And with this chapter, we have finally reached the end of Act I! Yeah, when I say this is a slow burn, I mean it's a sloooow burn jajaja. Thank you for the reception for the previous chapter! I'm so thankful for everyone who reads this story, and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter!

"Yuri," Bernadetta whispered beside him. "Do you know who that is?"

"I have no damn clue." Yuri took in a deep breath and breathed out through his nose. He turned to the chained assassin, who was still looking at them with a weirdly serious expression. "I'm done playing games with you. Those who slither in the dark? You really think we're going to fall for a name like that?"

"We didn't name ourselves that," the assassin hissed. Her face scrunched up, and if she looked anything all like Bernadetta, Yuri might've said that she was trying to pout. "If you don't like the name, complain to Marquis Vestra."

Bernadetta gave him a sheepish look. "Hubert did like to be… dramatic."

"Understatement of the century." Yuri took a moment to regain his composure. "So let's say these people who Slither in the Dark are real. Why on earth would they want you dead? Especially when you just killed someone for them."

"Because I got caught." The woman bit her lip. "And because I failed my mission."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Your mission wasn't to kill the guy?"

"It was… an unfortunate event." The assassin's chains clinked as she fidgeted with her hands. "I was meant to retrieve something from his house. I thought it would be a quick find, but the man woke up before I could finish."

"What was it?" Bernadetta asked, taking a step forward. "And why were you looking for it in the books?"

Yuri had to admit, he was impressed with how proactive Bernadetta was being. When he offered to take the lead in the interrogation, he half expected her to just sit there and try to not look nervous, but now he was pleasantly surprised.

Well, he thought. This is also the woman who walks around with a hidden bow and incapacitated our little assassin. It figures that she'd get annoyed when someone tries to mess with her territory. Like an Oghma bear protecting its turf.

Yuri suddenly remembered the comments made by the now-dead priest. 'If we're lucky, we'll see the bear once more this year, then we'll have to wait for next spring.' Yuri kind of wished that the priest's ghost was looking over this, and he wished he could see the look on the man's face when he realized that his case was getting investigated by Bernadetta herself.

He turned back to the assassin, who squirmed about in her chains. Yuri waited a minute for her to continue, but when she didn't, he didn't want to wait for another.

"You're shutting up now?" Yuri scoffed. "First you make up a stupid name and then you try to lead us on a wild goose chase. We're done here."

"Information," the assassin blurted out. Her face flushed and she looked away. "He had promised us information."

"On what?" Bernadetta asked. Her voice was even, but Yuri could tell by how firmly she pressed her hands to her sides that she was actively stopping them from shaking.

"I'm part of a group meant to infiltrate Vallais and find conspirators," the woman said. "Priests, lawyers, professors—anyone with a connection to the city. In exchange for gold, they were to give us details about the town. The man you found, he agreed, but he backed out at the last minute. Something about his moral conscience kicking in. I was sent to find the information he was supposed to deliver, that's all."

"But you still killed him," Yuri added.

"I'm done talking." The assassin leveled her gaze at both Yuri and Bernadetta. "Grant me clemency, and only then will I tell you more."

"One more question!" Bernadetta's voice echoed within the tiny cell. She noticed it, too, because she quickly lowered her voice. "Let us ask you one more thing, and then we'll leave you alone."

The woman sucked in a harsh breath. Her chains rattled as she fiddled with them for a few moments, but eventually, she looked back at Bernadetta and nodded. Bernadetta looked up at Yuri, leaving the question up to him.

Yuri paused for a moment. He could ask about the disappearing villagers, but there's a chance that the woman wouldn't know about them. He had to ask for something that the woman knew for certain, so he asked, "What information was the priest supposed to give you?"

The assassin sighed, but she wasn't fidgeting anymore. "The priest worked as a healer for Varley guards. His orders were to make his way up the hierarchy within the healing staff. That way he could get the guard rotations."

"Guard rotations apply to literally hundreds of guards." Yuri raised his chin at her. "You haven't fully answered my question yet."

"The rotations for important guards."

"Just how important?"

The assassin's eyes shifted from side to side. She licked her lips and whispered, "Important enough that they work inside the Varley estate."

Oh… Shit.

Bernadetta gasped beside him. Yuri looked over, and he could clearly see how all the color had drained from her face. "T—Thank you for the information!" Bernadetta said. "We'll—We'll be going now!"

Bernadetta turned and pulled up the door. Yuri spun around to follow, but they were both stopped by the woman speaking once more. "Wait!" She yelled. "This means that you won't tell the King… Right?"

Yuri and Bernadetta traded a look. They turned back to the woman, and Yuri let himself smirk. "You did want us to keep this from him," he said. "But you said nothing of us keeping this from the Archbishop."

The woman's face went paler than Bernadetta's.

"Are we really going to tell the professor?" Bernadetta asked Yuri. They were back in the main corridor of the Varley tunnels, though tucked away in a small alcove off to one side. "She's probably going to tell Dimitri!"

Yuri shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know!" Bernadetta shrieked. Thank the Goddess they were in her tunnels, because Yuri didn't have the heart to tell her to lower her voice.

