"We meet again. What a coincidence."
Noah quickly approached the bench and greeted Phrolova's clone.
Phrolova's eyes trembled slightly as she shifted toward the edge of the bench, making some space:
"Please sit."
"Sure, but I actually have something urgent. I'll chat with you for a bit and then go."
Noah sat down next to Phrolova's clone and casually started the conversation:
"How have you been lately? Last time we parted in a hurry; I didn't even know your name."
"Me... same as before, just getting by ordinarily."
Phrolova lowered her head, her mind in turmoil.
She had seen the script that Cristoforo had painstakingly crafted. Even she had to admit that it could very well trap Noah forever inside it.
Although Noah was an enemy of the Fractsidus, someone who wouldn't tolerate even a grain of sand in his eye—and they had even fought to the death in the [Statue of the Crownless] domain... he was a good person.
He shouldn't be so carelessly ensnared by schemes and plots.
Perhaps out of the last bit of kindness in her heart, or perhaps for some other reason, she had created this clone once more.
Even so, before Noah turned his gaze toward her, her will had been wavering, hesitating whether she truly wanted to help him.
In the end, she decided to leave the choice in Noah's hands.
"The urgent matter you mentioned earlier—can you tell me about it too?"
If Noah was willing to open his heart even to a stranger like her, then she would be willing to offer him a small bit of help.
"This matter is a long story; it's not really convenient to talk about."
As those words fell, a trace of disappointment couldn't help but appear in Phrolova's eyes, but Noah quickly spoke again:
"Though it's a long story, I'll make it short."
"In summary, it's about the eldest son of a family colluding with enemies and betraying the family, while the second daughter turns the tide, only to accidentally fall into the eldest son's trap."
"I'm now going to get a crucial item from the family head, then head to the trap to help the second daughter escape. That's it."
Listening to Noah's words, Phrolova's pupils couldn't help but contract.
According to Cristoforo's script, the Fractsidus members would arrange for Carlotta to fall into the modified stained-glass mirror, using it as bait to lure Noah into the trap.
But now, it seemed he already knew that Carlotta would definitely fall into the trap?
How could that be? Cristoforo's plan was known to no outsiders—even Capollo was part of his calculations. How could Noah know?
Could it be... that Cristoforo had defected?
"Actually, whether I go or not doesn't matter. That eldest son is just a useless fool; the trap can't hold the clever and quick-witted second daughter."
Hearing this, Phrolova breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had only anticipated Capollo's plan and didn't know about the Fractsidus's involvement.
With that thought, Phrolova probed:
"If that's the case, then there's no need for you to go, right? Traps and such sound very dangerous."
"That won't do. Even if I know the second daughter can safely escape on her own, I still need to see it with my own eyes to feel at ease."
"Hmm... What if that eldest son knows he's a fool and specially hired someone to make an even more elaborate trap?"
Hearing this question, Noah was stunned for a moment, then smiled openly:
"Then I have even more reason to go."
"...What is the second daughter to you? Is it worth you choosing her so resolutely and without turning back?"
"Just a friend. She happens to need help, and I happen to be able to lend a hand."
Noah shook his head and looked sincerely at Phrolova:
"If one day you need help, you can come find me too. I'm free anyway."
Hearing this, Phrolova couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised:
"Why help me? Am I your friend too?"
"Not yet, after all, I don't even know your name."
Noah smiled freely:
"I'm kidding. Actually, I help strangers in trouble too."
"..."
An extremely vague emotion surged in her heart. Phrolova didn't know how to describe it; she only felt that, in the face of the radiance from Noah's morality, she was so utterly vile.
She longed to draw near, yet feared being burned by the warmth. This light would never reach her in the shadows.
Phrolova lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes:
"Don't make promises so easily... Even if you want to lend a hand, your arms have limited reach. You can't take care of everyone."
In places beyond sight, even a saint is powerless.
"Maybe... Alright, time's almost up. I'll head out first. See you next time if fate allows."
After a simple farewell, Noah stood up, preparing to head to the Ragunna bank, but was suddenly called back by Phrolova.
"Wait."
Phrolova took out a thin black book and handed it to Noah:
"This book is for you. Let's be friends."
She lowered her head, not daring to look Noah in the eyes:
"My name is... Selene."
After sinking deep into the mire, she finally caught sight of the white moonlight she had longed for but could never obtain—only, she, buried in the mire, could no longer touch this brightness.
A trace of bitterness flickered in her downcast gaze.
Once Noah discovered that this book was actually Cristoforo's script, he would immediately recognize her disguise.
Probably, there would never again be a chance to get this close to Noah.
...
"Once, a poor man offered sacrifices to a statue every day, praying to the gods for wealth. He prayed again and again, but his days grew increasingly destitute."
Walking down the street, Noah flipped through the thin book that Selene had given him:
"Enraged, the poor man smashed the statue, and a large amount of gold coins poured out from the broken opening... What a short fable."
Without studying it closely, Noah casually put the book into his backpack, looked up, and happened to meet the eyes of Francesco and Pierre in front of the bank.
"We meet again, young man."
Francesco nodded elegantly and gestured for Pierre beside him to take the terminal repair from Noah's hands.
"Mr. Francesco, sorry to keep you waiting."
Hearing Noah's words, Francesco couldn't help but feel somewhat surprised:
"Oh? It seems you already knew I would be waiting for you here?"
"Of course. As the one in charge, there's nothing in the entire Montelli family that you don't know about."
"Ha... You young man, you're really growing on me more and more."
Francesco smiled and spoke gravely:
"Indeed, I already know that Capollo has targeted family members and harmed his own kin. For someone like that, even if he's my own son, I won't go easy."
"But... the plan to deal with him and this crisis, I intend to save for last. Before that, I want to see Carlotta's approach."
"Do you remember what we said before? Only Carlotta has the qualities a true Montelli should possess. I need this matter to push her forward, to make her realize that."
As he spoke, Francesco took a pistol from his pocket and handed it to Noah:
"This gun represents the authority of the Montelli family's leader. Wherever the holder's muzzle points, that is the direction of the Montelli family."
"Oh~ So now I'm the leader of the Montelli family?"
Noah looked down at the gun in his hand and couldn't help but tease:
"Old sir, want a cigar?"
"Pfft... cough cough!"
Choked for half a day by the remark, Francesco smiled and pointed at Noah:
"Don't joke around, young man. I'm preparing to appoint Carlotta as the next leader of the Montelli family. When you feel the timing is right, hand this gun over to her."
"Got it."
All these twists and turns—what's the point? I'll just give it to her directly when I see her. Noah grumbled silently in his heart.
Pierre finally finished repairing Bennett's terminal and transferred the data to Noah's terminal.
Noah didn't even look at it, put away the terminal, said a simple goodbye, and turned to head toward the destination where Carlotta was.
Francesco and Pierre, who remained in place, found a secluded spot to view the hidden information in Bennett's terminal. Their expressions grew increasingly unsettled.
"Something's wrong, old friend. It seems your son prepared a trap three days ago to prevent Carlotta from getting in the way, waiting for her to step into it."
Pierre dialed a communication to Carlotta, waited a while, but no one answered. Immediately, he and Francesco exchanged glances:
"This... is beyond your expectations, right!"
Francesco's face flashed with panic, but when his gaze caught Noah's retreating figure, he regained his calm and pretended to be composed:
"Don't worry, everything is under control."