──The moment Beatrice finished speaking, the atmosphere became explosive.
"Quit kidding around. A Sin Archbishop? What the hell are you thinking!"
As Beatrice's words spread, shock, fear, and confusion naturally spread with them.
Since those words came from a little girl, adults with sound judgment would not immediately accept them. Otto and the others, however, were different.
Not only Otto, who vaguely remembered the little girl──Louis──but also their campmates, who trusted Beatrice not to lie, immediately accepted what she said as fact.
And so Garfiel cracked his knuckles and advanced, baring his teeth. His green eyes narrowed as he glared at Louis.
"Of all the rotten luck, it had to be 'Gluttony'~? Ain't that bastard hogging the top spots on the list of people I wanna beat the crap out of!"
"W-wait! This is a misunderstanding! Louis isn't a bad girl!"
Medium spread her arms in front of Garfiel, shielding Louis.
Her determination to protect the little girl behind her was admirable, but it could not stop Garfiel's anger. To begin with──
"You're saying she isn't a bad girl? Are you serious? Incidentally, she gouged holes in both my legs and left some hideous scars. Would you like to see?"
"That's... N-no, Louis didn't do that. Maybe someone else..."
"Unfortunately, she clearly gave her name. And the victims besides me... are too numerous to count. Our loved ones, and our allies' loved ones too."
"B-but, but, but...!"
Her eyes wet, Medium desperately searched for a rebuttal. But her wisdom was as young as her appearance; even if only her appearance had shrunk, Otto intended to shut down this war of words.
First of all, no human in this world ought to defend a Sin Archbishop. Sin Archbishops and Witch Cultists were that feared and despised. Consequently, Emilia, who shared the appearance of the "Witch of Envy" responsible for creating that perception, inevitably had her dream mocked as a fool's fantasy.
"Maybe Louis did something wrong before... But the Louis we know now won't!"
"She's different from before~? What're you basing that on?"
"Because! My brother, Subaru, and Rem all get along with Louis! And I've been with her all this time... She hasn't done anything bad during that time! Not a single thing!"
"──With Mr. Natsuki?"
Medium desperately shouted what she had observed. Within that helpless, painful struggle was something far too strange to simply let pass.
Subaru was traveling with Louis.
──He could not possibly be unaware of who Louis was. Subaru should have already discovered her identity.
"Otto, could Subaru have lost his memories too?"
"That possibility worried me for an instant, but based on what Miss Mizelda and Mr. Dikel said, I don't believe we need to worry about that."
Petra asked anxiously, and Otto used the information he had gathered to dismiss her concern.
With the Sin Archbishop of "Gluttony" present at the time, the most frightening possibility was naturally that Subaru's "memories" had been stolen.
Since everyone still remembered him, there was no need to fear that his "name" had been eaten, but when it came to his "memories," the question was whether the person himself was aware of it.
However──
"──The things we've heard about Subaru in this city sound just like the Subaru we know. So there's no need to worry, Petra... Lady Petra."
"Emilia, thank you."
Emilia, who had reached the same conclusion, explained, and Petra finally looked relieved.
Yet even with grounds to believe Subaru's "memories" had not been devoured, that hardly served as a basis for deciding what to do with Louis.
Naturally, there were some questions about why Subaru had taken no action against Louis──
"Knowing Mr. Natsuki, perhaps he couldn't bring himself to do it because she looks so young. ──Or he might be concerned about the conditions for undoing her Authority."
"We've said it before. There's no proof that beating the Sin Archbishop of 'Gluttony' will bring back everything that was lost."
"Troublesome as it is, I can understand why he hasn't acted rashly."
As Garfiel said, defeating the Sin Archbishop of "Gluttony" was a deeply held wish that Otto and the others, the royal candidates, and even the entire world could scarcely relinquish.
But this was not based on a simple desire for revenge. Their true goal was to undo the damage caused by "Gluttony." If taking Louis's life would restore all the Authority's victims, there would be no problem.
But what if they were not restored? Haste could ruin everything, potentially costing them the means to restore the victims forever. Subaru might have been guarding against that as well.
"──I get what you're thinking, Otto. But even so, we can't just let this little runt run loose."
Understanding Otto's thinking, Garfiel spoke with confidence. He was right. Even if they feared that killing her would eliminate their possibilities, leaving her unrestrained would very likely cause problems.
