Pandora's presence vanished without a trace. I woke up in bed and it wasn't so shocking to find Betty clinging to my arm, fast asleep.
There were no stains on the sheets, and I was more dressed than last night. Even so, my body vividly remembered the wonderful sensations of my encounter with the witch.
Now that my mind was clear, I was overcome with guilt and a feeling of emptiness. Pandora was an angel, one who gave me what I needed most when I needed it most. Yet, I didn't deserve the peace and joy I felt last night.
I still hadn't forgiven myself for what happened to Rem, and I never would... unless I could find a way to bring her back. I wasn't thinking of a Roswaal-style plan, but the goal was identical: to get back the woman I love.
If it were possible, I would be willing to...
My thoughts were interrupted by a tug on my sleeve. Beside me, a small blonde girl was watching me with a sweet, sleepy expression.
"Good morning," I greeted her, stroking her head.
"Mmm, morning, Leandro..."
She didn't mention anything about the previous night, much to my relief. Pandora's authority was very convenient.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked pointedly.
"Yeah." She nodded, unsuspecting. "I got sleepy as soon as we arrived, just like you."
"I see," I breathed a sigh of relief.
"But I had a very strange dream. It was you and a woman... I don't remember it well."
I summoned all my willpower to keep a poker face when Betty said that so innocently, frowning as if she could force her memory back.
"Is that all you remember?"
"Hmm. I think so." She gave up and exhaled with a hint of frustration, lowering her shoulders in a way that made me feel a little sorry for hiding the truth from her.
I couldn't say anything. It was already problematic that I was associated with Satella: if it got out that I also have an intimate relationship with another witch, more specifically the one who leads the infamous witch cult...
It was definitely in my best interest to keep the secret.
"How curious," I shrugged. "Well, let's have breakfast."
Betty nodded and didn't mention the 'dream' matter again. Thank goodness.
We went out into the hallway, where, to my dismay, Clind was standing, staring intently in my direction. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but after all the attention he'd given me yesterday, I doubted it.
Furthermore, he kept staring at me, which made me angry. What was his problem?
"Sure, Roswaal's death... I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that he's being a nuisance. Hey..."
I was about to say something to him, but then I felt a presence behind me. I turned around and found Meili smiling at me.
"Morning! How are you, big bro?"
"Big bro?" I raised an eyebrow and heard a growl coming from the Great Spirit holding my hand.
"Don't speak to my contractor so familiarly, you insolent girl," Betty grumbled as she pressed closer to me.
Meili stuck her tongue out at Betty, and I shook my head. I'd gotten to know her well: she just wanted attention. She was a girl with no friends, no family.
But she was also a savage mercenary capable of murdering innocent people. Her attitude wasn't entirely innocent.
"As far as I know, I didn't adopt you or anything."
"But you recruited me! I'm part of the family!"
Nope, Emilia's faction certainly wasn't close enough yet to be considered a family. Besides, that would suggest a possible incestuous relationship between Otto and Frederica.
At another time, I would have made a joke about being from Alabama, but I wasn't in the mood.
"Well, I don't care," I said with a grimace of indifference. "Call me whatever you want."
"Are you serious?!" Betty squeezed my hand, indignant.
"I just want her to behave and obey my orders: the rest is up to her."
I made it clear that I didn't care, which Meili enthusiastically celebrated, jumping on my back and clinging to me like a koala.
"Thank you! You're very kind, big brother!"
I felt nothing special when Meili hugged me: my emotions were numb and I barely reacted to the effusive gesture with a sigh.
Meanwhile, Betty turned red with anger and yelled at Meili to get off my back, but she completely ignored her again. Yeah, it was going to take those two a while to become friends.
I turned around again, expecting to see Clind with his not-so-subtle contemplation of me, but instead I was met with a couple of juicy watermelons.
"Sup, Elsa."
"My face is up here."
"I know."
She crossed her arms, shielding her breasts from my prying gaze. It seems that even in mourning, I'm incapable of suppressing my masculine impulses. Well, last night made that abundantly clear.
"I didn't know you were a fan of little girls. You have a peculiarly strange taste."
"You're misunderstanding it, and it's not in your best interest to talk about strange tastes."
She clicked her tongue.
"I want to talk about our agreement. We haven't discussed the type of work and the pay."
I hadn't even been awake for half an hour and I was already talking about money. Is this what it feels like to be a responsible adult?
"You and Meili will act as the faction's bodyguards. I'll give you a minimum salary of some holy coins. The amount will depend on your performance and the number of threats eliminated."
The two girls remained silent, seemingly considering my offer. Anyway, it wasn't as if they could refuse: especially now that Elsa no longer had her Cursed Doll body.
Since there was no response, I decided to move on.
Once in the dining room, Betty let go of my hand and went to sit down, offended by the fact that I didn't push Meili away, who in turn freed me to go and greet Petra.
