Arc 9 Chapter 34 - Gravity

Chapter Nine: "Light of the Nameless Star"
Chapter 34: "Gravity"

Clind's "Transfer"—though he personally described it as "Compression"—was something Petra hadn't experienced in about a month, and for Meili, it had been a few days.

"It might be surprising the first time, but there's no need to be scared," Petra advised Flam, who had never experienced it, from the perspective of someone who had. It was a consideration to prevent panic by explaining what was about to happen, but Flam shook her head and replied, "No need to worry, most surprises can't surpass the young master."

"Is he treated like a surprising and shocking person even by his own family? Just how much is that?"

Subaru commented in amazement at such a resilient answer. However, from the memories shared through the Book of the Dead, Petra also knew about Reinhard blowing away a building with a single swing of his sword and scattering Meili's sister, so she was quite understanding of Flam's attitude, accustomed to the extraordinary.

"Even if Flam-chan is okay, I hope the sleeping teacher doesn't get dizzy. When the butler first transferred us, Little Red Scorpion was in a big panic."

"Speaking of which, is there something like transfer sickness? In Vollachia, it seemed like some people were okay with Spica-chan's 'Transfer' while others weren't."

Meili shrugged her shoulders, and her hair moved slightly, revealing Little Red Scorpion, who mimicked its owner's gesture by shrugging its pincers. This reminded them of Spica's "Transfer" left behind in the empire—it seemed to depend on one's constitution, with no regard for strength or weakness; some people just couldn't handle it. Petra was on the okay side, but Garfiel, who wasn't, would curl up and sulk.

To Petra's question, Clind raised a finger and said, "Indeed. Consideration. Although the number of trials and participants isn't large, no one has fallen ill so far. Reassurance. The authority of 'Melancholy' is not strictly 'Transfer'; it compresses the time and distance that should have been required. Omission."

"No matter how many times I hear it, I don't get it."

"So, is it okay to think of it as King Crimson? No, it's doubtful if it can skip the results in between, so it's different from King Crimson..."

"No need to worry about getting dizzy, and it's a power that creates the time we need most right now. If we understand that, it's enough for now."

Meili tilted her head, and Petra concluded as Subaru simplified it in his own way. While she could somewhat understand Subaru's explanation, she couldn't afford to spend time and thought on it now. If time allowed, she wanted to properly confirm all the memories and knowledge that had been poured into her and become someone who understood everything about Subaru—but...

"Clind-niisama, may I ask you?"

Instead of fulfilling that desire, Petra urged Clind, feeling that even the time spent holding such a wish was a waste. Clind nodded, his monocle lens gleaming, "Yes. At the right time." His reassuring attitude was comforting, considering the phenomenon he was about to initiate.

As Petra marveled at this, Meili tugged on her sleeve, "Hey, Petra-chan, about the matter of compensation earlier."

"—. It's okay, Clind-niisama has given his assurance."

"That's not it. ...I don't know why, but if Petra-chan has to feel at a loss, I don't want that."

"Loss..."

Meili seemed overwhelmed by her emotions, and Petra blinked at her words. The straightforward concern from her friend and the evaluation of the compensation received from Clind—at that moment, the emotions swirling in Petra's chest reached a complexity and richness of colors.

With that, Petra smiled at Meili,

"Thank you, Meili-chan. But really, I'm fine."

"...If you're lying, that's just mean."

The threat squeezed out after some thought, its awkwardness made Petra nod with a smile. She gently held the sleeve that had been released and then searched for Subaru's figure. Although she wouldn't leave his phantom behind, it was a matter of feelings.

When she found his translucent back, Subaru was gazing at the sand sea from afar.

"If I were a bit more reliable, I wouldn't cause him so much trouble."

In the eastern sky—where the atmosphere screamed, the color of the sky reached a ghastly extreme, and the sound of the earth being torn echoed—the battle between the Sword Saint and the Witch of Envy continued. It was a clash of mighty forces that could determine the world's fate. Seeing Subaru's profile, regretting his lack of power, Petra held her breath in sorrow.

