She knelt on one knee like a knight loyal to the king and bowed to Laila. While a surprised Laila opened her eyes wide, she carefully kissed the tips of her left fingers and lowered her head.

“Tell her she may rise.”

Eustar whispered softly in Laila’s ear. Only then did Laila come to her senses and look down at Himierd, who was still kneeling.

“You may rise.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

She responded in a solemn voice as if drawn from deep within her belly, and slowly rose. Strangely, Himi’s height when standing seemed much taller than before.

Himierd said:

“I have been remorseful for not properly greeting Your Highness until now. As a sinner, I dared not approach the palace, so please forgive me.”

“It’s alright.”

Laila nodded as she spoke. Though she did not know what ‘sinner’ meant, there were too many ears listening and eyes watching to ask her about it right now.

Eustar said:

“Greetings can wait until later when we have time. For now, explain.”

Himierd turned her body slightly towards Eustar. From her toes up, the way she raised her gaze was like a thoroughly trained soldier.

Himierd said:

“You must have confirmed the message I sent. So I will report briefly.”

After she turned her head and nodded once, her waiting aide Conseary displayed a screen on the empty ash-colored wall.

As the view shook while pushing through low, shallow bushes, an eerily black and clean hole appeared.

Himierd had the screen paused at that part and explained:

“Last night, this is the size and activity status of the sink confirmed by our headquarters team. The size is about 3, growth is slow, but energy flow is very active.”

She paused briefly and nodded again. Conseary clearly knew what she wanted to say just by looking at Himierd’s eyes. As Conseary pulled the screen up, a strange-looking mansion appeared.

Eustar said:

“The exterior is unique. It doesn’t look very comfortable to live in.”

Himierd’s lips moved faintly as she blinked. She seemed to be smiling.

“I think so too. Since no one lives there now, we can’t ask, but…”

The mansion, to put it kindly, was fan-shaped, similar to a slice of cake cut out.

However, its shape was not neat, and the central axis seemed strangely tilted, as if twisted somewhere. The columns decorating the outer walls were splendid and majestic, but the roof was narrow and unsightly in comparison.

Himierd continued explaining:

“That place is an abandoned house that has been neglected for a very long time. It’s certain that no one has lived there for at least the past 14 years. The last family to live in the mansion was four people, and at that time it was called ‘Undil Heights’.”

“It seems the owner’s surname was Undil.”

“That’s correct, Your Highness.”

Laila blinked without taking her eyes off the screen. Undil Heights, that grotesque mansion seemed to have captivated her.

Then, with a small ‘beep’ sound, the screen turned off. Laila was startled and looked at Conseary, but she had only done so on Himierd’s orders.

Moreover, Eustar, Himierd, and the other members seemed to think nothing of the screen disappearing. Strangely, it seemed only Laila’s heart was pounding.

Himierd spread out pre-written documents on the table.

“A month ago, there were three reports of strange noises heard near the abandoned Undil Heights. It could have been animals or wanderers, so we were just keeping an eye on it, but then testimonies followed from people passing nearby that human figures were seen reflected in the windows of Undil Heights. As there were consistent parts in at least three testimonies, we dispatched an investigation team.”

Though it was not a short explanation, Himierd continued speaking very articulately and eloquently. The somewhat stiff sound seemed to be due to her attitude.

Eustar said:

“So that’s how you discovered the sink. Am I right?”

Himierd nodded and replied:

“That’s correct, Your Royal Highness. After discovering the sink, the investigation team retreated for now and looked into the sink. It seems to have formed suddenly, and we should not overlook that growth could happen suddenly as the energy flow is fast.”

Laila asked:

“What were the initial measures taken?”

Initial measures meant all actions taken by the branch to deal with it immediately after discovering a sink. If the problem could be solved in the process, that would be fortunate, but it usually wasn’t.

Himierd said:

“We set up a boundary around the sink and dispatched two teams of members to Undil Heights as a priority. They approached up to the second floor but didn’t find anything noteworthy. When we tried to approach a second time, the door to enter had disappeared. We couldn’t physically destroy part of the building either.”

Eustar’s eyes narrowed slightly. After thinking for a while with his hand covering his mouth, he said:

“Quite defensive… Don’t you think so, Laila?”

