Elodie here, and Elodie there. Or the savior of Perdia. From being a wretch to a savior in one fell swoop, there had never been such a rise in status.

“I’m screwed.”

Moreover, the Ishtar savior incident at the Founding Festival had become more complicated than I had thought.

While the imperial citizens praised me as a world savior, some noble families, including the Duke of Angellus, voiced their opposition.

Some mysterious power or whatever it was. They said they had to reveal its true nature.

“Why didn’t the beasts bite those humans?”

Anyway, I had a general idea of what was going on while I slept.

It seemed like the Angellus family was up to something again this time.

‘So, did Angellus have something to do with the sudden appearance of the rift?’

I had a feeling it was suspicious from the moment Dorothea collapsed out of nowhere. She always smiled kindly, but given her personality, which sought to stand above others, she wouldn’t give up the honor of presiding over the altar. It had been Angelluss’s ancestors who had driven House Vietan to destruction. Additionally, most of the major and minor incidents in Wallentian were somehow related to Angellus.

Lastly, this rift incident.

I was convinced.

In some way or another, the Angellus family must be connected to the Irkala sect.

How could they be the descendants of a hero endowed with the power of Ishtar, and still be able to fulfil Irkala’s intentions to consume the earth?

“No. There’s no way I can understand people like that.”

I placed the newspapers and magazines on the desk and grabbed the communication magic device.

There was someone I needed to contact, and within seconds of trying, I was connected.

“Raeyan, it’s been a while.”

[…….]

“Huh? Why isn’t he answering?”

Thinking it might be malfunctioning, I examined the magic device here and there, but then I heard a voice.

[…..I’ve been waiting patiently.]

A deep, low voice, that seemed to strike my heart.

Raeyan’s words struck me as particularly special. It couldn’t be otherwise.

After all, Raeyan had crossed dimensions and tirelessly searched to find me. He must have waited for an uncountable amount of time, but I made him wait again.

“I’m sorry for making you wait. I imagine waiting must have been really frustrating.”

[Yes.]

Raeyan didn’t say it was okay, even in empty words.

It probably wasn’t okay. I felt more at ease with his honesty. If he had hidden his true feelings and said it was okay, I would have felt even more guilty.

“You’re not injured anywhere, are you?”

[…….]

“Could you have possibly been injured?”

I asked in surprise, and the answer came immediately.

[No. I’m not injured.]

“You scared me.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Raeyan stared at the communication device, which was now silent.

The wait had been long, but the conversation was too short. He contemplated the brief conversation he had just had with Elodie.

“You’re not injured anywhere, are you?”

He hesitated, torn between confessing that he had been injured for a moment and lying about it.

It was a good excuse.

If he’d said he was injured, the faint-hearted Elodie would have come to see him in a heartbeat.

“I should have just said that.”

He said with regret.

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***

I was still living in the main house under the pretense that I needed to focus on my recovery.

At this point, I felt like I had to give up going back to the annex. This mansion was also good. The chef, who had been exiled to the annex, followed me back to the original mansion, and the meal was even more delicious, and the room was much better than before, and everything was good.

But as usual, if there were any problems…

Knock, knock.

Bang!

“Sister. Here’s your favorite d*mn, no, cake!”

Even before I could respond to the knock, Carlot had flung the door open.

I always had to remain on edge because I never knew when he’d barge in. If he ever caught sight of my communication magic device, it would be troublesome.

I turned my gaze back to the book I was reading and answered.

“If it’s a d*mn cake, I’ll pass.”

“My bad, this is my sister’s favorite cake.”

Flip, flip. Flipping through the pages, Carlot asked with a sulky tone.

“…..You’re not going to eat it?”

Will you cry if I don’t eat it? When I closed the book and sat across from him, Carlot’s expression brightened.

Although he was originally a simple guy with a short temper, it seemed like it had gotten worse lately.

Whatever he was thinking, it all showed on his face.

I picked up the fork that Carlot had placed in front of me and asked.

“Did you go and get it yourself, Carl?”

“Huh? Uhm….”

Mmm.

Apparently, he’d sent a servant on an errand. As if his conscience was pricked, Carlot averted his eyes from mine.

I pretended not to notice and closed my eyes.

In any case, he had prepared the cake I liked. That made me feel a bit better.

“You should have some too.”

“Sure!”

We shared the chocolate cake and engaged in casual conversation.

“Father and Mother went out briefly. It seems there are some family matters to attend to outside. It looks like Jansi has also left.”

While I was unable to wake up, Perdia stopped their outside activities and settled themselves inside the house.

To ignore the flocks coming from the Dukes of Angellus, who claimed that my displayed strength at the Founding Festival needed verification. But it seemed they were now preparing to resume their activities.

‘Come to think of it, it’s about time for another move.’

I had only thought about it, but it soon became a reality. I hadn’t even finished half of my dessert when the butler came to find me.

“Miss.”

The butler’s expression was undeniably grim. It was clear something was wrong.

“What’s the matter?”

“A guest has arrived, Miss.”

The reaction couldn’t have been like this if it were just any guest. The butler, known for his cool headedness, must have deemed the visitor to be out of the ordinary.

