Eight days passed as the sun rose and set.
Moonlight shrouded the Viscount's Castle, and a fine rain fell.
The violin sang elegantly, carrying the faintest melancholy as its music echoed across the wilderness and drifted back to the Castle, as though celebrating the rampant growth of wild grass, or sighing with the moonlight.
Emma quietly poked her head out. She saw His Lordship playing the violin on the Castle's open-air balcony, the damp ends of his silver hair resembling the wings of a long-tailed butterfly.
Then the music stopped abruptly. His Lordship lowered the violin, glanced back, and curled his lips. "Oh, it's little Emma."
"My lord..." Emma approached cautiously. "Are you unhappy?"
"Not particularly."
Xie De sat on the sofa on the open-air balcony, crossed his legs, and asked, "How is the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Emma's eyes shone. "I've found it! My lord, the S-rank Instance that recently opened is Happy Apartment!"
"Mm. You may go."
"Yes, my lord."
After Emma left, Xie De took out his phone, casually plugged it into a power bank, and waited for it to boot up.
455 crawled out with difficulty. "Host, eight days. Eight whole days locked in the dark. I can't take it anymore. (ಥ_ಥ) I admit defeat."
Xie De chuckled. "If I didn't go that far, what would we do if 730 caught on?"
455 said hesitantly, "...Is it really okay to deceive it like this? Aren't we going a little too far?"
Xie De slapped the table. "So it was fine for it to scheme against me? Besides, we're turning its own scheme against it. 455, do you want to win 730 over or not? Being a doormat won't get you anywhere."
"(´;ω;`) I understand."
455 said dejectedly, "I know. The moment 730 classified me