Intermission – Miriam
Late at night, Liz was in the archive room at the Ministry of the Army.
She was staring at a pile of information as she got her health in order.
The file, entitled ‘List of the Missing’, contains information on the gender, age and background of the disappearing elf.
She had been to this room many times and had been looking at the information.
Although Ludio had told her to stay out of it, she couldn’t. There were a few people Liz knew among the missing.
And the Final Droplet story that Theodore had asked about passed through her mind. There is no doubt that elves disappearance similar to this one occurred long ago.
It was just a hunch, but Liz felt that if she ignore it, something would go wrong.
Then Liz looked at the name of the person whose name was written at the end of the profile.
Name: ‘Miriam Stacy’
Gender: Female
Age: 18 years old
Biography: A viscountship noble from the East of the Elberia Empire. Entered the military academy directly under the Midiana lord 3 years ago. No outstanding points in attitude and average grades. After graduating, she became a second lieutenant in the Imperial Army.
Remarks: Despite her cheerful and lively personality, she is thought to have had a mild mental impairment since her youth. In addition, she was physically weak. Since before she started school, she has occasionally been unable to move due to an incessant cough. However, this was not considered to be a problem as the cough returned immediately with medication.
Disappearance: She was reported to have disappeared while travelling with Second Lieutenant Lattice Meldia, who was a fellow student at the military academy and a colleague in the Ministry. Since Ensign Meldia was wounded and suffered a severe mental shock, an investigation is expected as soon as her condition returns.
Ensign Lattice is the Elven woman who bowed her head repeatedly with tears in her eyes after being rebuked by Ludio. I know her, but I don’t know her particularly well.
And I know Miriam, too. I used to see her and Ensign Lattice walking side by side through the streets of Mildiana.
I had dinner with her a few times, and she seemed like a normal woman with no unusual qualities.
The fact that someone she knew had disappeared again made her feel indescribably uncomfortable.
It would only be unpleasant to continue reading. With that in mind, she closed the file and was about to put it back on the shelf.
(She obviously an elf, but she’s also a noble woman of Imperial origin? Although it is very similar to Ryu-kun, it may be rare)
Without noticing it, Liz found the data in the archive room that recorded the detailed resumes of persons above lieutenant officers.
Something got stuck in her head.
(This is. Ensign Miriam’s catalogue)
Just as she was about to open the page, the door to the archive room suddenly opened with a loud bang, and and Liz screamed.
She had been so focused on her work that her hearing, which she prided herself on, had given up its role and she hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.
“Aahhh!! La, Ensign Lattice. What, what’s wrong with you?”
“……”
Because the line of sight is not clear enough, I don’t know where to look.
There was a female elf wearing glasses there. Because the line of sight is not clear enough, it was not known which way she was looking.
“At least knock on the door. You scared me.”
“…. I’m so, sorry….”
“Well, well, never mind. Ah… can we talk a little now?”
“Talk?”
“Yeah. I hope you won’t be offended, it’s about Ensign Miriam.”
Liz was expecting a reaction, but she didn’t move. It was as if she was absent-minded.
She was just about to continue when Lattice suddenly opened her mouth.
“Miriam. Miriam. Do you want to know anything about Miriam?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, where did she live before she started military school?”
“The Eastern Territory. There. The territory. Only daughter. The Stacy family. With a father and mother, Nee-san and I were always happy and lively.”
“I see. Ahem, although it’s a bit inconvenient to ask …… it says she had a mental disorder from an early age, do you know anything about it?”
Lattice stared at Liz motionlessly as if leaning against the wall of the room. After waiting patiently, Lattice said slowly.
“No. She’s fine. Mentally. Just a normal girl. Nothing at all.”
“Oh, really? But there’s something like that in the military records say.”
Dang!
Liz couldn’t react to the suddenness of what had happened.
Lattice slammed her own head hard against the wall.
“Hey, what, what, what’s wrong!? Are you okay!?”
“It was mentioned. In the record?”
Dang! Dang!
One after another, she banged her head against the wall, rubbing it hard against the wall where her blood was blotting out.
Liz could only remain standing when she saw something beyond her comprehension.
“It hurts.”
“Huh ……?
Lattice continued.
“It’s contaminated. This land. Not normal. It’s not fit for a goddess.”
“…… Goddess?”
“It’s a goddess. Don’t you know. The Exalted Being. The beautiful light that mercifully extends its loving hand to the inferior and wraps itself warmly in it.”
“Ano, is this about the Goddess of Creation, the Goddess of the Elberia Empire, ‘Orphelia-sama’?”
“No. Orphelia. No, she’s not. The Goddess of Creation. Haa!”
Liz continued to question her carefully as she looked at Lattice, who seemed to have lost her mind.
“Does Ensign Miriam believe in other gods?”
“Others? The goddess is only the Exalted Being. No other gods are possible. They are fakes. You moron!”
Dang!
Although Liz was about to cry inexplicably, she still looked at the existence in front of her with her special eyes.
…. She just a normal elf. There was nothing unnatural about her. I could only assume that she was the same person as the Ensign Lattice that I myself knew so well.
Because of this this situation was unusual. Why would she say such things while continuing a self-inflicted act? I don’t understand the meaning.
“Not enough drops.”
The voice of Lattice had at some point become a mixture of male and female voices, which was unpleasant.
“…… Ano?”
“Drop calling for the purified white wings. Not enough.
After saying that, Lattice slowly approached. Seeing her approaching at an erratic pace, Liz backed away.
She was forced against the wall behind her. Lattice did not stop.
Her hand made to reach out then-.
Dang!
Together with a low blow, Lattice’s whole body was slammed into the wall. The glasses came off from the impact while her body flopped to the floor like a broken puppet.
Liz approached Lattice with a grimace and surveyed the situation.
Still alive. That was all Liz confirmed before she immediately left the room and called out for help.