“An uninvited guest has arrived.”

“Yes. A representative of the Angellus duchy and some imperial soldiers have come to escort you.”

Though they claimed to have come to escort me, it was more like they had come to take me forcefully. Moreover, they had even brought along some imperial soldiers. Apparently, they took advantage of the absence of the Perdia Duke and Duchess.

With Jansi gone as well, there was no one left to protect me. In any case, I couldn’t afford to ignore their visit, especially in a situation so closely connected to the royal family.

‘Perhaps we should stall them as long as possible, in case the Duke of Perdia returns in the meantime.’

However, Carlot started getting agitated.

“Hah! These d*mn bastards, what do they think this place is? Sister, you don’t need to come out. I’ll handle this, so don’t worry!”

“Wait, what are you-!”

Leaving behind words that worried me greatly, Carlot leaped out of the window.

I buried my face in my hands.

“……I was trying to stop him, Butler.”

“I understand.”

The plan to buy time was now out of the question.

I had to step in before Carlot got into trouble with the royal authorities.

As I was about to leave the room, I turned back to the butler.

“Butler. It would be better to manage people properly.”

The news of the Duke and Duchess’s absence had spread outside so easily.

“I’m ashamed.”

“I’ll go out.”

***

Bang!

Rumble! In an instant, the ground shook and trembled as if it were collapsing.

As I approached the front gate, I heard Carlot’s voice.

“What the h*ll do you think you’re doing here? Sister and I were quietly enjoying some cake!”

Boom!

“Stay calm, Carlot Perdia! Are you trying to use force against the imperial army?”

“Huh? I didn’t do anything like that. I was just breaking our own front gate. It’s my house, what’s it to you? It’s our land!”

In the blink of an eye, Carlot had done something extraordinary.

He had used his powers recklessly, causing the ground to collapse as it was.

Behind him, the knights of Perdia stood in a panic.

However, they couldn’t bring themselves to stop the young master of the family. Fortunately, Carlot hadn’t gone as far as to attack the Angellus representative and the imperial soldiers.

“Come on, you all moved pretty fast, huh? Just come over here. I’ll take you all down.”

“We’re here to escort Lady Perdia on behalf of the royal family.”

“I’m sick of it. Get lost while I’m saying something nice.”

I listened to their conversation and awkwardly chuckled to myself.

‘You didn’t say anything nice, Carl.’

Carlot, unable to contain his anger, stomped on the ground once again.

The area in front of the main gate was now in shambles.

If this continued, it could escalate into a serious issue if they were truly harmed.

I approached Carlot, stepping on the rubble.

“Carlot, that’s enough.”

“Mmh.”

Carlot, who had been emitting a fierce aura just moments ago, quickly calmed down and ran towards me with a cheerful expression as if he was delighted to see me. I could sense the unwelcome guests on the opposite side looking at me in astonishment.

Carlot, who had been raging moments ago, seemed to have instantly regained his composure.

“Carlot, what if you destroy everything like this?”

“But I can’t just destroy them, can I?”

The expression of the imperial soldier´s noticeably worsened. It seemed that witnessing Carlot’s abilities firsthand was truly frightening to them.

“Since Lady Perdia herself has come out, it seems the conversation will progress faster. Due to the Founding Festival situation, you must accompany us.”

A man who appeared to be Duke Angellus representative adjusted his glasses and spoke.

They seemed determined to take me away, even if it meant using force.

They had intentionally chosen this time when the Perdia Duke and Duchess were absent, which was understandable. But even without the duke and duchess present, the private soldiers of the House of Perdia and Carlot were more than enough to stop them.

‘But we shouldn’t engage in armed conflict.’

It might be a good excuse to attack Perdia.

It occurred to me that they might have come precisely to provoke and escalate the situation.

“If it’s for verification, I will visit the imperial palace later.”

I tried to step back and suggested visiting later, but they didn’t back down.

“That won’t be possible. There’s a possibility of manipulation, so Lady Perdia will be quarantined in a designated area within the royal palace.”

If we were trying to manipulate, we’ve had enough time to do that in the days that have passed since the festival.

That was just a flimsy excuse to take me away.

‘Perhaps I can use this situation to my advantage?’

After a moment of contemplation, I made up my mind.

“All right. I’ll go with you.”

“You’ve made a wise choice.”

“However, be prepared for your fate after the verification is complete.”

I issued a warning before decisively taking my first step.”

But I couldn’t take more than a few steps before coming to a halt.

“What’s this, sister? I can’t let you go, no way.”

Carlot was holding onto my hand. When I turned to look at him, I spoke in a soft voice that only Carlot could hear.

“You messed up the plan to buy time until Father returns, Carlot.”

“Huh?”

“So, you’re responsible for what happened.”

Carlot’s eyes were stained with shock.

“It’s because of me…?”

I didn’t offer him any comforting words.

Despite being young and inexperienced, Carlot needed to understand the consequences of his actions.

“When Father returns, inform him of the situation immediately. And tell him to contact the Temple of Ishtar.”

“…… Yes.”

” Then please do me this favor, Carl.”

“…….”

I climbed into the carriage, leaving behind Carlot, who stared at me, frozen on the spot.