I shook my head. The discomfort I had been feeling since talking to Acid continued, and it was all because of ‘this.’

“No. It’s strange that you’re so distant.”

I took the handkerchief from him and wiped the blood off his arm. Then, I tucked it inside my pocket.

“Now, I don’t smell bad either.”

The moment I said that, Acid shuddered briefly.

I looked at Acid in surprise. My eyes, accustomed to the darkness, caught a hint of innocence in his eyes. I gently hugged him, as if comforting him.

“You… hurting someone was the first time, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Was it difficult?”

“Anyway… if I didn’t hurt the authors, I thought Siyan-nim would die.”

After a consoling touch that seemed devoid of any personal feelings, I looked at Acid again in silence.

We walked hand in hand.

Warmth enveloped our hands, comforting each other.

“Today, it seems we can’t go back to what it was before. Still…”

Even though I was a tracker doing dirty work, I didn’t expect to witness being subdued right in front of me.

But if I continued to be hostile to the temple, harbored enemies for the Mirmod family, I had to get used to all this.

“I might even do worse things soon.”

Just the thought of it made my heart race. Suppressing the fluttering feeling, I tightly held Acid’s hand as if it would burst.

“Acid.”

“…Yes.”

“Was it difficult for you to torment people?”

“…I’m fine.”

I paused and looked up at Acid. His pupils, shaking like a ship hit by waves of blue, caught my attention.

“If it’s hard, you can lean on me.”

Between us, no more words flowed.

Acid tightened his grip on my hand.

Amidst the rough beating of our hearts, I quietly asked with my lips covered.

Strangely, the heartbeat felt as if it overlapped with Acid’s.

The sound of the wind murmured softly.

The next day, it was lunchtime.

Returning to the seat with no income, I was momentarily shocked by unexpected news.

“Who… what?”

“They say it’s the ghost of the Blackened One.”

The ghost of the Blackened One!

My eyes widened significantly.

“What, what is it? Why, no, how did it come to find me?”

If it’s the ghost of the Blackened One… it’s ‘that person’!

How did ‘that person’ come here? A pumpkin rolling into a pumpkin patch?

“Why is this person coming at such a good timing…?”

It felt suspicious, but let’s be moved for now!

While I was swallowing my saliva in a gulp, Deadri spoke gruffly.

“Siyan-nim, shall I send her away? She seems suspicious. Did I report for no reason…”

I vehemently objected in a loud voice.

“What are you talking about? Absolutely not!”

With a loud voice, just as Deadri was flustered, I opened the door wide and shouted.

“Come in, ghost!”

“Siyan-nim, you seem unusually lively today…”

Without saying anything, a figure in a black robe walked in. In her mind, there was only the owner of Siyan Top, Siyan Mirmod.

Lilith, the leader of the Dark Guild and the ‘Ghost of the Blackened One,’ entered. With her, we could properly turn this situation in our favor.

The Dark Ghost, Lilith, entered. From the moment she heard the rumors about Siyan Mirmod at St. Marco Square, her mind was filled only with Siyan Top’s owner, Siyan Mirmod.

Lilith had become curious about Siyan from St. Marco Square. She heard people talking about Siyan Mirmod.

“To cause such a miraculous event in Siyan Top!”

“I feel a bit kinder these days.”

“Hey, you. How many hours do you think this feeling will last?”
People seemed unaware, but Lilith felt as if Siyan had planned everything. In an instant, Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

“…Siyan Mirmod. You said she’s fifteen this year.”

Quite an unusual child, isn’t she?

Lilith had considerable curiosity about Siyan. Such curiosity was not fitting for a young girl who had just graduated from the academy.

Rather, it was more primal and primitive…

“I’m genuinely curious about why the Mirmod family is doing such things.”

Why are they engaging in this ‘good’ undertaking?

Lilith subtly inserted criticisms among the people talking loudly in the crowd, who were mostly unaware of her presence.

“Isn’t it ridiculous that the Mirmod is doing good deeds?”

At her words, those who had been boasting about their own good deeds looked uncomfortable and glanced at Lilith.

“Ugh, what… What’s this strange voice all of a sudden?”

As the bewildered people tried to check Lilith’s face, she casually left, turning her robe over her head.

She had no intention of just suppressing her curiosity any longer.

She was curious about Siyan Mirmod.

So, it was time to run.

In fact, I had carefully set up various plots to make the Dark Guild Leader, Lilith, curious about us.

However, even though I designed a plot big enough to arouse curiosity, I didn’t expect her to visit so quickly.

“I also want to become a believer of Siyan Top!”

“…Believer?”

I blinked at her enthusiastic eyes.

‘Lilith… How is she going according to her character?’