[ In the woman's slender hand, she gripped a strangely shaped short sword, from which fresh blood dripped continuously. ]
[ Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's eyes swept over her, analyzing every detail to gather more information. There was no doubt; he could feel a terrifying aura radiating from her. ]
"That... that's the client who commissioned me!"
Felt let out a cry of alarm. The woman in the sky was the very person who had asked her to steal Emilia's insignia. Felt had only met her once and knew neither her name nor her identity.
Retrospective fear gripped her heart. Her instincts were usually sharp, yet she hadn't sensed that the woman was such a monster. An ominous premonition began to take root in Felt's mind.
"That woman..." Reinhard van Astrea murmured.
"Based on that attire, there's no mistake. It's the notorious assassin—the Bowel Hunter!" a fellow knight nearby exclaimed.
Reinhard fell into deep thought, his hand resting on his chin. He couldn't wrap his head around why the Bowel Hunter would be here, or why she would target Emilia. He didn't dwell on it for long before turning to his colleagues.
"Whether the phantom in the sky is real or fake, Lady Emilia—one of the Royal Candidates—is likely in grave danger. I am going to find her immediately! Furthermore, the Bowel Hunter is extremely dangerous and may have already infiltrated the capital. Everyone else, begin a search at once!"
[ "Rom!" Seeing the man she regarded as a grandfather brutally murdered, Felt didn't even think of fleeing. Fighting back the tears threatening to spill, she drew the dagger hidden at her waist and lunged at Elsa. But how could Felt—a girl from the slums with no professional training—possibly be a match for an elite assassin like Elsa? In a single exchange, Elsa's blade slashed through her petite frame. Felt collapsed into a pool of blood, her red scarf looking as though it were melting into the gore. ]
[ Rom and Felt: Dead. ]
"No!"
Felt stared up at the sky, stunned. "She... she just killed us..."
The scene felt like a nightmare, surreal and suffocatingly vivid.