Subaru, concerned for his friend's well-being, did not touch upon the earlier exchange between Petra and Clind, respecting Petra's wishes. In theory, he, being a presence in Petra's mind, should not be able to keep secrets from him, and if he wanted, he could lay bare the information Petra tried to block out.

However, the imaginary Subaru did not do so. Whether it was due to Subaru's decency and compassion or Petra's will to make him comply, Petra couldn't discern as her self-awareness, affection, and memories intertwined.

But regardless of which it was, that's what Petra thought. Whether it was compassion or the result Petra desired, Subaru's existence was a reflection of how the real Natsuki Subaru appeared through Petra Leyte's eyes. Therefore—

"Clind-nii-sama, please."

"—Understood. Commendation."

While holding affection for Subaru, Petra signaled to Clind. Petra, Meili, and Flam, along with Patrasche pulling the dragon carriage, the unconscious Garfiel and Ezzo, totaling six people—a group that included Subaru and Little Red Scorpion, adding one more person and one more creature, began to act with Clind's help.

For that purpose, the 'compensation' Petra proposed was offered to Od Lagna—

"——"

In an instant, literally in the blink of an eye, the world switched, and 'compression' was completed. When she closed her eyes and opened them again, the scenery had completely changed. The taste of the air felt on her tongue and skin, and the scent of the world that touched her sense of smell changed drastically, making Petra realize that the authority had been used.

"——"

For a moment, Petra closed her eyes and reflected on the fact that they had set off. However, with a prayer of one second, she set aside her sentimentality and focused her consciousness on the task at hand. From here on, Petra and her group couldn't afford to waste even a single step.

With that, Petra steeled her resolve—

"Whoa!? Wh-what's going on!? Did the dragon carriage just suddenly jump out!?"
"Is it Reinhard!? Only he could pull off such a crazy stunt!"
"Am I still dreaming? Toto! Toto! Lend me your soft lap!"

"Hey, shut up! Why are you making such a fuss... Wh-where did you come from!?"

The enthusiastic spirit of Petra was quickly dampened by the loud and restless welcome she received from the 'compressed' destination.

"What!? Old Man Rom is one thing, but Tonchinkan!? It's Tonchinkan! Why are they together!? Why indeed!?"

Additionally, it's worth noting that 'Subaru,' who was the first to react to this grand welcome, also raised his voice in surprise at such an unexpected turn of events.

△▼△▼△▼△

"Petra-chan! Meili! Are you both okay!?"

"――"

'Emilia-tan...!'

The moment Petra saw Emilia, who had rushed over to them with a worried expression, a sweet emotion exploded within her chest. Her heart was filled with a warm, almost intoxicatingly sweet feeling, and her mind overflowed with words of praise for Emilia's beauty and grace. This admiration extended not only to her appearance but also to her gestures, her way of speaking, and even the sound of her footsteps.

"That's so obvious..."

Overwhelmed by this intense wave of emotion, Petra felt dizzy. Up until now, the most significant influence from the 'Book of the Dead' had undoubtedly been the presence of the imaginary Subaru, but this Emilia shock was comparable. Frankly speaking, an overdose of Emilia might be life-threatening—

"What am I saying...!"

Suddenly feeling as if half of her consciousness was being swept away, Petra forcibly grabbed hold of her own collar to keep herself grounded in reality. She knew it, but her affection for Emilia had overflowed too boldly. This realization also sparked a twinge of jealousy, but more than that, Petra was happy to see Emilia again, and she didn't want her feelings for Emilia to be overshadowed.

So Petra held back her feelings of thinking of Emilia as E.M.T. as she spread her arms wide.

And then—

"Emilia nee-tama...!"

"Nee-tama!?"

Her tongue slipped grandly, surprising Emilia just before their emotional reunion. She almost called her "Emilia-tan" and tried to correct herself on the fly, but it didn't quite work out. It was a rare slip-up for Petra. Nevertheless—

"But I'm glad... that you both came to see me."

"Yes. I'm relieved to see you safe, Emilia nee-sama."

Emilia, overwhelmed with emotion, pulled Petra into an embrace, and Petra hugged her back, responding in kind. On the other side, Meili, also being embraced, responded with a straightforward, "It's suffocating..." as she cautiously wrapped her arms around Emilia's back.

