――If I close my eyes, I can still vividly recall that scene.

It was white. A world entirely covered in white silver.

The young Emilia, upon waking, exhaled white breaths and realized she was amidst a snowy landscape.

Why, her heart questioned. But there was no answer.

With no memory of what came before, her consciousness was faint.

She raised her fallen body and hurried to the window to gaze outside. The familiar green forest village was now engulfed completely by a white ending, slowly freezing everything in sight.

For Emilia, seeing snow for the first time, she couldn’t even clearly comprehend this phenomenon as ‘snow.’ Only her instincts seared the coldness and severity into her young mind.

Confused and overwhelmed, Emilia choked back her feelings, her face contorted as she bolted outside.

As soon as she leaped out from the building carved from a great tree—a dilapidated house—she was assaulted by a biting cold wind that cut through her, along with chilling sensations stabbing at the soles of her feet.

Immediately, she stumbled in the snow and crashed face-first into the ground.

The cold sensation. The snowflakes that resembled white powder, piling up around her. Encountering the white crystals up close for the first time, fear awakened within Emilia. It was incredibly beautiful yet terrifyingly cold.

Her simple clothes, which barely wrapped around her, could do nothing to stave off the chill. The shivering that shook her body emanated from both the cold and fear.

The snow stole her body heat, and the white crystals almost captivated her heart, as Emilia sobbed and brushed off the snow clinging to her, propelling her to run once more.

Gently, the fine snow continued to fall endlessly from the sky. Gasping, the snow that seeped in from her raised chin stuck to her throat, as tears streamed down her face while she coughed.

Why was she crying now?

She simply felt scared. It was terrifying. Why was she all alone? Where had everyone gone? Where were all the people who were always kind, smiling, and reaching out to her?

As she tried to visualize everyone’s faces, Emilia felt her thoughts cloud.

The faces of the villagers floated in her mind—those faces, those smiles, were being covered up by a dark shadow, trying to erase their existence from Emilia’s consciousness.

“――――”

Shaking her head, Emilia continued to run, tears flowing.

She mustn’t think. If she thought about everyone, she would be swallowed by the dark shadow. Her precious friends would vanish from her mind.

But if she didn’t think about them, she would be left alone. In this white world, cold and blinding—being alone like that was an unbearable fear for the young Emilia.

The young Emilia was powerless, ignorant, and could only flounder within the white end.

Yet the falling snow mocked her, engulfing her tiny frame and sinking her into the absolute whiteness.

――No one is here. She can’t even meet anyone anymore.

“――No!”

Lost in that white world, her numbing hands and feet ceased to move, and Emilia sobbed like a baby, squatting on the spot.

Her legs sank into the soft snow, and although it should have been cold, she felt none of that coldness. Her skin, said to be white as snow, became not only red but also cold like it was burned.

In that moment, as if fleeing from everything, Emilia buried her head in the snow.

The relentless falling snow piled onto the young girl’s body, and Emilia’s small figure disappeared into the white――.

“――Emilia!!”

As Emilia slipped into a never-ending sleep, a high-pitched voice pierced through the silence, waking her.

With long lashes framing her eyelids, Emilia opened her eyes wide, springing up. Just then, her light body was abruptly hoisted from the snow.

“――――Aah”

“It’s okay, Emilia. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m so glad… I found you…”

Though she meant to raise her voice, her throat, frozen to the limit, only released a raspy breath. Yet the person who held her understood her state and embraced her tightly, trembling with joy at her safety.

Nuzzling against the girl’s short silver hair, Emilia expressed her feelings with her whole being, sniffling her red nose. She did so in an effort to show that to her she also felt the same immense affection being directed toward her.

Again, being lifted like this, the luxury of exchanging words in someone’s arms—was a comfort amidst the white snow that had nearly sunk her into despair.

In the midst of end that seemed the reason for Emilia’s deep despair, there existed a palpable warmth right in front of her.

While holding Emilia, who shivered with joy and coldness, the silver-haired woman tightened her relieved expression and began to scan her surroundings as she took off running.

Then, with breaths visible in the cold air, she whispered close to Emilia’s ear,

“Emilia, listen. I know right now you don’t understand anything, and you surely have many worries, but… it’s all going to be okay. I’ll take care of everything for you. Even if, perhaps, I become separated from you here, I will never leave you all alone…”

Though she heard those earnest words, Emilia couldn’t grasp what was being said. The very idea of potentially being separated from the person in front of her was terrifying, and she grasped the person’s chest with her cold fingers, desperately shaking her head with tearful eyes.

