She lay in the center of the great hall, her face pale and cold. Blood flowed from beneath her delicate frame, staining her black and white maid uniform crimson.
Most striking was the gaping hole in her abdomen — the fatal wound that had taken her life.
Though her expression was peaceful, the corpses strewn around her and the shattered walls revealed how fierce the battle had been.
"Ah! Rem, Rem—! Ahhh!" Ram cried out, cradling her sister's cold body as blood seeped into her own maid uniform.
Overwhelmed with grief, she called her sister's name over and over.
Emilia and Subaru could only stare in disbelief at the blue-haired maid lying in the pool of blood, her sister's heart-wrenching sobs echoing through the hall.
"H-how... Rem, Rem..." Emilia's voice trembled as she covered her mouth, her face contorted with sorrow.
Subaru stood speechless. He couldn't process that his close coworker now lay lifeless before him.
They had just spoken, had only just said goodbye.
How could this happen in just half a month?!
"Hmm, it was definitely last night." Adam crouched beside Rem's body, touching her ashen face to check her temperature.
Her skin, devoid of circulation, had lost its elasticity, remaining indented where pressed.
"Subaru, what time is it?"
"Huh? Why ask that now?!"
"Quickly, tell me what time it is!"
Under his sharp command, Subaru reluctantly checked his phone, "6:04 AM."
"6 AM? Dead for about 8 hours... that puts it around 10 PM last night."
Indeed, that bad feeling from last night had been about this.
No, there might be one more! That shut-in Artificial Spirit!
"Beatrice, that's right, what about Beatrice!" Emilia exclaimed, suddenly worried about the little girl's safety.
With the mansion under attack, they needed to find her quickly.
Without hesitation, Adam activated his ability.
His mana instantly enveloped the mansion, revealing all spaces hidden in darkness.
"Where is it?" Adam's anxiety grew.
The longer he searched, the faster his suspended heart raced.
Nothing, nothing, not here either!
Betty! Come out! Come out quickly!
After finding no hidden library on the first or second floor, panic seized him. Had the Witch Cult's attack forced her to flee to another dimension?
Then he swept past a hidden chamber and noticed something unusual — a node of spatial distortion.
"Found it! This is it!"
The Forbidden Library's location was obscured by its overlap with the secret room, but he had finally found it.
His perception force pierced through the library's door, revealing everything inside. There she was—the golden-haired girl with drill-styled curls, sitting elegantly in her chair, holding a huge book, her expression worried and helpless!
"Hahaha, wonderful!" Joy spread across Adam's face.
Finding her alive overwhelmed him with relief.
But his reaction jarred against the somber mood of the three others present, his sudden laughter disrupting their grief.
"Adam...?" Emilia asked, bewildered, "Why are you laughing at a time ?"
"Because Beatrice is safe and sound, that's why I'm happy."
"I know. But we should be happy for those who are alive, not sad for those who have died, Emilia."
His attempt at wisdom was poorly timed — in fact, it only served to enrage Ram.
"Is that so? Is that what you think? I was wrong about you!" Ram shouted through her grief and anger, "Should Rem not be mourned? Is Rem not worth grieving over? If Ram had to choose, Ram would rather have Rem alive!"
"You misunderstand, Ram!" Adam approached her, looking at her tear-swollen eyes, and explained gently, "Though you might not believe it, Rem isn't dead."
"So stop crying, Ram. Seeing you so heartbroken pains me."
"Adam..." She stared at him blankly.
But without waiting for their questions, Adam took Rem's lifeless body from her arms.
Standing up, he addressed everyone, "Let's go find Betty. I know you have questions, but now isn't the time for explanations. Right now, we should focus on Beatrice's safety."
With that, he took the lead, heading straight for the Forbidden Library.
"W-wait, Adam! What did you mean just now? Why did you say Rem isn't dead? Explain yourself!"
Subaru shouted as he followed, with Emilia Visit NovelHub for more amazing novels and chapters.
Adam kicked open the secret room's door. Beyond it wasn't a secret room but an elegant library.
"Yo, Beatrice, long time no see. Did you miss me?" He greeted with a smile, like an old friend he hadn't seen in a while — if only he weren't holding a corpse.
"What, it's you people." Beatrice lifted her gaze from the huge book, looking at everyone with disgust.
"Hey hey hey, we haven't seen each other for so long. Even if you won't give me a warm hug, at least give me a caring greeting."
"Hmph, you're nothing to Betty. Why should Betty care about you?"
"It hurts when you say that, especially when I missed you so much."
"Unfortunately, Betty didn't miss you at all."
Betty's blunt response exposed Adam's deliberately hurt act, while her expression grew even more disgusted.
"You lot, can't you drive away those noisy people outside? Betty can't read in peace. Because of the noise, Betty hasn't been able to sleep properly since last night."
"Should I take that to mean the Witch Cult's retreat wasn't your doing?"
"Why should Betty intervene? This has nothing to do with Betty."
"Is that so." Adam gently laid Rem down on the floor. Blood stained the clean carpet, but Beatrice, sitting in her chair, remained expressionless at the sight.
This wasn't like her! Normally, she would have started cursing immediately.
"Hey, Beatrice, Rem is dead."
"So what? Everyone dies someday, even you will."
"Beatrice, I have a question for you: why didn't you let Rem hide in the Forbidden Library?"
"Betty will say it again, it has nothing to do with Betty! Whatever happens to you has nothing to do with Betty, Betty won't get involved with any of you!" Her emotions flared.
Though she denied any connection, to everyone present, things didn't seem to be as she claimed.
"If that's the case, then Beatrice, why did you erase my magic mark?"
"..." Beatrice, who had been so emotional, suddenly fell silent.
She stopped speaking, just quietly looking at the huge book in her hands.
The previous night, when Adam had sensed something was wrong, he'd tried to activate his magic mark to use Al Shamak to return, but found he couldn't use the magic as intended.
The magic mark serving as a coordinate was gone! He had left it at the count's mansion as a safeguard for emergencies, but now it had vanished!
And erasing this type of〘Yin Magic〙mark was something only Betty, this proficient Yin Mage, could do!
"You were afraid I'd come back and face danger, so you erased the magic mark I left, right? And Rem didn't hide in the library because she refused to, not because you wouldn't let her?"
"That's not true! Betty erased the magic mark just as a prank, and that blue-haired maid — Betty just watched her die. Whatever happens to you has nothing to do with Betty!" she denied vehemently.
Her tsundere behavior gave Adam a headache.
"Beatrice, you really are a tsundere who acts tough but is actually kind... Well then, since you won't admit it, I'll just ask the person involved — I'll ask Rem."
As if struck by inspiration, he gently straightened Rem's disheveled clothes while saying something everyone found absurd.
"By reviving her, of course."
"Revive... revive?! What nonsense are you saying! Just like earlier, telling Ram that Rem isn't dead..." Hearing his words, Subaru's eyes widened in shock.
Not just Subaru, but Emilia, Beatrice, and even Ram wore expressions of disbelief.
Adam sighed softly and said, "Indeed. Since you don't believe me, let me prove it to you."
With that, he used his ability on the girl before him.
A flash of white light burst forth, enveloping Rem.
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