"Whoa! Seeing Emilia-tan safe is such a relief! Huh? Did she get even cuter while we were apart? Isn't her potential amazing?"

Watching Emilia embrace Petra and Meili from various angles, the floating 'Subaru' was filled with emotion. He was overly excited, but it was understandable. After all, the last Emilia 'Subaru' knew, due to the timing of the 'Book of the Dead,' was when she was struggling in the 'Sanctuary.' At that time, Petra wasn't as close to Emilia as she is now, so she couldn't support her. If even Petra felt regret about that, the frustration 'Subaru' experienced up close must have been incomparable.

"Oh! Petra, look! Emilia-tan is walking energetically!"

"Yes, she was walking with her long legs. That's great."

"Great...! Really great...!"

Therefore, it was hard to interrupt 'Subaru' who was trembling with emotion. While giving appropriate responses to Subaru's excitement, Petra savored a quiet relief. The reason for her relief was simple—seeing Emilia and not being afraid.

"The last scene I saw in the 'Book of the Dead'..."

The 'Sanctuary' sinking into shadows, caught by inescapable obsession, and Natsuki Subaru clinging to a method prepared by the 'Witch' that seemed like harassment, taking his own life. In that final moment, Subaru—Petra saw it. —The terrifying 'Witch of Envy' had the same face as the person she loved.

"――――"

When trying to deeply consider the reason, it was like reaching out to something shrouded in mist, and a proper thought couldn't take shape. Still, the vividly etched emotions wouldn't fade. That's why she was scared of reuniting with Emilia. —No, to be precise, she was scared that she might not be able to see Emilia the same way as before.

"But I'm glad it didn't turn out that way. ...Though I feel nervous in a different way than before."

"Huh? Petra-chan, is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. I'm just happy to see Emilia-sama."

Keeping the inner conflict to herself, Petra genuinely rejoiced at reuniting with Emilia. Emilia widened her eyes in surprise but smiled, while on Meili's head, who continued to be unsociable, the Little Red Scorpion clattered its pincers in high spirits. And then—

"—I thought it had gotten lively, so you were here, young lady."

A low, raspy voice interrupted, and Emilia let out a surprised "Ah." At the entrance of the room, left open by Emilia who had rushed in, a large figure knocked on the door and peeked inside. That figure was—

"Felt-chan's grandfather!"

Emilia blinked in surprise at the sight of the old man, Old Man Rom, who squeezed through the entrance. In response to Emilia's voice, Old Man Rom rubbed his bald head and chuckled wryly,

"The way you say it, it sounds like you really think we're blood-related... People around here call me Old Man Rom. This is the first time we've had a proper conversation."

"Well, yes. We couldn't talk at the castle on the day the Royal Selection started, and when Felt-chan stole the Insignia, it wasn't exactly a time to have a calm conversation..."

"...You don't have to worry about it so much, I understand the situation."

Responding to Old Man Rom's greeting, Emilia, concerned about Meili in her arms, received a half-annoyed, half-considerate response from Meili. The current exchange between the two was connected to Emilia and Old Man Rom's past—when Felt stole the Insignia, which was a qualification for participating in the Royal Selection, and Meili's sister Elsa was involved in the incident. Thinking about it this way, these three are quite an unusual connection. Including 'Subaru', it's a strange connection of four. If you add Reinhard, it becomes endless.

"Calling you 'young lady' doesn't suit the current situation, does it? Can I call you Emilia?"

"Yes, that's fine. Nice to meet you again, Old Man Rom."

"Oh... It feels like a historic moment for these two to properly introduce themselves."

"That's an exaggeration."

As Emilia and Old Man Rom exchanged a handshake, Subaru made a grand statement about it being historical, which was amusing. Indeed, there was a certain depth of feeling, but the way he put it made it sound as if he had witnessed the reunion of two people who hadn't interacted for over a decade. However, setting aside Subaru's excitement for the moment—

"I've heard about Felt-chan too. It must have been tough for you and Old Man Rom, right?"

"Yes, that's right. We need to align on that. Petra."

"Indeed. I think it will take a bit more time for Clind to return, so we should start ahead. It's a race against time, after all."

