"Sister, please, just don't go."

Yorkshire spoke uneasily.

"It's too dangerous."

Little Yorkshire, who had been pampered since childhood, couldn't imagine that Turing and her upbringing were completely opposite extremes.

She had never seen the brutal battles or experienced the devilish training that Turing had gone through, and excelled at.

"It's fine, go and join your family."

"I'll be back soon."

Watching Merka gradually drift away with Dunkirk, Turing did not rush to catch up.

She was familiar with Merka's magical fluctuations and her own strong magic gave her a keen sense of awareness, confident that she could find Merka in one breath even if they were kilometers apart.

Turing walked towards the stage.

"Why raise you? Whenever there's trouble, you run off. If my motorcycle gets a scratch, how would you compensate?"

As Turing approached, the woman seemed to sense the arrival, and the scolding tone towards her subordinates lessened slightly.

"Hello, are you in charge here?"

Turing stepped onto the stage, and amidst the puzzled looks of a few people, she ran her hand over the shiny metallic skin of the car, circling around the motorcycle.

"Uh, are you referring to me?"

"Cough, I am a businessman organizing this knowledge competition... Hehe, doing some small business. At the invitation of the organizers, I prepared a small activity here to liven up the feast for the Ultimate Sorcerers."

"May I ask who you are, sir?"

Although Turing appeared young, the woman knew that an ordinary child should not be present here. So she resorted to flattery and deferentially addressed Turing.

But Turing remained silent, still inspecting the goods on the motorcycle.

"Boss, look at her shoulder... her shoulder."

A subordinate came over to the woman's side and whispered.

"What about the shoulder? Her shoulder looks clean and fair."

The woman looked puzzled at Turing's shoulder.

"Oh, it's the right shoulder, the right shoulder!"

The subordinate forcefully lowered her voice, sweating profusely, as if facing a ferocious flood beast.

"Hiss..."

Seeing the dark and dazzling golden crown on Turing's shoulder like a total solar eclipse, the woman almost collapsed to her knees.

"Is it, Montecristo, Montecristo's young lady?"

Looking Turing up and down as she inspected the motorcycle, the woman dared not even breathe, keeping her voice low as she asked her subordinate without opening her mouth.

"No, Scarlett doesn't look like this... didn't you watch the competition?"

"This is Turing — !"

Turing sensed that someone seemed to be calling her, furrowing her brows and glanced in the woman's direction.

"Oh, goodness!"

The woman's heart almost jumped into her throat.

"Shouldn't Altria's Turing be resting in the detention center now?"

With a forced smile, the woman crossed her hands, trying to maintain a graceful and composed posture, slowly following Turing's advancing steps.

"Excuse me, excuse me, may I ask what this beautiful lady would like?"

Uncertain of Turing's intention, the woman was momentarily at a loss for how to address Turing, so she opted to use a flattering term first.

【Merka has been eyeing this motorcycle for quite some time.】

【It seems like she wants it.】

【But for the two of us now, it's a bit too expensive.】

Turing glanced at the price tag of one and a half million on the motorcycle, feeling a surge of emotions.

【If only I could give it to Merka as a gift for the ceremony.】

【Merka would definitely be very happy.】

【But I can't afford it.】

【It looks like... I'll have to be naughty.】

"I want this, pack it up for me and deliver it to the villa on Heart Island next to the family hospital by next week."

"Um... but, uh, this is the prize for the quiz winner earlier."

"The winner has been selected, the item has been claimed, we just haven't delivered it yet. In the spirit of the contract, we can't go back on our word."

"Could you possibly make a different request..."

The woman fidgeted with her hands, put on a fawning smile, and spoke in a submissive tone next to Turing, who was a whole head taller.

"I don't care, if you don't have it, you can send one that's identical."

"If it's not delivered on time, do you know what consequences there will be."

As she spoke, Turing shook her right arm. The deathly gleam of the crown hanging on her arm cast eerie shadows in the woman's eyes.

"Miss, this is a limited edition Harley model, there's simply no identical one."

"If you like Harley... or motorcycles, I'll send you a more suitable one later."

"..."

Seeing Turing fall silent, the woman thought Turing had agreed, but then Turing immediately spoke up.

"No, I want one that's identical."

——————————————————————————

"She's running too fast..."

