Perhaps I Came at the Wrong Time... (Continued)

After all, she truly remembered nothing from before she left the Sarcophagus —she didn't remember the ancient civilization, she didn't remember Precise, she didn't even remember her real name, or perhaps she didn't want to recall it. Before being invited to Sarkaz Babel Tower, she simply wandered aimlessly among the various mobile city-states, accepting one reasonable or unreasonable request after another as a top-tier neurosurgeon, curing one rare or bizarre ailment after another. And the reason she became a physician was simply because the first person she saw upon waking was dressed as a physician.

—A wishing machine, just like me. This is all verifiable information; she has never deliberately hidden her past.

—The Sarkaz Babel Tower needed her, and the Sarkaz Babel Tower also sculpted her into an evil spirit... Whatever she did in those altered destinies, from beginning to end, she was only fulfilling the promise made to the person who invited her to the Sarkaz Babel Tower.

—But who invited her here? Kal'tsit? Or Theresia? This is the only thing I don't know, and no one revealed this inside story before the Sarkaz Babel Tower collapsed.

—But regardless, the conclusion is the same. She...I am so alike. My past Arknights, her ancient civilization. Although objectively referring to different things, in our respective subjective perceptions, have these two things ever truly been different?

—It's all the same... She can't go back. And me... even if I desperately want to go back, all I have left is a fleeting dream.

Recalling, pondering, the things before me blurred due to my scattered attention. Leaning against the window, I watched the Mobile City outside gradually become bustling and vibrant under the sunlight. The girl beside me, as always, handled all the affairs, big and small, within Chernobog with ease; civilization and order danced to life at her will.

Miss Surtr finally came to a conclusion.

—It's not an unreasonable desire. It's for another reason.

—Because Persephone and I are of the same kind. We are both fallen leaves, unable to return to our homeland.

Perhaps it is precisely for this reason that we fight and we make peace, and that we coexist in tacit understanding, looking after each other as we are now.

—I'm luckier than her; I still have Laevateinn.

—But what about her? Could Amiya be her support?... No, if I had never existed, if it was Amiya who opened the Sarcophagus instead of me, and if she had truly lost her memory, then perhaps that Little Rabbit she had raised herself could truly have become her haven, her pillar of support. But now...

Miss Surtr sighed silently. Her gaze, naturally and inorganically lowered, fell upon Persephone's white stockings.

She remembered the stockings, the style, the material. Because she had personally woven this decorative garment by hand the very evening of the previous day.

Why did Persephone change into those socks? She didn't know. Although she had a vague guess, she couldn't reach a definitive conclusion.

Because she reached other conclusions.

... I did something immoral, something unethical.

She closed her eyes.

—I... took Persephone from Amiya's hands...no, I replaced Amiya and became Persephone's most important focus.

This is a relationship that cannot be returned, nor can it be repaid. This bond can only be abandoned, not given away or transferred.

—At least, before I leave permanently, before she remembers me, or before she reunites with Precise. This is an objective fact that cannot be ignored.

—I cannot turn a blind eye...

She took a light breath, and her body, which had been slightly tense due to nervousness, relaxed. Something that might be called 'responsibility' came into her mind, and she did not intend to run away from it.

"Persephone," she said softly, then asked, "Are you currently handling a high-precision or high-importance task?"

"That's not true," the purple-haired Maiden Doctor replied calmly, the data and instructions flashing in her eyes slowing slightly as she spoke. "Is there anything I can help you with, Surtr? I—"

Her eyes widened suddenly.

At that very moment, Miss Surtr lifted her up in her arms—she instinctively stretched out her ankles, but this time, she clearly felt an embrace that was completely different from the 'surprise attack' she had experienced hours earlier!

It's different, completely different!

The previous time, however, had a very clear purpose—the red-haired guy simply wanted to grab her leg, so the act of picking her up was like carrying cargo down a stairwell. But this time, the embrace contained a clearly defined 'gentleness'!

"Standing like this, I'm tired just watching you." Miss Surtr's words carried a clear determination and insight. "Anyway, you can get your job done no matter what posture you're in... In that case, let me give you some comforting reassurance."

