Isn't it a bit too late to ask that now?
You chose to come... Your assistant too.
It's so creepy around here, all barren without any street lights. We've already passed a cemetery, two abandoned manors, a dark forest, and a small chapel.
With Eileena as a companion, even a blind person wouldn't get lost, and even a deaf person could piece everything together. But it's fine. She means well.
She is the sole employee of the detective agency, serving as assistant, accountant, and receptionist all at once. Though she doesn't particularly excel at any of these jobs, she somehow manages to get everything done.
After resolving the crisis at the gallows, the Countess immediately departed to investigate the aftermath of the church incident. Unable to resist the urge to follow her, you went with her, and Eileena tagged along.
After a series of fierce battles, peace has temporarily returned to the city, and the Aberrations are released. Everything seems to have returned to normal, but everyone knows this peace is only fleeting.
The collective framing of Aberrations couldn't possibly be a mere coincidence. In this tangled web of chaos, any "thread" might be the key to breaking the stalemate.
...So noisy...
Alpha consistently walks ahead, maintaining a subtle distance from you two, only stopping when you finally reach your destination.
Eileena abruptly bumps into Alpha and wraps her arms around the Countess. Alpha shows a rare moment of bewilderment before stepping back to avoid the girl's embrace.
Her touch reminds Alpha of another girl, and of a long-forgotten pleasure from when she was still human.
We've arrived at Cradle's clinic.
You have left the city far behind, now standing at the border between the Mist and civilization, surrounded by the tombs of moles.
This is a lawless territory where, as order slowly vanishes, gold and primal instincts compete in a savage tournament for supremacy.
Cradle's clinic is a detached villa with overgrown weeds serving as its fence and waste pools for gardens. There's no sign outside, and only returning clients ever make their way here.
No, I refuse. I feel safer staying by this lady's side.
Alpha doesn't bother correcting how Eileena addressed her, instead pausing and waiting for Eileena to catch up. "Little Alarm Clock"—that's what she called the girl in her mind.
I can call you that... when I feel it's necessary.
Alpha extends her hand, showing her companions a medicinal syringe and some silk thread.
These items were left as evidence in yesterday's case with the Holy Maiden. The Countess is all too familiar with both of them and their owner, Cradle.
Before knocking on the door, Alpha feels the need to issue a few warnings.
Once we're inside, don't stare at Cradle's legs. It's a congenital deformity that's untreatable.
And don't stare at her puppets either, or she'll spend the entire night talking your ear off about them.
Yes, Countess. Understood, Countess.
Better not...
"Anyone but her... She's one of the few people from my past that's still alive," Alpha prays silently, unable to voice this sentiment aloud.
As Alpha knocks, a horde of patients surge out, their limbs stiff and contorted, having been crammed in that confined space for who knows how long.
She instinctively spins around, shielding Eileena with one arm while swinging her blade in deadly arcs with the other, advancing with regal authority.
Caught off guard, you roll away to dodge, only to realize that the patients are completely ignoring you as they single-mindedly move in one particular direction.
Indeed. Get to the second floor. It's safer up there.
With that, Alpha carries Eileena and leaps to the second floor, crashing through a window. Left behind, you suddenly catch the attention of all the patients, and you only escape when Eileena lowers a rope ladder.
The Countess unleashes waves of sword strikes, felling the patients pursuing you like autumn leaves. Hearing growls behind, you quicken your pace, occasionally taking down climbers attempting to scale the ladder.
Only when you finally grasp Eileena's hand does Alpha shift her stance and unleash her full power.
Do you like my gift, Alpha?
Eileena holds up a lamp and reads the message aloud—Cradle has long abandoned her clinic, leaving behind only a message in red on the wall. Alpha closes the shattered window and sheathes her blade as she steps closer.
What's going on in that head of yours, Cradle?
