Wide awake and anxious, last night's revelation didn't allow me to have a wink of sleep. Curled to my blanket like a giant worm, its comfort becomes my companion in these trying times. 

"What in the world was that..." 

A possible plan to kill my uncle? I know I dislike him for what he did, but my hatred doesn't extend to wishing for his death!

"But he is the Director of Eurus. The threat of being killed for the significance in his position is undeniably real."

I want to believe he’s consistently under the protective eyes of his subordinates, but like life itself, there’s still a chance for everything to go horribly wrong no matter how prepared a person is. 

Only three hours left until the event. Celebration will take place once the clock ticks during Twilight Hour as per usual Eurus custom. Until then, I have zero preparations, let alone thinking of a fit to wear. 

"But what can a civilian like me do..."

It’s not like citizens are prohibited from doing preventive actions, but beyond that is the Keeper’s duty. As expected, the only thing I could do is to report both Master and Aide about this, then kiss my participation goodbye. 

I exhaled a long sigh.

"I need a walk."

Upon arriving at the soon commercialized Twilight Art Museum, I begin to understand why the building management is willing to go to great lengths by spending millions of Thalers to have Ariel the Prima Donna to star as tonight's artist.

For starters, the architecture style itself takes us back to a more classical time —— a time prior to Tellus. I'm pretty sure 'gothic' is the appropriate word to describe it. Despite its antique flair, it has a few modern touches adorning the entry pavement, such as a line up of mannequins wearing different poses, while donning in styles of fashion at various points of time in history. According to publicly revealed information, this art museum intended not only to display art installations, but anything that falls under the category of 'Art'. It can be anything; poetry, sculptures, fashion, music, even food. 

The architect in charge of constructing this magnum opus is a renown Nostrumen architect, Zayed Al Nassar, famously dubbed as the "Carver of Volsinii" following his rise of prominence from being the former Basileus of Tevere——Lucius Vittorio Volsinii's architect partner to revitalize the metropolitan's dying urban spaces. By the way, his famous work is the Basilica di Costanza al Monte Tibur, which functions as the current office building for Tevere's main government body, and let me tell you this; it's beyond majestic.

"Whoa... always expect the best from Nostrumen's architects. Adding Ariel into this, one can only wonder how much cash they blew for this..."

Still, it's the best form of appreciation for art done by the hands of a maestro. Nostrum's Progenitor, Mehi, was the pinnacle of intellect at that time. The Path of Construct he bestowed to his students allowed his knack for learning to flow into their blood, and as a result, produced most of Tellus' greatest minds. All the inventions we've been incorporating into our daily lives were the products of geniuses, and that if I were to stand next to one of them. It'd be like comparing an ant to a whale; the same kind, except we came from vastly two different worlds.

"Security is tight as expected. It should be impossible for anything bad to happen, right?" 

With the Keeper being responsible for tonight's security, you would expect nothing less from them. At the front staircases, a simulation of a prediction for tonight's entry queue is currently underway. Judging by the practice of it, there seems to be a three layer identity check to enter the main venue; the entry pavement, entry staircases, and lobby doors. As far as I'm concerned, Keeper has never lost a Basileus' life, fortifying their reputation as Tellus' biggest fortress. With that in mind, it does wash me with a sense of relief, but not entirely. 

If I want to know an assassin's tricks, I need to think like one. 

For example, If entering the venue is impossible, then I'd have to do it remotely. Decorating the streets surrounding the museum, are a wide variety of red brick store buildings, and that struck me with an idea. I pay a visit to one of the buildings that serves as a utility tool provider store. Nothing seems amiss at first glance, until I ask the store owner, all the while pretending to be someone looking for a lease. 

"Are you looking for a rent? For how long?" The store owner appears to be young. His hair is cropped, and as dark as ashes. Amber eyes fixated on me in a manner of confusion. "As it appears the rooms on the third and second floor are still vacant, but I've got other clients planning to lease it for a short time starting next week."

"Oh, really? Is it alright if I check it out first?"

Exactly as he told me earlier, the rooms are completely vacant. The only source of air flow is the window at the corner of the room, facing directly towards the museum, providing a pleasant view of the building's side profile all the way to the back. The long hallway connecting the back wing, which could be a long corridor encircling the main hall. There has to be another on the other side. Since I'm no sniper or an archer, I can't possibly measure their success rate from this distance, but isn't it a little concerning how anyone can get a significant view of the museum? Not to mention the absence of towering outer fences in the perimeter is a bit worrying. 

This is concerning, I thought to myself. The museum is too open. It can invite anyone into the party. This is worth telling uncle, at least for extra countermeasures.

"Thank you. I'll consider your offer for now——" 

One minute ago, the owner was standing next to me. One minute later, a muscled arm seizes me into a headlock.

My pitch hikes, following the tightness in my breath. "Argh! Who——"

A wet towel covered my lips before I could say anything. A certain strong fragrance oozes forth from it, and within a matter of seconds, awakens my drowsiness. 

"——are you guys..."

The next thing I know, my head is lying on the ground with my eyes rapidly drawing shut. There are noises above me, a conversation, a bickering, but I couldn't make out who is who and what is what. 

However, one rugged voice, so full of himself, continues to blare inside my head until my mind shuts by itself. 

"Triple layer security ain't going to push us back, little girl." 

And then, I knew nothing else.