Without a word, she picked up Persephone and sat down on the bench outside the porch— Persephone hadn't even had time to set up the porch as a restricted area—she adjusted her position so that the purple-haired Doctor, who had suddenly become much more reserved than before, could lie comfortably on her chest. Her left hand, which hadn't been corrected, became a suitable pillow, while her right hand lightly brushed against the Maiden Doctor's spine.

A series of cracking sounds came from the joints rubbing together.

Persephone let out a suppressed soft gasp, his tone carrying a hint of comfort.

"As expected, even for you, joints will stiffen if you don't exercise for too long." Miss Surtr's tone carried an undeniable element of initiative.

"Lie down," she said.

She could clearly feel the girl in her arms relax slightly because of her words, her body which had been stiff just moments before.

A little—just a little.

Some experiences from the world of God Slayer flashed into her mind—she recalled her final battle with the remnants of the Star Soul. In that battle, she sensed the essence of the power wielded by that unformed god from another realm: vibration.

Vibrations of sound, vibrations of force, vibrations of light, vibrations of particles.

She knew this was a path to power with great potential, and she would absorb this knowledge and make it her own. However, that was something to consider in the future; for now, this nascent power had other uses in her hands.

"Surtr! You—" Persephone, unusually surprised, looked at Miss Surtr, whose mind seemed to have suddenly changed, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "You—"

She suppressed her rising tone just before speaking, using a voice and words that wouldn't upset the other person as much as possible.

"—What's wrong? Why did you suddenly..."

"I just figured something out," Miss Surtr replied gently. "I realized I really can't just leave you like this—it's really unpleasant to see you busy all day and only offer help when you need it. So, I've decided to take some initiative so that at least you won't be too exhausted, both physically and mentally, while dealing with important matters."

Persephone looked at her with the same gaze he had when he saw the sun rising from the middle of the earth.

"You..." Her ability to organize her thoughts had noticeably declined. "You know what I consider important...?"

"I don't know, because I never solve riddles." Between Miss Surtr's index and middle fingers, a tangible vibrational wave gathered—she tested it on herself first, and after making slight adjustments to confirm it was correct, she lightly pressed the wave onto Persephone's nape.

"I only know what I want to do, and I will do it proactively."

The modulated vibrations instantly filled the body of the Maiden Doctor in her arms—without any frivolous thoughts, she had carefully designed the power's operation to avoid all areas of high nerve density and to avoid stimulating Persephone's many unguarded internal glands—she wasn't doing this to see Persephone embarrass herself or make any embarrassing sounds. Her purpose was simply to allow this body, exhausted from days of overwork, to repair and relax.

An invisible vibration, released silently. Exhausted tendons and muscles were repaired, and necrotic blood and tissue fluid within the body were expelled. Damaged nerve tissue, under this intervention akin to heterogeneous magic, was rebuilt, reconnected, and regenerated. And the body's health was restored to the state it was in when it first emerged from the Sarcophagus at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This isn't really anything extraordinary— Persephone can control her body and possesses countless Originium Arts, enough to allow her to reconstruct herself even when her body crumbles into an organic solution, or to possess a new body as a vessel—she can do it, and she has the experience and resources to do so. But...

Persephone bit her thin lower lip—she could clearly feel the flow of energy within her body. She knew perfectly well that not a single sensitive nerve in her body had been touched. Yet, subconsciously, she wanted to moan softly.

I want to sing it to her, to Surtr.

Unlike before, when it was more for her own 'personal entertainment,' this time she wanted someone to hear, someone to know that her heart and body could be moved by someone's will.

But she ultimately did not do that.

She simply stared wide-eyed at the Flame-haired Woman who had pulled her into her arms.

"Is this... a new agreement?" Deep in the eyes of the Maiden Doctor, a subtle mix of anticipation and trepidation flickered.

"No." Miss Surtr said without any hesitation or doubt. "It's not an agreement, not a commission, not an exchange. It's just that I simply want to do this—I don't intend to ask for your opinion, because even if you object, I will continue to take care of you in my own way."

"..." Persephone did not answer.