Bang!

The white-haired girl fell flat on the ground with a solid thud, her legs hopelessly tangled in the jump rope. Tears welled in her eyes from the sharp sting of the fall. Ashe stifled a laugh, stepping over to pull Lys aside and tend to her. "This is my first time seeing someone actually trip themselves while skipping rope. Does it really hurt that much?"

Lys didn't say a word. She simply buried her face in his chest, trembling slightly.

Ashe glanced over at the sea witches. He thought to himself that while these mermaids[1] weren't exactly hideous, they were a far cry from the graceful mermaids of legend. If nothing else, true mermaids shouldn't possess rows of serrated teeth or bloodshot pupils. It was only natural for a child to be terrified.

Since Ashe loathed exercise anyway, he happily used the excuse of babysitting to slack off. The sea witches merely cast a passing glance in their direction. They knew the Demon Lord, Purple Moth, Rusty Crow, and Ghost King were scheduled to arrive, but they had no idea who was who. Everyone from the Funeral Agency wore identical cloaks and masks. To the witches, the pair of a grown man and a little girl looked like nothing more than useless mascots tagging along to make up the numbers.

Annan withdrew her gaze from Ashe and Lys, looking back at Heliphas as she slowly shook her head. "That's impossible. The Princess of Isa has always been the ultimate secret of the Isa Imperial Family, valued even above the Empress herself. This secrecy...