In that moment, the frustration and sorrow I had felt last night rose to the very tip of my throat. I could not breathe, and my vision blurred.
I almost tripped while stepping backward. That is, if Eon hadn't grabbed my waist.
"Are you planning to go out?"
Those eyes staring intently at me felt as if they were digging into every inch of my being. Even though I knew he could see right through my thoughts, I made excuses.
"I'm going to buy charcoal for painting. I'm making an improved sleep potion, but I've run out of it."
"Are you researching a deep sleep potion?"
"Yes. Maybe it's because my sleeping environment has changed, but I've been having restless dreams since coming to the Magic Tower."
It wasn't wrong, so it was easy to make up an excuse. It was all true that I couldn't sleep properly and that I was making sleep potions.
Fortunately, Eon did not doubt my words. Not only that, he even agreed with me with a serious expression.
"Oh, dear... I know that distress well. Actually, I suffer from chronic insomnia myself."
"Ah..."
I looked at his arm wrapped around my waist with a slightly troubled expression, hoping that Eon would pull his hand away as if he had belatedly realized the truth. But that was just my wishful thinking.
He actually wrapped his arms around my waist even more tightly.
"When the deep sleep potion is finished, would you share some with me?"
The brazen smile seemed to say that the affairs below had nothing to do with him.
'To prevent me from leaving.'
He led me just as if he were dancing a waltz. I didn't know where he was heading, but I was certain we were getting further and further away from the entrance.
"I'm getting tired of night walks now, so I guess it would be better to just take a potion and get a good night's sleep."
“A night walk?”
“Yes, a night walk.”
He spoke, emphasizing each word.
"You sometimes have unexpected encounters while taking a walk at night. It's quite interesting."
"What do you mean by an unexpected meeting?"
His words inevitably brought back the ominous dream from last night. I was already on edge, and to think of such an unexpected encounter.
I couldn't help but stiffen up and feel tense.
"Oh dear, oh dear, I didn't meet a ghost, so please don't worry too much. I just meant that at night, you can encounter living things that are invisible during the day."
Eon now took my hand and began spinning around the hall. His footsteps were light, but his arm was still firm, so I had no choice but to be dragged here and there by him. At the same time, he spoke with a rhythm, as if singing a song.
"There are lives that can only be seen at night. Like the owl, hunting with its wings spread wide and sharpened talons, or the evening primrose, revealing its face by unfolding its bright yellow petals one by one."
"It’s not the season for evening primroses to bloom these days."
"Ah, right. Then, instead of evening primroses, maybe fireflies or something."
Fireflies were also insects that could only be seen in the summer. Eon was intentionally lying to me. He seemed like someone who wanted me to refute him, asking if I hadn't seen something else entirely.
'It was a dream, I told you it was a dream.'
I pictured Eon approaching Tara in the garden as if he had been waiting, but that was something that happened only in my imagination. However, Karen’s attitude, speaking of Tara as if she were someone who had been kicked out, and Eon’s mention of a night walk made me feel uneasy.
"Didn't the Tower Master meet something like that—a flower or an insect?"
"Well, now that you mention Miss Selinia, it seems that way. Especially that thing we met last night."
Last night. He specifically said last night. My heart, which felt like it had run out of energy to flutter any longer after pounding all night, began to thump again.
'No, let's not ask. We don't know how many days this might be.'
Eon might be able to read my thoughts, but he wouldn't be able to read my dreams. My needless fear and bringing up Tara on my own could have been exactly what Eon intended.
"If Miss Selinia drinks the deep sleep potion she made with care and dedication, I won't even need to go for a walk at night."
"That sounds like you're saying the potion is some kind of homemade cake."
Eon's gaze lingered persistently on me as I answered in a feigned cheerful manner.
"I was secretly jealous that the maid received Miss Selinia's potion before me."
“What is that..."
"It seemed you cared for the maids quite a bit. You even personally made potions for them."
Eon pretended to shake the potion he was holding in his hand.
"It was an interesting potion. It would be very useful when you want to rest away from people's eyes."
I was caught by Eon. He knew about Tara's escape, and that I had helped with it. He even knew exactly what it was: a potion that dims one's presence.
