A child was sobbing under the blanket that rose like a small hill. One might expect the loud, wailing cries of a child, but instead it was a very subdued sound, as if trying to hold back. 

Step, step. 

At that moment, someone entered the room and pulled back the blanket. The blanket that had tightly shielded the child from the world was removed, and a bright light shone dazzlingly on the child. Blinking from the glare, the child frowned and looked up with tear-filled eyes. 

“Grandfather.” 

“So this is where you were. I couldn’t find you, and here you were, crying all alone.” 

The grandfather, his face lined with countless wrinkles, softened his expression. Normally stern, even to others, including his own children and their spouses, he wore a gentle smile in front of his grandchild. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gently ran his hand over the child’s face. 

“My precious little one, why are you sad all by yourself? If something makes you sad, you should come to Grandpa, shouldn’t you?” 

“It’s nothing really. And Mommy doesn’t like it when I come looking for you.”

His hand stopped for a moment. 

“What did Clara tell you?” 

The child shook her head vigorously. 

“No, it’s nothing. She just told me not to bother you too much.” 

“It’s no bother at all, so don’t worry and feel free to tell me anything.” 

“Really?” 

“Of course.” 

The child fidgeted with her fingers, hesitating slightly. 

“It’s no big deal, really. I just always wonder where Mom and Dad go when they leave me behind, but they never tell me. I told Mom I was curious and wanted to go with them.” 

“……” 

“And then, well… I got a little scolded.” 

The child gripped his grandfather’s collar tightly and hesitantly continued. 

“I got scolded for begging too much, so please don’t be mad at mom, okay?” 

The child looked up with bloodshot eyes. 

“Grandpa, are you crying?” 

“Why would I be crying?” 

“But…” 

Though no tears fell, his expression somehow resembled that of someone on the verge of tears. The child opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head from side to side. 

“Uh, no, it’s nothing.” 

“You little rascal. Always so dramatic.” 

He tapped the child’s nose lightly, not hurting it. As the child rubbed her nose, the grandfather lifted her onto his shoulders. 

“Eek! G-Grandpa!” 

“Ha-ha! Let’s go out and have some fun, just you and your grandpa.”

Holding the young girl tightly, the grandfather headed for the door. 

“Sweetheart.” 

“Yes?” 

“I’m sorry.” 

At his words, the child moved her lips as if to say something, but then pressed them tightly shut. His voice, too, was tinged with emotion. Though he didn’t shed tears, it felt as if he was crying. She wanted to ask why, but decided to wrap her arms around his neck instead. 

“It’s okay.” 

As their figures receded into the distance, they faded like a mirage. The world crumbled in their absence, left hollow by the disappearance of the child and her grandfather. 

* * * 

“It was just a dream.” 

Cila woke and sat up groggy, her movements slow and unsteady. Still half asleep, she ran her fingers lazily through her hair, brushing it back. 

‘Was it because of what I heard yesterday that I even dreamed about it?’ 

The lingering ghost of the vivid dream brought back hazy memories of the past. She faintly remembered the sadness she had felt then, but also fragments of the fun they had shared. Other memories surfaced. The clearest one was from a year after the period in the dream – when her grandfather died. 

“……” 

His last words, “I’m sorry,” were the last he spoke before closing his eyes forever. Soon after, everyone dressed in somber black to mourn him. After the funeral, her parents had left together, just the two of them. 

‘It was the next day.’ 

The day Lilia arrived at the Arcel mansion and was adopted. 

Ciela raised her head and looked at the clock. 

‘Time to get ready to leave.’

When Ciela had arrived at the manor yesterday, she had mentioned to the butler that she wasn’t feeling well. She had also informed him that she would be resting in her room all day today and would skip meals, making sure that there would be little reason for anyone to disturb her. 

‘But just in case.’ 

She locked the door and opened the window. After signaling, Sarah slipped in. 

“Hold on to me.” 

“Please.” 

She landed lightly on the first floor. She took an unused path, rarely traveled by humans, and left the mansion through a small opening. Then she boarded the carriage that was waiting for her. 

‘Where the Wind Stays, Room 301. Found it.’ 

When Ciela arrived at the inn mentioned by Turbin, she stopped in front of the room where he was staying. She motioned to Sarah, who held up a finger. 

‘One person.’ 

The number referred to the people in the room. 

‘I thought there might be others involved, but I guess not.’ 

Ciela grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door opened slightly, apparently unlocked. Inside, a figure wrapped in a cloak sat on the edge of the bed. 

“I have come as promised.” 

But then she narrowed one eye in suspicion. 

‘This is not Turbin’s build.’ 

The shape of the figure was strangely familiar, and a moment later she realized. 

“You have arrived.”

“Calix? Why are you here? Where is the owner of this room?” 

Her questioning gaze fell on him as he approached her. His blue eyes shone with a calm, unapologetic confidence as he opened his mouth to speak. 

“My assistant overheard the man drunkenly talking about his sinister plans after drinking heavily in a tavern. So we detained him and interrogated him, and that is how we found out the details.” 

