After putting away the gun, the lady in the brown coat led Shade into an empty room on the 2nd Floor.
Other than a small stool and a Fire Basin burning charcoal, the room contained no furniture. A kettle, a metal basin, bloodstained bandages, and women's clothing were scattered across the floor. Though the temperature inside had risen somewhat, it was still cold. With Blood Echo still active, Shade saw a large patch of blood in the bronze basin nearby. She had probably been tending to her wounds just now.
Miss Brown struggled to sit crookedly on the small stool, pressing a hand against her left leg.
"Just now, I was removing a bullet from myself. I lost a bit more blood than I expected. It has been so many years since I last did this, so I'm rather out of practice."
"Military Intelligence Section Six took your Uncle away."
Shade sat directly on the floor and held out his hands as though warming them by the fire.
"It's all right. Uncle has extensive connections here, and he truly has nothing to do with this matter. He doesn't know what secrets I have, either."
Miss Brown gazed despondently at the Fire Basin before her.
"Who found you at noon?"
Shade asked again, then added:
"It was not me who reported you."
"Of course it wasn't you, sir. Otherwise, the person who came looking for me at noon would not have been alone."
She lifted her teacup and moistened her somewhat pale lips.
"It was the superior who had been responsible for contacting me before I left Tobesk eight years ago. The bombing attack against Your Highness last week caused Military Intelligence Section Six to deploy as many of their spies as possible, so he spotted me. What terrible luck."
She