"Given the current situation, it seems likely that things will proceed in this manner unless there's some special variable that changes things," Erina concludes her long explanation and bows politely in front of the princess.
"Thank you, Erina. So, you're saying that you need my power," Marika says, partly boasting but accurately summarizing the core of the discussion.
"Yes, and that's also why I haven't torn you apart yet. You still have some usefulness. If you were just some country bumpkin, I would have sent you to another world without giving you a chance," Lusia sharply remarks, still not over the fact that Marika had overpowered Harold.
"Well, that's something to be thankful for, isn't it?" Marika's reply seems to accept Lusia's comment, but in reality, it's a veiled sarcasm, provoking her subtly.
"This wench..." Arshia can't help but frown at Marika's obvious provocation.
"Once this is all over, just you wait..." Lusia warns Marika with a vengeful look and turns away coldly.
"Let's stop fighting for now and get moving," Arshia interjects, sensing the tension between the two and reminding them of their pressing tasks.
With those words, Erina is the first to leave the room, followed by the others, who finally start to move after a long period of stagnation.
As Erina opens the door and steps into the corridor, she spots something at the end of her vision that makes her squint in suspicion.
A notably distinct figure, a small-statured person with unusual black hair, stands out among the others. And there's a dark aura around them, something only the powerful can detect.
Suddenly, the black-haired girl spots Erina and, with labored breaths, starts running towards her hurriedly. "Is that girl..." Erina is taken aback by the sudden encounter with the girl she vividly remembers from her past.
"Erina...! Do you remember me? I'm Miru!" Miru, in a rush, approaches Erina and starts explaining the events she's been through.
"Right now, Harold's memories..." Miru, realizing every second counts, quickly explains her involvement and actions.
Erina is visibly shocked, her expression unlike anything seen before. She's simultaneously baffled and sensing something important.
"Erina, what's happening? Why did you stop?" Aris follows her out, curious about the sudden change in plans.
"Go back in and tell everyone. There's been a variable... a change in plans," Erina says solemnly.
"The variable we mentioned... It's emerged. We need to revise our strategy."
"Did you call for me, Goddess?" I find myself at the Temple of Fate, summoned by the goddess I serve. The temple is as always, a beautiful white space reminiscent of paradise.
"Harold! Can you come to me?" The goddess descends the steps from her usual place on the dais as soon as I arrive, something urgent in her demeanor.
"What's the matter? You summoned me so suddenly..." I sense an unusual air about her, not typical of the Goddess of Fate I know.
"I've seen something troubling in the tapestry of fate... So, answer my questions first. We'll discuss the rest later." This isn't like her. Normally, she's adamant about not meddling in others' fates.
"Did you meet a small child? About the size of a young kid, with unusual black hair like yours..."
Yes, I did meet her... a child, wounded all over, in such a desperate state that she seemed on the brink of death... "Yes, I definitely met her," I respond affirmatively to the goddess's question. Suddenly, her eyes widen and she shouts at me with an excited voice that seems to lose its composure, "Really? Did she give you any item? If so, hand it over to me quickly!"
Confused by the urgency in her tone, I can't hide my bewilderment. Noticing my reaction, the goddess quickly regains her composure, saying, "Ah... I got too excited... The thought of losing you momentarily overwhelmed me..."
Losing me? Does that mean my death? "Losing me... What do you mean?" I ask.
Taking a deep breath, she begins to explain the situation more calmly. "I saw... your fate... I didn't intend to, but it was all for your sake. Please forgive me." She then reveals the shocking future she foresaw due to her divine powers.
"If you meet the girl with black hair and receive an abstract, unidentifiable object from her, you will die for unknown reasons," she says, pulling me into a gentle embrace and earnestly pleading, "And if... if it really happened, if you received an object from that mysterious child, a sphere emitting white light, please hand it over to me now. It's not too late. I'll try to do something about it."
Her urgency indicates a critical situation where normal behavior won't suffice. Honestly, I did meet the child with a mysterious aura and received exactly such a glowing sphere.
As I process this, a cold sweat breaks out. Could this object in my possession, which felt oddly familiar and even comforting despite its brightness, actually be a deadly bomb?
"If you've received it, hand it over quickly..." she urges, not leaving much time for deliberation.
How can any knight, faced with such earnestness from their liege, fail to trust? Even though the sphere felt strangely comforting due to its bright light, was it in fact a dangerous bomb all along? "This... I must hand it over quickly," I resolve, gripping the shrunken jade orb I had carefully preserved in my possession.
"What?!" The atmosphere in Marika's hospital room becomes turbulent once again.
"Was her name Miru? Is that really true? Did you obtain Harold's memories?" The mood is heavy overall, yet ironically tinged with hope.
"Yes... I inherited this ability from my mother. If I earnestly desire something, obsessively, to the point of losing my mind, I can take anything with this power..." I can't ascertain who her mother is, but this remarkable ability helped her reclaim what she claims to be Harold's memories.
Miru introduces herself as someone who had connections with Harold in the past, just like Erina. Erina, in turn, explains to the others, who are unaware of the situation, about the small dragon that resembles someone they know.
"I definitely got it! And... ah... I definitely gave it to my brother... but I can't see him... Before I lost consciousness, I handed it over and then fell asleep, but when I woke up, I was here... and I couldn't see my brother anywhere." Despite the time constraint, she manages to provide a rough explanation of what happened from the past to the present.
"Did Harold find you when he stepped out tired from the long meeting? Where is he now?" Miru had been searching frantically for Harold since her arrival, but even the others couldn't pinpoint his whereabouts.
"Then we must immediately go to the Temple of the Goddess of Fate! My guess is she might have foreseen this situation and drawn my oblivious brother into it!" Miru's astute deduction seems plausible, prompting serious contemplation from the others.
"Regrettable, but our plan is off. We need to go to Morione's temple right now," declares Lus Lia, taking charge and preparing to leave immediately.
"Just a moment, child... I have a question. What happens if the goddess restores Harold's memories?" Aricia raises a seemingly obvious question, causing Miru to bite her lip with an even more grave expression. "Probably... I won't be able to get it back again... No matter how omnipotent my power is, I won't be able to wrestle back my brother's memories from that goddess. She will guard it by every means possible in the world, making it forever impossible to reclaim the original brother I knew," Miru declared with determination, clenching her fist as if to underscore the critical nature of the situation. "So... we must resolve this today, at all costs...!!"
"Harold? What's wrong? If you received something, hand it over quickly," Morione urged with a hint of frustration.
Until just moments ago, I had blindly trusted her, truly believing I was in danger and about to hand over the object. But now...
"Goddess, I'm sorry, but although I met the girl with black hair, I didn't receive anything from her." My trust in her had started to waver...
"What?! Didn't you say you met her?" The Goddess of Fate showed clear signs of agitation at my response.
"Of course, I met her, but it was just a passing glance, nothing more, nothing less."
"You didn't receive anything? Was she injured...?"
"She appeared completely unscathed, without any wounds." I denied her words outright, attempting to evade the situation.
Just as I was about to hand over the mysterious orb to Morione...
Ding! A clear sound resonated in my mind, triggering a flood of memories. It was a strange, yet somehow familiar sensation...
"I really don't have anything," I asserted, though the feeling was vague, it was undeniably real - an influx of long-forgotten memories.