Crete Hollow—on the open ground where Geno and the others had waged their great battle against the Beast-Demon Dagalle.
By now, half a day had passed since the Void Hunter Hoshimi Miyabi cut it down.
As evening drew near, a fiery red figure appeared here.
"Iseult, just what kind of trick are you playing?"
Sarah looked over the open ground strewn with wreckage, an utterly grim expression on her face.
Iseult's actions had not only thrown her revenge plan into disarray, but had also reduced some of her later preparations to nothing.
"That thing isn't here either. Iseult, where have you hidden it?"
Sarah was seething inside, growing ever more furious at the conduct of Iseult, who was supposed to be her ally.
At the same time, she was deeply displeased with Iseult's attitude—as a bishop of the Order of Praise, she only took things and got nothing done.
"Never mind. She won't have many more days to jump around. We'll just keep operating like this from here on—finding that thing is only a matter of time."
Closing her eyes and calming herself for a moment, by the time Sarah opened them again, a wave of clarity had settled over her.
Gazing up at the bright moon veiled by dark clouds in the sky, Sarah's lips curled into an excited arc.
"New Eridu, get ready—prepare to face the wrath of us, the nameless ones."
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New Eridu, Thorn District, the infirmary of Anti-Air Section Six.
As a special team within HAND headquarters that held special operational authority, Anti-Air Section Six had its own various dedicated functional departments.
Intelligence, medical, armament, training, logistics.
Each of these wielded great autonomous authority over deployment—though, of course, on the premise that everything conformed to the rules and regulations laid down by HAND headquarters.
And in this small infirmary, a group of people sat gathered around the sickbed, watching as the Hoshimi family's private physician conducted a diagnosis on Twiggy, their hearts full of unease.
"It's simply incredible—the Ether energy in this lady's body is extremely active, yet there are no Corruption symptoms whatsoever. I suspect some external force has interfered with it. Is it this bracelet?"
The somewhat elderly doctor with fox ears was beaming with excitement.
People in academia and technology are always like this: the moment they stumble upon something that fascinates them, they burst with unprecedented vigor.
"I understand. Please take your leave for now."
Hoshimi Miyabi issued the dismissal indifferently.
"Uh, but—"
"Please go."
"Yes, young lady."
As the Hoshimi family's private physician, he understood his young lady's temperament well—she had always been one whose word was final.
Still, now and then he would feel nostalgic for the adorable, lively, energetic, smile-loving child she had been in her youth—what a pity, though...
The doctor shook his head and, in the end, left the ward.
And so, all who remained in the infirmary were those who had been present in the Hollow at the time.
Among them, Geno—wrapped in bandages and set in a cast—sat on another sickbed, gazing expressionlessly at the still-unconscious Twiggy.
In the Hollow he had exhausted all of his power, and just as he was about to fade away, the Filth that had been pestering him all along voluntarily unleashed its power and began to heal Geno's body.
After all, the other party's goal was to seize control of Geno's body and then have him release the Progenitor; if he died before that, where would it be left to go?
That said, in the days to come, Geno—now stripped of his Night Demon power—would have his hands full dealing with this irksome Filth.
"Twiggy—when will she wake up?"
Anby sat beside Twiggy's sickbed, softly asking Yanagi Tsukishiro.
"Barring any surprises, she should regain consciousness in another half hour or so."
Yanagi Tsukishiro adjusted her glasses; Twiggy being able to survive was truly a tremendously good thing.
Yet looking at Twiggy lying on the sickbed, Yanagi Tsukishiro felt somewhat awkward.
Earlier she had rashly assumed Twiggy was beyond saving, and so had thought to grant her a quick, merciful end.
Fortunately, Geno had stopped her, or else it would have led to a terrible disaster.
"Anby, about Twiggy—do you know something?"
Number 11 leaned against the wall with her arms honestly folded, her eyes slightly narrowed as she watched Anby's face.
She remembered that during the day, it had been Anby who'd revealed the information that Twiggy could still be saved.
Yet no one, Geno included, had known anything about this—so how had she come to know?
"Mm, I know. Twiggy told me about her situation a long time ago. It's just that I promised her I'd keep it secret—let her tell you herself once she wakes up."
Anby passed the buck to the still-unconscious Twiggy, and at this, everyone had nothing more to say but to quietly wait for Twiggy to come to.
"How are things on the Mole's end? Did you get anything more out of it?"
Hoshimi Miyabi asked Yanagi Tsukishiro, who stood at her side; she had entrusted this matter to her.
"Asaba is already conducting the interrogation, but judging by the progress so far, the other party really does seem to know nothing."
Saying this, Yanagi Tsukishiro felt rather helpless; she hadn't expected that the lead they'd gone to such painstaking lengths to find would end up being a dead end after all.
"It's all right—just do your best. Since the other party is taking action, it means our direction is correct."
Hoshimi Miyabi comforted Yanagi Tsukishiro; at least they hadn't come away with nothing at all.
"Miss Hoshimi Miyabi... right? There's something I'd like to ask you."
Geno, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
"Go ahead."
"What do I have to do to become as strong as you?"
Geno's eyes were still as calm as stagnant water; at this moment he was utterly devoid of his usual clowning, happy-go-lucky air.
Hearing this question, Hoshimi Miyabi nodded slightly, closed her eyes, and fell into thought.
"Regarding this question, I cannot give you a precise answer."
Opening her eyes once more, Hoshimi Miyabi answered Geno's question in all seriousness.
"Just as no two identical leaves exist in this world, no two people's paths are quite the same—all the more so when I, as a human, know nothing whatsoever about the cultivation methods of the Ethereal."
Hoshimi Miyabi was telling the plain truth; she was aware of Geno's identity as an Ethereal.
"I've been meaning to ask—you don't seem surprised by my condition. And not just you; that Miss Yanagi Tsukishiro is the same way."
Geno posed another question, and this one was answered by Yanagi Tsukishiro.
"That's right. The intel about your identity as an Ethereal, as well as about the technology you're currently researching—the kind capable of resisting Ether Corruption—we learned a bit of all of it from the mayor."
After hearing Yanagi out, Geno nodded. He'd heard from Twiggy that among the factions cooperating with her, besides Timefield there was also Mayflower, the current mayor of New Eridu.
If that was the case, then it seemed Anti-Air Section Six—no, it seemed the Hoshimi family and Mayflower also shared some kind of deeper relationship.
While everyone was chatting, Twiggy, on the bed, gave a slight twitch at the corner of her eye.
The slumbering Sleeping Beauty was, at last, about to awaken.
____
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