As planned in the newspaper.

Diana finally arrived in Crotto City as agreed.

"This is the worst timing."

"It's just a matter of time before we figure out the strange place of the small stone."

Merka tried to recall how Diana suddenly appeared at the party a few days ago, passionately speaking with her eloquent tongue during the lecture.

He had no interest in the noble tactics of forming factions among the nobles.

But until the party a few days ago, Merka really wanted to say something, at least to stop Diana's outrageous remarks.

But Merka couldn't do it.

Even though Erisburg was clearly Altria's territory, Diana, with her lackeys, didn't give Merka a chance to speak up.

- Every time Merka tried to speak, someone immediately supported him, then pressured him, and gave him an opportunity to save face.

And Oedipus, on the side, acted as if he hadn't seen anything, and this powerless feeling of not being able to reason made Merka very uncomfortable.

Merka dared not think that Turing might have experienced this many times before.

Before Merka could react, Diana proposed a horse hunting contest at the party, and the venue was chosen to be the back mountain of the Altria family.

Before Merka could say anything, Oedipus had already agreed.

Merka suddenly realized that although Turing enjoyed a luxurious life in this house, he was actually just a racehorse, whose only value was victory.

"You're wrong, pretty boy."

"It's even worse than being a racehorse."

"If it can't bring victory, a racehorse can still be used for breeding, viewing, or even parading and saving face."

"But in the Altria family, if Turing can't win, his value is probably not even comparable to the shoes Oedipus is wearing."

Samael said.

Samael, Mammon, and Merka were discussing their strategies against the enemy in Turing's room at this time.

She leaned on one hand, bored, looking a bit tired.

Recently, Samael seemed to be losing passion, while Mammon was in high spirits, as if it was Samael who was about to die, not Mammon.

"Mammon, do you think there is any deep meaning to this contest?"

"Why did Diana travel all the way here to hold a contest?"

Mammon and Samael allowed Merka to call them sisters, perhaps they also acknowledged this brother-in-law's identity from the bottom of their hearts.

"There are many possibilities."

"But no matter what possibility it is, it's definitely allowed by Oedipus."

Mammon crossed her arms and leaned against the window frame.

"One can imagine that Diana is coming for Turing with this philanthropic contest."

"She is using the excuse of donations to rally funds for the welfare of common people from nobles and wealthy merchants through an entertaining competition."

"To make it look less deliberate, she had a few more matches before coming here."

"But it can't hide her heavy heart."

"She can't even protect her own family status, let alone think about commoners."

"Really ridiculous."

"...Merka couldn't understand why Mammon said Diana couldn't possibly be thinking about commoners."

"In his concept, most nobles prioritize the quality of life of commoners."

"I guess Diana probably wants to kill Turing's usual horse in the competition, or she intends to disrupt Turing's peace before the Fireworks Festival."

"He is really a pitiful guy. The only way he can hurt Turing is by digging up old grudges and unsettling Turing's emotions."

Mammon smiled, with a hint of pride in the corners of her mouth.

"But no matter what, since the plan has been laid out from such a long distance, it would be too much of a loss if Diana is blocked by Oedipus with just a few words when she arrives in Altria."

"Diana must have consulted with Oedipus."

"Oedipus plans to expose your identity publicly by understanding Turing's Diana. For Oedipus, this is indeed a good way to break the game."

"What? Oedipus...knows my identity?" Merka was scared, cold sweat dripping.

"No, it's nothing. You'll understand when Turing comes back."

"Anyway, you must win this competition and not lose."

"If you lose, even after I die, I won't let you off as a ghost."

Unlike Samael, Mammon's tone and demeanor were relaxed, and she wasn't afraid of death at all.

"Why is it like this..." Merka felt powerless.

He didn't know how to face a magician of Turing's level.

"Don't worry, it's okay, let me analyze it for you."

"They are worried about Turing's powerful magic, just like you are."

"The competition they requested may be on horseback, but essentially it is a hunting competition."

"The rules of the competition prohibit the use of magic and require the use of firearms and equestrian skills to hunt magical beasts."

"On the surface, this is to highlight the importance of marksmanship and respond to the requests of the reformists."

"But in reality, it is to avoid direct confrontation with Turing's overwhelmingly powerful magic."

"Although Diana has many followers, the competition is open to both nobles and commoners."

"In a situation where the number of participants is so large, Diana's advantage is not obvious."

"And we will be with you, so you don't have to worry at all."

"Ah?" Merka was startled.

"How can you be with me? You can't use magic in the back mountain, right?"

"It's okay, dropback isn't considered pure magic, and there is no fluctuation of magic power. At most, it emits a bit of the fragrance of mugwort when used. Jade can't sense it."

"We can invisibly protect you by your side."

"...But what about Duke Oedipus? Didn't you say Duke Oedipus can restrict you?"

"Even if you are right next to me, she still can't notice you?"

"Yes, she can't see us."

Samael, sitting next to Mammon, tousled his hair and spoke.

"She can only control us in a broad sense."

"She has placed a curse on us that prevents us from harming her."

"But this curse can only detect up to three iterations. As long as we do something beyond the third iteration, even the most sophisticated program won't be able to detect it."

Before Samael could explain what she meant, she immediately grabbed her forehead and bent down in pain from the chair.

Samael, clutching his head, had a pained expression, almost rolling on the ground.

"Sigh..." Mammon sighed.

"You said too much, Samael."