"Excellent, let us continue," the mistress said. Yet Lady Evelyn's gaze drifted toward the clock hanging on the left side of the counter; it was already 12:30 p.m.
She remembered she had business to attend to, and without wasting another moment, she planned to not prolonged this conversation.
Ahem—
"Silvie, the infected waters of the Red Sea flow through the Dam of Astil just south of umbridge and into the Calasi River. The dam purifies the water before it merges with the river's fresh currents," Lady Evelyn explained slowly.
"The Helen Dam, situated at the far end of the Calasi River, regulates the volume of purified water released back into the Red Sea..."
The servant then realized that the Calasi River might very well be the only thing holding humanity together, serving as the source not only of drinkable water but also of marine life and the lifeblood of countless plants.
Yet, despite understanding the purpose of the dams, the notion of them cleansing ink-tainted waters seemed almost inconceivable to her.
"My Lady," the servant asked, "how are they even purifying water infected by ink?"
Perhaps, she thought, there was some vital piece of human ingenuity she had yet to know.
"Hmm, daishi, will you do the honors of explaining to her?" Lady Evelyn requested, and the store owner answered with an offhand nod.
Silvie immediately lowered her head in embarrassment. "Ah! My apologies for asking too many questions..." she murmured, her fingers nervously brushing the rim of her cup.
She couldn't help it; curiosity had always been her most troublesome trait.
Lady Evelyn only chuckled softly, "Don't fret, Silvie. We don't mind, don't be ashamed of it..." The mistress's gaze, however, looked at the untouched cheesecake before her; its surface was begging to be eaten...
"O–Oh! Please, my lady, enjoy your meal first! I didn't mean to interrupt your lunch..." the servant said quickly, realizing that her questions may have been preventing her mistress from enjoying her meal...
Lady Evelyn delicately lifted her fork, giving the servant an approving nod. "Very well, since you insist. But while I eat, Daishi shall do the talking."
The store owner didn't mind, setting his own meal aside, "As you wish, Lady Evelyn," he began, expanding on the current discussion at hand.
"Both the Astil and Helen Dams are operated by the Blue Stripe division of the GPA. They're responsible for monitoring contamination levels from both the Black and Red Seas."
The Blue Stripes also oversee the dams' broader functions, water storage, flood control, and, in emergencies, halting water release entirely if contamination poses a threat.
"They maintain the health of the Calasi River, ensuring the purification systems within the Astil Dam remain functional, while also safeguarding the Helen Dam's reservoirs of drinkable water from any form of contamination."
The shop owner paused, as if momentarily caught in a perplexing mystery. "But how they manage to purify ink-contaminated water into something drinkable, and on that scale..." He trailed off...
"Knowing that," he added after a beat, "is one of the primary goals of the Malefactors."
Silvie was intrigued to learn that one of the Malefactors' goals involved the dams. She wasn't quite sure whether to ask further about what their true purpose was after uncovering the dams' secrets; it felt like overstepping her boundaries. However, she had one question she found much safer to inquire about.
"Sir Daishi, Lady Evelyn, besides the Blue Stripes, what else is stopping the Malefactors from infiltrating the dams?" she asked. The servant assumed that the organization must have other Scripters besides Lady Evelyn, though she kept her expectations realistic and didn't expect a clear answer.
"There is one obstacle on our way..."
"The Black Stripes of the GPA, they're quite the obstacle, holding highest authority within the GPA order..."
"Every one of them is either a 6th-degree or a 5th-degree Scripter..." the store owner spewed words that the servant hadn't heard before.
But from its name, it was easy to tell that it was a measure of a Scripter's power. "Sir Daishi, those degrees... I'm assuming the higher the number, the deadlier they are?" Silvie asked.
"It's the opposite. The lower the number, the more threatening they are. There's no need for you to learn that metric this early..."
"But if you must know, a 5th-degree is more than capable of... destroying an entire city." The servant could not believe what she had just heard.
