"I'm really, really angry right now, so even if my opponent is Al, I can't go easy on you."

Saying this, the 'Ice Witch' who had turned the area around the prison tower into a snowy landscape cast a stern look. In the purple-black eyes lit with the emotion of anger, Aldebaran felt a dryness at the back of his throat. Even in the Empire, he had seen her stretch her slender arms and legs to the fullest, fighting with her beautiful face lined with seriousness many times. Yet, that seriousness always carried her usual sincerity and kindness without being solely fueled by rage.

Therefore, this was a first.

— Encountering a scene where Emilia's eyes were filled with anger as she glared strongly at someone. To think that anger would be directed at him entirely was beyond imagination.

"...Thinking it was beyond imagination would be too convenient."

He had taken over the dragon shell of 'Divine Dragon' Volcanica, moved 'Jealous Witch' to stop 'Sword Saint' Reinhard, making him an enemy of the world. Even before that, the moment when he confined Natsuki Subaru, many had become his enemies, not on a global scale but personally for Aldebaran. Emilia was at the forefront of those. This confrontation was the result of inevitably derived decisions.

"Oh, this is so strange? Looks like you've really made her mad, Uncle. Did you know that big sister over there is scary when she's angry?"

"Shut up."

"Oh, scary, scary."

Roy sneered as he mocked, unable to move while being carried on Aldebaran's shoulder. The situation of Roy being captured was due to the battle with Natsuki Subaru and others at the Pleiades Watchtower—naturally, Emilia was there. It's natural he would know her. Before that, Roy had devoured many 'names' and 'memories' in Priestella, so it's not strange that some of those included people who knew Emilia. Therefore, what should be stressed now isn't Roy's sticky banter—

"—. Well, isn't this a surprise running into each other here, young lady—"

Choosing those words for the first utterance with difficulty, Aldebaran opened his mouth. However, the effort he put into choosing those initial words turned out to be unfortunately meaningless. Because—,

"—."

Aldebaran was assessing his opponent's stance when Emilia leaned forward, causing the thin layer of snow underfoot to explode as she kicked off the ground, her silver hair beautifully dancing. In the snow-clad view, her dancing silver hair seemed to glitter, and the moment after—

"Eiyaa!!"

—a relentless punch from an ice-formed gauntlet pierced through Aldebaran's solar plexus.

△▼△▼△▼△

Time slightly rewinds just before the hit to the solar plexus—

"Subaru and the others...!?"

"Yeah, it's a message from one of my people. Everyone in the tower got fooled."

The one who shared this information was Felt, who was staying in the royal capital at the time. It was a reunion since the time at the Watergate City of Priestella, but there was no time to catch up on old times due to the report at hand. The reason for Emilia's visit to the royal capital, to begin with, was not a pleasant one—the report to the royal castle that Priscilla Barielle had lost her life in the Vollachian Empire.

The report was one that would greatly impact the royal selection and, more importantly, sadden many who knew and loved Priscilla. Carrying this report back weighed heavily on Emilia's heart. The fact Felt conveyed to her only added to her distress.

"Al..."

Emilia couldn't bring herself to ask insensitively why such a thing happened. If Al was to cause any trouble now, there was no way it wasn't related to Priscilla's death. The devastation Al felt over losing someone precious was too painful to witness, which is why Emilia and the others heeded Subaru's plea and sent them to the Pleiades Watchtower. There, they believed, Al might be able to recover—or at least find a reason to look forward.

Yet, despite this—

"—Lady Felt, may I ask you to explain in more detail?"

Standing beside Emilia, who bit her lip and clenched her fists tightly, Otto, who had come to the royal capital with her, asked Felt this question. In stark contrast to Emilia, whose heart was in turmoil at the news she did not wish to believe, Otto's profile remained calm, and his voice steady as he looked at Felt. But Emilia knew—Otto was angriest when he acted like this.

Otto, who was showing a well-known form of anger to everyone in the Emilia camp, seemed to convey a quiet pressure that Felt sensed. She crossed her arms and said, "That's right."

"The knight brother and the spirit kid have been caught by the helmet guy. I don't know how, but it doesn't seem like they're planning to kill them."

"No intent to kill? ... Do we know about the others in the tower?"

"Flam, who contacted us, is fine. Meili and Emilia sister's maid are also safe. But our teacher and that Garfiel guy have taken quite a beating. Though it doesn't seem like they've been killed either."