Rather, leaving a Sin Archbishop alone was the greater danger. That was why Garfiel, who could act decisively at a time like this, was reassuring.
Garfiel steadily closed the distance to subdue the dangerous Sin Archbishop.
At his approach, Louis hunched her small body and protested with an "Uu~."
"Abel! Say something too!"
Shielding Louis behind her as she faced Garfiel, Medium called to Abel. He had watched everything unfold without intervening, and turned his gaze toward her at her appeal.
"What should I say? Handling that one falls under your jurisdiction."
"But I can't convince everyone!"
"Don't make your incompetence my responsibility. There's no need to begin with."
At being told there was no need, Medium's eyes flared with emotion. Abel's cruel phrasing might have made her think he had abandoned Louis.
But that was not the case. Abel meant that there was no need for him to act.
"Hey~ I ain't gonna hold back just 'cause you're a woman."
"Quite right. Otherwise, you would use my excessive beauty as an excuse for holding back."
Garfiel stopped as Night Weeping intervened, standing before him with an easy composure.
Already tall, and wearing thick-soled shoes besides, Night Weeping looked down at Garfiel with a smoking pipe in hand. Returning her gaze, Garfiel bared his teeth fiercely.
Night Weeping made her intention to protect Louis quite clear. She had traveled with Louis from the Demon City to Guaral and had no intention of eliminating her, but that fact itself was hard to believe.
"I'll say it again: she's a Sin Archbishop. Surely you're not going to tell me the Vollachian Empire doesn't know how terrifying the Witch Cult is?"
"Everyone knows how terrible the crimes and existence of those infamous people are. Naturally, we also understand that the Sin Archbishops are wicked."
"I hear the fortress city of Garkla still hasn't recovered from its wounds."
It was a major imperial city that had been destroyed by the tyranny of the Witch Cult's Sin Archbishop of "Greed."
The perpetrator, "Greed," had been defeated in Pristella, but the Witch Cult's indiscriminate violence was known throughout the world. Naturally, the Empire knew as well. Given that, letting Louis roam free was hardly normal behavior.
"Surely you haven't been won over? If so, I must call that shortsighted."
"If something is useful, find a way to use it. You are the ones gravely mistaken in assuming everyone will take your side."
Evading Otto's questioning, Abel raised his chin slightly. As he said, those gathered on the town hall's top floor had varied reactions.
Many displayed disgust and hostility upon hearing that Louis was a Sin Archbishop. But there were also quite a few, like Medium and Night Weeping, who resisted eliminating her.
In particular──
"──Let me make this clear first. Subaru and Rem are our comrades. They brought Louis with them, and only they have the right to decide her fate."
"Lady Mizelda..."
Piercing Emilia's camp with her powerful gaze, Mizelda also intended to stand on Louis's side.
At that commanding look, Frederica, who had spoken with her several times in the town hall, caught her breath. Mizelda represented the Shudraq, and the other Shudraq all obeyed her.
However, Otto and his companions had no leeway to smile and accept any of this.
"She's not just a Sin Archbishop, she's 'Gluttony.' We cannot let her escape, no matter what. You need to cool your heads too."
Beatrice raised her voice from Emilia's arms.
She had come here while limiting her energy expenditure, but if the situation became urgent, she would need to use her abilities.
If it truly came to that, she would act without hesitation──a bad habit Beatrice shared all too closely with Subaru.
"No, everyone, calm down! There's no need for this──"
With Beatrice, Garfiel, Night Weeping, and the Shudraq already poised for battle and brimming with fighting spirit, Emilia looked anguished as she tried to stop the conflict.
In fact, if she truly wanted to stop the conflict by force, Emilia's abilities were perfectly suited to it. She only needed to use her vast mana to turn Guaral into a city of ice sculptures while Otto seized Louis. Even if, in the worst case, it meant breaking with everyone in Guaral.
"Compared with the danger of letting a Sin Archbishop go──"
Just as Otto watched for his opportunity.
"──What is this? Have you not fought enough? You are far too hot-blooded."
Suddenly, a new, forceful voice rang through the town hall's great room. A woman spoke as she slowly climbed the stairs, her heels clicking sharply.
Earlier, Otto had mentioned that Emilia, Abel, and Night Weeping possessed a presence that could not be ignored, but the speaker herself exuded an air worthy of that description.
