In the meantime, in the throne room…

「…But in the end he got away, along with his accomplice.」

Lian says, resting her weight on her spear.

「And after that, the people there helped me carry everyone to the Adventurers' guild. We received a reward for it, but… The owner of the building that Will has accidentally set on fire wanted money for the damages. The guild ended up working out a solution when he heard it was a vampire…」

Alicia finishes telling the story to the queen, who lets out a deep sigh.

「Ahhh… So it wasn't bandits at all, was it?…」

Cycelia slumps in her throne, then rubs her temple with her finger with a troubled face.

「…Sorry. If I was a better mage, or a better fighter, maybe I would have killed the vampire and brought that mage to justice.」

Will says, adjusting his glasses. Greaves side-glances at him with a sour expression, but says nothing as he returns to staring at the tall windows with his arms crossed.

「No, I think your party has done more than enough. I've sent you out to investigate the bandits, but you managed to save the people there from a vampire. It's worrisome that he got away… But I'm sure I will find a way to deal with him.」

Cycelia shakes her head, smiling softly at Will and the rest of the party.

「…How are you all feeling? Was Alicia the only one unharmed?」

She asks, placing her fingertips together as she tilts her head a little.

「I've had worse.」

Lian nonchalantly declares with a smirk.

「…I'm alright. I'm still a little lightheaded, but it's not any different from regular overcasting.」

Will says, adjusting his glasses. He and Lian look to Greaves, who is staring at the window with his arms crossed still, largely ignoring the conversation.

「Greaves, you could at least tell the queen how you are feeling-」

「I'm fine!」

Greaves exclaims back at Will with a sour expression, and his gaze returns to the window.

「That's good to hear. But as it stands, your party is out of commission for the time being?…」

「Yes, your highness. I can't let Will cast any more spells.」

Alicia nods her head, and Cycelia sighs again. She slumps again, resting her face on her palm with her elbow on her throne's armrest.

《Ahh… All those mercenaries, and it's still not enough to handle everything… Unless I burden Straf again…》

Cycelia thinks with a troubled expression on her face, looking intently at the throne room doors.

「Your highness…」

Will steps forward, adjusting his glasses.

「Hm? Yes?…」

She jumps out of her slump, surprised at Will's oddly authoritative tone. It surprises even the rest of Will's party, and they look at him with lightly furrowed brows.

「…Can you tell us what that really was about? The magic circle, and the grimoire you were talking about. I know you are hiding something from us. I know you know…」

「Will.」

Lian quietly calls out, cautiously disapproving of Will's prying with narrowed eyes.

「That's…」

Cycelia softly says, twiddling with her thumbs as she lowers her gaze.

「…I don't know if it's an issue of trust or something else, but I don't think you've sent us to fight that vampire intentionally. I think you really meant us to investigate the bandits, but it's a lucky coincidence, isn't it? Lucky for you.」

Will continues, and adjusts his glasses with a serious expression.

「Will…」

Alicia meekly calls out, glancing nervously at the queen. She continues listening, still playing with her fingers in her lap.

「All I'm asking for is disclosure, so we don't run into something like this blind again. We almost died. Are the vampire, the magic circle and the grimoire connected? We may be able to prepare and deal with it properly the next time-」

「You see, the truth is…」

Cycelia lifts her head, interrupting Will. She quickly loses her confidence to reveal her secrets, and lets out a quiet sigh with greatly furrowed brows. She takes a breath, and opens her mouth.

「Hey! Missed me!?」

「Straf!」

Cycelia's attention is instantly pulled away by Straf's entrance with Lily.

「Tsk. Not him again…」

Will winces when he hears Straf's name, and clicks his tongue out of frustration.

「Aa- Ah! That reminds me! We're going to the beach with Straf!… And Lily! Why don't you join us? You could use some rest, right?」

Cycelia shoots a nervous smile at Will's entire party, clasping her hands together. With a slanted mouth, Will stares knowingly at Cycelia in disapproval. Lian places her bodysuit-covered hand on his shoulder and leans in to whisper.

「Will. Drop it.」

She says quietly into Will's ear. He adjusts his glasses with only a quiet, frustrated grunt.

「That's a great idea! Right, Will? Greaves?」

Alicia exclaims, clasping her hands together in excitement as she glances at her friends.

「Tsk.」 「If you really want to…」

Greaves clicks his tongue, and Will shrugs his shoulders as he retracts into the party.

