Branching Point (1)
"I owe you my life, Lady Rubia."
Hermila lay in the sleeping bag she had brought for camping outdoors, smiling brightly up at us.
"...How did you end up like this?"
"I tripped on the way here. Heh heh."
An awkward silence settled between us, broken only by Ser's snort of laughter.
"Just how hard did you fall?"
"Quite hard, actually."
Hearing Hermila's shameless reply, Ser let out a sigh.
"Then the companions who were with you must have fallen so hard they sank straight into the ground."
"...Huh?"
"Lady Ser, what did you just..."
Rubia and I both sucked in sharp breaths of shock. Hermila, by contrast, merely shrugged as if she had expected exactly that.
"Oh my? How did you know?"
"I am a genius. I can know everything."
"Wow, that's impressive. Being the Magic Tower Master really isn't a position just anyone can hold, is it?"
"Indeed. Only a genius among geniuses can ascend to the seat of Magic Tower Master. But do not call me Magic Tower Master. Do not call me a spirit mage either. My name alone is sufficient."
"Is that so?"
Still wearing that unchanging expression, Hermila pushed herself upright.
"I suppose I should explain things the way you all want. Hmm... I imagine you have already encountered incomplete Masters infused with divine power. Am I right?"
"...So you met them too, Lady Hermila."
"Yes. Roughly fifteen hundred of them. Quite a few, wouldn't you say? At least fifty a day, I think."
"H-Haaah... Y-You met that many...?"
"Yes. It was exhausting beyond words. I wish Miss Noah would give me a massage..."
Hermila trailed off, her gaze sliding toward Rubia.
"Like she did before, right before bed. When she was on top of me."
"...What?"
"Miss Noah is surprisingly strong, and her hands are so skilled... It was utterly blissful. I still think about that night sometimes, you know?"
"No. Wait—what? What on earth are you—"
"If the chance comes, why don't you try doing the same for Lady Rubia? Exactly the way you did for me. I'm sure Lady Rubia would love it t—"
"Ahem."
Ser, who had been listening in silence, cut her off with a pointed little cough.
"This feels rather strange."
"Pardon?"
"It feels as though someone has stolen my favorite toy. No—something even more unpleasant than that..."
Even at Ser's sudden remark, Hermila's face kept its same gentle smile.
"The enemy of my enemy is my ally... This Ser finally understands the true meaning of those words, right here and now."
Straightening her posture, Ser fixed her eyes on Hermila and spoke each syllable with deliberate, crystal-clear precision.
"This conversation is about to plunge straight into the gutter, but I must make this clear. Lady Hermila. You are a thoroughly unpleasant woman."
"...Oh my?"
A crack appeared in Hermila's composed expression.
"Eh..."
I froze solid on the spot.
"Huh?"
Rubia stared at Ser as if she had just seen a ghost.
"I, too, enjoy and take pleasure in driving a wedge between Lady Noah and Lady Rubia. But that is purely for my own amusement. Pure fun."
"What kind of insane nonsense is that, Lady Ser?"
"Lady Rubia, kindly remain silent and listen. At this moment, I am on your side. Allow me to continue. Hermila. Your actions do not appear to stem from amusement. What is that unpleasant emotion of yours?"
Ser's ever-steady expression suddenly sank into something cold and heavy.
"Why are you needling Lady Rubia's temper with such complete lack of feeling? Did you think this Ser would fail to notice? Of course, the two pure, foolish people here would never have realized it in a lifetime. But I am a genius. Do not attempt to deceive my instincts."
Rubia's face twisted even more violently at Ser's words, yet Ser pressed on without the slightest concern.
"Moreover, trying to provoke jealousy? The method is childish. Lady Rubia is, without question, your benefactor. Even without her, you would have consumed the Elixir you carry. But because of Lady Rubia, you conserved it. That is no different from storing away one extra life, is it not? From what I can see, Lady Hermila, your intelligence is not low. So I cannot understand why you would do something so foolish. Did something happen to your companions that made you desperate? Or—"
The power of spirits began to weave itself into Ser's voice.
"Did you see a wretched future that made you desperate? Whatever the case, remove that pathetic mask. Right before your eyes are variables so unpredictable even I can scarcely foresee them—still breathing perfectly well."
"...Ahaha."
Hermila, who had been listening in a daze, shook her head with a hollow smile.
"You're right. This was... my mistake. Not being able to trust people is an occupational hazard."
She then bowed her head toward Rubia in apology.
"I am sorry, Lady Rubia. I deliberately provoked you. And Miss Noah—"
This time she turned to me.
