She stepped on grass, trod on packed earth, and was careful not to step on the roots of great trees or the flowers hiding beneath them. The sensation of hard soil against the soles of her feet struck her as strange, given that this was all a dream.
In any ordinary dream, that would be one thing, but in this world, she could feel everything—the rough texture of tree bark, the fragrance of flower nectar, the warmth of the wind.
"It's a dream world, so why can I feel all these things properly?"
"The phrase 'dream world' is merely a figure of speech. In truth, this is a separate space—more accurately, a pocket dimension into which only the consciousness of the one undergoing the 'Trial' has been drawn, reconstructing the memories of its subject. Since these are drawn from your own memories, Challenger, it's only natural that you possess the sensation of interacting with the world. In contrast, no matter how much I try to touch the ground or a tree, I gain no tactile sensation whatsoever."
"I see. ...What about if I ran wild and tore this forest apart?"
"What a splendidly savage and
"The other form?"
"You ask so many questions. Try using that head of yours for something other than decoration once in a while. If you ask, you shall receive. But I suppose that's a tall order for someone who has lived her whole life coasting by on sweet-talking and relying on others."
"Hmm..."
Keeping a consistent distance behind Emilia as she walked ahead was the "Witch of Greed."
Emilia raised a hand to her chin and thought.
The distinction Echidna had raised—between memories you could touch and memories you couldn't. The people walking through a memory versus Emilia, whose consciousness had been pulled in from the present. How could she, of all people, make contact?
"I thought about it, but I don't get it. Tell me the answer."
"............"
"What's wrong? Is your stomach hurting?"
"That deplorable attitude of yours. For something to stir up that much emotion in me—aside from him and his friends, you're probably the only one who can manage that, Emilia."
"Echidna, you have friends."
Emilia's murmured observation carried an unmistakable tone of "how nice," and Echidna let out a sigh.
It seemed her words hadn't been received in quite the way she'd intended. Emilia hesitated, trying to figure out how to rephrase—but before she could, "The regrets glimpsed through the 'Trial' aren't always limited to a single moment for everyone."
"Hm?"
"There are those who regret having frozen a particular instant in time. But there are also those who regret a relationship—something continuous. In the latter case, the 'Trial' doesn't reproduce a single cut-out scene. Instead, it reconstructs 'that person' within the subject of the 'Trial' itself. Conversation, physical contact, even love—all of that becomes possible."
"...Oh. So that's how it works."
Emilia nodded, satisfied by Echidna's explanation.
Indeed, "regret" was something that could take those different forms. Some might regret a fight they had with someone, while others might regret the time that passed while they remained at odds.
Which one you needed to overcome—that was entirely up to the person in question.
"But you still answered my annoying question properly."
"Don't you dare mistake me for some 'wonderfully kind person.' The idea that you'd think kindly of me is the most humiliating thing imaginable. If I answer when asked, that's simply because it's in my nature to do so—nothing more."
"Okaaay."
She didn't feel like laughing, but she had more or less figured out how to navigate her relationship with Echidna, who always kept her at arm's length.
The Witch clearly loathed Emilia to the depths of her soul—but Emilia couldn't bring herself to loathe Echidna in return. She simply didn't know her well enough.
Conversely, it meant that Echidna knew Emilia well enough to despise her this much—and the opportunity to dig into why, at least in this place, was not going to present itself.
"—Fufu! Ahaha! Over here! Over here!"
"Eep!"
The sudden cry of a young girl startled Emilia, who had been devoting her attention behind her.
The small figure that shot past her side, circling around, was a young girl. Emilia was shaken that she hadn't noticed the approach despite how close the girl had gotten—but she quickly realized that it wasn't because of any carelessness or arrogance on her part.
The girl who had overtaken Emilia was running about with her silver hair—reaching all the way to her back—disheveled.
Amethyst eyes, a well-worn child's outfit. Darting fearlessly through the forest with an innocent laugh—the face was one Emilia knew well.
Standing there was her younger self—a version of Emilia from days long past, who did not yet know the meaning of "regret."
"She may not know anything yet, but the look on her face is almost offensively carefree."
"Don't pick on little me. Besides... whether that's a bad thing or not is something I'm about to find out."
Leaning against a tree, Echidna made that judgment with her prejudice fully on display.
Emilia pushed back against the Witch's remark, wincing as a tingling sensation ran through her temple—her consciousness-only body notwithstanding.
