Looking at her expression—firm despite the lingering fear—Lancer remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Sorry, but this is actually really important. Nagisa, what was the wish you made when you became a magical girl?"
Lancer didn't even need to ask to know she had been a magical girl. It wasn't just because of the "plot" he knew; it was more about his research during this time. Although Soul Gems and Grief Seeds appeared different, the technology used was nearly identical—both were essentially special thaumaturgical formulas used to solidify a soul.
Facing Lancer question, Nagisa Momoe hesitated for quite a while before a lonely expression clouded her face.
"It was a cake. I asked Kyubey for 'the world's one-and-only cake.'"
A cake? Why did she want a cake?
Before Lancer could speak this time, she continued.
"Back then, Mama was lying in a hospital bed. Nagisa stayed by her side all the time, but her health never got better. Since Mama loved cake, when Kyubey appeared before me, I wished for 'the world's one-and-only cake.' If only... if only I had wished for Mama's illness to be cured back then, it would have been so much better..."
Nagisa, unaware of Kyubey true nature, simply felt pure regret over why she hadn't wished to save her mother. Lancer, however, shook his head. Making a contract with Kyubey was no different from making a deal with the devil. That guy was probably thrilled when he heard Nagisa "wish," right? After all, a wish like that was far too simple for him—it was practically a freebie.
Lancer also noticed that the surrounding space seemed to be shifting again. Unsurprisingly, this was likely the influence of Nagisa emotional fluctuations. Lancer, who had originally intended to tell her about Kyubey true colors, decided it would be better to keep it hidden for now. At the same time, he felt lucky that he hadn't been thinking about Kyubey when he entered this space.
But at that moment, Lancer felt another wave of dizziness.
His method of entering the "Grief Seed" was actually to merge his consciousness into the mana he poured inside, using it as a medium to communicate with her. However, his mana was nearing its limit again, forcing him to temporarily withdraw.
Nagisa seemed to notice something was wrong with Lancer. However, she didn't try to make him stay, because she knew it wouldn't matter even if she did. She simply gave Lancer what she thought was a bright smile.
"Onii-chan... did Nagisa help you?"
Although Nagisa tried her best to make her smile look bright, she didn't realize that from Lancer perspective, it was a completely different picture.
Seeing a fragile young girl forcing a smile while suppressed by grief and the pain of parting made his heart feel incredibly heavy.
"I'll work hard to get you out of here. When that happens, I'll treat you to some delicious cake, okay, Nagisa?"
Lancer wasn't a man who made promises lightly, but once he gave his word, he would see it through.
Consciousness doesn't possess a physical sense of touch, yet at that moment, Nagisa felt a warmth on the top of her head as if it were real. At the same time, she felt a familiar sensation within that warmth—the same warmth that had continuously soothed her sorrow during that seemingly endless nightmare...
——————
When he opened his eyes again, Mami Tomoe and Kyoko Sakura weren't crowding him anymore, but they were still looking at him with great anticipation.
"Dr. Lancer, how is it? Is that child safe?"
"She's a cute girl..."
Hearing Mami question, Lancer instinctively made a joke. Seeing that the two of them didn't seem to get it, he pretended nothing happened and continued.
"According to what she said, her name is 'Nagisa Momoe.' Based on her appearance, she's probably just an elementary schooler. She said that while her mother was hospitalized with an illness, she met Kyubey and made a wish for 'the world's one-and-only cake' so her mother, who loved sweets, could taste it. In the end, her mother still passed away..."
Lancer voice paused there. Even though his hands were stained with countless amounts of blood, he never looked down on any life. Or rather, it was precisely because he understood the preciousness of life that he chose to wield his spear—to protect the lives of those he cherished. One could say he fought with the resolve to shoulder the blood on his hands. But these girls were different; they were pushed into the abyss by some bastard without any preparation at all.
The killing intent in Lancer eyes was now undisguised, but even so, he maintained a calm expression as he continued sharing the "intel."
"Also, unlike you two—if we say you lack combat experience, then that child, in my view, looks like she had none at all. If I had to guess, she might have... 'sacrificed' herself during her very first battle."
Lancer had originally wanted to say "turned into a witch," but he changed his wording halfway through since he didn't have any direct evidence to prove it.
Even so, what Lancer said made Mami reflexively cover her mouth. While Kyoko wasn't as dramatic as Mami, she still clenched her right fist tightly.
"That bastard Kyubey..."
If Kyoko family tragedy was caused by her own oversight, and Mami situation was because she had no time to think due to her environment, then what Nagisa Momoe faced was something even "sadder." The two girls, who could relate deeply, didn't even need to think to guess the despair she felt after her mother's death. Lancer could even picture her completely "falling" into the so-called "Sweets Witch," having reached the resolve of death amidst the grief and regret of failing to save her mother.
Just as silence fell over the room, the sudden, jarring ring of a cell phone went off. Mami frowned as she pulled out her phone, but when she saw the caller ID, she froze for a second before pressing the answer button.
"Madoka? Is something wrong?"
"Mami-san! Where are you? Kyubey says he has something to tell you, but he can't find you anywhere!"
Hearing Madoka Kaname's words, Mami looked over at Lancer. After all, because of the things Lancer had shown her, Mami impression of "Kyubey" had become very complicated. They had been together for so long that he had built up a significant amount of goodwill, but the things Lancer revealed made her realize that Kyubey seemed to be hiding a lot from her.
Now that he suddenly wanted to find her, Mami reflex was to feel that something was wrong. That's why she was seeking Lancer opinion—after all, Lancer stance seemed to be opposite to Kyubey, right?
The atmosphere in the room felt a bit stifling as she waited for Lancer answer.