As Petra added this last point, Emilia and Old Man Rom nodded deeply in agreement. Yes, it was a race against time. That's why Petra and the others had resorted to using underhanded tactics.

—Currently, Petra and the others had gathered at the royal mansion in the Royal Capital Lugnica. Among the Emilia camp, who were scattered and acting separately, it was clear where they should gather, and it couldn't have been anyone other than Emilia. With that in mind, Petra used Clind's 'Compression' to quickly fly to the capital after meeting up with Old Man Rom—

"The state of this capital surprised even me."

"It's been a while since I last came to the capital, but it wasn't this rundown all over the place, and there weren't any objects like that before, right?"

Meili chimed in, looking out the window at Old Man Rom's words with his arms crossed. Unlike the two experienced ones, this was Petra's first time in the capital. Fortunately, she had recalled earlier that the stolen goods warehouse was in the capital's slums, so she could compare her memory of the capital when it was intact with the current state. Indeed, in her memory, the capital didn't have many flashy ice towers, and the noble district with its fine houses wasn't so cluttered.

"I always thought it was unpleasant, but for the noble district to become a wasteland like that... From what I overheard, the evacuation was completed, but it's an unbelievable story."

"Meili-chan mentioned it too, but those ice towers, are they Emilia-neesama's doing?"

"Ah, um, yes, but there was a reason for that! Everyone was in great danger, and there was no room for holding back at all...!"

As the significant changes in the capital's landscape were pointed out from the barely intact royal mansion, Emilia was flustered, wondering how to explain. Watching her flustered state with affection, Petra, along with Old Man Rom, began to unravel the events one by one—

"So, it was Al after all."

"…Yes. Because I couldn't stop Al, the city ended up in chaos."

"It's not Emilia-neesama's fault. If you hadn't created those ice towers, the people of the capital would have been in trouble... That's why, E.M.G (Emilia-tan, Major Guardian Angel)!"

"Uh, Petra-chan, thank you... huh? What did you just say?"

As Emilia blamed herself, Petra shook her head vigorously, denying that responsibility. Hearing that Al and Volcanica were also involved in the great damage that struck the Royal Capital Lugnica, Petra felt the responsibility even more. If only Al's schemes had been stopped at the starting point, the Pleiades Watchtower.

"If we start talking about that, there's no end to it. Everyone got outsmarted by that helmet guy a little bit. The ones at fault are the helmet guy and his companions, right?"

"Indeed. It's good to reflect to fill in the gaps, but lamenting over lack of strength is of no use. It's an old man's wisdom."

"――. Yes, I think the two of you are right. The one who did wrong is Al, and Al must take responsibility. Even the time spent brooding is a waste for us, isn't it?"

With the words of Meili and Old Man Rom, Emilia tightened her cheeks and regained her composure. At Emilia's response, Petra let out a small sigh and also gathered strength in her stomach. As everyone said, pretending to reflect while being weak-hearted is a bad habit. The path always lies ahead.

'Al probably thinks the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done something as over the line as breaking a Sin Archbishop out of prison. What is he seriously thinking?'

Picking up on Petra's feelings, Subaru frowned at the outrageous act Al committed in the Royal Capital. In reality, inciting Volcanica and causing massive damage to the Royal Capital was an outrageous act of terrorism, but knowing that the real objective was aiding the jailbreak of 'Gluttony' makes it seem insignificant. For Petra and the others, the Sin Archbishop of 'Gluttony' is deeply connected to them, and the fact that they were allowed to escape is unthinkable.

"When you list the events caused by that guy, it makes your head spin. Attacking associates of the royal selection candidates, kidnapping one of the knights. Turning 'Divine Dragon' Volcanica, who was a guardian of the kingdom, against them, using the 'Witch of Envy' to immobilize the 'Sword Saint'. Furthermore, after taking one of the royal selection candidates hostage and invading the Royal Capital, he half-destroyed the noble district and broke the imprisoned Sin Archbishop out."

'Isn't this bad? How many years of imprisonment is this?'

"Seems like he could get the death penalty a hundred times..."

Once again, the sheer number and gravity of the crimes committed by Al—no, Al's group—are extraordinary. It seems like they're trying to do every bad thing in the world, but Petra believed it wasn't out of desperation, but rather based on a plan. Yes, Al has a proper plan. He's following the necessary steps for it, and it just so happens that they're all akin to major crimes of the century.

