"We can't afford to alert the enemy, but we can't keep investigating either. We can't possibly stay hidden here until dawn, can we?"
At that moment, Karen's smooth thigh was pressed tightly against Shirou's face, while Shirou's sturdy chest was against Karen's forehead.
The underground space was extremely cramped, so the two of them had no choice but to press against each other in a bizarre pose, looking just like a sculpture of modern art.
Shirou: "Well, at this point, our only option is to go back and ask that person for help."
Karen's face went pale: "..."
Shirou: "You'll have to apologize properly to Miss Natalia, okay?"
"Faster than I expected."
Natalia lit a cigarette and looked at the two people sitting on the sofa.
In the end, Shirou and Karen had gone around in circles and returned to where they had started.
The inn where Natalia was hiding was probably the only safe haven in the town.
The Huntress tilted her head and grinned maliciously. "Sorry, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
Karen's face flushed as she muttered, "P-please cooperate with us!"
"Hm? Who was it that said she didn't want to cooperate with a suspicious magus?"
"Ugh...!"
"All right, all right, Miss Natalia. Stop bullying Karen."
While smoothing things over, Shirou began explaining the information he had not revealed earlier.
As a show of sincerity in requesting cooperation, he explained to Natalia the true reason he and Karen had come to this town.
"Ode Bolzak... You mean the 'Demon Bee Master'!?"
Natalia's reaction was far more intense than expected. The cigarette between her lips nearly fell onto the carpet.
"Do you know him?" Shirou asked.
"Know him? It's more than that...!"
Natalia clenched her lips.
Unlike the cold, hunter-like atmosphere she