Laila also agreed with Eustar’s words. Though she couldn’t know for sure whether ‘defensive’ referred to the mansion itself or something else there.

Eustar, putting on his monocle, said to Himierd:

“The people who last lived in this mansion… the Undil family. Investigate what kind of people lived there and what happened, and send me the materials, Himi.”

“Are you going to go right away?”

“The size of the sink is not small. It would be better to move quickly.”

Laila, Eustar, and three members who had previously investigated Undil Heights headed towards the mansion together.

As they were about to cross the boundary set up to prevent ordinary people from approaching the sink, they saw some village children loitering nearby.

“You kids! What are you doing in a place like this? Can’t you go play somewhere else?”

A large member with a fierce expression stepped forward and deliberately glared.

However, the children, who often encountered members living near the Tentinella branch, knew he was deliberately trying to scare them and rather boldly asked back.

“Is it true that ghosts come out there?”

“You little rascal. Why do you care about such things? If you don’t go home right now, I’ll give you a big knuckle sandwich.”

“Hmph, we’re not scared of you at all, mister.”

A girl with short hair like Laila retorted, imitating a defiant attitude. The member laughed incredulously at the attitude of the young children who barely reached his waist.

That’s when Eustar approached, and the mischievous children forgot to bombard him with questions and blankly looked up at him.

They were overwhelmed by the strange atmosphere emanating from him, unlike the familiar members they usually saw who were like neighborhood people.

Eustar said in a gentle voice:

“Even if ghosts don’t come out, it’s dangerous to play in a place like this. There are many poisonous thorn bushes around here. Snakes might be hiding in such places too.”

The children’s expressions froze slightly. However, one boy who looked the most mischievous among them jumped out and shouted:

“I’m not scared of ghosts at all! I’m going to join Tentinella when I grow up!”

A faint smile appeared on Eustar’s lips.

“It would be best if Tentinella disappeared before you become an adult.”

The boy looked confused. At that moment, Laila, who had finished preparing to examine the mansion and sink, crossed the boundary while buttoning her gloves. The children’s gazes shifted from Eustar’s shoulder to her.

A child wearing a leather vest looked at Laila and said:

“Black hair!”

Eustar, the other children, and the members looked at the child. The child, probably wearing a loose vest handed down from an older sibling, clutched it tightly and stomped his feet.

“My grandfather said only devils have black hair!”

At that moment, Laila, who had shown no reaction to the words ‘black hair’, turned her head with a pale face. It was the moment when her gaze met the child’s—at least that’s how the people there felt.

“Aaah!”

The child’s body, which had been standing fine, suddenly staggered as if pushed by the wind, and fell forward. The startled Eustar and member simultaneously lifted the child.

“Child, are you alright?”

As if he had unfortunately tripped on a stone, a hole could be seen in the worn-out knee part of his pants. Looking down at the reddened skin visible through it, the child suddenly burst into loud tears.

“Lord Eustar, this…”

The bewildered members turned to look at Laila. But she too had an expression no less bewildered than the members.

She took off her gloves and tried to approach the children. Then the little ones who had fearlessly crowded around until just now began to back away quietly.

Eustar said as he lifted the fallen child:

“Let’s see. Your knee is a bit scraped, but that’s all. I’ll apply some medicine and it will heal quickly.”

That’s when it happened. The little one who had been frowning with teardrops hanging pointed at Laila.

“Devil! This witch!”

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Eustar said:

“You shouldn’t say such things.”

But the child now stomped his feet with a face more angry than hurt.

“That witch tripped me!”

Laila stepped back. Eustar felt it too.

Behind her back, her emotions were fluctuating unusually unstably. He could sense it as if he had entered water, feeling the waves brush against his skin…

The sound of the child continuing to throw a tantrum could be heard. Laila tried to read the energy flowing from Undil Heights along with the flow of the sink, but she couldn’t concentrate because of the shrill, sharp voice.

‘Witch!’

‘We must kill that witch!’

Calm down. Laila thought as she closed her eyes. This isn’t Lizkus. I left Lizkus long ago. And what happened there wasn’t my fault…

As Laila bit her lip and struggled to concentrate, her mind suddenly emptied and became hollow.

—Let’s meet again.

Badin’s low and ominous voice echoed clearly, as if throwing a stone into an empty cave.