“Finger bones,” huh?
Elisa reached into the mirror and took out the two [Finger Bones], toying with them in her hand. To a certain extent, the [Mirror Traversal] ability could also be used for storage.
[Simon asked the Magic Mirror to inform Teacher about this matter. He didn’t know what the finger bones represented, but Teacher would surely be able to discover something.]
Sorry, but your curly-haired baboon of a teacher doesn’t know either!
Elisa thought for a moment. Once she returned, she would write Teacher a letter and ask her to investigate.
Unfortunately, the Archipelago was too far from the Royal Capital. [Mirror Traversal] couldn’t reach such a distant place.
[Simon asked the Magic Mirror whether there were any other questions. If not, he would end the ritual.]
Elisa thought for a moment, then wrote down another question.
Are there any fun games that young ladies can play?
If we’d had a fun game during that sleepover just now, Eleanor, Mabel, and I might have grown even closer.
Eleanor and Mabel knew Fourth Princess Ophelia, and to some extent, they even seemed to interact with her as equals. The proof was that when Lilian had been giving Ophelia a hard time, Mabel had been secretly laughing.
There was no doubt that Eleanor and Mabel came from extremely noble backgrounds.
I have to win them over! I need to prepare for our next sleepover!
Asking about fun party games was an important part of that preparation.
That damn male servant is definitely going to seize the chance to name another price. I can’t waste money again this time! If he asks for more than 10 pounds, I’ll refuse!
[Simon gave his price: 25 pounds.]
What?! You’ve really got the nerve to ask for that much!
Elisa was about to angrily refuse when new words appeared on the mirror.
[Simon added that 25 pounds would get her three games, plus a new logic puzzle as a bonus.]
What, three games? And there’s even a freebie!
I was originally planning to spend 10 pounds on one game. Now I’m getting three for 25 pounds, which comes to less than 9 pounds per game. It’s more than a pound under my budget! And I even get a free bonus!
What a bargain!
Elisa quickly opened her purse and paid the corresponding amount.
[Simon told the Magic Mirror about three simple games: Guess the Identity, Pictionary, and Truth or Dare, along with a new riddle: Three Hats.]
After reading the rules of the games, Elisa was already pleasantly surprised. When she saw the riddle, she was even more delighted.
But why doesn’t this riddle come with an answer?
Oh no, is this a trap?!
Elisa panicked for a moment, but after thinking it over carefully, she realized that the Three Hats puzzle was the same type of riddle as the blue-eyes-and-red-eyes puzzle, only much simpler.
The question was: There are three white hats and two black hats. A, B, and C each put on one hat and stand in a line. A can see B and C, while B can see C. A says he doesn’t know the color of his hat. B also says he doesn’t know. C then says he knows the color of his own hat. What color is C’s hat?
She pondered it for three minutes and easily solved it. The answer was white.
This isn’t that hard. With the blue-eyes-and-red-eyes puzzle, I just didn’t think of approaching it that way!
Miss Elisa felt that she had finally evolved from a curly-haired baboon into Homo sapiens.
Satisfied, she drifted off to sleep.
Wait, I can’t sleep!
Elisa sat up in bed and slapped her cheeks hard.
There was no telling what Ophelia might do next. Not only could she not sleep tonight, she would have to remain constantly on guard in the days ahead.
After all, Ophelia’s possible target, the two [Finger Bones], really were in my possession!
Still, Ophelia probably suspects I have one at most. The one I got from killing the [Spirit Baboon] shouldn’t have been exposed.
The long night stretched on. Elisa opened [Simon’s Log], hoping to spy on her male servant for a little entertainment.
[Simon lay on his bed, wondering what kind of dream he should have tonight. In the end, he chose Miss Ophina and Miss Ruth.]
What are you doing?! What kind of dream are you planning to have?!
And don’t go to sleep! What am I supposed to watch if you’re asleep?!
Elisa covered her face and sighed.
Now even my only source of entertainment is gone. What else am I supposed to do?
I should’ve asked my male servant for more puzzles earlier. No, these kinds of logic puzzles are quick to solve if you know how, and if you don’t, you still won’t figure them out no matter how long you think about them. They’re no good for killing time.¹
Elisa pulled open the curtains and stared at the city beneath the night sky for a long while, bored out of her mind.
