“I never thought Anne would make it all the way to the finals.”
“Huh! Did El really not believe in my skills?”
With only the final match left in Anne’s competition, we were all out wandering with friends to cheer her on and help her relax.
Of course, the great Anne would never be nervous, so you could just consider this playing around.
While we were doing that, my unintentional remark seemed to have struck a nerve with Anne, as she frowned and muttered under her breath.
“No, that’s not it…”
It wouldn’t have been a given, but it certainly wasn’t something that should have come out of my mouth, as I had never thought Anne could make it to the finals, let alone win.
As I tried to apologize to her, I was truly at a loss for words, since I hadn’t consciously said it—how could I tell her that in my dream not only did she not make it to the finals, but she was eliminated in the quarterfinals? Although making it to the quarterfinals amongst all the Academy students is still an upper-tier achievement, it is, in fact, a far cry from winning first or second place.
Anyway, it’s all because of that damn dream. It would be one thing if it were a real premonition, but as it stands, it’s just vague enough to be plausible and is messing with my head.
“Well, if the matchups were unlucky, there was a risk. For example, if Anne had met that participant from the Department of Magic who was eliminated in the quarterfinals, it would have been really dangerous.”
This excuse came to me in a rush, but it wasn’t untrue. Anne’s opponents had all been from the Department of Swordsmanship, so there wasn’t much variation compared to facing mages.
“Furthermore, it’s already quite rare in the Celestial Festival for a first-year to make it to the finals. If Anne wins, it would be even more of a sensation.”
With Anne already in the finals, she’s talent that every knight order in the continent would drool over. However, the unfortunate news for them is that Anne is the official successor of her house, so there’s no chance she’ll join any knight order.
“Hmm… Since what you’re saying isn’t wrong, I don’t really have anything to say, but it’s still irritating! I won’t be satisfied until you buy me a chocolate shake!”
Well, the conclusion is that she wants sweets.
“Alright, alright. If our Anne can make it to the finals, a chocolate shake is no big deal.”
Regardless, since it was my slip of the tongue, I answered quickly. Moreover, it’s not like Anne was truly upset in the first place—she had already relaxed her expression.
“How about we throw a small celebration party just among us if Anne wins? Nothing grand—just placing a cake in a room or something.”
As we wandered around looking for a suitable shop to buy Anne her desired chocolate shake, I threw out this idea to my friends.
“That would be fine. After the final day of the festival, once the closing ceremony is over, we can all gather in a room and have a party. It’ll be our own unofficial closing ceremony.”
“Yeah. Since El will have to leave for the official closing ceremony, it would be great to celebrate among ourselves afterward.”
“Alright. Let’s do that…”
Clack.
As we were wrapping up everyone’s agreement, I accidentally bumped shoulders with someone walking from the opposite direction.
With it being during the festival, the streets were incredibly crowded, so such minor collisions were not uncommon when walking around. Out of reflex, I bowed my head and apologized to the person I had bumped into.
“Excuse me.”
“No, I’m the one who should apologize.”
Something about the voice sounded familiar, so I looked up and examined the person I had bumped into.
“Ah!”
“Wow?”
The moment I saw her face, I immediately recalled whose voice it belonged to. It wasn’t hard to recognize, especially since the sharp, pointed ears capturing my attention belonged to one I knew well—there was no mistaking it.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to recognize the other. Seeing my face, she also greeted me familiarly.
“…Lindy.”
“Wow, who would’ve thought of meeting here? Sure, I did come to see you, but who’d have thought I’d bump into you by accident?”
Holding half-eaten skewers of chicken in both hands, this elf’s name was Lindy. I first met her in the carriage heading to Dephel, and we later crossed paths in the underground emporium of Dephel city when I went to retrieve the late Guild Master’s pass.
At that time, I also asked Lindy to look into the Prentz House for me through some mutual transactions.
But wait… isn’t this elf supposed to be a fruit-eater? Was all the gossip about elves not eating meat just a myth?
No, calm down. It’s possible this elf is just an exception. Though, to be honest, this elf is the kind that hit on any woman she met, so I shouldn’t be surprised by anything.
But then…
“You came to see me?”
“Yeah! Sort of. I’m here to enjoy the festival, and also to tell you about what you asked.”
I don’t know which was the actual reason and which was the excuse, but she clearly had a purpose.
“Um… El? Who is this person…?”
“Ah, sorry. An acquaintance, but I never expected to run into her here. Can I have a quick chat?”
However, this is not something I can freely discuss in front of my friends, so we needed to move somewhere less crowded.
“If you say so… we’ll head to a café then. We’ll be at the Chocolate Lover’s Café, so come by when you’re done.”
“Hehe! If you don’t hurry, I’ll eat your share!”
Though she seemed hesitant at first, fortunately, my friends moved away quickly, and I turned back to Lindy.
“This isn’t something to talk about here. Let’s move somewhere else.”
“Hmm, you want to come along? I know a place where Surroundings won’t bother us.”
In response to her suggestion, I nodded slightly.
It might look suspicious, but this woman already knows I’m an assassin posing as a noble young lady, so it’s no big deal to her.
“Hey, do you want to try one of these? I’ve barely had one bite.”
Just as we were about to move, she held out one of the chicken skewers she held in both hands. Considering both skewers only had one bite mark, she clearly bought two for herself.
Looks like she’s really enjoying the festival.
“…Well, I won’t refuse.”
