Pluto

What's this?

Pluto frowned as he sorted through the reports from Pereus. A soldier had been found dead in an alley. Name: Bohr. Traces of Nectar Reaction were detected on the body. The Knights had named Bohr's squadmate, Terio, as the primary suspect.

"Nectar…"

Pluto's face darkened. There's no way a witch could be roaming the city center. If there was one, the Knights of Pereus would've noticed. So why was Nectar Reaction found on the corpse?

Come to think of it, Terio was one of the soldiers who bought Night Fruit from Isania Circle. If Bohr's death was connected to Terio, then that could explain the Nectar Reaction.

But why would Terio be releasing Nectar in the first place?

"Night Fruit..."

Pluto's face went pale, and he shot up from his seat. The soldiers who took it all showed similar symptoms—hallucinations, convulsions, heightened aggression. Rare, but those were also the symptoms of Nectar poisoning in animals.

Why am I only realizing this now?

Night Fruit is made from Nectar.

There's no way Isania Circle got their hands on it by chance. The Moon Shadow Cult must have been using them for something.

"…Trick Lady Isania like that…"

Beneath his usual cold tone, a fire of anger burned.

"They'll pay for this."

There's a little monster living in this village.

This kid has a terrifying ability—he can force his emotions onto others.

When he laughs, everyone around him laughs.

When he cries, everyone cries with him.

In this village, there were two close friends.

They had never fought before and were always kind to each other.

But one day, out of nowhere, they started yelling at each other.

Just moments ago, they had been chatting happily.

Their words got harsher and harsher until they started throwing punches.

Their fight was so intense that even the onlookers were shocked.

It took the entire village to pull them apart.

Afterward, when asked why they fought, neither of them could remember.

They just said they suddenly felt overwhelming anger toward each other.

Later, people realized—they had passed by that kid.

The little monster's anger had taken control of them.

What a terrifying power...

The ability to manipulate emotions… that must be the work of a witch.

The Isania Circle brings together all kinds of people.

Disgraced nobles, wandering mercenaries, young villagers.

All of them gathered here to follow Lady Isania.

They treat each other like family and stay loyal to their duties. But just like real siblings don't always see eye to eye, not everyone in the circle has the same motives. Most of these people… just want her attention.

Instead of doing their actual jobs, they focus on making themselves stand out. That's why it's easy to overestimate their contributions.

No matter how much a group feels like family, if contributions aren't properly recognized, it'll fall apart. Imagine someone doing less work than me, but getting more praise just because they're flashy. Wouldn't that feel unfair? If that keeps happening, no one will stay loyal.

So, the leader must know who is truly dedicated and who is just slacking off. Hard workers should be rewarded. Slackers should be punished. Only when people believe they'll be fairly evaluated will they truly be under control.

My reward? For me, working for Lady Isania is my reward. She saved me. She made me who I am. For her, I'd burn myself to ashes without hesitation.

Because my very existence is for her.