"Captain… sister?"
Lumine stared at the note in her hand, blinking in disbelief.
Jean… has a sister?
How had she never heard of this?
Her brain immediately began rapid-fire guessing.
Lisa?
…No, Lisa definitely isn't younger.
Amber?
Noelle?
…Wait.
Don't tell her—
Could it be Klee?!
The possibilities spiraled wildly in her head.
"Hey Lumine! What's written on it? Show me!"
Paimon floated close, eager to read the note for herself.
Lumine held it out.
Paimon cleared her throat and read:
"Captain sister, I've taken her with me~"
"Wha—!? So Captain Jean does have a little sister?!"
Paimon nearly flipped over mid-air from shock.
Just then—
Creak—
The door opened, and Lisa stepped inside, glasses glinting.
"My, my… what are my two little cuties doing here? So loud—some people are trying to read, you know~"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes landed on the empty office…
and on Jean's sword lying on the floor by the desk.
"Hmm?
Where's Jean? And… Why is her weapon on the ground?"
Lisa's expression tightened subtly.
Jean wasn't the type to misplace her Catalyst or leave without a word.
"Ah, Lisa! We're reading a note from Jean's sister!" Paimon chirped.
"Barbara left a note…?"
Lisa frowned, confused.
Barbara never used cryptic notes—certainly not inside the Knights Headquarters—
and she rarely even called Jean "sister," let alone "captain sister."
"Let me see."
Lisa took the paper delicately between two fingers.
"Captain sister, I've taken her with me~"
Lisa's brow furrowed.
Barbara would never word something like this.
So…
Who wrote it?
And who—exactly—is calling Jean "Captain sister"?
"Lisa, who is Jean's sister?" Paimon pressed. "Lumine and I don't know at all! Maybe we've met her before? Oooh, now I'm curious!"
Lisa did not answer.
Her voice dropped instead:
"…Before we discuss that—do either of you know where Jean went?"
"We don't." Lumine shook her head. "When we arrived, she was already gone. Only this note was on the table. And her weapon… was on the floor."
Lisa inhaled sharply.
A captain who never lets her guard down… gone without a trace.
No witnesses.
No sound.
No signs of struggle.
Something was very wrong.
"Lisa… is there something dangerous about that note?" Lumine asked quietly.
"…It's suspicious. Very."
Lisa folded it carefully.
"But for now—we avoid causing panic."
Her voice turned firm.
"You two—go to the Cathedral and speak with Barbara. Don't mention Jean's disappearance. Just say you're looking for her."
Paimon's wings faltered.
"That serious…?"
"Leave it to us," Lumine said, already turning.
As they hurried out, Lisa swept through the headquarters, questioning every guard and knight.
Minutes later she returned, face grave.
No one saw Jean leave.
I only saw her enter.
Meaning—
She vanished inside the headquarters.
Without using the doors.
Without using the windows.
Without being sensed by a single knight.
Lisa tightened her grip on the note.
"What… happened to you, Jean?"
Windrise
"Barbara said Jean comes here often, right?" Paimon asked.
Lumine nodded.
"Let's hope she's here."
They reached the towering oak of Windrise—its leaves glowing in the breeze.
But the clearing was empty.
Just as Lumine was about to suggest searching further—
"Looks like you two are keeping busy again."
A warm, elegant voice drifted toward them.
Lumine turned.
"Rita…?"
The maid-warrior approached with her usual graceful stride, sunlight catching the bow of her dress.
Lumine blinked.
Why did Rita always appear exactly when things got complicated?
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