—The unprecedented scenario of two key figures vanishing at the same time.
Naturally, faced with an experience that had never occurred in any of his previous loops, Subaru's insides were nothing but searing impatience.
Passing through the
"—She bolted on me, didn't she."
The greeting Subaru received upon roughly shoving the door open and stepping inside was Garfiel, standing there with his arms crossed. He wrinkled his snout to show his irritation, glaring at Subaru.
"You're late. What the hell, making someone wait, you—"
"I-I hurried here as fast as I could... More importantly, you're saying Ryuzu's gone missing?"
"That's what it looks like, ain't it."
Jutting his chin, Garfiel indicated the cramped room. It wasn't even a space you could look around — Ryuzu's temporary residence was essentially a dugout hut, a bare-bones setup with nothing but a lone bed in the narrow room.
And since Ryuzu's figure was nowhere to be found on that bed, there was no doubt she was gone.
Catching his breath, Subaru roughly wiped the sweat from his chin with his sleeve.
"Obviously I can tell she's not here, but... isn't 'missing' a bit of an overstatement? Ryuzu may look young, but she's a perfectly capable adult. It'd be one thing to make a fuss if she went out for a walk or something—"
"Don't give me that crap! What the hell do you know?! That old lady has never once, not a single time, failed to show up for breakfast without giving a reason. I've seen her oversleep, I've seen her bedridden with illness, but a walk? I'll eat you alive for that."
"Your tone's rough as ever, but what kind of close-knit relationship do you have with Ryuzu..."
The circumstances being what they were, the evidence that sealed Ryuzu's disappearance being something so heartwarming took the wind out of Subaru's sails. But Garfiel couldn't have cared less about Subaru's loss of composure.
He finally straightened his back, crowded in close to Subaru, and bared his teeth.
"What happened today has never happened before, and it just suddenly did this morning. If something this abnormal is going on in this settlement right now, even a fool would figure it's because you people are involved. —You didn't do anything extra to the old lady, did you?"
It was a wild accusation, but this time Garfiel's suspicion hit the mark.
Ryuzu — today's designated should be θ, but θ's disappearance was almost certainly caused by Subaru. Just like Emilia, it was hard to imagine that θ had also been abducted by someone.
She had left of her own accord, without even leaving a message for Garfiel. Like Emilia, she was blocked by the Sanctuary's barrier and couldn't escape outside. That meant θ's objective was to hide away. —And unlike Emilia, Subaru's time limit was even more pressing.
"With θ's case, if we don't find her within today..."
Once the role was transferred, tomorrow would bring yet another Ryuzu — either α, β, or Σ. If that happened, holding a conversation with θ before the two-day deadline would likely become impossible, which in turn meant the complete conquest of the Sanctuary would stall out.
"...She-ta...?"
At Subaru's use of the name for Ryuzu, Garfiel's expression clouded with a question mark.
Subaru had been about to ask for Garfiel's help in finding θ, but seeing that look on Garfiel's face, he suddenly thought better of it.
The doubt that welled up stopped the words in Subaru's throat.
"..."
It was a simple question — and yet one he had never once thought to verify.
Did Garfiel even know that Ryuzu's representative personalities numbered four?
Garfiel was someone who knew the abandoned experimental facility deep in the forest and Ryuzu Meyer trapped inside the crystal. He had attempted the Trials, encountered
But what about beyond that? Did Garfiel know that the four representative designations — α, β, Σ, and θ — existed?
"What is it? Why'd you suddenly clam up on me. If you've got some idea, spit it out already. 'The honest and straightforward Lieb-Lieb stays happy even when deceived,' right?"
"That... Lieb-Lieb gets deceived right to the end, doesn't it..."
Sketching out a Happy Prince sort of story in his mind, Subaru wrestled with how he should respond to Garfiel's interrogation.
Dealing with Garfiel was the last gate in conquering the Sanctuary. Honestly, having to face him without having extracted the truth from θ was woefully insufficient preparation. Yet as it turned out, the way he responded here might force the topic anyway.
—How should he answer? After agonizing over it, Subaru said: "Hey, Garfiel. Couldn't you, if you really wanted to, call Ryuzu out yourself?"
"—!!"
The moment those words left his lips, Subaru watched Garfiel's expression undergo a violent transformation. Then, with eyes still trembling from the shock, Garfiel seized the front of Subaru's shirt and yanked him in hard.
So close that their foreheads nearly collided, Garfiel's golden eyes blazed with a fury so intense it seemed his gaze alone could incinerate the person before him.
"I don't have the faintest goddamn clue — not a shred, not even a flicker of a firefly's worth — what the hell you're trying to say, got it?!"
