"I'm sorry, I caused you so much trouble...!"

"No, Rem, I'm the one who should be grateful. Seeing you cry with joy like that made me as happy as when my sister did the same... ah."

Petra repeatedly bowed her head, apologizing for her own disgraceful behavior. Rem, trying to comfort Petra, realized she had said something inappropriate and stiffened her cheeks, glancing at Ram. In response to Rem's gaze, Ram gently smiled and said,

"After all, I'm just a pathetic sister who can't keep her composure during an emotional reunion. It's only natural if Rem spreads the word that I'm a crybaby."

"Th-that's not what I meant! It's a misunderstanding to say that my sister is a crybaby! Besides, I was happy that my sister cried for me!"

"That's right, Ram. After all, you finally remembered Rem. Even if you cried because of that, no one would think you're a crybaby. Cheer up!"

"Rem, Emilia... oh dear."

Following Rem, Emilia also joined in comforting Ram, who turned her face away with her hand to her eyes. Although the two remained worried, from Petra's perspective, it was all too much of a farce. Of course, there was no doubt that it was a situation so joyful that it moved Ram to tears.

"...Ram-sister, I understand you're happy, but you shouldn't tease them too much."

"What!?"

"Tease...?"

Trying to calm her voice, Petra cautioned, causing Emilia and Rem to widen their eyes in surprise. The mischievous Ram, who had deceived the two honest girls, stopped her fake crying and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's right. Since my memory returned safely, I couldn't help but be mean and wanted to see various faces of Rem. Will you forgive your bad sister?"

"Sister... oh, there's no helping it. Just this once, okay?"

"Yes, thank you. Emilia, is that alright with you too?"

"Well, if Rem forgives you, I can't stay angry forever. Honestly."

"Amazing. She got away with it just by being spoiled, without even being humble."

Despite showing no sign of remorse, Ram's tyranny was easily forgiven by Rem and Emilia, which Meili observed with an exasperated mutter. Petra shared Meili's sentiment. It was typical of Ram, but she was getting a bit carried away.

"I also want to hold a victory celebration for Rem... Rem-sister, but it's a very difficult time right now, so Ram-sister, please restrain yourself."

"Restrain, huh. It seems like a sensible opinion, but what about you, Petra?"

"――? What do you mean? I'm reflecting on what happened earlier too."

"I'm not blaming you for losing your composure. I'm concerned about something else. ――It's the situation where you've naturally settled between Rem and Emilia."

At Ram's pointed remark, Petra widened her eyes in surprise. Then she looked to her left and right, seeing the profiles of Emilia and Rem beside her. The three of them were now sitting on a long sofa, with Petra in the center, holding onto each of their arms tightly, as if she never intended to let go.

"Huh?"

"It's not just 'huh.' After you hugged Rem-sister, you naturally pulled them both over to your side, even bringing Emilia-sister along."

"I'm sorry. It seems my affection for the two of you just overflowed..."

Meili's continued exasperation prompts Petra to reflect on herself. However, her excuse mirrors Ram's earlier indulgence, leading Ram to chuckle at her.

"It's fine, don't worry, Petra. Rem also wanted to fill in the gaps that have been left blank one by one."

"Rem sister..."

"Besides, Rem thought she hadn't been able to get along well with you and the others living in the village, so I'm happy to know I was thought of so dearly."

With Petra still holding her arm, Rem blushes slightly and smiles shyly. In Rem's self-awareness, her relationship with Petra and the others peaked around the time the royal selection began—during the month Subaru was welcomed to the mansion. Before that, they were merely acquaintances who passed by each other. Thus, Rem's shy acknowledgment isn't incorrect. Petra's immense feelings for Rem are more influenced by 'Subaru' than by Petra's own emotions. Yet, even so, she thinks:

"Rem sister, smiling shyly, is precious..."

"Petra, your ears are so red. Are you okay?"

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's not infidelity... Emilia sister is the best."

"Huh? Oh, right. I'm the most important person in the camp, so I have to be proper."

Caught between anxiety and happiness, Petra blurts out unnecessary things, but Emilia, like an angel or goddess, or perhaps a protagonist with a misunderstanding, gracefully lets it slide. Petra, feeling her heart pounding in her chest, tells herself, "My number one is Subaru..." as she stands up. If she stayed between Emilia and Rem any longer, her heart might fall apart.

"You're amazing, Petra! You held on well!"

