You think you're worthy of saving the world?

"Stop dreaming."

Safia sighed: "There's nothing we can do about it, isn't there? When it was founded, it was agreed that it would be disbanded when Yuri came of age. That's the first rule of the Knights."

"Perhaps there's another way..."

Amelod, who had remained silent throughout, pursed his lips: "I will not let the Lily Cross disband like this."

Ruby and Safia are both somewhat lazy and easygoing, while the serious Emerald is always the most responsible of the three.

Faced with the crisis of the Lily Cross's dissolution, she was probably the most anxious one, even though she didn't show it to the outside world.

"That's true, there's definitely still room for negotiation... By the way, how about we write a joint letter?"

Ruby's eyes lit up, and she suddenly had a brilliant idea: Let's all launch a joint petition to the Papal Court, demanding that the Lily Cross continue to exist.

“Hmm, that sounds good. I’ll help too,” Safia nodded in agreement.

The crowd began to discuss it enthusiastically.

……

……

……

The time comes at night.

Yuri first went home to meet up with Annabelle and Irene, and then they went together to the mission location in the residential area of ​​the upper city.

Annabelle's parents' home.

According to information provided by Princess Rosalia, the Ghost's next assassination target is Annabelle's father.

Flynn Rudolph, the head of a long-established count in the Augusta Empire.

He was one of the core members of the noble forces left behind by the Empire in the Papacy. Politically, he belonged to the radical hardliners and was a patriot who put the interests of the Empire first.

In terms of personality, Flynn's acerbic nature is almost identical to that of his daughter Annabelle. He is not very considerate of others' feelings at work and often makes critical remarks.

Rosalia once admired his style and even tried to recruit him into her camp more than a decade ago.

However, Flynn denounced Rosalia as an evil tyrant who manipulated the emperor and the court, which infuriated the Grand Duchess so much that she banished him to the Papacy, far from the center of imperial power.

There must be quite a few people who want to kill Flynn, so it's not surprising that he became a target of the "Wraith".

The Rudolf family mansion is located in a rather remote part of the Upper Town, requiring an hour and a half by carriage from the city center, which is also a "perk" for Rosalia.

Incidentally, Flynn and Annabelle didn't have a good relationship, which was another reason she moved out after starting work.

For the next few days, Yuri and his friends stayed at Annabelle's old house every night.

According to intelligence, the "Ghost" only operates at night, so you only need to pay attention to the nighttime.

"Anna... why are you back? What happened to your job at school?!"

When Annabelle knocked on the door, a simply dressed but elegant woman came out to greet her.

"Good evening, Mother," the purple-haired female teacher greeted respectfully; she appeared to be Anna's mother.

"Good evening, Auntie!" Eileen peeked out from behind Annabelle.

The woman looked surprised: "Even Eileen... What's wrong with you all today?"

“Well, I had a little something to take care of today… Is Father home?” Annabelle asked.

The woman nodded and led them into the mansion, glancing curiously at the black-haired boy beside them.

"Auntie! This is my relative's child, his name is Yuri!"

Eileen hugged Yuri from behind and introduced him to Anna's mother with a smile.

“Hello,” Yuri replied.

"Oh my, what an adorable boy..." the woman said with a smile. "They do look a bit like siblings, hehe."

"Right, right, hehehe!" Eileen hugged Yuri tightly and rubbed her face against him.

It's not surprising that Annabelle's mother would say such a thing—

Yuri entered Annabelle's hometown incognito.

Although Yuri himself had never met Flynn, it is possible that the other party knew the Child of Prophecy, so he underwent some disguise before coming.

After Annabelle changed her job to "Personal Secretary", she also gained the skill of "Disguise".

Yuri's appearance and demeanor changed slightly under her transformation, and she even wore a silver wig, so much so that even Cecilia might not recognize her.

The group walked through the hall and arrived at the door of the study.

“Your father is inside.”

The woman glanced at Annabelle uneasily, her slightly furrowed brows seeming to say, "Don't fight."

"Leave it to me, Mother."

Then, Annabelle gently knocked on the door and went inside.