"I-I don't know what a firefly is, but... someone who really has no idea wouldn't react like that... Let go, idiot."
His head hot with blood, Garfiel had grabbed Subaru's shirt — and perhaps that snapped him back to coherence. The words of someone trying to conceal what shouldn't be said came out incoherent.
Subaru's observation had struck a nerve. Garfiel's grip loosened, and Subaru used that opening to twist free of the hold. He straightened his disheveled clothes, took a step back to put some distance between them, then said: "Exactly what I said. That's the meaning. You're not thick enough not to understand that. You have a method. The quickest, easiest solution. So why not choose it?"
"Must be nice, talking like it's nothing to you...!"
Garfiel twisted his cheek in resentment, glaring at Subaru with genuine hatred.
But Subaru could clearly see that beneath the rising tide of anger and hostility in those eyes, there lurked a shadow of grief.
When Subaru's expression shifted at the recognition of that sorrow, Garfiel clicked his tongue at having the shadow of emotion within himself seen, and turned his face away.
"That's why you Qualified are impossible to let your guard down around. God knows what that witch of yours has been whispering inside your head. Don't give me that look. Don't, don't."
"..."
"You know about the old lady's experimental site, and you've got that knowing look on your face. So you probably know about the old lady in the crystal too... But this isn't something you can just pull out whenever you want."
Garfiel pressed his right hand against his chest, hiding it from Subaru's gaze. There was nothing physically there, but the gesture was meant to indicate he possessed the invisible "command authority."
Interpreting the gesture that way, Subaru watched as Garfiel kept his arms folded and continued: "I'm not like you or Roswaal. Even knowing it's there, the idea of using it however I want... I'd never, ever think that."
"...Garfiel."
"I'm enough by myself. Just me is all I need. This power — I wouldn't use it until the absolute last moment, the very last, last moment comes. —Granny is my granny."
The words tumbled out in a quiet murmur at the end.
He had called Ryuzu "granny" once before, too. This time, adding to that, he hadn't even used "I" to refer to himself — as if making a show of it.
Was that unguarded slip, perhaps, Garfiel's truest feeling?
"—Tch."
Realizing he'd let too much out, Garfiel kicked the floor in irritation. The force of it shook the entire dugout hut, and Subaru felt dust sprinkle down on his head and neck as he waited for Garfiel to make his move.
Understanding that he wasn't the only one running hot, Garfiel's expression twisted with even more discomfort. He roughly shoved Subaru aside with his arm, blocking the doorway.
"Get out. I'm done with you. If you can't figure out where the old lady went, then I'll find her myself. And after that, I'm not letting you anywhere near her."
"You sure like jumping to the conclusion that I'm the cause, huh."
"Before you people... before you people came, nothing like this ever happened here. It was peaceful. I'm going to get that time back. I don't need anything else. Not inside, not outside. ...I don't need anything."
The final words came out weakly before Garfiel strode out of the hut. Once outside, he bent his knee slightly, then with beast-like leg power burst forward at acceleration — despite it being a straight path, within seconds he had run so fast he disappeared from view.
Subaru brushed away the cloud of dust raised by Garfiel's stride, and before following him outside, took one more look around the room.
Setting aside Garfiel's hasty conclusion, had Ryuzu really left without leaving any trace behind? Maybe she'd left some kind of hint about her destination— "Yeah, right. If there were anything like that, someone who'd known her longer than me would've noticed it ages ago. I've got a worse nose and a worse eye than that guy."
After about five minutes of searching, finding nothing, he sighed with self-deprecation. Then Subaru stepped outside the hut, gazing toward the settlement, and thought.
"..."
Emilia and Ryuzu θ — both had vanished almost simultaneously.
It was most likely that each had left the building of their own accord, escaping from Subaru and the others' sight. Was there any possibility they were acting together?
"As far as I've seen, I don't have any memory of Emilia and Ryuzu being especially close..."
In the Sanctuary, Emilia had been constantly burdened by concerns about the royal selection and the Trials. He couldn't recall a time when she'd interacted with anyone in a relaxed, comfortable way.
At most, she'd had idle conversations with Subaru,
Looking back now, the lack of that kind of external contact might have been what drove Emilia's lonely sense of mission inward. His own lack of consideration was laid bare. If Subaru had navigated things better, Emilia wouldn't have been left with emotions she couldn't manage, and she might have found a clearer path forward.
"All of this is too little, too late..."
Now was not the time for self-reflection on what led to Emilia's disappearance. Above all, if he dug deep enough, the reason would lead nowhere except to his own self-denial.
