Seeing that it would still take some time for the Special Inspection Department to arrive, Hebe had lost the mood to wander around.
She turned to head back, only to spot someone familiar.
The woman wore a pink-and-white turtleneck sweater and black-rimmed glasses, exuding a quiet, intellectual air.
She was Presis, Hebe's neighbor and the proprietress of the little appliance repair shop by the roadside.
The moment Hebe approached, Presis pulled her into a corner.
"W-what is it?" Hebe froze. She had not expected Presis to be even more nervous than she was.
The intellectual beauty adjusted her glasses and gazed meaningfully at Hebe. "Miss Stanton, you're an 'apprentice' too, aren't you?"
Hebe suddenly understood. "So you're the one who got into trouble!"
As everyone knew, in the eyes of Albion's authorities, any non-official Ascendant was a potential criminal.
When the Special Inspection Department came to arrest someone, they would not give them room to argue. Whatever excuses they had, they could explain them slowly from inside a cell.
Under such circumstances, obedient apprentices would be regarded as "criminals who could be reformed," while disobedient ones would be regarded as "especially stubborn criminals."
Presis's expression stiffened. "But you're an apprentice too."
Hebe wanted to argue, but upon reflection, she was even stranger than ordinary apprentices. Leaving aside the whole eating gold and chewing iron business, her illusions alone made her more dangerous than ten—no, even nine—apprentices at the Illuminated rank.
"Boss, what's the plan?" Hebe knew Presis must already have arranged an escape route if she had called her over.
Presis was pleased by Hebe's response.
"The Special Inspection Department is making a huge move this time. I don't know which apprentice got themselves killed." Presis looked grim. "So I'm planning to leave London and lie low in Cornwall."
Hebe did not answer immediately upon hearing the name Cornwall.
Presis did not notice the expression on Hebe's face. Thinking Hebe was tempted, she struck while the iron was hot. "It looks like the Special Inspection Department won't leave any room for negotiation. You know that watch shop across the street that also handles letters and parcels? Its owner is a blue-haired young woman, about your age."
"She's an apprentice too. A couple of days ago, the Special Inspection Department specifically came over and sealed up her watch shop." Presis spoke with certainty. "She must have been taken away by them!"
Hebe pursed her lips. "Um... is there a possibility that Mostima was originally with the Special Inspection Department?"
She finally understood why Mostima had opened a watch shop on the street corner. So she had been there specifically to keep an eye on Presis.
The proprietress's expression froze as she pressed a hand to her forehead. "So that was it."
She turned and headed straight into her shop, with Hebe following behind her. "What did you do to make the Special Inspection Department send someone specifically to watch you?"
"Do you know about life alchemy?" Presis answered succinctly. "I've been researching it all along. This place is my temporary workshop."
Hebe could only marvel that such an expert had been right beside her all along.
Creating life was not difficult for Ascendants. The hard part was making it grow normally.
The fact that Presis could tackle such a problem showed that her skill was about on par with Royal Sister's.
As expected of the High Priestess, the leader of Terra's Originium Project. Even in another world, she was still so fiercely driven. Truly admirable.
Presis pushed open the workshop door and went inside, while Hebe remained outside.
Back when everyone had concealed their identities, it had been fine to enter as a guest. But now that Presis had revealed herself as an Ascendant, entering someone else's workshop without invitation could be taken as a declaration of war.
Fortunately, Presis soon emerged carrying a black briefcase.
"What's this?"
"This is my... colleague's project." Presis paused suspiciously. "It's a product using her results. Simply put, it can store whatever you choose inside it while still weighing no more than a briefcase."
Presis handed the briefcase to Hebe. "Borrow this for now. When we get to Cornwall, remember to return it to me."
Hebe took the briefcase. "Are we leaving now?"
A lynx with green ears poked its head out from behind the door. The moment Presis saw it, she shooed it back inside.
"No, leaving now would be too suspicious." The proprietress said, "We'll wait until the Special Inspection Department's officers finish questioning us, then leave tonight. Before that, should we get our stories straight?"
"Better not." Hebe frowned. "I feel like the Special Inspection Department already has an answer in mind. If we coordinate our stories, it might make things worse."
"Then it's settled." Presis checked her watch. "Seven tonight. We'll meet at Vivian Restaurant."
Hebe nodded and carried the briefcase back to her antique shop.
She looked around, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.
After confirming that the Secret History Simulator was her cheat, Hebe had considered moving somewhere remote. But she had not expected the time to move to come so quickly.
Hebe looked at her computer. Its screen was pitch black, displaying a system update.
She was not worried that moving would affect her use of the Secret History Simulator.
That was because she had tested it long ago. The Secret History Simulator's vessel was herself; using a computer screen to display it was merely Hebe's habit.
As for Cornwall... Hebe narrowed her eyes slightly.
Wasn't the Silent Bookstore located in the countryside of Cornwall?
Just as she was considering her future arrangements, someone knocked on the door.
Hebe went over and opened it. Officers from the Special Inspection Department stood outside, their expressions grave.
"Hello, we're from Albion's Special Inspection Department." The lead officer presented his identification. "I have a few questions for you. Please answer truthfully."
Haha, So It Was Me They Were After
"Name?"
"Hebe Stanton."
"Occupation?"
"Self-employed."
"Business hasn't been good, has it?" The officer smiled. "This secondhand shop of yours doesn't seem to get many customers, does it?"
Hebe spread her hands, indicating that she had already done her best.