For the young, innocent Emilia, appealing to another’s feelings was her only means of survival.

By continuing to do so, Emilia could remain someone cherished by everyone. That was always the case. So it would be in this situation, and going forward too――.

“――――!”

“No, no! Emilia. It may have been fine until now, but things won’t remain the same from here on. You need to be strong, smart, and courageous. If you don’t, you won’t be able to accept yourself, and you’ll surely face a sad ending. That would be tragic—for me, for everyone, and for your brother as well.”

“――――Uu”

Desperately, she shook her head.

Yet the woman disregarded Emilia’s pleas, harshly reprimanding the little girl’s dependency in that moment.

It was unbelievable. It was unbearably painful.

Until now, by relying on her adorable nature, she had managed to survive. Yet why this time was that not an option?

At this moment, where it was most painful, difficult, and frightening, why would the way she had always relied upon no longer work? If there were a more correct way, why hadn’t she learned it until this point?—Everyone began to feel so detestable.

“――――!”

“I’m sorry, Emilia. I’m so sorry. I didn’t teach you anything important, hiding everything from you… Please forgive me… forgive us for allowing you to remain such a cute princess for so long…”

――I won’t forgive you. I won’t forgive you. I won’t forgive you.

“Please don’t dislike those around you who valued your smile… Don’t hate their gentle lies…”

――I hate them. I detest them. I loathe them. I hate them. I can’t stand them.

“――――”

I hate lies. I despise lies. Lies are filled with sadness. Lies are the root of everything that went wrong. Lies make Emilia all alone. That’s why, lies are hated.

Because I hate lies. I hate liars. Everyone is just a ‘――――’.

“Our beloved Emilia… One day, surely… we will…”

“――――”

Her voice shuddered without becoming sound. She didn’t want to hear anything more. Whatever she heard, nothing would change.

The biting cold wind, Emilia’s shrill cries, all drowned out the last words of that person.

As Emilia thrashed helplessly in rejection, the silver-haired woman bore a sorrowful expression, yet steeled herself and turned her face forward,

“――Ah”

――And then, the true end arrived.

The person running while holding Emilia came to a halt as they spotted something ahead.

Emilia, lifting her head at the faint tremor, became aware that the face of the person holding her was more strained than she had ever seen.

The complex emotions layering that expression included surprise, sorrow, anger, lament, disgust, yearning, and even a bit of relief.

The white, cold winds intensified, slapping against her cheeks.

A blizzard so fierce that even opening her eyes became a challenge swirled around, causing Emilia to cover her frozen ears and cry out.

And then――.

And then――.

――――――――.

――――――――――――――――――.

※※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※

On the morning of the fifth day at the “Sanctuary”—for Natsuki Subaru, today marked the crucial day for breaking through this loop, beginning with the worst report.

“Balus. —Where has Emilia-sama gone?”

“—Huh?”

Having just washed his face at the water source and wiping his body with a wet towel, Subaru replied with a dumbfounded look at Ram’s statement as she boldly stepped into the men gathered there, shirtless.

Currently, the time was just a bit past early morning, around eight o’clock, in the original world. The men were washing away their sweat from sleeping while the refugees and residents of the settlement were gradually waking up.

Ram’s first words as she strode confidently toward the bathing men was to ask about Emilia’s whereabouts.

Some of the men, embarrassed by the presence of a woman, hastily retreated, but Subaru had no time to tease them.

After all, he could not grasp the meaning behind Ram’s words at all.

“Emilia… what happened?”

“I said it clearly. When I went to check on Emilia-sama, the building was empty. I thought maybe Balus had taken her away with him…”

“Empty? Why would that happen? I left the building after talking properly with Emilia upon waking… and ended up here…”

Still shaken by Ram’s unexpected statement, Subaru began to reflect on the morning’s events.

After being told to hold hands, the night passed, and when Emilia awoke in the morning, she greeted Subaru, who was quietly watching over her sleeping face, with a gentle smile.

Even then, her wakefulness wasn’t typical for someone with low blood pressure. Emilia lowered her gaze to the hand he held onto and spoke quietly as Subaru, eager to continue their earlier conversation, tried to engage.

“I want to think things through properly before we talk. Ram will help me get ready, and by the time that’s done, I’m sure I’ll be ready to discuss.”

