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“Hey, if you have nowhere to go, why don’t you come to my place?”
“…Wh-Why are you being so kind to someone like me?”
“Hmm… Maybe because I’m interested in you, Colin. Also, I was picked up by daddy on a rainy day like this, too, you see?”
“Wha…!?”

The unexpected turn of events and the heaviness of her story left Colin speechless. But Maria Lou didn’t seem to mind and started walking, still holding Colin’s hand.

“We can talk about it later. More importantly, can you read and write, Colin?”
“Y-Yeah. Sort of.”

When Colin had come to the Holy City looking for work, he had learned basic reading, writing, and arithmetic back in his hometown. It turned out he had a knack for it, and he especially enjoyed reading books.

“That’s perfect! My adoptive father is the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, but he’s been complaining about not having enough helpers. If you want, Colin, would you like to give it a try?”

It was all so sudden, and Colin had never even considered working as a newspaper assistant. He was completely at a loss for how to respond.

“It’s decided then! Nice to work with you, Colin.”

Turning around with a cheerful smile as if she had made up her mind from the very beginning, Maria Lou left Colin’s heart pounding.

“Y-Yeah, nice to work with you.”

And so, the two of them walked with light, almost dancing steps, along the main street of the Holy City, which was filled with the scent of fresh rain and blooming hydrangeas.

♢♦♢♦♢

Maria Lou looked up at the glass windows of the Adventurers’ Guild headquarters, where bright lights poured out. Seeing the silhouettes of fully armed adventurers patrolling back and forth, a hint of provocation mixed with disdain flashed in her eyes.

“Heh… They say a flock of sheep led by a lion can drive away a pride of lions led by a sheep. But I wonder, do they even have a proper leader for this mob of fools? And can they spot the lion hiding among the flock in sheep’s clothing? Let’s see what they’re made of.”

Her murmured words carried a dark undertone.

“Maria Lou…?” Feeling a sudden unease, Colin called out to her.

“What is it?” Maria Lou smiled back with her usual carefree expression—like a hydrangea glistening with raindrops.

“N-Nothing. But really, a girl shouldn’t be wandering around at this hour. The editor-in-chief will be mad if he finds out.”
“It’s fine. I stopped by the office to drop off a late-night snack for daddy and told him I’d chase after you on my way back. He gave me the okay.”

As she spoke, Maria Lou took out a golden pocket watch from her pocket—was it called a chronograph? It looked complex, with multiple hands—and opened its lid to check the dial.

“Does that mean he really trusts you…? The editor-in-chief spoils you in strange ways.”

He was usually such a doting parent, bragging about his daughter so much it was easy to forget they weren’t actually related by blood.

“Anyway, this isn’t a safe place to be right now. Let’s hurry back.”

If he were alone, even getting caught up in trouble would just make him cheerfully say, “I got myself a good scoop!” But things were different when the girl he owed his life to, the one he cherished most, was by his side.

Waving the lantern in his hand, Colin took the lead, urging Maria Lou to head back to the boarding house—an apartment where Maria Lou and her adoptive father lived and had kindly allowed Colin to stay.

…The truth was, he wanted to reverse their roles from the day they first met, to grab her hand and pull her along. But that was just too embarrassing.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Maria Lou replied half-heartedly, sounding annoyed, and gave Colin’s back a slap as her usual greeting.

“Ouch. Can’t you go a bit easier on me—”

Colin grumbled, turning his head to complain, but something suddenly came to mind.

“…Now that I think about it, you greeted me the same way around here earlier today, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was on my way to bring lunch to daddy when I saw your defenseless back, so I couldn’t help myself.”

Maria Lou narrowed her eyes mischievously.

“Was there some kind of paper stuck to my back?”

Why hadn’t he thought of it until now? It was probably because it felt like just another ordinary day, nothing unusual enough to catch his attention. But now he was curious, so he asked.

“There wasn’t anything. Not until I touched your back.”

Maria Lou shrugged, and Colin nodded without a trace of suspicion.

“I see.” He turned back around, satisfied with the answer.

Watching his back, “…Sorry.” Maria Lou’s smile faded. A helpless emotion spread across her face, like paint dripping into water.

“ -Meow.”

From somewhere near the roof of a nearby house, the meow of a cat echoed, followed by the fluttering sound of wings, like a bird taking flight.

♢♦♢♦♢

The Guildmaster of the Thera Maryth Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters, Karolos Papandreou, belonged to a family of chieftains from the tribe of smallfolk, also known as Hobbits.

Because of that connection, he had been installed as the Guildmaster to counter the Saintess’ Church, which promoted human supremacy. But in reality, after twenty years of this job (and though not as long-lived as elves, he did have a reasonably long lifespan), he couldn’t help but think it was nothing but trouble with very little reward.

And tonight, more than ever, he felt it was a day of utter misfortune, as he followed the annoyingly noisy instructions of the maid’s severed head and tried to piece her body back together.

Then—

“What’s that noise!?”
“Could it be an attack!?”

Perhaps drawn by the commotion in the ‘Hazardous Materials Storage,’ two brawny guild staff members, armed and panicking, burst through the door.

Their eyes immediately landed on the sight of the Guildmaster—reputed for his womanizing habits—frozen in place, holding up the hips of a dismembered maid dressed in a miniskirt.

The guild staff’s eyes and mouths widened to their absolute limits as they took in the scene: the Guildmaster standing there, dazed and gripping the maid’s lower half, with her arms, legs, torso, chest, and orange-haired head scattered on the floor, her decapitated head resting atop the ground like some ghastly trophy.

“Emergency——!!!”
“There’s an emerging pervert——!!!”

Almost identical screams erupted from the throats of the two men.¹

1. Mab: Emergency is “Taihen da!”
   Pervert is “Hentai da!”
   This joke doesn’t work in English.

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