"You're right. I'm moving away in the next couple of days." The young shop owner sighed. "Dreams are nice, but I still need to eat and make money. I probably won't stay in this line of work anymore."
She looked exactly like a young person who had just entered society and been brutally beaten down by reality.
The officer's pen paused. "You're leaving Alfie Market? This is prime real estate."
Hebe shrugged. It was true that she had not made any money running a secondhand shop.
The officer realized that as well and let the matter drop.
"Next question. Have you ever dreamed of an antique shop? Its furnishings and layout are..." The officer recited the description mechanically, then looked around. "There are antique shops like this everywhere in Alfie Market, aren't there?"
"Yes." Hebe nodded without changing expression. "I've never had a dream like that."
"Then thank you for your cooperation." The officer nodded to her before walking out of the secondhand shop.
Before long, Hebe heard them knock on the door of the appliance repair shop next door.
The girl's expression instantly fell.
She had thought Presis was the one who had caused trouble, prompting the Special Inspection Department to suddenly cast its net.
But the officers' questions made Hebe realize that they had come specifically for her at the request of someone higher up.
Hebe pressed a hand to her forehead. Her desire to flee had not been that strong before, but now it seemed that catching a ride with Presis to lie low in the Cornwall countryside was truly the best choice.
Some things simply could not be explained. Until she could provide a reasonable explanation, it was probably best to keep her distance.
Night arrived, and as dusk fell, Hebe closed up and headed for Vivian Restaurant.
Standing before its enormous sign, she let out an involuntary sigh.
What a shame. She had only just found a good place to eat... Heaven knew how difficult it was to find somewhere suited to her tastes in Albion.
Hebe entered the restaurant. The first floor was packed as usual, and the manager in a well-tailored suit was directing the waitstaff.
When the manager saw Hebe approaching, she hesitated slightly before coming over.
"I have a reservation."
"Ah, all right." The manager nodded and said without any difficulty, "Please follow me."
Mordred personally led Hebe to a private room on the second floor. After Hebe thanked her, she seemed hesitant.
Hebe could tell that the manager seemed to have something she wanted to say.
"Um, after your last visit, I made some changes to the menu according to your suggestions." Mordred's gaze drifted to the side. "The response has been very good, so I wanted to tell you personally."
This time, Hebe was genuinely surprised.
This restaurant did not serve any high-end Gaul cuisine. Its specialty was affordable, good-value dishes.
She had only made an offhand comment, yet they had actually revised the menu. The cost involved could not have been small.
"That really is... a shame." Hebe gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm moving away soon."
The manager before her trembled. "Y-you said what?"
Hebe did not think the manager was overreacting. "Well... there's nothing to be done about it. There are simply too many shops selling secondhand goods and antiques in Alfie Market. The competition is too homogeneous."
"I haven't had a proper income in a long time," she explained leisurely. "So I'm giving up the secondhand shop and planning to try my luck somewhere else."
"..." Mordred fell silent for a while, then nodded lightly.
For some reason, Hebe suddenly sensed disappointment and sorrow from the person before her.
Inside the private room, Presis sat across from the table, taking small sips of the complimentary drink.
After Hebe sat down, she frowned.
"The manager of this restaurant is an apprentice too," Presis said.
After World War II, the ceiling for Ascendants had been locked at Daybreak, so more and more Ascendants referred to one another as apprentices.
The greatest difference between Illuminated-rank apprentices and ordinary people was that they possessed a vast amount of knowledge, collectively known as secret teachings.
But beyond that, there was no essential difference between them and ordinary people.
In other words, as long as apprentices did not intend to reveal themselves, they could live steadily like ordinary people without any risk of exposure.
"You mean the illusion that manager cast on her own face?"
Hebe smiled. She had noticed it the first time she visited the restaurant.
The lobby manager probably had some unspeakable difficulty, so she had cast some kind of obfuscating illusion over her face.
Naturally, that could not escape Hebe's eyes.
But so what? In Hebe's view, that was entirely the lobby manager's personal privacy. Whatever she looked like beneath the illusion had nothing to do with Hebe as a diner.
Hebe only cared whether the food tasted good. Nothing else mattered.
"You're awfully carefree," Presis commented. "In the world of apprentices, it's good to keep at least some vigilance."
Hebe smiled without commenting.
They began discussing the many details of their escape.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll leave by car," Presis said. "My destination is Blankog Island in Cornwall. It's considered a settlement for apprentices. What about you?"
Hebe answered honestly, "Me too."
Now it was Presis's turn to be surprised. "Are you sure someone will receive you there?"
The girl's dark green eyes did not blink. "Yes."
Not only would someone receive her—she even had property there.
The A-rank reward for clearing the Lostbelt, a branch of the Atlas Institute in the Egyptian lands—the Silent Bookstore—was located in Blanckug, Cornwall.
"All right." Presis shrugged. "Then let's discuss whether we should bring the lobby manager along with us to Blanckug."
"And why would we do that?" Hebe asked, puzzled. "Wouldn't fewer people be better for avoiding attention?"
"That's true, but every inch of Blankog is worth its weight in gold." Presis's face fell. "My savings are only enough to buy a very small plot there. It's enough to live on, but there's no way I could build a research workshop."
Hebe finally understood why Presis was not satisfied with bringing her along and was also trying to drag the manager into this.
"Forgive me, but I can't participate in that plan for now." Hebe waved a hand. "Research results between apprentices are better kept separate. Even if we jointly bought land, how would we divide the space needed to build workshops?"
"All right." Presis sighed. She did not press the matter.
Before you continue