Emilia was chatting with Annerose. They both seemed serious, which suggested they were discussing something sensitive, probably Roswaal's death. That fucking clown... Even dead, he still bothered me. I wish I could bring him back to life and beat the shit out of him.
As I was thinking that, I caught sight of Clind standing nearby. His gaze was much more intense than before, with a hint of hostility that bordered on murderous intent. Part of me was curious to know if the reason for this hostility was his suspicions about Roswaal's death or the fact that he saw me enter the dining room with two girls holding different parts of my body.
"Whatever, I don't care."
I decided to be patient and ignore it. Looking around, I saw Otto and Frederica sitting together in a secluded spot, whispering amongst themselves. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"Since when did those two...?"
They noticed me and greeted me silently before continuing their conspiracy. I left them alone and focused my attention on the table.
There was plenty of food and for the first time in years, I had no appetite.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Echidna asked, her voice coming from the side.
"What?!" I jumped and looked in her direction, but I only saw Ryuzu Shima.
"Wow, young people these days are too noisy," she complained in a completely different voice, or rather, in her usual voice.
Then I remembered something: according to what I'd read online, there was a scene in the novel that the anime omitted when adapting the Sanctuary arc. In that scene, it was shown that Echidna had possessed Shima's body, renaming herself Omega and traveling to Kararagi or something like that.
The scene occurred at the end of the arc, when the barrier was destroyed along with the magic crystal core that contained the original Ryuzu.
"That's right, Shima was supposed to have disappeared when she undid the core."
Furthermore, Betty told me that it was Shima who calmed me down when the miasma began to corrupt me. If the Shima I knew had been capable of something like that, she would have done it when I almost killed Garfiel. Therefore, the one standing before me wasn't her, but Echidna.
"It's you... Why are you...?"
She put a finger to my lips.
"Shh, save it for later. For now, you should eat well," her voice dropped a whole tone, sending a shiver down my spine "to replenish the energy that bitch took from you last night."
Of course she found out. She was the witch of greed, the one who possessed the most knowledge in this world. I shouldn't even be surprised.
From that point on, I started to think it was pointless to question the logic of this new canon. I mean, Pandora and Echidna were too close, becoming involved with the plot in a much more direct way than in the original story.
Instead of being surprised or worried, I told myself I should focus my energy on learning as much as possible and use the situation to my advantage. No matter how much the script twisted, I would stay the course to achieve my goals.
The most important thing of all was to get Rem back. I knew there was at least one technique to resurrect the dead, but I would have to do a lot of research to make that idea feasible.
Finally, Emilia noticed me and called me over. Being near her made me feel a little better, as if my chest wasn't so cold anymore.
"Good morning, Leandro!" She gestured to the chair next to hers. "Can you sit here?"
I looked at Annerose, but she didn't make any gesture that indicated her opinion on the matter, so I ended up pleasing Emilia and took a seat next to her.
There was an awkward silence, and being near the stalker butler again didn't help me relax.
"Good morning, Emilia. Good morning, Lady Miload."
"I'll be clear with you, Leandro," the girl said, giving me a piercing look that rivaled Clind's. "I absolutely will not let you come between Emily and me, do you understand?"
Sequel to awkward silence.
"Don't worry: I would never try to separate Emilia from her loved ones. Her happiness is my happiness."
"Tsk, I wasn't expecting such a solid response," Annerose muttered under her breath.
Awkward Silence Trilogy.
Emilia watched our exchange and let out a nervous giggle.
"Well, Anne and I were talking about what happened with Roswaal..."
"Oh, really?" I looked at her, frowning slightly. "So what?"
Now it was Annerose's turn to speak.
"Emily insisted that we hear your opinion. My uncle's death is bad news, but it will be even worse if it reaches the kingdom. I don't think I need to explain how important a sponsor is to the campaign, and how much their reputation is at stake."
She paused briefly, scrutinizing my reaction and facial expressions to her statement.
"So tell us... How do you think we should handle this situation?"
I closed my eyes for a moment; not to think, but to pretend I was thinking, because I already had the answer. I'd had it for a long time, more specifically since I had the idea of killing Roswaal to avoid unnecessary trouble in the future.
I should have killed him sooner. I gave him too much time to ruin my life, like he did when he killed Rem. In the end, Ram beat me to it, though it was too late by then.
Returning to the present, I opened my eyes and laid out my plan.
"We'll keep it a secret until we can solidify our position as frontrunners in the race. Our campaign is currently stronger than at the beginning, but we're still trailing Crusch Karsten, Priscilla Barielle, and Anastasia Hoshin. We must grow, build a reputation, and gain the kingdom's support. We'll conduct business, resolve conflicts, and if necessary, destroy our rivals."
"And how will we do all that without my uncle, while pretending he's not dead?" Annerose frowned.
"You're going to 'represent' him." I pointed at her and started eating; not because I was hungry, but rather because I wanted to think about how to say things without it seeming like slow improvisation. "You're the ideal person to take his place."
