Ask Schicksal for help... sure, we could do that... but why does it feel like we've been turning to them for everything lately?
Shiori and Tohka didn't see any problem with it—after all, they'd both received plenty of help from Durandal and been rescued by Schicksal before.
Their impression of Schicksal was good, and they'd grown used to relying on their aid.
But Kotori felt a little unsettled.
She was, after all, a high-ranking member of Ratatoskr and had even been planning to bring some sort of "proof of worth" with her when she eventually jumped ship to Schicksal, hoping to be valued—or at least taken seriously.
So why was it that every time something happened, they ended up asking Schicksal for help?
Even though that's what she was thinking, Kotori had just troubled Durandal not long ago and even owed a favor to the Valkyrie Seele.
Now wasn't the time to speak up.
"Let's head to St. Freya first, then talk to Durandal about this," Kotori finally said.
"But we shouldn't be too obvious about it... Actually, never mind. I'll handle the talking when the time comes."
Going to St. Freya was a must—after all, there were quite a few Spirits there, and it definitely wouldn't hurt for Shiori to meet them.
Once she'd made up her mind, Kotori took Shiori and Tohka back to the Itsuka household.
As for Natsumi, she didn't give any specific instructions.
After all, that was a Spirit—whether she stayed or left wasn't something Fraxinus could interfere with.
With Seele by Shiori's side, Kotori wasn't too worried about things going seriously wrong. Judging by how Natsumi acted around Seele, she probably wouldn't dare show herself carelessly.
And even if Natsumi just took off and was never seen again, Kotori didn't really care.
Like she'd said before—even though she hadn't shown it openly—toward a Spirit who had intended to harm her dear sister, Kotori being willing to treat her and look at her without prejudice was already the result of extreme patience on her part.
Kotori's feelings were complicated, and Dark Amber felt the same way.
She'd finally agreed to Amber's request, only to nearly mess everything up on the very first day—all because of that unexpected wrench Natsumi threw into things.
Dark Amber was deeply frustrated; even though she'd vented quite a bit earlier, coming back now only made her angrier the more she thought about it.
"You've worked hard, Miss Seele."
Back at the St. Freya Hotel, seeing Rita waiting for her on the first floor, Dark Amber's expression soured internally, though outwardly she just looked awkward. "Sister Rita…"
"Are you tired? Lady Durandal was worried about you all day and would like to see you. And, as it happens, dinner is already prepared."
The smile on Rita's face remained flawless, almost like something out of a mechanical model, but the faint concern in her eyes softened that rigid impression nicely.
Ever since meeting the girl yesterday, Rita had taken quite a liking to her—not only was she quiet and well-mannered, but she also spoke softly and gently, just like an ordinary girl.
If she hadn't confirmed it again and again, Rita would never have imagined that this girl was a Valkyrie on the same level as herself.
At first, Rita had assumed her actual age was a bit older than she looked, but after spending time with her, that impression faded.
Plus, in all this time, even as an S-rank Valkyrie, she'd never seen or heard of her before.
Before today's incident, Rita had thought she might be carrying out some top-secret, isolated mission.
But given what happened today, Rita had a more logical guess:
Seele Vollerei might be one of Dr. Mobius's test subjects.
What was a secret to 99.999% of people—Spirit Inversion—wasn't so to Rita.
After all, she'd personally entered the Neighboring World, lived there for a time, and even absorbed the Neighboring World that was originally sealed within Durandal.
Rita could vaguely sense something off about spiritual power and had discussed it with Mobius.
From Mobius, Rita learned about how Sephira Crystals would always seek a new host, as well as the circumstances of Spirit Inversion.
In Rita's eyes, Seele's condition was the result of Mobius's research into spiritual power inversion technology.
"Seele isn't tired."
Dark Amber had no idea Rita had imagined all of that. Hearing that she was to see Amber made her nervous.
Was Amber going to hold her accountable? No… Amber wasn't like that. But even if she wasn't, I really don't want to see her right now!
"I already ate dinner on the Fraxinus."
"Is that so? Then come have some dessert. It was originally for Lady Durandal, but she said she needs to watch her diet."
Rita sensed Dark Amber's reluctance, assuming she was just afraid of being criticized.
Even though they were both S-rank Valkyries, Durandal was indeed her and Seele's superior.
Making such a big commotion on her first mission—it was only natural to fear reprimand. But Schicksal already understood most of what happened; it was an accident beyond her control.
Rita reassured her, "You managed to resolve the situation in such a short time. Lady Durandal thinks you're very impressive, you know."
That wasn't entirely just comfort—in fact, from the spacequake alarm sounding to the appearance of the black sphere, the whole incident took less than two minutes.
To have two Spirits and the most powerful Wizard under control within that time was something even Rita admired.
Of course, Seele's mission wasn't to resolve the spacequake, but to protect Itsuka Shiori's safety.
According to Schicksal's intel, what happened was: Tohka got upset and ran off on her own, Shiori chased after Tohka, and Seele hesitated over whether to follow.
From a mission standpoint, she shouldn't have let Shiori out of her sight, but Schicksal's cooperation with Ratatoskr was entirely built on Shiori sealing Spirits.
If Seele's presence as a third party made it harder to calm Tohka down, that would also be a problem.
Plus, Seele wasn't officially assigned—she went as a personal favor to Durandal, not as a direct dispatch from Schicksal. So she really couldn't be held responsible.
Stringing it all together, what people got was:
'Seele Vollerei went to school on a whim as a student, happened to check out the spacequake alarm, took down three powerful enemies in under two minutes like a monster, leaving them utterly defeated despite their best efforts.'
That's what Rita and most people thought. But Dark Amber knew the truth of the matter.
She wasn't worried about being held accountable or criticized—who in Schicksal could even hold her to account?
Dark Amber just didn't want to face Amber before she'd fixed this mess! Even if Amber just wanted to comfort her, no way!
I, Dark Amber, have always been the reliable one—how could I let a stain appear on my flawless record now?! Natsumi!!!
She gritted her teeth inwardly, but there was no way she could refuse Amber's repeated invitation—even if the one extending it wasn't Amber herself.
Damn it, Kyouno Natsumi—this isn't over between us!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.