“Thanks to you, I’m alive, Lady Rubia.”
Hermila, who had been lying in the sleeping bag she brought for camping outdoors, smiled brightly.
“…How did this happen?”
“I tripped on my way here. Hehe.”
In the awkward silence, Ser’s snicker echoed.
“How hard did you fall?”
“I fell quite hard.”
Hearing Hermila’s cheeky response, Ser sighed and said,
“I guess the party members who were with you fell so hard, they probably sank into the ground.”
“…Huh?”
“Ser, what did you just say…”
Rubia and I took a sharp breath in surprise.
In contrast, Hermila shrugged as though she knew this would happen.
“Oh my? How did you know?”
“I’m a genius, so I can know everything.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. It seems that only someone exceptional like the Mage Tower Master can do it.”
“Yes. Only the greatest geniuses can ascend to the position of the Mage Tower Master. But please don’t call me the Mage Tower Master. Don’t call me Spirit Master either. Just my name is enough.”
“Really?”
Maintaining her emotionless expression, Hermila sat up.
“I guess I should explain as you all wish. Um, I believe you all have encountered incomplete masters who are imbued with divine power, right?”
“…You’ve met them too, Hermila.”
“Yes. About fifteen hundred. Quite a lot, right? I think I’ve met at least fifty every day.”
“Whoa… You’ve met that many…?”
“Yes. It was so, so tiring. I wish Miss Noah would give me a massage…”
Hermila’s gaze shifted towards Rubia as she trailed off.
“Like when she did before I went to sleep, on top of me.”
“…What?”
“Miss Noah’s surprisingly good strength and hand skills were so delightful… I still think about that night sometimes.”
“No. Right now, what? What are you even saying?”
“How about giving Miss Rubia a massage as well if you have the opportunity? Just like she did for me. I’m sure Miss Rubia would enjoy it too—”
“Cough.”
Ser, who had been quietly listening to Hermila, cleared his throat subtly, cutting her off.
“This feels rather strange.”
“Yes?”
“I feel like I’ve had a cherished toy taken from me. No, even more unpleasant than that…”
Despite Ser’s sudden words, the same smile remained on Hermila’s face.
“The enemy of my enemy is my ally… I, Ser, have come to understand that meaning precisely at this moment.”
Straightening his posture and looking at Hermila, Ser spoke slowly and clearly, enunciating each word.
“The story might go downhill from here, but I have to make this clear. Hermila, you are a very unpleasant woman.”
“…Oh my?”
Hermila’s expression cracked upon hearing Ser’s words.
“Huh…?”
I froze in place.
“Wha…?”
Rubia looked at Ser as if she had seen a ghost.
“I also enjoy meddling between Miss Noah and Miss Rubia. But that’s merely for my own amusement. Pure amusement.”
“What kind of crazy talk is that, Ser?”
“Miss Rubia, please listen quietly to what I have to say. Right now, I’m on Miss Rubia’s side. Let me continue. Hermila. Your actions don’t seem to be out of fun. What is that unpleasant feeling?”
Ser’s always consistent expression suddenly darkened.
“Why do you scratch at Miss Rubia’s character without any feeling? Did you think this Ser wouldn’t understand? Of course, if you are talking about those two naive and foolish individuals here, they would never know. But I am a genius. Don’t try to deceive my instincts.”
As Ser spoke, Rubia’s face twisted even more fiercely, but Ser continued unbothered.
“Moreover, instigating jealousy? How childish. Miss Rubia is quite clearly your benefactor. Even if Miss Rubia wasn’t here, you would have consumed the elixir in your arms. But thanks to Miss Rubia, you saved the elixir. That means you have effectively preserved your life, doesn’t it? From what I see, Hermila, your intelligence doesn’t seem low. I don’t understand why you are behaving so foolishly. Are you feeling anxious because something is wrong with your companions? Or…”
The power of the spirits began to manifest in Ser’s voice.
“Are you in a hurry because you foresee a dreadful future? Whatever it is, remove that absurd mask. There are heaps of unpredictable variables breathing right in front of you.”
“…Ahaha.”
Listening blankly to Ser, Hermila let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.
“Well, I guess… I was wrong. Not being able to trust people is a professional deformity.”
Then she bowed her head to Rubia and apologized.
“I’m sorry, Miss Rubia. I deliberately poked at your character. And Miss Noah.”
This time, she turned toward me.
“I’m sorry. I was harboring very ill motives trying to use you.”
“Y-yeah…?”