'It's over.'
"It seems the maid looked like a bird in a cage. I suppose you wished she would fly away freely."
A red aura began to rise in Eon's eyes. A smile still hung on his lips, but it was murderous intent.
It was nothing more than wrapping paper to hide the childlike expression.
"But can a bird that has escaped its cage really survive in this harsh world?"
Eon, having thrown out the remark, shook his head and answered himself.
"In the blink of an eye, a stray cat will snatch it away."
The moment he finished speaking, the dried flowers decorating the shelf fell to the floor. Red petals scattered across the floor like bloodstains. It was too perfect timing to be a coincidence.
“So... is she dead?”
Only then did I manage to open my mouth. It was a question without a subject, but both he and I were fully aware of whose death was being referred to. Nevertheless, Eon pretended not to know and simply continued to pretend to dance.
"What are you worried about? I merely told a new story."
In the end, I had no choice but to be the first to mention Tara's name.
"You met Tara last night, right?"
"Well, I'm not sure if the maid I saw was named Tara, but she seemed to be trying to leave in a hurry."
Why? How? What I saw wasn't a dream? Was I also under a mental spell?
My mind was confused.
"...So what? So what happened to Tara?"
“Here she is.”
“Here?”
Eon raised his hand and pointed at the magic tower.
"It means she is in this magic tower."
"You mean Tara is here right now?"
"That sounds like you can't believe it."
Naturally, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't find Tara, who should have been in the laundry room, and Karen said she didn't know her.
"It is truly a sad thing not to gain Miss Selinia's trust."
Eon shook his head and put on a feigned act as if his heart ached.
"Would you change your mind if you went to the 4th floor?"
The fourth floor? Soon, the forbidden room Karen had mentioned came to mind. She had said that not entering it was one of the Magic Tower's rules.
"Are you talking... about the Forbidden Room?"
The Forbidden Room isn't the only thing on the fourth floor. There is a very wonderful exhibition room.
I had heard that aristocratic mansions often had exhibition rooms. They were said to be places where artwork, sculptures, or hunting trophies were displayed. I even heard that one Duke had turned an entire annex into an exhibition hall. However, it did not seem likely that such ordinary things would be in this murderer's exhibition room.
"I would like to take this opportunity to show Miss Selinia my exhibition room."
Eon took my hand as if he were escorting me. It looked like he was making an invitation, but once again, I had no choice.
'Taking me to the exhibition hall at this time...'
I had a bad feeling. It felt as though I was about to witness with my own eyes those terrible things that had been briefly mentioned in the novel.
***
As I opened the door to the exhibition room, a strange smell wafted in. I had become accustomed to most smells from practicing alchemy, but this was a scent that instinctively gave me a sense of repulsion. It seemed like the smell of strong disinfectant, or perhaps the smell of some animal.
“Be careful.”
The magic tower was dark overall, but this room was exceptionally dark. It was difficult to take a step because I couldn't even see right in front of me.
'Is he a nocturnal animal?'
"I have good eyesight even in the dark. But rest assured, I am not a nocturnal animal."
As if he had read my mind in the meantime, Eon spoke.
"After all, lighting is essential for appreciating great exhibits. Shouldn't we darken the surroundings like this and let it be illuminated by a spotlight?"
Eon's voice, sounding somehow excited, made me even more anxious.
"The luminous stone will glow if you get close to the exhibit."
"They must be... very precious items."
"It is precious. But it is not an object."
Before Eon could even finish speaking, the view ahead brightened. It wasn't a very bright light, but because it had been so dark just moments before, he couldn't help but squint.
"What on earth is this..."
When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was a large glass plate. But it was nothing more than wrapping paper covering the contents.
Inside was an animal with two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head. When standing upright, it appeared to be about the same height as me. Unlike other animals, it had almost no fur; instead, long hair grew from its head down to the middle of its body. It was soft-looking brown fur.
I had no idea what on earth this was. Truly, I couldn't even guess what it really was. So, in the end, I had no choice but to ask Eon in a stupid voice.
“What is this?”
“It’s Sally.”
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