It’s been a long time, Gilbert,” Katrina greeted curtly.
“And to have Your Eminence visit in person, I’m truly honored.”
Gilbert gave Lucifer a stiff smile.
He seemed bewildered by Lucifer’s presence.
Being under the watch of the Holy Temple probably made him uncomfortable—it was understandable.
“Someone else actually arrived before you and has been waiting.”
Someone came ahead of us?
“Who is it?”
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
Katrina hadn’t been informed of anyone else.
“You really didn’t hear?”
Lucifer asked again.
…Am I the only one who didn’t know?
“Lady Franzé, the Marquess’s daughter, also came.”
“…Lady Franzé?”
“It’s been a while, Katrina.”
From behind the lord, a familiar woman stepped forward.
Golden hair fluttered in the air.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Niel smiled sweetly, her blue eyes curving gently.
Katrina had once been a candidate for sainthood.
And there had been another candidate.
Niel Franzé.
She was the protagonist of the game.
“As many of you may know, the so-called ‘Pied Piper Incident’ first occurred a long time ago.
It happened eleven years ago, in fact.
And now it seems to be happening again.
It began about a month ago.
Dozens of people mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night.
The method was eerily similar to what happened a decade ago, which led us to believe the Pied Piper had returned.
However, unlike the past, this time the victims were adults.
Also, unlike the previous incident where the children never returned, these missing adults all came back after a few days.”
As Katrina listened quietly to Gilbert’s explanation, a question arose in her mind.
“I heard that the ones who disappeared were mostly criminals, is that true?”
It was around the time the dinner had settled into a more comfortable mood.
“It’s true that many of the missing were criminals, but there were also ordinary townspeople among them.”
Gilbert stroked his chin with a somber look.
“So far, the only consistent detail is that they were all ‘adults.'”
Being an adult wasn’t exactly a defining trait, though.
But when considering that the victims in the previous incident were children…
Why the change this time?
“It’s definitely the work of a relic, right?”
Niel, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.
“Yes. Just like eleven years ago, it’s suspected that someone used a relic. This time is likely the same…”
Katrina shared the same thought.
Only a relic could cause something like this.
In this world, there were ancient relics possessing mysterious powers, like the Wish Stone.
And the older a relic was, the more cursed and dangerous it tended to become.
“Still, we’re honored to have the Saintess visit our domain,” Gilbert added.
“I’m not a Saintess. That’s too much.”
“Aren’t you soon to become one? That makes you the Saintess in my eyes.”
Gilbert eagerly flattered Niel, clearly wanting to stay on her good side.
“And to have His Eminence the Cardinal here as well—it’s very reassuring.”
“You flatter me.”
“Oh, and Lady Katrina as well.”
Gilbert didn’t seem particularly interested in Katrina.
In fact, he subtly showed signs of disdain.
So, I’m the discarded one, huh.
It wasn’t wrong.
Everyone seemed to think Hildegard had sent Katrina to Asius as a way of casting her aside.
And Katrina knew that Lord Gilbert was closely tied to Duchess Berta.
More precisely…
This territory was under Duchess Berta’s jurisdiction.
So there was no chance he’d treat Katrina with kindness.
Quite the opposite.
“It’s late. You must all be tired. Why don’t you get some rest for the night?”
As Gilbert wrapped up his speech, Katrina had just about finished her meal too.
“Please rest for today. Starting tomorrow, I’ll ask you to join the investigation.”
He smiled benevolently and summoned a servant to escort them to their rooms.
It was now deep into the night, and the hallways were pitch black.
They followed the servant holding a lantern.
Lucifer was assigned a room in the complete opposite wing, while Niel and Katrina shared the same corridor.
Once the handmaid finished showing them their rooms and left—
“Katrina, can we talk?”
Niel Franzé stopped her.
“I think there are some things we need to discuss. Don’t you agree?”
But Katrina knocked her hand away.
“Sorry, Niel. But I don’t think there’s anything for us to talk about.”
“…”
“It’s unfortunate we had to meet like this. Let’s try not to get involved with each other, shall we?”
Katrina brushed past Niel and entered her room.
She had worried the thin nightgown would be too cold, but the room was warm.
Crackling.
The fireplace burned gently.
She must’ve been more tired than she realized from the journey to Asius.
As soon as she lay down, she fell asleep.
She awoke at dawn.
Katrina sat up in bed, her hair tousled, eyes dazed.
The moon shone brilliantly outside the window.
She rose from bed, her arms moving in graceful arcs like she was dancing.
Whiiiii—
A flute sound echoed from somewhere.
Her black pupils fluttered blankly.
…I have to go.
She didn’t know why, but that thought took hold of her.
So Katrina moved.
At some point, the fireplace that had burned so warmly before she fell asleep had gone out.
She was usually sensitive to the cold, but strangely, she didn’t feel it.
In fact, following the sound of the flute felt like it would make her even warmer.
Katrina opened the door and slowly walked down the hallway.
Moonlight reflected off the windows.
As she wandered out of the castle with slow, dragging steps—
She saw hair white as snow fluttering in the wind.
“Where are you going?”
Katrina locked eyes with a pair of bright red irises.
