About fifteen minutes before the alarm bells rang, Lydia and Bray were walking down the side streets of town with a large bag of ingredients.

"Oh~ I think that's enough. No matter how you look at it, this amount is not something that four people can consume in one meal. Lydia looked at the cloth bag in her arms, which contained cauliflower, tender tenderloin, and delicious ingredients like trout and caviar. and refined sesame oil and precious spices such as peppercorn powder. Even the average petty nobleman would not have been so lavish in his daily dinner.

Bray on the side also nodded in agreement. He had planned to do something more classy, but was unceremoniously stopped by Lydia. In her words, it is - "I spend money so lavishly at a young age, how will I take care of the family business when I grow up?"

"Phew. Bray pouted to himself. "It's like you're my sister. ”

"Huh?" Lydia tilted her head slightly, "What did you say?"

"No! I didn't say anything!" Bray quickly shook his head in denial, as if he realized that such a response seemed to be too contrived, so he immediately added: "I'm just a little hungry! Let's go back quickly!"

Lydia looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and half-squinted her eyes with an "oh~" sound.

The end of the word 'oh' was dragged out by her. It seems that she didn't believe a word of Bray's explanation.

Still, Lydia turned her head away and didn't scare the panicked boy any further. After all, this is just a trivial matter, and the weight is about the size of a mung bean, so there is no need to bother with it at all.

She continued to walk forward.

The town was much cleaner than Lydia expected. Perhaps there was a purge not long ago, and it was rare to see a beggar or a warbler on a street corner. This may be due to the fact that the dragon plague brought so many refugees a dozen days ago that the captain of the guard had to gather them and arrange them to go outside the town.

In this way, it is probably reasonable to say that there are not many guards and high-ranking officers in Loristed. At least it was enough for Lydia to convince herself for that reason.

Just as Lydia was thinking, Bray behind him finally couldn't resist the boy's instincts, and asked, "Sister Lydia, that ...... Isn't it hard for you, Lord Alice?"

"Hmm?" a smile hung on the corner of the girl's mouth, "Oh no~"

"Ahh He continued to ask, "But, but she looks so fierce!"

"Oh! That's just her messing around. Miss Alice, she would never have done anything to anyone who had not shown hostility to her. ”

She lifted her chin slightly, a look of yearning on her face. "She's a very, very gentle person. ”

“…………”

Suddenly, there was the sound of a heavy object falling behind him. An apple that fell to the ground tumbled and hit her ankle.

"What's the matter, Bray?" she turned her head, only to find that Bray had fallen to the ground!

"What's wrong with you! Wake up!" Lydia hurriedly threw the bag in her arms down, and rushed up with a lunge to lift the unconscious boy up, shaking his shoulders vigorously.

No response.

"What's going on!?" Lydia quickly tested the boy's pulse and breathing, only to be surprised to find that they were all at a level within the normal range. It's as if he's been beaten with a stick. But the nearest man in his vicinity was thirty feet away!

"Maybe it's some invisible disease......" Lydia guessed wildly, but the boy in front of her couldn't afford that much time to judge. So she made a quick decision.

"We'll have to find a doctor!" she said, slung Bray on her shoulders and headed for the nearest doctor's ......

But where is the medical center!?

At this moment, a guy in a black robe walked from inside from an unknown corner, and after taking a look, he said to her, "Your friend seems to be sick, come with me quickly." ”

"Uh-huh, okay, thank you. Lydia hurriedly agreed, still a little confused, and wanted to ask a few more questions. But the stranger strode away as if she were in a greater hurry than she was.

"Quick!" the man waved at her from the other side of the street. Shouted. It immediately attracted the attention of many people nearby. But they just glanced at it and stopped looking.

"Here we are!" Lydia, who was in a panic, did not hesitate any longer, and immediately followed the stranger's footsteps.

She left so quickly that she didn't even notice the slight roar coming from the direction of the house.

Naturally, it was even less likely that she could see that in the small stall, just a wall away from where she had just stood, two Nords dressed as merchants were falling limply, with quenched daggers in their hands.

The stranger's footsteps were quick, when she stopped. Ladia finds herself in a hidden alley.

"Alright, here we are. ”

Lydia looked around, but couldn't find a single door.

"Where's the doctor?" she said, pressing her hand to her sword.

"You'd better not fool me. Otherwise, I'll let you know how sharp this sword is!"

But the stranger didn't care about her threat at all. She pulled down her hood, revealing blonde hair and golden eyes—a pretty woman.

"I'm the doctor. You can call me Martha. She gestured to the unconscious boy. "That little guy just took a strong stober shot from me. After a few days, you will wake up hungry. You don't have to worry about him. ”

"What did you do!?" Lydia drew her steel sword and pointed it straight at Martha.

"Say, what do you want to do?"

Martha raised her brow in confusion, completely ignoring Lydia's question.

"Why are you so nervous? I just saved your life!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lydia shouted angrily, "You'd better tell the truth!"

"Where's my book?"

"What!?"

"It's the book "Night of Tears" I put with you the day before yesterday, and if you give me back that book, I'll leave immediately. Martha said angrily.

Lydia's mouth opened wide.