"Shouldn't a plan that requires a Sin Archbishop be reconsidered from the start?"

"Even with the 'Witch of Envy', there's no way to justify it..."

In the first place, there's no reason for Petra to make excuses on their behalf. From the impression received from the 'Book of the Dead', Subaru also seemed to think of Al as a fellow countryman—a not entirely disliked counterpart—but this time, he had clearly crossed the line of what could be forgiven. Regarding this, it can be said that it's the common understanding of everyone gathered here—no, including those not present, all involved parties.

"Right now, Clind is going around to everyone else and bringing Frederica and the others here. Emilia, what about Otto?"

"――Ah! Um, about Otto-kun..."

"That reaction says it all. He's doing something reckless again, isn't he?"

"Ugh... yes, he is. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him."

Emilia wilted and lowered her eyes, feeling inadequate. But Emilia is not at fault. If there's any fault, it's with Otto, and in this case, he's not to blame either. Even under normal circumstances, Otto is constantly overexerting himself within the faction, and Petra and Frederica often tell him to rest, but this time it's outside the scope of that advice. In fact, Otto, who manipulates the 'Divine Protection of Speech', is incredibly reliable in this situation.

"Using insects and birds for reconnaissance and espionage, huh? It's a blessing that brings many mischievous ideas... but it seems like it would also bring a lot of burdens."

"Oh my, exactly. The man in the hat looks like he's had his share of troubles."

"I've lived quite a long life myself, but I've never heard of a 'Blessing of Words.' The fact that such a versatile blessing is unknown suggests that those who received it didn't live long."

Meili chuckled, but Petra agreed with Old Man Rom's dark speculation. It's true that overusing the 'Blessing of Words' seems harmful to the body, and Petra had witnessed Otto in the empire, getting a nosebleed from overusing his blessing. That was during a situation where cutting corners wasn't an option due to the war.

"It's not just about Subaru and the others, but especially about Garfiel... he's really determined to do something about it."

"If Garf was awake, he'd probably be upset, saying, 'What the hell am I doing, being asked by Otto?' They're two of a kind."

"Petra-chan, your impression is spot on, I'm surprised."

Emilia and Meili's reactions aside, it's easy to imagine Otto and Garfiel wanting to take reckless actions for such reasons. Garfiel, still in a coma and left in the care of the Royal Capital's clinic, must be watched carefully to ensure he doesn't blame himself or get hurt when he recovers.

"I hope Furufu can manage to calm Otto down."

Petra expressed her concern for Otto, who wasn't present. No matter what insects or animals he negotiates with, Otto himself must be there to gather the information. Thus, Otto was pursuing Al's group alone—technically, with his long-time partner and beloved dragon, Furufu.

"Otto, huh... I'm worried he might mess up at a critical moment, and I'm not sure how much we can rely on him."

"Hearing that would probably make Otto show his angriest face ever."

Subaru tends to shoulder everything himself. Anyone in their camp would likely be upset to hear that, but Petra thought Otto would be the scariest. However, it's true that it's not a burden Otto should bear alone. If Clind could bring Ram, they could share the burden using her 'Clairvoyance' ability. As Petra thought this far, she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, Emilia-sama, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm? What is it, Petra-chan?"

"You might not have any idea, but on our way here, Meili-chan and I suddenly felt sick..."

Petra's question referred to an incident that occurred just after Flam used the 'Telepathy Blessing' with her sister Grasis to pinpoint Old Man Rom's group's location, and they were discussing their next move to the Royal Capital. Suddenly, Petra's entire body was covered in goosebumps, and she was hit by a shock that seemed to stir her heart.

The fear was so intense that Petra wondered if it was a side effect of the 'Book of the Dead,' or a sign that the 'Witch of Envy' was coming after Reinhard's defeat. However, since Meili experienced the same sensation, they concluded it was neither.

"But given the situation, right? Flam and Old Man Rom were fine, but Meili-chan, Clind, and I felt it. So, I thought it might not be unrelated to Al... Emilia-sama?"

