"It might be a bit of a shock the first time, but don't worry — there's nothing to be scared of."
From the position of someone who'd been through it before, Petra offered that advice to Flam, who had yet to experience it. It was a considerate gesture, meant to prevent panic by giving her a proper explanation of what was about to happen. To this, however, Flam shook her head and said, "No need for concern — most surprises simply cannot surpass Young Master."
"That guy — even his own people treat him like a normal person who gets surprised by stuff? How deep does that run?"
At that almost too-sturdy response, "Subaru" let out a dumbfounded comment of his own.
Still, Petra had learned from the memories shared through the Book of the Dead what Reinhard was capable of — cleaving buildings apart with a single swing of his sword, scattering Meili's sister like so much chaff — so she could fully understand why Flam, who had grown thoroughly accustomed to such extraordinary standards, would react the way she did.
"As long as Flam's fine, that's — oh, but I hope the sensei who's sleeping doesn't get motion-sick. When I first got sent over by the household manager, Little Crimson Scorpion was in a total panic, remember?"
"Now that you mention it, is there really such a thing as transfer sickness? In Vollachia, it seemed like some people could handle
Meili shrugged, and the hair on her head rustled as Little Crimson Scorpion emerged and mimicked her master by clicking her pincers.
This reminder brought back the memory of Spica's "Transfer" — which they'd left behind in the Empire. It seemed to be a matter of constitution: regardless of whether the ability was strong or weak, some people simply couldn't handle it. Petra was on the "fine" side, but Garfiel, who was on the "can't handle it" side, had curled up and sulked about it.
At Petra's unspoken question, Clind raised a finger and said, "Indeed. Let me think — while I can't say we've had a large number of trials or subjects, no one has experienced any ill effects to date. Rest assured. The authority of 'Melancholy' is not, strictly speaking, 'Transfer.' It compresses the time and distance that would otherwise have been required. To summarize."
"No matter how many times I hear it, it still doesn't make sense."
"So we should think of it as King Crimson, basically? No wait — I'm not sure it can skip the intermediate results too, so it might be different from K.C...."
"No need to worry about getting sick, either. It's a power that creates the time we need most right now. If you understand just that much, that's plenty for the time being."
Petra reached her conclusion, addressing Meili's furrowed brow and "Subaru's" attempt to digest things in his own way.
She could probably grasp what Subaru was getting at, but spending the time and mental energy to unpack it felt like a luxury right now. If time allowed, she'd want to go through every last memory and piece of knowledge that had been poured into her, to understand everything about Subaru — but...
"Clind-niisama, may I ask you to begin?"
Rather than even entertaining that desire — rather than even having the time to — Petra urged Clind forward.
Clind's monocle lens caught the light as he nodded. "Yes. At your discretion." Given what they were about to do, his easygoing attitude was oddly reassuring.
As Petra found herself impressed by this, Meili tugged at her sleeve. "Hey, Petra — about that price you mentioned earlier..."
"...It's fine. Clind-niisama gave his seal of approval."
"That's not what I mean. ...I don't really know why myself, but if you'd have to suffer some kind of loss for this, then I don't want that."
"Loss..."
Meili seemed to be wrestling with her own emotions, and Petra blinked at her words.
The straightforward concern from her friend, combined with the evaluation of the price she'd received from Clind — at that moment, the emotions that surged through Petra's heart were of a complexity and richness beyond description.
Even so, Petra smiled at Meili. "Thank you, Meili. But I really am fine."
"...If you're lying, I'll never forgive you."
That threat, squeezed out after careful deliberation, drew an even warmer smile from Petra as she nodded.
She gently tucked the released sleeve against her chest, then looked around for "Subaru." Leaving the phantom behind would probably be fine — but it was a matter of feeling.
When she spotted his semi-transparent back, "Subaru" was gazing out at the sea of sand from a distance.
"If I'd been just a little more competent, I wouldn't have put that guy through all that trouble..."
To the east, the sky — the atmosphere was screaming, the colors of the heavens had reached a degree of grotesque beauty, and the sound of the earth being carved away thundered on — in that theater of war, the battle between the "Sword Saint" and the "
A clash between beings of immense power, one that would decide the course of the world. At the sight of "Subaru's" profile, twisted with regret over his own inadequacy, Petra's breath caught with a pang of sorrow.