"Well, the call's up to you." Yuri crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at Bernadetta. With the low lighting of the tunnels, only one side of her face was illuminated. It reminded Yuri acutely of Abyss, a place he had only shown Bernadetta once. Perhaps he should've invited her more often. "This is Varley business in Varley territory. Isn't this in the Count's jurisdiction?"

Bernadetta sighed and slumped against the opposite wall. The alcove was just big enough for the two of them, and Bernadetta had always liked sticking to small, shadowy spots. "You're right… Do you think she was telling the truth?"

"As infantile as the name 'Those Who Slither in the Dark' is, something tells me we're sniffing a trail." Yuri frowned. "Whoever this priest was, this group convinced him to steal information that could be used against the Varley estate, and that likely means they're targeting you in some way. Remember what we saw in the priest's house?"

"His body?" Bernadetta said.

"What else?"

"The books!"

"What else?"

"Yuri, stop playing games! We're not kids anymore!" Her high-pitched voice echoed in the small alcove, and Yuri couldn't contain the laugh that left his lips.

"So you say. Think about it. What were the only decorations we found?"

"Portraits." Bernadetta furrowed her eyebrows. "There was one of St Cichol, one of St Macuil, and… one of St Cethleann." The thoughts clicked in her head, and she looked up at Yuri with big bright eyes. "There wasn't a fourth painting!"

"A priest has paintings of three of the four saints of the Church, and yet he doesn't have a portrait of St Indech." Yuri raised his eyebrows. "Kind of strange for a holy man living in Varley, the territory of the only family to bear the Crest of Indech, wouldn't you say?"

Bernadetta bit her bottom lip. "You think they're after me?"

"I don't know for certain," Yuri replied. "But I do know that this is getting messy. Fast. Are you sure you want to continue with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, working this case." Yuri sighed. "If the group my birds and I were chasing is linked to these Slithering idiots, this is gonna get complicated. It's probably going to get dangerous, too. Are you sure you want in?" This was something he could handle on his own, but bringing Bernadetta into something messy, it was something Yuri was hoping to keep her from at all costs. Something in him wanted to protect her from all this.

Bernadetta considered it for a moment. Her face scrunched up, like it always did when they were kids, and she didn't look Yuri in the eye when she spoke again. "These people… They could be in Varley, right?"

"There's a high probability of that."

"Then I have to help!"

Yuri blinked. Bernadetta had practically shouted that to all of Varley, and… it wasn't the answer Yuri was expecting.

"I—I've been pretty useless," Bernadetta said.

Yuri shook his head. "You haven't been."

"I have!" Bernadetta raised her head, and Yuri could see the beginnings of tears shining in her eyes. "I'm the count, now. I'm in charge. I need to be there for people! My mother told me that I was strong enough to be Count, but how can I be strong enough if I don't help my people when killers are in my city?"

The way she said it, there was a conviction there. A conviction Yuri only started hearing after the war had started. He had thought that the threat of danger at her own home would've sent her running, but now, she was staring up at her with a serious look in her gray eyes. She was standing her ground. "Looking for this group…" She said. "That's the right thing to do, right?"

"Yeah. It is." Yuri said softly.

"Then I'll help!" Bernadetta said. Her hands were clenched into fists by her sides. "E—Even if I'm scared, I have to help!"

If he weren't as trained at hiding emotions as he was, Yuri might've looked surprised. He grew up in a time where nobles rarely cared about their people, and his classmates at Garreg Mach, as stuffy as some of them were, were the exception. Still, this was Bernadetta he was talking to. Shy, sweet, nerve-frazzled Bernadetta, who treated her stewardess as if she was a second mother instead of a disposable servant. So really, if anything, Yuri shouldn't have been surprised at all.

Yuri huffed and smiled. "You know, Bernadetta, I think you're braver than you think you are."

"Yuri! No joking!" Bernadetta looked away for a moment before timidly meeting his eyes. "For this thing… you'll be there to help me, right?"

Would he help her? Well, of course. He kind of had to, considering the fact that he was the one who came to her. If anything, he should be the one asking for help. And besides, if the assassin was telling the truth, and Yuri had a sinking feeling that she was, there was a high chance that someone was out for Bernadetta. In one way or another, Bernadetta was likely a target. On any other day, Yuri might've expected to see her running straight back to her room.

And yet, here she was. Neck deep in whatever mess was popping up and ready to yell at them to get out of her territory. Even with her big eyes and tiny fists, Yuri could see she was being dead serious about it. Goddess, she was being so cute that Yuri could've pressed her to the wall, leaned down, and kissed her!

Wait. Kiss her?

What the hell was he thinking? Why the hell was he thinking this? This was Bernadetta, not some random girl at a tavern. He couldn't just lean down and kiss her as if it was nothing!

Yuri blinked as he tried to process what the hell was going through his head, he noticed that Bernadetta was still looking up at him. So he quickly covered up his internal panic with a laugh and said, "Guess I have to. I brought you into this mess, and it would be a shame if I let you take all glory for yourself." It wasn't the most convincing tone he'd ever used, but it was enough to convince Bernadetta.

