In the Main Painting World, inside the reception hall on the first floor of the ancient castle.
The young lady sat alone before the easel on a tall stool. She could not exactly be described as cold toward others; indifferent was more accurate. She treated everyone equally.
Perhaps she had grown accustomed to solitude. The young lady silently painted. The dull clanking of armor came from nearby, but she did not look toward the sound. She merely dipped her brush into some paint and continued working on her painting.
"Grandpa Knight, you're here."
Her voice remained cold, but it held a little more emotion than usual.
The visitor did not speak. He merely stood there in silence, wearing battered armor, with a bloodstained Claymore on his back and gray-white whiskers tied up by a faded red string.
Old, tall, silent, and overwhelmingly imposing. Just seeing him was enough to make ordinary people tremble in fear and freeze in place.
"Do you want your heart back? I left it with the Sun God Church. If you want it, I'll have them return it to you. I saw the little firebird not long ago. I'll have it retrieve it."
The young lady's tone remained flat, as though ordering the Sun God Church around were an utterly ordinary matter.
"No need. I already... no longer need that thing. The ancient city has perished. Only you and I remain."
"The ancient city..."
The young lady's hand holding the brush paused. She seemed about to say something, but ultimately fell silent.
"Are you the Painter now, or Rosa Eiger?"
The old knight's tone had become somewhat unfamiliar.
"I'm Rosa Eiger. I'm still Rosa Eiger."
The young lady's name resembled that of the first Painter. The first Painter had been named Rosa Nier.
"That's good."
The