"Subaru," who was worrying about his friend, made no mention of the exchange between Petra and Clind just moments before, respecting her wishes.
In the extreme, there should have been no secrets Petra could keep from him — since he existed within her mind. If he wanted to, he could lay bare every piece of information Petra had chosen to block from her ears.
But Imaginary Subaru didn't do that. Whether that was due to his own good sense and consideration, or whether it was her own will — the will to keep him compliant — Petra, with her self-awareness and affection and memories all jumbled together, couldn't tell.
But whichever it was, Petra thought this: Even if it was consideration, even if it was a result she herself had wished for — the way "Subaru" existed was a reflection of the real
And so — "Clind-niisama, please."
"— Understood. Encouragement."
With the fondness for "Subaru" still warm in her chest, Petra gave Clind his signal.
Petra and Meili, along with Flam.
For that purpose, the "price" Petra had proposed was fed to Od Laguna — "— — —"
In an instant — literally in the blink of an eye — the world shifted, and "Compression" was complete.
Closing her eyes and opening them again, the scenery had completely transformed. The taste of the air on her tongue and skin, the scent that touched her nostrils — everything had changed so drastically that Petra could feel the authority had been used.
"— — —"
For a moment, Petra closed her eyes and let her thoughts run to the fact that they had been launched forward.
But she shelved the sentimentality of that one second and directed her consciousness to the matter at hand. From this point on, Petra and the others couldn't afford to waste even a single step.
And just as Petra was steeling herself with renewed resolve — "Whoaaa?! Wh-what the heck!? A dragon carriage just burst out of nowhere?!"
"R-Reinhard!? No one but that guy could pull a stunt like that!"
"Am I still dreaming?
"Oh, shut up! What's all the racket — Where the blazes did you come from?!"
Just when Petra had been bracing herself, she was instead met with a loud, chaotic, and thoroughly enthusiastic welcome from the "Compression" destination.
"Oh!? Old Man
And as a final note — it was "Subaru" who reacted first to that raucous welcome, his voice rising just as loud at the completely unexpected surprise.
△▼△▼△▼△ "Petra! Meili! You two are safe?!"
"—!"
"
Seeing Emilia rush toward them, her face transformed with alarm, Petra felt an explosion of sweet, warm emotion bloom inside her chest.
Soft and warm, tinglingly sweet — her heart overflowed with the feeling, and her mind filled with eloquent words praising her beauty and loveliness. That rush of emotion wasn't limited to her appearance; it extended to her gestures, her manner of speech, and even the sound of her footsteps.
"That's really over the top..."
Swept away by that vivid, overwhelming tidal wave of emotion, Petra's head spun.
Up to this point, the most powerful influence from the Book of the Dead had undoubtedly been the existence of Imaginary Subaru, but this Emilia shock was on par with it.
Frankly speaking, an Emiliaze overdose might actually be life-threatening — "What am I — saying such stupid things...!"
Half her consciousness had nearly been snatched away, and Petra grabbed herself by the collar, forcing herself to stay grounded in reality.
She'd known this would happen, but the affection she felt for Emilia was overflowing even more recklessly than expected.
That fact in itself brought a vague, jealous pang — but more than that, Petra was the one who should have been happy about reuniting with Emilia. The idea that her own sincere feelings of joy were being pushed aside was something Petra found unacceptable.
And so Petra spread her arms wide, looking at Emilia — who had spotted them, her expression shifting to one of such stunning beauty that tears had already gathered in her eyes as she rushed over.
And then — "Emilia-niitama...!"
"Nee-tama?!"
Her tongue slipped spectacularly, and right in the middle of an emotional reunion, she managed to startle Emilia.
She'd been on the verge of saying "Emilia-tan" and had tried to course-correct in the heat of the moment, but it hadn't quite worked. Truly, a blunder unbecoming of Petra.
But in any case — "But I'm so glad... you both really came to find me."
"Yes. And Lady Emilia, I'm relieved you're safe too."
Swept up in Emilia's embrace, Petra held her in return and answered.
On Petra's other side, Meili was similarly being hugged but responded with an uncharacteristically blunt, "Can't breathe..." while timidly reaching her hands around Emilia's back.
