After leaving An in the care of Tre and the others, I moved through the venue, debating who to greet next. I’d already made the rounds for my priority guests, so at this point, I felt comfortable just striking up a conversation with whoever happened to catch my eye. Still, I wanted to introduce myself to everyone at least once, so I needed to keep a careful mental tally of who I’d already spoken to.
As I wandered, my gaze fell on someone unfamiliar. Or rather, I saw their back first, and I couldn’t immediately place them. Just as I stopped, the figure turned around, and I caught my breath.
The first thing I noticed was her hair—an asymmetrical bob of pale, bluish-white. It was cut short on the right side but left semi-long on the left. It was a striking look, but her eyes were even more startling. It was as if all the highlights had been drained from them. They were a flat, lightless red, like the color of dried, clotted blood. Combined with a face as expressionless as a Noh mask, she gave off a distinctly eerie aura.
It was different from the unfocused gaze of Illness; there was simply no luster at all. Looking into her eyes made the word "hollow" spring to mind.
"Oh! Well, if it isn’t our host!"
"Wait, what!?"
My surprise deepened as she spoke. The mysterious woman had addressed me in a bouncy, cheerful voice, yet her face didn’t move an inch. Her mouth moved slightly to form the words, but otherwise, not even an eyebrow twitched. The dissonance between her lively tone and her frozen expression was staggering.
"My, my, it’s truly an honor to meet you."
"Ah, er..."
"Whoa now, please don't get the wrong idea. I’m not a suspicious person at all! Well, if you start grilling me on whether a truly innocent person would claim they aren't suspicious, I’d be in a real bind, so let’s just gloss over that bit! But I digress. I’m here as one of His Majesty Laguna's attendants."
"Ah, I see. No wonder I didn't recognize you."
"Man, sorry if I startled you. His Majesty Laguna told us that he didn't need us hovering, so we were free to enjoy the party ourselves. I’ve been indulging quite a bit... Oh, just to be sure, is there a rule against attendants eating and drinking? Because if there is, I’m in trouble."
Despite her bright, lighthearted tone—and a pitch that clearly conveyed her high energy—her expression remained perfectly still. Even Shiro managed more facial movement than this. It was as if everything from her mouth up had been carved from stone. For that matter, even her mouth barely moved. I found myself wondering where that booming voice was actually coming from.
"No, please. You’ve come all this way, and I’d be much happier if you enjoyed yourself. Don't worry about it at all."
I’d been told in advance that Laguna would be bringing two companions. Ryze and Chris had done the same; in fact, it seemed like they’d all coordinated to bring exactly two people each. I had absolutely no problem with those companions having a good time. In fact, I encouraged it.
"What a big-hearted thing to say. I think I might be falling for you!"
"That feels like a bit of an exaggeration..."
"No, no! I’m only thirty-four percent serious about this being my lucky shot at marrying into wealth. Hehehe!"
"That’s actually a pretty high percentage!"
Laguna certainly had a knack for picking eccentric subordinates. Her personality seemed lively enough, and her voice carried her emotions clearly, but her face remained a total void. It was as if her facial muscles had simply ceased to exist.
"I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself first. You probably already know, but I’m Kaito Miyama."
"Whoops! My bad for prattling on without giving my own name. I’m Jane Doe. I’d be honored if you remembered me... Master Kaito."
"It’s a pleasure. Um, would it be alright if I called you Jane?"
"Of course! Jane, 'my honey'—whatever floats your boat!"
"Then... Jane it is. Are you a noble, Jane?"
"Oh, what keen insight! Was it just that obvious? My overflowing 'noble aura,' I mean!"
"Ah, no, I just assumed so because you have a surname..."
"Oh, I see. That's why... Ugh, I can't believe I just said 'noble aura.' How embarrassing... Wait, forget I said that! Wipe it from your memory immediately!"
She rested a hand against her cheek, her voice sounding like someone shaking their head in bashful laughter, yet her eyebrows didn't so much as flicker.
Moreover, while her emotions were easy to read from her tone, I couldn't pick up anything from her via Sympathy Magic. Much like Zwei, she might be keeping her mana perfectly contained. If that was the case, she was likely incredibly powerful. She was a truly enigmatic woman.