At the border between Empress Borough and West Borough in Backlund, on Thorson Street, Xio Derecha stood in a dark, secluded alley. Even without looking up, she could see the layers of magnificent palaces in the distance and the towering Gothic clock tower.
That was the highest area in all of Backlund, where the Loen royal family resided. Yet more than any of that, what Xio remembered most vividly was the mansion that had once belonged to her father, where she had lived for more than a decade.
"You did very well on this mission."
Just as Miss Xio was recalling the days when she had been waited on hand and foot, a man wearing a golden mask that exposed only the lower half of his face stepped out of the shadows. Xio almost instinctively assumed a guarded stance, but after seeing who it was, she relaxed slightly—
"You're late."
The Man with the golden mask pulled a Silver Pocket Watch from his coat. After checking it, he nodded solemnly.
"Indeed. I was late by one minute and twenty-five seconds. That was my mistake."
"..." Xio had not expected that answer and was briefly stunned. However, the masked man did not continue the topic. Instead, he took out a sheet of white paper folded twice and handed it to her—
"This is your reward for this mission."
"..." Xio accepted the paper containing the complete Potion Formula for the Interrogator. She read it over twice before carefully tucking it into the inner pocket of her vest. Only then did she ask:
"What new mission is there this time?"
"You're very clever." The exposed corner of the masked man's mouth curled upward slightly, but Xio replied in a very mature tone:
"It wasn't hard to guess."
"Very well. We've discovered that