With that, she had sent Subaru out of the room.

Subaru, while excited, would feel it was cruel to rush her emotions. Above all, seeing Emilia so composed was encouraging. It would be counterproductive to push too hard. That’s what he had concluded.

“That was the plan when we parted, and I thought I’d leave the rest to you…”

“And so, before Ram came to get you, you just left the building… So, it was a blunder, Balus.”

“――――”

Subaru was left speechless by Ram’s cold tone.

Indeed, allowing himself to feel relieved about Emilia’s demeanor and not transferring information verbally to Ram was Subaru’s slip-up. But he had never expected this outcome with Emilia.

“Maybe she just stepped out for a moment…”

“Are you suggesting that Ram was reckless enough to come here without checking the surroundings first?”

“I didn’t mean to suggest that… But then why is…”

“Do you truly not understand this?”

Ram’s scrutiny was unyielding as she pressed Subaru.

Her usual cold gaze was even frostier at that moment. Just as when she had flicked her gaze towards Subaru during the previous night’s inquiry.

Disappointment and despair were plainly visible in her eyes, causing Subaru to lower his own.

“—You’re saying Emilia ran away?”

“What else could it be? Unless you want to believe the opposing side against the ‘Sanctuary’ has been lying in wait for both Balus and Ram to leave Emilia-sama’s side and acted on it this very morning…?”

“…It isn’t impossible to entertain that possibility.”

“If you’re clinging to that, you’re insufferably grim. Regardless, the fact remains that Emilia-sama is missing. Even disregarding the knowledge that she has no means of escaping ‘The Sanctuary,’ this is troubling.”

Though her tone was stern, Ram did keep her voice muted so it wouldn’t be overheard. It might be that she too understood the consequences of Emilia abandoning the ‘Trial’ would tarnish Roswaal’s reputation.

This issue needed to be handled with extreme caution.

“Emilia…”

Subaru lifted his face and whispered her name in a shaky voice.

As Ram had remarked, even if Emilia was inclined to throw everything away and flee, the ‘Sanctuary’s’ barrier would never let her, a half-elf, escape to the outside world.

Emilia remained bound to the sanctuary, unable to escape no matter how much she tried.

She wasn’t foolish enough not to notice that. It was just that, considering that, she was in such a state of desperation that she felt like running away.

“That falls on me and Pack…”

The fact that Emilia would be painfully affected by severing her bond with him showed that both he and Pack had underestimated that point.

Then there was Subaru’s mistake of misreading the seemingly calm behavior of the wounded Emilia after evaluating her condition superficially.

If Emilia had indeed run away, it was the culmination of many intertwined factors.

“Considering Emilia-sama might be fleeing… Balus, is there any place you think she could be?”

“Wait. Don’t just assume she ran away. It’s not like there’s anywhere she could really hide in this ‘Sanctuary.’ There are hardly any places available for Emilia to wander around unnoticed.”

Holding back Ram, who seemed intent on reaching a conclusion, Subaru made his case.

Half-turned toward Ram, she sighed and slightly lowered her chin before saying,

“I acknowledge it’s hasty, but if that’s the case, what will we do? The men haven’t seen her, and it’s clear you’ve been here all this time. Do you expect to find her among the women remaining in the Cathedral?”

“The people from Aralum village would probably call out to her if they saw her walking alone. At worst, someone from the ‘Sanctuary’ might’ve seen her… confirming that would be worthwhile before we reach a conclusion.”

Subaru harbored a partial awareness that this was merely postponing a conclusion. Ram was likely thinking the same thing.

What was mutual between Subaru and Ram was the acknowledgment that Emilia’s disappearance was voluntary, and that fact would be inconvenient for many.

Whether it was because they cared about Emilia or for Roswaal’s sake was another matter entirely.

“If one of them finds her early, it’ll be a matter of life and death. Regardless, we should expect the worst possible scenario. You understand that, Balus?”

“…I don’t want to think that way.”

Ram’s insistence served as a reminder not to avoid confronting pessimistic thoughts.

If it turned out Emilia had escaped from the building and went into hiding, and the fact of her absence spread across the sanctuary—these would create scars that couldn’t be healed.

To prevent that, it was solely up to Subaru and the others who were aware of the situation to act swiftly.

“If I ask around and still can’t find her…”

“Then we’ll exhaust every option to scour the forest thoroughly.”

“…That won’t be a task that can be completed in a day or two.”

