"Anyway, how was your day? Did anyone notice anything strange or suspicious?"

Gepmajo Segiquat, as the leader of the party, naturally shifted the conversation to the reason we had gathered together.

I hesitated, wondering if I should be the first to speak, but Serista, who had just returned from volunteering at the orphanage, spoke up first.

“Well… I didn’t really notice anything unusual at the orphanage.”

Serista had spent the entire afternoon at the orphanage with Seraphine, but honestly, her answer wasn’t the most reliable. Serista was naturally very trusting of others, and her personality was somewhat weak, so she wasn’t the type to be suspicious of people.

It was better to take her opinion with a grain of salt and instead listen to what Seraphine, who had been with her all day, had to say.

“Well, the orphanage director, Mr. Hancurton, seemed a bit suspicious.”

“…W-What?! But he’s such a kind man, running an orphanage in this small village… How could you say he’s suspicious?”

“That’s exactly why he’s suspicious, Seri. Why would he run an orphanage in a remote village with so few people? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“…What?”

“Running an orphanage is a costly endeavor, Seri. You can’t support dozens of people, especially those who can’t work, on your own. You’d need either a wealthy noble, a merchant, or some other powerful backer. And those kinds of people usually set up orphanages in places with more people, so they can show off their charity and attract more donations.”

“…”

“But setting up an orphanage in a remote village with barely any people? There are only two reasons for that. Either he’s an obsessive do-gooder who doesn’t want his good deeds known, or he’s up to something shady that he doesn’t want anyone to see.”

“…It’s not right to suspect someone based only on circumstantial evidence…! What if Mr. Hancurton really is just a kind man running the orphanage out of the goodness of his heart…?”

“Then that’s who he’ll turn out to be. But we can’t afford to dismiss suspicion. It’s better to suspect someone and be wrong than to ignore a strong suspect and let the whole village fall to the bandits.”

“….”

Serista fell silent, unable to argue with Seraphine’s sound reasoning. To break the uncomfortable silence, Gepmajo Segiquat quickly followed up with his own thoughts.

“I have someone I suspect as well. The person I’m most suspicious of is the village chief, old man Rombel.”

“Old man Rombel? But he was the one who gave us the letter from the professor…! If he were working with the bandits, why would he have handed over such important information?”

“It could’ve been a way to deflect suspicion. Maybe he really can’t read, as he claims.”

“But he’s also the one who let us stay in the village hall while we’re here… Would someone really do that if they were working with bandits?”

“Well, considering how remote this village is, the village hall often serves as an inn for any travelers. And maybe the bandits’ goal isn’t just to take over Bridget Village.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember, we were attacked by bandits the night before we arrived in this village. Not only our party but also Dan and Ris, who were supposed to be traveling separately, were attacked. With the strength they showed in that ambush, why didn’t the bandits just take over Bridget Village directly? I think their goal is bigger than just this village.”

“Then… what could it be? What other goal do the bandits have?”

Even in the original game, the bandits’ goal wasn’t simply to take over Bridget Village.

Of course, if the hero's party were to lose, the humanities professor who’s been quietly observing the situation would likely step in and resolve things. But still, it didn’t hurt to keep everyone on high alert.

“Bart’s party has some stunningly beautiful women, even by noble standards. Girls like us fetch a high price anywhere.”

“P-Please don’t talk like that… I mean, calling yourself a commodity…”

“Ris, you shouldn’t refer to yourself as a product like that.”

“It’s not untrue. If I tried to sugarcoat it, Seri might not fully grasp the situation. And since I’ve experienced being sold for money before, I think it’s best for everyone to take this seriously.”

“…Ahem, anyway, I think it’s still too early to fully clear our suspicions about village chief Rombel. We need to observe the situation a bit longer.”

Gepmajo Segiquat, looking slightly flustered, quickly wrapped up the discussion.

As the meeting drew to a close, Agnes turned to me with a curious look.

“You? You spent all day with the village women. Did you notice anything?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“Was there anyone suspicious among them?”

“It’s still too early to say for sure. There was someone who acted a little strange during my swordsmanship class, though. It’s been bothering me.”

“….”

“Could I wait until tomorrow to give you a clearer answer? I want to observe the situation a bit more.”

Since the hero knew I was a possessor and that I’d played through the original game 25 times, he probably understood what I meant.

Gepmajo Segiquat nodded slightly at my request to delay my judgment on the final suspect.

“Alright. I’m sure you have your reasons, Ris.”

“…”

“…Come on, Dan, don’t glare at me just because I used her alias.”

“I wasn’t.”

Ugh, how childish his jealousy was.

Not that I minded it, really.

After the short meeting, everyone dispersed back to their rooms.

Despite there being four women in the room, it wasn’t as noisy as I had expected. Instead, it was surprisingly quiet, with each of us focused on our own tasks.

Scratch, scratch.

Scrape, scrape.

Flip, flip.

Tug, tug.

Luke was sharpening his daggers, which he hadn’t had time to maintain after the bandit fight the night before.

Seraphine was writing in her diary, as she did every night, to distinguish between the memories she saw through her future vision and what had actually happened.

Agnes, perched on her bed, was reading a magic book she had pulled out of her bag, unwilling to waste even a minute of time.

And then there was me, mending Ethan’s torn clothes with the sewing skills I had learned while working at Blackwood Manor.

Despite there being four women in the room, it was even more silent than the men’s room.

‘Well, with Serista and Natalie in the other room, I guess it’s no surprise.’

If either of them had been in this room, they would’ve at least forced some conversation, so it wouldn’t have been so quiet.

But Luke and Agnes were never the type to start a conversation, and Seraphine was always too focused on her diary when writing to initiate anything.

As for me, I was too busy mending Ethan’s clothes to say much. After all, we hadn’t come to Bridget Village to chat and laugh together.

I focused on sewing, figuring the silence would last until Seraphine finished writing. But surprisingly, it was Agnes who broke the silence first.

“Lil… I mean, Ris.”

“Yes?”

“That thing in your hands, is that Dan’s clothing?”

“Yes. It got pretty torn up during the bandit attack last night. I’m no professional tailor, but I need to at least get it in wearable condition for him.”

“…Where did you get the needle and thread?”

“I always carry some with me, just in case. As a maid, you never know when you might need it.”

“…I see.”

“When I travel, I try to bring anything I think might be useful. Bandages and potions in case of an emergency, snacks for when Dan gets hungry, and even a schedule I’ve written down to keep track of his appointments—I always keep those on me.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Since I carry these things around, they come in handy every now and then.

I thought it was a pretty normal response for a maid, but at some point, everyone in the room had started staring at me.