The girl took a moment to analyze my argument.
"As the heir to the Miload clan, I was prepared to assume the responsibilities of a Lord, but even if it works out, it won't be for long. My uncle was a Court Mage, not to mention he maintained contact and held in-person meetings with several important figures in Lugunica. We can concoct an excuse to justify his absence... only for a few months, at most."
"That works for me," I nodded, satisfied.
"Do you really think you can put Emily's campaign on top of the Royal Selection in less than a year?" She asked me incredulously.
"Not necessarily. What interests me most is buying time."
"Time for what?" Her voice hardened. "Have you thought about what we'll do when the lie can no longer be sustained?"
I did not yield to Annerose's coercion for a single moment. My tone remained impassive.
"I'm sure I'll be able to resolve that when the time comes."
"So you haven't thought about it."
"I never said that. I just haven't decided yet what the best way out of this situation is."
Judging by Annerose's expression, my answer was not to her liking.
"You know this isn't a game, right? I went to the trouble of listening to your opinion on this matter out of consideration for Emily's feelings, but if you're going to take it lightly, it's best if you don't interfere."
That really bothered me. I wasn't going to tolerate some girl looking down on me and judging me. Besides, I didn't want to show all my hand.
"Do you think I'm playing around , after everything that's happened?! Do you think I don't care about Emilia's future and the others?! You naive brat!" I was furious, but I stopped when Emilia grabbed my hand tightly.
"Leandro, please..."
Everyone was looking at me: not with fear, but with worry and bitterness. They were suffering too, but I was the only one crying and stomping my feet. I probably looked ridiculous.
I noticed Annerose trembling slightly, though she hid it remarkably well for someone so young. Meanwhile, Clind had moved closer and was releasing an eerie pressure that put me on alert. I took a deep breath and backed away, trying to control my anger to prevent a disaster.
"I apologize for that, it's just that... You have no idea how difficult it was for us." I shook my head slowly. "I doubt we can ever forget what happened at the Sanctuary. I know I never will."
The heiress Miload remained silent. I took her silence as a signal to continue.
"I'm not Emilia's knight yet, but I've already decided that I'll protect her and help her achieve her goals. If you think I take that lightly, you don't know me."
I felt Emilia's grip tighten. When I looked at her, I saw she had a beautiful smile.
"Thank you," she murmured, turning to her friend. "Anne, I trust Leandro completely. I'm sure everything will be fine if we work together."
"Emily..."
Annerose's expression reflected understandable doubt: was this the best course of action? She couldn't know for sure. She could only choose whether to reject Emilia's proposal or accept it, which meant following my plan.
In any case, Emilia's campaign would be ruined in any other scenario.
"Okay. This is for you, so we'll do it your way."
***
"Are you sure this is a good place?"
The girl paced the room as if she were measuring its perimeter. I wondered if she was doing something magical, but I couldn't sense any active spells.
When she finished, she nodded to herself and came towards me, smiling mysteriously.
"It will give us time and privacy."
"Okay. I have a lot of questions."
I had previously managed to slip away undetected and arranged to have a secret meeting with Echidna, using one of the mansion's many bedrooms as a strategic location.
She anticipated my intentions and waited for me in this very room, calling me when I got close enough to her. She completely read me, which I found unsettling.
"I'm glad to see you so eager to talk to me. I'll try to please you, though I doubt you'll find it as satisfying as fornicating with Pandora," she winked at me.
I didn't know how to answer that.
"You two don't get along very well, do you?"
"Good observation. I guess I can't hide it."
"As far as I know, you don't like Satella either. Why the hostility? Is it something like 'there can only be one albino witch in this world'?"
Echidna looked at me in surprise and then burst out laughing.
"When you say it like that, it sounds like a childish grudge."
"I guess it isn't. But then again, what is the reason?"
The witch sighed.
"I appreciate your curiosity, but do we really have to talk about this? I'd rather enjoy your company without dwelling on unpleasant things."
"Mmm... Well, whatever you want."
I decided not to push it for now. I would get the information eventually; I just had to be patient and wait for the right opportunity.
"You know what?" Echidna poked my chest with a finger. "You're quite insensitive, mentioning other women when you're with me."
Speaking of information...
"I'm sorry... Wait, why are you saying that as if we were close?"
Echidna opened her eyes in surprise and her eyebrows twisted in indignation.
"Because we are! How can you be so dense?!" She exclaimed, blushing adorably. "I showed you my panties and we kissed!"
"In that order, by the way," I said with a sense of resignation to the fact that I could never have normal relationships. "Seriously though, was there anything more between us in the past? I don't have all my memories, as you know."
I couldn't underestimate the Witch of Greed's personality. She was a calculating woman who would adopt any role to get what she wanted. Since she was here, it was obvious she was interested in me, but romantically? Nah.
However, she nodded and took my hands, intertwining our fingers.
"We had a pretty deep relationship. In fact, we made a pact."