Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 4
Rosia hurled herself at the fleeing demon.
Leaping high to avoid the magic circle inscribed into the floor, Rosia swung the regalia.
Luperne also blocked the spirit’s retreat and swung his guardian sword.
Rosia and Luperne’s combined force caused the demon to make a strange sound, as if it was being squeezed.
Crunch.
The harsh scraping sound of steel scraping steel scraped Rosa’s eardrums.
Rosia stared mesmerized at the moment of annihilation and muttered.
“It’s over.”
Having achieved their objective perfectly, the tension subsided and a strange emptiness washed over Rosia.
Rosia looked around, alone in her perfect success.
An eerie silence filled the study where the demon had disappeared.
Rosia silently moved her hand and slipped the regalia around her neck.
“Another day, another success.”
Her voice sounded tired.
It was Rosia’s job to extinguish the soul-devouring, plague-bringing demons.
It was necessary, but nobody truly needed it.
Because there was no one to see them or feel their presence.
Rosia muttered in a playful voice, trying to shake off the loneliness that clung to her.
“Come to think of it, demons are so consistent. They stick to things like themselves.”
As she turned to leave, Rosia stopped and looked at the jewelry box.
Luperne, who had been halfway out of the study, was puzzled Rosia’s peculiar aura.
[Why?]
Tiny, shattered fragments of the pearl reflected like stars in Rosia’s dark eyes.
“That one, it annoyed me.”
The pearls that Count Fischer had spent five hours running to rescue had shattered and scattered on the floor.
The Countess Consort’s pitiful cries seemed to flow through the glittering pearl grains.
It was no easy feat.
“You said you’d break up with him if he didn’t give that to you?”
Muttering under their breath, Rosia reached out towards the pearls.
With a small gesture, the remnants of the pearl shot up into the air on the wind.
“Good, I guess you can leave him now.”
Staring at the pearl grains floating like stars in the darkness, Rosia clenched her hands firmly.
A sharp gust of wind ground the pearls into nothing more than dust in the air.
The pearl, which had once shone brilliantly, vanished without leaving a trace of light..
“Mister. Just be nice to your wife, don’t go running around looking for gifts for your mistress.”
Rosia chuckled and turned around.
[Rosia, watch out!]
The warning came a step too late.
“Oops.”
Rosia stiffened, gasping for breath.
On the wall opposite the portrait stood a beautiful sculpture.
Rosia, who had come face to face with the Diety of Earth and Fertility in the darkness, muttered a curse under their breath.
“We’re in trouble.”
The statue’s eyes turned blood red and it let out a loud screech.
The iron lattice, sensing the intruder, moved with a screeching sound.
There was no time to delay.
Rosia leapt lightly over the magic circle carved into the floor and ran for the window.
If she got caught between the window frame and the bars, she would be cut to pieces.
Still, she didn’t stop and dashed straight ahead.
“How do you plan to trap me if you’re this slow?”
Chuckling, Rosia cracked the window frame and bars, shattering the glass in one swift motion, and leapt from the second story.
As she descended gracefully, riding the wind, a bright light radiated around her.
“Ah.”
When she infiltrated Count Fischer’s estate, it was unmistakably shrouded in darkness.
However, it was now brimming with light, obscuring Rosia’s vision.
Rosia raised her hand to her forehead, shading her eyes from the glare.
There was a pause, and then she heard men shouting.
“You are completely surrounded, Trinity the Rogue!”
Rosia curled her lips with disdain upon hearing the name they used for her.
At some point, people began to refer to Rosia, who moved through the night, as the Rogue Trinity.
After breaking or stealing items, the Rogue Trinity would leisurely disappear into the night after leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
That was exactly how ordinary people who couldn’t see spirits looked at Rosia.
“How dare you intrude on Count Fischer’s estate?”
Before she knew it, dozens of soldiers had gathered and surrounded the intruder.
No matter where she looked, there seemed to be no escape route for the Rogue Trinity.
The captain of Count Fischer’s house guard shouted confidently, certain of Trinity’s capture.
“Get her!”
At the captain’s command, the men all lunged for Trinity.
“Capture her.”
Rosia’s head tilted slightly in response to their fierce determination.
The corners of Rosia’s mouth curled upward in amusement, even as the circle of soldiers tightened around her.
“You think you can capture me?”
She glanced around lazily, then bent low, feeling the scent of the breeze brushing against their skin.
Dark sparks blossomed at the tips of her gloved hands.
The air swirled towards her, as if drawn by the magic in her hands.
“Try to catch me. If you can.”
Rosia’s smile grew even wider, and she rushed toward the guard captain.
“……What?”
The captain, who had been shouting confidently, froze in his tracks at the unexpected turn of events.
Seizing the moment, Rosia leapt high riding the wind and landed on the captain’s shoulder.
“Argh!”
In an instant, she escaped the encirclement of the soldiers like a feather carried by the wind, effortlessly jumping over the wall.
Searchlights were cast here and there trying to find the thief, but Trinity had already hidden herself in the shadows.
Left with the light, the disappointed soldiers only stared into the darkness as she disappeared.