With her contract to
The days spent with Lady
"How could I have lived as if forgetting all this was perfectly normal..."
Even with vast gaps and hollow spaces carved out of her memories, Emilia had filled them in and gone on living as though nothing were amiss.
If she had noticed those gaps before the 'Trial' had anything to do with it—if she had begun to doubt herself—what would have become of her? It would have been something irreversible. Knowing that, Puck—perhaps more aware of Emilia's abnormality than anyone—had said nothing.
The memories returning to her still lay dormant behind doors that had only just begun to open.
She hadn't been able to pry them fully ajar before the 'Trial,' but that was enough.
Now, within this 'Trial,' every last one of Emilia's sealed memories would be laid bare.
And seeing all of it, she could imagine that something inside her would change irrevocably.
"But I'm not going to be afraid of that anymore."
"So you'll stop making the tearful, hysterical decision to cling to your father or your man? It would be just like you—such a shameless woman—to drop that habit."
"I'm sure you'd forgive me for doing that... but I don't want to disappoint myself and Subaru by falling apart. I don't want to be weak and just resign myself to staying that way."
"...Do as you please. I'll simply commit one more outcome to memory."
No matter how much malice Echidna piled on, it was no longer enough to shake Emilia's spirit.
Having realized this through their exchange up to this point, the Witch fell silent with a resigned expression.
With the Witch's provocations reined in, Emilia exhaled and directed her focus to the past.
Before her, the younger Emilia was running about with a carefree expression. And then— "Please wait, Emilia-sama! Running around like that is dangerous!"
"It's not dangerous, I'm fine! You're the one who's going to scrape your knees, Guese!"
"I can sustain any number of injuries without concern. Emilia-sama's well-being is what matters. If so much as a scratch were to mar that porcelain skin, I could never atone for it—even in death."
Chasing after the frisking young Emilia was a tall man in a flowing black robe—Guese. His stern features wore a look of unmistakable gentleness and fondness as he gently admonished the girl who refused to listen and kept frolicking.
"Guese, the way you say things like that, it honestly sounds super pervy."
"I assure you, that's not my intention at all... to look at Emilia-sama in such a way—I would never, ever..."
The one who called out to Guese as he pursued Emilia was a woman chasing after him in turn—a sharp-eyed beauty who brushed back her short silver hair.
Upon seeing her, Emilia's breath hitched in her throat— "Fortuna... Mother..."
Even though she knew it was a memory, Emilia couldn't suppress the welling of tears at the sight of the woman who had been like a mother to her, alive and well.
She had loved her. She had admired her more than anyone. Even now, Lady Fortuna was family to Emilia—every bit as precious as Puck.
Fortuna drew up beside the troubled-looking Guese and looked up at his tall profile.
"It's not just Emilia—your remarks are inappropriate toward anyone, Guese. You're not exactly young anymore, you know."
"To me, age holds little meaning. In the sense of having lived a very, very long time, even you and Emilia-sama are still but children in my eyes."
"I'm... a child to you...?"
At Guese's reply, Fortuna's expression soured and she murmured, displeased.
Guese furrowed his brows in a helpless fashion, but Fortuna didn't let up. In place of a response, the young Emilia came toddling back, pouting at the two of them for not giving chase.
"Geez! Lady Fortuna and Guese, why aren't you chasing me?! This is supposed to be tag! You're not allowed to just stop!"
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, Emilia-sama. What a disgrace for this
"Don't you dare spoil her, Guese.—Emilia, do you honestly not remember why Mother and Guese were chasing you in the first place? Mother has very, very little patience for children who refuse to reflect on their behavior, you know?"
"Meww!"
Young Emilia flinched at the hint of anger behind Fortuna's smile.
She had remembered why she was being chased—and realized she'd only made things worse by bringing it up. Her face went pale, and she tried to laugh it off with a sheepish "Ehehe" before turning to run— "What a shame. Emilia was caught by Lady Fortuna."
"Whaa! I'm sorry, Fortuna Mother! It's not what it looks like, it's not! The fairy told me to come play, said I should go outside, so..."
"I don't like children who blame others—whether people or fairies—for their own choices either, you understand, Emilia?"
Fortuna whispered from behind the younger Emilia, who had been scooped up in a hug from the back. The squirming girl stopped struggling and wilted.
