"Rem, how was it that you came back?"
"I don't know, sister. I just woke up and I was there. Then I ran into an archbishop, but Leandro took care of her, and... after a while, we went to where you and the others were."
Rem omitted a few details that didn't add much to the explanation. First of all, the whole business with the cultist who revived her was a mystery that Leandro had only mentioned vaguely. However, Rem could sense it was related to him, given what he said about acquiring his powers and memories.
If it was a delicate matter, she didn't want to compromise him.
Second of all, she didn't want to talk about the moment of their reunion, which had been agonizing. She felt that moment, so heavy with emotion, was a mockery to her heart, because only a few minutes later, her beloved was snatched away from her by fate.
"Well, it seems a necromancer did it, though I still don't understand why..."
"Everyone in the cult is insane, sister. They don't need reasons."
"I wouldn't be so sure..."
"Why do you say that?"
Ram looked at her. Her pink eyes reflected complex emotions. She swallowed hard and finally spoke.
"Maste—"
She bit her tongue and sighed bitterly.
"Roswaal has returned, as well."
"What?"
Rem's eyes widened in surprise.
"I ran into him at that place."
"But what do you mean he's returned?"
Ram looked at her younger sister blankly, but then she realized.
"Of course, you didn't know. After what happened to you at the Sanctuary, I killed him with my own hands."
"Oh..."
"..."
There was an extended silence. Then Ram continued.
"He came back. I don't know how, but he had the same appearance, so it doesn't seem to be related to his plan to reincarnate, but rather to the same magic that resurrected you."
"Umm."
Rem nodded as she listened intently, trying to draw conclusions.
"How did your encounter with him go?"
"He attacked me... but he didn't try to kill me. He only said something about Leandro and left."
Rem's expression darkened.
"What did he say?"
"That he isn't who he appears to be."
Rem's teeth ground together as she clenched them in anger.
"And who does he think he is to talk about Leandro?"
"That's more or less what I told him."
Rem didn't calm down until a while later, and even then, she kept thinking about the trouble Roswaal's return could bring.
Eventually, the blue-haired maid's attention shifted to the strange woman traveling with them. Seraphina Valemont, a former leader of the criminal group that operated in the underground city.
For some reason, Leandro had decided to enslave her and intended to integrate her into the camp, according to Felix.
"I don't understand why he made you his slave. Did you manipulate him into sparing your life?"
Rem glared at Seraphina on the way back to the mansion.
"Of course not. I would have preferred death over becoming someone else's tool. Don't blame me for your boyfriend's perversion, little girl."
The woman replied haughtily, but avoided Rem's gaze.
"Besides, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't know that his soul is still wandering around out there. You should be grateful to me."
"You should be grateful to us, too. The only reason we're keeping you alive is because we're going to use you to find out whether Leandro's soul is still in this world or not. That is your sole purpose: serving as an instrument for verification."
Ram was direct, putting Seraphina in her place with few words.
"Tsk. To think everything would end up like this..."
Seraphina's eyes drifted toward Leandro's frozen body (now wrapped in a blanket), looking at it with hatred.
Suddenly, a crushing pressure wrapped around Seraphina's neck: it was Rem's hand.
"Don't you dare look at him like that! You aren't worthy of looking at him!"
"Cough... Let go of me...!"
"If you ever lay your eyes on him like that again, I'll tear them out! Do you understand!?"
Seraphina's initial indignation faded as soon as she realized she was dealing with a lunatic like herself, but this woman possessed a brute strength that made her far more dangerous.
"I... I understand... I won't look at him... again..."
Even after Seraphina apologized and promised to obey, Rem continued to choke her for nearly a full minute before releasing her.
"Haaaaaaa!"
The woman collapsed to the floor and began coughing, then panted frantically to catch her breath while touching her neck, where a red mark remained.
"Uh... everything okay back there?"
A concerned voice echoed. It was the carriage driver, a servant of the Karsten household who had been tasked with taking some members of the allied faction to the Miload residence.
"Yes, no problem here."
Ram replied immediately, her rigid tone persuading the driver not to press further.
The only sound heard after that was the rattling of the wheels against the dirt path and the creaking of the wood.
After some time, the carriage came to a stop in front of the mansion.
The girls stepped down. Rem and Ram greeted Crusch's servant with a bow, and once he left, they entered the mansion.
It was already night, but the lights inside the building were lit. A few insects were hovering around the area, reacting agitatedly as they detected the women's presence. Some began to buzz, and the buzzing spread toward the mansion.
As Rem and her group approached the entrance, the doors swung open and several people emerged within a span of a few seconds.
First came Otto, followed by Clind, Frederica, Petra, and Garfiel.
Otto ran toward the three newcomers and skidded to a stop upon seeing the blue-haired girl.
"Miss Rem?!"
Frederica covered her mouth. Petra was left speechless. Garfiel stumbled and nearly fell.
Clind merely adjusted his glasses and lowered his head, looking at the body Rem was holding.
"Where is Lady Emilia?"
Ram ignored her companions' shock and spat out the question coldly.
The Miload butler turned around and headed back inside the mansion.
"I shall fetch her."
Otto and Frederica were still trying to process Rem's presence, but Garfiel had already noticed the cold body in Rem's arms.
He didn't want to believe what his sense of smell was picking up.
"Hey... What's going on?"
He looked at Rem.
"Is that really you, Rem?"
"Yes... I came back to life through necromancy."
