"Hmm?"
"What is it?"
On the bright, warm second floor of the Seer Association, Princess Margaret curiously asked Shade.
She was sitting with Shade, Leisha, Princess Angelina, Sir Prisha, and Baroness Yeva Swift, a Kasonlik poet living locally, listening to Shade tell one of his detective stories.
The salon was at its liveliest. People had gathered with acquaintances to discuss topics that interested them, and exclamations of admiration and applause could occasionally be heard.
Shade had just begun telling the story of how he helped Mr. Hank solve the case of "nighttime hauntings" when he suddenly froze and turned to look out the window.
Leisha raised her teacup to conceal her worried expression. The others had no idea what was wrong with Shade. The night outside remained calm. The Seer Association knew what might happen outside tonight, so naturally it would not let these distinguished guests notice anything unusual.
But Shade was different. He was quite familiar with Iluna's Sunlight Gun, so through "her," he immediately learned that Iluna seemed to have started fighting someone outside.
"It's nothing. I was just talking about investigating Mr. Hank's friends, and suddenly remembered that I might have forgotten to turn off the gas lamp when I left home."
Shade said sheepishly:
"But it's all right. Let's continue the story. Miss Louisa will probably publish this story in the newspaper around the middle of next month. It certainly wasn't the strangest case of my detective career, but it was quite interesting. Mr. Hank's friends were scattered across—"
Though he continued telling the story, he was deeply uneasy. The distance was too great; only because he knew Iluna so well could he tell that she was fighting someone. As for what exactly was happening outside, Shade truly could not guess.
*It probably isn't Jack the