"Hm? Follow her?"
I asked innocently, then spoke with mock seriousness.
"Sir Sian. Lady April would never do something as improper as following another young lady around."
For a moment, I was secretly nervous.
Did he notice me watching Yeniel and following after her?
"I know."
Sian's voice was calm.
"You wouldn't have actually followed her. I simply wanted to ask."
His expression darkened.
"How someone from a prestigious noble faction ended up drifting into the Imperial faction's group. What I mean concerns a hypothetical situation."
His voice lowered heavily.
"If that moment ever comes, Lady April... you would have been better off following Lady Eveline."
"Why would I follow Lady Eveline?"
It took me a moment to remember that the villainess Eveline's family name was Devnoir.
"Lady Eveline surrounds herself with people who cater to her moods, but she is honest. Lady Yeniel, on the other hand, is... precise."
"A precise person?"
"Being precise isn't always a good thing."
Sian paused.
"Though everyone likes you, so it's probably an unnecessary concern."
Then he shook his head.
"Forget I said anything. Regardless of what you think, I've already repaid my debt."
I immediately understood.
This was his way of thanking me for defending him against Max earlier.
"We've rested enough. Let's search for clues in this room."
Ending the conversation, Sian walked toward the hidden cabinet.
"Then are you precise too, Sir Sian?"
"...I don't know."
That was a lie.
He's terrible at lying.
Since I had skipped most of the story, I had no idea what "precise" truly meant.
But I knew one thing.
Sian seemed like the kind of person whose thoughts appeared plainly on his face.
Painfully honest.
Unfortunately, the secret cabinet contained nothing.
"This was the only place we hadn't searched."
Sian frowned.
"Besides the first-aid kit, did you find anything else? Some kind of mechanism?"
"Nothing."
"Hm."
He crossed his arms.
"Perhaps the first-aid kit is all this room contains."
No.
That wasn't it.
I opened the first-aid kit.
"April wants to play with the first-aid kit!"
"...Sigh. Just be careful not to break it."
Ignoring him, I removed each tray of the multi-layered kit one by one and placed them on the floor.
At the very bottom was a jewel-like button.
"Oh?"
Sian immediately noticed.
"Wait. I'll press it."
Tensing, he pushed the button before I could.
For the record, I hadn't been planning to touch it.
CRASH!
Something dropped from above the chandelier.
A severed doll's head came hurtling downward.
Unlike me, who caught a clear glimpse of the thing, Sian probably only saw a dark, unpleasant object fall from the ceiling.
"What is that? Ugh."
The moment he got a proper look, he nearly let out a scream.
Rather than describing it in detail, it was enough to say it was grotesque.
"It might be a monster."
Sian stepped protectively in front of me and approached it.
"I'll confirm whether it's alive."
A moment later, he exhaled in relief.
"Fortunately... it's actually just a doll's head."
His face twisted.
"Though one with horrendous taste."
Then he clenched his teeth.
"Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"'Grant eternal rest.'"
His gaze fell upon the doll head.
"It means we must put a vengeful spirit to rest."
He nodded to himself.
"Lady Yeniel should be fine. The real concern is whether Sir Max manages to bring back the remaining pieces."
"The remaining pieces? What's that? April wants to know too."
"This is a fragmented doll."
Sian crouched beside the head.
"It was common during the early years of the Empire."
Naturally, I had no idea what he was talking about.
To my surprise, Sian patiently explained.
"People of that era feared those who died with resentment or vengeance in their hearts."
He lifted the doll head.
"They believed such people could return as evil spirits."
"So they made dolls?"
"Yes."
"They crafted dolls in the likeness of the deceased."
"And then broke them apart?"
"Why would they do that? That sounds painful."
"Because they feared the spirit."
His expression hardened.
"They feared being targeted for revenge."
I had expected him to become annoyed by my questions.
Instead, he continued explaining surprisingly kindly.
"Much like we're being pursued by the Archmage's revenge now, they feared the dead would come back to harm them."
His gaze settled on the doll's face.
"But the most important piece was always the heart."
"The heart?"
"People believed the soul resided there."
He stood.
"Even if we don't recover the entire body, finding the heart should be enough to grant the spirit peace."
His voice turned thoughtful.
"Since it's the most important piece, we'll have to hope Lady Yeniel or Sir Max found it."
Sian & April — Doll Head
Sian pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time.
"It's nearly been an hour."
He snapped it shut.
"Let's prepare to leave."
"Okay!"
I replied brightly.
Then I picked up the doll head that Sian clearly hated.
"It's light! And it even has hair!"
"...Please put that thing away."
Sian visibly shuddered.
"I'll have nightmares."
Holding the first-aid kit carefully, he looked thoroughly horrified.
The moment he opened the door—
A wall of muscle filled the entrance.
The cultist.
The demon worshipper hurled his greatsword aside and charged.
"Flipelium!"
At Sian's call, a spirit wolf materialized.
The spectral beast lunged forward and sank its fangs into the cultist's arm.
The spirit wolf and the cultist became entangled in a violent struggle.
"Everyone's late."
Sian gritted his teeth.
"If His Highness comes out, this creature will abandon everything else and rush toward him. Do not run to Room 202."
"Okay!"
Several minutes passed.
"When are the others coming...?!"
Sian scanned the corridor anxiously.
Then—
The door to Room 212 opened.
The room Max had entered alone.
And to my surprise—
Max stumbled out looking utterly terrified.
In his hands was a pale white leg.
"Aaaaaah! Somebody save me!"
At first glance it looked like a doll's leg.
Looking closer, however, it wasn't.
The flesh was gone.
The white bone underneath was fully exposed.
"There was a skeleton lower body in there! Aaagh! Save me!"
Max nearly collapsed in panic.
"Sir Isengriff! Deal with this thing!"
Even his screams were absurd.
I hadn't expected much from him, but apparently Max had found a doll fragment too.
Crown Prince & Yeniel
Sian & April — Doll Head
Max — Doll Lower Body
If we had the head and the lower body, then the upper body had to exist somewhere as well.
The heart is the most important piece, wasn't it?
Which meant there was only one possibility.
The heart was almost certainly hidden inside Room 202, where Yeniel and the Crown Prince had gone.
As if on cue, the door to Room 202 burst open.
"Lady Yeniel!"
I waved enthusiastically.
"Come over here!"
Yeniel called out to us urgently.
For the first time, her usually composed expression was visibly shaken.
Her voice trembled.
"His Highness has collapsed!"
She sounded genuinely panicked.
"He can't move anymore. All three of you, hurry and get into Room 202!"
At that exact moment, the cultist abruptly turned.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Its entire body pivoted toward Room 202.
Toward the Crown Prince.
