The moment Cinderella spoke the words "destined opponent," Bell's expression crumpled miserably. Of all things, suddenly making such a confession-like confession here?
'But it's not incomprehensible. Cinderella is quite unique after all.'
Cinderella is a beauty with ash-gray hair reminiscent of a princess from a fairy tale. She looks as delicate as a beautifully crafted piece of glass. She looks like she would break with just a touch, making one want to gently embrace her.
But her essence was not like that. Unlike her fragile appearance, she resembled a ferocious beast more than anyone else.
'That's probably because of her life outside Tirna.'
Cinderella was one of the witches who had fled to Tirna from the outside, as most witches do. The witches from outside, to be honest, had mostly experienced unpleasant things.
Witches are sufficiently recognized in Tirna, but the outside world still fears witches. Especially the Petra Papal Court still designates witches as heretics and continues their hunt.
Cinderella was no different.
She was born into a harmonious family. And like other witches, she was born with witchcraft. Cinderella's parents were good people. Even knowing their daughter was a witch, they hid that fact and raised her with utmost care.
Having lost his beloved wife, Cinderella's father fell into deep sorrow, and a woman approached him in that state.
She was a widow with two daughters, who would later become Cinderella's stepmother.
'That's where things went wrong.'
The stepmother hated Cinderella, but still treated her kindly on the surface. She had to be mindful of her husband's feelings. But after Cinderella's father fell ill and bedridden, there was nothing to worry about.
The stepmother engaged in all sorts of cruel acts, and the stepsisters also openly bullied Cinderella. Cinderella had no choice but to endure it. For the sake of her bedridden father, she hid her power and suppressed her negative emotions tightly.
Then one day came. She heard the news that her bedridden father had passed away.
Hearing that news didn't make her lose her mind or anything. Rather, since she had been inwardly preparing for something that would come someday, she was able to accept it more calmly than expected.
But after her father's death, the bullying from her stepmother and two stepsisters became even worse. Then one day, when her mother and stepsisters had gone to a party and Cinderella was left alone doing housework.
Someone came to find her.
-I sensed a familiar aura somewhere and came to see, but I never expected to meet a fellow here.
She was a middle-aged woman in her 50s with a gentle impression. Wearing a loose dress and carrying a basket in one hand, she happened to be passing by the area.
The moment Cinderella faced her, she could instinctively feel that this woman was also the same kind as herself - a witch.
-May I ask why you're hiding your power?
Perhaps because she had met someone who could understand her for the first time Cinderella poured out everything she had experienced in the past.
-Oh my. What a pitiful story.
At those words, she brought one hand to her cheek and smiled with a troubled expression as if in difficulty.
-Listen, child. Our meeting seems like a coincidence, but I think this might be fate. Someone sent me to help you, who has lived so faithfully.
-Who?
-Perhaps a fairy moved by the efforts of a beautiful young lady?
She immediately got to the point.
-What do you want to do?
-I...
-Don't hesitate, show me your true feelings.
-I want to change. I don't want to live suppressed like this anymore. I want to grasp my life with my own hands.
-What if I could help you with that? No, more precisely, what if I could teach you?
-Then I would do my best to learn!
-That process will be truly difficult. Even so, could you do it without giving up?
-Absolutely!
Perhaps because she saw determination dwelling in Cinderella's eyes. The middle-aged woman chuckled and nodded.
-I understand.
She put down the basket she was holding in her hand.
Thud!
-...Thud?
It was an unbelievable sound for putting down a basket meant for a picnic. It wasn't a mistake - the basket was digging deep into the ground.
-Hmm. It's been a while since I stretched my body like this.
-Crack. Crackle.
She rotated and loosened the arm that had put down the basket. Only then could Cinderella see the impressive biceps hidden beneath the clothes of the middle-aged woman who had just looked like a regular person.
-You're confident you won't give up?
Her smiling eyes looking this way were gleaming greedily, like those of a veteran who had discovered an excellent newbie. Having come this far, she couldn't back down. Cinderella had no choice but to answer yes.
So Cinderella received hellish training from her while avoiding the eyes of her stepsisters and stepmother. She worked hard, thinking of the stepsisters' bullying and the hard housework her stepmother made her do as part of her training.
When 1 year, 2 years passed and it became 3 years Cinderella had finally absorbed all the teachings.
The preparation was complete.
That day, at a ball hosted by high nobles, an incident occurred where a woman in a glass dress suddenly appeared and attacked 3 participants. The victims were family members, all women. They saved their lives but suffered critical injuries with broken ankles and torn ligaments.
The perpetrator was a witch, and the Paladins of the Petra Papal Court came forward to subdue her.
But after a fierce chase, the witch was not caught, and instead, an unprecedented situation occurred where many Paladins suffered serious injuries. The Paladins injuries were identical. Muscle and ligament tears, fractures, bruises.
Thus Cinderella moved leisurely and arrived at Tirna.
'Cinderella grew up in a harsh environment. That's why she has sharper intuition and quicker instincts than anyone else.'
Because Bell knew what Cinderella had experienced, she could vaguely infer her way of thinking.
Through various incidents, Cinderella came to worship strength. For her, struggle was life itself, and the means to prove herself.
So even after Cinderella came to Tirna and became affiliated with the Witch Tea Party, she devoted herself to self-training. She rarely stepped forward, unless there was a battle that drew her heart.
Cinderella doesn't want a prince. The person she desires is only one.
A strong opponent who makes her skin tremble!
She had discovered that opponent now, in a completely unintended place.
'This won't do. Her eyes are completely turned now.'
Bell assessed Cinderella's condition. She thought that at this rate, Cinderella might go berserk. This was also why the tea party had sent the two of them together like this.
"Cinderella."
"Bell. Will you step aside? I'm completely serious right now."
