Chapter 417 – Evidence Collection

It’s the same today.

The capital’s mansion ends the day with a signal from Roman.

Right before the end, you send a lingering greeting to your lover who is far away, feel relieved that there is no problem with each other, and then start getting ready to sleep.

Rike carefully lifted the used artifact and returned it to its original location.

Ceria jumped out of bed in her pajamas, stopping just before she turned off the lights in her bedroom.

“I’ll put out the fire!”

“Please.”

With permission, the bedroom becomes dark. Taking that as a signal, the picture depicts people gathering in order, starting from the center where Roman was originally supposed to be, and sharing warmth while trying to sleep.

Each person naturally hugs someone who touches their bare skin or holds hands and falls into dreamland.

‘···?’

How long has it been like that?

Eclair got up from the bed when Ricke, who left before turning off the light, did not return from the living room.

I left the bedroom quietly, making sure not to wake anyone.

It’s okay even if there is no fire. Because this level of darkness does not pose any obstacle to Eclair.

“Rike. Can’t you sleep?”

Eclair quietly calls out to the girl who is looking out her window with her blank gaze.

Only then did Rike, with the brilliant light in her purple eyes return, turn her head and give her a small smile.

“I’m sorry. Your sister needs to sleep too, but she’s bothering me.”

“Okay.”

Eclair shook her head saying it didn’t matter and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

He crossed his arms over her back.

“Isn’t your sister going to work tomorrow too? I’m fine, so please sleep.”

“If you think about it that way, Ricke is also going to the academy tomorrow.”

“···.”

Eclair, who crossed one of his legs and buried himself in his body, glanced at the bedroom and opened his mouth.

“Everyone’s sleep quality isn’t good these days. It’s taking Chloe longer than usual to fall asleep, too.”

“Hmm~ I see you are paying attention to that too.”

“As Chloe’s older sister, it’s only natural.”

“It’s nice to see you being more honest than before.”

Why can’t she sleep? The reason was obvious. She is clear and doesn’t even need to speak loudly.

Ricke walked briskly away from her window and sat down next to Eclair.

She rested her head gently on his shoulder.

“Eclair, sister. Don’t you have a lot of stamina left these days?”

“···.”

“Everyone still has a desire that cannot be resolved through training and is only ignored. Since they are forcing themselves to sleep, I think it is inevitable that they sleep lightly.”

As Rike said, Eclair also has a lot of stamina left.

However, his work efficiency did not increase proportionally.

‘···On the other hand, it may be true that my concentration has decreased.’

A desire that I have been trying to taste for a long time but has suddenly not been able to be relieved recently.

It is not even incomplete combustion. Firewood that cannot be burned continues to pile up without being disposed of.

“Is that why she can’t sleep and is out here like this?”

“If that’s true, does her sister relieve you?”

Rike showed a naughty smile in response to Eclair’s curiosity. Plus, I want her fingers running around her thighs.

“Her mischievous side is taking after Roman…”

She chuckles, saying she will take it as a compliment. Satisfied with Eclair’s blush, Rike comfortably brought out her story inside her.

“That’s not the reason today. I just had a strange feeling.”

“A strange premonition?”

This is what Rike, who has a different intuition than Roman, says. It bothers me too much to ignore or laugh it off.

Eclair is quietly waiting for an answer.

Rike raised his head, cast his gaze back out the window, and smiled.

“I wonder what my brother is doing.”

*****

Knock. Knock. Knock.

– This is Roman.

“!”

A dull knocking sound erupted from Roman’s thick fingers.

Atra jumped up from the bed, holding her jelly.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

– Atra. Are you okay?

At Roman’s voice, which seemed to confirm her situation and was slightly lower than just before, the saintess hastily opened her mouth, which had been closed.

“Now, just wait a moment!”

I set her jelly down next to the pillow and got up, lowering her feet from the bed.

The first thing to do is to stand in front of the mirror that reflects her half-body.

I tidied up her hair, which had become disheveled from wearing a veil all day, and buried my nose in her sleeve to catch her breath in case there was any strange smell coming from her body.

‘Ugh…Go, the smell of meat…’

Even though it’s been a while since she returned to her inn, she hasn’t changed clothes or washed up.

Why did she not clean her body as soon as she returned, and she was filled with only regrets stemming from her laziness.

“Whew.”

That’s right, I’m waiting for her in the hallway now. Isn’t it like I can’t even go in to take a shower?

Atra moved with her hesitation, unlocking her locks with her trembling hands and pulling open the door.

Squeak.

Atra hid her body behind the half-open door and gave Roman a glimpse of her face.

“Have you been waiting…?”

“No. I’m sorry for suddenly coming to you so late at night.”

Roman’s condition was captured in Atra’s light blue eyes.