There was no time now for that kind of self-loathing — not when he was so prone to falling into negative thinking.
"At least Garfiel didn't find out Emilia was missing... He wouldn't prioritize searching for her over Ryuzu, but who knows what he'd say if he found out."
But that relief would become meaningless if Subaru couldn't secure Emilia quickly. And the matter of Ryuzu θ was not something that could be pushed off either.
If he couldn't secure θ before Garfiel did, she would fall under the overprotective Garfiel's custody, making contact nearly impossible.
In other words, spelling out exactly what he had to do: "Secure both Emilia and Ryuzu θ before Garfiel does. Both within half a day — get the reason for θ's opposition to releasing the Sanctuary out of her, get Emilia back on her feet and have her take on the Trials... Is that it?"
"...Natsuki-san, how much of a thorny path do you have to walk before you're satisfied?"
Rather than feeling burdened, Subaru's conclusion could only be described as utter darkness ahead. At the moment he spoke those words aloud, Otto happened to arrive at the entrance of the hut.
Having arrived quite a ways behind the sprinting Subaru, Otto surveyed the room Subaru had ransacked in search of traces and furrowed his brow.
"If you're going to search the house, could you at least show a little more refinement? Your talk with Garfiel seems to have gone smoothly, though."
"It went fine, but 'productive' is a stretch. For now, I've confirmed the situation and the plan I just muttered out is the next course of action based on that."
"To me it sounded like one problem was piled on top of another before the first one was even solved, until it all turned into a mess."
"..."
At Otto's perfectly reasonable reaction, Subaru could no longer muster even a quip and let his shoulders droop.
But he did feel somewhat lighter than before, perhaps because Otto's presence reminded him that he didn't have to keep worrying alone.
"...When you show that obviously relieved face, it puts me in a tough spot, seriously."
"Huh? What is it?"
"That's my line. You probably don't even realize it. No, you definitely don't. If you do realize it and still act like that, then I'm completely wrapped around your finger. Ah, jeez."
As Otto scratched and tugged at his gray hair, Subaru tilted his head. But Otto didn't answer the questioning look, instead raising his voice with a "Anyway!"
"The already deadlock situation has only gotten worse. What do we do? Conditions that were already ones we wanted to escape have piled on top of even worse ones. How do we break through? At this point, it still feels like throwing everything away and running would be forgivable."
"After everything we've seen and heard and gotten involved with, just leave it all behind? Neither you nor I are the type for that kind of irresponsibility."
"...Emilia-sama might have done exactly that, though."
Otto averted his gaze and murmured with a sigh.
There was no malice in it — he just wanted to vent the frustration that had built up inside him. Subaru didn't particularly blame him for that.
But regarding those words, Subaru gave a small shake of his head.
"Emilia isn't the type to turn tail and run from problems on her back..."
"Can you say that for certain, Natsuki-san? I've been wanting to say this for a while, but aren't you looking only at Emilia-sama's good side?"
"...What do you mean? Sure, Emilia is beautiful enough to go blind from looking at her—"
"I'll gladly acknowledge that, but that's obviously not what I mean."
Low-level quips were easily brushed aside, and Otto looked at Subaru with something almost pitiable.
"Listen, okay?" he said, raising a finger.
"Since she's the one you're devoted to, I understand wanting to see only her good qualities. That happens all the time. Projecting ideals onto the person you love isn't something to be faulted."
"..."
"But Emilia-sama isn't a perfect person. If anything, she's someone with quite a few problems. That includes aspects beyond even her own ability to control — her origins, her position, all sorts of entanglements that follow her."
Listening to Otto's fluent words, Subaru realized that Otto had probably been preparing this sermon for some time.
And indeed, his words were composed entirely of unassailable logic.
"Naturally, none of those external factors have any bearing on the nobility of Emilia-sama's inner self. Her beautiful appearance can rightly be called a virtue as well. But Natsuki-san — Emilia-sama is still a human... an ordinary, singular woman. She carries the same worries, weaknesses, and uglier aspects that any ordinary woman does."
"That's not— Emilia of all people—"
"That's exactly the problem. The blind assumption that Emilia-sama is in a category of her own. You yourself have seen Emilia-sama's shortcomings more than enough in this Sanctuary, haven't you? That isn't limited to this place — it could happen anytime going forward. The position Emilia-sama seeks exists at heights that ordinary people cannot reach."
The throne. That was the pinnacle Otto spoke of — the heights Emilia should be aiming for.
Subaru knew the others who were striving for that same peak.
Noble and sincere, with lofty ideals and unwavering capability —
Arrogant and ruthless, yet possessed of an unshakable self forged by those very qualities — Priscilla Bariel.