"I'm sorry, Fortuna Mother. It's boring staying in my room, and since Guese is already my friend, I wanted to see him, so I came out..."
"And when Mother caught you, you ran away, didn't you? That means you knew you were doing something wrong. That's a very, very bad thing to do."
"Yes..."
"Breaking a promise is wrong. Keeping a promise is something precious. A promise is proof that you trust someone—breaking one means betraying that trust, and that's not okay."
As young Emilia was on the verge of tears, Fortuna spoke to her gently. She cupped the girl's face with both hands, holding her gaze with their matching amethyst eyes.
"Emilia, make a promise to Mother. Promise that from now on, you'll keep your promises properly."
"Mm... Yes, I promise. I'm sorry, Mother."
"Good. That's all I needed to hear."
Hearing the teary-eyed Emilia's vow, Fortuna drew her beloved daughter into her arms.
She gently stroked the silver hair as Emilia let out muffled sobs, accepting her child's emotional growth with a tender sigh. And then— "Guese? What are you fussing about over there?"
"W-well, I—ah, the sight is simply too dazzling to bear... I cannot, cannot hold back these tears...!"
Crouching in the shade of a tree, Guese had a handkerchief pressed to his face and was openly weeping. He had apparently been so moved by the exchange between mother and daughter that he'd been completely overwhelmed.
Seeing Guese crying—whether in the memories that had resurfaced or within the 'Trial' itself—made Emilia feel as though she were remembering that he was the type to cry at the drop of a hat, and a warmth spread through her chest.
"But in any case, Emilia... this 'fairy' you mentioned..."
Leaving the nose-blowing Guese to his own devices, Fortuna extracted the part of young Emilia's earlier testimony that caught her attention. "Fairy" had been brought up, and young Emilia's face brightened as she said, "Oh, that's..." with red-rimmed eyes, smiling— "Come, Fairy."
Young Emilia extended her hand and spoke to the world.
And then—as if her small white fingertips were a perch—countless faint lights began to shimmer and gather around her, swaying gently.
It was Fortuna and Guese who wore expressions of shock at the sight.
"Could it be—lesser spirits? This many...? How..."
"...? I just talked to them, and lots of them came. While I was playing alone in my princess room, they started showing up."
"To command this many lesser spirits at your age... It appears Emilia-sama possesses extraordinary aptitude as a spirit user."
"A spirit... user?"
Having recovered from his bout of emotion, Guese was back to his usual self. When young Emilia tilted her head at his words, he smiled gently and nodded.
"The fairies Emilia-sama refers to are beings known as lesser spirits. They exist everywhere throughout the world, and those who can communicate with them, converse with them, and forge contracts with them are called spirit users. Those whom the spirits take a liking to, who borrow their power to accomplish the extraordinary—those are spirit users."
"Can I become one?"
"Yes. If you continue to grow up healthy and remain someone the spirits are fond of... I'm certain you'll be able to command many more spirits—and spirits of even greater power."
At Guese's explanation, young Emilia's face lit up like the sun.
However, upon hearing this, Fortuna rose to her feet and nudged Guese in the ribs with her elbow.
"Hey, Guese. Don't go saying unnecessary things. She's got a few lesser spirits following her around—calling her a spirit user is going too far. Emilia doesn't need any of that."
"You may say so, Lady Fortuna, but Emilia-sama cannot remain a child forever. There will come times when you cannot be at her side. I believe that for her sake—for the ability to stand on her own when that day comes—this is something she needs."
An argument erupted between Fortuna and Guese over Emilia's education.
Watching the exchange from the sidelines, Emilia couldn't help but think— "They kind of look like a dad and a mom."
"W-Whaat!?"
Young Emilia had said exactly what the present-day Emilia was thinking, with a perfectly innocent face.
Emilia watched Fortuna flush red and thought, Yeah, I thought the same thing back then.
"Hey, don't say weird things, Emilia. Mother and Guese have known each other for a very, very long time, so it's not like we're in that kind of relationship."
"That's right, Emilia-sama. Lady Fortuna and I have a long history together... stretching all the way back to when your mother and father were still together..."
"—Guese."
Fortuna, who had been trying hard to explain, called out in a low voice when Guese let something slip. He realized his own gaffe, covered his mouth with his hand, and apologized. "I'm sorry."
"My... father and mother...?"
"I'm sorry, Emilia. We'll talk about that another time. But more importantly, you should get back to your room. I never said I'd forgiven you for sneaking out in the first place."