The tips of her hair are slightly damp, and the faint scent of soap is mixed with the scent of her flesh.

Atra’s voice and attitude became stiff due to the elements that subtly increased tension.

“It’s okay. What’s going on?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

As Roman held out the luxuriously packaged chocolate, Atra looked up at Roman with her bewildered eyes.

“This···?”

“It’s one of the things I habitually carry with me. Of course, I didn’t leave without saying a word while on escort duty.”

I don’t know what Atra might think, but she really didn’t go out and buy it.

It’s simply one of the desserts I have piled up in my inventory.

Roman’s inventory now includes chocolate that is so sweet that it makes your tongue tingle, which Chloe and Ceria like.

There is also chocolate that combines the sweetness and bitterness that liqueurs and eclairs like.

In addition to the fruit-flavored candies that Alice prefers, there are also desserts mixed with matcha that Lily’s sometimes likes.

“Thank you···.”

The saintess stuck her hand out through the crack in her door and grabbed the end of her chocolate to show her gratitude.

Roman said in a serious voice without letting go of the dessert he was holding in his hand.

“Atra.”

“Uh, eh, yeah?!”

Atra looked like a fish that had bitten off a fishing hook and raised her head in surprise.

“It may be unreliable and presumptuous for an adventurer like me to say this, but if you eat something sweet when you have a lot on your mind, you can find the answer quite easily. If you don’t get the answer after eating it, I think it might be a good idea to put it off for a while.”

“···.”

Only then did Roman let go of his hand holding the chocolate.

“You must be tired, but sleep well and I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a restful night.”

Thud.

After confirming that Roman had returned to her room, Atra closed her door, squatted down, and hugged the chocolate to her chest.

‘I was really bad at managing my facial expressions.’

For some reason, Atra was able to anticipate the words Roman swallowed rather than spit out.

When you’re in a bad mood, eating sweets helps you relax.

I also feel sorry for causing Roman to worry unnecessarily.

On the other hand, a feeling of happiness sprouts from such a topic.

‘As expected, you’re kind…’

Atra, who was lying on the bed and closely observing the chocolate, grabbed the jelly lying next to her.

She let out a mirthless laugh as she rolled around on the bed, cuddled up with the chocolate.

“Hi-Hi!”

··
··

The next evening.

Roman and Atra once again visited a temple-like building.

“Of course, Theo didn’t object to the truce either. He seemed to have lost interest in the war with the Empire.”

“Thank you so much… I promise in the name of the Goddess that I have no intention of exploiting this problem.”

Roman and Atra stand at a crossroads just before the valuable history of a ceasefire is engraved.

“Based on the report written by Varian, I will first issue a summons to the representatives of the race. We will gather for discussion in the not too distant future, and as soon as it is concluded, we will send a letter to the empire.”

“Then what we have to do until then…”

Varian, who was standing in the corner at Vulcan’s chin, approached Atra and handed her a bundle of documents.

It is a compilation of rumors about warlocks that have been circulating or heard in the federal bureau and suspicious cases that have not been resolved.

Varian, who apologized for not being able to filter out information due to time constraints, returned to his original position and remained silent.

“Well, I would appreciate it if you could use that information to provide us with something that would make us feel realistic about the dangers of warlocks. It is possible to go ahead with empty hands, but the level of noise will vary depending on whether there is evidence or not.”

“Understand.”

“Please spare me the trouble. Our children are far from delicate, so if you ask us to bring evidence, we will bring a pile of ashes or shapeless meat paste.”

“As someone who is asking for a favor, it is something that must be done.”

Afterwards, Atra turns her gaze to Roman who is sitting next to her.

Roman nodded his head with a smile telling him to do whatever was convenient.

“···Vulcan. Can I ask you one thing?”

“Something.”

“I remember being surprised at the number of people sitting in key positions in the federal government when I was briefed on the people who might oppose the ceasefire agenda.”

“Hmm.”

If issues related to national power were intertwined with Theodore’s personal history, this noise would not be normal.

If the key figures who rushed to Roman and Atra to stop the truce are killed, the possibility of administrative chaos within the Federal Bureau is absolutely high.

“It is believed that there are people who come without hiding their identity in order to inflame the conflict before a contract with the empire is concluded.”

“I guess so.”

“If those people attack, wouldn’t it be better for us to avoid the area as much as possible?”

Everyone here knows the meaning of Atra’s question.

In a way, it gets even weirder if you listen to the entire content but make arbitrary judgments without asking questions.

In Atra’s view, this issue was also considered to be one that required quite in-depth discussion.

But.

Vulcan moved his chin as if it was not a problem to worry about.

He gave an immediate answer.

“Is that necessary? If you were going to take someone else’s life, you should have risked your own life as well.”