"Whoa — seeing Emilia-tan safe and sound is such a relief! Huh? Did she get even cuter in the time we were apart? Her growth potential is insane!"
Floating in midair, "Subaru" watched Emilia as she embraced Petra and Meili from various angles, moved to tears. He was being a bit too enthusiastic. But then again, who could blame him?
After all, thanks to the timing of the Book of the Dead, the last Emilia "Subaru" knew was the one who'd been in deep trouble at the
Back then, Petra hadn't been as close to Emilia as she was now, so she hadn't been able to do anything to help. If even Petra felt that regret, then the frustration "Subaru" must have felt — having witnessed it all up close — must have been incomparably worse.
"Oh no! This is serious, Petra! Look! Emilia-tan is walking around with energy!"
"Yeah. Walking on those long legs. That's great."
"That's great...! Really, truly great...!"
So she hesitated to pour cold water on "Subaru's" heartfelt emotion. She gave appropriately timed responses to his excitement while savoring a quiet sense of relief.
The reason for that relief was one simple thing: she'd been able to look at Emilia without being afraid.
"The last thing I saw in the Book of the Dead..."
The Sanctuary, sinking into shadow. Natsuki Subaru, caught by an obsession he couldn't escape, clinging to a means of torment prepared by the "Witch," and turning his own hand against his life.
In that final moment, Subaru-Petra had seen it. The terrifying "Witch of Envy" — wearing the same face as the person she loved most.
"— — —"
When she tried to think deeply about the reason, it was like reaching for something shrouded in fog — the coherent thought simply refused to take shape. And yet, the emotion seared into her wouldn't fade.
That was why she'd been afraid of reuniting with Emilia. — No. To be precise, she'd been afraid she might not be able to see Emilia the way she always had.
"But it didn't end up that way. ...It's a different kind of heartbeat than before, but still."
"Hm? Petra, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just really happy to see you, Lady Emilia."
Petra kept the inner conflict hidden and expressed her genuine joy at reuniting with Emilia. Emilia's eyes widened slightly but then softened into a smile, while atop Meili's head — where the girl continued to be anything but honest — Little Crimson Scorpion happily clicked her pincers in place of her master.
And then, into that moment — "— It's gotten lively, I see. So you've come, young lady."
A low, gravelly voice cut in, and Emilia let out a small "Ah" of surprise.
The door to the room — which Emilia had burst through and left wide open — was being knocked on by a large figure peering inside from the entrance.
That figure was — "Little old man from
The old man who ducked through the cramped entrance — Rom's familiar form — made Emilia blink in surprise. At her words, Rom scratched his bald head with a wry smile.
"With the way you say it, it really does sound like you think we're blood relatives... People around me call me Old Man Rom. This is the first time we've actually had a proper conversation."
"Right, well — we didn't get a chance to talk at the castle on the day the Royal Selection began, and when Felt stole the insignia, neither of us was in any state for calm conversation..."
"...You don't have to keep glancing over there like that. I already know the situation, so it's fine."
As Emilia responded to Rom's greeting while showing concern for the Meili in her arms, the Meili in question answered with an attitude somewhere between annoyance and gratitude.
The exchange between the three of them touched on the intersection of Emilia's and Rom's connections — specifically, the incident when Felt had stolen the insignia from Emilia for the Royal Selection, and Meili's sister Elsa had been involved.
Come to think of it, the three of them shared quite the unexpected bond. If you included "Subaru," that made four. And if you included Reinhard too, there was no end to it.
"Calling you 'young lady' and such — that doesn't really fit my current station, does it? May I call you Emilia?"
"Sure, that's fine. Nice to officially meet you, Old Man Rom."
"Oh... seeing these two actually introduce themselves, it really does feel like a historic moment."
"Don't be so dramatic."
Watching Emilia and Rom shake hands with mutual pleasantries, "Subaru" made his grand declaration of historical significance, which drew a laugh.
There was a certain sentimental weight to it, sure — but the way he put it, it sounded as though he were witnessing the reunion of two people who hadn't had any contact for over a decade.
But setting "Subaru's" emotional reaction aside for the moment — "I've heard about Felt too. You all had quite a rough time, didn't you?"
