“So why did you go on a diet, then?” the lizardwoman probed.
Loewe groaned. “I might’ve been a little self-conscious.”
Carmilla chuckled again. “How maidenly.”
Lynga and Loewe turned to Zophia. “And what did she tell you?”
After a brief silence, Zophia gave a small shrug. “Nothing all that impressive. Wouldn’t take a genius to figure out it was a lie.”
The wraith smirked at this, and next to her, Lily—who had been completely out of the loop—tilted her head. “Um, so, what does this all mean?”
“What it means,” Zophia replied, “is that this childhood friend is the woman from the Black Guild, with some ulterior motive for getting close to the doc.”
“What, really?” the elf asked.
“Considering their attack on the night festival, I think their faction within the guild wants to stick their noses into slums business, and that woman is part of their vanguard,” Lynga ventured.
“Indeed. Since Zenos is at the core of our peoples’ unity, taking him down would essentially leave the slums within their grasp,” Loewe agreed.
Lily’s expression shifted to confusion. “What? But then, what about the amnesia?”
“An obvious lie,” Zophia concluded. “She approached him with an ulterior motive.”
“No way!” Lily exclaimed in shock. Her voice then lowered to a relieved murmur, “I see... That’s good...”
“What’s good about this?!” Zophia asked.
“This isn’t good at all!” Lynga said.
“That woman played us all like fiddles!” Loewe pointed out.
At the pointed remarks, Lily fumbled for an answer. “Y-Yes, but... I’ve just been so happy since meeting Zenos and all of you, and... I’d be so sad if I lost all my memories of everyone...”
After a moment of dumbfounded silence, the demi-humans looked at each other and burst into laughter.
“Ah, I see,” Zophia said.
“Lily’s too good for this world,” Lynga added.
“I have plenty of memories I’d rather forget, personally,” Loewe said.
“I-I’m sorry!” Lily stammered.
The others smiled at her, and Zophia continued, “Well, it’s fine. That’s one of your strong points.”
“You’re fine just the way you are, Lily,” Lynga assured her.
“I wouldn’t want to lose the memories I’ve made since meeting Zenos either,” Loewe said.
Standing up, Zophia cracked her knuckles. “Now then, shall we start our counteroffensive?”
Carmilla called out to the demi-humans and Lily as they began to head out. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Hmm? To the ruined city. That’s where the doc and the woman are, no?”
“They might not be, not anymore,” Carmilla pointed out. The women looked at her, puzzled, and she continued, “My guess is that the stroll in the ruins was just an excuse to take Zenos outside. I imagine she would not want such a drab stage for the final showdown. Setting the mood is important.”
“Setting the mood...” Zophia echoed.
“To win this war of feminine wiles, she would doubtless choose a location that is meaningful to both of them.”
“A meaningful location,” Lily repeated in a whisper, lifting her head. “The orphanage?”
The corners of Carmilla’s lips curled up and she nodded.
The demi-humans’ expressions hardened. “Lily, do you know where that is?” Zophia asked.
“Y-Yeah,” Lily replied. “I’ve heard about it before. It’s in the western mountains.”
“Then we’re heading there right away.”
Lily and the demi-humans dashed out as a light rain began to sprinkle down on them. Unperturbed by the drizzle, they raced toward the orphanage.
Carmilla, meanwhile, floated up to the second floor, looking out the window and chuckling. “The ladies’ war over Zenos is reaching its climax. Ah, the beauty of youth.”
She watched as their figures shrank in the distance, smiling faintly.
“Oh, bother. When was the last time I felt envious of the living...?”
