Annie paused in her tracks. After a few seconds, she reluctantly turned back.
Lillian, who had been leaning against the tree, had already come forward. Unlike Annie, he wasn't in uniform. He wore a simple grey outfit—a new set he had just bought.
After all, he only owned three outfits: a formal suit for meeting the king, an old coarse cloth set, and his uniform. Now he had a plain, inconspicuous daily outfit as well.
"Just asking for leave," Lillian said as he approached. "I'm not going to deny it. Is it really necessary to make a big deal out of such a trivial task?"
"…"
Annie was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Yes, I'm just shy, that's why I didn't want to say it out loud."
Lillian looked at her cold, composed expression and thought: even if she doesn't blush, surely her eyes should avert a little when saying something like this? But no—this stoicism is really convincing.
"Alright, that's fine," he said. "Mind if I ask who it's with? Must be one of our 104th squad peers, right? I haven't seen you get particularly close to any boys over these three years."
"No," Annie said.
"Alright then."
Lillian didn't push. He changed the subject. "Elliot must have told you already, right? About his daughter going missing… he asked me to investigate."
"Yes."
"The information I got last night at the banquet overlaps with what you've got. You can head back—I'll handle it myself."
"No," Annie said. "I promised Hitch I would help."
"Very well, then let's go. I've already got a lead," Lillian said as he started walking. Annie followed, asking, "What lead?"
"Carly Stratmann, Elliot's precious daughter, likes to go out a lot," he said. "The more you go out, the more likely trouble follows. I found a record in the security logs—she was once arrested for causing a drunken scene at a tavern: Pit Lidors."
Annie frowned, thinking. "The tavern in the slums?"
Since most of the Military Police's work involves patrolling the district, the new recruits had become familiar with almost every corner of Stohess District over the past month.
"Yeah. Strange?"
"…"
"You think it's weird for a rich girl to go there? It's normal. Rich girls falling for poor boys—classic story material. Art imitates life, you know."
"Is that so."
"Exactly. But that alone isn't dramatic enough—the contrast isn't high enough. If Carly Stratmann isn't just a rich girl but actually a noble lady, then it gets interesting. The story could extend: a noble girl defying tradition to elope with a commoner, that kind of thing."
"…Useless."
"Huh?"
"Useless," Annie said. "Many things are just destined to happen."
Lillian glanced back at her. Her gaze was lowered; though she was answering him, it felt like she was speaking to herself.
"Destiny, huh… Often accepting a fact quietly hurts far more than struggling against it."
His words seemed to strike a nerve. Annie's steps faltered, and her hand unconsciously clenched. "Struggling only brings more pain! It doesn't change the outcome! What's the point?!"
Her sudden outburst even startled herself. The next second, she fell silent.
It was the first time Lillian had seen her so openly upset. He stopped walking and thought for a moment.
"You're right. Pain itself has no meaning—but reflecting on pain is meaningful. Resistance, too, has meaning."
In Lillian's steady gaze, Annie felt as though she saw her own reflection. His voice was calm, yet heavy with intent.
"Like a bee. A bee can sting only once. Its stinger is connected to its internal organs. Sting someone, lose its insides, and it soon dies. But for humans, one sting rarely kills. Can we say the bee's action is meaningless?"
"…"
"The lesson learned from that sting makes anyone who faces the bee wary next time. That is the significance of the bee's struggle. Even if it dies, at least it teaches the enemy pain and protects its peers a little longer."
Lillian stared deeply at Annie, then suddenly smiled. "Honestly, talking about bees is a bit much. Come on—let's find that mischievous rich girl. Finish early, eat early."
Annie looked at Lillian walking ahead, unsure what to say. Her feelings were tangled.
"The struggle of the bee, huh…"
"Hey, keep up."
---
Pit Lidors
The shabby tavern in the slums catered only to the lowest of the low. But that also meant that if Carly Stratmann, a wealthy girl, had ever come here, she would have been impossible to miss—everyone would remember her.
The two of them pushed the door open and stepped inside. The place was desolate, almost eerily so. Seven or eight round tables were scattered haphazardly, and only one or two had a couple of bottles on them. A few patrons muttered to each other quietly.
As soon as they entered, all five or six people in the room, including the bartender, turned to look, eyes filled with curiosity and suspicion.
"We're from the Military Police, investigating a missing person case," Lillian said as he approached the young bartender behind the counter. "Have you seen this girl?"
Annie placed a sketch of Carly on the counter, but the bartender didn't even glance at it. He simply held his book and said, "Don't know."
"…"
Annie put some coins on the table. The young man glanced at them. "Even if you give me this, something I don't know is still something I don't know."
"Is that so?" Lillian said, smiling faintly, eyes on the book in the bartender's hands. "You like to read?"
"So what if I do?"
"Ever wondered what reading is like in a Military Police dungeon?" Lillian said. "Want to try?"
"…Are you threatening me?"
"How could it be a threat?" Lillian spread his hands. "Maintaining public order is our duty. As good citizens, shouldn't you help by giving useful information? You know, this girl, Carly, is missing… Or are you protecting someone? Or maybe her disappearance has something to do with you?"
The young man furrowed his brows. After a pause, he put down his book. "Carly hasn't been here for days. I don't know where she went. But… maybe her boyfriend would know."
"Name and address?"
"Kemper Boltz," he said. "Lives in the South A-City district. Exact address, I don't know."
Annie quickly noted it down, while Lillian walked to a nearby table. Three patrons were sitting there, trembling as they looked at him.
"Hello there… do we know each other?"
The three exchanged glances and immediately tried to bolt!
Thud!
Lillian kicked one down, grabbed the others by the arms, and twisted—causing them to yelp in pain.
"Stop! Stop!"
He pushed and pulled until they lost their balance and fell. A small cloth pouch fell from one of them, spilling a few blue pills onto the floor.
"Coderoin?"
Lillian bent down and picked up a pill. He knew this—an emerging new drug in the Walls over the past two years. It was already popular in the capital's underground, and now it had spread to Stohess District.
"L-Lillian! Please spare us!"
The three panicked, clearly recognizing him. Not surprising—though he wasn't in uniform, over the past month he had often patrolled the slums, taking criminals back each time. Naturally, the locals knew him.
Annie approached and asked, "You're regulars here, right? Then you must know Carly too?"
"Yes! Yes! We know her! We… we…"