"So you were the one who hit me that day!" Lydia's heart swelled with anger, and her cheeks turned red from the rapid flow of blood! "I thought I couldn't settle this account!"

[Do you know what it's like to pick up so many things, sort them into categories, and finally pack up your bags and chase a little boy across half a block, and be scolded by Miss Alice when you go back!??]

"Looks like you're not willing to cooperate, huh?" Martha's shoulder collapsed in frustration. As if complaining, he muttered: "I saved you, and I saved your friends, and I spoke to you in a good voice, and I didn't tell a word of lie." And then you actually responded to me like this...... The records in those books are really unreliable!"

"It's as ridiculous as the so-called [Charus Mother Juice can drive snow elves]! I'm going to burn them all when I get back!"

And at this moment, Lydia had already rushed forward in stride. I'm going to use the back of my sword to teach this guy in front of me who has made her suffer a lot!

[I'm going to have to beat your pretty face into an apple pie!

"Drink!" she rushed to Martha, picked up her sword and was about to smash it!

The sword failed to come down.

Lydia wasn't able to take that step forward.

[Move, can't move!]

Martha, who was standing in front of Lydia, stretched out a hand, and there was a powerful surge of magical energy between her open fingers.

Static stasis force field. Martha's own spell. It was originally intended to be used against arrows and projectile spells, but of course, it was a breeze to deal with a less mature swordsman.

"Really. Sure enough, I still have to do it myself. I think you called her Lydia......" She took a step forward, the tip of her nose almost touching Lydia!

"Lydia, look into my eyes!" Martha's eyes widened, and her golden pupils were stained with a misty light.

[It's so beautiful...... It's beautiful...... Like amber, if I could ......]

Lydia's consciousness drifted into a trance, and in her field of vision, several vague figures emerged one by one.

At this moment, Martha in the alley, Alice shrouded in light in front of the temple of Ginalais, and even older, but more profound, figures appeared in front of her. They all have blonde hair and eyes.

[Sister...... Miss Alice......]

Lydia's lips twitched slightly. In her eyes, the three shadows overlapped each other, and finally became an appearance that made her feel extremely familiar and warm.

[She] embraced her tenderly, and a feeling of happiness filled Lydia's body.

'Live happily, Lydia. The figure whispered in her ear.

"Hmm. ”

[My chest is a little sore, like my sister kissing me for the first time...... This strange feeling yo ......]

[Am I going to get addicted...... Like those tiger men who knocked too many scummas?]

[But...... I don't hate ......]

[That's it...... Good ............】

[——Pain !!]

Just as Lydia's eyes slowly became foggy, a sharp pain from the tip of her tongue suddenly saved her! an instinctive reaction cultivated in her early childhood, triggered when she faced some less powerful illusion spells.

"You, what do you want to do to me!" Lydia said pretending to be calm, but the uneasy tone of tone and the panic in her pupils betrayed her.

"Mistress Alice won't let you go!" she threatened loudly.

She couldn't have broken free. Even if there has been training. The gap between a shield swordsman and a high-ranking wizard in arcane attainments is not something that this little trick and luck can make up.

It's just Martha releasing water.

If it weren't for Martha's lack of liking this kind of soul and heart manipulation spell, even if Lydia showed signs of breaking free, she wouldn't have just let her go.

"Hmm...... Did it only partially succeed? This series of spells still doesn't match my temperament. She whispered. But his hands groped around Lydia very naturally.

Even she herself did not expect that this inconspicuous illusion could cause such a huge struggle in people's hearts. She couldn't help frowning slightly. Mentally changed the order of something.

"No?" Martha looked up confusedly. looked at Lydia, who was covered in an unnatural crimson all over her body.

She had just groped all over Lydia's body without missing a single thing, not even a single hidden place—even though there was no way to hide such a large book!

"You, you—you!" Ladia stammered. She was supposed to be angry, but there seemed to be some other emotion hidden in it.

"What are you?" Martha was a little worried about the mental quality of the guy in front of her, if it broke, it would be troublesome. She lowered her voice as low as she could, and said gently, "Tell me where the book is, and I'll let you go." ”

"You bastard!!"

“？”

Martha wanted to ask again. Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps at the other end of the alley.

It was a middle-aged man whose face was as pale as snow, and his every move was extremely stiff. And behind him there is more than one character who he almost carved out of the same mold - no, they are carved out of a mold!

"Uh, Drafi's puppet?" Martha gritted her teeth, a look of resentment on her face. "It's this kind of disposable goods again! There should be a limit to underestimating people!"

"All, give me death!" her palms condensed with thunder and flames, and then threw her soul-destroying magic energy towards the end of the alley!

She's had enough, and this time she's going to fight to the end!

And just then, another puppet silently emerged from the shadows of the alley and stabbed at Martha's defenseless back!

'Poof. ’

The sharp blade pierced through the flesh.

It was the puppet that died, and it was Lydia who drew the sword.

Is the body being manipulated by illusions, or is it something else?

The truth may be known only to Lydia herself. She just defended Martha's back with a blank face, blocking round after round of stabbing for her. But if you look closely, you can see that her eyes are full of tears.

[Woo...... Come and save me!Alice-sama !!]

Just then, alarm bells rang in the center of the town.