Click.
As the door closed, Fors, who was sprawled on the sofa, slowly turned her head. Seeing it was Xio, she turned back. But before she could sink back into her hazy, semi-conscious state, Xio rushed over and asked in a solemn, dignified voice, "Fors, tell me quickly. What did you do last night? Does the death of the Intis Ambassador have anything to do with you?"
"What do you mean, what did I do?" Fors was a bit dazed by the question. She shook her head slightly. "Who did you say died?"
"It really wasn't you?" Xio scrutinized Fors, confirming she didn't seem to be lying. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief. "You suddenly went out last night, so I thought it might be related to you. It's for the best if it isn't..."
"Do you not know my level? How could I possibly assassinate an ambassador? Wait, an ambassador?" Fors let out a dry laugh before finally waking up fully. Then, she went completely numb. "The Intis Ambassador?"
"You really don't know anything?" Xio realized Fors's reaction was abnormal. She handed the newspaper she had brought back to Fors. Looking at the headline "Intis Ambassador Assassinated, Aurora Order Claims Responsibility," Fors shook her head vigorously.
"I don't! How could I possibly know! I only went to the Church of Steam and Machinery last night."
"I see." Xio nodded as if believing her story. But just as Fors started to relax, Xio suddenly asked, "What were you doing at the Church of Machinery?"
"I went to report... Xio!" Fors looked at Xio with a hint of annoyance, but seeing the worried look in Xio's eyes, her anger vanished. She could only say helplessly, "I received a commission yesterday to report a scammer to the church. That's all."
"A commission... from Mr. Pandreadax? You didn't go yourself, did you?" Xio frowned.
Fors rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm as reckless as you? I found a kid and used a piece of candy to have him deliver the letter. And the content was made of words clipped from a newspaper. There won't be any problems!"
As she said this, Fors added silently in her heart, 'And that letter was sacrificed to Mr. Fool beforehand to shield it from divination.'
"That's good." Xio let out a long breath.
Seemingly worried that Xio would ask more, Fors's eyes darted around. She suddenly pointed to a small section of the newspaper. "Hey, there's a Beyonder gathering tomorrow night. Do you want to go?"
"Mhmm. Maybe I can find the ingredients for the Sheriff potion..."
...
In Empress Borough, Backlund, at Viscount Glaint's mansion, the pleasant sounds of dance music echoed through the villa as usual. Though the sensational West District coma incident had occurred only the night before, for the nobles of Empress Borough, it was merely more fodder for gossip. Songs continued and dances repeated; this was the standard lifestyle of the aristocracy.
However, as the host of the party, Viscount Glaint's mood was far from pleasant. Because today, Audrey had come again. Well, her presence was fine, but that damned veterinarian had come too!
"Audrey, I say, you're... uh, what was I saying?"
Watching Viscount Glaint stop mid-sentence and start scratching his head like a curly-haired baboon, Audrey lightly covered her mouth. Her eyes crinkled into crescent moons, filled with a trace of laughter.
"I think Glaint is quite pitiful like this..."
"No, I think it's more pitiful to let him dwell on the fact that you and I are alone in the piano room." Snow shook his head with an expression that said "I'm doing this for his own good."
Audrey smiled at his words. She glanced at her maid, Annie, who had similarly forgotten the host, and walked toward the piano room with light steps.
"Mr. Devil, was it you who did it last night?" Once inside the piano room, before the door could even close, Audrey asked curiously.
"Which incident do you mean?" Snow gave her a bright smile, acting as if he had no idea what she was talking about.
"The Intis Ambassador Bakerland, of course! It's a pity this matter can't be made public, and it ended up being attributed to the Aurora Order..." Audrey spoke with a tone of dissatisfaction, as if she were annoyed that she couldn't announce the Tarot Club's greatness to the whole world.
"Oh, that was indeed my doing. It's a shame there are no companions on the Hunter pathway in the Tarot Club. Otherwise, they would have had the potion materials all the way to Sequence 6." Snow spoke with an exaggerated tone.
Audrey immediately recalled the knowledge about "Beyonder characteristics" that Mr. Fool had shared. Though slightly uncomfortable, she quickly adjusted and asked with curiosity, "Can you tell me how you did it?"
"I cannot!" Snow maintained his gentle smile but refused decisively. "Questions involving personal Beyonder abilities are very important secrets in the Beyonder circle. You can't just ask them casually!"
'Mr. Devil is so stingy!' Audrey thought with a hint of regret. Then, her eyes darted around as if she had come up with a brilliant idea. She stood up with a trace of pride. "Let's practice the piano first! Let me see if you've been slacking off these past few days! Play Viktor's Fourth Piano Concerto... Mhmm, just the first bar will do."
"Hey, hey! Dear Teacher Audrey, isn't this a bit too obvious?" Snow grinned. He found Audrey's petty desire for "revenge" amusing, but seeing her adorable and transparent expression, he sat obediently on the piano stool and began to play according to the score.
The keys moved in rapid succession, turning into notes that were slightly noisy. Snow's fingers leaped across the piano, placing every note exactly where it belonged.
A single bar of a piece wasn't long, and Snow soon finished playing. Audrey crossed her arms, striking the pose of a strict teacher. While she looked the part, Snow could tell at a glance that she was likely imitating a certain tutor she was familiar with.
"Ahem!" Audrey cleared her throat intentionally to enhance her authority. She looked down at Snow from her height and spoke in an oppressive tone. "The pitch is decent, but the musical sense is lacking! You're just playing the notes according to the score! You need to feel the inner meaning of this piece, to understand the feeling it wants to express! Music isn't a rigid copy; it's an interpretation..."
"So?" Snow raised an eyebrow, looking with amusement at Audrey, who was enjoying her role as a teacher.
"..." Audrey suddenly stalled. She stepped closer with a bit of embarrassment and then said with feigned seriousness, "Mhmm, I'll play it once. You see what the difference is between my playing and yours."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]