"Hmm, yes indeed. We should sync up on those details. Petra."
"Right. I think it'll be a little while longer before Clind-niisama gets back, so we should go ahead and start. ...Since it's a race against time."
At Petra's final addendum, Emilia and Rom both nodded deeply.
Yes — a race against time. That was why Petra and the others had resorted to even underhanded means.
— Currently, Petra and the others had gathered together at the Royal Palace in the capital city of Lugnica.
Among the Emilia camp, who had each been operating independently, some members had clearer locations than others. But if anyone was going to serve as a rallying point, it could only be Emilia.
Thinking this, Petra had used Clind's "Compression" to rendezvous with Rom and the others, then flown to the royal capital as quickly as possible — "Even by my standards, the state of this capital is shocking."
"It's been a while since I've come to the capital too, but last time I visited, it wasn't this run-down everywhere, and there certainly weren't any objects like that either."
With arms crossed, Rom spoke, and Meili chimed in from where she gazed out the window.
Unlike those two who had been here before, this was Petra's first time in the capital. Fortunately, the vault she'd just remembered was in the capital's slums, so using that memory as a reference, she could compare the capital as she remembered it to the capital as it was now.
Indeed, the capital in her memories didn't have any of those flashy ice towers built all over the place, and the noble quarter, with its rows of fine houses, had certainly never been this disheveled.
"I'd always found them detestable, but I never imagined the noble quarter would be reduced to flat ground. From what I've heard in passing, the evacuation had been completed, but even so — it's absolutely atrocious."
"Meili mentioned it too, but those ice towers — did Lady Emilia create them?"
"Ah, well, yes, but there was a reason I did that! Everyone was in extreme danger, and I didn't have any room to hold back..."
From the vantage point of the Royal Palace — one of the few places that had survived largely intact — Emilia hurried to explain the drastic changes that had befallen the cityscape as Petra pointed them out.
Watching her flustered gestures with affection, Petra worked with Rom to unpack the events one by one — "— So then, it really was Al after all."
"...That's right. It's because I couldn't stop Al that the city ended up like this too."
"This isn't Lady Emilia's fault. Even those ice towers — if Lady Emilia hadn't built them, the people of the capital would have been in far worse shape... So she's an E.M.G. — Emilia-tan Maji Guardian Angel!"
"Hm, Petra, thank you — wait, what did you just say?"
Petra shook her head vigorously, rejecting Emilia's self-blame.
The devastating damage that had befallen the capital of Lugnica — learning that Al and
"If you start saying things like that, it'll never end. We all got outmaneuvered by that helmet guy, little by little. The ones at fault are the helmet guy and his cohorts, right?"
"Indeed. It's fine to reflect on where you fell short, but wallowing in regret over your own weakness won't do any good. That's an old man's life lesson for you."
"— ...You're both right. The one who did wrong was Al, and Al needs to bear the responsibility. We don't have time to waste on self-recrimination!"
At Meili and Rom's words, Emilia tightened her expression and rallied her resolve. Petra let out a soft sigh of relief at that and braced her core.
Everyone was right — performing the motions of regret while giving in to weakness was a bad habit. The path forward always lay ahead.
"That's probably what Al's thinking too. ...Otherwise, he wouldn't have pulled a stunt like breaking out a Sin Archbishop — that's crossing the line. What the hell is he really after?"
Picking up on Petra's thoughts, "Subaru" frowned at the outrage Al had committed in the capital.
In truth, setting Volcanica loose and dealing massive damage to the capital was an act of terrorism beyond the pale — but that paled in comparison when you learned it was in service of his true objective: aiding the escape of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony.
The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, with whom they shared a deep grudge — to have that one escape...
"If you list out everything that bastard has done, it's enough to make your head spin. He attacked associates of the Royal Selection candidates, kidnapped one of the knights. He turned Volcanica, the Divine Dragon and guardian of the kingdom, against them, and used the Witch of Envy to pin down the Sword Saint. On top of that, he took one of the candidates hostage, invaded the capital, demolished half the noble quarter, and broke out the imprisoned Sin Archbishop."
"Isn't that insane? How many death sentences is that?"
"Probably like a hundred death sentences..."