A beautiful woman swayed gracefully, the hem of her dress as vivid as fresh blood. With fair skin and orange hair, she adorned herself boldly with numerous ornaments, yet her natural beauty put those jewels to shame──Priscilla Barielle.
The last person with a say in this fortress city of Guaral made her grand entrance.
Behind her leisurely approach followed Schult, a boy whose delicate movements drew attention, and Al, whose peculiar appearance was unforgettable.
Al was also one of those who had accompanied Subaru to Chaosflame alongside Abel, Medium, and the others. Apparently, he had gone to see Priscilla after returning and had only just followed her upstairs.
Heinkel, who should have been here, was nowhere to be seen, but that was a minor matter. More importantly to Otto, someone who seemed likely to worsen the already explosive atmosphere had joined the fray.
Capricious yet exceptionally capable, Priscilla was someone whose allegiance he could not predict at all.
He even felt it would be simpler if he could conclude that she was an enemy.
"I heard Abel and his company had returned, so I came to look, only to find this atmosphere already. Hardly commendable. If you intend to disrupt the city, even starving dogs choose no place for their barking."
"Priscilla! Everyone is re~ally on edge right now! Don't say anything strange."
"Absurd. Had I not come, you would have made it snow again. Let me be clear: however cold it gets, I shall bare my shoulders. But cold is still cold."
"I'm very sorry about that..."
Faced with Priscilla's intrusion, Emilia apologized awkwardly. However, her voice trailed off not because she was reflecting on her actions.
It was because the sound of something hard falling echoed through the room.
"──Night Weeping?"
Medium abruptly turned her head and spoke, looking up at the woman standing before her.
At Night Weeping's feet, beneath Medium's blue-eyed gaze, lay a smoking pipe. It was the valuable-looking piece Night Weeping had been toying with all along.
"Uu~."
Louis, the subject of everyone's discussion, moaned as she picked up the pipe.
But even when she held it out, Night Weeping did not take it.
Not only that, she was not even looking at Louis or Medium. Her gaze was fixed on one point: Priscilla, who had just entered the room.
Night Weeping stared at Priscilla with wide eyes. She had given the impression of someone calm and collected, unshakable even if a mountain collapsed before her, but now she looked utterly astonished. Even her vermilion-painted lips quivered open and shut.
"P-Prisca...?"
Yes, that was what she called Priscilla.
──By another name they had never heard. Similar, but different. Dumbstruck with shock and astonishment, Night Weeping called to Priscilla. Three people present reacted to that call.
One was Dikel, another was Abel, and the last, needless to say, was Priscilla.
Dikel looked thoughtful, Abel sank into contemplation, and Priscilla looked displeased as all three turned toward Night Weeping.
"What is this? Why do you address me so... Oh?"
Making no attempt to conceal her displeasure, Priscilla glared at Night Weeping with red eyes. Just when it seemed her sharp tongue would lash out at Night Weeping, it stopped before it could begin.
Priscilla, too, studied Night Weeping closely. Night Weeping's blue eyes met Priscilla's blood-red ones, and for a while, they let silence flow between them.
"Oh~."
Then Priscilla spoke as though exhaling.
──"I wondered who it might be. Why, if it is not Mother."
She casually delivered a statement that, unlike the explosive tension before, would set off an entirely different explosion.
──The words of Priscilla, who had appeared so suddenly, stirred up an enormous storm.
"──"
For an instant, unmistakable silence and blankness ruled the entire room, making everyone mistakenly feel that time had stopped.
No one had misheard those words, yet they could not immediately understand their meaning.
It felt as though they could not draw the correct meaning from the sounds.
They needed time to search their minds for the meaning of those sounds, "Mother." However──
"──? Night Weeping is Priscilla's mom?"
The instant another synonymous word, "mom," left the lips of Emilia, who tilted her head in surprise, "Mother" finally connected with its meaning, and they grasped the fact that the two were mother and daughter.
"Mother, mom..."
Repeating the words in surprise, Otto observed the two at the center of attention──Priscilla and Night Weeping.
Their hair and eye colors differed, and to begin with, even their races differed. Naturally, in someone of mixed blood, which parent's traits were more prominent varied from person to person, but Priscilla and Night Weeping shared no physical characteristics.
If he had to name something, it was only that both were exceptionally beautiful──
"If that much makes people family, the whole world would be one big household."
Having reached that conclusion, Otto suppressed his inner confusion.
