The stinging morning sunlight woke Lin from the darkness. He blinked his heavy eyelids and saw the first ray of "light."
Beneath the chest of the maid outfit was a circle of slightly thinner white fabric; through it, a hint of skin was almost touching his face.
"Are you awake, Mr. Lin?" The great "beauty" moved slightly, and smiling, clear eyes appeared before him.
Lin averted his gaze. He tried to push himself up in silence, but Rita pressed him back down.
"Your injury is very severe. It's best not to move carelessly."
"..."
Lin stared silently at the smiling Rita for a few seconds, then scanned their surroundings.
They were at the ELF settlement, seemingly in an empty room. He was lying on Rita lap.
His memory of last night only lasted until Rita carried him to Einstein's door. Afterward, his body seemingly couldn't hold out due to excessive blood loss, and he had lost consciousness.
"...Your wound was terrible. Anyone else might have died from blood loss. Fortunately, your physical constitution is exceptional, and Dr. Einstein's medicine is very effective." Rita adjusted the position of Lin head so that half of his upper body could recline against her lap. "What happened last night?"
Lin didn't speak. His suspicious gaze remained fixed on Rita face. To him, this person was suspicious in the extreme.
Was that man last night related to Rita? Why did he arrive right after she did?
"You seem to have some misunderstandings about me."
The maid, with only one eye visible, keenly sensed the hostility in Lin eyes, but she didn't mind.
Her polite, courteous smile made it impossible to tell what she was actually thinking.
"Because the blood would seep through if you lay flat on the bed, we had to use this method." Rita turned to explain something else. "Do you have a lover?"
"...Yes."
"How rude of me. But I imagine she would understand, wouldn't she?"
"..."
Elysia would likely understand, though she might also throw a small tantrum with a knife hidden in her smile.
Rita notified the ELF standing guard outside the door. Soon, Einstein entered the room. She walked to Lin with a deep frown, studying his pale complexion.
"I had the little ones scout near the rift. They found signs of a battle. Did you encounter an enemy last night?" Einstein also glanced at Rita from time to time. She harbored similar suspicions, but since Rita was the one who brought Lin back in that state, it seemed unlikely she was the one who did it.
"A... person."
"A person?"
What sort of vague description was that?
Lin also found it hard to describe his feeling regarding that man.
Beneath that cloak, it felt not like a living human being, but like a chaotic jumble of many unexplainable things... a thing.
"I have scouted the entire world bubble over the past seven years. It's impossible for someone to be hiding here."
Einstein asked Rita calmly, "Miss Rita, do you know anything?"
"Regrettably, I am also unaware of what happened. Mr. Lin went out for a walk last night and returned with injuries. I know nothing of what happened in between."
"..."
Einstein looked at Lin, who nodded slightly.
Even if they suspected a connection, Lin couldn't deny that Rita indeed hadn't made any extra moves last night and had brought him back to the settlement very quickly.
"It seems something new fell out of the rift..."
Einstein then sent the ELF out in shifts to patrol. She instructed them not to engage if they met an enemy and to evacuate immediately.
Lin, lying on Rita lap, thought deeply about the battle with the man last night.
No, it wasn't a battle. The outcome was decided in an instant, and the man hadn't even used any special abilities.
"Sword Form: Swift"... it sounded like a sword technique. And the strike he glimpsed before being hit—Lin was certain it was very similar to the combat techniques in Fire Moth, though improved and applied to a sword.
"Even though most of what I said was nonsense, I really do practice cultivation."
Could there really be such an absurd thing? Cultivation?
But Lin couldn't explain how the opponent had managed to wound him so severely with just a single sword.
In the end, the man hadn't intended to kill him either.
Another mystery... What was the relationship between that man and Fire Moth...?
"Rita, are there many people in the Sea of Quanta who can act freely?" Lin looked up, his nose poking something soft.
"..."
Lin silently turned his head away.
Rita thought for a moment and replied, "...The Sea of Quanta is a massive concept. Its depth is time, and its width is space. Even if the probability of an event happening in one world bubble is so small it's practically non-existent, there will absolutely be countless occurrences of that low-probability event within the Sea of Quanta."
In other words... people who can act freely definitely exist, and in no small numbers.
"However, as I said, the concept of the Sea of Quanta is immeasurable. So even if there are countless low-probability events, the chance of them meeting is nearly zero."
"For example, if there is an item in your world that allows one to act in the Sea of Quanta, then similar or even identical items must exist in other worlds."
"But even if these items allow different people to enter the Sea of Quanta, they might spend thousands or tens of thousands of years without ever discovering each other's existence."
Hearing Rita explanation, Lin grew more certain of his theory that someone was pulling the strings behind his encounter with Yama.
"However... no matter how microscopic the possibility, it will happen."
"..."
Lin didn't quite understand Rita point.
But Rita didn't continue. She smiled and picked up a nearby glass. "Would you like some water?"
"..."
It had to be said—Rita was truly a maid. In terms of taking care of people, no one Lin had ever met could come close to her. She looked after the severely injured Lin meticulously; even for things Lin felt should be avoided, she would complete them with a smile.
...After meeting so many strange girls, having one who was actually considerate made Lin a bit uncomfortable.
Furthermore, Rita culinary skills were exquisite. Even though Lin had no sense of taste, he could tell her skill was superb just by looking at the presentation of her dishes.
She was even better than Lin at plating and garnishing; each dish was as delicate as a carved work of art.
"So delicious! Sister Rita, another bowl!"
"Amazing! Is this what a maid is? I want to change into a maid outfit too!"
Not only Lin, but Einstein and the ELF also ate together. The ELF seemed to particularly like Rita, the polite and perfect maid.
Lin sat quietly in the corner, eating his meal mouthful by mouthful, watching the maid whose smile bore no flaws.