"I see. Thank you very much."

"There's no need to thank me. It's just that knowing and not telling you would feel worse for me."

After sharing the information without beating around the bush, Felt looked over at Emilia. Still clenching her fists, Emilia gasped at the intensity of Felt's gaze. Felt continued, seeing Emilia's tense expression.

"We've decided on our plan. We're going to use Reinhard to return to the territory at once. There's a ton of things we need to do once we discuss it with Old Man Rom."

"The territory, you mean the Astrea territory, right? If so, it's near the Augria Sand Dunes, so we could go with you, Felt—"

"No, let's not do that, Lady Emilia."

"Huh?"

As Emilia leaned forward with eagerness, Otto's calm voice stopped her. However, not understanding the reason for being stopped, Emilia was confused. After all, they needed to rush to the tower where Subaru and the others were facing hardships.

"Maybe Reinhard would have a hard time if we add to the group? I mean, it's a little hard for me to suddenly get a lot lighter, but I'll try...!"

"It won't really change Reinhard's burden if Emilia sister and the bug brother join us, will it? But that's not the point, is it?"

"Regardless of what Lady Felt thinks of me... Yes."

Felt and Otto nodded to each other, while question marks flew over Emilia's head. However, Emilia didn't doubt that the thoughts of the two she couldn't catch up with were correct and well-thought-out.

"Felt-chan, be careful. Tell Reinhard too. And as for Al..."

"Sorry, but I can't promise anything regarding that helmet guy."

"—. No, I'm glad you honestly said you can't promise."

The reunion was short, and the content of their conversation wasn't pleasing at all. Even so, Emilia hugged Felt before sending her, with a puzzled expression, off from the royal castle. After this, the plan was for Felt and the others to fly to the Astrea territory with Reinhard and do many things there.

"Subaru..."

After Felt left like a storm, Emilia was left looking down in a room of the royal mansion. Even now, she couldn't release the tension from her clenched fist. According to Felt, everyone sent to the Pleiades Watchtower had been severely impacted. But among them, the one Emilia was most worried about was her knight, Subaru.

Even in the empire, he worked so hard for Rem and Spica, fought alongside Abel, shrunk and enlarged, yet couldn't help Priscilla. To punish himself, he let many friends in the empire hit him, which was unbearable to watch. That Subaru's compassion, designed for Al, was betrayed—.

"...I"

In response to the strange feeling simmering in her chest, Emilia realized the heat in her heart. It was a bit different from sadness or heartache, an emotion Emilia seldom felt, which puzzled her greatly. The sensation of her chest, her eyes, and the core of her heart boiling over was something she hadn't experienced since that time—since the confrontation with Regulus at Priestella. She was genuinely enraged at Regulus, who tied the hearts of brides like Sylphie for such selfish reasons. Now, she felt the same or even greater anger.

"Lady Emilia, thank you for listening."

"Otto-kun..."

Realizing the overwhelming emotion that she couldn't contain within herself, Emilia intuitively understood that Otto, with his quiet demeanor, was feeling the same way. Of course, it made sense. Otto, just like Emilia and the others, had gone all the way to the Empire because he was worried about Subaru and the others. This was simply too much—

"Hey!"

With a loud smack, Emilia clapped her cheeks with both hands. It was so sudden that Otto was taken aback and exclaimed, "Eh, Lady Emilia?" Feeling a bit guilty about surprising him, Emilia lowered her hands from her tingling cheeks and said,

"My mind's all jumbled right now, and I didn't think I could talk properly. But, I'm okay now! ...It's a lie that I'm fine, but I can talk properly."

"I see. If that's the case, then I—"

"Ah!"

Mimicking Emilia, Otto also smacked his cheeks with a loud thud. Emilia was so startled by the intensity that she thought his nose might start bleeding. However, Otto's nose didn't bleed, and just like Emilia, his cheeks turned red as he said,

"—. I'll explain why I didn't accompany Lady Felt. It was because our going wouldn't have made a difference and... to prepare for contingencies."

"…Tell me more."

Emilia did not interrupt Otto, who was still holding his cheeks with both hands, during his explanation. She had questions. There were things she wanted to say. But first, she would listen to everything he had to say. Otto surely had answers ready for what she had in mind.