「Well I don't particularly mind. More people, more cliches. We're bound to see some watermelon casualties thanks to these guys.」

Straf says, approaching beside the party with Lily.

「Straf, I'd like to apologize…」

Cycelia pulls her lips inward in an uneasy pout, tapping her fingers together.

「Huh? That seems to be a pattern lately. What for?」

Straf asks, spreading his arms.

「The guards. You were right, all along. Shortly after you left, that new formation arrested a guard for spying…」

「They did!?- I mean, yeah, of course…」

Straf's brows shoot up. Lily raises her clawed finger at Straf with an open mouth, about to say something, but one glance at the queen makes the little vampire lower her hand.

「…A man named Ear is supposedly at the head of it all. Niklaus will know the details. Straf, have you kept me in the dark, because you knew the guards were corrupt all along?」

Cycelia asks with a serious face. Lily's crimson eyes rapidly jump between the queen and Straf.

「Uh, yeah. You got me. You'll never know who's listening, right? I knew I could count on those guys.」

Straf shrugs, grinning at Cycelia. She sighs with her hand on her chest.

「Right… And so, I've decided to put my trust in you, and I have dissolved the city guard. I still believe a lot of them are good people, and I'd like them to have a chance to join the Ministry, Straf.」

Cycelia implores, and her emerald eyes stare intensely at Straf.

「…Suuure. But I'll need the best of the best, and the most trustworthy. Let Niklaus handle all that.」

With his fist on his hip, he shrugs, glancing aside at the window with Greaves.

「By the way, Straf… Do you think we could afford to replace the vampire lamps with magic lamps? The streets are rather dark at night…」

She clasps her hands again, tilting her head.

「Hm? Yeah, sure. We probably won't go bankrupt. Unless they cost an insane amount of money.」

Straf shrugs, crossing his arms.

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「No, no, not at all. Most of the gems and crystals powering the lamps are magical waste. The only problem is, they're always in high demand. I will tell the steward to try and get them at a low price.」

Cycelia smiles, then looks aside as she thinks.

「Ah! I almost forgot! The election candidates are in the city! I'll get the maids to invite them! Straf, will you really be able to handle the entire kingdom's votes?」

She adds, looking at Straf with a concerned gaze.

「Lia, have I ever failed you? Just relax. This whole election is a fire and forget thing.」

Straf asks, spreading his arms with a grin on his face.

「…Fire and forget?」

She tilts her head, furrowing her brows at the odd statement.

「Yeah. Like an arrow. It won't fly straighter because you're cheering on it. What I'm saying is, let me talk to those guys and I'll handle the rest. Just make sure the votes actually get here.」

Straf shrugs, pointing his finger at the queen.

「Oh, don't worry about that. I already discussed the matter with the Adventurers' guild. They will handle the safe delivery of votes on time.」

Cycelia nods with a contented smile on her face.

「And with that…」

Straf says, and opens his [Portable Storage]. All eyes are on him as he pulls out a child-sized, black-red swimsuit resembling a school one.

「…Here's something for you, Lily. I picked one that will only show how much you like this color palette.」

He adds, handing Lily the swimsuit.

「What's this?…」

She asks as she takes the black swimsuit into her hands. Dark like her dress, with a red trim running along its sides, a dainty decorative frilly skirt at the hip level gently flutters as she examines it.

「A swimsuit. You said you didn't have one, so here it is. You have one, right, Lia?」

Straf says with a grin, before turning his eyes to Cycelia.

「Ah, yes, I have one ready… Lily, you look soaked, why don't you take a warm bath?」

The queen suggests, tilting her head a little.

「I don't need to.」

Lily shoots back a glare with her mouth aslant, lowering her swimsuit.

「Well, you kind of smell like a windy wet dog, Lily. You could use one…」 「Wha-!?」

Straf bluntly declares, after leaning in over Lily to sniff twice. Her crimson eyes snap to Straf with an expression of mortified shock.

「…And you could see if it fits. I am not letting you swim without it.」

He cautions, pointing his finger at Lily as her gaze drifts downwards with a pout.

「Very well… I suppose I will take a bath.」

Lily quietly says, looking straight down while hugging the swimsuit close to her.

「Right. I'm going to stop by the bank real quick, could you get those candidates to stop by my office in a bit?」

Straf snaps his fingers at Cycelia, and turns to leave. Lily follows closely behind, keeping her head hanging low with an embarrassed pout.

