Regulus: “If you're not keen for being gore chunks, how about I pluck off your limbs

and arrange
them as decoration! I'll make you regret having made a fool of me... of GREED!”

Pandora: “Please wait, Cardinal Regulus.”

Just as Regulus prepares to once again shower Juice and Fortuna in dirt, Pandora calls him to a stop.
With his hands still touching the ground, Regulus turns his head to look at Pandora. The rage
remains thick in his expression, and even when facing Pandora, who he had treated respectfully, he
shows no signs of discarding his anger.

Regulus: “...What, Pandora-sama? Right now, I am midway through shaking in uttermost rage as
my rights are being violated. You have some task for me, when I'm like this? What are you
conniving, trying to stop me? Take careful mind of your words, and, this instant, you answer me...”

Pandora: “Please settle your anger, Cardinal Regulus. I do not permit you to kill them here. Is there
nothing that you feel in seeing them?”

Regulus: “In seeing me right now, do you think I look like there's nothing I feel? —I go prostrating
myself and for this, don't get fucking carried away, you woman!”

Seemingly forgetting that they are allies, Regulus swings up his arm with his target being Pandora.
Up launches the spray of dirt, cutting straight through and decimating the trees in its path to strike
her. It hits, her body exploding into a splatter of blood and gore.

Fortuna: “...No way.”

Fortuna mutters in astonishment as she witnesses Pandora's evisceration. Someone she had loathed,
now killed ruthlessly due to a breakup of internal relations.
Fortuna had utterly believed that Pandora would have some ace to disregard even Regulus's attacks,
but here she is: strewn in scarlet chunks across the ground, fertilizer for the ruined earth.

Regulus: “This is what happens when you prattle bullshit at me. How come nobody can practice
any basic goddamn form of consideration? Don't get in my way. Don't obstruct my path. Don't
interfere with my actions. Don't rebel against what I do. Am I really asking for anything so
difficult? Say, what are your thoughts on this?”

Regulus turns to Juice and Fortuna, a shadowy gleam in his eye.

This was not the time to celebrate about a drop in enemies. If the enemy remaining after a drop in
enemies is a person of absolute strength, then the situation hasn't changed at all.

Fortuna had used the greatest power in her disposal to hit Regulus with that surprise attack.
And even after being hit with it, Regulus's body suffers no wounds and his clothes don't even suffer
a wrinkle. It's frustrating to admit, but Fortuna cannot defeat Regulus.
Juice has also been so cornered that his body has broken down. Even if Fortuna asks him to do the
impossible and fight on his deathbed, the combat is going to be one-sided.

All Fortuna can do is have them lure Regulus's fury, and buy time for her daughter to run.

Juice: “Let me, deal with this... Fortuna-sama.”

41
Fortuna: “But Juice, you...”

Juice: “No matter how... much blood I shed, until all of my bodies are deceased, I can... KEEP,
GOING. I-I, shall amass time, for you... to, flee...”

Fortuna: “Don't say these ridiculous things.”

Fortuna's cheeks relax as Juice attempts to upright himself in her arms.

It mystifies her that she can craft a smile at a time like this. She'd rather like to brag.

Fortuna: “You're telling me to leave you here and run? If I was going to do that, I wouldn't have
come back here. I parted with Emilia to come back here, telling me to leave now is impossible.”

Juice: “H
HOW, EVER... then, if so, why... have, you returned? I-I...”

Fortuna: “To keep you from dying. And if you do die, for me to be at your side.”

With Fortuna's amethyst eyes gazing on, Juice's bloody eyes wrench open.
Considerably lighter now that he has lost his arms, Fortuna draws Juice's body closer, to tell him
from within breathing range:

Fortuna: “In a world without you, in a forest you no longer visit, what is there for me? I'm weak. I
can't survive a long period of time without you there.”

Juice: “You are not weak in the...”

Fortuna: “I'm weak. I act strong when I'm around you and Emilia, that's all.”

With that, Fortuna helps Juice up.

Fortuna props the trembling Juice up so that he stands, her body close against his as she supports
him.
Seeing the couple standing in what could almost be an embrace, Regulus's face turns abjectly
disgusted.

Regulus: “Look at how fired up you are after such a protracted period of ignoring my question.
What on earth could be going on? What on earth could this be? After I showed you how incredible
the power gap between us is, after I taught you in such succinct and plain terms, how can you
possibly figure that you can do anything? What on earth are you people thinking?”

