"This is remarkably convenient," Wayland remarked, genuinely impressed by the versatile Volumen Hydrargyrum.
He began spreading foie gras onto a hard-tack biscuit and looked over at Reines. "Why on earth do you have all this tucked away in your luggage? Weren't you coming here for a high-society banquet?"
"There's no such thing as a 'simple' banquet between magi," Reines replied. Perhaps she felt Wayland would be a valuable asset in her future political maneuvering, for she began to share details most would keep hidden. "Before I officially inherited the El-Melloi mantle, my life was one of constant flight and evasion. I've carried these provisions as a habit ever since. Banquets between magi are... unpredictable. Take my advice, Wayland: if you can avoid them, do so."
Wayland looked at the fifteen-year-old girl, struggling to imagine the kind of survivalist life she must have led to develop such instincts.
"That sounds... incredibly difficult," he said softly.
"It could have been worse," Reines said with a nonchalant smile. "Besides, I couldn't exactly let the El-Melloi name vanish into the history books on my watch."
Wayland didn't press her further. He took a bite of the biscuit. "It's actually quite good."
Nearby, Gray made a solemn sign of the cross before taking a bite of her own foie gras-covered biscuit. Her eyes lit up like polished gemstones. "It... it really is good," she whispered.
As Wayland chewed his biscuit, a sharp, abrasive voice suddenly drifted from beneath Gray's cloak.
"Another murder! Honestly, you lot must be haunted by a banshee. A gravekeeper and a magus... with that combination, I'd expect the bodies to start piling up like cordwood soon enough! Gwahahaha!"
The voice was identical to the one Wayland had heard in his dreams,the voice of Sir Kay. It was common knowledge that Add was modeled after Kay's personality, but in reality, the talking box was often more abrasive than the man himself.
Gray, her expression unchanging, pulled out a small, cage-like box and began to shake it violently.
"Gah! Stop! Mercy! Murder! Miss Reines, quickly! Stop this madwoman!"
Reines, meanwhile, finished her biscuit with effortless grace. She took the cup of black tea Trimmau offered and began blowing on it softly. She waited until it was just the right temperature before taking a sip, completely ignoring Add's frantic screams.
"You... you're all monsters... devils..."
Inside the box, the eye-like gear of Add spun in dizzying circles, its voice growing fragmented and faint.
Reines gave a satisfied nod, looking as though she were genuinely enjoying the moment. Perhaps the tension of the day had finally found a release.
"Wayland, you haven't seen Add before, have you?" she asked.
"Not up close," Wayland said with a smile. "Is it an 'interesting' Mystic Code like Trimmau?"
"You could call it that. Though 'interesting' might be an overstatement. It's more of a foul-mouthed box with a terrible personality," Reines noted, shaking her head.
"Don't speak ill of people right in front of them!" Add's resentful voice piped up. "Wait... this lad looks familiar."
"You saw him at my mentor's apartment that one time," Gray reminded him.
"Right... but wait, no... I feel like I've heard that name much earlier than that..."
Add seemed to fall into thought, but the moment passed as he switched back to loudly accusing Gray of various crimes against his person, which quickly led to more muffled screams as she shook him again.
Wayland shook his head with a laugh. By the time they'd finished lunch, Add had lost the strength to keep shouting.
"I'm going back to my room for a bit," Wayland said, standing up.
"Stay here for a while," Reines said, setting down her cup. "Our situation is still precarious. We're safer if the three of us stay together. You can head back when evening falls."
Wayland didn't think things were as dangerous as she made them out to be. With Lord Barthomeloi personally acting as their 'supervisor,' anyone foolish enough to strike at them would be inviting their own destruction. But he didn't refuse, knowing that Reines' cautious nature was a result of a lifetime of looking over her shoulder.
However, evening never came for their discussion.
Reines fell asleep right there on the bed. One moment she was watching Trimmau clear the table, and the next, her head had tilted to the side. Within seconds, the room was filled with the sound of her steady, peaceful breathing.
"Gray, I'll head out now." Wayland nodded toward the sleeping girl. "I'll leave her in your hands."
"Ah... yes, of course." Gray, startled by the sudden silence, realized Reines had drifted off. She nodded politely and, once Wayland had left, called for Trimmau.
The mercury maid quietly set down the dishes and carefully removed Reines' outer coat. She lifted the girl with a gentle touch, settled her properly on the bed, and pulled a soft quilt over her.
***
The next morning.
The breakfast was the same provisioned meal as before. Wayland spent the time waiting for the next move in the game.
Near noon, the news arrived: Karina, the personal maid of the princesses, had been found dead.
Wayland froze. If memory served, this was the exact moment Lord El-Melloi II was supposed to make his grand entrance in the original story.
"Reines... did you ever notify my mentor about what's happening here?" he asked.
"No, I haven't."
"What?"
Wayland's eyes widened. This was a massive departure from the script he knew. You were supposed to be the ultimate 'brother-con',weren't you supposed to call Waver at the first sign of trouble?
"I had planned to tell him after the meeting with Diadra," Reines explained. "But you advised delaying the investigation into her room until the morning. I decided to wait and see how things developed today before sending word. Then... well, one accident followed another, and it simply slipped my mind."
Wayland was silent. It was likely too late to call in reinforcements now.
"We should go to Lord Barthomeloi," he said. "We need to see the scene of Karina's murder."
"Agreed." Reines nodded, her lips curving into a sharp smile. "I have a feeling the mystery is about to be solved."
'Don't start making declarations like that...' Wayland thought.
He opened the door. All the guests of the Iselma house were staying in the Tower of the Sun. Lorelei and Adashino were nearby, and they hadn't walked more than a few steps before they saw the two of them at the spiral staircase.
"Let's go together," Lorelei said, her voice cool and commanding.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]