Dunkirk gazed at the steel gate ahead emitting scorching flames, frowning.

Coming down to the basement of Montecristo's house with Dunkirk, Merka was faced with a huge space resembling some sort of arsenal.

An arsenal? Is there an arsenal in Acadia?

Merka thought to herself, and then approached Dunkirk to take a closer look, only to find that the massive iron door of the arsenal had been split open by flames.

"What do you mean by 'she's running too fast'?"

Merka asked Dunkirk.

"There's already no one inside, this is my judgment as a professional assassin."

"You're right, if you don't count me."

Bordeaux shook his numb hands and walked out from inside the large door of the arsenal.

"Is Abdiel okay?"

"Yes, she's inside."

Although seeing a colleague should be a joyful occasion, the atmosphere between the three of them at the moment seemed somewhat tense.

"Where are the enemies? She opened the door of the armory but didn't do anything and just left?"

"Today it's my turn to be on duty. Even if the heavens themselves come, they'll lose face in front of me. If she can escape, that's already lucky enough, what else does she want to take?"

"So, did you get a good look at what the enemy looked like?"

Dunkirk's tone began to carry a hint of gunpowder.

"No, she was wearing a fox mask."

"...So, you were supposed to be on guard here, yet some criminal blatantly destroyed the gate, and you knew nothing about it?"

"What are you joking about?"

"Don't you always boast about being the top underling under Lady Maria?"

"And now you can't even do the simple task of watching the gate properly?"

"I didn't even sense any fluctuation in your magical aura."

"I say, you couldn't possibly..."

"Hey, don't tell me, Dunkirk, what do you mean!?"

"I just drew my sword, and before I knew it, that woman's judgment had shattered it!"

"I brought out Judgment, thinking of giving her a few shots, but she had already vanished in a puff of smoke."

"What do you want me to do!?"

The profound sense of battle readiness escalated between the two seasoned warriors. They were like two flints, and with just a little more friction, they would ignite a spark of death.

"...Merka, step back."

Dunkirk's tone suddenly became even more aloof than before.

"Dunkirk, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to arrest you, and await Lady Maria's judgment."

Bordeaux was momentarily taken aback by Dunkirk's icy tone, but quickly regained her composure. She rubbed her nose with her thumb, raised her two arms like spring-loaded knives, and assumed an offensive stance towards Dunkirk.

"Tsk, come on, you frivolous, night-loving noble, probably already has your brain wrapped in grease from all the feasting and revelry!"

"Who do you think Lady Maria will side with when we start fighting?"

"Wait, Bordeaux, Dunkirk, don't do this."

"We can find a better way to identify the culprit!"

Seeing the imminent clash between the two, Merka shouted anxiously.

"Judgment and Adjudication are currently only given to important individuals, right?"

"Let's urgently recall these two weapons and check whose weapon has had its ammunition depleted, as they would then be suspected as the spy."

"This method can significantly narrow down the spy's identity."

"If we start fighting amongst ourselves here, that would be walking right into the enemy's hands!"

...

The tense atmosphere slightly eased under Merka's words, and the two put away their gradually emanating magical auras, their minds also growing calmer.

"Count yourself lucky, if it weren't for Merka, you'd be picking up your teeth off the ground by now."

"Hmph, tough guy with a wall-like mouth."

Watching Bordeaux in front of him, grinning like a child, Dunkirk let out a quiet sigh.

"Never mind, Merka, go back with Turing first."

"We'll take care of this matter for now."

"It might even involve using aside... that would complicate things further."

"Hmph."

Bordeaux snorted coldly.

"Sigh."

"It's been a rough winter."

Dunkirk exhaled a cloudy breath, feeling the chill in the air, even his breath carried a tinge of frost.

Merka also sensed that the current atmosphere was not suitable for further discussion, so he nodded gently and retraced his steps back to the Montecristo family's dinner banquet.

But the chaotic information and eerie situation had completely killed Merka's appetite.

Weapon manufacturing bureau? Abdiel?

What was all this about?

The uncertain and precarious situation made Merka once again feel powerless.

But things were different now, this time, he had to protect Turing.

Merka pulled at his collar, thinking to himself.

It was as if all the truths were veiled from him.

When the Mechanical Deus ex Machina returns to my hands, I will definitely interrogate that shadow properly!"