“Monsters are divided into four ranks based on their strength, corresponding directly to the human ranks of Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. I’ve encountered many monsters, and several of them were third-rank…”
Sitting on a bench in the corridor, Mephia spoke about news regarding monsters, while Tia sat obediently by her side.
Tia’s hands were placed on her thighs, and her eyes were filled with vibrant light.
When the story reached the part where Mephia encountered a monster and faced a crisis, Tia’s expression became exceptionally worried.
She couldn’t help but cover her small mouth with both hands.
Upon learning that Mephia had narrowly escaped death, she let out a long sigh of relief and praised her strength with a shy blush.
Gradually, no matter how one looked at it, the Count’s daughter had become Mephia’s little fangirl.
The stories of monster encounters could not be finished in a single sitting.
As the sky outside the window began to sink toward the west, Mephia stood up and bid Tia farewell, preparing to leave.
Upon hearing this, the light in Tia’s eyes dimmed considerably.
However, she did not try too hard to make her stay.
After leading Mephia outside the manor, just as Mephia was about to step onto the carriage, Tia took a step forward and asked nervously and shyly:
“Master Mephia, will you… will you come again?”
A light breeze brushed against the young girl’s skirt, and the stray leaves falling by chance seemed to speak of her reluctance to part.
On the carriage steps, Mephia turned her head gracefully.
“I suppose I will.”
“Then, then can I have your address?”
“Hmm?”
Mephia’s confusion caused the girl’s face to flush.
She subconsciously bit her lip and turned away, as if she didn’t want to continue.
But after hesitating for a few seconds, she continued with a red face and a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz:
“If… if I want to see you, or, or send you a letter…”
As she spoke, her two small hands kept twisting the fabric of her skirt, revealing the unease and tension in her heart.
She was expressing a young girl’s innocent and burgeoning feelings.
“Just come to the Inquisition to find me.”
Leaving behind those words, Mephia entered the carriage.
Tia immediately turned to look at her, her surprise and joy blossoming into a flower-like smile.
“Yes!”
She nodded vigorously, the corners of her mouth curving into the sweetness of first love.
***
On the carriage, Mephia’s familiar, Elsa, let her voice be heard.
“Master, you investigated the Earl’s mansion. Did you gain anything?”
The carriage curtains swayed gently.
Mephia rested her cheek on one hand and gazed out the window, looking somewhat lost in thought.
“No. The time was too short, and I only investigated his study. However, he likely wouldn’t keep documents about betraying the Empire in his study anyway.”
“What about that noble young lady? Anything strange about her?”
“I can’t tell for now. I only know she’s a canary imprisoned by her aristocratic education.”
Elsa’s voice took on a hint of mischief.
“Well, I think she’s fallen for you.”
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Mephia lowered her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re just too dense about this. Before we came to Hela City, there were plenty of people in the Imperial Capital who admired you. It’s all because you’re too good at flirting!”
“Too good at flirting?”
Elsa nodded emphatically.
“Didn’t you see? While you were telling her about monsters, even though she acted excited, her eyes were on you the whole time. That gaze was full of admiration and affection.”
“She doesn’t like monsters; she likes you! After all, that’s how it is for a canary. Once someone brings her freedom and rebellion, and then gives her care, she’ll fall in love with that person easily!”
“Besides, Tia looks so much like a lady, yet she asked for your address when you were leaving. For a dignified and elegant noble young lady, that’s incredibly bold!”
“The reason she did that was all for you, wasn’t it?”
As Mephia’s familiar, Elsa could see everything clearly from her position in the earring.
After only half a day of contact, her master seemed to have walked right into the heart of the Count’s daughter.
Hearing this, Mephia began to recall Tia’s behavior.
From the moment her skirt was stepped on and ruined, the girl’s behavior had been rather awkward.
At the time, Mephia thought it was just shyness, but thinking about it now, was it actually because the girl harbored feelings for her?
Combined with the girl’s reaction when they parted…
Elsa’s words made some sense, but not much.
The Count’s daughter might have some favorable impression of her, but those feelings weren’t enough to escalate to affection or love in just half a day.
Love was not that simple.
“That isn’t love.”
“How is it not love? She was in a difficult situation, you lent a helping hand, and she returned it with affection. Why isn’t that love? And Master, haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?!”
Elsa let out a sigh.
She understood that her master’s personality was actually completely different from what she showed on the surface.
Her decision to help the noble young lady was a subconscious thought from deep within her heart.
Yet Mephia herself didn’t care about those things at all.
What she didn’t know was that in the eyes of those she helped, she was incredibly dazzling at that moment—almost like a Prince Charming coming to save them on colorful clouds.
Those who admired her in the Imperial Capital were all like that.
Now that they had come to Hela City, she had instantly captured the heart of another young lady.
Sigh.
“If she really fell in love with me as you say, then in the end, the only person who will be miserable is herself.”
The wind outside the window blew strands of Mephia’s silver hair.
She watched the bustling street scene outside, her tone turning flat, yet making it feel difficult for anyone to get close to her.
Celestia was Earl Harris’s daughter.
If the evidence of the Earl’s treason was conclusive, she would not escape the death penalty either, even if she was unaware of it.
Falling in love with her was, in the end, nothing but a dream.
“True. After all, Master is an Inquisitor. You were cold-hearted enough to intentionally step on her skirt just so you could investigate the Earl’s study while she changed her clothes.”
Mephia raised her hand and gave a light pinch toward the empty air.
“Ouch! I was wrong! I was wrong, Master! I just think she’s a bit pitiable!”
Elsa cried out in pain.
Her sarcasm was mainly because the Count’s daughter was different from the noble young ladies she had seen in the Imperial Capital.
She was so beautiful and kind, like a blank sheet of paper that had not yet been stained by filth.
In her, Elsa saw only the beauty of humanity.
Someone like her was a canary in a cage, destined for unhappiness because of marriage, and possibly facing execution in the future because of the Earl’s treason.
She was too pitiable.
“There are too many pitiable people in this world. I am powerless.”
“But, but she’s really pretty…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Elsa’s scream rang out once more in Mephia’s ear.
***
After returning to the Inquisition and resting for a day, an Enforcer Knight knocked on the door the following morning and hurried into the Meditation Room.
The moment he saw Mephia, he knelt on one knee.
“Master, there is a new lead on a Witch. However, we don’t know if it’s the Witch who escaped from prison.”
“Gather several Inquisitors who have been stationed in Hela City for years and come with me.”
Mephia, who had been resting, stood up immediately and walked out the door.
However, her footsteps soon paused, and a faint light flickered in her golden pupils.
“Remember, when dealing with a sinister and cunning Witch, there is no need for mercy.”