The anomaly that couldn't be concluded even after discussions with Meili and Clind.

Petra halted sharing the potentially dangerous information upon observing Emilia's reaction. Emilia's beautiful violet eyes widened, and her cheeks stiffened.

It was clearly a reaction that indicated she had an idea.

"...That really creepy feeling, I think it's probably the work of the Sin Archbishop of 'Gluttony'."

"'...Gluttony', you say?"

"Ugh, that's such a nasty feeling."

Subaru furrowed his brows at the mention of the most hated Sin Archbishop, and Meili stuck out her tongue. Petra also placed her hand on her chest and urged Emilia to continue with her eyes.

"I don't know exactly what was done to me. But Al did something with 'Gluttony'... Roy, and then I suddenly felt sick, and while I was dizzy..."

"Al-san and the two of 'Gluttony' managed to escape, didn't they?"

"Yes, that's right."

Emilia nodded weakly, her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

At Emilia's response, Petra glanced at Old Man Rom, and the wise elder of the Felt camp stroked his head with his large hand.

"When Petra and Meili were talking, it seemed like a vague story, but with Emilia involved and 'Gluttony' in the mix, it doesn't bode well."

"The common point is... everyone is on Emilia's side?"

"If the fanged brother were awake, or if the hatted brother were waiting quietly here, or if Subaru brother hadn't been captured, it would have been clearer."

"Including the current me, we're a trio of bad timing..."

As Petra expected, it involved Al, but with the unexpected involvement of 'Gluttony', the severity of the unknown attack's threat was significantly greater. —It seemed like a mistake to have left Spica in the empire, even if just a little.

Spica, too, despite the twists and turns, was one of the Sin Archbishops of 'Gluttony'—,

"No, no, not this kind of thinking. I'm not the master."

What can be done and what can't, whether it's useful or not.

If you start judging people's value from such a perspective, you'll quickly become like Roswaal. It's fine to hone your insight as much as you want, but be careful if you feel your humanity starting to dry up.

"As for the work of 'Gluttony', we should keep it in mind for now. So, according to your internal affairs officer, their destination is..."

"—The Grand Mogolade Geyser in Kararagi."

Old Man Rom, attempting to steer the conversation away from the inconclusive topic, was followed by Emilia's words.

That was the final destination of Al's group, and the process by which this was discovered was—,

"Felt, who was taken by them, left a message, and your kin conveyed it. I trust Felt completely, but what about you?"

"About Otto-kun? I trust him not just a hundred, but about a million."

"Emilia-neesama, that wasn't about numbers, but percentages. But it's cool."

Petra's chest swelled with emotion at Emilia's answer, which wasn't bound by the concept of percentages, and Old Man Rom and Meili smiled wryly in exasperation.

But Emilia, true to herself, answered what Old Man Rom wanted to know.

"...Not just cute, but she's become incredibly strong, hasn't she, Emilia-tan?"

Subaru watched Emilia with eyes that seemed to see something dazzling.

To the 'Subaru' who was pulled away in the middle of solving the 'Sanctuary' problem, it was frustrating that he couldn't fully grasp how this amazing Emilia had been cultivated.

He wanted to tell her. —That the current Emilia was trained through a three-legged race with Subaru.

"Well, with Beatrice-chan here, it's like a three-legged race... If that's the logic, I'd like to be included too, and Garf-san might sulk if he's not. What about you, Meili-chan?"

"What do you mean, what about me? It's scary when you suddenly start saying things like Subaru-oniisan."

'That was indeed something I might say, but isn't Meili's understanding quite high?'

With a lingering sense of sentimentality, 'Subaru' chuckled wryly at Petra and Meili's conversation. In any case, Old Man Rom seemed satisfied with Emilia's earlier answer, and it was shared that Al and the others' final destination was the Grand Mogolade Geyser. Honestly, they didn't know what was there, but—

"If we know the location, we should be able to get ahead with Clind-san's help, right?"

"—. Yes. Old Man Rom, Tonchinkan and the others are—"

"For now, everyone except the seriously injured should have entered the nearby town as instructed. We can't overuse the power of that young man Clind, can we? We'll match the slots."