Flynn Rudolph was a middle-aged man who looked very serious and dignified.

He sat at his desk with broad shoulders and a straight back, looking completely at ease.

Despite having gray hair and wrinkles etched on his face that befit his age, he exudes an indescribable sense of oppression.

Seeing his youngest daughter, whom he hadn't seen for several years, enter the study with several people, Flynn let out a heavy "humph."

He put the book back on the table, got up from his chair, went to a corner of the study, and picked up the military knife that was lying there.

Yuri: "?"

Flynn drew his saber from its sheath, pointed it at Annabelle, and suddenly shouted, "You brat, are you here to take my life?"

"——————"

An overwhelming stillness enveloped the study.

Annabelle remained unfazed as the father and daughter glared at each other.

Eileen, standing to the side, turned deathly pale with fright: "Wait...wait! Uncle, it's not like that...!"

Seconds later, the lady of the house rushed into the house.

"Honey! What are you doing to your daughter?"

She snatched the military knife from her husband's hand, scolded him for a while, and then left the study.

What unique parents... Yuri clicked her tongue. No wonder they were able to raise Annabelle to have such an aggressive personality.

Flynn clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and sat back down in his chair.

"Hmph, I've already heard that a number of imperial nobles have been murdered within the Vatican recently, so... I must be under their watch too."

Of all times, you had to come home at this hour. If you're not here to kill me, then what are you doing here? Tell me! What are you doing back here?!

“I’m here to protect you,” Annabelle said coldly.

"protect me?"

Flynn burst into laughter: "You, a runaway brat? Hahahaha!"

"Anna is really worried about your safety, Uncle!"

Eileen quickly began to explain.

There was no point in hiding it now, so they decided to tell Flynn their purpose directly.

"Hmph... So you've become the Grand Duchess's lackey." Flynn's anger deepened.

A few days ago, Rosalia had sent guards to him, but they were driven away.

“How could anyone be trusted by someone sent by that tyrannical woman!” Flynn exclaimed.

Unexpectedly, the woman changed her choice of guard to Annabelle.

Flynn was furious that his daughter, whom he had raised with such care, had become Rosalia's lackey.

"Get out of here! I may be old, but I haven't fallen so low that I need my daughter to protect me!"

Annabelle showed no sign of backing down, shook her head, and said calmly, "I have found someone I can be loyal to for life, and it is not Rosalia."

Today, I'm here on that person's orders to arrest the assassins lurking within the Vatican, nothing more.

"...You? You've found someone to swear your loyalty to?"

“That’s right.” Annabelle nodded solemnly.

Flynn narrowed his eyes suspiciously, as if trying to discern the truthfulness of Annabelle's words from her expression.

Finally, he turned his chair around, his back to everyone—a tacit approval that Annabelle and the others should stay.

The group left the study and went outside the mansion to set up a detection barrier.

Along the way, Annabelle showed Yuri a guilty expression, but Yuri smiled and told her not to take it to heart.

“Your father is quite a character, much like Teacher Anna. I don’t dislike him.”

“Do I look a lot like my father?” Annabelle lowered her head and murmured softly.

When everyone finished creating the barrier and returned to the hall, it was already past nine o'clock at night.

"Anna will sleep with Yuri tonight."

When it was time to rest, Eileen suddenly put her hands on her hips and announced it like a mistress of the house.

The Rudolf family mansion was not large, and there was only one guest room available for guests. However, Annabelle's room had a very large bed, which could easily accommodate two or three people.

"Don't let my hard work go to waste, keep going!"

She walked up to Annabelle, patted her on the shoulder meaningfully, winked, and then disappeared at the end of the corridor.

"I'm sorry, my room has been unoccupied for a long time."

Annabelle brought Yuri to her bedroom.

Yuri looked around curiously; it was a room that didn't have much of an aristocratic atmosphere, but rather a lively, everyday feel.

Although no one has lived here for several years, there is almost no dust on the furniture, which shows that it is cleaned regularly.

"Get some rest early tonight." Yuri took off her wig.