That said, hearing about Priscilla and Night Weeping's relationship did make some things fall into place.
──Priscilla's biting attitude and personality did indeed have a distinctly imperial flavor.
"That appraising gaze displeases me, but never mind."
Priscilla read the intent behind his gaze and issued a warning, making Otto hold his breath.
Then, ignoring him, Priscilla turned to Emilia.
"Half-devil, it is as you say. To think Mother has become one of the 'Nine Divine Generals.' Though I had considered it since childhood, actually seeing it feels strange."
"I see. That surprised me. But now that you mention it, you two are very alike."
Priscilla spoke with her chin resting on the fan in her hand.
Emilia nodded at her words. Otto had just inwardly denied any physical resemblance, yet Emilia had reached the exact opposite judgment, but that could wait.
The problem was──
"──Wait."
Night Weeping herself, dealt an unexpected blow by Priscilla's words, called for a pause. First she closed her eyes, erasing her earlier expression of shock.
"Though I am somewhat surprised, that is not quite the right way to put it. Why would you call me your mother..."
"Spare me your tedious excuses. If you intend to deceive me, you must change the appearance of your soul. Even if you alter your outward form, you cannot fool my crimson eyes."
"──!"
At Priscilla's categorical answer, Night Weeping's feigned calm tightened once more. Priscilla's words were abstract, with no attempt whatsoever to accommodate others.
That made their precise meaning difficult to grasp, but they seemed devastatingly effective against Night Weeping. Priscilla's gaze and sharp tongue had clearly shaken her deeply.
However, Night Weeping was not the only one present to display profound agitation──
"──No way."
Someone distinctly voiced their astonishment at the situation before them. Although it was so faint as to be almost inaudible, the speaker was impossible to ignore. Otto did not miss those words from beneath the demon mask.
Abel, a man who seemed more coldhearted than composed, a man seemingly untouched by agitation, had said those words. Then, hiding his agitation behind his mask, he called out.
"Priscilla, are you serious? Yorna Mishigure is Sondra Benedict?"
"──I see, you did not know either, Abel. That is hardly surprising. There is no way to know unless the person herself tells you."
"But Priscilla figured it out without being told anything?"
"Do not interrupt. Half-devil, keep your mouth shut."
"You don't have to put it like that..."
Priscilla answered Abel's question dispassionately, then glared at Emilia for interrupting and ordered her to be quiet. In any case, this conversation left both the people from the Kingdom, including Otto, and the people from the Empire who did not understand the situation on the sidelines.
Since it concerned the inner workings of Priscilla's camp, Otto, who supported another royal candidate, was interested too, but──
"──Save the unexpected reunion talk for later. Right now, we gotta deal with this brat first."
Unaffected by the shift in the atmosphere, Garfiel bared his teeth as he spoke.
His green eyes stared straight at Louis, who was being protected by Yorna and Medium. Garfiel was right. Unless they decided how to deal with her first, they would get nowhere.
Of course, Otto's conclusion had not changed: Louis should be taken prisoner, not allowed to roam free.
"Ain't sayin' we gotta kill her. But tyin' her up good an' tight is where I ain't budgin'... Like they say, 'Tinos's hands and feet go far away.'"
"──That probably isn't what my bro wants."
"Huh?"
Garfiel, who shared Otto's opinion, clicked his teeth at those words.
The one who had interrupted was Al, who had come upstairs with Priscilla.
Still as peculiar-looking as ever, he held his neck with his one hand, looking utterly unconcerned.
"The princess's sudden confession surprised me too, but putting that aside... First, I owe you an apology, miss. ──We went to Chaosflame together, but I couldn't bring my bro back. Sorry."
"Al... No, thank you for saying that. But I'm not the only one sad about not seeing Subaru. Beatrice is the saddest of all."
"Oh, then I apologize to Beatrice and everyone else too."
Al bowed his head in apology for Subaru's absence.
Whatever his usual flippant attitude, this apology did not seem perfunctory. However, an honest apology did not necessarily earn forgiveness or a favorable impression.
"If anything, apologizing carelessly only gives others more opportunities to exploit you. In fact, if you truly mean your apology, I would rather you not say it aloud."
"That's harsh. But like I just said, dealing with that little one isn't what my bro... Natsuki Subaru wants."
"So what! Someone who don't think before he talks..."
"──I wanted to kill that little one too, but my bro stopped me."
