Seraphim is a Bystander

An Unwelcome Encounter
 
...So this kind of thing really does happen, huh.
As that absurd thought idled in my mind, I could still hear the noises from the sealed banquet hall through the connection with Master.

“”
The terrorist’s voice, yelling across the wide banquet hall, came through the call crystal clear. From what I remembered, the number of guards inside the banquet venue was significantly reduced compared to the memorial service. Maybe that's why I didn’t hear any signs of them putting up resistance—probably because they judged that they couldn't protect everyone with just the current personnel.
“Master, what should we do? Should I make a move on this end?”

“”
Though Master was speaking quietly to avoid being overheard by the terrorists, there wasn’t a hint of panic in her tone. Well, there probably aren’t more than a handful of people in the world who can actually give Master trouble. If anyone can protect the Ichijou family from twenty armed terrorists while also taking them down, it's her. I’m not too worried.
The terrorists seemed fully committed to barricading themselves in the banquet hall. They hadn’t even left anyone posted outside to watch for threats. Unless one of them has invisibility-type abilities…

“For the record, I don’t see any personnel stationed outside—at least not within visible range.”
“”
“Ah—just giving a quick status report. I’ll leave the line open.”

“”
Yeah, looks like I’m not getting any more orders from Master through this line. Now what?
The young lady still hadn’t returned from her “flower picking,” and with all those bigwigs inside the banquet hall, any rash moves from me or Master could have serious consequences.
Besides, if I ended up face to face with a terrorist who happened to be lurking nearby, there’s no guarantee I’d win. I really would rather leave it to Master to clean this up…

“Aoi-san, sorry to keep you waiting.”
As I was mentally passing the buck, the young lady emerged, wiping her hands. I quickly adjusted the settings on my comm device to prevent her from hearing the chaos inside.
...What now? She «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» doesn’t seem to have noticed anything unusual, but I need to get her away from here.
Maybe I can buy time outside until Master clears the scene?

“No worries at all. More importantly, young lady, would you like to take a short walk around the hotel grounds?”
“Huh? But I left without telling Father or Mother... I really should get back right away…”
She looked troubled by my sudden suggestion. Understandably so. But I can’t take her back into a hall full of jittery terrorists. I don’t want to panic her by explaining the situation either, so I’ll just say something that’ll get her to follow me without suspicion. A little white lie won’t hurt.
“It’s fine. I’ve received a message from my master—she says your father gave permission for you to spend a little time outside.”

“...Really?”
Not really. That was a total lie. Sorry.
Still, maybe she was bored inside, because after hearing my fake report, her expression visibly brightened. If I can pique her interest just a little more, I should be able to guide her out without issue. I feel a bit guilty though.
“Yes. In fact, my master mentioned that roses are blooming in the hotel’s courtyard garden. I was hoping to take a look myself. Would you mind accompanying me?”

That’s a lie too. I mean, the roses are real—saw them in the hotel information packet we received—but my master didn’t say anything about it.
“Roses…! Um… If Father said it’s okay, then I suppose a little walk is fine. Could you show me the way?”
She clearly perked up at the mention of roses, though she tried to hide her excitement behind a calm demeanor.
I know it’s silly for someone my age to think this, but… she really is pure.

“Thank you for indulging my selfish request. Shall we?”
“Yes. Aoi-san, please lead the way.”
“Of course. If I recall, the courtyard should be this way...”

—Though honestly, I wouldn’t recommend going there right now.
Still, I had to lure her out somehow. There’s not much in this hotel likely to interest a girl her age besides that garden…
“…Young lady, did you just hear something?”

“Eh…? No, I didn’t hear anything besides your voice, Aoi-san.”
“…I see. Sorry, must’ve been my imagination.”
What was that?
It wasn’t from the call. I swear I just heard someone’s voice—but the young lady didn’t seem to be lying, and I don’t see why she would.

Strangely, the voice didn’t carry any hostility. If anything, it made me feel… safe. Familiar.
“Aoi-san, are you okay?”
“Y-yes. I’m fine. Just lost in thought a little.”

Looks like my confusion about the voice showed on my face, and I ended up making her worry. Not good.
Maybe I’m just exhausted—from the family bombshell, the terrorists… everything today has been overwhelming.
Trying to convince myself of that, I continued guiding the young lady toward the courtyard.
The hotel halls were completely silent. Maybe it was because of the incident, but there wasn’t another soul in sight.
“…It’s oddly quiet, isn’t it?”

“It is. Maybe everyone’s gathered at the banquet hall right now.”
“You think so?”
“I’m sure of it.”

That was a lie too.
…Still, isn’t this level of emptiness unnatural? Even in a crisis, we should’ve passed a staff room or two on the way, yet we haven’t seen a single hotel worker.
In novels, when things start getting this ominous, it usually doesn’t end well.
But with how things are going… we really don’t have a choice but to go to the courtyard now, do we?
And sure enough, my baseless sense of dread turned out to be right.
As soon as we arrived, we spotted a figure standing in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by roses.

They wore jet-black clothing and a deep hood that hid their face.
In their hand was a rugged dagger, stained with red.
...In novels, the ones lurking behind the scenes during a big commotion are usually very strong.