"If Reinhard stands at the front lines, sending in any number of people based on military force is meaningless. Lady Felt should understand that. Yet, she returned to her domain—"

"—Is that the preparation?"

"Yes. Think about it. Regardless of Natsuki and the others, if someone attacked Felt's associates in the tower, it's clear that Reinhard would appear. Even so, Al... that man went ahead with it."

Emilia finally began to understand what Otto was trying to say. Reinhard is very strong. Probably the strongest person in the world, not just among those Emilia knows, but including those she doesn’t know. Even Pack said so, so there's no doubt about it. Knowing that he'd be up against Reinhard, it’s strange that Al wouldn’t prepare at all. Therefore, Al must have made preparations, and Reinhard might also be in danger.

"Felt went back to prepare because she's worried about Reinhard. ...But if that's the case, what about us? If it's preparation, we could have been with Felt and the others..."

"We are the next line of preparation after Reinhard, for Lady Felt and the others."

"I see. If they know Reinhard is coming and are preparing for it, then having preparations for those preparations... um..."

"That's correct. Of course, if we were to talk about preparation for the preparations, there's no end to it. The reason that man acted recklessly is because of the situation in the Empire... I don't think he could have prepared that thoroughly, nor spent much time on it. He should have had just as much time as we did."

"...Right, that's true."

Thanks to the detailed explanation, Emilia caught up with Otto and the others' understanding. While she admired the depth of their thinking, she couldn't help but feel a deep, painful emotion at Otto referring to Al as "that man." Otto has a strong sense of camaraderie. Surely the strongest among them all. It's reassuring, but it also imposes a harsh sense of detachment on him.

But even so—

"...I also don't know how I should feel about Al."

There are reasons. There have to be. But even if there are reasons, there are things that can't be forgiven. She's worried about Subaru. Will Beatrice be okay? She heard Garfiel got injured. Petra and Meili must be full of anxiety. Even Patrasche, who loves Subaru, might be crying. —Her chest burned fiercely with emotion.

"—It's my fault."

In front of Emilia, whose heart was set ablaze, Otto suddenly muttered. Emilia involuntarily widened her eyes in surprise at the unexpectedness of the content, and was at a loss for words. Otto covered his face with the hand he had placed on his cheek, staring at the ceiling. When someone taller than her did that, Emilia couldn't see his face. But she could tell that the tremble in his voice was not just from simple anger.

"I thought Natsuki was too invested. I forced myself to accept that if we worked for what the late Lady Priscilla left behind, we might find some solace. I tried to convince myself it would be okay if Beatrice-chan, who had been apart, was by his side. I thought Petra-chan would earnestly handle the care and support, just like that."

"Otto-kun..."

"More than anything, I left it only to Garfiel. What we all should have been doing, we let that straightforward, honest, and sensitive Garfiel handle."

"Otto-kun!"

At the moment when the trembling in his voice was on the verge of a full-blown breakdown, Emilia grabbed Otto by both arms, lowered his hands from his face, and faced him directly. And she saw. --Otto's blue-tinged eyes were moistened with tears, as if seeing them for the first time.

"Damn it...why am I always so thoughtless...?"

"――――"

"When hands that can't reach, feet that can't catch up, and the parts that are lacking can only be compensated by using your head. Even when I pretend to understand that, at the crucial moment, I always――"

"――"

She didn't want to hear Otto's self-condemning voice with a face that seemed ready to cry anymore. So Emilia pulled him closer by the arms she had grabbed, embracing Otto's head against her chest. She held his head firmly, forcing him into silence. Perhaps Otto was so surprised by Emilia's actions that he froze in silence. In that moment――,

"Don't speak so badly of yourself! Otto-kun is doing his best! We all know it. We know it, so we want to listen properly to what Otto-kun has to say!"

"Emi, lia-sama..."

"I understand! Even if I say this, Otto-kun probably already knows it, right? But I only have my own words, and I can only say what I think, so I have no choice but to express it with my feelings. That's why—"

"——"

"Nothing's over yet. We can still work really hard!"

While tightly hugging Otto's head, Emilia spoke firmly. It was as if she was telling herself, but at the same time, they were words she believed in. It was something that none other than her knight, Natsuki Subaru, had made her believe time and time again. A proud and trustworthy relationship that Emilia and Subaru had built together.

"We are really bad at giving up."

