April prayed, truly trying prayer for the first time in a long while. Whether a god or the World Tree would grant it, she didn’t know.

‘Well, I’ve done all sorts of things in my life.’

Arwin was sitting at a cafe terrace, dressed as a woman.
Crossdressing was complicated in many ways. Her biological gender was female, but she often took on the appearance of a man, and she had never definitively defined her own gender.

Still, leaning towards masculinity—having lived with that perception for over a thousand years, Arwin could count on one hand the times she had worn women’s clothing. So, the current attire was uncomfortably rare for her.

‘Why is this blouse so tight? And why is the skirt waist cinched like this? Darn it, I might get indigestion in places I don’t even have.’

The clothes were too stifling; it felt like what she ate might not pass through her stomach but reflux through the esophagus. Arwin sipped her tea with a complexion that couldn’t be described as good even in empty words.

On the other side, a few blocks away, today’s ‘bait’ was anxiously wandering around.

‘That rascal…’

Arwin frowned and glared at him while gnashing her teeth. She didn’t like that guy.

The rascal’s identity was none other than the offspring of a noble house who had worked as a soldier for the Revenue Retrieval Committee. Originally, Arwin had intended to keep him locked up until the Revenue Retrieval Committee’s affairs were completely settled. However, he was too noisy, begged too much, ate too much food, and was too messy. So, Arwin decided to use him as bait.

But there was no guarantee that the forces behind the Revenue Retrieval Committee wouldn’t swallow him up. After all, he was a spoiled bait.

‘I can only hope that the rascal’s family is deeply involved with the Revenue Retrieval Committee…’

That’s when it happened.

“…!”

Someone quietly approached the rascal. Arwin put down her teacup and stared through the street on the other side.

The unidentified villain in a black robe seemed suspicious at first glance. After exchanging a few words with the rascal, the mysterious figure led him into a dim alley.

Arwin gritted her teeth, glaring at him. She didn’t like that guy.
However, instead of hitting the target, Arwin’s attempts were futile as the villain completely avoided her.

The villain even used a courteous soldier as a shield, but when the stunning magic hit him, he discarded the soldier and started running away.

Arwin used magic to enhance her speed and pursued the villain. However, his speed was considerable, and she couldn’t seem to close the distance.

“What is this rascal doing, anyway? Let’s see that face.”

Rather than casting the stunning magic, Arwin conjured a strong wind with her magic. It was an attempt to strip off that hood.

Flutter―.

However, just as the hood was about to come off, another villain suddenly appeared, blocking the way.

At the moment the wind Arwin conjured fluttered the hood, a unique iris briefly revealed itself.

Blue irises tinged with yellow.

Eyes she was familiar with.

Arwin quickly tried to capture him, but he effortlessly shattered her restraining magic and disappeared with his companion.

“…….!”

The remnants of teleportation magic lingered in the chilly alley. Arwin stood still for a while, then sighed and wiped her face with her hand.

Blue irises tinged with yellow.

As far as Arwin knew, there was only one ‘magician’ with such distinctive eyes in the world.

“…Senak.”

Arwin had encountered Senak about five years ago at the Ainstain Royal Academy during a magical conference.

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Senak.”

It wasn’t until after hearing the name that Arwin realized the person she had enjoyed a long conversation with had distinctive irises.

In addition, he was the personal magician of King Ainstain.

At that time, Arwin was in disguise, using an alias, so Senak wouldn’t recognize her.

However, Arwin recognized him very well. The magician who escaped with the villain was undoubtedly Senak.

Senak, the personal magician of King Ainstain. That meant…

“The mastermind behind the Revenue Retrieval Committee is King Ainstain, Raniere.”

“…….!”

With Arwin’s confidently thrown words, Grayan wore a complicated expression.

Yes, there would be a lot to think about. Arwin left Grayan alone to contemplate.

Regardless, she was now 100% convinced that the mastermind behind the Revenue Retrieval Committee was King Raniere of Ainstain. Now she had to figure out how to prove this fact.

“The bait is completely spoiled. The same method won’t work more than twice.”

Catching Senak would be extremely difficult, of course, because he was a magician. However, if it were that villain… The problem was not knowing his identity.

“That soldier is useless; he’s just a pawn.”

Whatever they discussed in the alley, there was no use squeezing information out of him. As the bait had served its purpose, the soldier was now useless. It was time to tell him to go home.
“I should… Yes, I need to thoroughly investigate that soldier’s household.”

While pondering with her chin in her hand, Grayan’s voice suddenly reached her.

“But… Arwin…”

“…?”

“Will you continue to dress like that?”

“…….”

Arwin’s lips, which were slightly parted, closed straight, and her gaze turned cold.

Realizing belatedly that she was still dressed in women’s clothing, she rose abruptly from her seat.

“Forget what you saw today.”

“But it seems unforgettable…”

“Just shut up and forget.”

Arwin growled at Grayan. With a sheepish smile, Grayan avoided her gaze. Without much thought, he added a sincere comment.

“It suits you well, Arwin. If that’s your preference, there’s no need to hide it…”

“It’s not a preference!”

Arwin shouted back at that very moment.

At the same time, urgent footsteps could be heard in the corridor, and the smile that had been on Grayan’s lips vanished.