"Subaru, be prepared for me to say a lot of sarcastic things to you later. You philanderer."

"It's too cruel for me, who can't even touch Emilia-tan or Rem!"

Having somehow severed her lingering regrets, Petra directs her pent-up anger towards the imaginary Subaru. Holding a handkerchief, she suppresses her tears, expressing her emotional outburst towards the memory-restored Rem by twirling around the reception room. Petra sighs at 'Subaru,' who is doing so.

Then—

"I understand that Rem's situation is causing a stir, but it would help if we could settle down here for a moment. Let's talk about that person."

"――――"

Rem's quiet voice tightened the room's atmosphere noticeably. Even if not completely relaxed, the situation was heating up in contrast to the pressing circumstances, and Rem herself, who was the catalyst, dispelled it. Very admirable. Remarkable.

"Did Ram and Rem hear from Clind?"

"For the most part. And we also saw the devastation in the royal capital. To think it would become such a significant matter... Barusu made a blunder, didn't he?"

"Ram sister, that way of putting it..."

"I'm sorry, let me rephrase. ――We all made a blunder, didn't we?"

"――――"

Ram's perspective was heavy, resonating deeply in everyone's hearts. It was something they had confirmed even before Ram and Rem joined, but the extent of Al's actions and their devastating impact was overwhelming.

"That said, there's nothing to gain from excessive self-reproach. Ultimately, the responsibility for the situation lies with the one who caused it. That's our conclusion."

"That's Ram's mindset, isn't it? But things aren't that simple, are they?"

"...You're an impressive girl. What was all that earlier fooling around about?"

Old Man Rom muttered as he rubbed his bald head, making a grim face in response to Ram's probing. In the exchange between the two who understood each other, Rem tilted her head and asked,

"When you say it's not simple, are you talking about where the responsibility lies?"

"Yes, that's right. Old Man Rom seems eager to talk about the details. I'll leave it to him."

"You've thrown the troublesome matter my way... well, fine. As that girl said, regardless of our mindset, the current situation isn't favorable for us or for you."

Entrusted with the role of explaining by Ram, Old Man Rom pointed with his thick finger at himself and at Emilia. As Emilia watched his large fingertip, her violet eyes blinked,

"Of course, it's the same for us, but Old Man Rom... does that include Felt-chan too?"

"Our Ezzo was also at the tower. Ezzo was given the role of managing the tower until an official national investigation team was dispatched, but he couldn't fulfill it. Even Reinhard and the helmet guy couldn't stop the 『Divine Dragon』, causing damage to the royal capital."

"But thanks to you, Emilia, a big stone didn't fall on the city, right? And yet, you're still getting scolded?"

"If breaking the thrown stones could earn you favor, then Reinhard could do the same thing endlessly. Meili, in matters like this, not only the result but also the process must be judged fairly."

Old Man Rom slowly shook his large head, making a difficult face, while Meili pouted her lips. Behind Meili's attitude of dissatisfaction was the frustration that Emilia's significant role was not being properly recognized. Understanding this, Emilia smiled and said "Thank you" to Meili, causing the pouting girl to turn away even more.

"At the very least, I will talk about what we must ensure. First, we must stop the man who calls himself Aldebaran with our own hands. We can't leave it to someone else or the kingdom. Only after doing that can we discuss making up for our losses."

"Why does it have to be us? Of course, it's natural for us to try our best, but if we can stop Al before he does something terrible..."

"You don't understand, Emilia. It's no longer just about Aldebaran alone. He has the 『Divine Dragon』 with him. This is a serious matter that shakes the foundation of the royal selection... To overturn it, the 『Divine Dragon』 must be brought back by the dragon priestess, the royal selection candidate. If that can't be done..."

"—The royal selection itself might be annulled?"

Emilia voiced the critical possibility, and Old Man Rom nodded gravely. Having listened to the conversation up to this point, Petra also caught up with the sense of crisis belatedly.

The royal selection to decide the next king of the Kingdom of Lugunica is fundamentally based on the covenant with the dragon and the prophecy of the Dragonstone necessary to maintain it. In other words, it's a ceremony relying on the immense power of the 『Divine Dragon』 Volcanica, and without the 『Divine Dragon』, the royal selection cannot proceed.

"Therefore, it is essential. The resolution that the royal selection candidate themselves stopped Aldebaran, who bewildered the 『Divine Dragon』, with their own hands."