Rejecting entirely would be rude, so I accepted the skewer Lindy offered and took a bite. The sweet sauce blended perfectly with the fatty chicken skin—this was a truly well-cooked skewer.
Let me emphasize, I accepted the chicken skewer purely out of politeness, and it’s not like I actually wanted to eat it.
“…Where did you buy this skewer?”
Still, it is quite tasty. I’ll have to buy some for my friends when I return.
*
“Alright, come on in!”
Following Lindy, we arrived at one of the top three high-class inns in this city. Lindy casually went upstairs and entered one of the best rooms. I assume this is the room she’s been using during her stay in the city.
As someone who runs an underground emporium, she surely has some financial leeway, so this room fee would be no problem for her.
Anyway, since this expensive room is properly soundproofed by magic, we won’t have to worry about the conversation leaking outside. Of course, there’s unlikely to be anyone eavesdropping.
“What do you want to talk about?”
Instead of answering my question, Lindy brought out a bottle of wine and two glasses from inside the room and placed them on the table.
In no time, she skillfully opened the bottle and poured the wine into the two glasses.
“What’s the rush? Let’s take a moment to enjoy a glass of wine while we talk.”
Though we don’t have time to spare since my friends are waiting, I slid the wine glass aside to decline. Besides, I’m not even old enough to drink alcohol yet.
“Tch, then I’ll drink it myself.”
She exaggeratedly rolled her eyes while taking a sip of wine herself, then took a bite of the chicken skewer she’d set aside.
…Is that supposed to be a wine snack?
“Shall we get to the point?”
Having drunk the wine as if it were beer, Lindy leaned back against the table and looked at me.
Her previously playful expression disappeared, replaced by a subtle smile.
“Did you not clearly request information about the Prentz House, Miss Alicia?”
She had evidently figured out I am Alicia. If she couldn’t, I wouldn’t have even asked her to look into anything.
“So, since you went to the trouble of coming to see me, I assume you have some information I will find satisfying?”
“Hmm, do I?”
She teased me by pretending to remain mysterious, but it didn’t seem to have any particular meaning.
“About eleven years ago, when the Demon King partially resurrected, the Prentz House’s territory was destroyed by marauding demons, and all its members perished. This much you certainly know, right?”
“…Yes.”
Of course, I know this. Although not from personal experience, it’s a widely known fact.
“And the only person who escaped that catastrophe through sheer luck was you, Alicia.”
I gave her a signal to continue.
“Honestly, there’s not much of an issue with the story as told so far. No matter how I looked into it, all stories match this narrative. I assumed this was true as well. However…”
She adjusted her posture again, looking at me intensely, perhaps ready to delve deeper.
“Suggesting you didn’t simply ask me for this trivial information, isn’t it? To be honest, anyone who visits a back-alley informant could easily find out these details.”
That’s true. It’s because the now-defunct assassin guild, the ‘Black Moon’, had fabricated and spread rumors for assassination commissions.
“When thinking about the survivors’ rumors, which were airtight, I decided to revisit the events around eleven years ago—when the demon invasion happened. This is a well-known fact, so I hadn’t planned to investigate it closely, but suddenly a question came to mind.”
Her lips curved slightly upwards.
“Though the demon invasion was certainly threatening, it felt insufficient to completely obliterate the Prentz territory and family. The Prentz House was, after all, a powerful family. So, investigating further on that point, I was fortunate enough to encounter one survivor.
“They spoke of a group of madmen who had abducted the young son of the Prentz Lord—your younger sibling. I didn’t believe it at first. Who would dare kidnap a noble’s child? But thinking about it, the pieces began to fall into place.”
“The sudden disappearance of the Lord’s son led the knights and soldiers to scatter throughout the territory and its outskirts in search of him. This weakened the defense, making it easier for demons to attack. The lord and his family were killed in the emptied house, and the scattered army fell into disarray, leading to their complete annihilation.”
“It may be a little clumsy, but doesn’t it make some sense?”
Thud.
“…”
Is it because I’ve heard too much? My head is pounding. As I pressed my temple with one hand, Lindy paused her speech and only looked directly at me. I then motioned her to continue with the other hand.
“To piece together the puzzle more accurately, I revisited the Prentz territory. Now restored, a memorial hall has been built where the former lord’s manor once stood. You didn’t know? I recommend visiting it sometime—it’s where your parents rest.”
Despite her ongoing speech, the pain pressing against my mind made it increasingly difficult to focus. Yet Lindy paid no attention to my condition, continuing her narrative.
“Anyway, there’s a Prentz family portrait hung in the middle of the memorial hall. The moment I saw it, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Are you curious about what that final piece is?”
She didn’t even expect me to answer as she rummaged through her bosom for something.
“Here, I copied the painting. Care to take a look?”
She pushed a picture lying on the table towards me. Even as my headache made coherent thought hard, I couldn’t help but turn my attention to the photo. I had to.
Anyone could see it was a harmonious family portrait.
It showed a middle-aged man, clearly the father, with what must be his wife stood beside him. And before them, two children, a boy and a girl, stood side by side.
In the portrait, I saw myself—‘Alicia Frentz’—with silver hair and reddish-brown eyes. The smile depicted in the picture was unmistakably like my present-day face, which is why Yuli easily mistook me for the real ‘Alicia’.
Then…
What about the person standing beside me? Why in the world is there a picture of me, ‘Number Three’?
“Who are you?”
Lindy looked at me, and through her question, she also directed it toward the person in the portrait.
