The alley by the lake was utterly calm.

Looking to the left and right, you could even spot the silhouettes of passersby making their way through.

Ronald walked with the two young girls through the alley.

After checking all around, they failed to find any peculiar traces.

An entire day had passed. Not only were there no traces from the confrontation the night before, but even the lingering magical wave residues on nearby buildings were thoroughly cleared by Entrold's agents.

"Nicole, was it like this when you came here this morning?"

Faced with the situation, Ronald sent a helpless look towards the investigator girl.

Nicole shrugged similarly helplessly, then pouted:

"Ronald, you can see it too—the staff here are quite diligent. Only a day has passed, and there's basically nothing left for us."

Though she said this, Nicole didn't plan to keep Ronald in the dark. She quickly stepped towards a corner of the alley by the lake, then gestured at the ground:

"The rune I found this morning was etched on this brick, but now it's been completely erased. And about two meters from here, there's a bit of magical wave residue left. I think..."

At this point, Nicole paused slightly.

Then she continued with a somewhat uncertain tone:

"That residue has a hint of spirit interference in it, but having never encountered it personally, I can't determine its school or the actual effect of the spell."

"Spirit interference..."

Hearing this term, Ronald immediately thought of the cult magicians.

Under the legitimately rooted leadership of that second-generation cult leader in Cestra, these guys had recently been causing quite a stir in Waterfall City. Even though communication with Lralye had been cut off, from what Ronald had witnessed upon returning to the city, he knew how restless they were.

"Nicole, do you think it could be related to the cult magicians?"

Upon thinking of such a connection, Ronald naturally posed the question to the investigator girl before him.

But Nicole couldn't be sure of it.

Even with Ronald providing clues, she still shook her head gloomily:

"I still can't be certain."

"Compared to straightforward attack spells like setting fires or shooting rays, the fluctuations from spirit interference residues are just too weak."

"That's true..."

Ronald nodded; what Nicole said was indeed the reality.

If the remaining magic fluctuations here were spells used by cult magicians to modify bodies, Nicole, being an investigator, could naturally give a definitive answer.

But spirit interference, this elusive and indeterminate matter...

Honestly, Nicole being able to capture this slight residue is already due to her high level of professional ability as an investigator.

"..."

"Sir, perhaps I could try."

Just as the situation seemed somewhat at a dead end, Costate, standing next to Ronald, suddenly spoke up.

Then the maid took two steps to Nicole's side.

Before using her methods for investigation, as was customary, she first sought authorization from Ronald:

"Sir, should I start now?"

"Costate... you can't possibly read the memory of this brick, can you?"

Faced with the maid's movements, Ronald made a joke to lighten the mood before continuing:

"I can't detect the slightest trace of magic fluctuations here. How could you possibly make it reappear?"

"Sir, it's almost March now." Facing Ronald's inquiry, Costate first mentioned the current time before continuing, "With the change of season and month, my main spell ability has shifted from manipulating gases to controlling water flow, which happens to be helpful in this situation."

"Let's give it a try then." Ronald nodded.

With that, the conversation concluded.

The magic power brewing in Costate began to show its ability.

The maid's immaculate right hand touched the brick Nicole pointed out, and the damp air around them started undergoing a subtle transformation, with specks of dew appearing at the edge of Costate's palm.

In just a few seconds, an even more wondrous transformation began to occur.

The newly-formed water droplets gathered on the brick, then connected into lines, and ultimately transformed to arrange several characters.

And their meaning was—Weakness, Extinction.

"That's right!"

"Those are the runes I saw before, and the position is precisely the same!"

Seeing the miracle before her, Nicole promptly confirmed the accuracy of Costate's spell.

After Ronald raised a finger to urge silence,

Nicole closed her mouth and, along with Ronald, continued watching the maid's magical operation.

The water droplets continued their activity—

After they merged into these runes, the process of condensation didn't stop but continued gathering, increasing in number. Until the surplus part flowed onto the ground, forming the outline of a person.

"This is where I detected the spirit interference spell!" Nicole explained at the opportune moment, deliberately lowering her voice to avoid disrupting Costate's spellcasting.

However, Ronald and Nicole's concerns seemed somewhat excessive.

Because Costate immediately maintained the spell while simultaneously explaining to the two of them:

"These water molecules, at very minute scales, can detect things invisible to the human eye. By issuing a command for them to arrange and combine, we can somewhat reconstruct past scenes."

Yet during her explanation, Costate's actions were not purely verbal.

While elaborating on her current spell ability, the maid seized the chance to give Ronald a wink specifically. It was clear she was hinting to Ronald that this spell wasn't as simple as she had described.

"..."

Ronald shivered.

He was shocked by the scene before him.

Not by the wonder of Costate's spell, but by the maid's furtive gesture.

Ronald could swear by the heavens, since meeting Costate, though she sometimes simulated human behavior, making very human-like movements.

But this sort of clever hinting—unprecedented!

Without a doubt, Costate's personality was emerging at an unexpected pace.

And such a change...

Was it due to the benefits of spending time with Nicole, or the effects of his long-term suggestions?

With the current information alone.

Ronald couldn't determine the true reason behind it.

And as he paid significant attention and focus on this, the water droplets under Costate's control underwent a change—the humanoid outline on the ground started moving in a crawling fashion towards the side of the alley.

Finally, with a slither,

the entire 'person' slipped into the lake beside the alley.