“Ufufu, yes. I’ll give you a proper apology next time. Now, I need to continue with the explanation I cut off earlier.”
Taking a moment to breathe, Hermila slowly began.
“First of all, one of my unique abilities is ‘Future Sight.’ To put it precisely, it’s not about seeing the future but observing the countless branches of different futures.”
Upon hearing this, Ser returned to his usual expression and nodded while taking out a tea set from the void.
“However, for some reason, all the futures I saw started going awry. The point at which that began…”
Hermila’s gaze was directed at me.
“…Huh.”
“When I moved to meet Miss Noah.”
“Y-yeah…? Oh, I-I’m so sorry…?”
“Fuhuhuh! No, why would you apologize, Miss Noah? There’s no need at all. It could be a good omen.”
Hermila raised her hand and caressed my face.
Seeing this, Rubia flinched violently but didn’t say anything, just letting out a deep sigh as she glared at Hermila.
“I have a lot more to say about this, but I’ll keep it short. The urgent matters at hand come first.”
“Sounds good. Please give me a quick explanation, Hermila. Lower your hand.”
“Ufufu, yes. Well… As I mentioned last time, our main personnel headed towards Ursphere. The remaining members went to Cartia. The three of us, including me, are touring the nearby villages, thwarting incomplete masters and assisting the people.”
Hermila’s hand, which had been caressing my cheek, slowly went down.
“During that time, we received contact from the subjugation team placed in Cartia. They said three masters arrived.”
“…That means.”
“Yes. After that contact, they were all wiped out.”
Upon hearing Hermila’s answer, Rubia swallowed and bit her lip.
“From that point, new futures began to emerge. The most significant one was the summoning of Valoran, followed by the destruction of Cartia, the birth of completed masters, and then… Miss Rubia’s disappearance.”
“R-Rubia’s disappearance…?”
“I think it’s abduction. Now, let’s think this through. The subjugation team waiting in Cartia was annihilated. So, we would think Valoran is going to be summoned in Cartia, right?”
As Hermila tilted her head, looking back and forth at Rubia and me, she continued.
“Once that happens, the next actions are obvious. Anxious, we would have rushed to prepare the subjugation in Cartia. Among us, Miss Rubia would have been going around preparing the barriers by herself.”
“…That’s correct. I just thought so until a second ago.”
Rubia nodded.
“Yes. I believe that’s when Miss Rubia was abducted. Therefore, I intentionally provoked Miss Rubia to avoid being separated from Miss Noah. But… I acted foolishly because I got anxious.”
“Listening to you, I don’t understand. Wouldn’t it have been enough to explain the situation from the beginning and say not to separate?”
Ser frowned as though he couldn’t comprehend Hermila’s words.
“Just putting Miss Noah and Miss Rubia together wouldn’t really influence the subjugation preparation much. After all, I, the one holding the position of the Mage Tower Master, am currently here, and though I might not be a great help, you are here, Hermila. Furthermore, subjugation is not impossible. No matter your fighting prowess, you would still be of assistance. So why this foolish method of creating an argument to waste time—”
Ser’s hand, stirring his coffee, stopped suddenly.
“Delay time? On purpose? For what…? Hermila, all the things you’ve said and done up until now. Were they all calculated? To buy time?”
“Wow… I didn’t think you would catch on this quickly. Ahaha… This is quite the problem.”
The relaxed smile faded from Hermila’s face.
“Hermila, I’m asking you. Please answer me before I jump to conclusions and make wrong judgments. Where are the companions we were with? Why did I sense a strong scent of blood from you? How could you have escaped with such injuries?”
Hermila, looking as if she was in trouble, cautiously spoke.
“…Three masters who wiped out Cartia’s subjugation team came after us. I was somewhat able to fight, but my companions weren’t. Thus, it was only natural that we were overwhelmed. Just like that… right before we were all about to die, Sirin appeared.”
Clash!
The coffee cup in Ser’s hand shattered into pieces.
“Immediately engaging in battle, Sirin teleported us to another location. Those two went to Ursphere. I came here. In doing so, Sirin left two messages. One was to buy time while she led the masters elsewhere.”
“Where is it?”
Blood dripping from his hands, Ser stood up and summoned thousands of spirits around him.
“The other one was left for you, Ser.”
“She asked where the battle had taken place—”
“Don’t act like a brat and wait appropriately like an adult. Then, as usual, the young lady will come to find you.”
In that moment,
Thousands of spirits scattered into the air as Ser laughed in disbelief.
“Who… who are you calling a brat? How audacious… Sirin.”
