“Do you really plan on just leaving him there alone… I mean, shouldn’t we have cleaned up the scene a bit better?”
Thinking about the driver they had casually left in the carriage, Hailey felt a lingering sense of dread as she walked through the noble territory.
What if he woke up, realized they had escaped, and went to the Holy See to report them?
Idledra, however, did not seem to care.
After all, their arrival here was entirely thanks to that bastard driven by the Holy See.
If the Holy See chased them down, they wouldn’t even be able to explain why the route had been diverted.
In the end, those self-preserving old fogies would likely dump all the responsibility on that man.
If he were smart, he would have run away on his own long ago. Why would they even need to lift a finger?
“Speaking of which, which pompous landlord’s territory is this? I didn’t bring a donkey with me…”
Looking at the prosperous territory of some unknown noble, Hailey began to mutter helplessly.
She didn’t want to be surrounded by a noble’s henchmen like before.
She hoped, at the very least, they wouldn’t run into anyone like that pretentious Temple Knight…
The moment she thought of that bizarre Temple Knight Commander who had cornered her in the square to curry favor…
Hailey felt a wave of nausea hit her, both mentally and physically.
Why on earth did the Holy See produce so many freaks?
“Judging by the decorations and the layout, it is highly likely we have entered the territory of a noble with close ties to the Imperial Family… After all, being able to use imperial sculptures so freely, especially within the Capital, is quite telling.”
Idledra pointed toward a nearby wall.
A golden griffon statue stood tall atop a fountain in the garden.
Typically, the Royal Griffon was only allowed to appear in the Imperial Garden, yet here it was—
“That is a matter of course. This is the territory of the Carter family, who are related by marriage to the Emperor. Even the Emperor himself must show some respect to his uncle, the Marquis… Oh dear, did I say too much?”
This strange interjection wasn’t because the speaker was trying to be mysterious, nor was it because Hailey was on high alert.
“It was because…”
Idledra and Hailey both turned toward a corner at the same time.
A little girl wearing a red hood… had been crouching by the corner of the wall, eavesdropping on their conversation?
‘Wait, I know this is a magical world, but I remember the story of Little Red Riding Hood didn’t take place in a city, and there’s no forest here!’
Compared to Hailey’s stunned silence, Idledra reacted immediately.
Since she couldn’t use Black Magic without exposing herself, she settled for holding a dagger across her chest, merely aiming it as a warning toward the girl.
After calming down slightly and convincing herself that this wasn’t a fairy tale, Hailey also began to carefully observe the strange, curious child before them.
A red hood and golden hair… she really did look like Little Red Riding Hood!
“What are you looking at? This lady knows she is cute, but considering you two are so beautiful… fine, I’ll forgive you.”
The girl looked to be a few years younger than Hailey and Idledra, but she spoke with the tone of a little adult.
Perhaps because of how the two were dressed today, she had mistaken them for lost young ladies of high standing.
Idledra’s outfit today was indeed beautiful.
When Hailey first saw her, she had blanked out for a few seconds, stammering and unable to find the words for a compliment—her clumsiness around girls wasn’t a new development.
She wore a purple waist-cinching long dress paired with a dark top.
Her waist was elegantly decorated with ribbons, and a single violet was pinned to her chest with exquisite care.
In Idledra’s own words—
“Hailey’s eyes are the same violet as this dress. It’s as if Hailey has kept me in her gaze forever.”
Recalling Idledra’s half-joking tone and that strangely focused look in her eyes at the time, Hailey had to admit she couldn’t quite handle it.
How was she supposed to defend against a beauty using such heart-stealing sweet talk?
Although compliments could usually ease the tension between strangers, the girl’s tactics clearly weren’t working against Idledra’s wary gaze.
She muttered something in dissatisfaction.
“Honestly… has this lady said so much and still failed to make you lower your guard? I’m just a weak girl, you know.”
‘As if we aren’t…’
Hailey thought, looking helplessly at the mysterious girl throwing a tantrum.
Did this place really spawn such strange creatures?
“Let’s go. The little one doesn’t look like she has any combat power. She probably just snuck out to play. We need to hurry…”
“I heard that! You’re planning on going to the Imperial Banquet, right? But you’re strangers in a strange land. If you rely on yourselves, I doubt you’ll even make it out of this garden by tonight.”
The girl suddenly stood before them with a haughty attitude.
Following Hailey’s lead, Idledra temporarily lowered her weapon.
After all, what adult would lose their temper with a child?
Besides, the little brat wasn’t wrong.
They had no way of finding another carriage to the Imperial Palace right now, and even Idledra might not necessarily know her way around this place.
Aside from occasionally being used as a mascot or a bargaining chip by the Holy See, she didn’t even bother communicating with these nobles, so she naturally didn’t care about their extravagant and luxurious territories.
“Hmph, I guessed right, didn’t I? But if you beg this lady, I might take you there.”
“You? Just you?”
Idledra couldn’t help but laugh.
Though it was unintentional, the little girl noticed it.
Looking like a cat with its fur standing on end, her face flushed red as she glared at them.
“You—you… You actually look down on me! If I hadn’t snuck out—wait, you didn’t hear anything!”
“Oh, my little troublemaker… how did you end up here?”
An elderly but relatively healthy voice came from the wall not far behind the girl.
Just as the little girl realized things were going south and tried to make a run for it, she was suddenly grabbed by the back of her collar.
Hailey looked at her with a mischievous grin.
“This girl’s expression right now looked exactly like those little girls she used to catch red-handed during the New Year…”
“Grandpa Carter, help! There are bad people trying to kidnap me!”
“Don’t be afraid, little lady! I am here— Saint— Saint— Saintess?!”
When the kind-looking old man rushed over with a silver sword, ready to risk his life, the sight of the two “kidnappers” messing around nearly made his jaw and his sword drop at the same time.
Idledra looked on helplessly as the little girl struggled in Hailey’s grasp, flopping around like a stubborn fish.
Suddenly, the moment the girl saw the old man, she stopped struggling.
She pointed at the bewildered man and shouted at the top of her lungs, trying to divert Hailey and Idledra’s attention—to very little effect.
“Look! That is the noble Marquis Carter! If you kidnap him, you’ll have a carriage!”
The old man looked at her in disbelief, then pointed at himself.
‘Wait, am I being kidnapped too?’