C137: An unplanned encounter

“Good evening, sir and lady. The night is beautiful, is it not? For such a lovely couple to wander.”

The black-dressed girl bowed her head before offering a polite smile.

Yet, her smile was strangely eerie, reflecting no emotion in her green eyes.

“Ah… yes?” Troy looked at her with puzzlement, clearly not expecting such friendliness. “My apologies. You are indeed correct.” He forced out a polite smile in return.

Normally, Troy would have casually agreed with a statement like that.

But being complimented in the middle of the night in a desolate graveyard was not exactly what he had in mind.

Especially not while speaking to a girl entirely dressed in black, surrounded by crows in front of a cemetery. It was very bothersome to try not to be bothered by these crows.

He glanced sideways toward Naomi.

The woman had unconsciously tightened her grip around her cross-headed cane.

She was a little taken aback by the encounter, that was for certain.

Naomi subtly shook her head.

‘We’ve never seen her before.’

A girl of such demeanor would have left a deep impression on them had they encountered her during their initial search.

'Why suddenly are so many unknown people appearing? ' Troy wondered.

He and Hazel had personally investigated nearly every household in the village earlier, while Gregory handled on-site observation himself.

Yet now, completely new faces kept emerging one after another.

All of these strange developments seemed to point toward the mysterious individual named Marion.

“How may I assist you, sir?”

The girl tilted her head slightly as she spoke, interrupting their silent exchange.

Troy remained skeptical. Should he—

“If you wish to dispose of those corpses, then you may simply leave them here, sir.”

The black-haired girl bowed lightly, interrupting his thoughts.

“My father will emerge shortly and take proper care of them.”

Troy flinched. He had momentarily forgotten the floating corpses behind him.

'Did she have no questions about how those corpses are hovering midair?'

Perhaps the darkness had limited her view.

Troy cleared his throat before returning to the conversation.

“Your father?”

“Yes. My father is the sexton of this cemetery,” she answered matter-of-factly. “There are some… complications occurring inside, so he instructed me to remain here and warn any travelers wandering through the area.”

Troy’s friendly smile weakened slightly.

This little girl was a bit too emotionless for comfort. The detachment in her voice made him feel as though he were speaking to a member of the Lunar Church.

“Might I inquire what sort of complication?”

“An active funeral is currently taking place inside, sir.”

“I understand.”

'I haven't heard of any recent deaths.'

To be fair, ordinary funerals were not matters that concerned the Inspectors. Still, the timing felt too coincidental.

“Besides…” the girl continued, briefly glancing toward the crow perched upon her shoulder as she gently traced a finger along its beak. “The dead should not be disturbed. I fear a young couple such as yourselves entering during the ceremony may invite… unfortunate influence.”

The crow remained still beneath her touch.

“Young couple… ahem.”

Troy awkwardly adjusted his collar, his face reddening slightly.

Behind him, Naomi had already covered part of her face with both hands, clearly embarrassed.

“Forgive my rudeness,” Troy asked carefully, “but have you truly never heard of us?”

The girl tilted her head thoughtfully, resting a finger against her chin.

“Mm? My apologies. I do not remember most of the tenants in this village. Have I offended you by any chance?”

Troy frowned.

The Inspectors were infamous figures throughout towns and cities, but perhaps in a remote backwater village like this, there genuinely existed people unfamiliar with them.

And the dark night and limited visibility did not help either, as she could not clearly make out the sigils embroidered upon their uniforms.

Of course, Troy and Naomi could easily exert their authority as Inspectors of the White Church to demand entry, but that would require official confirmation from the local church.

Doing so would force them to contact Victor, the very man they wished to avoid for the time being.

Alternatively, they could simply force their way inside regardless of the girl’s objections or the supposed grieving family inside.

But why waste time when someone was voluntarily offering to handle the corpse disposal for them?

They already lacked free time as it was. Gregory was still waiting for them.

‘Too bad the Captain isn’t here,’ Troy thought. ‘Otherwise, we can verify whether she’s lying or not.’

Still…

Judging from her tone and demeanor alone, she did not appear to be lying.

But to make absolutely certain, Troy asked once more.

“May I have the privilege of speaking with your father directly? I merely wish to ensure the proper arrangements are made,” Troy said, lifting his hand in an offering gesture, his palm open.

“T... Troy, that is quite improper!” Naomi whispered, tugging gently at his sleeve.

However, Troy did not back down. It would become troublesome if the girl forgot about the corpses afterward.

From inside the cemetery, faint clinking noises occasionally echoed, confirming that some kind of burial or funeral activity was genuinely taking place within.

If so, then the caretaker would surely be busy. But he had to make sure the corpses were safely taken.

The little girl in the black furrowed her brows a little.

It was a curious expression, Troy thought.

Perhaps she was annoyed at him, but was trying very hard not to show it openly.

‘My apologies,’ Troy thought inwardly with a wry smile. He felt as though he understood this strange child a little better now.

She was still a child, after all. Although the girl maintained an emotionless demeanor, traces of irritation and disdain occasionally slipped through her expression regardless.

‘Perhaps she simply wants to appear mature for her age,’ he mused.

That certainly happened often enough. Many young ladies from middle-class households behaved similarly, and he had dealt with plenty of them during his duties. Some intentionally acted cold or arrogant so others would not look down upon them.

Compared to those girls, this child was honestly mild in comparison.

Troy merely wanted to ensure that the three corpses would actually be transported properly inside. The last thing he wanted was Gregory reprimanding him later.

Well, the Captain probably wouldn’t be too harsh.

