Half an hour later.
Arcueid, who had sorted out what had happened, walked alongside Altrouge Brunestud, who had put her clothes back on, with a delicate distance between them.
Even without the hostile atmosphere, the True Ancestor sisters could hardly be called close, but with a perfectly serious Roland between them, neither girl felt awkward about going from trying to kill each other to becoming allies.
That went without saying for Arcueid.
As for the fiercely proud Black Princess, while she could not take things as cheerfully as her younger sister, she was hardly going to lower her head and mumble as though she had done something shameful.
Even without an irreconcilable conflict, the fact that they were both contenders for the title of Tsukihime would not change.
Besides, getting the tsundere Altrouge to bow to Arcueid was far harder than reconciling their differences.
Still, she was, after all, an unapproachable flower traveling with Roland, still blooming after weathering the storms.
Never mind where those storms had come from; just as Roland had sensed earlier, Altrouge really had softened considerably.
"In short, even so, don't expect me to take your side and become your helper or anything. At most, I'll remain neutral in the competition that follows."
"..."
"What? Why are you making such a strange face?"
The Black Princess knitted her slender brows and glared at Roland.
His expression mingled gratification and surprise, like an old father watching his child grow up.
"Nothing. I'm just marveling at how quickly you've grown. We've only been apart for a little over a month at most, and you've already become so outstanding..."
Although Altrouge looked calm, Roland could tell that her attitude was quite serious.
She genuinely intended to remain neutral while Arcueid was dragged into the center of the chaos.
Although