That is the fundamental premise to resolve this major issue and continue the royal selection. The words of the wise old giant from Felt's camp, who had seen the world for a long time, carried an irrefutable persuasiveness.

The world must not be destroyed by Al's hands. However, it's not a matter of anything being acceptable as long as the world isn't destroyed.

After the battle is over, there must be—

"We must ensure there's a place for Subaru-kun to return to."

"Rem..."

Old Man Rom listened to the conversation and watched as Rem murmured softly. Emilia gazed at Rem, whose light blue eyes were filled with a sense of duty, and responded, "Isn't that right?"

"That person did that for me. The room in the mansion that belonged to Rem remained just as it was... because Subaru-kun held strong feelings for me, Rem was able to remember what she had forgotten. Thanks to this morning star that Subaru-kun polished every day...!"

With that, Rem passionately explained, holding the chained iron ball—a morning star—in her hand. The sound of the clinking chain resonated bravely, and Emilia tilted her head, overwhelmed by Rem's intensity.

"...Thanks to the morning star?"

"Yes. It might be surprising, but it was the moment I touched this morning star. My memories came rushing back... I thought it was that person's obsessive fixation, but that was a misunderstanding. There are many things I want to apologize for..."

Rem began to recount the circumstances of her memory's return, lowering her eyes in shame. Emilia, flustered by Rem's fervent appeal, waved her hands in confusion, her eyes wide with bewilderment. It was probably a matter of timing. The 'Gluttony' that Al had taken out of the prison tower likely had something to do with the revival of Rem's 'memory' and 'name.' And it happened at the same time Rem touched the morning star at the mansion. So Rem believed that the morning star had awakened her.

"Um, Rem, I want you to listen calmly..."

"Please don't worry, Emilia-sama. With this morning star, I will surely become the strength to bring Subaru-kun back. After that, I hope to talk about what happened in the empire and what lies ahead..."

Emilia's troubled expression persisted in response to Rem's determined attitude, her fist clenched tightly. Beside her, Meili looked at Ram and asked, "Aren't you going to stop her?"

"It can't be helped. Even Ram didn't expect this. Who would have thought that the tall tales about polishing that thing every day would actually be useful?"

"...I really don't think it's good that I'm the one closest to being the voice of reason here."

Even Ram seemed to overestimate the power of the morning star, a situation Meili lamented. Regardless, the matter of 'Gluttony' needed to be shared with Rem and the others, including the speculative aspects. Emilia could handle that, Petra thought, as she turned back to Old Man Rom while keeping the dream collaboration of Emilia and Rem in her peripheral vision.

And then—

"Although Brother Clind hasn't brought back the masters yet... we don't have time. We are in a cooperative relationship with Old Man Rom and the others, right?"

"—. Yes, that's correct. Continuing the royal selection is our consensus."

"Then please tell us. What did Old Man Rom notice about Al?"

Old Man Rom, who had joined them on the plains and accompanied them to the royal capital, had chosen to act separately from Tonchinkan due to Clind's 'compression.' He had hinted that he had grasped significant information about Al during a confrontation while collaborating with Emilia and the others.

In the discussions so far, Emilia's camp and Felt's camp were already inextricably linked. It was time to open their hearts to each other, Petra urged Old Man Rom.

In response to Petra's request, Old Man Rom patted his bald head and said,

"This story is going to be quite outrageous and unconventional. I kept it to myself not because I was being secretive, but due to issues of credibility."

"It's alright. I trust Old Man Rom. I'm sure if he knew, he'd be genuinely surprised."

"...You're quite a remarkable girl yourself, Petra."

Old Man Rom, thinking it was just lip service, murmured in amazement with his eyebrows lowered. But Petra's words were not a lie. She trusted Old Man Rom because she knew that he cared deeply for Felt, who had been taken hostage by Aldebaran and his group, and that he possessed a fatherly instinct to risk his life without hesitation for Felt's sake. Therefore, the trust hurdle that Old Man Rom was concerned about had been cleared from the start. Unaware of Petra's circumstances, Old Man Rom, while watching Emilia and Rem reconcile their perceptions,

"This is something I'll tell Emilia and the others later... Aldebaran is probably using a cheat ability called an Authority."

"――Authority."

Before Petra could react, 'Subaru' responded to Old Man Rom's carefully chosen words. 'Subaru,' who had stopped his aerial maneuvering, tensed his face and stared intently at Old Man Rom. This reaction from the imaginary Subaru was only natural. Just recently, from Clind's mouth, both Petra and 'Subaru' had heard the term Authority in a much more sinister context.

