Eleanor's Not-So-Great Adventure (Continued)

Elinore paused to think for a moment, which was unusual for her.

—Life is just too boring these days.

There has been no progress in our intelligence gathering.

The elder brother didn't give any further instructions.

"... Should we get in touch?"

Elinore reached out and looked at the bracelet on her wrist.

"... Never mind, my brother is very busy. Nothing's wrong here, it's not like anything unexpected has happened..."

Wait a minute, are there really no variables?

A smiling face flashed through Elinore's mind.

—It was the face of the female doctor who had just greeted him outside the door.

Why did I think of that person?

Elinore rubbed her temples.

Although her rise to power was full of coincidences, Otto would not have entrusted her with such an important task if she did not have some talent.

"... that doctor."

She knew the other person and found them to be a very kind person. Although they didn't have the talent to be Valkyries, they were very responsible and knowledgeable as a doctor.

Is something wrong?

Elinore's greeting was perfectly normal, but she just couldn't shake the memory of what had just happened.

"... Let's go out and take a look."

Elinore took a deep breath and decided to go out and find the doctor.

Even if there is something strange, all we need to do is confront them face to face.

Elinore got up, pushed open the door, and left.

Squeak—~

However, the sound of the door opening startled Elinore.

Squeak...~

Elinore pushed the door open again.

(Why is this sound...?)

Why has it changed?!

Elinore stared at the door with a look of utter incomprehension.

Her room door would never make that creaking sound when it opens and closes!

"—!?"

Elinore didn't know what was going on, but that didn't stop Elinore from adjusting her white, gold-trimmed collar and pulling out Black Keys from her sleeve.

In any case, it's better to be cautious.

The land of Liyue is rife with legends of gods and ghosts, and Elinore's collection of information is mostly focused on this aspect.

A normal person might dismiss it as nonsense, but Elinore knew that Honkai energy indeed trigger some incredibly strange natural phenomena.

And then there's Liyue... wait a minute, am I really that unlucky?

Elinore felt that something was not quite right about this.

However, Elinore's mood calmed down considerably after she had a weapon in her hand.

Let's go out and take a look.

Click...

Elinore pushed open the door, and the sound of her foot landing on the rotten floor echoed as soon as it touched the ground.

"..."

To be honest, Elinore felt like she hadn't heard that kind of sound in a long time.

The last time this happened was before the Black Death broke out.

Elinore took a deep breath.

Having been mentally prepared by mentioning the Black Keys, she didn't panic over this small matter.

Essentially, she wasn't the kind of pampered young lady.

At this moment, Elinore began to look around the corridor.

It is no longer the hotel's luxurious tiled floor, but a wooden corridor that exudes a sense of decay from the inside out.

... The decorations look a bit like the castle Elinore visited before.

However, the overall layout seemed unchanged, and Elinore could still see the house number on her door.

(Has only the setting changed?)

Elinore knocked directly on the door next door.

(... Isn't Rita here?)

Okay, that's normal, since the two of them are actually a bit out of sync.

Should we break down the door?

Elinore for a moment.

Logically speaking: from the previous five points, Rita's (real strength) is definitely stronger than hers! She's long outdated.

In this situation, it seems unnecessary for me to worry about Rita.

However... it's not impossible for a strong person to drive themselves into a desperate situation due to a wrong choice.

... For example, Kallen.

Taking a deep breath, Elinore grabbed the Black Keys in both hands and unleashed a cross slash at the door.

Click...

The inside of the gate seemed to be rotten as well; with just a light scratch, the gate fell into pieces.

...Then.

Elinore then saw the teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll-shaped ornament) in the room.

"Rita—!!"

"... I mean, hanging someone from the rafters is such a perverse thing to do, isn't it?"

Through the Herrscher of Dominion's live broadcast, Rita watched herself swinging back and forth on the roof beams and couldn't help but lose her composure.

"Cough cough... This, this was all just to scare people." The Herrscher of Dominion was slightly guilty.

"Hmm... I feel like this might be more suitable for scaring Bianka?" Bai commented, stroking his chin.

"If you dare to do that, we can break off our friendship, Liu Bai."

Elinore was furious and didn't notice why there were "roof beams" in the hotel's layout.

Although Elinore and Rita didn't have a very harmonious relationship, they had at least been partners for quite some time.

And... the mighty S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal actually died here...

Elinore threw the Black Keys and cut the rope.

Rita was definitely murdered!

Rita had no reason to commit suicide, which means that someone... no, "something" killed Rita and hung her here.

Fake suicide?

No, it's more like a perverse sense of humor.

There was nowhere on the ground to stand.

A staged crime scene wouldn't overlook places like this.

"... As expected, there was no breath."

Elinore held Rita, her face ashen.

Then, Elinore gently lifted Rita's neck, wanting to check Rita's injuries.

Click, thud.

"Master! Look at that expression—his pupils are dizzy with shock!"

The Herrscher of Dominion was extremely excited.

Indeed, the idea of a head suddenly falling off is quite shocking for humans!

"... I want to lodge a protest on behalf of a magical girl."

"?"

Elinore almost couldn't hold Rita's body for a moment.

Even she couldn't help but get goosebumps at this moment.

For a split second, Elinore's heart skipped a beat.

"Rita... wait a minute?"

Before Elinore could even feel grief for Rita, she realized something seemed wrong.

(This cross-section...?)

Doll?

As Elinore stared at the cross-section of the skull, her emotions surging so violently that Elinore was at a loss for words.

Elinore took several deep breaths to regulate her breathing.

"I've been tricked? Damn it!"

Elinore angrily threw down the doll she was holding.

"The bastard who caused all this... what does he take me for?!"

Elinore turned away angrily.

There's no need to stay here any longer.

The immediate priority is to ascertain the situation of the other people.

However, just as Elinore turned around, the "Rita's remains" behind her silently rose from the ground.

"—!?"

As a barely passable warrior, Elinore sensed something was wrong in an instant.

But as soon as Elinore turned around, she saw Rita groping for her own head and then attaching it to her own.

—Then it was installed backwards.

Rita turned around gracefully—seemingly as elegant as she had been in life.

However, her beautiful, vacant pupils now possessed an eerie, chilling quality.

Then, a wailing sound, filled with deep resentment and like that of a banshee, erupted:

"Lady Elinore, why did you cut off my head?"

"As expected! When performing the 'head-fixing' operation, the 'counter-fixing' is a necessary step, right?" The Herrscher of Dominion was clearly very happy.