"Ugh… what's going on here…? Where's that monster?"
The female assassin rubbed the back of her head.
She had just woken up and didn't know what had happened. Her brain remembered the ominous words Jester had said last.
And one more thing was bothering her.
Besides Jester not being here, they hadn't found any trace of Arcueid either. They didn't know where these two vampires had gone.
Also, the blanket and pillow.
This was also very suspicious.
The enemy had brought them all the way from the hospital to here, but hadn't directly finished them off.
What was the reason behind this?
They didn't know.
Perhaps there was some kind of trap.
At first glance, they didn't seem to be injured, but it was possible that some kind of magecraft had been embedded in their clothes or bodies.
Such possibilities existed.
Ciel knew magi very well.
—Like ostensibly letting the other party live, but secretly casting a spell on them, so that they would kill their wife and children the moment they returned home.
She had seen too many magi with such nasty personalities while dealing with heretics.
Because the Mage's Association and the Church were constantly at odds, the relationship between magi and the Church was very bad.
Although Ciel was also a highly skilled magus, she couldn't understand why they would do this.
However, with Ciel's magical aptitude comparable to the Clock Tower's Grand rank, she didn't sense any problems in her body.
It was estimated that the enemy hadn't done anything in this regard.
If they had, it wouldn't have escaped Ciel's notice.
"…Oh, you're awake?"
Just as Ciel and the female assassin were exchanging information, a man came out of the house.
The man's face looked kind and amiable.
And he had an East Asian face, which was uncommon in Europe and America.
The female assassin adopted a defensive posture.
Ciel was stunned for a moment, remembering something.
In the Holy Grail War information provided by Father Hansa, there was a record of this man.
Perhaps seeing the female assassin's wary look.
The man wasn't unhappy at all, and instead said in a gentle and amiable tone: "Hello. My name is Kuruoka. I work as a librarian in a private library in this area."
The man's answer was the same as the information.
The Kuruoka couple's ostensible title was the librarian of a members-only private library nearby.
In Snowfield, they had been doing their best to establish a position in an inconspicuous way.
However, after Ciel had an in-depth conversation with him.
She found that this man didn't act like a magus at all.
The man directly answered that the reason the two women had blankets on them was because his daughter, Tsubaki, had taken care of them.
The answer also lacked vitality, and the reaction was dull.
For Ciel, who often cast spells on others, she was very clear about Tsubaki's father's condition.
Undoubtedly, he had been subjected to mental control.
It was very likely that the person who cast this spell was the mastermind behind the scenes.
Starting from this idea.
Ciel politely communicated with Tsubaki's father and successfully obtained permission to enter the residence.
"Hmph, hmph, let me tell you, compared to a small house like this, my place is more luxurious and grand!"
"Wow! Then big sister…aren't you like those princesses in stories! It feels so great!"
"Princess…that's right, many people call me that.
But rather than others calling me that, I'd rather see an idiot who doesn't know where he's run off to."
Before even stepping into the living room of the house.
Ciel heard Arcueid's extremely familiar voice.
Taking a closer look, she saw Arcueid holding a hamburger in one hand and gesturing at the little girl with the other.
The way she chewed on junk food, taking big bites, seemed to have swept away her princess image.
"The two big sisters are outside…are you okay?"
The little girl stood up from her seat.
She was happy that Ciel and the female assassin had woken up, but because she was a little shy.
The little girl hid behind her mother.
However, after Ciel and the female assassin politely introduced themselves, she gradually relaxed.
Ciel knew this girl.
She was the center of the storm in this incident, the trigger that caused the melee due to the dispute over the two concepts of guarding and slaughter.
The mastermind behind that dark mist.
—The girl, Tsubaki Kuruoka.
She, who should have been in a deep coma in the hospital, was now so lively and active here.
This made Ciel and the female assassin feel incredible.
But, they couldn't be sure that the mastermind was Tsubaki Kuruoka, so they could only act cautiously.
Tsubaki saw Ciel standing still in place.
She thought about what her mother used to do.
—At this time, it should be time to entertain guests.
—Yes, that must be right!
Tsubaki nodded with an innocent smile.
Then, she took Ciel's hand and walked to the center of the hall, letting everyone see that undeniable presence.
Almost the moment Tsubaki opened her mouth.
It expanded in a visible form, showing its presence to the outside world.
"Behind you, is my good friend Mr. Black!"
Tsubaki's face was full of joyful smiles.
She didn't realize the strangeness of this black mist at all, and simply introduced it with goodwill.
In the living room, its appearance dimmed the light.
Ciel couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
—A black mass stood here.
As if its existence was ominous and terrifying, causing the world's creatures to instinctively feel repulsed.
The instinct of living beings was trembling.
Almost in an instant.
Ciel and the female assassin simultaneously adopted defensive stances, to guard against this suddenly appearing black mass.
The atmosphere was so quiet that even a pin dropping could be heard.
But Tsubaki didn't seem to notice.
She completely regarded this tall black mass as a friend, and her face was always full of cheerful smiles.
"Don't worry, Mr. Black may be very tall, but he's not scary at all!"