An Impregnable Fortress (Continued)

Amidst the howls and roars of the demons, the girl's voice rose with the Tide of Fire!

"We beseech you to unleash... the Abyssal Fire, burn them out!"

Intense fire and light exploded, illuminating this distant seaside ruin!

After everything calmed down, the girl with the saw blade stepped onto the damaged land where even the seawater had been evaporated and the seabed had been melted and smoothed out.

She gazed into the distance, towards that frozen land in the north. A vague sense of unease lingered within her.

"My God, my Lord..." Her speech gradually became fluent, and her mind became clear.

"Burn the world, incinerate all the unclean Giant King..." She took a step, and the boiling ocean hesitated before her.

She stepped into the sea, but the sea seemed to hate her, pushing her away from the deep sea with tides and currents.

She will reach land soon.

Sooner, faster than she expected, and faster than common sense would allow.

Her journey was filled with joyful cheers.

"Please let me follow in your footsteps."

Surtr tilted his head.

Just now, she sensed a fluctuation of power—it seemed that someone was pleading with her, someone was calling out to her, someone wanted to borrow her power.

The amount was small, equivalent to the energy released in a single deep breath. As she walked on the earth, the surge of energy stored within her every five seconds was far greater.

She sensed the caller must be someone she knew, so she granted the request, which had no repayment deadline. And when her thoughts and actions had come to an end, Warfarin at the tea party was still tightly holding her hand.

—Please, this is my lifelong request!

If we were to use a scene commonly seen in anime from the past as a substitute, then Warfarin's feelings at this moment would undoubtedly be exactly like this. Her urgent emotions were so intense that Miss Surtr couldn't find a reason not to accept the request.

—Warfarin must be hiding something.

Miss Surtr, think hard.

—Taking care of someone, this "someone" must be specific... Yes, she's so flustered, so anxious. So she must have decided that someone would get sick before they even fell ill. In other words, this is a prank, and she expects me to handle the aftermath after the mischief is over.

Who could it be?

She looked at Warfarin, her lips moved slightly, and then the Sanguinarch girl's gaze became more sincere and ardent.

—First, let's rule out Kal'tsit. I don't think Warfarin would want to be hung on the bridge to dry. Even if she personally prepared the poison in front of Kal'tsit and fed it to Kal'tsit, the lynx would probably trust her and drink it. But she would definitely settle scores afterwards.

—Hmm...she mentioned Rhodes Island itself. So it's very likely someone still on board. She mentioned Medical Operator, so it's very likely one of them. Taking these two factors into account, and adding the additional condition of being prone to Medical Operator and therefore undetectable, the most likely candidate is...

—Liz, the operator Nightingale ... well, that's quite possible. But why would Warfarin make Nightingale sick?

—I don't quite understand. Hmm...is it to help the always reclusive Liz make more friends? Well, ever since I saved Nightingale, her relationship with Shining has always been, or rather, from the very beginning, a relationship of casual friendship. Even though I've tried to bring them together repeatedly, nothing has changed.

Surtr thought for a moment.

She discovered that agreeing to Warfarin's request didn't preclude subcontracting her current projects. And if Warfarin's actions truly went as she anticipated, it might lead to a significant leap forward in Nightingale's relationships with others.

This is a good thing, and there's no need to reject good things. Even if you guess wrong, it doesn't matter; you can always take the blame yourself.

—It would be good to take this opportunity to try again.

Surtr thought of it and came to a conclusion.

So, seeing Warfarin's eager gaze directed at her, she slowly, with a hint of hesitation, nodded.

"Just this once," Miss Surtr said. She added, "But whether or not there's trouble, you must apologize to the patient afterwards."

She noticed that Warfarin's reaction was even stronger than she had anticipated.

Not only did his shoulders hunch, but his smile also became stiff, making him look like he was about to collapse.

"You... you guessed it all?"

"That's not hard to guess, is it?" Miss Surtr tilted her head slightly. "After all, you've given me so many clues, I can't be so stupid as to not see something like this."

"Waaah..." Miss Warfarin let out a pitiful whimper. "Then... the request?"

"I agree."

"Huh?" The elderly Sanguinarch beauty stared in disbelief.

"I've been thinking about it. Since some misunderstandings have existed for so long, it means that time alone cannot mend the damage. In that case, it wouldn't be bad to take advantage of a suitable opportunity to spend some time together and strengthen our relationship."

—If it really is Liz, then I'll entrust this matter to Shining or Margaret ... well, she should be called Nearl now. And if it's not her, I'll at least have to comfort the victim. Although I don't think Warfarin would have any malicious intent, whether it was well-intentioned or a deliberate prank, being hung on the bridge to dry is still a rather tragic fate.

—We have to keep her alive. Only then can we truly call her a friend.

She saw Warfarin's eyes, which were as big as duck eggs.

"You... you... you've finally figured it out!?"

"Don't think of me like a stone," Miss Surtr complained softly, reaching out to gently brush Warfarin's hair back. "Besides, I have to think about you."

"You are my good friend. Losing you or seeing you suffer is unacceptable to me. I will naturally grant your request. Not because of our friendship, but because you are Warfarin —I will do whatever you ask, even if it means traversing Purgatory. I will swallow the wine you offer, even if it is poison."

She finished the remaining half-cup of tea in one gulp. She turned the empty cup upside down and then got up from her seat.

"Like this."

"And, I think that's all I have to do next. I'm sorry, I'm really not used to afternoon tea. So, please allow me to take my leave. I have some things to do tonight."

"Ah... oh..." She saw Warfarin looking dazed, clearly in shock.

Was I being too blunt?

That's true. After all, in Warfarin, many people probably see me as a brainless idiot—always calling me a blockhead behind my back, and I just pretend I didn't hear a word or two. But when there are so many of them, it's hard to pretend to be deaf.

—I'm not a stone, I'm very smart.

—I'm just too lazy to think too much.

Surtr nodded to the Sanguinarch, who was still sitting in his seat, lost in thought. Then, he left through the hotel entrance and walked away.

Her steps were small, but her speed was not slow; in the blink of an eye, she had disappeared without a trace.

Only when she could no longer be seen, did the white-haired Sanguinarch Lady slap her face to revive herself from the shock.