"Hmm... Fortuna Mother is so mean..."
Feeling as though the topic had been deliberately dodged, young Emilia puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. But Fortuna showed no intention of indulging her—she pressed both hands against the girl's puffed cheeks and deflated them.
"Phew," young Emilia exhaled as her cheeks went slack. Fortuna met her gaze.
"Be a good girl and stay put. This isn't the last time you'll see Guese, either. I... I'll make sure to arrange another chance."
"Really? You promise? You won't break your word?"
"Oh, this child. Where does she even pick up these little tricks?"
Fortuna smiled wryly at young Emilia turning her promise back on her, then gently hugged her.
"That's right, a promise. A very, very important promise between Mother and Emilia."
"...Okay. I'll go back to my room, then."
Because Fortuna had made a proper promise, young Emilia trusted her and nodded.
Once released from the embrace, young Emilia dashed over to Guese before heading back to her princess room. Reaching up toward the man who was looking down at her, she smiled.
"See you later, Guese. This is a promise so we'll meet again."
"—Yes, absolutely. I look forward to seeing you once more."
Guese took the small hand extended to him, and they shook on it.
Young Emilia nodded repeatedly at the smile returned to her, then let go of his hand and said her goodbyes.
And with that, young Emilia turned to head back to her princess room—.
"It seems he's arrived."
Until now, Echidna had been watching the past unfold in silence. Now she murmured softly.
Her voice was startlingly clear, and Emilia raised her head, turning to search for what the words referred to. Then she found him.
"————"
He was a young man with white hair.
White hair and pale skin. Dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, he cut an unadorned figure. His features were well-formed enough, but he lacked anything that stood out—an utterly ordinary appearance.
He was the sort of nondescript mass that would be swallowed up instantly if dropped into a crowd. And yet, here and now, that very quality made him an uncannily conspicuous anomaly.
"...Who are you?!"
In the memory, Fortuna noticed the young man—who was watching her and the others—and instinctively pulled young Emilia closer, her voice sharp with alarm.
At her words, the young man touching the trunk of a great tree brushed back his white hair.
"When you ask someone for their name, shouldn't you offer yours first? That's only proper etiquette."
Fortuna's brow twitched at the retort.
Seeing this, the young man's lips twisted into a shape that conveyed something sinister.
"I know asking 'who are you' and getting this kind of reply is the very definition of cliché, but having actually encountered this situation, I can now understand why people feel the urge to say it. We're meeting face-to-face for the very first time. We're supposed to be on equal footing, building a relationship from this point forward—so why am I the one being interrogated from a position of superiority? Are you even aware of that? You looked down on me, treated me with casual contempt—without even realizing it."
"For a man, you certainly seem to enjoy the sound of your own voice."
"'For a man'—that's quite the prejudice from someone who apparently doesn't know what kind of men are out there. In the first place, the 'men' who exist in countless numbers throughout this world—by what right are you comparing me to any of them? That attitude of yours... frankly, I find it unacceptable. It's exceedingly rude. You're dismissing me as an individual—trampling on my rights."
With each word Fortuna spoke, the young man's manner grew more unhinged.
Recognizing that this was a far more dangerous opponent, Fortuna braced herself with her guard fully raised. But it was Guese—standing at Fortuna's side—who stepped forward to halt her.
He looked up at the white-haired young man and spoke with a stern expression.
"
"Assured you? That was nothing more than an agreement you decided on by yourself and imposed on others. For a mere spirit to act so high and mighty, trying to force others to comply with your terms... And yet you're restricting my actions? You call that faithful behavior? You're violating my very being—my heart and soul—so cut it out already!"
"That doesn't answer my question! If you take issue with the agreement, we can discuss it at the Church! Why have you shown your face here?! Who even told you about this place—!"
"—That was done on my orders."
The furious young man—Regulus—was cut off by a woman's voice. It was the first time since this scene began that a new voice had entered the fray, making the air tremble.
At that voice, everyone present reacted.
Guese's eyes filled with horror. Fortuna's burned with fury. Young Emilia, cradled in her mother's arms, began to cry and shake her head. Regulus bore a malicious grin.
Emilia, watching from beyond the memory, drew a sharp breath at the existence of that voice. Echidna simply closed her eyes.
A young girl stepped forward.