Fortuna: “Windbag of a man. After how our attitudes have demonstrated it, surely you can tell?
Thanks for all the lectures, but we've got only one response.”

Juice: “IIN, DEED.”

Fortuna and Juice share a glance, and speaking together:

Both: “—Like we care, idiot.”

Their voices overlap, with Fortuna flipping Regulus the bird as a bonus.
With that, Fortuna and Juice scramble up whatever power they have available.

42
Regulus's face flashes crimson in fury.

Regulus: “...!! Very well! I'll take the two of you, butcher you into indistinguishable chunks, hurl
you into the Blacksnake's dingy maw—”

???: “What I told you was to wait, Cardinal Regulus.”

For the third time, an interruption to Regulus's plans.

Pandora's arm descends from above to press Regulus's head down, his body proceeding to sink into
the earth without any resistance. Buried chin-deep into the earth under a second, Regulus glares up
at Pandora as she lands beside him.

Regulus: “Just incessantly!”

Pandora: “Should it be necessary that I stymie your will, I shall. As of now, my goals in having
brought you here have been by and large accomplished. You have done far enough and I would
appreciate you go home.”

Regulus: “You drag someone along, but the second you're satisfied you demand they leave? Do you
think anybody could agree with these ideas of yours? Until I've settled this irritation of mine and
returned to being my usual self, I will assuredly never—”

Pandora: “I see. Then I will do it. CARDINAL REGULUS COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE HERE. HE IS IN HIS
MANSION, SPENDING HIS TIME WITH HIS WIVES .”

Regulus: “Wa—”

The next instant, just as Regulus goes to shout something, he snaps out of view.
It isn't that he's sunken entirely into the dirt. He has truly blinked, vanished out of this scene. In the
spot where he once was, the hole from him being plunged into the dirt is gone.
All as if affirming Pandora's statement, that HE COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE HERE.

Pandora: “Being that the racket has left the scene, we can now discuss at a more leisurely pace.”

Fortuna: “...Can I ask you something first? How come you're here? I know just saw you die a
minute ago.”

Pandora stands there as if this is entirely normal.

This girl, calm smile on her face, is supposed to be a scattering of gore. Fortuna glances over to
where her remains were strewn, and gulps.
Not a trace of the gory mess remains in the slightest. Just like how Regulus has disappeared, her
corpse is vanished.

Fortuna is utterly lost for words. Pandora tilts her head.

Pandora: “Could YOUR EYES HAVE DECEIVED YOU?”3

Fortuna: “—!”

3 The trick behind Pandora's powers and how they work has yet to be explained. This is how the line clicked in my
head, but it's questionable whether my phrasing gives any legitimate suggestion as to what her power is doing.

43
Fortuna shudders.
This should not be possible. But the world has reformed itself into a shape that supports Pandora's
words. Invalidating what Fortuna had supposedly seen, and overwriting it all with something
strange and unknown.

The corpse is gone, Pandora is resurrected. Regulus is gone, the aftermath of his deeds are gone.
Immediately after realising this, Fortuna looks aside and nearly screams at the shocking thing that
has happened.

As he stands beside her, Juie's arms—Juice's severed arms, are back to normal.

Pandora: “Since Cardinal Regulus is not here, the consequences of his actions have disappeared. It
is all very simple. Although, the mending of Cardinal Betelgeux's arms is a result of my
beneficence.”

Juice rotates his recovered arms in confirmation. Fortuna's eyes waver as she watches on.

Fortuna: “Juice, your arms...”

Juice: “They feel to move WITHOUT ISSUE. My body, also... the insides excepted, without issue.”

Pandora: “I have not rewritten so far as to change your ingestion of the factor. I would like to
commend this action of yours, and the actions of she who has returned for you. Please consider this
an illustration of my sincerity.”

Pandora is an emblem of hatred for Fortuna. That hasn't changed, and the moment she laid eyes on
her, she assuredly could not hold back her rage.
But Fortuna had not imagined that Pandora would be such a mysterious, unfathomable opponent.

She cannot come up with any clues as to what happened. She cannot comprehend what is going on.
Everything that happened today in this forest transcended Fortuna's imaginings. The one thing she
does understand is that, thanks to all of these incomprehensible happenings, everything is on the
verge of ending.

Juice: “Fortuna-sama, compose yourself!”

A roar cuts into Fortuna's stunned mind just as it begins to stall.

