In the aftermath of the Castle Guard's annihilation, the core members of the cohort gathered in a small room that was situated not far away from the great hall. From there, they could hear the bodies of the slain Guards being stripped of anything valuable and then dragged away to be disposed of... lest they attract the hordes of hungry Nightmare Creatures.
Just like that, the former most powerful faction of the Bright Castle was no more.
Judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, no one had been aware of the secret alliance between Nephis and the Handmaidens. Perhaps with the exception of Cassie.
But none of them dared to ask Changing Star about it.
Well, Sunny had no such problem.
Staring at their intrepid leader with a dubious expression, he said:
"So when did you start working with Seishan?"
Nephis glanced at him, then shrugged indifferently.
"Soon after you left."
A slight spark appeared in her eyes.
"Why? Are you surprised?"
Sunny remained silent for a bit, then shook his head.
"No, not really. I figured out that your spy was one of the lieutenants a long time ago. I just didn't know which one. But I thought that either your cooperation ended with Gunlaug's death, or that they double-crossed you as soon as you got rid of him for them."
Changing Star smiled darkly.
"...She wouldn't."
Sunny frowned slightly, then asked, his voice full of cold, calculating curiosity:
"So why didn't she join your faction when all of this had started? Why go to such lengths to create this charade?"
But then, he raised his hand to stop her from answering and grimaced.
"Actually, don't say anything. I can guess. If the Handmaidens joined us directly, the power of the faction would have been too immense. And that would pressure the other three lieutenants into joining forces against it instead of fighting among each other. Then, we would have really had to end things with an all-out battle, the last man standing wins. Right?"
Nephis glanced at him and nodded.
"Correct."
'Not only did the two of them prevent Tessai and Gemma from considering an alliance, but they also eviscerated the Castle Guard without losing a single follower. How… diabolical.'
Even a treacherous cheat like Sunny couldn't help but be impressed.
However, there was one problem. His frown returned, now even deeper than before.
"If memory serves, the last time we talked about your spy you said that she can never be trusted. You only trusted the information she provided. Why the change of heart? How come you were so confident that she would uphold her end of the deal?"
A pleasant, velvety voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Maybe I can explain myself."
'What the hell?!'
With a startled expression, Sunny turned around and saw the beautiful woman standing right in front of him. Up close, she was even more striking, with her strange grey skin seemingly shining softly in the sunlight.
'How did she get so close without alerting neither me nor my shadow?'
He didn't like the fact that Seishan had been able to sneak up on him one bit. Things like that were not supposed to happen...
The gorgeous woman, meanwhile, gave them a reserved bow and said:
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Song Sei Shan…"
Suddenly, Caster's eyes narrowed. A strange expression appeared on his face.
Sunny did not miss that sudden change.
'Well, the fact that our proud scion is reacting this way can mean only one thing. It's some Legacy crap.'
Sunny stared at Seishan, seeing her in a new light. He studied every detail of her appearance, from the modest cut of her velvet dress to the glinting silver of her intricate necklace.
She didn't look like a Legacy. At least not the ones he had seen.
However, one little detail of her appearance did give him pause...
Noticing his gaze, Seishan offered a polite smile.
"Ah. No, I am not a true descendant of the great clan Song. However, I have been raised and cared for by the Clan Leader herself, like many other girls orphaned by the Nightmare Spell. As such, it is my duty and ardent wish to return to the real world and repay my debt."
She lingered for a few seconds, then lowered her eyes.
"That is why, while you have no reason to trust in my character, you can at least trust in the fact that my wishes align with yours. I followed Gunlaug because only he was able to give people a chance to survive the Forgotten Shore. And I will follow Lady Changing Star, because only she can give us a chance to escape it. This is my belief, and this is what I will do.
She is Broken Sword's daughter, after all."
Without having to discuss anything, everyone stared at Kai, who coughed and said in an embarrassed tone:
"Uh… yeah. All of this is true. She is very sincere."
Effie raised an eyebrow, then turned to Seishan and shrugged:
"Well… welcome to the team, then? I guess."
One after another, the other members of the cohort repeated her greeting. Sunny was the last to speak.
When it was his turn to greet the beautiful Handmaiden, however, he remained quiet. Soon, an awkward silence hung in the room.
Sunny glanced at the rest of the people gathered there.
Nephis, Cassie, Effie, Caster, Kai, Seishan… and him.
Seven people in total...
A few moments later, he turned to Seishan and stared at her for a bit, then finally said, his voice strangely suppressed:
"Welcome."
She looked at him with a reserved smile.
However, Sunny wasn't done talking. Quickly glancing somewhere left of Seishan's face, he hesitated for a little, and then added:
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. I found something of yours. I think you dropped it."
With that, he raised a hand. On his open palm, an intricate silver earring lay, one side of it covered with blood.
Seishan looked at it for a few moments. Then, her lips suddenly parted, her smile turning wide and brilliant.
Glancing at him with sparkling eyes, she said:
"Thank you very much... Sunny, right? I thought I lost it."
Her teeth were perfectly even, pearly, and spotlessly white.