4 (3) – 11

The main boulevard was already in a terrible state.

"Stop messing around!? What the hell kind of vigilantes are you!? Take off your damned masks!!"

"We are acting under the authority of the Lörrich family! Take you and your children and go home!"

"Shaddup! You guys are destroying this town!"

"We won't rest until we have rounded up all those who have given themselves over to vice! We are this town's true protectors!"

The youths who had been helping with the manual labour and the youths who were quick to resort to violence. When these two opposing vigilante groups faced each other, it might have been inevitable this would happen.

When Camilla rushed back out onto the main street, the chaos was already so rampant that she couldn't tell the groups apart anymore. The vigilantes swarmed and mingled with one another, shouting insults and throwing punches. The nearby stalls were caught up in the fighting, with their supports being kicked out or people being shoved into them, causing them to collapse. A lot of the cooks from the restaurants had already fled, but the more hotheaded ones had already jumped into the fray to protect their work.

"S-Stop this! Stop this at once!!"

But even though Camilla raised her voice, no one on the street paid any notice. In the first place, could they even hear her voice over all this chaos? No one even looked Camilla's way.

Looking at the surroundings as she desperately shouted, she saw the stalls that seemed to have been smashed up on purpose. Perhaps, at the beginning of the fracas, Franz's vigilantes had attacked the stalls and the younger vigilantes who had been helping them must have tried to stop them.

But, now both groups were blindly fighting, with the stalls falling around them as a result. The signs that were going to be put above them had been smashed, the cookware bent and the dishes shattered. When she saw that even the flowers had been trampled under their feet, the heat rose to Camilla's head.

– He calls this 'taking care of security'!?

She swore to never trust Klaus again after this.

As that grudge against Klaus fermented in her head, Camilla breathed out angrily. Then, she shut her eyes and shook her head.

Trying to shout over this riot would be fruitless. And there wasn't anything that she could do just by herself. If she tried to enter the fray to try and intervene personally, Camilla would only get needlessly hurt.

– Even though he said that he would entrust it to me. Even though he asked me to settle it...

There didn't seem to be anything Camilla could do here. Camilla, all alone and without anyone by her side, felt more powerless than ever before.

– Lord Alois...

Even though she had told him that she would make it work. Even though she told him that she would make it fun.

Everything had already become a complete mess. Regret washed over her as she looked down. Biting her lip and balling her hands into fists, Camilla glared at her feet.

"Gu..."

From the back of her mouth, a voice leaked out. A voice that was as if she was trying to suppress tears.

"Guuu..."

She put more power into her feet. If she didn't do that, she felt like she might sink to her knees.

She had looked forward to it. She had wanted to make it fun. She had spent so long preparing... But even if the preparations were fun themselves, the climax was just too disappointing.

Her heart felt broken.

Gazing at the ground, she sighed angrily, then took a deep breath.

Then, instead of tears, instead she spat that breath back out with all her might.

"Guu... I... I... I hate thiiis!"

No one heard Camilla's forceful yell. That was fine. Camilla didn't yell it for anyone else to hear.

"I will not give up! Are there any men spare!? Lord Alois!? Where are Victor and the rest!?"

They weren't there. No matter where she looked, there weren't sight nor sound of them.

If Alois or Victor were near, they would've heard Camilla's words. Right now, she needed to gather whoever she could to help her throw water over the spreading fire that was the fighting in the street. Alois and the others might even have gotten caught up in the uproar and might need help straight away.

She was worried about Klaus as well, who was all alone in that vacant lot, but right now she had to focus on the problems in front of her.

Giving her cheeks a slap, Camilla ran up the main boulevard, searching for the faces she knew.

〇

She loved Victor.

She only wished for Victor's happiness. That wasn't a lie.

Even if Victor didn't choose her, she would be fine so long as he was happy. And when the day came for her to say 'congratulations' with that cool face, she would be proud of just how good she looked when she did it.

But, if Mia was his partner, then Victor might not find the happiness she wished for him.

Mia was the daughter of a poor tailor. She wasn't well-educated, had a rough upbringing and even her way of talking was brusque and mannish. Just like their reputation stated, craftsmen were base and coarse.

For someone from an affluent family like Victor, a girl from a richer house would be more suitable. That way, both their families could be happy as well. If both of the families were wealthy, then it would be easy to cultivate a business relationship as well. Especially since Victor's family were merchants. A relationship with any other affluent family would only bring value.

She only wished for Victor's happiness.

Therefore, this was all for Victor's sake.

She hadn't done anything wrong.

All the people leading the vigilantes had told Verrat that.

〇

There was a small stage that had been set up for the band in the plaza.

The torn red dress that was draped across its front was a more vivid decoration than any wreath of flowers.

The skin of the drum had been pierced, a broken stick shoved through it. The flute and the oboe were harder to break. After smashing them on the steps, she couldn't break them, but at least they were bent somewhat. But, since some of the keys had flown off, they wouldn't make such a decent sound anymore.

All that was left was the violin.

It wasn't hard to break a wooden violin. Even if it was a young woman who was smashing it into the ground, it would easily shatter.

She raised it high, high in the air... But as she held it there, shaking in her hand, Victor and the others arrived.

"Verrat! Stop it!"

When she heard Victor's shout, her hand stopped shaking. But, then she saw Mia standing next to him.

"Why did you do something like this!?"

When she heard her agonized scream, Verrat's face twisted into a grimace. Why? That was an easy question. It was all for Victor's sake.

When she sighed with a smile, she finally found her determination again. But just as Verrat was about to calmly swing down and dash that violin against the ground...

"STOP THAT AT ONCE!"

Before she could bring it down, she heard a shrill and angry voice of a woman, much closer than Victor and the others.

Just as she did, she suddenly felt something smack into her body.

When that woman smashed against her body and rolled with her on the ground, she didn't realize who it was. It was only after that woman sat on top of her did Verrat remember.

When she saw that fierce look in her eyes. As Verrat stared at her angry glare, she realized that the person who tackled her was the infamous villainess that everyone knew... Camilla.