The chilly moonlight stread through the swaying curtains.
Unnoticed by anyone, the bedroom window was ajar—a silent trace of the presence of a woman who had slipped in without a sound.
Despite my heightened skills, I struggled to detect the subtle intrusion until her shadow lood before .
It was an unavoidable situation.
After all, she was an expert who dedicated her life solely to this craft.
She was an impressive beauty, with cascading brown locks and her piercing green eyes accentuated by a delicate hairpin gracing her bangs.
Her complexion remained as pale as ever, a characteristic trait whenever she appeared before , and today was no exception.
The spy from Imperial Intelligence, known to as Senior Neris, cautiously began to speak.
"My apologies for the delay in my arrival. Certain details needed confirmation during the process of collecting relevant information."
"Have you taken care of the injuries?"
Senior Neris's expression turned peculiar at the unexpected question.
She looked at with a shocked expression as I sat at the table, poring over the profiles of the missing individuals.
Among them were many familiar nas, making it even more exhausting and distressing for .
I massaged my temples, trying to suppress the fatigue with sheer willpower.
"I’m talking about your injuries. Have they all healed?"
"Ah, um, well..."
Senior Neris lowered her gaze, her expression tinged with confusion, her body tense with apprehension.
I clicked my tongue.
It seed that there was a ridiculous misunderstanding.
Why had I burdened this innocent woman with such negative thoughts?
Thinking of all this as an assignnt assigned by my future self made my head spin. What could the future '' have been thinking to subject this innocent woman to such tornt?
Well, she wasn't entirely innocent.
Senior Neris had a history of tornting my loved ones before, though she had paid a sowhat excessive price for that misstep.
As a result, whenever her gaze t mine, she seed to harbor a myriad of negative thoughts.
Today was no exception.
My ominous premonition proved to be accurate, as anticipated.
"I-I'm sorry! I wasn’t late because I was taking care of my injuries… I-It was really because I had to gather information..."
"I'm not blaming you."
I quickly interjected with a sigh.
Otherwise, Senior Neris might have slamd her head on the ground again.
Unfortunately, I couldn't prevent it this ti either, and a thud reverberated, causing my heart to sink along with the sound.
I was worried that soone might be alerted by the noise and co to investigate my bedroom.
It wouldn't reflect well if anyone stumbled upon a beautiful woman and secretly alone together in the dead of night.
Ever since the prior incident in the bedroom, Seria appeared particularly uneasy.
Thankfully, the other witnesses were the Saintess who was good at speaking, and the outspoken Senior Elsie.
If Seria, feeling the tension, hadn't restrained herself, who knows what disaster might have ensued, given her natural shyness and lack of social skills.
Fortunately, Seria managed to keep herself composed.
It served as evidence of her growing social skills.
She was still like a ticking ti bomb, but her progress was undeniable.
I silently applauded Seria's developnt as I resud speaking.
"It was rely a concern for your well-being. It would be inconvenient if Senior Neris were unwell."
Upon hearing my words, Senior Neris leveled an intense, scrutinizing gaze at —one typically reserved for a lunatic.
Well, Senior Neris wasn't close enough to to be able to distinguish between my current self and the future '.'
Therefore, to her it might appear as though the individual who inflicted harm upon her and the present expressing concern were one and the sa.
If she ended up thinking of as soone with a split personality, there was little I could do to dissuade her.
Failing to convince Senior Neris, I sighed once again.
"...Forget it. It's a relief that you seem fine. But more importantly, what's your report?"
"Ah, yes... yes!"
Only then did Senior Neris, having regained her composure, cautiously gauge my reaction.
She appeared fearful, as if expecting punishnt for any further missteps.
However, after a mont of tense silence and noticing no reproachful expression from , she mustered so courage and continued hesitantly.
"I-I received information about a strange rumor circulating in this area... It's a rumor that has persisted for over a decade, but it has recently resurfaced."
A rumor reerging after lying dormant for more than ten years.
It could potentially be linked to the recent string of disappearances in the Percus Territory. It was a matter that needed consultation with the Imperial Administrator, Arthur, for detailed information.
As a hum escaped my lips, Senior Neris hastened to add, evidently desperate not to disrupt my mood.
"The pattern of how the rumor spreads is also similar to before. It begins with a string of disappearances, followed by the ergence of strange tales. So claim there's an individual capable of resurrecting the dead, while others say that they've encountered soone identical to themselves in the forest..."
"...Could it possibly be a doppelganger?"
"It's unlikely. Demonic monsters like doppelgangers aren't typically so easy to co across. Moreover, there haven't been any recent lunar eclipses observed in this region."
'Doppelgangers' were Demonic Monsters capable of mimicking the appearance and behavior of others.