Lifting his face, Subaru looked at the forest surrounding the ‘Sanctuary’, frowning deeply.

Though the barrier cut off contact with the outside world and restricted the ‘Sanctuary,’ it was still more than ample enough space to conceal a single person. Especially if Emilia were to hide in the forest, she wouldn’t even need to remain in one place.

Today and tomorrow. There were only about forty-eight hours left until the deadline for the wager and contract.

In that time, they had to find Emilia, make her challenge the ‘Trial,’ and break through.

――Is it possible?

It was just that… the Natsuki made Emilia feel cornered; he hadn’t noticed how chaotic her heart had become, making him wonder if he could give Emilia the strength to face forward.

“Am I asking too much of you, Pack…?”

“…Do you think it’s related to the contract being severed with the Great Spirit?”

“It’s definitely related in the sense that she’s lost her most significant emotional support. But both she and I didn’t think it would break her so easily.”

There must have been something that had compounded the pressure leading up to this moment yesterday and this morning.

Reflecting on the composed voice Emilia had during those times, there was simply no other possibility.

“――――”

He felt a chill run through him at the thought.

He believed he carefully checked before taking action.

But if, hypothetically, Emilia had been aware of that time――.

“Natsuki-san!”

Subaru, shocked by that sharp calling, flinched involuntarily.

Looking back towards the center of the settlement—the village square—he spotted a gray-haired young man waving his arm fervently as he rushed toward him.

Otto, who had stayed behind to prepare breakfast with the villagers instead of joining in the morning bath, appeared, looking terribly distressed.

Breathless, he reached Subaru, placing his hands on his knees while gasping.

“There are… quite a few things I must relay. While they’re numerous in detail, at least two major announcements. One good and one bad.”

“I’m curious about that news, but first I want to ask something. Has Emilia shown up at the Cathedral? Has anyone mentioned her?”

“—? No, I haven’t seen Emilia-sama this morning either. I haven’t heard any such voices over at the Cathedral.”

Otto frowned upon Subaru’s unexpected question, but he was dutifully honest in his response, casting dark shadows over the expressions of both Subaru and Ram.

Otto seemed to detect the tense atmosphere between the two but decided to prioritize relaying his critical information.

“Now, about the good and bad news… which would you like to hear first?”

“I’d rather not have them bundled together… So, let’s go with the good news first.”

If he heard the bad news, he would likely need a lot of time to think of countermeasures. Not to mention the current worst-case scenario of not knowing Emilia’s whereabouts. He wanted to avoid sitting there overwhelmed with additional bad news.

Taking a moment to breathe before deciding, Subaru nodded at Otto, who folded his arms and said,

“Here’s the good news. As planned with Natsuki-san, I’ve finalized discussions with the refugees. Each has been preparing their own affairs, so we can leave at any time today. I’ve ensured they’re ready to respond to sudden orders, so we can leave even at the last minute.”

“—I see. I’m sorry. I should have been the one to inform everyone and secure their cooperation.”

“Fortunately, I’ve deepened my rapport with everyone in these past few days. Considering our future interactions, the opportunity to get these arrangements set up has been a genuine blessing. Anyway, preparations are on track.”

Though Otto returned a clear voice of reassurance for the gratitude he received, the face of someone who had accomplished proud work was certainly not bright. It seemed like something nagged at him, casting a shadow over the good news.

Under the weight of their silent gazes, Subaru prompted Otto for his second report—the bad news.

“So, what’s the bad news?”

“Just shortly ago, a furious Garfiel stormed into the Cathedral, looking for Natsuki-san and was in quite a fit.”

“He’s looking for me…? What the heck? I’m pretty sure I haven’t stirred the pot that much this time…”

As if a confrontation lay ahead as the final showdown, Subaru had been avoiding contact with Garfiel very carefully during the lead-up. It wasn’t until this very moment that he managed to reach this crucial day without any significant encounters with him.

“If possible, I ideally want to deal with him after settling matters with Ryuzu θ first…”

“That’s the issue.”

As Subaru hoped for a methodical approach, Otto suddenly raised a finger.

In response, Subaru widened his eyes, realizing he had no idea what ‘that’ could mean.

As his brow furrowed in confusion, Otto continued, his expression still serious.

“That Ryuzu-san has apparently been missing since this morning. Garfiel is running around the village looking for her. He seems quite eager to speak with Natsuki-san about it.”