「Of course! I'm counting on you, Straf!」

Cycelia nods her head, and Straf smirks in response over his shoulder before turning back to face the exit. He abruptly stops, and points his finger at Lian.

「Oh, and if you don't have a swimsuit, you can swim naked!」

He says, and disappears behind the corner with Lily. Lian sighs, glancing at Will as he fumes quietly.

「Your highness, is the sea really just full of salty water as far as the eye can see!?」

Alicia asks as soon as Straf is out of the room.

「Alicia, that's-」

Will sighs and rolls his eyes, but Cycelia cuts in.

「I've heard so. Were you never at the sea?」

Cycelia nods, furrowing her brows a little.

「No! All three of us are from a small mountain village! We've had merchants come and tell us some things about the world from time to time!」

Alicia talks about her village, and the prospect of seeing the sea with stars in her eyes…

…

Straf and Lily are walking side by side down the palace halls, heading for the stairs down.

「…I'm surprised, Straf. Your plan was to weed out spies from the ranks of the city guard after all?」

Lily asks, looking up at Straf.

「Uhh, yup. That's what it was.」

He shrugs, nonchalantly replying.

「You had me fooled as well. I thought you had devised a plan to put the Redwing girl's law and justice beneath your heel…」

「Hrk!」

Lily says, and Straf almost chokes.

《Lilyyy!》

Straf stares at the vampire with a teeth-clenched grin, and she continues.

「…You are far too soft, Straf. She has you wrapped around her finger. You could rule from her throne, and instead you strengthen her kingdom. That is your only flaw, Straf. Like my master, you are far too kind.」

Her crimson eyes stare into Straf's as she speaks. Straf simply nods along with a nervous grin.

「Yeah, well, uh… What can I do? I'm just a terminal good guy, Lily! See you later!」

Straf shrugs, and turns towards the stairs. She bows politely at him, and continues onward to approach a terrified maid.

「…I don't dislike that about you…」

Lily quietly says to herself clutching onto her swimsuit, as the maid hyperventilates at the sight of the little vampire…

…

A few hours earlier, in the city's dungeon…

Nona ascends the stairs with a broad smile. The manhunter at the desk looks on with a nervous grimace and his brows greatly furrowed.

「Hiya! I'm done!」

She waves her fingers to the man at the desk, walking up with a bouncy step. He remains tense, cautiously staring at her.

「…Is he dead?」

The manhunter asks, glancing down the stairs.

「Hmmm…」

Nona quizzically places her finger on the side of her mouth and looks aside.

「…He wasn't when I left?」

She replies with a grin and a brief chuckle. Nona then turns to the exit in a leisurely jog.

「See you later!-」

「Wait!…」

She waves her hand to bid the guard farewell, but he calls out to stop her. She tilts her head out of mild surprise.

「Hm?」

「…You might want to clean yourself up, first.」

The manhunter guard says, staring with deeply disturbed eyes at her red-stained hands, and the many droplets of blood all over her chestpiece and legs.

「Ah! You're right! Where do I do that?」

Nona lightheartedly exclaims, unbothered by the blood in the slightest.

「…There's a well out the back topside.」

The guard nods his head at the exit, becoming further and further disturbed by Nona's bright eyes and happy-go-lucky attitude..

「Thanks! See you later!」

She waves her hand to bid him farewell again, and jogs up to the exit, disappearing behind the door. The guard blinks, unsure what to make of the interaction.

《Hopefully fucking not… She's been there for 15, or 30 minutes after that guy left. What was she doing in there?》

The guard thinks, standing up from his desk. He descends the stairs and heads for the room with the prisoner. The lower dungeon being usually absent of prisoners, owing to short and lenient sentences as well as average low crime rate of the capital, his footsteps are the sole sound in the dark halls.

He reaches for the handle, and opens the door.

「Hrk!- Hhkhk!-」

The manhunter dry-heaves, stumbling away from the door as the intolerable odor of salt, iron and ammonia mixed with damp, earthy dungeon scent assault his nose. Some gagging, coughing and heavy breathing later, he manages to recover and stand up straight.

He covers his mouth, and steels himself to enter the dark room.

《…What the fuck?》

He thinks as soon as he sees the prisoner. Wheezing, his head hanging, drooling over himself, and his face stuck with needles like a pincushion. The bound prisoner doesn't react, and continues laboriously wheezing.

《…She did this to him, and then acted like nothing happened? What is wrong with her!?》

The manhunter looks at the tortured man in terror, as Nona humms a tune to herself up on the surface while wiping his blood with a rag…