I wonder if Eleanor is asleep yet? Is she free? Could she come over and play some games?²
She activated the [Blood] spell and searched for Eleanor’s location. Her bedroom… nothing. Huh? She really isn’t asleep?¹
Expanding the spell’s range, Elisa continued searching.
Washroom… nothing. Kitchen… nothing. Little garden… nothing. Hallway, attic, servants’ quarters… Found her!
So she went to my male servant’s bedroom. I thought you’d secretly gone out!
Half of Elisa’s tension vanished in one breath, only for her to suddenly realize something was wrong. She raised both hands and clutched her head.
Why did you go to my male servant’s bedroom?!
It’s the middle of the night, and you’re alone in there with a man! What are you planning to do?!
He likes women like Ophelia and Ruth! You don’t stand a chance!
Elisa immediately opened [Simon’s Log] to see what was happening.
[Simon heard a noise. It was the sound of the cup he had placed by the window falling to the floor. He instantly became alert, pretended to remain asleep, and secretly glanced toward the window.]
As expected of my male servant. He’s pretty vigilant, even setting up an alarm.
His response after discovering an intruder was also spot-on. Instead of immediately getting up, he quietly observed the situation and waited for a chance to act.
[Simon saw that the person who had climbed in through the window was a masked figure dressed in black. From the intruder’s movements, he realized that she was a woman. Then, from the silhouette of her clothing as she moved, he identified her as Miss Eleanor.]
“……?”
What kind of ridiculous deduction is that?!
The first part was normal, but what’s with identifying Eleanor from her figure?!
You can recognize a woman just from that? Exactly how closely have you been observing women?!
I’m calling the police!
Elisa sighed deeply and rubbed her head. Remembering what had happened before, she felt immensely relieved.
Thank goodness I used [Thousand Faces] to drastically alter my figure when I disguised myself as Teacher to meet my male servant. Thank goodness I deliberately waited until I obtained [Thousand Faces] before going to see him.
Otherwise, I definitely would’ve been exposed just like Eleanor!
I wonder what Eleanor wants, sneaking into my male servant’s room in the middle of the night.
Elisa continued reading.
[Simon watched as the masked Miss Eleanor hurriedly picked the cup back up, then crept over to his bedside.]
Simon hit send, giving Elisa a live text commentary while keeping an eye on the masked Eleanor.
He hadn’t expected Eleanor to sneak into his room in the middle of the night either.
Eleanor likewise hadn’t expected her very first attempt at breaking into someone else’s room to run into trouble so quickly.
Damn that male servant! Why would you put a cup of water on the windowsill?! Put it on the table!
She hurriedly set the cup upright, then tiptoed over to the bed. Looking at the sleeping male servant, she felt rather pleased with herself.
There was a tiny hiccup, but I did it! A flawless infiltration!
She reached out and nudged the male servant’s shoulder.
The male servant stirred, seemingly just waking from sleep. He opened his drowsy eyes and looked toward the bedside.
His eyes widened.
That’s right, exactly the reaction I wanted!
Eleanor lowered her voice and, using the voice-changing technique she had carefully practiced, whispered like a demon, “Do you wish to know the meaning of life? Do you wish to truly live?”
The male servant didn’t react. He merely looked at her in confusion. Had she scared him senseless? Or had her profound question left him speechless?
Eleanor decided to get straight to the point. “I can tell that you possess exceptional spirituality and have great potential for practicing spells. Would you be willing to become my disciple? I shall bestow upon you a [Spellcasting Apparatus] and help you set foot upon the path of the supernatural, allowing you to glimpse the true world!”
In her imagination, the male servant should have been overwhelmed with gratitude and immediately bowed to accept her as his teacher. In reality, however, he gave no response at all. He simply stared at her, his eyes filled with confusion.
Could she have guessed wrong? Did the male servant know nothing about the supernatural world?
She coughed and cleared her throat, then raised one hand. A small flame appeared in her palm.
“This is a spell. The embodiment of truth, the reality of the world itself!” she proclaimed passionately.
“May I ask you something?” the male servant interrupted.
Questions were a good sign. Eleanor nodded encouragingly, guessing that he wanted to ask why she had come or what the flame in her hand was.
The male servant asked neither of those things. Instead, he said, “Miss Eleanor, what are you doing?”
Huh?
Eleanor’s mind went completely blank.
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