Hazel, on the other hand, would never let him hear the end of it.

“Father!” The little girl suddenly shouted loudly into the cemetery.

The sudden cry shattered the quiet night so abruptly that Troy nearly jumped.

Even the crows perched around her startled violently, flapping upward into the air before gradually settling back onto her umbrella and shoulders again.

“Wait, isn’t there currently a—” Wasn’t there supposedly an active funeral taking place inside?

Shouting like that during a burial felt incredibly rude.

Troy instinctively wanted to complain, but he soon found himself shutting his mouth.

Her sharp, green gaze pointed directly toward him, the cold intensity of her eyes making him flinch.

‘She looks exactly like Hazel when she is irritated,’ And unfortunately, that type was his weakness.

Troy exchanged glances with Naomi.

Both of them smiled awkwardly at each other.

‘You thought the same thing?’

‘Yes, dear. She resembles Hazel.’ Naomi's eyes seemed to reply.

The situation itself was also rather strange.

Leaving a little girl alone outside at midnight to ward off visitors was not exactly normal behavior.

Still, when Troy had questioned her, her answer had remained straightforward.

“I cannot assist my father with any of the physical labor inside. Thus, I was instructed to remain here and provide warnings to travelers.”

After a short wait, the father finally appeared from within the cemetery grounds.

He wore a rough faded shirt and nodded at them. The man said nothing, immediately moving toward the corpses to drag the first one inside.

“Good evening, sir. Your daughter was just—” Troy stepped forward.

Despite his polite attempt to talk to the father, the silent sexton merely gave them a brief side-glance, refusing to utter a single word as he worked.

'Perhaps the somber nature of the funeral is affecting his mood,' Troy reasoned inwardly.

Truthfully, if someone suddenly interrupted him in the middle of funeral work late at night and handed him additional corpses to deal with, he would probably feel pissed too.

“I thank you for listening to our request.”

As the father dragged the second corpse deeper into the cemetery, Troy and Naomi both removed their fez hats and placed them respectfully against their chests while bowing politely toward the little girl.

““May the Monarch be with you.””

Realistically speaking, Troy probably should have bowed toward the father instead.

Yet for some reason, his instincts told him he should bow toward the girl.

He wasn't entirely sure why.

Naomi followed his action, despite the puzzled look lingering within her eyes.

The little girl dressed in black bowed her head in response, still resting her umbrella against her chest.

Yet, she said nothing back.

‘Not a follower of the White Church?’ Troy's curiosity piqued. It was not mandatory to follow the teaching of the White Church, but finding a common girl who did not follow the White Church was not exactly usual either.

Interestingly, her bowing gesture was not the delicate curtsy of a young lady, but a formal bow a gentleman would perform.

He guessed it was probably because she had only ever learned social graces by observing others from afar, and had never been properly tutored in a woman’s traditional curtsy.

As they walked away from the cemetery, Troy suddenly remembered something and turned around.

“...”

“...”

In the distance, beneath the pale moonlight and circling crows…

He saw the little girl kick the maid’s corpse directly in the face.

What was her name again? The black-hair maid.

“...”

“D-Dear…”

“Ah. Oh. Uh.” Troy’s smile cracked as he quickly turned his head back to the path.

‘Let’s pretend we didn’t see that.’ That was exactly what Naomi’s awkward expression conveyed.

Troy gave a nod. He had no intention of involving themselves in another unrelated matter. The current situation in the village was complicated enough to deal with, and he did not want to add another headache to their case.

As they walked further away, a quiet giggle escaped Troy’s throat.

“Whatever is the matter, dear?”

“Ah, it is nothing, Naomi. It is just that... we truly did forget to ask for her name,” Troy replied, shaking his head.

Just as they had intended to ask for her name, the strange and aggressive action of the girl had completely made them change their minds.

She was indeed an interesting young lady, who tried her best to act mature and composed. It was endearing, in some strange sort of way.

“That is very true, Troy,” Naomi giggled, bringing a gloved hand to her face to hide her amusement. “She reminds me of Hazel in the past.”

The young Hazel who constantly wore her fierce gaze and acted aggressively because she wanted people to stop treating her like a child. The Hazel who always appeared mature so no one would ever look down on her.

'Naomi looks more relaxed now,' Troy noted, the corners of his lips lifting into a warm smile.

That alone made this detour worth it.

“But don’t you think that man looked somewhat familiar?” Naomi suddenly posed the question.

“Hm?”

“That father.” Naomi frowned lightly in concentration. “I feel like I’ve seen him before. Somewhere in the church back in Easton, perhaps.”

Her puzzled expression was incredibly endearing. He loved the analytical look in her eyes, though he knew he shouldn't show his affection too much, else Naomi was going to be spoiled by it.

“Was he truly?”

“Yes… I think so?” Naomi tilted her head. “I vaguely remember him. That man prayed fervently for a miracle. Perhaps treatment? Maybe for his daughter? Was her name Alice? I do not entirely remember.”

“Hmmm…”

Troy stroked his chin while thinking.

The White Church regularly provided healing and treatment services for the poor and injured. Because of that, they encountered countless people every month.

Many people constantly flooded into churches seeking medicine, food, healing, blessings, or even just chatting, seeking compassion.

Sometimes the sisters ended up recognizing faces unconsciously without remembering where they had met them before.

Troy didn’t think too deeply about it, shrugged his shoulders under his white coat.

“We can simply ask her if we ever meet again,” he suggested.

Naomi nodded in agreement.

Afterward, the two of them resumed walking quietly through the cold night streets, heading back toward the direction of the estate.

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