Greedy and calculating, pouring everything into making her dreams come true, climbing to her current station through sheer competitive strength —
Rising from a position of poverty and weakness in a single leap, yet refusing to stop climbing, displaying ambition beyond her years and a vessel to match —
Every one of these candidates approached the royal selection with an indomitable will and virtues that could not be surrendered.
Did Emilia have what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder with such worthy rivals?
Being kind. Kinder than anyone. Was that not enough?
"Right now, Emilia-sama lacks many things. She's incomplete. Because she is the way she is, facing overwhelming hardships might make her cower and want to run. Isn't now one of those times, Natsuki-san? Why can't you see that?"
"...That's... because I believe Emilia is absolutely..."
Absolutely. Subaru could not bring himself to put what came next into words.
He couldn't find it. The feeling for Emilia that truly smoldered in his heart — the thing that should, at this moment, be a rebuttal to Otto's words. He could not find the words to dress it in explanation.
"..."
"...You're stubborn, aren't you."
Biting his lip, Subaru met Otto's wordless stare with eyes that held nothing but defiance. Otto was the one who grew frustrated by that silent resistance.
He shrugged, shook his head as though exasperated, then looked up at the settlement.
"The conclusion to this discussion doesn't need to be reached here. Nothing changes no matter what we argue about. The dire situation of needing to find both Emilia-sama and Ryuzu remains the same."
"...Sorry. Honestly, I should be sitting you down and properly talking about all sorts of things with you."
"I'll let it slide, since we're friends. —So, what will you do?"
Otto gestured with his chin toward the outside — toward the Sanctuary — leaving the course of action to Subaru.
Run or fight. Which of the two missing people should he go looking for first? The fact that Otto was tossing these countless problems at him was itself an expression of trust in Subaru.
He didn't intend to treat it lightly, but Subaru laughed at himself for being so fortunate.
Then: "Garfiel doesn't know that Emilia has gone missing. Even if Emilia is found by Garfiel, it's not really a problem for her. —The worst case is Garfiel securing Ryuzu first. If he does, there'll be no more chance for me to talk with her, and you can consider the best ending gone for good."
"...In other words—"
"Let's find Ryuzu. Find her before Garfiel does, and hear what she has to say."
--- "Emilia. Everyone has something important to discuss right now. So be a good girl and wait quietly in the usual spot."
Being ushered into the hollow of a great tree deep in the forest — nicknamed the "princess room" — was one of the more frustrating things for young Emilia.
In the elven village hidden in the forest, Emilia had grown up loved by everyone.
All the adults were kind to her, and even a few of her whims were indulged without a sour face. She sometimes felt lonely about the lack of opportunities to interact with children her own age, but rules had to be followed.
Fortuna was the one who looked after Emilia in the elven village — a mother surrogate.
She shared Emilia's physical traits of silver hair and violet eyes, but she kept her long hair cut short as an inconvenience and had sharp eyes — a stark contrast to the Emilia of later years.
Emilia couldn't remember when she had started living with Fortuna. She had been told, however, that Fortuna was not her real mother, but her aunt by blood.
"I'm your father's sister. Your father and mother are busy right now and can't be with you, so I'm looking after you."
That explanation from Fortuna had been a tremendous shock to Emilia — though not in a negative way. Fortuna was always insisting she wasn't Emilia's real mother, but to Emilia there was no doubt that Fortuna was her parent.
And to think that, despite having Fortuna as a mother figure, she also had a father and a real mother — two people. Normally, parents meant a father and a mother, just two. Yet she had one father and two mothers. How incredibly lucky that was.
"Emilia's silver hair was inherited from your father. The eye color seems to be strongly influenced by our family line as well. ...But your gentle facial features are from your mother. Our family all have intimidating eyes."
"...I like Fortuna's eyes, you know?"
The severe, sharp look was part of daily life. On the rare occasions that Emilia broke a rule and upset Fortuna, that stern gaze would sharpen even further, making Emilia tremble terribly.
But setting aside those times of displeasure, Fortuna was the ideal mother for Emilia. Even those sharp eyes could be touched with fondness.
Fortuna was strict but kind.
She imposed discipline so rigorous that young Emilia sometimes thought it excessive, but Emilia had understood since childhood that all of it came from a place of caring for her.
Discipline never involved violence. She was never scolded or struck without reason. Even on the rare occasions when her misdeeds made Fortuna scold her to the point of tears, they would reconcile at night by sharing the same bed, held in an embrace for the whole night through.
"I have this suuuch a big regret. I wish I'd been kinder to more people. If I'd realized that sooner, surely Father wouldn't have ended up asking me for help in the end."