"Destroy an entire city?! That's absurd! If such people exist, how are the Black Sea Inklings still a threat?" she exclaimed, louder than she should have, realizing afterward that she needed to cover her mouth and apologize to the store owner.
He didn't mind it, rather, he understood why she reacted that way.
However, the mistress smiled and put down her fork. "...Unfortunately..."
"The Inklings themselves are categorized by the same metric. They're far deadlier than you could imagine. Some of these monsters require two to three 5th-degree Scripters to be put down..." At her words, the servant felt a throbbing headache.
"I cannot fathom it..." she murmured.
"You don't have to, not yet. At least, you have other things to do. Better save your thoughts for those..." the mistress advised, resuming her indulgence.
The servant nodded in understanding. However, a thought surfaced in her mind, one she knew that, if she asked, she wouldn't get an answer and would only be met with more scolding.
"Lady Evelyn... I wonder, what degree are you?"
Yet, Silvie felt an unexplained emotion welling up in her heart, anger and unrelenting sadness, neither of which was related to anything they had discussed.
The servant also longed to uncover the mystery of the dams and, perhaps one day, hoped that if she ever came face to face with the deadly threats lurking in this world... She wanted to ensure she had the means to defend herself, and right now, that seemed achievable by becoming a Scripter.
The servant failed to notice that her expression had darkened, which her mistress promptly observed.
"Anything troubling you?"
Silvie came to her senses and quickly composed herself. "It's nothing, Lady Evelyn. I've learned a great deal today, and if possible, I'd like to spend some time reading. I think studying would be helpful for me." She deliberately changed the topic, determined not to dwell on her earlier feelings.
"Since we are on the subject of learning, you may purchase the books yourself. Work here with Daishi and earn your wages while we remain in the empire," Lady Evelyn proposed, offering Silvie a job.
"A job..." Silvie repeated a word unfamiliar to her, she assumed it was seperate from selling candies...
"I'll do it, Lady Evelyn." She obeyed, seeing it as one of the ways to prove herself within this organization. After a while, the atmosphere in the dining area subsided into a more mundane one.
Once everyone had finished their meals, it was the perfect moment to move on.
Lady Evelyn rose from her chair. "Then, Everything is settled. I must be on my way, I've no desire to be caught under the night sky," she declared with sudden rush and urgency.
"I'll return around nightfall. Until then, behave yourself. Assist daishi with pastry shop duties; he'll make sure you're well compensated, and in the meantime, he'll be your guidance, and later on, he'll take you to see his lab."
The store owner didn't object, though he was silently enjoying his cake; they essentially granted the servant a quick job application and mentorship!
Silvie herself rose along with her mistress, though she obeyed everything she said; there's one thing she needed to ask before she went...
"Lady Evelyn, why did the royal guards and the Empress want to capture me?" Silvie asked, pressing the matter despite her hesitation. Her words made the mistress pause mid-step.
"Silvie... I don't know," Lady Evelyn admitted after a brief silence. "I'm still trying to piece that together myself."
Silvie inclined her head respectfully. "I understand, Lady Evelyn. I'll be cautious."
As Lady Evelyn gathered her belongings, she asked Sir Daishi for a peculiar item, a small crimson vial.
"That... it looks like an elixir..." Silvie murmured inwardly, That texture and its contents, it was beautiful, her heart was beating upon its sight, Still, she held her tongue; it wasn't her place to pry.
Sir Daishi passed the vial to her with a respectful nod. "Take care, Lady Evelyn."
The mistress moved toward the door but stopped abruptly, as though recalling something important. She turned back, a faint smile playing on her soft pink lips.
"Oh, and Silvie, before I forget..."
"Welcome to Malefactors..."
Lady Evelyn offered her warm regards, and Silvie responded with a polite smile. "Thank you, my lady," she said softly.
Yet beneath her composure, a conflict stirred within her brittle heart.
But in the life that awaited her, she knew it was only a matter of time before her hands no longer knew the shade of white...
Chapter End...