In a way, Cipher's single sentence proved more effective than Aria's lengthy persuasion. Cassie's eyes widened. "This... is it really possible?"
To say she didn't want revenge would be a lie. This was the enemy who had murdered her parents! Even now, Cassie remembered every detail of that night with agonizing clarity.
After a brief pause, Aria added, "Of course it's possible! We'll help you get your revenge! That kind of scum deserves to die!"
Cassie frowned, painfully dredging up her memories. "I remember... the killer was a muscular man. He had an X-shaped scar on his left wrist..."
Her voice trailed off, clearly having exhausted her memory.
The clues were meager, making the task of finding the culprit seem nearly impossible. Yet Cipher readily agreed, "Understood. We'll do our best to find him for you!"
This was a lie. Her swift agreement stemmed from her complete lack of intention to search at all.
A robust man with a scar on his wrist—trying to find him based on that information felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. They couldn't possibly start with this village and round up every man in the surrounding towns and cities, checking their wrists one by one, could they?
Besides, the murder had happened a year ago. By now, the killer could be anywhere. Frankly, their only goal was to convince Cassie to give up on suicide.
Hold onto hope and keep living.
Following Cipher's lead, Aria nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain. "Yeah, yeah! Trust us—we'll definitely help you get revenge!"
Hearing this, Cassie burst into tears, no longer the quiet, stifled sobs from before, but a full-blown wail. Aria immediately stepped forward to hug her, gently patting her back.
It was over twenty minutes before they finally managed to calm Cassie down and return to their bedroom. Unlike the confident facade she had maintained in front of Cassie, Aria's mood turned somber as she sat on the bed. After a long silence, she suddenly asked, "Sister Cipher, do you think... was stopping her from killing herself really the right thing to do?"
Cipher looked surprised. "Why do you say that?"
Aria replied, "Because... she looks like she's in so much pain. Isn't every day she continues to live just a form of torture for her?"
The main reason, though, was that Aria had a wonderful relationship with her own parents. Putting herself in Cassie's shoes, she imagined being an ordinary person forced to witness her parents' murder, her once-perfect family instantly reduced to just her. She wasn't sure if she would have the courage to keep living.
Was it truly a good thing to forcibly save someone who desperately wanted to die, compelling them to stay alive?
After a moment of contemplation, Cipher said, "Actually, there's no right or wrong answer here. Dying might end her pain immediately, but as you said, death means oblivion. Continuing to live might be agonizing, but who's to say she won't meet kind people or experience good things in the future? Her life might still become happy."
"So, just follow your heart."
"Is that so..." Aria murmured softly, lowering her head.
"Alright, you keep sleeping. I'm going for a walk," Cipher said, glancing out the window. The sun was just peeking over the mountains, and it was already her usual wake-up time.
Though she could probably squeeze in another hour of sleep, she decided against it. Instead, she'd go for her usual morning run to stretch her legs and get some exercise.
Cipher went to the washroom and splashed cold water on her face. As the cool water trickled down her cheeks and through her fingers, her drowsiness vanished completely. So I pulled an all-nighter? she thought. If I still had my old body, I'd be exhausted right now. But as it is, I'm brimming with energy.
Without bothering to put on a hood, Cipher brushed her hair with Aria's comb as she opened the door to Cassie's house. The moment she stepped outside, she saw someone bent over, placing something by the entrance.
The man seemed startled by the sudden opening of the door and froze for a moment.
"You are..." Cipher paused, trying to recall his face. Then it clicked. "You're one of Employer Pieck's guards—the carriage driver." "What are you doing here?"
The guard recovered quickly, recognizing Cipher as one of the hired adventurers. "You... you stayed at Cassie's last night?"
After a moment of hesitation, the guard sighed. "Ah... I suppose you could say I'm a distant relative of Cassie's. It's a shame our families haven't stayed in close contact. I've always been too busy with work to care for her properly, so I could only send her a little money occasionally. Since I happened to be passing through, I decided to visit in person."
So Cassie actually has relatives? Cipher thought to herself. Well, that sounds a bit harsh. She kept the thought to herself.
Without bending down, her tail curled around the small pouch the guard had just placed on the ground. A gentle wag of her tail produced a soft clinking of coins inside. "Aren't you worried someone might steal it if you leave it by the door? Should I take it inside for you?"
"It's not much—just a few Silver Lions," the guard replied. "Everyone in the village looks out for Cassie. I doubt anyone would steal it."
Still, Cipher returned to the house and placed the pouch on the living room table.
Afterward, she and the guard walked back to the carriage. They remained silent during the walk, as they were strangers with nothing to say to each other.
Cipher quickly found Douglas, who was on night watch. She briefly explained Cassie's condition and asked, "The Divine Magic you used on me earlier—could it help Cassie with her symptoms?"
"Ah, this..." Douglas scratched his head. "Little Cipher, you're putting me in a tough spot. 'Tranquil Mind' can indeed alleviate fear, but its effects only last thirty minutes. We typically use it on fresh recruits charging into battle. You can't expect me to stand guard over Cassie and constantly cast the spell while she's sleeping, can you?"
"Besides, I can only use this Divine Magic four times a day..."
"I see..." Cipher sighed softly. If that was the case, there was nothing more she could do.
After bidding Douglas farewell, Cipher went through her usual routine of stretching and familiarizing herself with her body. While wandering near the village, she casually caught a rabbit, adding a bit of variety to their breakfast.
However, without any seasoning, the wild game proved rather bland.
Around eight or nine in the morning, once everyone was ready, the caravan resumed its journey. The incident at the village had merely been a minor detour.