'Where am I?' John wondered as he walks through the street in confusion. The sun in the sky indicates that it is almost late morning. The street still has some pedestrians walking, probably finishing errands before noon. He cannot hire any carriage since he lost his wallet at Arco's manor. 

After the interrogation, John was once again blindfolded and forced into a carriage. After what seemed like forever, John's blindfold was removed, and he was dropped into a sidewalk.

John's first goal was to try and find a familiar landmark.

"Klein's tailor shop," John reads a familiar sign of the shop. he continued "That means I'm at Weiler street. So I'm still a couple of blocks away from the store." 

'I wish they dropped me a little closer though.' John inwardly complained as he walked toward his home.

'At least they gave me a set of new clothes to wearx John thought as he tried to cheer himself up. After walking for a while, he spotted a familiar bookstore, Tom's Bookstore, a street corner away.

'Might as well stop by and see if they have any good books about the supernatural.' John thought as he detours into the shop.

Upon entering the store, he smelled the familiar musky smell of old books. 

"Good day, Old Tom. You got any books on religion and the supernatural." John asked Tom. 

Tom lowered his newspaper and stared at John for a moment. He then motioned to the very back of the bookstore.

John slowly made his way to the back of the bookstore. Piles of books stacked in piles and old trunks made it tricky.

The back of the store is dustier than the front. 

When he was a kid, John had told Tom that he should clean the place, but all he got in response was a small grunt. 

The bookshelves at the back are filled with books haphazardly stacked. The name in the spine has faded over the years. 

One by one, John went through the books on the shelf. 

"The Ghost Ship of the Dark Sea."

"The Scream from the Hidden Cove."

"The Witch of Tuvan."

"The Stone Plague of Avendale."

John was fascinated by the intriguing titles of the books, but he cannot find any that relate to religion. Just as he was about to ask Tom, he noticed a large hardcover book at the very top of the shelf. With some difficulty, John was barely able to reach it.

The book was quite heavy, so John placed it down on a nearby table.

"A handwritten book," John remarked in amazement.

Most books sold in today's society are made with the use of the printing press. It's cheaper and easier to produce; the writing in them is also consistent. Most handwritten books are consolidated in the hands of the rich and powerful. In John's point of view, most people prefer printed books. Buyers of handwritten books are mostly collectors and nobles. Most handwritten books are used as kindling in this era of great advancement. 

John flips through the page trying to find the title page. After carefully unsticking some pages, he was able to learn the title of the book.

"The Origin and Character of the Great Systems," John softly reads the title of the book.

"Found a book that suited your need," a voice asked behind him.

"!" John turned around in surprise just to see Tom near him.

"...Yes," John replied after he calmed his heart down.

John looked at old Tom carefully. Every time he visited the store, Tom mostly communicated with him through grunts and gestures. The only time John heard Tom speak was when his grandfather was alive.

"But I don't have money to buy it right now." John regrettably said.

"You can have it," Tom said decisively.

"I can come back tomorrow and buy it... wait, I can have it?" John asked in surprise.

"That book doesn't belong to me. I'm just holding it for someone." Tom replied.

"Is it okay for me to take it then? Won't the owner get mad," John asked in confusion.

"They probably would want you to have it," Tom replied. He then went back to the store's counter.

 John looked at Tom's back before looking at the book on the table.

In the end, John took the book back to the store.

"Huh? It's locked," John said after he tried to open the door. He took out the key from his shoe and opened the door.

"Elma, are you home?" John said aloud. No answer.

"... I guess she went somewhere," John said as he went upstairs. 

Seeing the empty house, John felt a little bit lonely. With a little melancholy, John went to his room, placed the book down on the table, and plopped on the bed.

The forgotten tiredness swept through John's whole body. With the help of the comfortable bedding and pillow, it didn't take long for John to fall asleep.

 

Lucia woke up staring at a vaguely familiar ceiling. She looked around to find that she was sleeping on a large bed. Next to the bed was Elma sitting on a chair with her eyes close.

"Elma," Lucia called to her.

"!" Elma opened her eyes in a flash.

"Mistress, you're awake." Elma stood up from her chair excitedly.

"What happened?" Lucia asked.

"You're in Charmant's manor," Elma answered.

Elma explained what had happened. When the sun rose, Hildegard arrived in a carriage in front of the store. Under Hildegard's behest, Elma went with her. They went to the Church of Steam and were let into a room. After waiting a few hours, Lucia arrived with the priests behind her. The three girls went back to the carriage and rode off.

"Elma, I remember that part." Lucia massaged her head. "what I meant was why am I in Charmant Manor."

"We'll when we were riding the carriage, mistress fell asleep. Then Lady Charmant offered to bring mistress to the Charmant Manor to sleep comfortably, so I agreed," Elma's voice became lower as Lucia's eyes became fiercer. 

Lucia sighed and got out of bed. With the help of Elma, Lucia fixed her wrinkled clothes and bed hair.

Lucia then asked a passing maid where Hildegard is at. 

"Mistress, the maids are watching." A shy voice can be heard through the thick doors.

Blam.

The wooden door slammed open. Two figures rushed inside the room.

"Hildegard!" Lucia roared when she saw the familiar blonde girl leisurely drinking tea.

"Good afternoon, Lucia. It seems you woke up sooner than I expected," Hildegard greeted Lucia who was at the opposite side of the table. She placed the teacup on the table. 

Sue, Hildegard's maid, silently refilled the cup with tea. She wasn't on guard even though Lucia was exuding strong intent.

Meanwhile, Elma was watching her mistress with tense nerves.

"What did you do to me?" Lucia glared at Hildegard.

"I just noticed that my dear friend was tired from the ordeal, so I lent her a bed to sleep on," Hildegard replied in an innocent tone.

"I know my body's limit. I would never fall asleep at that time. Besides, what kind of friend uses their friend as bait." Lucia slammed her fist on the table, making the teacup tremble.

"Ah! Lucia. How could you think that? Did I not warn both of you and him to be cautious? Besides did I not save you in the end." Hildegard said innocently.

"But you didn't tell me the enemies would be those things. What even are they?" Lucia faltered before changing the subject.

"I also don't know. I simply learned that Peter is related to the cult in the city's slum. I did not know his connection would be that deep." Hildegard haplessly complained.

"You mean... Peter gained the ability to turn into that monster from the cult?" Lucia asked in horror.

"From my experience...yes..." Hildegard summoned the card in her fingers.

"I won't worry if I were you. You're able to kill the other monsters without accepting my offer." Hildegard added as she twirls the card in her finger.

"I have been practicing swordplay recently," Lucia said. Now that she was calmed down, Lucia sighed and said to Hildegard. "I also want to thank you for saving us." Lucia.

"Hahaha, I guess my stubborn cousin has changed. Is it because you're living with that man?" Hildegard teased.

"...it is not..." Lucia tried to deny it.

"... However, I do have something that could take your mind off these things for a bit." Hildegard cuts off Lucia and motions at Sue with her free hand.

With Hildegard's signal, Sue comes close to Lucia and hands her a white envelope.