“You’re late.”
“Whoa! You scared me. You’re still up?”
A pale-skinned man with a sharp, angular face stood at the top of the stairs, gazing down at Leon.
His name was Shark Swalter—Leon’s father.
Unlike his son, Shark had a lean build and a cold, austere look, thanks to his jutting cheekbones and the dark shadows under his eyes.
He made his way down the stairs and stopped in front of Leon.
“Where have you been?”
“Just met up with someone.”
“That new friend you mentioned… Bell, wasn’t it? Said he lived in the next village over.”
“Yeah, that’s right. You remembered.”
Hopefully, it’s not because of the incident with the private study. Leon tensed, but Shark didn’t press the matter. Instead, he lifted a hand and brushed something off Leon’s hair.
“…You’ve got dust on you.”
“Huh? When did that happen? Thanks.”
Leon gave a sheepish grin, but Shark’s face remained unreadably calm.
“It’s late. Get some rest.”
“Yes, Father. Oh—by the way, would it be all right if I looked at the old village budget records in your study sometime? Just want to check something.”
“I don’t mind. What for?”
“There’s something I need to verify.”
Leon was referring to the tribute payments Kalz had mentioned. He’d already apologized for suspecting Kalz of wrongdoing, but he still couldn’t fully trust what he’d said about the Swalter family. That conversation had taken place before the contract—there was still a chance Kalz had lied.
“Do as you like. I’ll tell the butler.”
“Thank you.”
“Now off to bed.”
“Good night, Father.”
Shark watched his son’s retreating back until Leon was completely out of sight. Then, and only then, did he start walking—but not toward his bedroom.
Instead, he turned into a quiet, hidden hallway.
Tap, tap, tap.
With practiced ease, he knocked on the wall. A moment later, the wall rotated with a heavy clunk, revealing a hidden passageway. Without hesitation, Shark stepped inside and inserted a key into the handle of a concealed door.
This was his private study—a secret space passed down from his father, one Leon had never been told about. He walked over to a bookshelf, pulled out an old book, and flipped through the pages.
It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for.
“…Kalz Lion, huh. If the records are accurate, he’d have fur exactly like this.”
In his hand was a long strand of brown fur—the very one he’d plucked from Leon’s head just minutes ago.
A small smile tugged at his lips. It was the smile of a predator who’d finally caught the scent of its prey.
***
The morning of the festival’s eve arrived as promised. Leon showed up at the castle, his face unusually grave.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s bad. We’ve got more people missing. Not just one or two—seven.”
“Seven?! In just two days?”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. That number was insane—beyond belief. Leon squeezed his left eye shut and exhaled a long, heavy breath.
“And get this—most of the new victims lived with their families. Whoever’s behind this either thinks they’ll never get caught, or they just don’t care anymore. Whatever the case, it feels like they’ve gone completely off the rails.”
“Or maybe they suddenly need a lot more victims—fast.”
“No way to know for sure. But because of this, no one’s even stepping outside anymore. The festival’s basically dead, and more people are demanding we attack the castle immediately. I can’t talk them down anymore. I’m not even sure we’ll make it to the end of the festival at this rate.”
Their already tight investigation window had just gotten tighter. They didn’t have the luxury of waiting anymore—they had to act.
“…If they’re snatching people at random, maybe we can turn that to our advantage.”
“How?”
“You said people aren’t going out, right? So if someone’s walking around alone, the culprit might go after them.”
“You want to be the bait? But all the victims so far have been women.”
“So I’ll dress as one. I can pull it off.”
I placed a hand over my chest with full confidence—but judging by their expressions, neither of them was sold.
“No way, Bell. It’s way too dangerous.”
“Then who do you suggest? That towering menace Kalz with the scary mask? Or Leon—who literally everyone in town knows by name?”
The two of them looked at each other… then quickly looked away. Yeah. Even they knew they were out of the question.
“We could ask someone else—”
“Someone else? Name one person you trust 100% who can cross-dress as convincingly as I can.”
“Then how about an actual woman—”
“Fine—show me a woman you trust with your life, who also happens to be skilled enough in martial arts or swordplay to escape any dangerous situation on her own. Then sure, let’s go with her.”
Leon shut his mouth. No counter.
Next hurdle: Kalz.
“Denied. You don’t need to put yourself in that kind of danger.”
“I’ve said this already—some risks are worth taking if it means solving this faster. And don’t worry so much. I’ve got a backup plan.”
“Which is?”
I pulled out my trump card—Arin’s Ear Cuff. The artifact I saw in the treasure vault. When worn as a pair, it lets the users instantly teleport to each other’s location. Super convenient. One-time use.
“Pretty good, right? I won’t use it unless absolutely necessary. It’s just a safety net. I’ll only activate it if things go south.”
“Promise me you won’t hesitate. Even if things start to go wrong—use it. That’s exactly what it’s for.”
Aww… heart flutter. Say what you will, the guy knows how to look out for people.
“All right then—no more objections? I’m off to transform. Be right back!”
I left the room and went straight to the squirrel couple. After I explained the situation, Mr. and Mrs. Pitt whipped up the perfect dress for me in no time. Simple, sure—but with flawless stitching and a clean finish. Absolutely stunning. Total pros.
Next stop: the kitchen. I’d only dropped by to grab some flour, but the moment Elizabeth saw me in the dress, her eyes lit up like it was festival day. She gave me a quick lip makeover using fruit powder and honey, then handed me a wig and even lent me a pair of heels.
Once I had everything ready, I marched back to the study and struck a dramatic pose as I walked in.
“So? I look like a proper lady, don’t I?”
“Oh wow, Bell—you look amazing!”
“Heh. Should be more than enough to fool any idiot.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the praise.”
Lipstick aside, I was basically carrying this look with raw charm alone. Oh, right—one more thing.
“Uh… what did you use for… you know, those?”
“Wanna touch and find out?”
“Wha—No!”
Wow, look at him panic. It’s not even a real chest! I tossed the spare padding at Leon with a grin.
“Here it is—a balloon filled with flour.”
“So this is how you make one.”
Leon picked up the balloon and turned it over in his hands, clearly fascinated. Kalz, meanwhile, shot me a questioning look and raised an eyebrow.
“What’s with that bag? It doesn’t match your outfit at all.”
“Yeah, I know. But once I packed everything I needed, this was the smallest bag that could fit it all.”
“And what, exactly, did you need?”
“Wanna take a look?”
I opened the bag and held it out for him.
“Okay, a fan and a water bottle—fair enough. But what’s this fire poker doing in here?”
“That’s in case things get dicey. It doubles as a weapon.”
“And this perfume?”
“Also self-defense. If I get cornered, I’ll spray it straight into their eyes.”
“…And the boiled sweet potato?”
“In case I get hungry?”
Kalz let out a long sigh and continued digging through the contents.
“You’ve packed like you’re going on a picnic.”
As he shuffled through the bag, something caught his attention. His eyes widened, and he muttered under his breath,
“Why the hell did you bring this?”
“Oh, that.”
He was pointing at the Witch’s Copperplate. I waited until I saw Leon still distracted with the balloon before leaning in to whisper,
“I told you, remember? It moves on its own toward the other fragment. I don’t know when it might lead me to a clue, so I’m keeping it with me just in case.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“Oh, please. You’ve got no room to talk. What, you wanna fight me on this too?”
Kalz gave a dry cough and wisely stepped back.
“Anyway, I’m heading out now. So who’s wearing the other half of the ear cuff?”