She nodded with a sad expression that only heightened Garfiel's anxiety. His chest felt hollow, and his stomach churned.
"Who's that woman? Where are Elsa and Meili? Where's the Captain...?"
No one answered. The silence was heavier than ever.
Garfiel exploded.
"Why are you staying quiet?! What aren't you telling us?!"
Ram looked at him, her mask of coldness cracking to reveal the pain underneath.
"Garf... A lot happened."
"What things, Ram?! I won't understand unless you tell me!"
Then Rem did something that left everyone frozen: she set the body down on the ground and slowly unwrapped it, revealing his appearance.
"Captain!"
Garfiel fell to his knees.
"It can't be..."
Otto gasped.
"Oh, no..."
Frederica stifled a cry.
"NOOOOO!"
Petra screamed and wept inconsolably.
At the same time, Clind returned with Emilia and Annerose. The half-elf noticed the grief hanging in the air and was about to ask what was wrong, but then she spotted the blue-haired maid at the entrance.
"Rem?!"
Emilia's sweet voice slipped out as an involuntary sound of bewilderment.
Rem was crouching with a somber expression, looking at someone lying on the ground in front of her.
Instinctively, Emilia set her eyes on that person.
Black hair, pale skin—paler than it had ever been—and brown eyes that were currently closed. Considering the situation, perhaps those eyes would never open again.
Emilia didn't need to look at the rest of his body to know it was Leandro.
"Huh? Why...?"
Her voice trailed off. Her eyes trembled.
"Why does Leandro look like that?"
She asked, completely forgetting about Rem.
"Because he is dead, Lady Emilia."
Ram didn't bother softening her words. It was the truth, and it had to be said clearly, leaving no room for doubt.
The pink-haired maid's response was like a stab to the half-elf's chest.
Dead? How? Why?
The boy had been like a guiding star for his allies.
More than that, he was her companion—the one who supported her, believed in her... and unlike others, stayed by her side unconditionally.
Now, that wonderful person was dead.
Another loved one gone.
Like Fortuna.
Like Archi.
Like Geuse.
Like Puck.
It felt as though the world didn't want to see her happy. It wanted her lonely, sad, broken.
She approached the body, knelt beside it, and looked down with tear-filled eyes.
"He said he would stay by my side. He said he would protect me... He never broke his promises... It's not fair... for him to leave like this..."
He looked more asleep than dead.
Was he really dead? Emilia couldn't contain herself and reached out to touch him.
"—!"
Before she could reach the black-haired boy, the half-elf's hands were caught by Rem's, who looked at her with an expression both pleading and demanding, as if appealing to the half-elf's resolve.
"Lady Emilia... Please help me bring him back."
"What?"
Emilia shot her an inquiring look, failing to understand the request.
"Even if his body is like this, his soul is still somewhere out there. If we find it, we might be able to bring him back to life."
"Really?"
The pressure crushing Emilia's chest eased just a bit—enough to let her think clearly. Hearing Rem's words, the others felt a glimmer of hope as well.
"We have to go look for him right away!"
Emilia wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up with a resolute expression.
"It won't work: his soul is not in a place you can reach."
Suddenly, a new voice spoke. Everyone turned to see who it was.
Garfiel and Frederica were the first to speak.
"Granny?"
"Old hag?"
Ryuzu Shima had appeared alongside Beatrice.
"No."
The small girl shook her head in denial, and her body began to glow intensely.
"I believe I've drawn this out long enough."
The glow vanished, revealing the appearance of a young woman with long hair as white as her skin and eyes as black as her dress.
"In truth, I am Echidna, the Witch of Greed. Normally, I am disinclined to actively intervene, but I have decided to make an exception this time."
"Echidna..."
Emilia echoed the name, immediately recognizing the witch from the Sanctuary's trial.
"Echidna?"
Otto narrowed his eyes, watching the witch cautiously.
Nevertheless, without a doubt, the worst reaction belonged to Ram.
"Echidna?! The witch Roswaal wanted to revive at all costs?!"
Without hesitation, Ram summoned her wind magic and aimed it threateningly at the woman.
But Beatrice stepped between them.
"Leave my mother alone, I suppose! She isn't to blame for what happened!"
Echidna looked at her creation, her daughter, who was defending her. Since she had started spending "family time" with her and Leandro, her heart had experienced many changes and new emotions. The unfeeling witch had begun having thoughts she once would have deemed absurd.
Smiling, she placed a hand on Beatrice's head and gently stroked her hair. It was no hollow gesture; her dark eyes reflected an affection that could not be faked.
"You have every right to be angry, Ram. My existence has caused quite a bit of trouble for all of you. However, I am not the same as before. I have changed—more than I ever thought possible."
Even with the threat looming over her, Echidna remained perfectly calm.
"As if I'd believe the shit coming out of your lying mouth, you fucking witch!"
Ram insulted her, yet she didn't unleash an attack despite her hostile expression.
Clind watched the situation closely, ready to prevent members of the faction from harming one another.
Rem stood up and walked toward Echidna.
"What do you know?"
"I know many things. Though I can say almost nothing due to an oath."
The maid stared right through the witch. She seemed to be telling the truth.
"And what can you say?"
Echidna paused, filling the air with suspense.
"That Leandro's return depends entirely on himself. Nothing you do will alter the outcome."
"Then what can we do for him?!"
The question came from Otto.
Echidna thought for a moment before giving a simple answer.
"Trust in him."