[x] Politely ask if you can visit the prisoner.

I holstered my rifle and stepped out into the open. There was no reason to sneak around like a thief in my own house.

"Hello there," I said, smiling. "How are you two doing down here?"

As soon as the fairy maid guards saw me, they both bowed politely.

"Good morning, sir," they said in unison.

"And good morning it is, apart from the rain."

I smiled at the two as I walked toward the dungeon entrance. The one on the left blushed a bit and looked away shyly. 'How cute,' I thought. And I had almost made it through when the one on the right suddenly raised her arms and blocked my path.

"W-wait!" she stammered. "We can't let you pass through here!"

"Ah! That's right!" cried the other one.

Damn. Almost made it, too. I somehow kept smiling as I spoke.

"And why is that, exactly? Could you tell me?"

"T-These are special orders from Miss Sakuya."

"We can't let anyone but the chief maid pass!"

Hmm. Sakuya must have anticipated this move. And if that was the case, then perhaps I should use a different method to 'convince' these two to cooperate. I smiled a bit wider as I took a step closer. Both of them took a step back. Did they sense my dark intentions? Well, that wouldn't be a problem. They were already within my reach now. All I had to do was...

"Emergency! Emergency!"

Footsteps came from the staircase. We turned to see a third fairy maid hurrying toward us. I clicked my tongue in irritation.

"Tsk!"

The newcomer called out to us.

"Miss Sakuya needs all of the guards outside! It's an emergency!"

Then, she turned to me.

"She wants you to come too, sir!"

"Wha?"

Ten minutes later, I found myself standing outside. One of the fairy maids handed me an umbrella. I took it and slowly walked toward the gardens. To the left was the entirety of the fairy maid defense force. I could see Elena standing among the them. And to my right, I saw Meiling and Sakuya. They stood in the rain beside a tea table set. The chairs were covered with sheets so they wouldn't get wet.

"..."

No, that wasn't right. There were three chairs around the table. Each of them was covered by a sheet, but it was clear that none of the chairs were empty. I swallowed nervously as I realized that the there were blood-stains coming through the damp sheets. Even without a word, I understood.There had found three new victims.

"Oh no... huh?"

There was something else this time. Upon the tea table was a letter sealed with the crest of the Scarlet family. I understood immediately then, why Sakuya had called.

The letter was addressed to me.

What should I investigate first?
[ ] The letter.
[ ] The bodies.
[ ] The grounds.