The pain of her slapped cheeks leads her to blink, and find Juice right there, looking at her. He
grasps her shoulders.

Juice: “I am sure that you have queries, and am sure that you are confused. HOWEVER, you must
leave that aside for the PRESENT MOMENT. What is crucial is to safeguard this forest, safeguard
EMILIA-SAMA! And... the defeat of that woman shall ACHIEVE SUCH!”

Fortuna: “—Juice.”

Strength returns to Fortuna's eyes. She glares at Pandora.

Yes. He's right. She might be strange and unknown, and the inability to anticipate what will happen

44
next is terrifying. But even so, Pandora had eliminated powerful Regulus from this scene, and
returned Juice's missing arms.
She has foolishly weakened own combat forces and rejuvenated the enemy. She might not even
have realised that she has cornered herself.

Fortuna: “You're exactly right, Juice. Wondering about what's happening can happen later. Now is
when!”

Juice: “We combine our strength, and DEFEAT HER! Should we repel her, the remaining cultists in
the forest also WILL WITHDRAW. —We can SAVE EMILIA-SAMA!”

The image of her daughter passes through Fortuna's mind.

She had been prepared for their previous goodbye to perhaps be their last. And she had indeed been
acting until now with that exact resolve. But now, she sees a new hope.

Emilia will be saved. By none other than Fortuna and Juice's power.

Fortuna: “—Frigid white, captor of time, magic palm of sheer ice.”

The magic which had stricken Regulus even now churns within Fortuna, seeking a place where it
may detonate. Her canto presents that power with form, with a target, as mana interacts with the
world.

Out sounds a crack as the sharp-tipped icicle forms, the thing large enough for multiple giants to
heft in concert, a spear of ice.
Its point aims at Pandora. Should it launch and strike her, she will be mutilated, her remains
scattering everywhere and freezing beyond any hope of repair.

Beside Fortuna, Juice hugs his shoulders as pressure surges from him as well.
The power runs frenzied beneath his tattered vestments, the wounds except those on his restored
arms reopening. Even in this grievous state, he will expend the whole of his soul for the sake of
those he believes in.

Faced with the manifestation of their powers, Pandora does not even take fighting stance as she
smiles.

Pandora: “Now, please do come. —Allow me to savour your resolve to its very limit.”

The couple's power quakes the world, all in an effort to rip apart Pandora's smile.
And,

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Emilia wakes up in the basin and shakes her head, managing to recall her location as she glances
around the area.

Emilia: “Right... I...”

45
Herself, covered in mud, and unfamiliar scenery. Scraped knees, legs pained from excessive
running.
All of it weighs down on Emilia as she regains consciousness, with the panic constricting her chest
and her rejuvenated memories informing her that this is neither a lie nor a dream.

Emilia: “Mother... Juice... Arch...”

Precious people, who had all staked their own lives so that she could escape.
As she recalls their faces in sequence, Emilia remembers that she must do something. Everyone
who had tried to protect her told her to run.
That they want her to run dead ahead, and escape the forest.

But, Emilia also thought this:

There has to be something she can do for everybody.

Emilia: “That's, right... the siel, the siel!”

Seal. The word lingers in her memories from before losing consciousness.
The discussion a stern-faced Fortuna had had with Arch. About how the scary people had come here
searching for the seal in the forest.

The forest's seal lies deep in the deepest depths of the forest where Emilia lives, a mysterious door.
Leading to nowhere, just a metallic-looking door standing there in the middle of the woods.
The adults called the place the seal. Emilia knew its location.

Emilia: “Have to go there.”

Going there would not present Emilia with anything she could do.
She didn't know how to open the door, and she didn't even know what the word 'seal' exactly meant.
But she knew something extremely important was there, and knew its location—which was more
than enough for Emilia.

Considerations about what she might be able to do are not what spur her into action.
It is the hope, that going there will make things change, that pushes her forward.

Emilia: “The siel should be... but, which way was it?”

Having tearfully parted with Juice, tearfully parted with Fortuna, and ran around the forest in Arch's
arms, Emilia runs directly for an unknown place, alone.
This may be the forest where Emilia lives, but it is no longer the forest that Emilia knows. The
region that Emilia frolicked in was limited only to the village's surroundings. Forget about the seal's
location, she could not even put her finger on where her mother or Juice would be.

Emilia: “Auh, hah...”

Emilia wails at her own powerlessness.