When Fortuna said "suuuch," she wore a look of loneliness on her profile.
That image had burned so deeply into Emilia that she made a point of using that manner of speaking herself — not in times of sadness, but in happy moments and when she laughed.
It was a childish wish, born of wanting to fill her mother's signature catchphrase — associated with her mother carrying sadness and loneliness — with good memories instead.
"Hmm... This is boring."
Back at the start of the story, Emilia sat alone, shut inside the princess room.
She didn't much care for being called "princess," but since everyone in the village used the name, she had long since grown used to it.
She knew they meant it with affection rather than mockery, so she never asked them to stop. But being dragged into the room used to confine her was one of the few things young Emilia resented.
"I wonder what everyone's doing..."
Emilia was always locked in the princess room whenever someone visited the settlement. A sizable group was entering the forest, coming to the elves' hidden village — Emilia could feel it instinctively, without anyone telling her.
The truth was that she was unconsciously interfering with the minor spirits of the forest, receiving information from non-human beings — but at this point, Emilia didn't realize that.
She simply sat in the small room hugging her knees, turning the pages of the book she'd been given to pass the time, or playing with the crudely made doll Fortuna had crafted.
She'd been told it was a secret meeting only adults could know about, but a recent grievance of hers was that children other than herself seemed to be allowed in.
Fortuna had taught Emilia that lying and keeping secrets were wrong. Was it not wrong for Fortuna and the other adults to keep secrets from her or lie?
A visit to the princess room came about once every ten days or so. Until now, even when Emilia felt dissatisfied, she hadn't been such a bad child as to voice it.
But this time — it was impossible to count how many times she'd been in the princess room — combined with a small argument she'd had with Fortuna the previous night, and above all, the decisive blow: she had forgotten to bring the doll Fortuna gave her into the room, leaving it in her quarters.
"I want to go outside."
The words slipped out in a murmur, unheard by anyone.
Though no one Emilia knew heard them, "they" — those who knew her — did hear clearly.
"?"
Inside the cave, the room lit by the white glow of lagmite ore, a pale phosphorescent light suddenly appeared among the illumination. Blinking, Emilia was captivated by the light that had welled up without warning.
The phosphorescence danced before her eyes, teasing the curiosity of the young girl and holding her captive, then drifted toward the far end of the princess room — and vanished as though absorbed into the wall.
"..."
Standing, Emilia made her way toward where the light had disappeared with halting steps. A trace of fear existed, but curiosity burned even stronger in the young girl's chest.
Standing before the wall into which the light had been absorbed, groping along its wooden surface, Emilia found a hole — just large enough for a small arm to pass through — opening in the wall.
The pale light from before had slipped out through here.
The front door of the princess room was latched from the outside and couldn't be opened from within. Even if Emilia tried to escape, she was kept inside by design.
Looking back now, that treatment was hardly normal — it was excessive. But for Emilia, who had taken it as a given, there had been no room for doubt.
Now, though, having found the possibility of leaving from a place she was never supposed to escape, Emilia wavered between curiosity and her mother's discipline.
She wanted to know what everyone outside was doing while she was away.
But she had been strictly raised by Fortuna to follow rules. She had to wait here until Fortuna returned to the princess room.
But what if she slipped out quietly, peeked at what everyone was doing, and came back without being discovered?
And besides, lying and keeping secrets were wrong — but the adults had been the ones to break that promise first.
Wouldn't it be even if she broke it just once?
"..."
That was the grand justification a small girl had worked so hard to reason out.
The hole she thrust her arm into was, on closer inspection, a gap between tangled tree roots. When she strained with all her might, she could feel the gap widening, little by little.
Using that sensation as her guide, young Emilia pushed the roots aside, desperate to create enough space to squeeze through. Sweat beaded on her forehead, her clothes became muddy — even if she said "nothing happened" to Fortuna, the traces would be damning — but Emilia managed to widen the gap in the tree roots just enough to crawl out of the cave.
"Ah..."
When she stepped outside and felt the wind on her skin, Emilia was filled with a strange sense of accomplishment.
She had done something wrong that would earn punishment if discovered, yet the urge to run straight to Fortuna and proudly declare "Ta-da! I did it!" swelled inside her.
Of course, doing so would certainly bring down a scolding like a wildfire, so Emilia stopped herself at the last moment. That was a close call.
But Emilia also thought this: —She should have followed through with that foolish conclusion, gone to get praised by Fortuna, been scolded with all of Fortuna's might, cried and screamed and regretted it, and simply forgotten about the gap in the tree roots.
