In the Main World, Great Britain, a month had flown by. During this time, Herta had been relentlessly researching the source of the Dimensional Rift, but with no success. She had conducted three large-scale experiments, all of which ended in failure. This was perhaps the first time she had been stumped by a problem for so long.
For other scientists, hitting a roadblock was perfectly normal. They might need to take a break, seek inspiration elsewhere, or simply clear their minds. But Herta never lacked inspiration. For her, inspiration came in only two flavors: "useful" and "even more useful."
Holding a palm-sized mirror, Herta muttered to herself, "How could this have failed? It shouldn't be possible..."
After a few moments of fruitless contemplation, she set the mirror aside. After all, the Prophet's prophecy wasn't due to come to pass for at least another ten months. Plenty of time.
At first glance, this might seem absurd. A world-ending prophecy with only ten months to spare? How could that not feel urgent? But for Herta, ten months truly felt like an eternity.
Changing into casual clothes—a pale yellow cropped hoodie and a cream-colored A-line skirt—Herta surprisingly skipped her usual black stockings. Instead, she wore heeled sandals on bare legs, her dainty toes, adorned with purple nail polish, exposed to the air.
Of course, Herta's Witch Hat, remained firmly perched atop her head.
Lily had been repeatedly inviting Herta out for a stroll, eager to share all the delicious treats she'd discovered.
Interestingly, Lily was completely unaware that Herta Herself had recently traveled to another world and then to Sakura Prefecture. After all, Lily had been studying at Cambridge alongside a Little Herta Puppet for quite some time and hadn't seen the real Herta in ages.
As for the incident involving a thousand Herta Puppets appearing in Sakura Prefecture, White Eagle had kept it tightly under wraps. Apart from some whispers in the Dragon Nation, other countries remained largely unaware of the situation, let alone Great Britain, which didn't even possess satellite technology at the time.
The truly absurd part was that not only Lily, but even Great Britain itself was oblivious to Herta's extensive travels.
In any case, after Lily's persistent invitations, Herta finally relented and agreed to go out with her. Just as Herta Herself was about to leave for their meeting place, Lily, who had already been chatting with Little Herta, said, "I'm on my way now. Wait a moment, I'll be there soon."
Lily held up a promotional flyer, pointing out the various shops. "These places are all the rage right now, Teacher Herta. Is there anything you'd like to try?"
Moments later, Herta arrived at their meeting point. She casually shooed away the Little Herta Puppet and seamlessly picked up their earlier conversation with Lily, officially starting their outing.
Frankly, the whole scene was rather awkward.
Though she had accepted the invitation, Herta harbored no expectations for Great Britain's cuisine. To her surprise, the meal turned out to be unexpectedly delicious.
She pointed at a dish, asking in astonishment, "What's this?"
Lily replied instantly, "See? I told you it would be good! I think it's a French dish originally from the European Union, but they've adapted it to local tastes. It's super popular right now!"
Herta blinked. "...Oh. British-style French food. That explains it."
After lunch, Lily dragged Herta to a shopping mall. They bought several new outfits, tried their luck at the claw machines, and even went to see a movie.
Naturally, Herta didn't need any new clothes and didn't buy a single thing, despite Lily's insistence on gifting her several items.
Herta had never understood the appeal of claw machines. She quietly watched Lily insert forty or fifty coins, only to lose them all.
The movie was even worse. Herta had guessed the ending from the opening scene, and by the halfway point, she had already fallen asleep—the soundest sleep she'd had in days. When the credits rolled, Lily dabbed at her eyes, gushing about how moving the plot was. She even discussed the film with Herta, reciting every detail flawlessly.
As they strolled along, Lily suddenly spotted something and tugged Herta toward a karaoke machine. "Hey, wanna try this?" she asked.
Herta didn't mind. She was just out for a leisurely walk to clear her head. Once inside, Lily expertly navigated the interface and found a song Herta knew well: "Hope Is the Thing With Feathers". Lily began to sing softly.
Lily's voice was undeniably cute, but it was clear she hadn't received any formal training. It was all raw emotion and no technique—not unpleasant, but certainly not polished.
After the song ended, Herta couldn't help but ask, "Lily, you really like Robin, don't you?"
Without hesitation, Lily replied, "Of course! Miss Robin is so beautiful and her singing is amazing! I'm her biggest fan!"
She sighed wistfully. "Ah, Miss Robin held a concert in Great Britain a while ago, but it was right before my exams, so my dad wouldn't let me go. Ugh..."
Herta stroked her chin thoughtfully, then opened her hand. A notebook with Robin's photo on the cover materialized, prominently displaying a stunning autograph across the front.
Herta handed it to Lily. "Here."
Lily stared at it blankly. "What's this?"
"A notebook with Robin's autograph," Herta said.
Lily stammered, "A-ah?!"
After a moment of confusion, disbelief flooded her face. "This... Teacher Herta, where did you get this notebook?! Is this real? It's not some kind of illusion magic, is it?!"
Herta rolled her eyes. "Of course it's real."
After all, Robin had just signed the notebook moments ago and sent it through the Chat Group.
Still, Lily remained skeptical. "But... but Teacher Herta, how could you possibly have something so valuable?!"
Herta shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I just used Mental Magic to control Robin and force her to sign it."
Lily pouted. "Don't joke like that, Teacher! You're too kind to use such magic."
The two finished their dinner—another delightful French meal, of course—bringing their shopping trip to a satisfying conclusion. After saying goodbye to Lily, Herta strolled leisurely toward home.
Just as she neared her apartment, she suddenly froze. The disturbance wasn't on her end, but rather because Elysia at White Eagle had just received urgent news: a massive Dimensional Rift had appeared within the territory of the Manor Lord, one of the White Eagle Eight.