She knew what she needed to do, but lacked the strength to achieve it. She has no mother to cling to
when troubled, here. She has to be the one to act and save her mother.

Emilia: “—Hm?”

46
Emilia's earnest feelings spur those watching over her into motion.
Emilia wipes away her tears, when dim lights pass by her face and lead her to blink. She looks up,
to find several glowing lights cutting into her vision.

Emilia: “The, fairies?”

Emilia calls them fairies. Fortuna and Juice call these supernatural entities spirits.
Supposedly lacking any language or will, the lesser spirits answer to the young girl's frantic plea.

The lesser spirits dance in circles before the paralysed Emilia. They all move in one direction then
back again, there then back again, over and over, demonstrating the course.
Emilia's voice trembles as she realises what the spirits are trying to say.

Emilia: “You're telling me, where to go?”

They don't reply. But they do bob up and down, as if in affirmation.

Emilia: “If I go that way, I'll find the siel? I'll be able to save Mother and everybody?”

The spirits strobe brightly.

Emilia wipes away her tears as she shakes her head.

This isn't the time to be bawling here forever.

Her mother and Juice and so many people had helped her, and when she started crying, even the
fairies came to cheer her up. After all of this, she cannot pardon herself to cower here endlessly.

Emilia: “Mm... mm, mhm.”

The spirits bob about, as if confirming whether Emilia is well. She nods in reply, and with her small
frame swaying, breaks into a run. She follows the spirits' guide, dashing desperately over the rugged
earth.

She passes over hollows, scales steep inclines, passes through the gaps between trees.
At many points along the path are areas that the spirits can travel through, but Emilia cannot. She
stumbles, branches scraping at her cheeks, tumbling mouth-first to the ground, which she spits out
before standing back up.

Her breathing labours, tears of fear and pain welling up again.

She sniffs her snot back up, wipes her tears with her muddy sleeves, gives her grazed knees a slap
and runs.

She withstands the pain and the hurt, running with all her might as the memories pass through her
mind.

Memories of her time spent living in this forest, ever since she first gained cognizance.
Fortuna was a stern mother, and never spoiled Emilia in the least. She wasn't Emilia's real mother.
Emilia had proper, real parents, like normal.
Such had been a common thing to hear from Fortuna, repeated over and over, which Emilia both
believed and did not believe. She had real parents. That made her happy. But Fortuna was also her

47
real mother. And as far as Emilia cared, that was unquestionable truth. It was because of today's
happenings that she truly understood that.

She remembers being scolded. She remembers nights where she would hold a crying, apologetic
Emilia, and sleep together with her. She knew that she would always stroke her head when she
woke up until got out of bed, so that Emilia would not be lonely.
Emilia knew better than anyone that her mother loved her.

Everybody in the village had been kind to her.

There had always been a kind of alienation, where it felt like they were keeping their distance, and
weren't sure how to interact with her. But even so, they never said anything that would hurt her, and
always treated Fortuna well.
She knew that even with the Princess Room, everybody had done their best to make sure it would
be a nice place for Emilia to spend her time. They prepared toys so that she wouldn't feel alone
while inside, and made lots of hand-stitched dolls for her. The count of dolls multiplied by the day,
and Emilia had long ago ran out of enough fingers and toes to even hope to play with them all.
All of those dolls, every single stitch of thread, was proof of their care toward Emilia.

Emilia had hated Juice at first.

Because everybody's distancing of her and locking her in the Princess Room always happened when
Juice's group was visiting. The adults were hiding things from her so that they could do something
fun. When she first escaped the Princess Room and witnessed Juice and Fortuna talking, and saw
Fortuna smiling at him, Emilia was jealous of Juice.
She thought she would never forgive him. But he had broken into tears upon meeting her. Cried and
cried, spilling tears of happiness, and Emilia forgave him.
After all, those were tears of warmth. She thought back on how peaceful she felt whenever Fortuna
hugged her, and patted Juice's head. She kept by his side as he cried so that he wouldn't feel alone
when the tears stopped. He's hopeless, she thought.
Just hopeless. She thought.

Emilia: “I... with everybody, again...”

She wanted to sleep with Fortuna again.

She wanted to invite everybody to the Princess Room.
She wanted to take that cheeky Juice, who was trying to protect Emilia, and definitely stomp on his
foot.

She wanted to see everybody again.

Emilia: “Because I'm, a good girl...”