Old Man Rom shrugged his large shoulders, showing understanding even without detailed explanations of Clind's authority. Thanks to the 'consideration' proposed by Petra, the restriction on Clind's 'Compression' ability was lifted, but it couldn't cover everything depending on the number of moves and people. First, they would set the stage with the minimum number of people and decide on the maximum number of participants after assessing the situation.

Thanks to Otto, who was in the midst of reckless actions, a ray of hope appeared for those preparations. The more information they had on how Al's group planned to deploy themselves before reaching the final destination, the better. And—

"For that purpose, the means are already in our hands. An opportunity."

At the sound of the voice that came at just the right timing, Petra and the others turned around simultaneously. The one who bowed under their collective gaze was none other than Clind, whom they had just been talking about. With impeccable timing, as if he had been waiting for the right moment, Emilia brightened up and exclaimed, "Clind-san!"

"Thank you for bringing Petra-chan and the others. Thanks to you, we were able to meet properly like this."

"No need for thanks. Returning to Mirula was my own decision, and being able to meet your expectations like this was the result of Petra's encouragement. Encouragement. More importantly, I apologize for being late. Apologies."

"I don't think it was that late, but did something happen, Clind-niisama?"

Petra tilted her head as Clind, shaking his head slowly, apologized. Considering the performance of 'Compression', it might be said that Clind took some time to join them at the royal mansion. However, he must have needed to explain the situation to the people he went to pick up, so it didn't seem like something to apologize for being late. Perhaps it's a reflection of the perfectionism of someone capable. As Petra thought this, Clind looked at her and said, "No. Denial."

"As for the reason for the delay, I believe experiencing it directly rather than explaining it in words would be the quickest and most certain way to aid understanding. Experience."

'Directly'
"Experience?"

Subaru and Petra tilted their heads at the unnatural choice of words for an excuse for being late. Emilia and Meili seemed to share the same doubt, and Old Man Rom, who was in a sense in the most objective position, folded his arms and watched with interest to see what would happen. Then, as everyone watched, Clind moved aside from the entrance of the room and said,

"Ha. I've kept you waiting."

With a dignified air, cutting through the room with her shoulders, the peach-haired maid whose audacious behavior suited her well entered—it was none other than Ram. Having been picked up by Clind and joined the group, she donned her maid uniform for the first time in a while. Petra, also a maid, felt nostalgic, realizing it had been quite some time since she last wore her uniform.

However—

"Ram, you came, and..."

Emilia's words trailed off as she tried to greet Ram in her maid outfit with a smile and approach her. Her steps halted, and the hand she was about to extend to Ram was placed on her own forehead.

"Uh, um..."

Emilia let out a voice that seemed bewildered. Petra should have been concerned about her sudden behavior, but she couldn't. This was because Petra, like Meili and Emilia, was also plagued by an inexplicable sensation.

"This, is—"

The moment she saw Ram, an inexplicable, indescribable turmoil surged within her. Petra felt that this mysterious sensation was akin to the discomfort she had recently discussed, originating from 'Gluttony.' However, unlike the strong malice she felt at that time, this sensation lacked such negativity. It wasn't like that; it was something else, a strong, strong gravitational pull—seeing Ram in her maid outfit intensely drew something out from within.

And the answer to that gravitational pull appeared immediately from behind Ram. It was—

"I apologize for the delay in joining you, Lady Emilia."

Saying this, standing next to Ram was a blue-haired maid, dressed in the same maid uniform, performing a graceful and poised curtsy. Of course, it was a familiar face. However, as far as Petra knew, she shouldn't have been able to wear the maid uniform and perform perfect etiquette. No, that's not right either.

Once again, again, and again, her perception was corrected. No, that's not right. It was unthinkable that she lacked the knowledge or manners of a maid. After all, in this world, she was the first to teach Natsuki Subaru and Petra, who was still a village girl, the proper impression of a maid. Petra Leyte remembered this through the gravitational pull.

In other words, standing there was—

"That person... to reclaim Subaru-kun, allow Rem to offer her humble assistance."

Yes, it was Rem, the original all-purpose helpful maid of the Roswaal mansion, known for her polite yet sharp tongue, who declared this with her light blue eyes looking straight ahead.