Within Roswaal's territory, inside the guest room.
After Shendu sealed Natsuki Subaru's trump card, a knock came from outside the door, which surprised her slightly. She had not expected someone to arrive at this moment.
Curious, she opened the door and found Emilia standing outside. When Emilia saw that Shendu was indeed inside, she visibly relaxed.
"Thank goodness, Sister Shendu, you're here."
Emilia's expression eased, as though a heavy worry had been lifted.
"What is it?"
Shendu asked thoughtfully, her gaze resting on Emilia.
"Rem has been cursed. Roswaal-sama and I came to your guest room immediately, but we didn't find anyone. I thought that you..."
At this point, Emilia trailed off awkwardly, but the meaning was obvious—Shendu had been suspected.
"Oh? So I was suspected?"
Hearing Emilia's explanation, Shendu understood immediately and did not find it strange at all.
She had already anticipated this possibility. Thus, Emilia's words stirred no anger within her.
"By the way, why is there so much blood on the ceiling? And what happened to Natsuki Subaru?"
Emilia suddenly noticed the strong scent of blood in the guest room. Looking up, she saw a large splatter across the ceiling.
Then she glanced at Natsuki Subaru, whose clothes were stained red, and could not help but feel confused.
"It's nothing. Natsuki Subaru and Felt were both cursed. I've just dealt with it for them. Though... Subaru's treatment method was a bit special."
Though she said she had saved him, the room certainly looked like a crime scene.
Emilia stood there blankly, unsure what to say.
"I see. Please come with me to Rem's room. She needs help."
After learning what had happened, Emilia finally felt relieved. She took Shendu's hand and led her outside.
Seeing this, Felt followed with a slight pout, wanting to see whether Rem's condition was worse than theirs had been.
Soon, they arrived at the room. From inside came the sound of Ram crying. As sisters, their bond was deep—if either of them died, the other would be devastated.
When they entered, all the key figures were present—Roswaal, Beatrice, Puck, Ram, and the others gathered together.
The moment Ram saw Shendu enter, she reacted instantly. Fury filled her face as she leapt to her feet and unleashed a wind blade with nearly her full power.
"You murderer who killed Rem—go to hell!"
Driven by extreme rage, Ram sent the powerful wind blade hurtling forward.
"Calm down. If I were the culprit, I would have fled long ago. Why would I remain here?"
Facing the attack, Shendu casually extended her right hand and tapped lightly forward. The spell shattered instantly, dissolving into countless particles.
"She's right! Ram, if it were truly Sister Shendu, she wouldn't be acting so calmly."
"Calm yourself, Ram. You cannot let your emotions control you."
After Emilia spoke, Roswaal stepped forward to persuade her as well. At that, Ram finally lost control. Her tears burst forth like a dam breaking, streaming down uncontrollably.
She collapsed over Rem's pale body and sobbed again and again, clearly having reached her emotional limit.
Rem lay motionless on the bed. Through her perception of magic, Shendu could sense that Rem's life force was gradually fading. It would not be long before she died completely.
...
"What the heck? The moment we arrive, you all suspect Big Sister. You're going too far!"
Felt stood with her hands on her hips, speaking indignantly. Emilia looked embarrassed, unsure how to respond.
"Enough, Felt. Now is not the time to argue about that."
Shendu shook her head slightly. Being suspected had never bothered her.
Under Shendu's gaze, Felt, no matter how dissatisfied, fell silent. Still, she remained unhappy with the others.
Meanwhile, Roswaal, Puck, and Beatrice stepped forward one by one to examine Rem. The results, however, were discouraging.
"How is it? Is there still a way to save Rem?"
After they finished checking, Ram wiped away her tears temporarily and asked with a final trace of hope.
"No. I'm not skilled at curse removal."
"Neither are we. If we had intervened before the spell activated, we could have dispelled it. But now... we are powerless."
Roswaal, Beatrice, and Puck all shook their heads. This was not within their area of expertise.
However, as Roswaal spoke, his gaze flickered subtly as he stared intently at Shendu, clearly waiting to see whether she had a solution.
"How could this happen? Why did it have to be Rem?"
Ram was already sobbing beyond coherence. Overwhelming grief drowned her as she clung to Rem, tears falling like scattered pearls.
"Wait. Before I came here, Sister Shendu was helping her servant remove a curse. Though... the method was somewhat extreme."
Just as everyone felt helpless, Emilia recounted everything she had witnessed earlier—including the blood splattered across the ceiling.
"Big Sister, what method did you use to remove the curse? Can you tell me?"
After Emilia finished, Beatrice walked up to Shendu, her shadowed eyes fixed upon the silver-haired girl.
"Yes, my adorable subordinate's life is currently in your hands. Would you care to explain in detail?"
Roswaal looked at Shendu meaningfully, deeply interested in everything she had done.
He had already deduced that Shendu was a being from another world. She should have a corresponding method to resolve this situation, and he was filled with anticipation.
"It's simple. I used curse counteraction. The ring on my hand contains another type of curse. When it collides with the original curse, they neutralize each other, and the curse is effectively cured. As long as there's still a breath left, I can bring them back."
"Of course, the price is losing half one's life. It would take at least a month or two to recover."
Shendu raised a single finger and explained unhurriedly.
The moment those words fell, everyone present was stunned.
An unsettling thought arose in their minds—could it be that Shendu intended to use this opportunity to settle a personal grudge and treat the maid to death, avenging Ram's earlier disrespect?