Late at night, outside a villa in Saint George Borough, Backlund.
Talim, who had arrived nearby long ago, checked his pocket watch. Only after seeing that the agreed time had come did he muster his courage and ring the doorbell of the house, from which not a single ray of light shone.
Come to think of it, why did Miss Lina live in such a gloomy place? And why did she insist on meeting in the middle of the night... Could she be a witch or banshee from those horror stories?
I should have hired Sherlock to come with me...
No, that wasn't right. If something truly terrifying appeared, hiring Sherlock would only be getting him killed...
Chilled to the bone by the night wind, Talim belatedly became frightened, unable to stop his thoughts from running wild.
Just then, the villa's gates opened. A androgynously dressed young person emerged carrying a lamp. After carefully identifying Talim, the young person politely said, "Mr. Dumont, please come with me. Miss Lina is waiting for you in the living room."
Talim's full name was Talim Dumont. He had originally been the scion of a noble family, whose ancestors had held the title of viscount. Unfortunately, his grandfather had squandered the entire family fortune.
Talim sized the other person up for quite a while, yet still could not tell whether the person before him was a gentleman or a lady. He could only say vaguely, "Sorry for the trouble."
"Don't mention it," the young person replied softly, then led the prince's friend into the villa.
To Talim's surprise, the villa, which appeared pitch-black from outside, was brilliantly lit within. His eyes had not adjusted in time, and he could not help raising a hand to shield them.
After following the young person all the