She didn't expect a miracle, but that didn't mean she couldn't make one herself.
The "acceleration" just now, conveyed without a word, had actually been very simple.
On one hand, she'd decided Esther wouldn't find anything and there was no point waiting any longer. On the other, she wasn't about to leave just like that and waste the opportunity.
Since the Fallen Stars were probably keeping an eye on her, ready to react the moment they discovered anything, she might as well give them something to discover.
That was what the Witch had just done: let Glen, their watcher, spot a strange disturbance that Esther herself hadn't noticed—one shaped like a door.
This move would undoubtedly use Esther, the focal point, to quickly stir up the situation in Lairding.
Even if it didn't provoke any special reaction, the Fallen Stars who showed up could still be kept around for a brief conversation, allowing them to gather information as efficiently as possible.
And thanks to this proactive push, an unexpected bonus appeared: the Fallen Stars hadn't even managed to arrive.
They'd taken a wrong turn during their descent, ending up in another nightmare.
A miracle brought about by one's own initiative—it didn't get any better than that.
As for why the door had to open behind Esther...
There wouldn't have been much difference if it had opened in front of her. The Witch had simply taken pity on the poor girl.
She'd achieved her goal without giving Esther an unnecessary fright.
They were falling.
With a distortion that brought to mind a sudden scene change, a peculiar feeling of weightlessness washed over them.
Perhaps this nightmare had been well hidden before, but once it was exposed, the Witch seemed to have it firmly in hand.
The two of them had