“Quite a coincidence. All right, where is he?” 

It seemed that only Calix knew the man’s whereabouts. 

Ciela added this thought silently, watching him intently. His lips, tinged with color, moved as if to answer. 

“He is currently…” 

But Calix didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he closed his mouth and drew his sword from its sheath. Ciela’s instincts flared as she noticed Sarah pulling out the dagger she had hidden in her cloak as well. 

‘Something’s happening.’ 

As if to confirm her suspicion, Calix whispered softly, 

“I don’t think this is the time to talk.” 

As soon as his words ended, figures in black masks rushed into the room. Ten in all. They had a clear advantage in numbers. Quickly scanning them, Ciela’s sharp gaze focused on the engravings on their sword sheaths. 

‘A bat emblem… These are no ordinary assassins.’ 

Ciela’s expression hardened. The assassins now in the room did not attack immediately. Instead, they watched Ciela, Sarah, and especially Calix, who had hidden his appearance. 

Moments later, the intruders began exchanging coded phrases. 

“The mirror is no different than the moon. No moon either.” 

“Then why is the broom here?” 

“Before alerting the moon, the stars must be driven into darkness.” 

“The golden stardust must not be touched. Orders. Silence first.” 

“First, the stars must be enclosed and the moon’s position determined. Drive them out next.” 

That seemed to be a rough interpretation of their words: 

“Target and suspect appearance don’t match. The target is also missing.” 

“But why is the maid from the estate here?” 

“Before reporting the target’s absence, the witnesses who saw us must be eliminated immediately.” 

“Lady Ciela must not be killed, only rendered unconscious.” 

“Capture her alive first to determine the target’s location. Kill her later.” 

“That’s what they say. Don’t worry about me, just concentrate on fighting.”

Ciela said, quickly relaying the information after recalling the coded interpretation from the original text. 

The masked figures stopped their coded exchange and turned to Ciela, clearly startled. 

“How did she understand that?”

“Do we really need to explain anything to someone who’s about to die?”

The figure leading the masked intruders fixed a sharp gaze on her. Despite the deadly aura of an assassin, she remained bold and undaunted – a demeanor far from ordinary. He hadn’t expected her to show such a side when he saw her at the mansion.

‘The reason the target wasn’t at the inn yesterday might be because he’ve already been hidden.’

He gestured behind him, and the masked figures simultaneously drew their swords from their sheaths and assumed fighting stances. Calix and Sarah stepped forward, shielding Ciela. 

“I’ll take them down as fast as I can.” 

“We’ll be quick, but close your eyes and cover your ears.” 

The clash of blades rang out sharply, filling the air with the sound of steel meeting steel. Numerically, the masked invaders had a significant advantage. While Ciela’s side had only two people capable of fighting, the invaders were all highly skilled fighters. 

But the battle was beginning to shift in an unexpected direction, and the masked figures felt it in every fiber of their being. 

‘These two…’ 

They were strong. Strong beyond comprehension, even monstrous. 

They were not weak at all. Each of them could take on two ordinary assassins without any disadvantage. This was the result of the high-level training they had consistently undergone to survive. However, more than half of their group had already been reduced to just two individuals. 

‘Is that even possible under normal circumstances?’ 

At the beginning of the clash, the youngest of their group had lunged at the maid from the mansion, only to be hit in a vital spot in an instant. Realizing too late that she wasn’t to be underestimated, two of them attacked her at the same time. However, she managed to deal with both of them without any problems.  

‘That maid is certainly skilled, but the real monster… no, the real monster is that man.’ 

The man in the cape fought five of them at once, yet not a single thread of his clothing was torn. 

‘Who on earth is he?’ 

Each stroke of his sword radiated an overwhelming pressure that crushed their bodies and minds alike. Instinctively, a sense of inevitable defeat screamed in their minds. 

Of the ten masked figures, only two remained. At this rate, they would be destroyed before they could even complete their mission and deal with the target as ordered. 

‘I must incapacitate them.’

One of the masked figures, scanning the area, spotted the defenseless Ciela. In an instant, he made his decision and charged at her with all his might. 

“Freeze.” 

The cold, sharp blade hovered over her neck. 

Thud. 

Calix and Sarah, who had violently sliced through their enemies, stopped in their tracks. As expected. A twisted grin appeared on the lips of the man behind the mask. 

“I’m not supposed to get killed, am I?”

“Heh. A hostage without fear, huh?” 

“You can’t kill me anyway, can you?” 

“As long as I don’t kill you, it’s okay.” 

The masked man ignored her completely, focusing all his attention on Calix and Sarah. 

“I see.”

At some point she had slipped her hand into her pocket. She rolled her eyes and looked at the masked man. 

“But you know what?” 

“If you keep talking, I’ll…” 

“You shouldn’t underestimate someone just because they look weak.” 

She pulled a self-defence artefact from her pocket. A brilliant flash of light erupted, burning the masked man’s eyes.