The figure who now stood beside Regulus—looking down at the three of them—was a girl of such breathtaking beauty that it made every viewer tremble.
Long, luminous platinum hair fell past her slender shoulders and down her back, gleaming sweetly as though it had been given form by cascading sunlight.
Her eyes, framed by long lashes, were a deep blue so profound they seemed to contain the entire world. Her perfectly sculpted features were refined to a degree that even gods might hesitate to touch.
Her petite body seemed so fragile that even being cradled by the wind felt dangerous. She was wrapped in nothing more than a single white cloth, and the atmosphere around her conveyed the sense that the world itself refused to let anything else touch her bare skin.
An extraordinary presence that belonged to no ordinary being. A bearing that made it impossible for her to be anything less.
The voice she spoke with held an almost magical quality that bound the body and soul of whoever heard it, and in the shock of the moment, not a single person could find words to respond.
"What's wrong, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti?"
She tilted her head and posed the question.
To simply have her gaze directed at him, to simply have her voice addressed to him—just one such gesture was enough to flood the recipient with an overwhelming sense of euphoria, making them feel they could die happy.
Looking up at the girl's existence, Emilia felt her mouth going rapidly dry—she knew it was a memory, but still.
—That girl is dangerous.
"Why are you here... No—Regulus Corneas...! Why did you bring her to this place...!"
Guese's teeth were clenched, his voice trembling with rage—as though trying to reject the emotions swelling up inside him.
—She's too dangerous.
"I didn't do anything so underhanded as infringing on someone's will. She came of her own accord. Trying to pin everything on me is simply too much prejudice. I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from evaluating me so casually."
"Bishop Regulus. He's confused too. Please don't be too harsh."
The girl at Regulus's side admonished him gently.
At her words, Regulus's lips trembled. He fought desperately not to let his sense of bliss show on his face as he bowed with exaggerated courtesy.
This was abnormal.
Regulus—an overwhelming anomaly—and the fact that the girl could command him so effortlessly spoke volumes about her own aberrant nature.
Looking up at the girl, Guese's eyes shook with a mixture of bewilderment and horror as he shook his head.
"This is... far too cruel... Lady
At Guese's voice, which sounded as though the breath had been squeezed out of him, the girl offered a faint smile.
A smile that the world itself seemed to bless—an expression that conveyed even greater euphoria than the one before. Pandora, as she was called, responded to every gaze directed at her with the magnanimous power to accept all.
She spread her arms wide, as though embracing everything within her small reach.
"Now, shall we begin? —To fulfill the true purpose of us, the Witch's Cult."
"Pandoraaaaaa—!!"
Fortuna's fierce scream overlapped with the girl's gentle declaration.
Shielding young Emilia behind her with both arms thrust forward, Fortuna unfurled a blue magic circle before her. Ice stakes materialized with tremendous force, their overwhelming density converging on Pandora head-on.
"Oh my."
"You'll pay for this—go apologize to your brothers impaled on every last one!!"
The magic slammed into Pandora, who stood with a vague hand to her mouth.
Nearly twenty ice stakes—each as large as a grown man's arm—were generated in rapid succession, fired one after another, piercing through the body of the dazed girl as white steam erupted.
The cascade of shattering ice never ceased. Even as columns of white smoke rose, Fortuna showed no sign of relenting. Before young Emilia's gaping face, Fortuna—her beautiful profile twisted in wrath—raised both hands high.
"Take—this!!"
Following the downward sweep of her arms, an enormous mass of ice descended like an avalanche of frozen destruction sweeping through the treetops. It struck true, crashing down on Pandora's location from directly above, burying the forest floor as white annihilation carved a grave into the earth.
Even the Emilia of the present was struck speechless by the magnitude of Fortuna's magical power.
Could even Emilia, borrowing Puck's strength, hope to weave magic of that scale? She had never once underestimated her mother, but learning that Fortuna's true power exceeded even her memories sent a shudder through her.
But— "Hey, did you just completely ignore me just now? You didn't even spare me a glance, and yet you launched an attack that would've taken me out along with her? How exactly do you justify that? That's... trampling on my life, my very existence, my rights!"
The moment the long, venomous complaint ended, the colossal ice mass was shattered to pieces from below.
Amidst the fantastical scene of powdered ice crystals scattering through the forest sky, Regulus stood there with an air of calm composure—utterly out of place. And Pandora, equally unscathed, stood beside him.
