While I was flustered, Gretel had a bright smile on her face.

It was genuinely harmless laughter.

I didn’t believe Gretel was clueless about anything. If she was observant, she would know I was being nice to her because I wanted to use her. Yet, Gretel clasped her hands together happily and said,

 “I’m glad if I could be of any use to Lady Elodie.”

“Aren’t you bothered? Asking for help out of the blue like this.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way. I genuinely feel happy.”

Although Gretel seemed sincere, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling after making the request.

I didn’t consider myself a good person, but I still wanted to be a decent human being. Perhaps that sentiment showed on my face because Gretel cautiously changed the subject.

“Well, shall we talk about something else?”

“Something else?”

 “Yes. Actually, I almost died during the founding festival, when a demonic beast from the rift attacked me, and no one stepped in to help.”

Gretel’s face turned slightly pale as she recalled that moment.

“When the beast lunged at me, I thought, ‘Ah, I’m really going to die now,’ and I had given up. But then, a burst of light emerged from the altar.”

 “That was…….”

It was undeniable. The light came from me purifying the altar.

 “No one else stepped forward, only Lady Elodie saved me.”

“Rather than saying I saved you, wouldn’t it be more accurate to consider it a coincidence?”

“No.”

Gretel replied firmly.

“It was a miracle for me. I’m easily frightened, and I was really scared at that moment.”

I had felt the despair and helplessness of facing death several times myself. So, I could empathize with how terrifying it must have been for Gretel.

 ’So, that’s why she’s so cooperative with me.’

Just as I had my reasons, Gretel had hers.

“So, Lady Elodie is my savior. When the savior of my life asks for help, how could I refuse? Tell me anything you need!”

Was I mistaken in perceiving Gretel’s gaze as blindly devoted to me? If she held such a favorable opinion of me, perhaps there was no need to host the banquet… I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made a pointless blunder.

 ’No, later it’ll be helpful.’

For now, it was important to take care of what needed to be done immediately.

“Alright, Lady Gretel. There’s something only you can do. It involves monitoring someone. Can I ask you for this task?”

With Gretel’s clairvoyance, she might be able to see what Gabe Jenade was up to.

“Of course! But, as I mentioned earlier, there are many limitations to my abilities.”

I already knew the limitations, but I asked anyway.

 “What limitations do you have?”

“The target for clairvoyance must have been in physical contact with me, and I need to know their face. Also, I can’t maintain it for long. I can only see for a few seconds……”

 “I’m concerned about the first and second conditions.”

There were certainly many conditions that needed to be met. Especially the requirement to have had contact with the target was the biggest obstacle. Given Gretel’s cautious nature, it didn’t seem likely that she would have accidentally encountered Gabe Jenade.

“Perhaps I might know the person. Who’s the target?”

 “The master of the South Tower, his name is Gabe Jenade. Have you seen him before?”

Gretel bit her lip, deep in thought, then shook her head after a moment.

“No. I don’t have a clear memory of seeing his face.”

As expected. It wasn’t surprising, but it was still disappointing. However, Gretel seemed different. Instead of continuing to smile, she looked crestfallen and bowed her head deeply.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”

“Why are you apologizing already?”

 “But I don’t know the face of the south tower master.”

“Instead, I’m asking you to observe someone else.”

“Who?”

Without hesitation, I uttered her name.

“Dorothea Angellus. Is that possible?”

After a moment of hesitation, Gretel nodded decisively.

“Yes. Although I didn’t have much interaction with Lady Dorothea, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have any interaction at all. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been in contact, so I guess I’ll have to try.”

Gretel looked me straight in the eye and said once more.

“I’ll give it a try.”

The preparations for the ability weren’t elaborate. Following Gretel’s instructions, I prepared a calm surface by pouring water onto a wide tray.

 “I usually use a crystal ball, but we don’t have one right now, so this will have to do.”

Gretel had explained that when she used her clairvoyant ability, the scene would appear on the calm surface.

“Then, I’ll give it a try.”

As Gretel closed her eyes and focused, ripples appeared on the calm surface. And…

Dorothea’s image appeared vividly.

Dorothea was sitting on the bed, murmuring something continuously. Someone was standing in front of her.

“Gabe Jenade?”

Just as Gabe Jenade’s image appeared on the surface, the scene vanished.

“This is the limit. If I try to maintain it, I’ll faint…”

“No, it’s enough.”

“I’ll take a short rest and then try again. I’ll try to do it as often as possible.”

Rather than asking why I wanted to observe Dorothea, Gretel looked at me with a sense of tremendous responsibility.

I nodded, recalling the scene I had just witnessed.

‘It seems like Dorothea might be manipulated by him.’

A vague suspicion crossed my mind.

***

Gretel boarded the carriage in an excited mood.

Once again, it was a carriage provided by the Perdia family, arranged by Elodie.

On Gretel’s lap, there was an exquisitely decorated box. She remembered her conversation with Elodie.

“I will continue to keep an eye on Lady Dorothea with my clairvoyance. Shall I contact you by letter?”