They are not good at it—curling up, holding their heads in their hands and running away, thinking it's over. Because they can't do that, they have no choice but to keep trying without giving up. Emilia's plea seemed to have reached him. Suddenly, the tension left Otto's body, and then,

"…Please let go of me. Natsuki-san will kill me."

"No, no one will die! We are here for that…"

"Alright! Alright, I understand! Please, let go!"

As Otto struggled and flailed, Emilia reluctantly loosened her arms. Watching him closely to see if he really had recovered, Otto wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and let out a sigh. A very big and deep sigh.

"Even though it's not the time for this, I remembered."

"Remembered what?"

"The reason why I'm helping Natsuki-san and Emilia-sama."

Wiping away the traces of tears with his handkerchief, Otto said quietly. It was a brave face, as if he'd made a decision, completely different from the angry face he had before.

"The opponent has kidnapped Natsuki-san and Beatrice-chan. There must be a reason for that. The usual aim of such an abduction is to threaten related parties, or to target the person themselves…"

"So they have business with us or with Subaru."

"Yes. If the 'Divine Dragon' is truly involved, it's an issue for the entire kingdom. Here in the royal capital, let's fulfill our role accordingly."

"—. Yes, let’s do that. We have to act swiftly."

Listening to the prospects Otto was sharing, Emilia desperately restrained her impulse.

"——"

It was a delayed impulse, a strong desire to rush down to where Subaru and the others were. It was a powerful feeling that tried to push aside the logical reasoning Otto had kindly thought out, like Reinhard was there, or Felt was prepared.

She wanted to touch. She wanted to gaze. She wanted to hear his voice.
When you might feel hurt and look down, she wanted to be by your side.

"—Subaru."

Emilia still didn’t know the name of the emotion that burned her chest, different from anger.

△▼△▼△▼△

"Eiyaa!!"

She burst straight in, delivering a full-force blow to Al's solar plexus without listening to him. —This was all under the instructions of Otto, who had sent Emilia out here.

‘Resist the urge to hear the opponent’s story or circumstances. That can all be done after they’ve revealed their hand to us.’

Otto, who pushed Emilia’s back as she leaped out, had used his "Divine Protection of Speech" to the utmost to locate Al and the others, and his naturally pale face looked even more sickly and pallid.
He didn’t want her to do anything reckless. But when it was time to be reckless, they had no choice but to be reckless. Emilia was not living a life where she could avoid recklessness enough to stop that.
So, Emilia worked hard to ensure this recklessness could end as soon as possible.

"With this—"

As she was about to say, “How about that,” Emilia noticed something strange about the feel of her ice-hardened fist.
Although she had struck it against Al’s bare body, the rebound felt as if she had struck a hard, robust wall—

"That was sudden...!"

Al said in a strained voice, his torso protected by a stone armor.
The preemptive attack Otto had advised didn’t succeed. But now wasn’t the time to be disheartened about that. If it didn’t reach with one strike, then she would keep trying with a second and third.

"It’s lonely when you won’t even listen to what I have to say."

"That’s because! Al, you yourself—mmph"

"Mm?"

"You promised not to talk, didn’t you—!"

Al, struck by Emilia's punch with a stone armor and pushed back, had his mouth forcibly shut by Emilia midway as she swung a hammer of ice made with both hands. One-armed Al was shouldering a small opponent on his right shoulder. Feeling it was unfair to exploit this disadvantage, Emilia deliberately struck a blow to Al's left side.

A single swing with all her might would hurt a lot if it hit. But that's not all.

"Chee!"

Al received Emilia's unfair blow with his left arm—a stone arm created by magic. However, even though he blocked it, Al clicked his tongue and immediately broke off the left arm he had painstakingly made. The reason was that from the point where the ice hammer hit, it began to freeze, almost reaching Al's body.

'Ignoring the issue of emotions, in order to rescue Natsuki's team, we need to capture that man alive. In that respect, Lady Emilia's fighting style is well-suited. Still—'

"No reckless actions like Subaru!"

With the exchange and promise with Otto before departure in her heart, Emilia created twin swords of ice anew. The use of Emilia's Ice Brand Arts had an additional change. The ice weapons she created freeze the opponent they hit, depriving them of freedom for both their body and weapon. Using a slightly higher amount of mana than making ordinary weapons, but if it's not for fighting a lot, it's within the margin of error.