"I'm sorry. I had some very wicked intentions of using you."
"Y-Yes...?"
"Ufufu, yes. I'll apologize properly later. For now I should finish the explanation I started earlier."
After a brief pause to steady her breath, Hermila slowly began again.
"First of all, one of my Unique Abilities is 'Foresight.' To be precise, it is not seeing the future itself, but observing the countless branching paths of possible futures."
At those words, Ser's expression returned to normal. She pulled a tea set from her subspace and nodded along.
"But for some reason, every future I had seen began to go awry. The starting point was..."
Hermila's gaze settled on me.
"...Eh."
"From the moment I set out to come meet Miss Noah."
"Y-Yes...? Uh, uwaah... I-I'm sorry...?"
"Pffhahaha! No, no. Why are you apologizing, Miss Noah? There's no need at all. It might even be a good omen."
Hermila raised a hand and gently stroked my cheek. Rubia flinched hard at the sight, but said nothing—only glared at Hermila while letting out a deep sigh.
"There's a great deal more I could say about this, but I'll hold my tongue. The matter right in front of us comes first."
"Good. Keep the explanation quick, Lady Hermila. And take your hand off her."
"Ufufu, yes. Hmm... As I mentioned last time, our main forces headed for Urusphier. The remaining personnel went to Cartia. And the three of us, myself included, toured the surrounding villages, stopping incomplete Masters and saving people as we went."
The hand that had been caressing my cheek slowly withdrew.
"Then we received word from the subjugation force we had stationed in Cartia. Three Masters had arrived."
"...Which means."
"Yes. After that message, they were all slaughtered."
Rubia swallowed hard and bit down on her lip at Hermila's reply.
"From that moment, new futures began to form. The largest branch among them: after Valoran's summoning, the fall of Cartia, the birth of completed Masters... and Lady Rubia's disappearance."
"R-Rubia's disappearance...?"
"I believe it would be a kidnapping. Now then, let's think this through. The subjugation force waiting in Cartia was wiped out. Naturally, we would assume Valoran is about to be summoned there. Correct?"
Hermila tilted her head, glancing between Rubia and me as she continued.
"In that case, our next move is obvious. Growing desperate, we would enter Cartia to finish preparations for the subjugation. And among us, Lady Rubia would go around alone setting up barriers."
"...You're right. That's exactly what I was thinking until just now."
Rubia nodded.
"Yes. I believe that is the moment they would kidnap Lady Rubia. So I deliberately provoked her—to keep her from leaving Miss Noah's side. But... in my own haste, I ended up doing something stupid."
"Listening to this, I still do not understand. Why not simply explain the situation from the beginning and tell them not to separate?"
Ser frowned as if Hermila's words made no sense and pressed on.
"Keeping Lady Noah and Lady Rubia together would not significantly hinder subjugation preparations. Right here we have me, who holds the position of Magic Tower Master, and you as well, Lady Hermila—whether you prove useful or not. Moreover, the subjugation itself is not impossible. Whatever your combat strength may be, you would still be of help. So why choose such a foolish method, starting a quarrel and wasting ti—"
The hand stirring Ser's coffee went still.
"Wasting time? Deliberately? For what purpose...? Hermila. Everything you have said and done to us until now—was it all calculated? To buy time?"
"Wow... I didn't expect you to catch on this quickly. Ahaha... This is a problem."
The easy smile vanished from Hermila's face.
"Lady Hermila. I ask that you answer me before I form my own conclusions and make a mistaken judgment. Where are the companions who were with you? Why did I sense such a thick scent of blood on you? How were you able to escape after sustaining wounds that severe?"
Looking troubled, Hermila carefully parted her lips.
"...The three Masters who slaughtered the Cartia subjugation force came after us. I could still fight well enough, but the companions with me could not. So of course we were pushed back. And then... just as we were all on the brink of death, Sirin appeared."
Clang—
The coffee cup in Ser's hand shattered into pieces.
"Sirin immediately entered combat and transferred us elsewhere. Those two to Urusphier. Me to this place. And she left two messages. The first: buy her time until she can lead the Masters and transfer them somewhere else."
"Where?"
Blood dripped steadily from Ser's hand as she rose to her feet. Thousands of spirits materialized around her.
"The second message was for you, Ser."
"I asked you where the battle took pla—"
"'Stop acting like a brat and wait quietly like a proper adult. Then, as always, this body shall come find you.'"
In that instant, the thousands of spirits scattered into the air, and Ser let out a laugh of pure disbelief.
"Who... Who exactly is she calling a brat? That insolent... Sirin."