Seeing Mirna Draco subtly offering her garlic, Elga frowned. Did Mirna really think she was possessed by an evil spirit?
Elga thought about pretending to be possessed and writhe around, but just took the garlic, annoyed. She then asked lightly.
"Hey, Mirna. Do you know anything about logs?"
"A log? It's just a piece of wood. Why are you suddenly asking about it?"
"The language-log spoken by sinister black mages and necromancers like you. Do you know what that means?"
Mirna laughed at Elga's question.
"You wish to test my knowledge? But to think you'd see me so lightly, Lady Lioness, it's rather disappointing."
"What disappointment? So what exactly does 'log' mean?"
"A log is a vessel used in seditious necromancy or black magic. To put it in terms you understand-."
"It is also called a corpse. Or a corresponding state."
"… So, what are the chances of that log coming back to life and walking around?"
"It's as likely as the fried egg for breakfast hatching inside Lady Lioness' stomach."
So it was impossible.
"More importantly, why are you interested in black magic out of the blue? Do you have a fascination with blood or darkness? Do you hear someone else's voice in your ear—."
Mirna couldn't provide Elga with the answers she sought. The involved half-fairy wouldn't disclose the truth to Elga either.
Thanks to this, what naturally came to mind was the eccentric who was lurking in the old house. However, approaching him alone was a bit difficult…
"Hey, Mirna. What are you doing tonight? I'm really upset, but I think I can trust you. I need you to meet someone with me."
I didn't particularly like hot summer days, but the sweltering weather helped me this time.
Because I could wear a hat to shield myself from the sun.
The sunlight in Gracia was intense, so people wearing umbrellas or hats could easily be spotted, and I could blend in naturally among them.
"What, that straw hat doesn't suit you at all."
Lily laughed at the hat I was wearing on my head, but it was better to be ridiculed than get exposed by my red hair.
Of course, this was just a temporary measure. I needed to find a solution somehow.
Just then, Aira, who attended the inauguration and ribbon cutting of the new building, returned to us.
Before I could respond, Lily jumped in first, saying, "There's no more work to do. You can rest easy now!"
Then she looked at me and smiled triumphantly as if she had won. I really had the urge to wipe that smirk off.
"Hmm, okay. I'm done for the day. Rather, Theo, where did you get that hat?"
Of course, she had to ask.
"Well, it's hot and humid out, so I just thought…"
"Yeah, it's a nice hat. Looks good for blocking the sun. I could use one myself. Where did you buy it?"
Once again, Lily chimed in first.
"I'll go! I'll pick out the one that suits the Queen the best!"
And without even being asked, she dashed off to buy the straw hat. Honestly, it was convenient to have someone take care of the bothersome task for me. Řá𐌽Ǒ𐌱Ɛ𝘴
I felt like I could make good use of her inexplicable competitive spirit in the future. Perhaps she could handle some really annoying tasks.
"I don't see my meddlesome cousin Elga and Mirna. Do you know what they are doing?"
Aira looked around and asked me. After briefly recalling their schedule for today, I replied.
"They're probably busy with the upcoming vote count starting tonight."
Other than that, I didn't know their detailed schedules.
They'd always been by my side, stealing my mind away, so it felt uneasy when they were not around .
As if something was going to happen or trouble would come while I was not watching.
Especially with Mirna, who thought Elga was possessed by a demon. I couldn't help but wonder if she'd cause some accidents…
No, let's not worry too much.
With the bird taming magic, I had bird-drones. If anything actually happened, they'd fly straight to me and let me know.
Elga and Mirna would never have dreamed that the birds accompanying them were spies giving me information.
Lost in thought, I was snapped back to reality when someone came running from afar.
"Queen, I've brought the hat!"
Aira wore the straw hat that Lily had bought and said while looking at the scorching sun.
"Then, I think it's time for us to rest as well. Theo, lead the way."
"But what shall I do? Give Lily work too!"
"Well then, Lily, be quiet."
"I'm good at being quiet! Neither mice nor birds know-."
As she babbled with her silly pink hair, digging through the crowd, my steps abruptly halted when a small bird landed on my shoulder.
"Is it some kind of parrot? They're good for copying people's words. It's a difficult bird to tame…."
Aira showed interest in the bird perched on my shoulder, but then…
I snapped awake at the whisper.
Elga and Mirna were heading towards the Guide's house?