If she had done that, the trigger for the tragedy to come might never have been pulled.
—Tragedy... what's that?
The question's voice didn't reach young Emilia's ears. Having escaped the princess room, Emilia headed gleefully in the direction she felt everyone must be, breaking into a light run.
The awareness that she was doing something wrong forced Emilia to sneak and peek rather than approach openly. She could vaguely sense where everyone was, thanks to the minor spirits' assistance.
Before long, Emilia spotted everyone gathered in the settlement's square. And there, among them, she could see a group of people in black clothing she had never seen before.
Hiding behind the largest tree, young Emilia nimbly climbed up into its branches with practiced ease. She had always been quite the little tomboy, darting from tree to tree like a small animal and giving the adults who tried to catch her a hard time.
It was precisely that background of acrobatic skill that now allowed her to watch the conversation from a blind spot invisible to the adults.
The elves of the village numbered about forty in total. Everyone, adults and children alike, was assembled — everyone except Emilia. The group in black was somewhat smaller, perhaps twenty people.
Several in the center were having a discussion, while the rest were handling deliveries. It appeared the black-clad group had brought cartloads of goods, and the villagers receiving the packages wore bright expressions, bowing repeatedly.
"Thank you so much, as always. We're always in your debt."
What were they doing? What were they discussing?
As Emilia leaned forward with curiosity, she suddenly heard a voice as though whispered right beside her ear.
She couldn't help but flinch, but when she looked around, no one was there who could have spoken. Besides, that voice was unmistakably Fortuna's.
And the Fortuna in question was right now directly below Emilia — at the forefront of the crowd, exchanging words with a man in black.
"The forest can't provide everything we need, and everyone's been helped and grateful to have what you bring."
"It's your words that we should be grateful for. We're frustrated that we can only offer support in this manner. Fortuna-sama is always burdened—"
"That goes both ways."
Two sets of wry laughter and the content of their conversation came through clearly.
From Fortuna's gestures below, Emilia understood that this conversation was happening in this very moment. For some reason, her hearing had become supernaturally sharp.
In truth, the minor spirits were acting on Emilia's behalf, but naturally the young Emilia was unaware of their aid.
Facing Fortuna was a stern-faced man in a black robe.
His muscular, broad-shouldered frame stood out among the generally slight builds of the elves' village. Yet the man dealt with Fortuna with a deference wholly unexpected from his imposing appearance.
Watching the powerful man bow so respectfully, Emilia felt a swell of pride even from her vantage point as an onlooker.
The person who could make such a grown man bow was her mother.
"Oh, and as always — how is the seal?"
Just as Emilia was puffing out her chest with that unfounded pride, the moment the man mentioned this topic, all her sentimentality scattered to the winds.
The weight and complexity of emotion packed into those words was enough to make her feel that way.
"I can't bring myself to laugh it off as worry. It's fine — just as solid as ever. Under no circumstances can it be released. ...I couldn't face my brother or my sister-in-law otherwise."
"Your brother and his wife — that was deeply unfortunate."
"...My brother had made his resolve. As for his wife, I still don't know to this day. But I understand the weight of the responsibility entrusted to me. I don't want to abandon it or do a half-hearted job of it. You feel the same, don't you?"
"I... I'm someone for whom there is nothing else. Not quite the same as Fortuna-sama's sense of mission or responsibility. More like attachment... reluctance. That's closer to it."
The man laughed softly, as though releasing a breath. Fortuna wore a pained expression.
But none of that registered as meaningful to young Emilia at this moment.
—"Your brother and his wife — that was deeply unfortunate." What did that mean?
Fortuna's brother was Emilia's father. And his wife — his bride. That would be Emilia's mother.
What did it mean that those two were "unfortunate"? And why didn't Fortuna question the statement?
Clinging to the branch, straining to hear the conversation more closely, Emilia strained her ears — unaware that, thanks to the minor spirits' power, all her efforts were unnecessary. She gritted her teeth, determined not to miss a single word.
"The motive and the nobility of the act are separate matters. Your actions are something to be proud of before all people. It's suuuch a pity we can't proclaim it openly."
"Your comforting words are most kind. But as you say, it's difficult. If the world learned the true intent behind our actions, the fragile peace that was finally settling would sink once more into a sea of confusion. You, I, and above all, she — none of them want that."
"...Yes, that's right."
Fortuna lowered her chin in agreement with the man's words.
After that, the conversation veered away from the topics Emilia wanted to hear, and everything that followed was nothing but harmless small talk.
As Fortuna and the man continued their exchange, the exchange of goods between the groups also came to an end. One of the adults called to Fortuna, and she nodded before turning back to the man.