It was a term used by the Sin Archbishop of 'Sloth' and the 'Witch of Greed' resting in the tomb. A powerful right that interferes with the nature of this world, overturns concepts, and whimsically rewrites laws, manifestation. Old Man Rom judged that Aldebaran had been using it because――,

"――Apparently, he can rewind time that has already passed. It doesn't seem to be for a long period, though."

△▼△▼△▼△

――In the end, what is it that I have to do?

That 'Proposition,' which has been accompanying me endlessly since I was small and weak, continues to cling to Felt even now, as she is dragged around by Aldebaran's group.

"Damn, it's so annoying."

Scratching her head in frustration, Felt spat out the pent-up resentment from deep within her. Felt knew that feelings of powerlessness and resignation were not helpful for living. Yet, these emotions, which neither quenched her thirst nor filled her stomach, kept rising in various ways to fill her body and get in her way.

"――Tch."

Clicking her tongue, Felt bit into the dried meat handed to her for dinner, tearing it apart. She was clearly dissatisfied with the overly salty taste, realizing how spoiled she had become. It had only been two and a half days since she was separated, yet she already missed the meals from Flam and Grassis. Even the heavily seasoned men's meals occasionally prepared by Ezzo and Rachins were far better than portable food. While Reinhard wasn't allowed to cook because Flam and the others insisted on the right person for the right job, he wasn't bad at making sweets secretly. Unfortunately, both Felt and Old Man Rom's cooking skills were disastrous, and it was a wonder they survived nearly ten years of frequenting the stolen goods storehouse without dying from food poisoning. Perhaps Felt's lack of growth compared to her peers was due to that.

Regardless of the culinary situation in her camp――,

"I can't cook. So, what can I do?"

Lightly licking the salt fragments off her fingertips with her tongue, Felt's thoughts returned to the same 'Proposition' as at the beginning, as she narrowed her red eyes.

Currently, Aldebaran's group is moving from one base to another, focusing on recovering from the exhaustion Aldebaran and the 『Divine Dragon』 experienced in the royal capital. Initially, Felt thought that Aldebaran and his companions, after escaping the royal capital, would head straight to their destination, the Mogolade Geyser. However, it seemed that simply reaching the location wasn't the plan; they were waiting for the right timing.

However, the rest they needed to wait for the right timing was far from smooth—due to the relentless sabotage by Otto Suwen, the merciless pursuer.

"He's not just someone who can talk to bugs; it's an insanely dangerous blessing. Or rather, the dangerous one isn't the blessing, but the bug brother himself is the dangerous guy."

Otto, with his gentle and absent-minded demeanor, was apparently a person of extreme caution. Ultimately, any blessing is just a type of tool. No matter how splendid a sword one is given, if they lack the strength to wield it, the opportunity and willingness to learn how to use it, and the courage to swing it when necessary, the sword is nothing more than a splendid ornament. Otto possessed the strength, opportunity, willingness, and courage. ――And Felt had to prove that she had those qualities too, even without a sword.

"That brother's strategy is all about wearing us down... he's got some nasty ideas."

Thanks to Otto, who seemed to have allied insects, birds, and fish with his 『Blessing of Words』, Aldebaran's group was not allowed a moment's peace and was constantly forced to deal with challenges. The buzzing of insects, the howling of beasts, contaminated water, and tainted food were just a few of the many tactics used, making it difficult to secure sleep, leaving Felt with a headache. However, Felt had already factored in this level of collateral damage as minor. If possible, Felt wanted to use her position accompanying the enemy to mercilessly support Otto's strategy.

"Just being the one to restrain the 『Divine Dragon』 has its own significance, I suppose..."

But that alone wasn't enough, as was evident from the battle between the 『Divine Dragon』 and the 『Sword Demon』 in the royal capital. Even if Felt's presence could reduce the 『Divine Dragon』's power by ten percent, the remaining ninety percent was more than enough to unleash disaster-level power, which was the true essence of the 『Divine Dragon』 Volcanica. Considering the possibility that Old Man Rom, who had been defeated once, might challenge Aldebaran's group again, the current situation was insufficient. At present, this was the 『Proposition』 that the captive Felt had to contend with.

"Well, there's one more thing."

Muttering this, Felt turned her gaze to another 『Proposition』 she faced from her position.

