It was already noon the next day. Today, the other two members of the Snow Wolf Squad had also returned safely to the City of Sighs.
Siegfried was, as usual, the only one injured on this mission. Nicholas had been laughing at him all the way from the city gates to their home. Salome couldn't stop her, and because Nicholas had been laughing the whole way, the corners of her own mouth were starting to turn up.
"Hahahaha! To think that on a simple transition mission, our great hero, Lord Siegfried Kaslana, would get so seriously injured!" Nicholas had repeated this sentence for the umpteenth time, and Siegfried was already getting desensitized to it.
With a long face, he walked ahead of the two, his eyes lifeless, the sound of Shigure Kira kicking him while he was down and Nicholas's unrestrained laughter ringing in his ears.
What could he do? He had to take it. Could he really make them shut up?
In the past, he was always the one laughing at others. This time, it was his turn. He would just have to be a coward and, at most, offer a couple of pathetic, self-serving justifications.
"Protecting someone... can that be called being a scrub?!"
"But you're usually the one charging at the front, and you never get hurt. What happened this time..." Salome's hesitant tone made it hard for Siegfried to tell whose side she was on.
He felt like he was being isolated.
Cecilia's state, however, was completely different from the dejected Siegfried. One was glowing with health and energy, while the other looked completely drained. The stark contrast made Nicholas shift her attention for the first time.
Cecilia seemed to be radiating a sunny aura that was incredibly invigorating. Nicholas's nose twitched, and she walked over to Cecilia's side.
"Cecilia, you seem really happy!" Nicholas casually slung an arm over Cecilia's shoulder, grinning with her shark-like teeth as she leaned in. "Got anything happy to share?"
"Something happy?" Cecilia asked with a smile, and the sunny scent emanating from her grew even stronger. Nicholas was stunned for a moment, confirming that there were no sunflowers blooming on Cecilia.
"Sigh..." Shigure Kira could tell what state Cecilia was in with just one look. After a speechless glance at her, Shigure Kira began to explain to the two who were still completely lost.
"The child that Siegfried brought back, even though he was injured, can activate the [Judgment] mode of the Star of Judgment. It's very likely that she's from the Kaslana family, so for now, she's staying with us."
Shigure Kira pouted. "Cecilia even said she wants to adopt that child as her second daughter... as long as she gets Kiana's permission..."
"Oh," Nicholas responded instinctively. Salome also nodded subconsciously, expressing her agreement.
This was a habit the two had developed over many years. Cecilia was rarely wrong, so when something involved her, they would both subconsciously nod in agreement.
It was usually only in the next moment, after nodding, that the two of them would realize what Cecilia had actually done or said.
So, after a brief half-second, the two of them instantly froze.
"That girl also said her name is Kiana Kaslana."
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Their surprised expressions were identical. They both whipped their heads around to look at Cecilia, whose face was beaming with a sunny smile, their pupils quaking as they sought an answer from the source.
Cecilia nodded lightly. "She's a very cute girl~"
Oh god! Her voice is trembling! The last time this happened was when Kiana called her 'Mom' for the first time!
Nicholas fell silent. Salome wanted to say something, but after opening her mouth several times, she couldn't think of anything meaningful to say and could only manage a dry, "As long as you're happy..."
But this sentence still flipped some strange switch in Cecilia. Her eyes, which had been happily squinted, suddenly flew open, and she turned her head to meet the eyes of Nicholas, whose hand was still on her shoulder.
Oh no!
Nicholas instantly sensed Cecilia's intention. Her completely undisguised expression practically had her thoughts written all over her face!
She was about to show off this new child to them, just like she did with Kiana!
"Nicholas, let me tell you..." As expected, Cecilia began to speak, and in an instant, the chatterbox of the squad switched from Nicholas to Cecilia.
The look of utter despair also shifted from Siegfried's face to those of Nicholas and Salome.
Cecilia recounted everything that had happened yesterday in meticulous detail, her vivid descriptions making it easy for them to imagine the scenes.
But it was too detailed. She could even clearly describe which eyelash of the 'Kiana' she was talking about was trembling at the time.
If it were anyone else, Nicholas and Salome would have thought they were exaggerating. But this was Cecilia. She probably wasn't exaggerating; she really did remember everything so clearly.
"Kira... how are you not reacting at all?" Nicholas had already removed her hand and moved closer to Shigure Kira, her face a little pale as she asked.
Logically, it had only been a day. How was Shigure Kira already desensitized?
"Uh... maybe because what Cecilia said is actually true?" Shigure Kira thought for a moment and gave that answer.
Nicholas's eyes widened in an instant, and she looked Shigure Kira up and down several times in amazement.
"That's not right... Kira, you actually accept a newcomer appearing by Cecilia's side so easily..."
"Wait... is that really the image you have of me?" Shigure Kira's face finally joined theirs in a long expression.
Was she being painted as some kind of perverted, twisted, and crazy sasaeng fan who wanted to imprison Cecilia? She admitted that she was a little competitive with Siegfried, but she wouldn't go so far as to put on a mask and stab Cecilia to death in front of a child, right?
Siegfried wasn't that bad...
Nicholas chuckled softly. Her goal had been achieved. If everyone was suffering, how could Shigure Kira be the only one to get off scot-free?
The bond of the Snow Wolf Squad was sharing hardships together! Misery loves company!
"Alright, we're here," Salome's voice came at just the right moment, in a pause in everyone's conversation. The chatter stopped smoothly, and they all looked towards their destination.
It was a corner on the edge of the amusement park. In the shadows, lay a pile of mangled flesh and a set of gleaming white bones.