"You don't look serious at all. I know you're extremely excited. Let's cool down your emotions first."
Bell said this and puffed green powder at Cinderella's face. Cinderella was startled and pulled her head back.
"Bell! You...!"
She realized what Bell was trying to do and tried to get angry, but it was already too late. Cinderella's body, whose eyes had gone slack, tilted to the side.
Bell created green smoke to catch Cinderella. Cinderella was embraced by the green smoke like a cradle and fell into a deep sleep.
"Wh-what in the world is this...?"
Plimene, who still didn't understand the situation, was flustered.
"I apologize. Given the circumstances, please forgive the earlier rudeness. I am Bell, a witch affiliated with the Witch Tea Party."
"...I'm Plimene, a civil servant of Tirna."
"Plimene? You were the person in charge of the Trinity Building matter."
Then Maia hurriedly approached.
"Bell! What are you doing right now!"
"Maia. I'm glad you're safe. I'm also in a somewhat troublesome situation."
Bell's gaze turned toward Basilio. She and Cinderella hadn't acted sensitively for nothing. They had moved immediately because they felt the aura emanating from Basilio was too eerie and dangerous.
"That masked man, what exactly is his identity?"
"What? What do you mean...?"
Maia was noticeably flustered. Plimene also tensed up and clenched her fists. If Basilio's identity were to be exposed here then the problem would become serious.
"What exactly is he that such a dangerous aura is emanating from that man?"
"Listen here, that's a bit harsh to say."
It was Osian who came forward to argue against Bell's words. Bell glared at Osian. A knight in white armor.
'The person Cinderella acknowledged.'
Cinderella shows competitive spirit toward mediocre strong opponents. It was the first time she had seen her say her heart was trembling or that she had found her destined opponent.
Anyway, she could tell that knight was also a person to watch out for.
"A dangerous aura? We fought hard to save the city from terrible monsters. Is it okay to speak so carelessly to such heroes?"
"Ha! You're trying to cover the sky with your palm. You seem to be comrades with that masked man, so first, about the sinister aura flowing from that man..."
Bell pointed at Basilio while glaring at Osian with an even sharper gaze. She who was about to refute Osian's words stopped without realizing it.
"Aura...first."
Something was strange. The eerie aura she had felt just moments ago had disappeared as if it were an illusion. As if it had never existed from the beginning.
"What aura are you talking about?"
Osian rather confidently argued back at Bell.
"It seems you've misunderstood something, but it seems you felt that way because the aura of those heretics still remains."
"No, that's..."
"If not, check once more."
When Osian came forward so confidently, Bell became bewildered.
'What is this? Did I really feel it wrong? But it wasn't just me.'
Of course, she hadn't moved after properly grasping the situation. She couldn't deny that she had been urgent thinking there were hostages. Still, she was sure there had been a red aura around Basilio.
'Now, it's strangely normal?'
It was like she had dreamed it. Could he have hidden his aura? No, such an ominous thing couldn't be easily concealed.
'Moreover, even people from the Petra Papal Court are defending him.'
If he were really a heretic, people from the Papal Court wouldn't step forward. The same went for the knight before her. He was also using a peculiar power, but it didn't feel bad.
With such a person even pressing her, Bell couldn't help but suspect that she might be wrong.
"Even though we move as commissioned fixers, I don't like such treatment toward people who fought for the city."
"N-no, that's..."
Bell thought she had made a big mistake. Come to think of it, weren't there several other sensitive people in this place besides herself?
Maia had also tried to stop her saying it was a misunderstanding, and Plimene was even a high-ranking civil servant of Tirna. She had shown an attitude that shouldn't be shown to people who had come to the front lines to root out heretics more than anyone else.
"I seem to have made a big mistake. I'm truly sorry."
Osian quietly stared at Bell who was bowing her head. Next to Osian, Basilio secretly felt relieved.
'Phew. I almost got caught.'
Basilio felt grateful to Osian who had injected starlight into his mask in that short time. If he had been just a little late, he would have almost been caught by the Witch Tea Party.
'Of course, there are still unstable factors remaining.'
Among those who know this fact is Maia. But Maia was keeping her mouth shut in this current situation. From the point of sending the Blood Brotherhood and even the slithering sisters, she had also decided to turn a blind eye.
Though the first meeting wasn't a good impression, mutual understanding bloomed in the fierce battle.
'Even so, I never expected my power to overflow to the point where I couldn't perceive it myself.'
Because the situation was what it was, he was late in recognizing it. Basilio contemplated his physical condition and immediately realized it was very different from before.
'This is probably due to the influence of contact with Red Eternity.'
Red Eternity had approached him to use him as a vessel and dragged him into the mental world. Thanks to the Starlight Osian had left behind, he was able to escape, but the aftereffects remained in his body.
Though it was a short time, he had directly contacted Red Eternity. Even if it was a clone, considering the enormous power possessed by the entity called Red Eternity, it was natural for this to happen.
'At this rate, if I try to use even a little power, the suppressing aura will go berserk.'
He hadn't tried to take off his mask before, but now taking off the mask would really cause big trouble. And above all, he had to receive help from Osian periodically. He needed the Starlight he possessed to suppress Red Eternity's aura.
'At least until I can completely control this power... I'll have to be indebted to him.'
Who would have thought such a lucky junior would roll in during his later years.
'Ronan's eye for people is really reliable!'
While Basilio was thinking this inwardly, Bell was having a conversation with Osian.
"By any chance, as fixers, do you work through a separate intermediary?"
"We have our own affiliated office."
"Ah. I see. Then could I know where the office is? I'd like to apologize for my rudeness."
Anyway, even if he hid it here, it was information that those who should know all knew. If he did that, it would only arouse suspicion, so he decided to tell her refreshingly.
"Violet Fox."