Once again, the sheer volume and severity of Al's — no, Al's entire group's — crimes was staggering.
It almost looked like he was trying to commit every evil deed the world had to offer, but Petra believed this wasn't born of despair — it was all according to plan.
Yes, Al had a proper plan. He was executing the steps necessary for it; it just so happened that every one of them looked like a once-in-a-century crime.
"Maybe we should reconsider the whole thing from the start if it requires having Sin Archbishops?"
"The Witch of Envy was there too, so it's not like we can make excuses, but..."
Besides, there was no reason Petra needed to be the one making excuses on their behalf.
From what she'd gathered through the Book of the Dead, Subaru had apparently seen Al as someone from the same world — someone he could feel a certain kinship with. But even so, this was far beyond what anyone could forgive.
On that point, everyone gathered here — no, including those not present, every person involved — shared the same verdict.
"Right now, I've sent Clind-niisama to go around collecting everyone else and bring Frederica and the others here. Lady Emilia, where's Otto?"
"— Oh! Um, about that, Otto-kun..."
"Your reaction tells me everything. He's off doing something reckless again, isn't he?"
"Ugh... yes, that's right. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him."
Emilia wilted, her eyes downcast as though ashamed of her own inadequacy. But it wasn't Emilia's fault. If anyone was at fault, it was Otto — and in this case, even he couldn't be blamed.
Otto was already the type who regularly pushed himself to the limit within the camp, and Petra and Frederica were always telling him to rest. But this time, even that advice didn't apply.
In this situation, Otto, who wielded the Blessing of Words, was almost too reliable.
"Using bugs and birds for reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering, huh. That's quite the versatility for a Blessing — but I imagine the burden that comes with it is equally enormous."
"Oh, spot on. The hat guy clearly has that 'overworked' look about him, doesn't he?"
"I've lived a fairly long life myself, but I've never even heard of a Blessing of Words. The fact that such a versatile Blessing isn't widely known means that no Blessing holder who received it has ever lived long."
Meili giggled, but Rom's dark speculation struck a chord with Petra.
Overusing the Blessing of Words was bad for the body — that was a fact, and Petra had witnessed it firsthand in the Empire, where Otto had gotten nosebleeds from heavy use.
That had been in a wartime situation where cutting corners wasn't an option, true, but still.
"It's about Subaru and the others, but especially — he's been wracked with worry over Garf. He's been saying 'I've definitely gotta do something for him,' and seems really fired up."
"Probably if Garf were awake, he'd be all down like 'Brother Otto, what the hell are you doing, me...' They're cut from the same cloth, those two."
"Petra, your impression was so accurate it gave me a start."
Whether or not Emilia and Meili were impressed, it was easy to picture why Otto would push himself this hard — the same stubborn drive that defined Garfiel.
Garfiel was still in a coma and had been left at the capital's medical facility, but when he recovered, they'd need to keep a close watch to make sure he didn't blame himself excessively or try to hurt himself.
"I hope Furufu can smooth things over with Otto."
Petra murmured this, worried about Otto's wellbeing despite his absence from the gathering.
No matter what bugs or animals he negotiated with, Otto himself needed to be present to hear and interpret the gathered intelligence. For that reason, he was currently tracking Al's group solo — or more accurately, operating as a two-man team with his long-time partner, his beloved dragon Furufu.
"Otto, huh... I worry about him screwing up at the critical moment, but I also wonder how much I can really rely on him."
"If he heard you say that, you'd probably see the angriest face Otto's ever made."
The tendency to shoulder everything himself was Subaru's flaw. Even setting aside Otto, anyone in the camp would probably be angry to hear that — but the most frightening reaction would come from Otto, Petra thought.
That said, it wasn't a burden Otto should bear alone. If Clind brought
And having thought that far, Petra suddenly remembered.
"Oh right — Lady Emilia, there's something I wanted to ask you about."
"Hm? What is it, Petra?"
"You might not have noticed, but actually, on the way here, Meili and I both suddenly started feeling really sick..."
The question Petra raised was about an incident that had occurred right around the time Flam had used her Mental Communication Blessing with her sister Glassus to pinpoint Rom's coordinates, and they'd been discussing flying to the capital next — Petra's entire body had broken out in goosebumps, and she'd been struck by a shock that clawed at her heart.
