The willow catkins, like snowflakes, were fluttering in the sky. It seemed as if the hand of a seductive god was hidden among them, trembling and unsettling Turing's gaze.

Turing was wrapped in a thin, earth-colored cloak, cowering inside the rough-shaped carriage.

"Have you seen enough?" The sharp gaze of the coachman glanced in the direction of Turing's gaze.

There, representatives from many families were bidding farewell to the Altria family's convoy.

A beautiful girl with a lovely face stepped on the red wooden pedal and, amidst the cheers of the crowd, boarded Oedipus' royal carriage.

Inside, Oedipus opened the door curtain for the girl, smiled at Maria and her attendants, lightly placed his arm around the girl's shoulder, and helped her into the carriage.

The person standing there should have been Turing.

"If you've seen enough, sit properly. We don't have much time." The coachman removed the scarf covering his face, revealing his metallic jaw.

This person was none other than Ifrit.

"Not much time?"

"Do you know something?" Turing withdrew his gaze, hugged his legs, and sat next to Ifrit with his feet together.

- The compartment was carrying Joseph, whose injuries had been magically treated, and there was no space left, so Turing could only sit at the front of the carriage.

"Each one of you seems to be hiding something from me."

"It annoys me."

"And I haven't forgotten who wanted to harm me back in Red Port."

"You even sent the cursed child to pick me up."

"Is the current head of the McNewdeau family losing his mind?"

Ifrit calmly started driving the carriage, unaffected by Turing's sarcasm.

"Don't act like you've been wronged, Altria."

"You use us, we use you. No one has betrayed anyone."

"And speaking of the past, it was you who caused chaos at the young lady's banquet, wasn't it?"

"If in the end, I actually kill you, it can only mean you were unprepared and lacked intelligence. Nobody is being treacherous here, because you never trusted us anyway."

"This time, taking you to meet Grand Duke Gabriel McNewdeau is also a mutual utilization. We each get what we need."

"Besides, if I can easily kill you, there won't be so much trouble."

Ifrit's words were like the rumbling of a clock, causing Turing's ears to ache. Turing leaned against the wooden panel and stopped talking.

—————————————

As soon as Merka entered the compartment, he felt a sense of relief in his shoulders.

Every time he made an action that did not fit Turing's image, he had to expend magical power to alter others' perception.

As the number of observers increased, the required magical power also multiplied.

Fortunately, most of the people outside didn't know Turing very well, so the demand for magical power wasn't high for now.

But even so, it was enough to trouble Merka.

It really felt like walking on thin ice, Merka thought to himself.

Playing a role that wasn't himself was already troublesome enough, let alone being a person of the opposite gender.

Merka sat on the seat of the carriage, sneakily glancing at Oedipus in front of her, who seemed so close yet so far away—she was leaning against the sofa and reading a newspaper.

Oedipus the Duke must be the person who understands Turing the most.

But in front of her, the magic I used up hasn't recovered as quickly as I thought.

Why?

Merka wondered, puzzled.

Merka didn't dare to speak or attract Oedipus' attention, so she pretended to be sad because of her poor performance in the competition and leaned her head against the window to fall asleep.

This should be fine, Merka thought.

Turing told me that if she didn't perform well in the competition, she would suffer terrifying consequences when she returned home, so staying silent is a good choice.

But when I asked for specific details about what she would endure, when I wanted to know more, Turing hesitated and couldn't explain.

This is strange, this is abnormal!

She only has the feeling of fear but no corresponding memories.

Yet she still respects Oedipus the Duke so much.

When I comforted Turing, she even defended Lady Oedipus.

Although it's impolite to think this way, to outsiders, Turing's trust in her mother is truly making me feel like she has been enchanted.

I have several hypotheses about this matter, but... it's too dangerous to try to prove them now.

Although it seems that Oedipus the Duke hasn't made anyone angry or left a frightening impression.

But Oedipus the Duke is not a character that can be deceived easily.

"What's wrong, Turing?" Oedipus elegantly folded the newspaper in her hand and placed it on her thigh, smiling at Merka. "You've been staring at my face, is there something on it?"

Merka was shocked to be caught peeping. She sat up straight, adjusted her mindset, and spoke.

"I...I didn't-"

"Oh? I thought you were really asleep," Oedipus narrowed her eyes and looked at Merka in front of her.

In that instant of speaking, Merka realized something and her heart started beating violently like the sliding valve in a steam engine driven by a gale.

She felt like she was sinking in quicksand, and a moist, tingling sensation swept up from her feet.

Merka controlled her completely stiffened body, wanting to explain, wanting to defend herself, even if it meant using incoherent and insufficient words.

But her throat felt like it had a blister, and no matter what she said, it would get stuck, choked.

Merka suddenly understood that her timidity stemmed from an instinctive, natural fear between predator and prey in the world.

She didn't dare to resist, to disobey, to even have a thought.

Afraid of attracting unnecessary attention from the latter.

Turing, is this the kind of life you've been living every day in the past?

Merka let out a sigh of discomfort in her heart.

I suppose my life won't be any better in the future.

"Madam Maria?" Paris Agio sat gracefully, facing Maria. As the most outstanding magician from Agio's collateral branch, she naturally became one of Maria's twelve disciples.

"You called me here, but now you seem to have nothing to say," Paris smiled. A woman with such a beautiful smile always made it difficult for people to feel any disgust towards her.

"Don't worry, I'm just thinking about the contents of my notes," Maria touched her cheek and lowered her head, pondering.

"I was thinking about which aspect I wanted to talk to you about... Oh, right," Maria muttered to herself.

"The reason I called you here this time was to tell you about some countermeasures against Oedipus."

"I didn't tell you before because the time wasn't right and it wasn't appropriate to reveal it. But now things are different, and I need you to know."

Maria furrowed her brows lightly and scrutinized Paris's facial expression closely.

"Firstly, before understanding the first step of this plan, there is a prerequisite that we need to be aware of."

"I planted a bomb on Merka, commissioned by the McNewdeau family."

"Because this bomb is a product of technology and programming magic, it has a long delay time and extensive power."

"It's a timed bomb with the power equivalent to a nuclear bomb."

Maria looked at Paris, who was completely dumbfounded, and fell into contemplation.