Ellie's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
Almost instinctively, her fingers tightened slightly around her sword hilt, and the mana that had been flowing lazily through her body instantly grew concentrated and alert.
Her instincts were sounding a shrill warning.
The beautiful black-haired girl before her was anything but what she appeared to be.
Beneath that calm exterior lurked something profound, something that filled her with a faint unease.
"What brings you here?"
Ellie spoke first, her voice stripped of its earlier languor and carrying a barely perceptible note of scrutiny.
Her grip on her sword did not loosen. Beneath her cloak, her body was already fully poised for battle.
Yet the black-haired girl showed no trace of nervousness or fear at Ellie's guarded question.
She tilted her head slightly, her deep purple eyes lingering on Ellie for a moment, as though she had seen through a great deal in that instant. Then her lips curved into a faint, playful smile.
"No, nothing in particular."
Her voice was clear and pleasing, yet possessed a magnetic quality that seemed capable of plucking at the heartstrings:
"It's just... I seem to have arrived a little late, so there doesn't appear to be anything left for me to do here."
Her answer was ambiguous, but her gaze drifted toward the alley behind Ellie, whether deliberately or otherwise.
Ellie frowned. She could not make sense of the girl's attitude, but that underlying sense of danger had not faded.
She did not want any unnecessary complications, especially when she still had business to attend to tonight.
"Oh, really?"
Ellie's tone was flat. "Then you should leave quickly. A place like this isn't very safe for a... young lady like you."
"Like me?"
The black-haired girl repeated the words softly, as though she found the expression amusing. She