I ran like the wind, breathing heavily and careful not to shake the girl cradled in my arms.

As soon as I heard that a line of carriages had arrived from the Magic City Chaos Frame, with many people coming in, Emilia’s silver hair danced in excitement for the long-awaited reunion.

“I’ll be able to meet Subaru soon, Beatrice…!”

The girl in my arms, Beatrice, was sleeping soundly with her eyes closed. To wake her from her prolonged slumber, I absolutely had to connect with Subaru, who had a contractual relationship with her, and receive mana from him.

On Subaru’s side, he needed to have Beatrice absorb mana; otherwise, things would get messy, proving that their connection was truly a fateful partnership.

Normally, their relationship, where they would hold hands joyfully, would seem heartwarming; however, the situation had drastically changed since Subaru was whisked away to the Empire.

I needed to get Subaru and Beatrice back together as soon as possible.

Moreover—

“Subaru…”

Emilia herself wanted to confirm Subaru’s well-being as quickly as possible.

This restless feeling I had now was far greater than the time when Pack unilaterally disregarded the contract and vanished without a trace.

While Pack might manage well on his own, Subaru was a different matter.

Someone who could truly understand Subaru needed to be by his side.

“Uu~ I’m so sorry!”

With tightly shut eyes, Emilia darted towards the city hall, taking a shortcut.

Normally, I should have entered through the front entrance and climbed the stairs all the way to the top, but the thought of that was maddening, so I created an ice platform. Riding up the towering icicles that sprouted from the ground, Emilia’s form shot upwards towards the roof of the building, holding Beatrice tightly.

This would surely surprise the watchful guards and the townsfolk, but I couldn’t hold it back.

Finally—

“Subaru!”

“Mu, Emilieka.”

As the ice pillar reached the top, Emilia leaped onto the building.

Upon landing and looking up, she saw a decent crowd already gathered at the city hall, all seemingly astonished by Emilia’s sudden entrance.

Among them, with a striking gaze, was the woman with a wooden prosthetic, Mizelda, who led the People of Shudrak.

Stomping her wooden leg against the floor, she glanced at the ice pillars behind Emilia and said,

“You have quite the skill with magic. We are fundamentally different.”

“Y-yeah, I was in a hurry… Oh, sorry for surprising you! Um, I’m going to dissolve it right away. Here it goes!”

Emilia hurriedly dismantled the ice pillar upon seeing Mizelda’s impressed expression.

While in the Kingdom using magic for such tasks is fairly common, it seems there are not many magicians in the Empire. It feels strange, considering I’ve heard there are many eager for battle.

“Generally, if someone intends to use magic, they are often dealt with first.”

“I might understand that. But only when they’re close; from a distance… well, that’s where my bow comes into play. Talitta is much more skilled than I am with the bow.”

Smirking, Emilia replied, “Oh, really?”

The name “Talitta,” which she had heard several times, was indeed Mizelda’s proud sister. It seemed Talitta had left Gwararu and joined the group heading southeast to the Magic City—

“—Oh! Right! The ones who went south are back, right?”

For just a moment, her mind wandered, but the reason Emilia was rushing here with such urgency was exactly that.

Adjusting her grip on Beatrice, Emilia quickly surveyed the room on the top floor.

The presence of unfamiliar travelers scattered here and there was undoubtedly a sign of those who had journeyed by carriage to arrive in the castle city.

Among them—

“Subaru! Are you here?! We all came to greet you! Otto-kun, and Petra-chan… Lady Petra will also come soon!”

She frantically searched among the crowd for the familiar figure of the black-haired boy, feeling a rush of impatience.

The moment she heard the carriages had arrived at the inn she was staying at, Emilia had lifted Beatrice and hurried ahead to the city hall, eager to see Subaru before Otto and Petra.

The two must also be running to meet Subaru at the city hall as quickly as possible.

Emilia understood it was unfair of her to rush ahead with such eagerness to see him, but still, she longed to meet Subaru soon.

Not just for Beatrice’s sake, but for her own desire to be with Subaru—

“—Subaru!”

Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind, causing Emilia to turn sharply.

The force of her movement startled the person who had tapped her, causing them to widen their eyes. But to her surprise, the one festooned with astonishment was not the Subaru she had been searching for.

“Emilie…”

“Frederica… you were here early. Um, that…”

Emilia felt at a loss, unsure of how to express herself.

Naturally, Frederica had been worried about Subaru as well, so it was no surprise she would’ve been here at the city hall first.

“Did you… get a chance to talk to Subaru? I want him to meet Beatrice. I want to talk to Subaru too, but first I need to wake up Beatrice…”

“—I have something important to tell you.”

“Huh?”

In front of her, Frederica spoke in a downcast tone, lowering her dazzling green eyes as if she bore grave news.

Emilia felt confused, not understanding the reason for Frederica’s demeanor.

“Ah, Garfiel…”

Looking over, she realized Frederica wasn’t the only one who had arrived before them; Garfiel had come early as well. Now that they were all assembled with Petra and others who were late, Emilia’s group had all gathered here to welcome Subaru.

This was what Emilia had been eagerly awaiting.

Yet, her anticipation was abruptly interrupted—

“I’m sorry to say, but Subaru-sama has once again gone missing in the Magic City Chaos Frame… There was no sight of him within the returned carriages.”

Frederica delivered the somber news with a heavy heart, sharing a report that struck deeply.

“What do you mean?! N-no way!”

The moment Frederica’s words hit her, shock waves crashed over Emilia, her heart rapidly dropping.

“What do you mean, they were gone…!? How could this happen!?”

“Y-you’re kidding right?!”

The two girls were left speechless, their minds racing as they tried to comprehend what was happening.