The terror had been so intense that Petra had wondered whether it was a side effect of the Book of the Dead, or perhaps a premonition that Reinhard had lost and the Witch of Envy was coming for her — but Meili had experienced the same sensation, which ruled out both explanations.
"But this is the situation we're in, right? Flam and Old Man Rom were fine, but Meili and I, and Clind-niisama too, all felt it. So I thought it might not be unrelated to Al... Lady Emilia?"
It was an anomaly that neither Meili nor Clind could explain through discussion.
Petra had been about to share this potentially dangerous piece of information, but she cut herself off when she saw Emilia's reaction — the girl's beautiful violet-blue eyes were wide, and her cheeks had gone rigid.
That was unmistakably the reaction of someone who knew exactly what it was.
"...I think that horrible feeling you described was the work of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."
"...The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony?"
"Ugh, that's a nasty feeling."
At the mention of the Sin Archbishop they currently hated most, "Subaru" scowled and Meili stuck out her tongue. Petra pressed a hand to her chest and gestured with her eyes for Emilia to continue.
"I don't fully understand what was done to me, either. But Al made the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony — Roy — do something, and then I suddenly felt terrible too. By the time I came to my senses..."
"And you lost both Al and the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony."
"Yes, that's right."
Emilia's shoulders drooped dejectedly, and she nodded weakly.
At Emilia's answer, Petra glanced at Rom. The venerable strategist of Felt's camp scratched his head with his large hand.
"When it was just Petra, Meili, and the others discussing it, I couldn't quite make sense of it — but if even Emilia was affected, and it involves the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, then there's no good feeling to be had about it."
"The common thread is... they're all on Lady Emilia's side?"
"If the fang guy were awake, if the hat guy would wait here quietly for once, or if Brother Subaru hadn't been captured, it'd be a lot easier to figure out..."
"Counting myself among the present-axis three idiots, we really picked the worst timing, huh..."
That Al was connected was as Petra had predicted. But with the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony involved too, the gravity of this unidentified attack escalated by orders of magnitude. — She couldn't help but think leaving Spica behind in the Empire had been a mistake, if only slightly.
Spica, too, had been through a great deal, but she was one of the Sin Archbishops of Gluttony — "No, no, stop that line of thinking. You're not your husband."
Judging what people could and couldn't do, whether they were useful or useless — if she started measuring people's worth by those metrics, the Roswaal-ification would accelerate in no time. Honing your insight was fine, but the moment you felt your humanity beginning to dry up, it was time for caution.
"As for the Gluttony's handiwork, there's nothing to do but keep it in mind for now. And then — according to your internal affairs official, their destination is..."
"— The Great Mogro Eruption in
Rom, who had steered the conversation away from its dead end, had his words taken up by Emilia.
That was the final destination of Al's group, and how they'd learned it — "Felt left a message while being led away by them, and your people relayed it. I trust Felt with my life — but what about you?"
"Otto-kun? I don't just trust him with my life — I trust him with a million lives."
"Lady Emilia, that was a percentage, not a number. But it was cool."
At Emilia's answer — unbound by the concept of percentages — Petra felt her heart warm, while Rom and Meili exchanged amused, wry smiles.
But Emilia had answered exactly the question Rom had been asking — that was so like her.
"...She's not just cute — she's grown seriously strong, Emilia-tan."
"Subaru" watched Emilia with the eyes of someone gazing at something dazzling.
"Subaru," who had been pulled out in the middle of resolving the Sanctuary's crisis, couldn't quite convey just how impressive this Emilia had become — and the frustration of that was palpable.
He wanted to tell her. — The current Emilia had been forged through running shoulder to shoulder with Subaru.
"No, with
"What do you mean 'what about me'? What are you even talking about? When you suddenly start saying things like Brother Subaru, it's scary."
"He really does sound like something Subaru would say, but Meili, is your comprehension level seriously that high?"
Leaving a certain sentimentality behind, "Subaru" smiled wryly at the exchange between Petra and Meili.
In any case, it seemed Rom was satisfied with Emilia's earlier answer, and it was confirmed that the final destination of Al's group was the Great Mogro Eruption.