Regulus flicked off his jacket with his hand, and despite having taken the full brunt of that attack, he bore not a single wound—nor even a speck of dirt on his clothes. Pandora merely tidied her bangs, ruffled by the shockwave, with a light touch of her hand.
Emilia suspected that Regulus had stepped in front of Pandora to shield her, but it was far too far from normal. She had no idea what had just happened.
"So that's the current holder of Greed. Even regarding it as an impossible encounter, seeing it with my own eyes is rather interesting."
"Do you understand what just happened?"
Echidna had moved to a more visible spot, leaving the shade of the tree. Emilia addressed her. Echidna glanced at Emilia sideways, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"I can make a guess, but I'm far from certain. If only we could watch a bit longer, I could tell you what would happen... but it seems the situation won't allow that."
"What do you—"
"We need to move."
At Echidna's terse words, Emilia clenched her teeth in frustration and looked ahead.
The confrontation of the past had begun with Fortuna's opening salvo—but to no avail.
Seeing Regulus take one step forward with his sour expression, Guese extended an arm.
"Lady Fortuna, take Emilia-sama and fall back! Against Regulus Corneas, we are far too powerless as we are now!"
"To think you'd say that—with that woman standing right before me!?"
"Consider the situation! Who is it that you're protecting right now?!"
"———!"
Guese's sharp rebuke stopped Fortuna in her tracks, just as she was about to charge in for a last stand. Fortuna's cheeks stiffened with shock, and when she looked behind her, there was young Emilia with a frightened expression, clutching the hem of her mother's clothes.
"M-Mother..."
"Emilia—!"
"Please fall back. And send for reinforcements from the village immediately. The followers who came with me are people who share my convictions—they will surely be of help to you."
As Fortuna pulled the clinging young Emilia into her arms, Guese spoke in a steady voice.
Hearing this, Fortuna rose with young Emilia in her arms and looked at Guese with anxious eyes.
"What will you do if we leave?"
"—Please rest assured. I am not so reckless as to remain here without a plan."
Despite the tension in his expression, Guese responded with a smile for Fortuna's worried gaze.
Seeing that smile, Fortuna shut her eyes as though forcing herself to look away— "I will come back for you. I promise."
That was all she said. Then, clutching young Emilia, Fortuna sprinted into the forest.
Still struggling in her arms, young Emilia craned her head around from beside Fortuna's— "Guese—!!"
"————"
At young Emilia's cry, Guese turned back and raised his hand with something like relief on his face.
After that, as Fortuna and young Emilia plunged deeper into the forest, Guese's figure was lost to sight.
"That's strange. I was carried away like that, so I shouldn't have seen what happened next..."
"Don't underestimate the world of memories I've constructed. It's built on the foundation of your memories, yes—but the construction itself draws on my own sorcery and the writings in the Tome of Wisdom. It's relatively easy to fill in scenes your consciousness wasn't present for. Of course..."
Echidna answered Emilia's question while keeping her gaze on Fortuna and the others as they fled into the distance.
"If your goal is to overcome the 'Trial,' chasing after them is without doubt the correct choice. What would you like to do? Will you stay here and watch what unfolds?"
The implication was clear—she was nudging Emilia to go after Fortuna. Her reasoning was logically sound. After all, the one undergoing the 'Trial' was Emilia, and the past that mattered most to her was what young Emilia would see and do next. But— "Echidna... it almost sounded like you want to send me over there for some other reason."
"............"
"I don't think I'm imagining things. The way you said it, your attitude—it was off."
"...Think what you want. Besides, things are about to move on this end as well."
Echidna didn't answer Emilia's question directly. Expression gone blank, she retreated a few steps. Perhaps she was trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire of the battle about to erupt.
No matter how much destruction occurred, it wouldn't affect Emilia or Echidna. However, if the terrain itself were to shift, their footing would become an issue.
"Not very gentlemanly, Petelgeuse. But tell me—who gave you permission to go pulling something like that? What do you think I came here for? Surely you don't think I have business with you. I have business over there. By interfering with me, you're obstructing what I'm meant to do. You're violating my rights."
"Say whatever you like, Regulus Corneas. But I swear on my very existence—I will not let you or anyone else pass beyond this point!"
"Listen to you. One of the
"That... I shall show you now."
As Regulus's fury mounted through his selfish logic, Guese responded quietly.
