I was still standing in the same Quest Section of the library. My gaze was sliding from one poster to another. In my mind, only one question kept revolving—which question is at Historia's level? I thought to myself, well, whatever it is, the reward should be good. That's when my eyes settled on a particular question. I gently took it down from the Quest Board. Holding that paper in my hand, I started reading it carefully. It was written:
(Area of a Cyclic Quadrilateral)
Problem Statement:
Find the exact area of a quadrilateral whose four sides are known and whose four vertices lie on the circumference of a single circle.
Given values:
a = 25
b = 39
c = 60
d = 52
For a few seconds, I just stared at the question. Then I finalized this question for Historia in my mind. I thought, "Historia can solve this." This question was clear, classical, and the reward for solving it… 13 Gold Coins. That much money couldn't be ignored lightly. And even more than that—if it got solved and an article was published, then instead of Historia's name, I would get my name written there. Thinking that, a strange sense of satisfaction ran through me. I carefully kept that paper and walked out of the library.
To be honest, I didn't find any other useful book in the library today. But this one question was enough. As soon as I stepped out of the library, I started wandering around the city again. The capital… was truly something else. From Jona's diary, I already knew that in just this one city alone, there were more than 16,000 buildings with more than two floors. And the houses with two or fewer floors—their count probably hadn't even been recorded. As I walked, I kept looking around. Tall buildings, wide roads, statues and fountains here and there, and above all, the open sky where seeing dragons fly was nothing unusual.
While walking, I reached a market area. There was a crowd, noises, rows of shops. I was moving forward casually through the crowd when suddenly—"Master Jona?" A familiar voice reached my ears. I turned in surprise. And there, amidst the crowd, was the same girl. The one I had seen at the party that night. The one whose name I had already read in Jona's diary. Misty. She smiled as she walked toward me. "It's nice to meet you, Master Jona." I also gave a slight nod. "I'm also happy to meet you again."
After that, she asked me, "What are you doing here? Did you come to buy something?" I shook my head. "No. I just went to the library. Then I thought I'd pass through the market area as well." I didn't ask her what she was doing here. And there were several reasons for that. First, I personally don't like asking people again and again what they are doing or where they are going. Second, she had a bag in her hand, in which vegetables and household groceries were clearly visible. In such a situation, asking, "Where are you coming from?" would feel a bit childish. I just smiled and walked alongside her.
As we moved forward, Misty suddenly said, "You ignored me at the party that day." Her words hit straight into my chest. "That made me feel quite bad." I wanted to answer her complaint… but the words got stuck in my throat. What could I even say? I thought to myself. At that time, I knew nothing about her. Not her name, not her past. I myself was struggling to understand my own life. Still, in the end, I said in a low voice, "Sorry, Misty."
Hearing that, she was slightly startled. A faint redness spread across her cheeks. Embarrassed, she said, "Master Jona… you belong to a noble family… and apologizing like this to a maid?" Then she added, "I was just joking. Please don't take it to heart." She held the vegetable bag in her hand a little tighter. There was that same old sparkle in her eyes—the same sparkle that was probably there at the party that night as well.
But inside me, one question kept echoing again and again. Does Misty really remember everything that happened that night…? Or… was she also a victim of that mind magic? And now she only remembers what her mind was allowed to remember? I looked at her. She looked completely normal. Laughing. Walking. Busy with life. But for me now, the concept of "normal" had ended. In this world, what you see isn't necessarily the complete truth.
In the end, I asked that question. Looking at her, I said, "Listen, Misty… do you properly remember everything that happened at the party the night before last?" Before my words even fully reached her, I had already read her face. There was no fear in her eyes. No nervousness. No confusion. Just… emptiness. An emptiness that clearly showed that the real events of that night had never reached her mind.
Misty replied calmly, "What are you saying, Master Jona? Everyone enjoyed a lot at the party the night before last." She added with a light smile, "You saw me there too, didn't you?" Her voice was normal. Too normal. "I even got extra money for working at the party that day," she continued. Then she paused for a moment. Her eyebrows knitted slightly. "But…" her voice softened a little, "to be honest, everything was fine that day, yet I feel… a bit strange." "As if there's something I should remember… but I can't."
That was enough. So she too… knew nothing about that night. I was completely certain now. There was no point in standing there anymore. I said softly, "Alright, Misty. We'll meet later." I had just turned when she suddenly stepped toward me. This time, her voice was trembling. "Master Jona…" I stopped. Hesitantly, she said, "Can… can you come with me to the police station?" I looked at her. There was no shyness in her eyes now. No smile. Just… anxiety.
She said, "My dad… hasn't come home for three days." Then she added, "I filed a report at the police station yesterday, but… there's still no trace of him." She didn't say it directly, but I understood. Very clearly. My father, Narco, is a member of the Senator Council, and our family is a noble family. If I go with her, the police won't take this case lightly.
Honestly, it wasn't my own desire. But Jona's diary opened in my mind on its own. "In childhood, Jona had promised Misty that he would always help her." A childhood promise. Made in innocence, but still a promise. I took a light breath. "Alright," I said. "I'll come." Relief immediately appeared in Misty's eyes. We started walking together. Along the way, pages of Jona's diary began turning in my mind.
Misty… came from a maid family. In childhood, her mother worked as a maid in our house. That's why she used to bring Misty along with her. When I, Moon, and Nile played in childhood, Misty played with us too. That's why she had known me since childhood. But life hadn't been kind to her. Her mother was often ill. Her father drank alcohol. He beat wife at home. And most of the time, he was unemployed. Even now… it was probably the same. The responsibility of running the household had fallen on Misty. That's why she didn't become a personal maid for a single house. Instead, she started working at a private maid agency. Where noble families or businessmen hire maids for parties. One day's work. One day's wage. Just like a job. I was walking, thinking all this, when