That’s why I came to the Ducal House of Jevillan.

I even tore through the library in the Ducal House of Sorpel just in case, but there was nothing to show for it.

Of course, there were places better stocked with books about the Eva Faith than the Ducal House of Jevillan.

The Marquessate of Duriel—another house that had tried just as hard as Jevillan to find the Guardian’s Sword.

But the problem was...

That’s the Consort Jabiela’s birth family.

The current Marquess of Duriel was Consort Jabiela’s biological father.

Going there would be... uncomfortable, to say the least, so I came here as the next-best option.

The Eva Faith.

Zeno said it was possible, but honestly, I wasn’t sure.

Wasn’t it a religion that had been wiped out completely a long time ago? That was what everyone believed.

“Big Sis!”

On the way to the library with Petro guiding her, Camilla stopped when she saw Elisha sprinting straight at her with everything she had.

“When did you get here?”

Elisha looped her arm through Camilla’s and rubbed her cheek against her in little passes, like a cat turning on the charm because it wanted something.

When did you switch from a baby fox to a cat?

“I was going to come greet you, too.”

“I just got here.”

Elisha stepped back, then spun in a full circle to show off what she was wearing.

“Big Sis! How does this look?”

A smile tugged at Camilla’s mouth without her meaning to. The shoulders and back were made of a thin, sheer fabric, and it looked wonderfully cool.

“It suits you.”

Camilla praised her without holding back.

And it wasn’t just °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° to be nice—Elisha was wearing clothes Juella had made with Camilla’s investment.

“After I saw you wearing it last time, I ran straight there to order one too. I thought I went pretty quickly, but there were already a ton of people ahead of me. It took forever to get it—does it really look good on me?”

“It’s pretty.”

“Right? The design is kind of unfamiliar, but it’s so pretty! And the whole thing is really light, so it feels amazing!”

Elisha kept picking out every good point, one after another, and Camilla’s smile deepened.

“It’s even prettier because you’re the one wearing it.”

“M-me? Really?”

At the offhand compliment, Elisha’s face went red as she squealed over and over. Praise didn’t cost anything.

“But who’s the designer? Everyone else is really curious too. You know, right? You said you’re an investor.”

“Who knows.”

She still hadn’t revealed Juella’s identity to anyone. Juella didn’t want her to.

She’d said her family would obviously oppose it if they found out she’d put her hands on something as lowly as work for commoners.

And she didn’t want to stir up pointless trouble yet—that was her wish. For now, she wanted to focus only on making clothes in peace.

Well. Nothing wrong with that.

If the designer wanted to focus on the clothes, who was she to get in the way?

Camilla gladly accepted that and kept Juella’s identity completely hidden.

Instead, she threw herself into promoting the clothes.

Recently, she’d shown up to every gathering wearing only Juella’s designs, and by now the orders had exploded.

And our designer, Miss Juella... well. She’d apparently thrown “dignity” and “decorum” out the window and was shrieking happily, yelling at people to look at this.

Of course.

I wore it.

Do they have any idea how many things I made sell out in my old world just by putting them on? I’m the one who even saved dying companies.

At first, everyone hesitated at a new style that had nothing to do with “modesty,” but it didn’t take long before their eyes started to sparkle.

Being interested in something new was instinct. And if that new thing was pretty, then what more was there to say?

“Big Sis, you said you’re going to read in the library, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then after you’re done, make sure you have tea with me.”

“Okay.”

Once Elisha realized Camilla was headed to the library, she gave up following her immediately.

Unless it was a book related to theater, she hated books and never touched them.

Watching Elisha, Camilla gave a small shake of her head.

At this rate, her year-end exam score is going to start with a seven again. At minimum, the first digit should be a one, not a seven.

And you two aren’t even close anymore, so why don’t you quit that stupid “Seven Club” while you’re at it.

But what could she do? If Elisha didn’t want to study, it wasn’t something she could force.

Maybe I should set a date and teach her acting again.

She seems to want that, in her own way.

And she does have some talent.

“This way.”

A moment later, guided by Petro, Camilla stepped into the library and let out a short breath under her breath.

“It’s big.”

She’d expected it, but staring into an interior that seemed to have no end made it immediately clear this wouldn’t be an easy search.

“What kind of book are you looking for?”

“Are you going to find them for me yourself?”

Wasn’t there a librarian here? Why did he have to do it?

When she sent him a puzzled look, he answered with that particular smile of his.

“I want to help you. Would that be all right?”

“...Sure.”

If he was going to help, she was grateful.

Camilla immediately listed the books she wanted. She already knew a few titles from Zeno.