――――

Across from Felt, with a crackling campfire between them, sat a man. ――No, it wasn't quite accurate to say they were facing each other. After all, the man had his face down, not even glancing her way. Hugging a sheathed sword to his chest, sitting quietly as if dead, was a red-haired man exuding a gloomy aura in all directions—Heinkel.

At the entrance of a naturally formed cave in the rocks, Felt and Heinkel were alone, waiting for their companions who had gone to secure the area and eliminate any threats, sharing a somber time together. Supposedly, Heinkel was assigned to monitor Felt, but judging by who was watching whom, it was unclear who the real observer was. His thorough rejection of the outside world, refusing even dried meat for dinner or water, continued to grate on Felt's nerves.

――――

Felt declared that she had no measure of right or wrong regarding Heinkel's actions. That was no lie, and her opinion hadn't changed—but she did have a measure of likes and dislikes. At the very least, his hollow-like attitude while alive was decidedly in the dislike category.

"Hey, if you're not gonna eat that jerky, give it to me."

"――――"

"You can hear me, right? Don't ignore me... hey, whoa."

Starting off with a confrontational tone, Felt was cut off when the jerky he used to initiate the conversation was thrown at him as if to say "shut up." He hastily caught it, but Heinkel didn't even glance his way. Suddenly, Felt felt foolish for opening his fist and called out again, "Hey."

"Why did you butt in back there?"

Felt boldly cut to the chase, addressing the reason Heinkel was crouching.

"――――"

Heinkel remained silent, but since he had thrown the jerky, he hadn't completely shut out the outside world. Taking that into account, Felt snorted softly.

"Your old man... it's hard to say. It was a fight between Reinhard's grandpa and the 『Divine Dragon』. I'm not exactly a warrior, so I can't tell you the finer points of who had the upper hand in that fight. But you were supposed to be on the 『Divine Dragon』's side, weren't you?"

"――――"

"The fact that you intervened means the 『Divine Dragon』 was in trouble. That's an incredible story, but there's something odd. ――If your goal was the 『Dragon's Blood』, then your grandpa winning would have been the perfect opportunity."

"――――"

"Even though you might have gotten the blood if the dragon died, you interfered. Why?"

Taking advantage of the lack of rebuttal, Felt bluntly laid out his words. As he said, Heinkel's interference in the fight between the 『Divine Dragon』 and the 『Sword Demon』 was extremely unnatural from his perspective. He even considered the possibility that a strong grudge against his father was the motive, but Heinkel had asked the dragon to heal Wilhelm, whom he had stabbed, just before flying off with the 『Divine Dragon』. In other words, Heinkel didn't wish for the death of either the 『Divine Dragon』 or the 『Sword Demon』 in that battle.

"It's too inconsistent. What exactly are you――"

It was at the moment he was about to continue with "thinking." ――In an instant, he was pinned to the hard ground, and a drawn blade was pressed against Felt's neck.

"You're talking too much, kid."

Right in front of him were Heinkel's bloodshot blue eyes. Felt grimaced as he was hit with the smell of blood from Heinkel's breath, as if he had bitten his own mouth. Even as this happened, Heinkel continued to intimidate Felt by sliding the blade,

"If you don't want to get hurt, keep your mouth shut――gah!?"

In the gap of that threat, Felt unhesitatingly twisted his fist and punched Heinkel in the nose. "Ugh, ah?" Heinkel's eyes went wide in surprise rather than pain. Using the momentum to kick him in the chest, Felt looked down at Heinkel, who fell back on his rear.

"There's no way I'm scared of you now."

Saying that, Felt picked up Heinkel's sword that had fallen nearby. For a moment, Heinkel stiffened, but Felt sighed and tossed the sword back to him. Heinkel caught it reflexively, his eyes widening, but Felt merely shrugged in response.

It might seem strange why the sword was returned, but for Felt, it was an obvious decision. Even if Felt were to cause a commotion here, she couldn't defeat Heinkel, and if by any chance Heinkel accidentally cut Felt, it was clear that Yae would be overjoyed. In the first place, leaving Felt and Heinkel alone here made Yae's intentions obvious. Yae, who would gladly discard both Felt and Heinkel if she could. To avoid playing into her hands, causing a scene here was not a wise move. —Not that it was all logic; Felt also knew it wasn't her role to beat up Heinkel.

"So, if that's supposed to be Reinhard's job, I'm not sure about that either."