It's about stopping the opponent without taking their life. This was the new possibility of martial arts that Emilia desired.

"Hahaha! Isn't the old man at a great disadvantage?"

"Shut up!"

Al, who had discarded the frozen artificial arm, shouted angrily at the opponent he was carrying who was teasing him. Al continued to carry this opponent, Roy Alphard, who was captured in the Prison Tower. Seeing this for herself, Emilia bit her lip.

Roy was the Sin Archbishop whom Emilia and her group, along with Anastasia's group, worked hard to capture at the Pleiades Watchtower. Julius, in particular, put in a lot of effort, and Emilia thought very highly of his decision not to take Roy's life and of Anastasia's courage to accept this.

"Yet, both of them are going to be disappointed…!"

No matter the purpose, Emilia intends to stop Al here. Therefore, she will also stop Roy, whom Al was trying to take away, right here.

"I have no reason to go along with that scheme."

Right after he declared this determination, the ground beneath Al suddenly heaved, launching both of them into the air in an instant. His movement suggested an attempt to distance himself from Emilia and flee the scene. Taken by surprise, Emilia couldn't catch up with him by extending ice from where she was.

But—

"Icicle Line."

The barrier of ice and snow surrounding the prison tower didn't allow such an escape. A scream of "Gah!?" echoed in the air, as Al's escape was thwarted by an icy canopy that unfolded to enclose the area entirely. Al's attempt to flee ended unsuccessfully, hitting his head against the icy ceiling and falling backward while Emilia circled to his landing spot and struck at Al in midair with icy twin swords—

"!?——"

The twin swords rebounded with a hard sensation, and Emilia's eyes widened, holding her breath. If Al had blocked it with his artificial arm like before, she wouldn't be as surprised. Al had indeed crafted a new arm, but that wasn't all he had made—a pair of stone twin swords.

"Earth Brand Arts, or something like that."

"Copycat...!"

"This was invented by Natsuki Subaru, right? Then I have the right to use it too."

Before Emilia's wide eyes, Al spun from the impact of the clashing ice and stone swords, distancing himself and landing again on the snowy ground. Around Al, the rumbling noise began as stone weapons emerged one after another. Emilia realized, bracing herself, that Al could replicate her Ice Brand Arts using earth magic.

Al, with arms and weapons crafted from stone—there was no sign of Roy, who had been on his shoulder moments ago.

"Could it be...?"

"Yeah, saying I managed to let him escape in that confusion would sound cool, but that's not it. I only let him go because he was in the way. Over there."

Emilia, who had reacted with a start, saw Al shrug and point his chin. He indicated the earthen pillar that had risen earlier, where Roy was upside down and pinned, smirking at Emilia under a blanket of earth.

"Do your best, sis. If you don't win, we'll have no choice but to obey that old man. Huh? But even if you do win, we'll just end up back in the prison tower... haha, so it doesn't matter who wins, right?"

"If you can wake up and reflect, then wake up and reflect."

She replied to Roy, who was gawking at her, and Emilia felt relieved that she didn't let him escape, turning once again to Al. Roy had been solidified by magic, and it would be very dangerous if that seal was broken, but in a state of being solidified with time, he couldn't be made to reflect. At the very least, Emilia's compromise was to provide an environment where escape was impossible and make him reflect while awake.

"All of this only after we've truly finished here."

"That's fine, but... what, you finally feel like talking to me?"

"Oh! ... From here on out, I won't speak anymore."

"So unfriendly. I thought if I talked with you, you'd understand—whoa!"

To Al, who still wanted to continue the conversation, Emilia flew an ice stake as a statement of her intent. Al dodged it with a side jump, and Emilia moved in to stab an ice spear at his side. The tip of the ice spear was caught by the blade of Al's rock sword, and both shattered simultaneously. Instantly, Emilia created another ice piercing sword, and Al fashioned another rock sword, beginning a series of battles where weapons were created and shattered repeatedly.

"Nice, good, great, sure, maybe, not bad, isn't it, I guess, because I think so! Gluttony! Indulgence!"

As he watched the icy rocky swordfight between Emilia and Al, Roy's licking sound could be heard. Deliberately ignoring this, Emilia unleashed a number of sharp attacks, while Al just narrowly dodged, when it seemed certain he'd be hit, raising a sense of discomfort. Almost hitting, but not hitting. It felt like kicking at shapeless water. More than anything--

"I don't really want to praise it, but it's a well-executed technique. It's enviable, this mutual affection, young lady."