He reached inside his robe, and the expression of resolve on his face struck Emilia as the look of a man prepared to die.
"No... Guese, what are you going to do...!?"
Reliving the past had rekindled Emilia's affection for him.
Seeing him in a situation so dire that he steeled himself for death, Emilia instinctively reached out to stop him—but she, who existed in the present, had no power to intervene in the story of the past.
Her outstretched hand passed right through, and the palms that should have clasped together in his childhood never touched.
"What is that—"
The small black box Guese drew from within his robe.
Regulus frowned at the sight—but then his eyes widened, as though he had suddenly realized what it was. For possibly the first time, the young man wore an expression of genuine surprise, and Guese pierced him with a gaze full of resolution.
"You should be able to feel it. You've held this once before as well."
"Oh, I know. That's exactly why I can't shut my mouth at the sheer idiocy you're displaying. You might have thought of it as some kind of trump card and hidden it away—but the fact that you can even have it at your side should tell you everything! You don't have the right to wield it! It itself is what determines that!"
"...You're right. I am not suited to it. That's why, all this time, I've simply been the one holding it in trust. But for times like these—that is what it's for."
"Bishop Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti."
Guese's quiet answer met Regulus's tirade.
But their exchange was cut short by a voice from the figure who hadn't moved from her original position—Pandora.
When Guese looked up at the sound of his name, Pandora regarded him with a gentle expression.
"I wish you a pleasant journey."
"————"
There was no malice, no hostility, no hidden agenda in the words—only a blessing.
That was precisely why, upon hearing it, Emilia could not stop herself from trembling with dread. And Guese was the same.
Guese's face twisted as though the blessing had flayed him alive, enduring the pain. Then he turned the small box over in his hand and removed the lid.
Inside the palm-sized box was something black and writhing—something that was not quite a something.
"Please forgive me, Lord Flügel."
With those words, Guese pressed the small box and the black thing within it against his own chest.
In the next instant, the black something burst apart against Guese's body like water splashing outward, explosively increasing in volume until it enveloped him entirely.
The sight of a viscous, living mass engulfing Guese drew a soundless scream from Emilia. The black something wrapped around his body, constricting.
"You're an idiot."
Regulus spoke with a dismissive scoff—his first curt, pointed remark.
At the end of his contemptuous gaze, Guese—now entirely encased in the black something—raised both hands to the sky and let out a raw scream. It was neither pain nor pleasure, but something else entirely that convulsed within him.
"————"
Then, intertwined with the screaming, a strange sound emerged.
It was the sound of someone clapping.
"Wonderful."
The platinum-haired girl Pandora whispered and applauded.
She gazed upon Guese, who was still caught in the throes of emotional turmoil, and her cheeks flushed with ecstasy.
The slight quiver in her breath was unmistakable—she was aroused by the scene before her.
"Lady Pandora?"
Not only Emilia but Regulus too registered confusion at her reaction.
The white-haired young man furrowed his brow at the applauding Pandora. She turned to face him with her cheeks still flushed, paused her clapping, and pointed at Guese.
"Bishop Regulus Corneas."
"Yes?"
"He's coming."
The next instant, Regulus's body was suddenly flipped upside down and hurled high into the sky.
"Wh—?"
It was the crude, childlike violence of someone grabbing a doll by the feet and flinging it upward.
Even Regulus himself didn't understand what had happened. His voice came out hollow as his body reached the apex of its arc—and then plummeted back toward the ground. The speed clearly exceeded that of freefall, as though he had been slammed down while still being gripped by the feet.
He was utterly powerless to stop it, and his head struck the earth first.
The impact detonated the ground with a thunderous boom and tremor. Trees, caught in the shockwave, toppled one after another toward Regulus's point of impact. Buried beneath the follow-up cascade, Regulus vanished from sight—and silence descended on the forest.
Emilia had lost her voice. Her mind was blank as she desperately tried to process what had just occurred.
She hadn't seen a thing. If there was one thing she did know— "I told you—this is death."
The man in the black robe knelt on the spot, blood weeping from his eyes, staring ahead.
Through the gaps in the settling dust and fallen trees, he glared, his harsh breathing the price of having traded his resolve for victory.
He had been freed from the agony of being consumed by the black something. He stood.
Guese—no, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti.
"I won't let those two be pursued... Beyond this point, I will absolutely not let you pass—this is DEATH!!"