Inside the Castle, Hawk-Eyes and Zoro sat facing each other as Hawk-Eyes shared his insights into swordsmanship.
Perona sat nearby eating dessert. She was bored; she couldn't understand a word the two of them were saying.
Hawk-Eyes sat upright, talking to Zoro about swordsmanship between sips of wine. Suddenly, he set down his glass and narrowed his eyes.
"Hm? Someone troublesome has arrived."
Zoro froze, then couldn't help asking, "Someone troublesome? Who?"
Perona turned to look at Hawk-Eyes too.
"That presence... There's no mistaking it. Thunder Swordmaster Werther. He's a Great Swordsman whose strength rivals mine.
"I don't know why he's come to this island, but he's entered the Castle now.
"I'll speak to him. Neither of you should say anything. He has a peculiar temper, and rumor has it he once wiped out an entire clan."
Perona couldn't help feeling afraid.
"What? An entire clan? That must be several thousand people at least! He's killed thousands? That's terrifying."
Hawk-Eyes shook his head, picked up his glass, and drained it.
"No. That clan had tens of thousands of people."
"No way! Why would someone that scary come here? I need to hide. This is my real body!"
Perona moved to hide, but it was too late.
Creak.
The door swung open, and a figure appeared in the doorway.
It was Werther. The moment he saw the girl standing there in a daze, tears glistening in her eyes, excitement surged through him.
Little sister. I finally found you. In a flash, Werther rushed to Perona's side.
That was right: Perona was Werther's little sister. He had been surprised when he first learned it too, but remembering that doll had finally convinced him.
A dark blur flashed before Perona's eyes. Someone appeared in front of her and pulled her into a tight