"Gloria... the one who committed suicide?"
Yanis's footsteps faltered.
She turned around and asked in disbelief, "You originally thought that? But after hearing you say that, I can conclude that—at least while she was talking with you, she had no intention of dying yet."
Sherlock spoke calmly.
Then he told Yanis all the information they had just gathered from Cardinal Loki.
"...Gloria was actually friends with Grey and Mercedes?"
Yanis murmured, "She never told me... And she was a Candidate Saintess, yet I never met her."
"She was eliminated early, so she never had the chance to study aesthetics with Lady Flowers."
Iver explained, then asked, "When did you meet her?"
"...Several decades ago, or perhaps a century ago. I don't remember clearly. It was when I last returned to the Theocracy and sorted through my teacher's belongings."
Yanis took a moment to process the information before instinctively answering, "I went to find Lady Blue Rose, and she took me to meet Gloria."
"You didn't tell her about Grey either?" Iver confirmed.
"How could I have dared?"
Yanis smiled bitterly. "I only met her twice in total. You know when I returned to the Theocracy this time... It was only recently. That was when I went to see her."
Iver did remember.
Yanis's departure date had been too easy to remember—she had left on New Year's Eve, without staying for the holiday.
And today was February 18. At most, less than three months had passed.
Two and a half months ago, Gloria had still been gathering material, interviewing Yanis, and busily preparing to start a new book.
Two and a half months later, she had killed her childhood friend and then committed suicide. She had Amberized in midair and shattered across the ground upon landing.
Not only had she been