Situm, the largest city of the Nansonia Region that sits at the foot of the Iris Mountains. It took an entire day for Chloe’s carriage to arrive there descending from the Grace Lodging house. Previously, they were able to travel back-and-forth on errands by borrowing a magical item from Locke, but having returned it to him now, the travel takes an ample time more.

‘We haven’t spent much time here but, I guess we’ll have to say farewell to this city too. I wish I could’ve taken more detour around.’

‘Lady, if you keep looking around too much, we’ll attract attention. This city doesn’t have a very good public order.’

Chloe currently donned a religious habit and wore a wimple, covering her hair. Although she may not mind it, revealing her short hair would’ve attracted too much attention. Upon Kisara’s instructions, she reluctantly returned to the carriage and began packing the things they bought. From the servant’s perspective, the lady being obediently complying like this was nigh unbelievable. They could only assume that she really had grown along her journey.

‘So you were here, Chloe’

‘...Brother Darck!?’

Somebody called out to Chloe; it was none other than her older brother, Darck. As if his being here instead of the capital was not surprising enough, Chloe found even more surprise in realizing that the white horse with him is a Pegasus.

‘With Byakuya here with you, does this mean that there was a change in regards to your relationship with Lady Shiela?’

Darck felt discomfort in his younger sister’s wording. The change she was talking about was not referring to the possibility that Darck and Shiela’s marriage was already settled, and the Pegasus, officially handed over to him. He concluded that perhaps, Chloe was likely made aware by Prince Keith about his previous attempt to undo his engagement with the young lady.

‘I only borrowed it. I am here under the orders of his highness, Yello to promptly make certain of something.’

‘A-Anyhow, it’s standing out too much so let us return to the lodging for the time being.’

Putting a blanket over Byakuya’s wings to hide them, Lucky lead Darck to the lodging to escape public’s eyes.

◆　◇　◆　◇　◆

The whole group was in the 2nd room they borrowed; they gathered in the room meant for the three men of the group: Shin, Lucky, and Sam. Darck was led to the sofa and sat down, but because he was not saying anything, Chloe had no choice but to take the initiative.

‘Then, pray tell, brother Darck. What did his highness specifically order you to do?’

‘He wanted me to do a hand games with you.’

‘Haa!? The heck’s that?’

The one who hysterically raised his voice was not Chloe, but Sam. Lucky and Kisara hurriedly went to his flanks and sealed his mouth. Darck wondered whether those who took pride in their physical strength and are sports-oriented are often unable to read the mood, considering Dai much like him in that regard.

“Hand games are those with songs, you know? The one where you go ‘double this, double that, double-double this that’ and sorts.’

‘”Herb Picking”, and “Forest of the Himemomo Flower”, were played quite a lot, weren’t they? I was taught “Nansonia 10,000 Shaku” at the Grace lodging house too.’

‘No, I knew what they are. What I’m trying to ask was..’

—why would Darck go out of his way riding Pegasus here just to do that, or so Sam was seemingly trying to say with his stabbing gaze. Darck cleared his throat, seemingly finding it hard to pick the words to explain even more, but Chloe already knew what he was trying to do.

‘What brother is requesting from me is to perform the “Sacred Lady’s Count,” isn’t he?’

‘You’re quick on the uptake.. Then, you already know what his highness is thinking, right?’

The sacred church had intentionally popularized a hand game song among the children. The ‘Sacred Lady’s Count, is something all the children of the entire kingdom knew about from the highest aristocracy down to the poorest slums. Thus, it is often said that those who cannot sing it are those possessed by evil.

‘If that’s the case, wouldn’t hymnal songs be better? After all, Lady was formerly the temporary saintess.’

‘No, the church had been rotting from the inside. Prince Yello likely knew that hymnal songs’ effectiveness has already dwindled with time.’

Shin was the one to answer Kisara’s question. He likely concluded that in consideration of the internal situation of the church that Priest Grace revealed to them before. Even without that, Shin had seen the self-satisfied faces of the aristocrats who kept him as their plaything every time they are thanked for their contributions to the church manifold of times. He realized by then that the church was not the kind of place that would save the people who are suffering.

‘Very well, I will do it. I just need to sing it, don’t I?’

Chloe asked as they moved the table away, making their sofa face each other. She pretended not to notice the bow and arrows placed right behind Darck’s sofa.

‘Yeah, I guess it’s been a while since we last did it together. Do you still remember it?’

‘”Forest of the Himemomo Flower” right? They were all good memories; the scars at the back of my hand that remained and all.’

Due to Viscountess Majenta’s meddling, the two of them were forced to play hand games with each other. Of course, the two of them hated each other so much, so they ended up scratching each other with their overgrown nails. For Chloe, those were just distant memories of the past now.

Darck still has so many things that he wanted to tell and ask his younger sister about,m but facing his younger sister now, he decided to put his priority on fulfilling Prince Yello’s orders first, instead.

The surroundings servants watched over their lords as the siblings clap each other’s hands while Chloe sang.

One ~ Mr. Sun shone bright red

Two ~ like an orange split open

The Saintess sings with the flowers

The Golden Light overflows

Four ~ the meadows at dusk

Five ~ the green I saw sometime

The stars in Lady Saintess’ eyes

I come for them from the ocean blue

Do not cry – Oh purple borderline

For the witch laughs in the darkness.

The two kept clapping each other’s hand, matching the rhythm of the song until it ended. Darck leaks out a sigh. He did not doubt Momo’s words but he didn’t want to believe in them either. Just thinking about what could’ve happen if Chloe was not able to sing the song made him shudder to himself. After all, the crown prince ordered him to shoot his own sister if that happens.

‘Have I cleared the doubts of turning into a witch, brother?’

She said seemingly unaware of his brother’s trouble.. or not, it was the opposite. As Darck expected, he still couldn’t like this younger sister of his, who kept smiling like she knew everything from the very start.