The Bonsandi Manor, which had been somewhat quiet and deserted, suddenly became lively.
Maids bustled back and forth on the third floor, replacing blood-stained items in Per's innermost room, while others wiped down the weakened Per's body.
Meanwhile, Syl, led by a maid, went to the guest washroom to wash the bloodstains from her face and hair.
To be honest, even an experienced physician couldn't completely avoid those spurting jets of blood; several spots on her clothes were stained with drops of blood, especially near the sleeves.
Fortunately, it was a black trench coat, and Syl wasn't overly fastidious about cleanliness. After letting a maid do a simple cleaning, she put it back on. This time, however, Syl donned her crow-beak mask.
She had to find an opportunity to leave. Not only did Bonsandi have a special background, but there was also someone present who sounded like a member of the royal family. The situation was too complex for Syl to linger.
If Bonsandi happened to ask about Syl saving his great-grandfather, Syl could directly declare the role-playing game over—GG.
After tidying up, Syl was led back to the third floor by the maid. Reaching the corridor leading to Per's room, she saw Barro and the young girl in the elegant white dress standing by the door together, seemingly waiting for her.
"Lord Silver Crow, you've arrived." Barro lowered his head slightly, his attitude far more respectful than at the beginning. "Per has regained consciousness and is currently resting... I don't even know how to thank you."
Samantha also spoke in a small, apologetic voice: "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you just now... Thank you for curing little Per."
Even as a Princess, she lowered her noble head slightly at this moment. Her friend had been saved, yet she had nearly misunderstood the savior—the feeling filled her with shame.
Facing their thanks, Syl only asked indifferently:
"What about the currency?"
Barro Bonsandi: "Hmm?"
Samantha: "Eh?"
Both of them were stunned.
currency? What currency?
Barro belatedly remembered something and asked tentatively: "Uh... do you mean the 5,000 currency reward?"
Barro saw Syl nod.
'How could someone like Lord Silver Crow, who possesses such means without even drinking a potion, care about 5,000 currency? And compared to 5,000 currency, the friendship of myself and the Princess is clearly more valuable... She must be thinking of leaving.'
"Why not stay tonight and dine with my daughter..." Barro caught the subtext of Syl's desire to leave, but still tried to persuade her to stay.
"No time." Syl shook her head, directly refusing Barro's invitation.
Barro really wanted her to stay to properly host this "old" physician who had saved his ancestor, even though she didn't look old at all.
"Alright..." Barro knew that continuing to insist would be annoying, so he could only say, "I'll have the butler bring the check over. If you need anything, please feel free to command me. I, Barro Bonsandi, will definitely not hesitate."
'And what if I said I wanted to start a riot on your turf?' Syl grumbled silently in her heart. Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud.
"Where is Miss Silver Crow headed? I'll have someone prepare a carriage for you," Barro asked Syl after instructing the butler.
Although Syl wanted to refuse, she looked at the time. If she walked back, it might already be dark by the time she reached White Rose District or Ivisa District, and she wouldn't be able to get anything done.
"Iviza West District," Syl said briefly.
When she witnessed the blood sacrifice earlier, her heart had been slightly flustered. Now that she had recovered, Syl wanted to go and erase the traces of her presence.
"Iviza West District?" Barro's expression looked very surprised, seemingly not expecting Syl to go to such a place. "Alright, I'll have someone prepare a carriage right away."
By then, the butler had arrived with the check. Barro whispered a few words into the butler's ear, instructing him to safely deliver Lord Silver Crow to the Iviza West District.
But when the butler heard 'Iviza West District,' his expression shifted. He leaned into Barro's ear and said:
"Master Bonsandi, I think you should warn Lord Silver Crow to be careful..."
"A factory owner just reported that a blood sacrifice occurred in the Iviza West District... It's a big mess. Investigators from the Church of Generosity and Wisdom have already intervened to investigate..."
After speaking, the butler stepped aside and said no more.
Although the butler had lowered his voice, Syl still heard what he said. Syl's nerves instantly tensed up.
'Crap, Investigators? The Church? Am I about to be found out?'
"Uh... those Investigators are a nuisance. They'll keep investigating until the end, they're quite annoying," Barro scratched his head, then took a crest from his chest and handed it to Syl. "Lord Silver Crow, please accept this Bonsandi Family crest."
"Something happened over in the Iviza West District; it seems a cult was performing a blood sacrifice. The Church is investigating heavily now. If you hold this crest, you can save yourself a lot of trouble with the investigation. If anyone asks later, I, Bonsandi, can be your alibi... because you are still at my manor right now."
Samantha also nodded from the side: "I will also testify for you."
Syl nodded expressionlessly, reached out to casually take the crest, and said: "Thanks."
In the eyes of Princess Samantha and Barro, Syl had been performing surgery at the manor the whole time and had nothing to do with the blood sacrifice. That was why they gave the crest and agreed to testify without any hesitation.
No matter how hard they racked their brains, they could never imagine that the person who caused that blood sacrifice incident and the one who just performed surgery on Per were actually the same person.
"Then I shall take my leave." After accepting the check, Syl turned to leave. The butler quickly followed her lead to show the way.
Once she finally turned the corner and left their sight, Syl finally breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
With her right hand in her pocket, clutching the crest Barro had just given her, she felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately... she found out ahead of time that she might have been exposed and even got a 'get-out-of-jail-free card.' Otherwise, if Syl had rashly run back to clean up the scene, she would have walked straight into the lion's den.
But now, there was no need to worry about exposure.
However, it seemed today wasn't suitable for staying out any longer. She had to hurry back to the inn, change back into the Saintess, and return to the Holy See—that was the safest place.
Sitting in the carriage, Syl tightly gripped the crest in her hand. The slightly bumpy ride also made Syl feel a bit restless.
"Fear: 23/100"
"Hmm?"
"Fear: 33/100"
"Fear: 89/100"
"System? What's going on?"
"Fear: 137/100"
"Fear: 190/100"
...Suddenly, on the system panel in front of Syl, the Fear count for the Joker's promotion mission began to increase rapidly. In just a short time, it rose to over three hundred.
Then, because the mission was completed, the Fear count directly disappeared.
"Sufficient Fear collected."
"Mission [Infamous] completed."
"Reward: [Romantic Heart-Stealing Love Saint] ×1"
"Mission over-completed."
"Reward Item: [Infatuation] ×1"
Syl's mouth hung slightly open beneath her mask, her mind feeling like a mess of mush.
"What happened?"