In response to such outrageous words, Emilia flew into a rage. She resolved that she must rid the world of that wicked and tyrannical king. Then, recalling what Subaru had once said about this being a cliched phrase used when angry, Emilia became furious again.

Al had spoken about her and Subaru in a way she didn’t appreciate. What enraged her even more was that Al didn’t actually believe what he said; he only said it to provoke her. And also—

"I've thought this for a while, but Al, why do you look so lonely when you talk to me?"

"...It's not me you're talking to..."

"Don't bring that up only when it's convenient! And another thing!"

Raising her voice, Emilia swung down a massive ice sword she had drawn back, while Al raised a sword of stone above his head to block it—and someone clung to Al's legs and waist. Al gasped as he realized it was an ice soldier, constructed by Emilia and resembling Subaru, that grabbed hold of him. With a clenched jaw, Al muttered, "This is the worst...!" Just then, Emilia swung up her foot clad in ice shoes—

"Look at me properly when you speak to me!!"

This time, her powerful kick broke through the rocky defense and landed a direct hit on Al.

△▼△▼△▼△

Felt keenly noticed the faint twitch of Yae's eyebrow. She wasn’t certain, but in a hopeless situation where there was nothing left to lose, she thought it wouldn’t get any worse. So, she decided to rely on every hope she could cling to. One such hope was the notion that perhaps some insignificant thing might be overhearing the conversation between her and Yae, just as it did when she previously faced 'the threat of death.'

"Stay quiet."

With one eye usually half-closed, Yae opened it and moved toward the door of the room. The commanding pressure of her words left Felt believing that if she moved recklessly, a thread around her neck would deliver an instant punishment. Thus, leaving Felt unable to move from that spot, Yae reached towards the door—but then, in an instant, a sharp blade silently pierced through the door, mercilessly aiming at Yae's throat.

"――"

Felt gasped as Yae's white throat seemed about to be pierced by the sword—not. The sword tip stopped just barely before tearing Yae's throat. It wasn't the opponent who stopped it; Yae managed to barely defend herself by tangling thread around the sword tip. It was a narrow escape from death, by the skin of her teeth, but Yae's peril didn't end there. A different sword from the one she halted flashed like lightning; it cut down the door, and the sword light raged wildly.

"――"

Amidst the oncoming storm of blades, Yae swung her threads while leaping back. Despite one wielding a sword and the other threads, their clash produced a sharp sound like steel striking steel, filling the room and burning Felt's eyes with the sword light.

Skillfully maneuvering with both hands, Yae unleashed a thread barrage that tore apart the room's lavish decor. However, the opponent also displayed an impressive sword fight with dual blades, slashing through the force head-on, and forcibly swept aside the threads that entangled his swords—

"Uaaa!!"

"――Urgh"

A front kick struck Yae's slim waist head-on. Yae twisted her body instinctively and, while spinning half-turn, was sent flying, placed her feet against the wall, and landed on the floor, holding her abdomen with her hand. Then, she looked straight at her intruder,

"Kicking a lady in the stomach without warning, what a ruthless guest you are~"

"――Is there a need for mercy for a shinobi like you?"

"Isn't that discrimination against shinobi? That's not something a gentleman would do, you know?"

"Regrettably, I don't recall ever deserving the evaluation of a gentleman. No matter how far I go, with nothing but sword skills, I can only be a swordsman."

Saying this, the person shook off the threads from his dual swords and directed his calm blue eyes at Yae. To his self-assessment, Felt muttered quietly, "Don't be ridiculous." Whether he was a gentleman or not, she didn't know. But, simply being evaluated as a swordsman doesn't suffice. Many wouldn't allow that man to be judged as just that, as Felt also knows.

Because the man who calls himself a swordsman is 'Wilhelm Trias', once victorious at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, known as the 'Sword Demon'—

"――Wilhelm Trias. Hearing of the kingdom's dire predicament, I have come to offer my humble assistance."

While listening to that introduction, Felt sighed as she stepped back into the corner of the room.

Faced with unexpected reinforcements, her emotions were terribly mixed—

"...The older brother of that Zodda bug, he really doesn't choose his methods, huh. What's going on with the guy over at Emilia's?"

She muttered in half amazement and half admiration.