“If you could bring me everything related to the Eva Faith, that would be great.”

A flicker of confusion entered Petro’s eyes.

“Why are you suddenly looking into the Eva Faith?”

“I’m just curious. They say the Guardian’s Sword shone like that a long time ago when it fought against the Eva Faith, too.”

“That is what I’ve heard.”

“So I was wondering if there might be another reason the sword reacted to me.”

Camilla gave him a vague excuse. If there was now a real chance the enemy was the Eva Faith, she had no choice but to be more careful in what she did.

“Please wait a moment.”

Without pressing further, Petro carefully searched out and brought books related to the Guardian’s Sword, Mars, and the Eva Faith.

“...That’s a lot.”

“I suppose it is. There were ancestors who took a particular interest in that area, so we have quite a bit of material.”

Staring at the books piled high across the table, Camilla felt her stomach turn. She didn’t hate reading, exactly, but a sigh still slipped out.

“Have you read all of these, Petro?”

Or at least... a summary?

“What should I do? It isn’t one of my interests.”

Well. It couldn’t be helped. Just thinking about having to read all of that from start to finish already made her eyes ache.

“If you need anything else, please tell me anytime.”

“Thank you. This is enough for now, so you can go handle your own business.”

“Understood.”

Camilla steadied herself and sat down. Since she’d started, it was better to read as fast as she could and get through it.

Huh?

But she soon had to lift her head again. Petro had sat down across from her.

I told you to go—why are you sitting there?

When Camilla asked with her eyes what he was doing, he smiled lightly.

“I don’t have anything in particular to do today. I thought I’d read here, slowly. Will I be in your way?”

“No, it’s fine.”

If the owner of the place wanted to do that, what could a guest say? Camilla stopped paying attention and picked up the nearest book.

Soon, she slipped into it with the same focus she used when reading scripts.

I’m pretty good at concentrating.

When I’m reading a script, I don’t even notice what’s happening around me.

After watching her quietly for a moment, Petro picked up a book as well and began to read.

But he spent more time looking at Camilla than at his book.

Before he knew it, his eyes as he watched her had softened.

Why hadn’t he realized before? That time like this with her could feel so comfortable—and so precious.

“When did you see Arsian?”

“Yesterday.”

“Y-yesterday? For what...?”

“Nothing.”

“...Nothing?”

“He comes by whenever he feels like it.”

The family who used to show obvious displeasure the moment Arsian’s name came up now acted like it was nothing.

If he didn’t come, they’d even ask if the two of them had fought.

“...?”

Still not looking up from her book, Camilla answered indifferently—and only then raised her head.

“Did you have something else you wanted to say?”

Camilla tilted her head when she met Petro’s eyes. He was staring at her so blankly. Why did he look like that?

“Ah—sorry. I interrupted you.”

Petro hurriedly smiled and gently shook his head. Camilla turned her attention back to the book.

“...”

Watching her, Petro’s expression drooped slightly.

Maybe...

Maybe it was already too late.

He kept refusing to face it, but he felt it every time he saw Arsian.

Watching that man who never cared about anyone’s mood—only when it came to Camilla.

Look at him again.

Unlike himself, who had never gone to see her even once—worried he might cause trouble for her when she was too busy to even attend the Academy—Arsian...

“Haa.”

A long sigh spilled from Petro. Seeing Camilla completely absorbed in reading, a bitter smile returned to his mouth.

“Hm.”

How much time passed like that?

The more books piled up beside her, the more serious Camilla’s expression became.

I think... this is probably right.

What Zeno had said hadn’t been baseless.

There were too many points of overlap between what the book described about followers of the Eva Faith and the enemies she had seen, heard about, and experienced so far.

More than anything, this.

She couldn’t take her eyes off a single line on the page.

All who follow the Eva Faith are those whose souls have been stolen.

Those whose souls have been stolen.

It could have meant their minds were corrupted after falling into heresy—but to Camilla, it read as the literal meaning.

And this is something I can’t just dismiss.

What the Eva Faith had advertised in their proselytizing was “eternal life.”

Reading how they lured people in with the sweet lie that believing in the Eva Faith meant you would never die, Camilla had no choice but to become certain.

It didn’t say exactly how they granted eternal life. Of course it didn’t. They couldn’t have told anyone.

Because they had to use people as sacrifices.

The fact that they used children—or the poor—as sacrifices only became known later.

After that, they drove out the Eva Faith with Mars at the center.

Sacrifices for taking a body.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped Camilla before she could stop it.

When Mars saved the world with the Guardian’s Sword, people had been sure the Eva Faith had vanished completely.

Vanished, my ass.