The tears blur her vision as she runs, and after passing by a handful more trees—Emilia discovers
the seal she has been seeking, and,

???: “Welcome.”

A girl with platinum hair stands before the door, her arms spread to greet Emilia.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

48
Girl: “Thank goodness. You were the first to arrive. I was glad to have finally found the seal, but I
could not locate the essential key. I am truly relieved to have found you safely.”

Emilia: “Why are... you here?”

The girl, Pandora, addresses Emilia with familiar tone and strange pressure. Emilia's throat trembles
as she asks her question, and Pandora gives a small clap of her hands.

Pandora: “Huhuhu, you must be surprised. It is all very simple. This seal is very important to me.
And so I have always been searching for it. It is one of the reasons that I have come to the forest
today. Which means that I need to be here.”

Pandora's response isn't what Emilia is looking for.

Emilia was trying to ask about Pandora's reason for being here, in this spot. When Emilia had last
seen her, Juice had been blocking her and Regulus's path.
If she's here, then that means Juice...

Emilia: “Why are... you here?”

Perhaps having noticed how close Emilia's heart is to shattering, Pandora's eyes widen. She puts her
hand to her chest as she seems to reflect on what she just said.

Pandora: “I apologize. The reply that I gave you was strange. I am not the one you are asking about,
you are asking about Cardinal Betelgeux and your Mother.”

Pandora is late to understand it, but she does wind up reaching the correct answer.
If Pandora had continued being mistaken, Emilia could have ended all this without her question
being answered. Even though she herself did not know what she was seeking, with all of this.

Pandora smiles tenderly.

It carries no malice or maliciousness, abounding in kindness, appearing an honest attempt to dispel
Emilia's anxiety.

Pandora: “Please do not be worried. You are concerned about Cardinal Betelgeux and your Mother,
both of whom are safe.”

Emilia: “Huh?”

Pandora: “There is no need to be so anxious, though it would have been best should you have asked
so originally. Neither I nor the members of the cult have come here to harm anybody in the forest. It
is as I have stated, I have visited as I have business with this seal. So being, I am not so foolish as to
create any unnecessary sacrifices.”

Pandora's words are kind, and thunk one after another into Emilia's overburdened heart.
If Emilia is going to trust what she's saying, then Fortuna and Juice are safe. Perhaps whatever's
happening to everyone in the forest is nothing as bad as she figured.
In fact, this girl had just said that she had business with the seal. Meaning, once she's done with that
business—

49
Emilia: “When you're done with the siel, will you please go home...?”

Pandora says nothing.

Emilia: “Wh-when you're done with the siel, will you please leave the forest and go home? Go
home without doing anything bad to everybody?”

Pandora: “—Why, of course. I have no desire for unnecessary sacrifices either.”

Pandora gives a deep nod, as if she's making a promise.

She then points at the seal, and tilts her head at the teary Emilia.

Pandora: “Which means that I would like for you to please give me the key. Provided that we may
open this door, we shall withdraw from the forest immediately.”

Emilia: “Key...?”

Pandora: “Yes. A key. Considering the form of a door which this seal has taken, a key is necessary
to open it. You would be in possession of that key.”

Emilia: “I, don't know anything about that...”

Emilia shakes her head.

She truly has no idea what Pandora's alluding to. She doesn't remember anyone giving her anything
like a key, and the seal had been kept secret from Emilia in the first place.
There is no possible way that Emilia could own a key for a seal which she had been kept in the dark
about. It doesn't even bear thinking, with how natural this conclusion is.

Emilia shakes her head.

Pandora also shakes her head.

Pandora: “There is no need for secrecy.”

Emilia: “I-I'm not keeping secrets... I really, really don't know! I don't have any key! I haven't been
given a key! Me, I can't open the siel!”

Pandora: “I see. —Then, I will have to dig through the forest so that I may find the key.”

Pandora's expression looks incredibly pained. She lowers her gaze.

While her actions and tone are sympathetic toward Emilia, her ironclad mentality means that she
will most likely do exactly the thing she is saying that she will. Emilia trembles.

If she cannot open the seal right here and right now, this girl will dig through the forest.
Dig through, is simple, vain decoration for it. Pandora is going to DIG THROUGH the forest, the
people living in it, Fortuna and villagers, and Juice's group to get this thing.

This is an abnormal entity.

So abnormal, that Emilia is convinced that not even Fortuna would be a match for them.

50