Garfiel flared up, only for Al's dry remark to cut him off. Seeing him catch his breath, Al shrugged and gestured with his chin.
"Given how you're all acting, it's only natural I'd want to kill her too, right? But..."
"Mr. Natsuki stopped you?"
"Honestly, I wondered if I'd misheard him. I thought he was just wandering around with some kid he didn't know, but then it turned out she was a Sin Archbishop, and my bro stepped up to protect her. I know his thinking can be pretty out there sometimes, but this was beyond anything I imagined."
As he spoke, Al glared at Louis from behind his helmet.
"Uu..."
Exposed to his gaze, Louis let out a faint groan, but rather than hiding behind Medium and the others, she glared back.
The light in her blue eyes was neither despicable nor base.
"────"
Watching her, Otto turned Al's testimony over in his mind.
His words were not idle fabrications. Only someone with a deep understanding of Subaru could have said them.
Otto himself believed the reason Subaru could not bring himself to kill Louis was his "naivety."
In truth, he had to call it a foolish, ignorant emotional attachment. Yet the "naivety" Subaru and Emilia both possessed was a weakness and a strength at the same time.
Once relinquished, it could never be recovered. It was difficult to handle, but Otto absolutely did not want them to lose it.
"Those of us around them should be the ones to learn how to make judgments without that 'naivety.'"
"I get it, man. But that's already gonna be tough, right? We're discussing this in front of everyone, after all. There's no going back."
"...Master Otto."
Her boots stepping against the floor, Frederica called to Otto. What stirred in her beautiful eyes was concern and unease over what was about to happen here.
Otto also felt that mentioning Louis's identity here had been a mistake. ──No, if he started discussing that, the problem lay in the fact that Louis had already been accepted by those involved.
Mizelda's conclusion would be accepted by most of the fortress city. Therefore──
"So, are you saying we should leave her alone for now?"
"Of course, if she actually does anything, I won't show mercy either. But..."
"Louis really was trying to protect little Subaru all along. She never did anything bad while she was with us, either. And she won't in the future!"
Medium picked up where Al left off, pleading desperately. Her words were an optimistic observation of the situation, and Louis's past actions could not constrain her future behavior. That was the crux of the entire problem.
"I've seen the master do it before. Maybe we could use an oath curse seal..."
"──Let's not do that. Though I did consider it for a moment."
Petra offered her suggestion apprehensively, but Otto rejected it.
The "curse seal" Petra mentioned bound the soul to force its subject to honor a promise.
Previously, when disasters had struck the Sanctuary and the old Roswaal mansion, Roswaal, who had orchestrated it all, had willingly inscribed one on himself to demonstrate his submission to Emilia's camp──breaking the oath demanded a corresponding price, which in Roswaal's case meant death.
Just as its name implied, a curse seal was a "curse." Though it was a superstitious belief, curses would eventually rebound upon their users. If someone kept binding others with curses for convenience, their own soul would sooner or later be burned away by those bindings.
He had no intention of making Petra shoulder that burden, and even if they did inscribe a curse seal to restrict Louis's actions, it would serve no purpose beyond insurance.
"If you ask why, it's because we don't know what we would need to restrict to truly put our minds at ease."
No one knew the full extent of a Sin Archbishop's Authority. As long as he did not know what hidden tricks might emerge, whatever they restricted, Otto would never stop being wary of Louis──unless they took her life.
In that case, having no curse seal to lull them into complacency would instead remind them to remain vigilant at all times.
"Regrettable as it is, that is my conclusion."
"Bro Otto! Are ya okay with that!? She's a Sin Archbishop!"
Hearing Otto's thoughts, Garfiel let out a loud cry of dismay. He was convinced he was right, only to be forcibly shut down. His desire to complain was understandable.
Otto wanted to share his little brother's grief too.
"But even if we reach a conclusion here, we won't gain their approval. There are still things I want to ask, so I don't want to break with everyone."
"So you intend to wait until you have heard everything before resorting to force. How very capable."
"I have no intention of doing anything so dangerous, but I will take that as a compliment for now, Lady Priscilla."
Faced with Priscilla, who had perfectly read his mind, Otto had to put up at least a little bluff. In any case, however much he regretted the answer he had given Garfiel, this was their current situation.
Abel, who held sway in this city, and the Shudrak People, who would not budge on how to treat Louis──Otto could think of no way to undermine their positions.