"――"

At the mention of Reinhard's name, Heinkel flinched dramatically once again. It was incredibly unsightly to see a man more than twice her age cowering at Felt's words and actions. However, Felt wanted to know the reason for this unsightliness. Even if it brought a terribly bitter taste to her.

"Like before, you don't have to answer anything. I'll just talk and pick up what I want."

Brushing off the dirt from her clothes after being pushed down, Felt looked up at the sky without waiting for a response. The night sky peeking through the gaps in the rocks was filled with inappropriately bright stars twinkling. While glaring at the ironically beautiful sky, Felt began, "Actually, the thing that's bothering me about the fight between the 『Divine Dragon』 and Grandpa is everything we talked about earlier. You want the 『Dragon's Blood』, but what you're doing seems inconsistent. And there's one more thing that seems inconsistent. ――『Gluttony』."

"――――"

"Let's ignore for a moment that he's got the worst personality and a mouth that never shuts. Even without that, there's no way to welcome a scumbag like the Sin Archbishop... but if there's a reason to hate that bastard, you've got much more reason than I do, right?"

Heinkel remained silent, holding his breath at the question. Even without words, his reaction was too telling, and Felt narrowed her eyes at him.

Released from the prison tower, Roy Alphaard, whom Aldebaran deemed necessary for the plan, accompanied them. The Sin Archbishop, who had caused countless tragedies, had infinite reasons to be hated and despised, but Heinkel should have a more explicit, absolute reason for enmity. Because the plight of Louanna Astrea, Reinhard's mother and Heinkel's wife, who continued to sleep, closely resembled the victims of 『Gluttony』.

"I've talked about it before, but I know about your... Reinhard's family situation. That your wife has been asleep for over ten years and that no method has been found to wake her. Well, that could be solved with the 『Dragon's Blood』... but what about settling the score?"

"――――"

"What are you going to do about the score with the bastard who's kept your wife asleep for over ten years?"

After the attack on Duke Clind Karsten and the battle for the Watergate City of Pristella, the effects of 『Gluttony』's authority were revealed, and the 『Sleeping Beauty』—a tragic existence discovered in a state of sleep, unknown to anyone around and unable to awaken, severed from all connections—was found to be a victim of the Witch Cult. Naturally, Heinkel should have heard about it. Yet, Heinkel had never shown any interest in 『Gluttony』, who might be the cause of his wife's slumber.

――Is obtaining the 『Dragon's Blood』 and awakening your wife your top priority above all else?
――Or is it that the shock of stabbing your father with your own hands and being drenched in his blood has left you unable to focus on anything else?

Or perhaps――,

"If you seriously don't have that guy in your sights, then why?"

"W-wait... what are you..."

"I don't need an answer. I told you. I talk on my own and pick up on my own."

Heinkel, with a hand trembling on his sword, looked at Felt with an ashen face. Meeting the gaze of his Astrea family blue eyes with her own red eyes, Felt gained certainty. In the depths of Heinkel's eyes, there was a feeble, yet persistent ember. ――It was probably the same kind of heat that resided in Old Man Rom's eyes when he looked at Felt.

"――――"

Heinkel Astrea appeared to be a man who was reckless, self-centered, selfish, ignorant of his own limits, and hopelessly contemptible. ――If that faint glimpse of heat at his core was always a part of his actions.

"The reason you don't even look at 『Gluttony』 is because you know that your wife's sleep has nothing to do with 『Gluttony』. You understand it's off track, so you don't point your sword. But"

――The case of Louanna Astrea's 『Sleeping Beauty』 is decisively different from other 『Sleeping Beauties』.
Unlike other 『Sleeping Beauties』 who are severed from all connections in the world, everyone remembers Louanna—Reinhard, Heinkel, and all her acquaintances—and they mourn her sleep.
In other words, it's different. Louanna Astrea is not a victim of 『Gluttony』. And Heinkel knew this fact but hadn't communicated it to anyone.

Why? Because it must not be known. ――The cause that put Louanna to sleep.
And that cause is――,

"――Reinhard"

"――――"

The wide-open eyes, the expression that had lost its voice, the breath devoid of life, all became a more eloquent answer than words, reinforcing Felt's certainty.

What she must do. ――Knowing is Felt's current 『Proposition』.
The resolve and certainty to face that 『Proposition』 led to a terribly bitter truth, which was――,

"――It was Reinhard who put his mother to sleep, wasn't it?"