"With the blessings of the spirits, the changing of the seasons doesn't affect the forest much... but we're grateful for the clothing and bedding. Thank you."
"You are people who deserve far greater honor for your deeds. Being forced to live in a place like this is unconscionable."
"Don't say 'a place like this.' We love this forest."
Fortuna said it with a light joke, a small smile playing on her lips. The man returned the smile, and for a brief moment, a gentle atmosphere flowed between the two.
Then: "Bishop. The goods have been handed over and preparations for departure are complete. We should hurry."
"Yes, I know."
As the figure in black called out, the man cast one last lingering glance at the settlement. Then he bowed to Fortuna, and Fortuna and the other adults responded with a solemn salute — hand pressed to their chest and eyes closed.
Turning his back, the man and the black-clad group departed, pulling their cart along. At the very rear of the procession, the man stopped.
"Oh — there was one thing I simply had to ask."
"..."
Raising a finger and turning back, the man saw Fortuna silently prompt him to continue.
After closing his eyes once, the man looked into the depths of the forest and said: "—Is Emilia-sama in good health?"
"!"
Hearing her own name from the man's mouth, Emilia choked on her breath. The fortune of having just exhaled kept her from letting out a small cry.
Fortunately, that faint sound went unnoticed, and Fortuna slowly nodded to the man.
"She's fine. Emilia is healthy and growing up as a good child. Too good, really — more than we deserve. ...But I'm sorry. I can't let you see her."
"That's more than enough. I understand. As long as Emilia-sama's well-being is confirmed, that satisfies me. Anything beyond that would be an extravagant wish for a sinner such as myself."
"..."
That wasn't self-mockery on the man's part — it was self-restraint.
Whatever it was, Fortuna did not offer easy words of comfort in response.
The man, too, seemed almost relieved by her silence, and raised his face. For a while, the two regarded each other wordlessly, but: "Bishop — Bishop Romanoconti! Is something wrong?"
A figure from the group, which had already begun moving ahead, returned for the man. At the call, he spread both hands.
"Not at all. Come — let us go. Fortuna-sama, until we meet again."
"Thank you, as always. ...I'm sorry, Juice."
At Fortuna's final words, Juice smiled softly, then at last departed the forest with his group.
Fortuna watched them until they completely disappeared, then slumped her shoulders and let out a sigh. She then clapped her hands, gathering everyone's attention.
"Come now, let's bring the contents inside and distribute them quickly. Same allocation as always, please. I'm going to let Emilia out."
Watching Fortuna's instructions carried out as adults and children shouldered the goods and moved off, Emilia tumbled down from the tree and sprinted back to the princess room at full speed.
She forced her small body back through the gap in the tree roots she'd used to escape, scraping herself up in the process, and made it back inside. But the moment she entered, she realized her appearance was not that of a child who had been waiting quietly, and froze.
Just moments ago, she had thought that even if caught escaping, a sincere apology would earn quick forgiveness.
But after overhearing that conversation, no matter how optimistically she tried to frame it, Emilia couldn't convince herself of that anymore. Worse, the conversation she'd heard seemed to be exactly the kind that those people least wanted her to know about.
"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do—"
Before Fortuna returned and undid the latch, there was no time. Once exposed to light, Emilia's appearance would give away her escape in an instant.
If Fortuna found out she'd overheard that conversation, young Emilia felt it would mean utter ruin.
"If only I could hide the scrapes..."
She had scratched herself all over — her knees, her arms, several places bleeding faintly. Fortuna, ever observant, would never miss it. And she was afraid it would sting when she bathed.
She threw herself into the task of hiding the evidence.
"Huh?"
That was why, when a pale phosphorescent light appeared again inside the princess room, Emilia saw it as something like a beacon of salvation.
The light shimmered and swayed through her field of vision, playing with her consciousness as before. Then it began to scatter its glow over Emilia's body.
"Ah..."
Just as the light had been absorbed into the wall before, the pale phosphorescence was now drawn into Emilia's skin. It gathered at every scrape and abrasion on the young girl's body, bathing the wounds in a faint luminescence that turned them white — and when the light faded, the scrapes remained only as a faint hint of red.
"..."
Emilia was struck dumb by the change that had occurred in her body.
The wounds on her elbows, knees, and everywhere else that had been crying out in pain had vanished. Her body was now exactly as it had been before her escape.
Thinking this, Emilia stripped off her clothes, slipped into a change of garments she found in the princess room, and then — unsure what to do with the ruined outfit— "With this...!"
She overturned an ink jar used for drawing, sloshing the contents over her former clothes in a messy streak. The stains were the kind that wouldn't wash out. Just as she finished— "Emilia? Are you awake?"