Unlike Demonic Beasts, Demonic Monsters were inherently monstrous beings.
They predominantly inhabited the Demon Realm under the dominion of the Evil God Oros, occasionally breaching the Mortal Realm during lunar eclipses.
However, accidental crossings by Demonic Monsters like doppelgangers were exceedingly rare.
It seed more plausible to consider the notion of deliberate summoning if such entities were involved.
Yet, since the War of Gods and Demons, the boundary between the Mortal Realm and the Demon Realm had remained stable. Even during the war, historical records indicate that Delpherim had to make significant sacrifices for the final battle.
If soone intentionally summoned creatures from the Demon Realm, there would have been a sign due to the cataclysmic nature of the collision between worlds.
As Senior Neris suggested, it seed more reasonable to exclude the possibility of doppelgangers.
"...We should investigate this further."
"Yes, that's what I thought you'd say. So, I've compiled several potential sources regarding the rumor."
With that, Senior Neris handed over several docunts.
Each docunt pinpointed locations where evidence related to the rumor had been gathered. It was evident she had conducted a thorough investigation, as the specified area was not extensive.
I scanned the docunts for a while before my gaze paused at one particular detail.
Sothing peculiar had caught my attention.
"This place isn't within the Percus Territory."
"Y-Yes... b-but I thought it would be good to investigate that area as well..."
With these words, Senior Neris anxiously waited for my reaction.
A faint tremor shook her shoulders, indicating her worry over any potential mistake.
Of course, I had no intention of blaming Senior Neris because being ticulous in everything was a comndable attitude.
I had a different reason for singling out this particular location.
"The Yurdina family’s military post..."
I recalled that Seria was scheduled to visit the military post tomorrow.
Given these circumstances, it wouldn't have been a bad idea to get Seria's help.
It was likely that information accumulated by an insider would prove more valuable than that from an outsider. In that regard, having Seria accompany would be advantageous.
As I took a mont to gather my thoughts, Senior Neris appeared even more anxious.
Repeatedly pursing her lips, as though they were drying out, betrayed her nervousness.
It took so ti to notice Senior Neris in such a state.
It was a mont of realization.
As a senior, Neris must have been anxious since she was unable to voice her thoughts. In her mind, I was soone who would swing my axe without any good reason.
Clearing my throat to capture her attention, I offered a brief word of praise.
"...Well done."
Yet, even this simple complint caught Senior Neris off guard.
She stared at wide-eyed.
"...Pardon?"
"You did well. It was especially good that you thoroughly collected all the relevant information, even if it was a little late."
Normally, a complint required ntioning specific positive aspects to make it feel sincere.
After a brief hesitation, Senior Neris, who had been repeatedly opening and closing her lips, finally bowed deeply.
I could detect faint traces of emotion from her.
Was such an intense reaction necessary for a re complint?
The question briefly crossed my mind, but I saw no need to dampen the situation if Senior Neris was fine with it. Besides, the tense atmosphere dissipated quickly anyways.
Suddenly, Senior Neris's complexion paled.
I realized it a bit late, but she had been trembling as she repeatedly bowed her head.
"...I-I absolutely didn't have any doubts or questions... Absolutely! I-I didn't question anything, I swear... _Sob. _F-Forgive..."
"...That's enough. You should stop."
There was no end to my sighs.
It seed like repairing the relationship with Senior Neris would take longer.
****
The Percus Manor lay quiet in the early dawn.
Only a handful of servants bustled about, preparing for the day ahead.
I appreciated the chilly morning air. It was an indulgence reserved for the diligent few.
Today, I intended to visit the location where the Yurdina family's soldiers were stationed along with Seria.
Since the plan had been hastily arranged the night before, consulting with Seria was necessary.
So, I found myself wandering the manor's halls early in the morning.
Anyway, by now, Seria would probably be swinging her sword sowhere. If our paths crossed, it would be nice to train together after a long ti. With that thought in mind, I was walking with ease.
However, I unexpectedly encountered soone along the way.
"...Ah, stop it! I said I already got it, for real!"
"Elsie!"
At the sound of a raised voice, the door to the reception room creaked open, and a young woman dashed past . Trailing closely behind her was a middle-aged man—both familiar faces.
It was Elsie and Sir Reynold.
Despite Sir Reynold's futile attempt to reach out, he soon emitted an annoyed sigh, his hand resting on his cheek.
I could only watch the scene with a puzzled expression.
Such commotion at this early hour.
However, of course, it was clear who I should console.
Quietly, I began to follow the path Senior Elsie had taken, because, to be frank, consoling middle-aged n wasn't exactly my /genesisforsaken
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