Since Louis was a Sin Archbishop, they needed no further grounds to eliminate her. And if that argument did not work, they had no means left but force.
But killing Louis would not necessarily make the Authority of Gluttony disappear, and they would have to make enemies of the entire Empire. Was it really worth doing?
"Even if we argue like this, our unease will only lessen a little. Is that what you mean?"
Garfiel ground his teeth, and Otto closed one eye. Having followed the conversation to that conclusion, Emilia's blue-violet eyes wavered.
"Emilia," Beatrice called from her arms.
"Sorry, Beatrice... Young lady. I know you're worried about me."
"...As long as you know, I suppose."
With that, Beatrice lowered her lashes. Sensing her feelings, Emilia nodded and looked toward Louis and Medium, who resembled a pair of sisters.
"That child... Louis might be a ve~ry dangerous child. Just like Otto and the others said. You understand that, right?"
"...Yes, I do."
"But you've never seen Louis do anything bad or dangerous. And Louis protected you, and Subaru too?"
"Yes, she tried to protect us. Really, I'm not lying. Abel, Al, Yorna, everyone knows, right?"
Under Emilia's gaze, Medium desperately tried to convey her thoughts.
As she did, she sought agreement from the companions who had returned from the Demon City with her. Abel and Yorna had yet to fully recover from their earlier conversation with Priscilla, so their responses were slow. Al, meanwhile, shrugged and nodded.
"Yes, Louis certainly tried to protect everyone. Of all of us, I think she's closest to Subaru."
"That's the 'Little Girl User' for you. He's so active it's hard to even smooth things over for him."
"...Betty doesn't much like that nickname, I suppose. Watch what you say."
Beatrice's quiet complaint eased the hostility that had persisted until a moment earlier.
Beatrice had apparently decided to leave Louis's treatment to Emilia. Though the conclusion was the same, Emilia gently put Otto's and Beatrice's thoughts in order. Then she looked at Louis.
"You're worried about Subaru. I don't think that's a lie. So, just like this girl who's trying so hard to believe in you, I want to believe in you too."
"──! Emilia, that thing's a──"
"You wanted to bite us really badly at first too, didn't you, Garfiel? But now we're very close, aren't we?"
Garfiel's position and circumstances differed from Louis's. Emilia's argument was a little unfair, but it was also true that her firm declaration was difficult to argue against.
With the situation working against him too, Garfiel's face tightened bitterly. Seeing his reaction, Emilia apologized quietly.
"I'm sorry. It might be difficult, but I think it's best not to clash fiercely right from the start. If we can talk things through, we should begin by communicating. Of course, sometimes we can't do that and suddenly have to fight..."
"────"
"I think it would be good if we could get along with everyone here. To do that, I want to show everyone that I want us to get along. And for that, we have to unclench our fists first."
As she spoke, Emilia looked down at Beatrice in her arms. Noticing her gaze, Beatrice opened her eyes slightly, then nodded gently. Seeing her nod, Emilia slowly walked forward.
She passed before Yorna's eyes, walked past Garfiel, who was glaring at her, and came before Medium, who was sheltering the little Louis.
Then──
"This is a very roundabout way of putting it... But I trust Mr. Dikkul and Miss Mizelda and the others, who treated Subaru and Rem kindly, and I want to trust Medium, whom they trust. So please let me trust you, whom Medium trusts."
"...Ah, uu..."
"Not for our sake, but for these girls who've been so good to you. Because having someone believe in you is a ve~ry happy thing."
As she spoke, Emilia extended her right hand toward Louis. Still holding Beatrice with her left arm, she crouched down and offered Louis her goodwill. At that gesture, even Medium, who was protecting Louis, turned her head.
"Louis."
Medium called to her. Whether that call prompted her, or Emilia's words worked even on a Sin Archbishop without a human heart, Louis timidly reached out her hand.
She laid her own right hand on Emilia's outstretched right hand. For an instant, Otto worried she might use this chance to turn her Authority on Emilia, but he felt from the bottom of his heart that he deserved contempt for that worry. In any case──
"Uu, ah, uu."
"Yes, I'm worried about Subaru too."
Emilia answered after they clasped hands, and her smile was the conclusion for Otto and for their camp. Yet ultimately, that conclusion was only to "defer judgment."
──But even if both were compromises, Emilia's words and his own made for different ways of compromising.
Otto was proud of Emilia.