“Since others could potentially see letters, it’s best to communicate through this.”

With that, Elodie handed Gretel a magical communication device.

As a woman from a poor family, this magical device was beyond Gretel’s wildest dreams.

Stunned and unable to say anything, Elodie kindly explained how to use it.

“This is my code number. You can contact me through the magical device.”

“I-I can’t accept something so expensive-“

“You can.”

Elodie’s firmness left no room for refusal, cutting Gretel off before she could protest further.

Feeling somewhat shameless, Gretel accepted Elodie’s gift willingly.

‘Did Lady Elodie know that I was teased for not having a communication magical device? ‘

Among the nobility, communication magical devices were essential items. However, the impoverished Sangpan family couldn’t afford such luxuries.

While all her peers had communication magical devices, Gretel had to rely on letters for communication, facing potential ridicule. She had no intention of informing the other ladies that she now had a communication magical device.

‘I’ll only use it to communicate with Lady Elodie. ‘

It was their secret. Gretel’s heart swelled with joy at the thought of being able to help Elodie.

‘I should rest a bit and then attend to the tasks I’ve been given. ‘

Her mind filled with thoughts of Elodie, the carriage had just begun to move when suddenly, a commotion outside interrupted. The carriage came to a sudden stop. Before Gretel could assess the situation, the carriage door flung open.

“…….?!”

A startled Gretel found herself face to face with a man who swiftly entered and sat down before her.

“Hey, you. What did you talk about with my sister? “

Gretel knew the identity of this man who was starting to interrogate her.

“…Lord Carlot?”

He was Elodie’s younger brother and the second son of the Perdia family, Carlot Perdia, the troublemaker. Despite feeling intimidated upon realizing his identity, she kept her composure and defiantly raised her head.

“Why should I tell you about that?”

“Oh?”

Carlot’s gaze towards Gretel changed suddenly.

‘Look at this.’

Despite appearing timid as if she would burst into tears at any moment, she widened her eyes and spoke assertively, which was quite refreshing.

“How rude of you, Lord.”

She even went as far as to criticize his behavior for being rude. Unlike other women who would scream and blush when faced with such situations, Gretel was different.

[sc name=”add_image” image_url=” https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNKGH78XykAgu2B8re_KbJKBfalAohmhnLCNM9b-XiQaBhYZAgXi3yNqggXXuYKUXFoF1yGS3yPDzn2l4gY8asQsTe2os61awLlTGEf6J6D-oWhQBI=w2400″][/sc]

’It seems like my sister didn’t just call you over for nothing.’

Suddenly intrigued by the woman before him, Carlot tilted his head and asked.

 “What’s your name?”

 “…….”

 “It’s not fair that you know my name and I don’t know yours.”

He could probably find out the name by asking his sister, but for some reason, he wanted to hear it from the person himself. But once again, the woman in front of him defied expectations.

“I don’t wish to disclose my name.”

Everyone seemed eager to make their presence known, yet she was reluctant to speak.

‘How can that be? I’m Carlot Perdia.’

Carlot smiled mischievously and shrugged.

“I don’t wish to disclose my name?’ That’s quite a unique name. Suits you well.”

Gretel, who silently stared at Carlot, finally asked.

 “Why are you behaving this way towards me?”

“Why? Well, why not? It means I want you to cooperate with me. What you talked about with my sister, what she likes, you know, that kind of stuff. She never reveals her true feelings.”

Gretel looked at Carlot with an expressionless face.

‘He’s like a sulky child.’

She recalled the voice of a lady who once expressed her wish to talk to Lord Carlot.

She couldn’t understand it at all.

Why would anyone find this childish and immature boy so appealing? Sure, he looked somewhat impressive when he used his powers during the subjugation battle.

But his personality was a completely different matter.

“Nevertheless, I have no intention of following Lord Carlot’s words. It would be better to seek information from someone else.”

“Think about it again.”

“No. Please leave now.”

In response to Gretel’s firm stance, Carlot clicked his tongue in annoyance.

 “Well, we’ll probably meet often since you’ll be seeing my sister frequently. Take care. ‘I don’t wish to disclose my name’.”

Knowing he might be rejected, Carlot still extended his hand for a handshake, surprising Gretel completely.

“……!”

Shaking hands with her was entirely unexpected.

“I’m counting on you.”

Seeing her shake hands with him despite setting boundaries, Carlot thought that this unnamed woman was not an easy opponent.

***

Diligent Gretel never forgot to report daily.

[Today, Dorothea remained locked in her room. The south tower lord didn’t visit either.]

“Thank you as always, Gretel.”

The communication ended.

While Gretel could gather information about Dorothea through her clairvoyance, she found it challenging to learn much about Gabe Jenade.

‘Perhaps I should create opportunities for contact?’

But doing so could expose Gretel to danger, and finding a way to lure out Gabe was tricky.

Even during the battle against the beasts, wasn’t it only about confirming his face?

Surprisingly, an opportunity presented itself quickly.

“Looks like the South Tower guys have plagiarized an upcoming tool.”, Isis said.