Bella

'Bella: Are you here to buy something? Puppet: Or to become the merchandise?'

The most unique yet purest among the Bathory's Elders—a puppet fixated on money while remaining indifferent to worldly affairs. Yet behind her tired sales pitch, emotions that seem uncharacteristic of her occasionally slip through.

'Time to wake up'— Which identity should she greet the world with today? A puppet indifferent to mortal emotions, a ruthless merchant selling her wares, an Elder of the Bathory family... or perhaps, a pitiful girl waiting to save enough money to buy back her own life?

The Puppet Association near the castle is well known in the area and has built a loyal customer base—one of whom happens to be our current debtor: Mr. Derek, the shopkeep from Verse & Valor.

The debt collection went unusually smoothly. But what truly caught my attention was something he mentioned in passing: Elder Bella has been regularly ordering books on philosophical discourse from his shop. Titles such as 'Existence Precedes Essence,' 'Cogito, ergo sum,' and 'Becoming Yourself'.

The second collection didn't go quite as smoothly. When I presented the invoice to Cain the steward, he hinted at an alternative form of settlement. Alternative means? Was he referring to a barter arrangement—like the one I had?

Sensing my confusion, Cain patiently explained, 'information comes at a steep cost.' Elder Bella had commissioned him to investigate the whereabouts of Joyce—an assignment dangerous enough to offset nearly half a year's worth of alchemy fees.

Joyce who pioneered mechanical ascension? Why would Elder Bella want to find that eccentric puppet?

According to the bill, Dalcarlo paid a fee of 5,000 units of catnip. But once the transaction was complete, she made no move to let me leave. 'Have you forgotten code name: Sapphire Isle?' she whispered in my ear.

Sapphire Isle? An operation code? Or a special arrangement?

I'd always heard Dalcarlo was Bella's closest friend in the castle and assumed their bond was simply one of mutual respect between two female Elders. But now… it's clear there's a far deeper collaboration at play.

As agreed, I arrived in Sapphire Isle—a beautiful port city. Just as Bella described, it seemed to have no native-born residents; nearly everyone here was an immigrant from neighboring lands.

The merchant who received me was a scholarly old gentleman. Upon learning I was purchasing supplies on Elder Bella's behalf, he willingly shared a local tale: There was once a young woman named Bella in Sapphire Isle's history—a brilliant daughter of a wealthy family, said to be a once-in-a-century genius. She died young, her life cut short by a severe illness.

Could this long-lost Lady Bella be connected to the Elder Bella I know? At the time… I wasn't sure.