"Yuriii!" Bernadetta blushed and grinned up at him. "Come on, you don't just want it for the glory! You also wanna hang out, right?"

"Sure," Yuri said in a light tone. "We'll have tea parties and you can braid my hair."

"Hooray!" Bernadetta bounced on her toes and jumped out into the main corridor, her excitement too potent to be contained to the small alcove. "I'll set up the sunroom again. Oh, and the secret room in the garden! I also have a bunch of hair ties, and I can try this new hairstyle on you that my hair's too short for!"

"Hmm?" Yuri said as he stepped out of the alcove. "Hang on, I didn't—"

"General!"

Yuri turned to the voice that'd interrupted him. Sure enough, he quickly recognized Armand's bright hair and acne-riddled face sprinting towards them. "Armand." Yuri crossed his arms. "Just the gossipmonger I wanted to see."

Armand skidded to a halt a few paces away from them. Seeing Yuri's expression, the boy winced. "I can explain! Um, later!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Why not now?"

"Because!" He glanced between Yuri and Bernadetta. "Lissy just came back from the Varley estate. There's someone there to see you."

Yuri lowered his arms. "To see me?"

A tense silence settled itself in the room as Yuri pondered on who it could be. If it was any of the Ashen Wolves, Yuri's birds would've recognized them immediately. Same for anyone from Garreg Mach. He wondered, but funnily enough, it was Bernadetta who broke the silence. "Um, we shouldn't keep them waiting, right?" She skipped on ahead down the stone corridor. "Let's go! I know the way through the tunnels!"

Yuri followed right behind her, and Armand kept pace beside him. Good. "Armand, since you're here, you get a special mission."

The boy gulped. "Yes?"

"First, take Bernadetta's clothes back to the estate," Yuri said as his footsteps echoed in the tunnel. "She's been so focused on this, I think she forgot that she left them in the break room. Second, track down Balthus and Hilda. We need extra manpower, and between the two of them, they've got enough strength to take down Fort Merceus."

"Of course. But… where are Balthus and Hilda?"

"I'll let you figure that one out," Yuri said. Armand skidded to a halt, and Yuri charmingly called out, "Have fun!"

And so Yuri followed Bernadetta once more. They walked in silence, and no matter what Yuri tried to think about, be it the Slithering people or the random guest here to see him, there was one thing he couldn't seem to get out of his head.

Since when have I wanted to kiss Bernadetta?

The thought followed him all the way back to the estate.

"My lady," Jeanne greeted as Yuri and Bernadetta went through the estate's gate. She bowed low, and Bernadetta stepped out of the shadow of Yuri's cape. She really should've remembered to take her cloak, but after sneaking her way beneath Yuri's cape when they reached the tunnel's exit, Yuri really had no choice but to just let her stay there until they reached her home again.

"Jeanne!" Bernadetta walked up to her. "I need to send a letter to the Archbishop, so I need you to get our faster messenger ready!"

"O—Of course, my lady," Jeanne said, though she looked taken aback at Bernadetta's fervent request. "I will send for her right away. But may I ask, wouldn't it be better to send it by owl?"

"No!" Bernadetta cried. She squeaked when she realized how loud she had been, but her guards looked on as if nothing had happened.

A usual occurrence, Yuri thought. A smile curled his lips as he thought that. Wait, why am I smiling about that?

"It's top secret!" Bernadetta said in a not-so-subtle whisper. "So please, get the messenger ready!"

"I shall," Jeanne said. "Another thing, my lady. Your… companion has a guest. She is waiting for him in the main hall."

"The main hall?" Bernadetta's face scrunched up again. "Jeanne, do you know who it is?"

"I do not, my lady. But… She had the keyword."

"What keyword?" Bernadetta asked.

The stewardess glanced over at Yuri. "His name. From so many years ago."

Yuri's chest tightened. Other than Jeanne and Bernadetta, there was only one person who could know that name. She was the only one Yuri had confessed to about what he almost did to Bernadetta, and she was the only person his birds would never recognize.

Yuri ran past Jeanne and Bernadetta and sprinted into the estate. He could hear Bernadetta call after him, could hear her light footsteps chase him down the house's halls, but he didn't slow down. He ran up the massive staircase that led him to the estate's second floor, and after two quick turns, he finally found himself in front of the giant double doors that led to the main hall. Yuri pushed the doors open.

Standing there, amid tall stone columns lined with Varley tapestries, stood a woman. She was middle-aged, but her face made her look younger. She had long hair tied into a low ponytail that reached her shoulder blades and was wearing a simple yet well-kept dress. She was thinner than the last time Yuri saw her, but her eyes were still bright and alert. They were light purple, the same color as her hair, and as she laid eyes on Yuri, her face bloomed into a big smile.

"Hi, baby," she said. Her voice was slightly croaked, but she still sounded happy.

Yuri blinked, then blinked again. But when the woman didn't disappear, Yuri let himself smile back at her.

"Hey, Mom."