Honestly, they had no idea what was there — "As long as we know the location, we should be able to get there first if we borrow Clind's power."
"...Right. Old Man Rom, Tonchinikan and the others —"
"For now, everyone except the seriously wounded should have followed instructions and headed to the nearest town. Clind's power... it's not something that can be used indefinitely, right? We'll keep the group size in line."
Rom shrugged his broad shoulders, showing understanding even without a detailed explanation of Clind's ability.
Through the "price" Petra had proposed, the restrictions on Clind's "Compression" authority had been lifted — but even that had its limits depending on the number of trips and people. First, they'd minimize the group, and once they'd scouted out the situation, commit the maximum.
That preparation had been made possible thanks to Otto, who was currently in the middle of his reckless solo operation.
All they needed now was as much information as possible about what kind of formation Al's group would use to reach their final destination.
And — "— For that very purpose, the means are already in our hands. Excellent timing."
The voice that cut in at precisely the right moment made everyone turn in unison. Meeting their collective gaze with a bow was none other than Clind — the very person they'd been discussing.
The gap in timing was so perfect it was as though he'd been waiting for the cue, and Emilia's face brightened as she called out, "Clind!"
"Thank you for bringing Petra and the others back to us. Thanks to you, we were able to meet like this."
"There's no need for thanks. Returning to Milura was my own decision, and the fact that I could meet your expectations is the result of Petra's encouragement. Encouragement. Rather — I must apologize for the delay in returning. Apology."
"I don't think it was that long, but did something happen, Clind-niisama?"
Clind shook his head slowly at Petra's question and continued his apology.
"Rather than explain the delay in words, I believe it would be faster and more certain for you to experience it directly. Direct experience."
"'Directly.'"
"Experience?"
At the odd word choice for an explanation of tardiness, "Subaru" and Petra both tilted their heads.
Emilia and Meili shared the same confusion, and Rom — who was perhaps the most objective person present — crossed his arms and watched with keen interest.
And as everyone watched, Clind shifted to the side of the room's entrance, and — "Sorry to keep you waiting."
Striding into the room with imperious bearing, perfectly suited to her brazen demeanor, was the peach-haired maid — none other than Ram.
Having been retrieved by Clind, she now wore the maid's uniform once more, and Petra — herself a fellow maid — felt a nostalgic tug at the sight of that familiar uniform she hadn't seen in a while.
But — "Ram, come here — you..."
Emilia, who had smiled and started toward the arriving maid in her uniform, cut off mid-sentence. She stopped in her tracks, and the hand she'd been reaching to take Ram's with instead went to her own forehead.
"Um..."
Emilia let out a confused voice.
In this sudden development, Petra should have been concerned about Emilia's wellbeing — but she couldn't be. Because Petra, like Meili, was being assaulted by the same inexplicable sensation.
"This is —"
The moment she saw Ram, a massive, indescribable unease had surged up from within.
Petra felt that this mysterious sensation was close to the nausea she'd attributed to the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony earlier. However, where that earlier feeling had carried a strong sense of malice, this one did not.
This wasn't that. It was something else entirely — a strong, powerful, gravitational pull. The moment her eyes landed on Ram in her maid's uniform, something was being drawn out of her with overwhelming force.
And the answer to that gravitational pull appeared immediately from behind Ram.
It was — "— I apologize for the late arrival, Lady Emilia."
Standing at Ram's side, dressed in the same maid's uniform and offering a graceful, fluid curtsy, was a blue-haired maid.
Of course — Petra knew that face. But the girl Petra knew shouldn't have been in a state where she could wear that uniform and perform such impeccable etiquette. — No, that was wrong too.
Again, again, again — her understanding was being rewritten.
No. That was right. That was it. It was absurd to think she lacked the knowledge and manners of a maid. Because in this world, she had been the very first person to show Natsuki Subaru — and Petra, who had still been a village girl — what a proper maid looked like.
And Petra Reite remembered this through the pull of gravity.
Standing there was — "That person... to bring him back, please allow
Yes — it was Rem, the original all-purpose maid of the Roswaal estate, the outwardly courteous yet sharp-tongued maid in charge of cutting remarks, who declared those words with her pale blue eyes fixed straight ahead.