“What on earth does this mean?”

“Wait, does that mean the same thing happened again…?”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a joyous reunion?”

Characteristically youthful voices filled with concern.

“What happened to Subaru?!”

The atmosphere shifted, growing heavier, but abruptly—

“What do you mean, the ones who were supposed to return… have vanished?”

The attention of everyone turned to each other, eyebrows raised in astonishment at the news that had blindsided everyone.

“That’s impossible! He must be somewhere safe! He has to be!”

Yet behind her, a tiny voice echoed through the hall.

“But what does that mean?!”

Suddenly, flustered, a small girl began to stomp her feet in distress, a hint of misguided misunderstanding painting her features.

Shaped by her mismatched hair, she sported a perplexed look, directing her gaze toward the adults around her, which was incredibly puzzling for Otto Suwen and his companions.

The location was the great hall of the castle city Gwararu, where they had gathered, comprised of those assigned diverse roles amidst the chaos enveloping the city and, indeed, the Empire.

Whatever was happening, it was clear Otto couldn’t ease the pain of the situation with mere words, nor could he shake the malfunctioning clarity pressing down upon him.

“Hey, why are you like this? Just what is happening…?!”

The young girl exclaimed innocently.

“What’s this about Subaru and Rem getting taken away?! What do you mean?!”

She continued to express her confusion, oblivious to the heavy and dense atmosphere surrounding them.

Otto couldn’t fault her; she seemed to be at a loss for words, desperately trying to piece everything together.

“What on earth happened…? Where… is Subaru? And Rem? What about all of us?”

They chimed in, tugging for responses from the adults like a mix of enthusiasm and panic.

The notable representative from the city, Zikru Osman, rose cautiously, scrutinizing the little girl with concern.

“Oh, young lady, calm down! We must understand what is happening first before panicking.”

He recognized the urgency in her voice—his instincts compelling him to help quell the rising tide of chaos.

“Perhaps we should discuss our next course of action for gathering information? In this time of distress, we need clarity more than ever!”

“Huh? What do you want with a little girl?” the youngest among them inquired, glancing meaningfully at their responses.

“No… we cannot dismiss any of the members of our party! Not this time!” one of the adults argued, clearly shaken.

“If anyone can give insight to this situation, it might be a good idea to listen to her!”

The consolidated strength of their words ricocheted into a louder echo, overwhelming the young girl.

“But… but I’m not—”

“Enough! This isn’t the time for innocence,” another adult interjected.

Yet, right amid their confusion and impending panic, a calm voice interrupted.

“Enough of this foolishness! We cannot possibly overlook the larger picture of what’s unfolding right before us!”

The tension reached a boiling point.

“They are simply children! Their innocence does not warrant dismissal… Everyone, turn your gazes to the real issues at hand!”

Emilia barely contained her rising emotions.

But no one was listening, the growing chaos consuming them all, feelings mixed together in the uncontrolled turmoil.

Then, one voice stood apart from the chaos.

“I assure you, we haven’t reached our limits yet, despite what you may see in front of you.”

Everyone turned to the speaker, dressed in elegant crimson.

“Your feeble squabbles don’t concern me,” the woman declared, draped in a blood-red dress that swayed gracefully as she stepped forward.

Long, cascading hair framed her face as her piercing gaze swept over the assembled crowd.

Princess Priscilla Barielle, the most powerful figure in the castle city, had appeared at last.

She commanded a gravity that demanded attention, carrying with her the aura of authority, blended with a ruthless edge.

“You all seem terribly flustered for a gathering of such stature,” she remarked, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

Her beauty and confidence created an unsettling atmosphere, weaving together an unexpected situation escalating quickly.

“If you’ve managed to return safely, you would do well to rein in your frustrations—after all, this city is still standing despite the chaos,” she added, feigning concern.

Suddenly, an aura of unease swept over the onlookers.

“Appropriate decorum is key to managing any situation…” she attempted to quell the dissent, but the fever of emotions had ignited.

“What are you saying?! We are in distress while Subaru is out there suffered alone!” one voice rose to challenge her callousness.

Priscilla turned, a sharp gaze cutting through the outbursts.

“What do you even mean by alone? Let’s remember: your paths diverge by circumstance, do they not?”

“Stop evading the issue!” came an immediate response, once more raising the stakes.

Amidst the swelling tide of voices, it seemed Pritilla was not to be swayed.

“This is not a matter of evasion,” she proclaimed. “You must understand, I do not have answers to every ridiculous query. You think I know where each lost soul has wandered?”

It dawned upon them—the battlefield was shifting.

“We have no time for bickering; if we do not come together as one, we risk losing even more than what we’ve already had taken!”

Her declaration cracked the air of dissent, but it wasn’t enough to quell the uproar.

“Step up! You intend to lead us into madness instead!” a voice rang through, rising above the density.

“We cannot truly align with you unless we can seek out what lost us, and why!” another shouted, refusing to bow to her authority.

But it was then…

…that the atmosphere shifted sharply.

“Stop squabbling and let’s get on with it!” the booming voice echoed.

Amidst it all, Emilia was enveloped in her own whirlpool of emotions.

“This… this can’t go on. We need answers.”

Then as if a switch had flipped, the solemn realization settled into an icy tension.

“Let’s confront what truly matters: what’s become of Subaru,” Emilia pressed, desperately seeking certainty as shadows loomed large overhead, and uncertainty spread like wildfire among them…

“Uncovering truths is our only salvation now,” came muffled cries.

To which her heart sank, a reminder of the lurking darkness beneath, threatening all they had come to care for.

“Before we leave room for fatal mistakes…”

The bell to warn those within rang out, haunting every word.

“For now, find clarity. Only then can we face this storm together!”