Malinda's abrupt question made Arthur sigh inwardly.
It wasn't that he couldn't guess what Malinda was asking.
He sighed precisely because he could.
Without a doubt, Malinda, just like Melville, believed the whole setup had been meant to draw out Melville himself-but what was the truth?
His trip out of South Los to Ymir Manor had only been a cover for completing the ritual [Cat's Orange].
Everything that came afterward?
That had all been incidental!
But Malinda's question now made Arthur reassess how much Melville, a member of the Sixteen Advisors whose [spirituality] had spiraled out of control, mattered to the Count of South Los.
Clearly, he had only seen Melville's loss of control and overlooked his hidden value.
But if Melville had hidden value, why had the Countess "let" him out?
In that situation, she should have kept him under close watch.
Unless...
Melville was only valuable once he had been let out.
And what had Melville done after being let out?
Suddenly, something occurred to the young Medium-
Once let out, Melville had contacted the Hidden Pawns concealed outside South Los-the attackers from just now.
Finding those people under normal circumstances would have been difficult. Only a high-ranking Hidden Pawn like Melville could gather them together so they could all be caught in one sweep.
Of course, that was only the surface explanation.
It was the Countess's public excuse.
What the Countess actually wanted was...
For Melville to kill his traveling companions!
Melville's companions had all come from the Sixteen Advisors, the Sixty-Six Advisors, and the ordinary Advisors.
According to Amuel, the Sixteen Advisors consisted of sixteen people from the mystical side, each representing a different faction, while the Sixty-Six Advisors were the leading minds from all walks of life in South Los.
As for the ordinary Advisors,