"Can it be done meow?"
"The probability isn't high. Even with supporting mediums, the success rate of prediction won't exceed 20%, but as long as they keep predicting, they'll eventually divine your location correctly. I estimate that guy is torn about which guild's benefits to accept and to whom he should reveal the information..."
It would be better to just assassinate that player who knows astrology.
That said, Trafalgar had given us a warning. [Astrology] was a skill that seriously threatened Lily's safety, and since killed players could revive, it was quite a troublesome problem.
"Anna."
"Lily...?"
Lily, who had originally been hiding in the small wooden cabin, suddenly walked out openly. Behind her followed Sigrdrífa, who gave me an apologetic expression.
With unprecedented resolve, Lily turned to address the surprised Trafalgar.
"Baron Trafalgar, I will... tell everyone the truth I witnessed."
Trafalgar was slightly shocked and stopped his departing steps.
Had she made this decision after hearing our conversation? Did Lily have her own thoughts?
"The Duke Borgia I initially knew... was the same as Baron Trafalgar described... a hero protecting the Kingdom of Michel, loving his people like children, a gentle yet powerful noble. You know that Duke Borgia was rescuing homeless children."
"Could it be... you were also a child Duke Borgia rescued?"
Trafalgar had mentioned earlier that Duke Borgia, no longer able to take the front lines, had begun dedicating himself to rescuing homeless children within his ducal territory.
"Yes... I received food and shelter from priests and nuns at the church... but later, messengers sent by Duke Borgia took us away, saying they could provide us with better lodging and nurture us into useful people."
Lily had told Sigrdrífa before. Initially, Sigrdrífa and I suspected the Church had harmed Lily, but in Lily's memory, the Church's priests and nuns were kind people who had provided her with food and shelter.
Relieving suffering was the Church's duty, but ultimately the funds of churches everywhere were limited. Homeless adults could still be taught to work with their hands and given jobs, but homeless children could only be raised personally by the Church until adulthood—the pressure was actually considerable.
Duke Borgia's offer to raise homeless children for the Church reduced the Church's burden, and with Duke Borgia's personal reputation as guarantee, he was undoubtedly the best candidate.
"I did hear about that."
Trafalgar acknowledged Lily's account.
"Duke Borgia claimed he wanted to nurture the next generation of warriors to fight the undead. We all thought that with children's companionship, Duke Borgia could emerge from the pain of losing all his children."
"The Duke... brought us... to his Reunion Castle..."
I silently moved to Lily's side, and Lily reflexively grasped my hand.
"There, my friends and I... everyone... was very happy... everyone said Duke Borgia was a good person... when we grew up... we would repay him..."
Noticing Lily's abnormal cold sweat, Trafalgar's certainty wavered with confusion for the first time.
Why would Duke Borgia frighten a small child like this? He probably had similar doubts.
"One day, my friend disappeared. Everyone said she went to receive Duke Borgia's teachings. But I never saw my friend again. Then after a while, another friend of mine also went to see Duke Borgia... The third friend too, but no one ever came back. Duke Borgia also wouldn't tell me where everyone had gone."
"..."
"I... was very scared and wanted to leave the castle, but the servant uncles coaxed me back and wouldn't let me go. I was really so frightened... Then every day I thought of ways to leave—I didn't want to stay there anymore. From the servant uncles' conversations, I heard about something called... scro... scro..."
"Scroll."
I reminded her.
My guess was correct—Lily had used a spatial transfer scroll during her escape.
"Yes that, something very powerful that could let me escape from the castle. I didn't sleep at night and quietly went to steal the scroll..."
Lily's teeth were chattering uncontrollably. She hadn't completely emerged from that day's terrifying memories.
"I saw... I saw... everyone, but they had all... become so scary... they had all become... hideous, frightening monsters...!"
"...?!"
"They saw me too and walked toward me... I called everyone's names, but they seemed like they couldn't hear... Everyone was completely pale, the friends who used to love playing hide-and-seek and climbing trees had become very stiff in their movements... their body temperature... was cold..."
"Undead zombies? This is impossible!!!"
Trafalgar, who had experience fighting undead, cried out in shock. Frightened Lily immediately burrowed into my embrace, sobbing softly.
"Baron Trafalgar, please mind your behavior."
"Ha...! Are you trying to say... Duke Borgia was creating zombies in his own castle? He's a hero of the Kingdom of Michel!"
Sigrdrífa suddenly spoke up: "So you think everything is a lie fabricated by Lily? Lily lives in fear every night. Anna protected this child, yet Duke Borgia still won't let her go, even mobilizing the entire ducal territory to hunt Lily!"
"You don't understand Duke Borgia's character at all!"
"I ask you! When was the last time you saw Duke Borgia? Of those children Duke Borgia took in, who has seen any of them since?"