Fortuna's voice came from outside the door, and Emilia snapped upright.
Her heart pounded at the razor-thin timing, and she tried to respond, but the first word caught in her throat.
"Emilia? Are you asleep?"
"I-I'm awake! I'm awake, Fortuna... Mother. But, right now..."
"Oh, you're awake? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting..."
With audible relief at Emilia's response, Fortuna undid the latch and entered the room. She was smiling when she came in, but the moment she stepped inside, her expression changed — her fine nose wrinkling.
"...What's this? There's a strong smell of ink."
"Um, sorry. I spilled a lot of my drawing ink... and it got all over my clothes too."
The overturned ink jar in the center of the room, and Emilia's forlorn expression before it. Comparing the two, Fortuna put her hand to her face with an "Oops."
"Well, if you've already done it, it can't be helped. It's a good thing there was a change of clothes here. Otherwise, I'd have had to carry you home naked."
"Fortuna... Mother, I..."
"It's all right, Emilia. There's no need to be so frightened. You didn't do it on purpose, so I won't be angry. More importantly — you're not hurt, are you?"
Matching her gaze to Emilia's height, Fortuna examined her daughter from head to toe. Letting out a sigh of relief upon finding no obvious injuries, she gently drew Emilia into her arms.
"Mother?"
"No, nothing. I just... missed you terribly. I'm sorry. Just... let me stay like this for a moment."
Holding Emilia close, Fortuna pressed her cheek against Emilia's.
Fortuna was usually too shy for this kind of affection, which made this all the more unusual — and Emilia sensed that Fortuna looked vulnerable.
So: "...What a little rascal."
Emilia gently stroked Fortuna's short hair in her embrace. Opening one eye, Fortuna murmured those words.
But since she hadn't been told to stop, Emilia continued to slowly, tenderly stroke Fortuna's head.
There were so many things she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted to know.
But she lacked too much knowledge and understanding to put any of it into words, and so young Emilia remained silent.
"Hey, Emilia."
"...Mm."
Watching Emilia quietly continue to stroke her head, Fortuna's eyes softened. Suddenly, Emilia saw a teardrop form in those violet eyes — the same shade as her own.
In the next blink, the tear slid down Fortuna's cheek, and Fortuna, without even wiping it away, smiled at Emilia.
"—I love you."
There were so many things she wanted to hear, so many things she wanted to know.
—But for now, young Emilia decided, her mother's single words were enough.
--- Dragging her feet, trailing pale phosphorescent light around her, Emilia walked through the darkness.
Spiritual exhaustion had stolen her strength to walk, forcing her to drag her legs. But her will to go on remained intact, refusing to let her stop, driving her forward still.
Childhood memories flickered through her mind.
Why was she remembering all of that now, of all times?
The past Emilia had witnessed in the Trials was slightly different from the past she had just recalled. The memories that came back were from just before the events of the Trials.
If, hypothetically, she could go back to that time — it was a past where everything could have been redone.
"Fortuna... Mother..."
Kind, warm, powerful — Fortuna was still the ideal woman in Emilia's heart. She had always wanted to be like Fortuna, always dreamed of becoming her. And yet, she had always been mired in small worries, regrets, and fears, bringing about irreversible consequences.
"Ngh... hah..."
When the thought of those irreversible consequences struck, a pain too vast to contain tore through Emilia's chest.
Sobbed by a maelstrom of grief, regret, and pain mingled together, Emilia felt so ashamed of her own stupidity and inadequacy that she wanted to cry.
It was always like this. Every single time.
She had tried desperately, given everything, held nothing back — and still her hands never reached what she truly wanted. They couldn't even graze it.
What she was certain had been there, what she had surely held in her grasp, slipped through her fingers like grains of sand, dazzling her for a moment before vanishing.
Fortuna.
"I'm... the one to blame. I'm a bad child who can't even follow the rules... That's why everyone..."
Sobbing in hiccups, Emilia dragged herself forward.
Through the dense green, slowly, slowly, but onward.
"That's why everyone is always hiding from me... hiding things from me... but that's not it. If only I could have stayed ignorant, not been told, not found out... If only... but..."
Trees of the forest. Pale phosphorescent light. Men in black clothing. Fortuna. A great, dark serpent. Closed doors. Snow. A white world. A silver world. An ending, ending world. Father. Mother.
"That's why I..."
A whirlpool of words without end surged through her mind.
Battered by them, Emilia lifted her face and pressed onward.
"..."
A feeble voice. Unsteady steps.
—But in those eyes, not a single teardrop had formed.