As that cold voice reached Yuuma Tokoyogi's ears, an intense sense of danger instantly enveloped her entire body.
She instinctively tried to activate the Magic Circle and escape, but at some point, control of the Magic Circle engraved across the void of Itogami Island had vanished from her hands and appeared in the hands of the man before her.
Her mother had even given him control over this?!
Shocked by how much her mother trusted the man before her, and despairing that she might actually die at the hands of someone with such a bizarre thought process, Yuuma Tokoyogi tried to explain, only to be crushed to the ground by dense Magical Power in the next instant.
"Nothing to say? Fine. Then I'll just kill you and take what I want myself."
Those self-answering words were absurd, but to Yuuma Tokoyogi at that moment, they sounded like a countdown to her death.
He wants to take my Guardian and keep the original plan going!
Yuuma Tokoyogi knew perfectly well that there was something wrong with her Guardian, that it was something inherited from her mother. Even so, she had truly formed a contract with it. In other words, if her Guardian was taken from her, she would die as well.
Looking down at the girl collapsed on the ground, Cid's gaze pierced through her soul and reached the place where her memories were stored.
He crouched down, Magical Power flowing into his hand as he reached toward that storehouse of memories. Who she really was and what she was trying to do, once he took her memories, he would know everything. As for what would happen to Yuuma Tokoyogi after her memories were taken… that would depend on her luck.
Yuuma Tokoyogi desperately pushed her Guardian, trying to force away those hands that faintly carried the aura of death. But the Guardian that usually answered her every call ignored her completely. Rather, because of the other party's approach, the hidden Guardian seemed to feel an impulse to break away on its own.
Mother, just how little do you trust me?!
She found it unbelievable that her mother had prepared such measures to prevent her betrayal. Her heart beat faster and harder in her chest, as if she were waiting for death. No, she was waiting for death.
Think. Think. Is there any method or place that can prove Mother trusts me? What identity does the backup plan Mother left behind have?!
The only places where her mother could have possibly left a backup plan were the old castle where she lived, and her mother's former organization, the Library. But after the Library was absorbed and renamed by the Lord of Netheril, its attitude toward the original plan had become unclear, forcing Yuuma Tokoyogi to act alone and change the plan. So, could it be there…?
Her mind raced frantically, trying to find a way or evidence to prove that she had not betrayed her mother. But when she looked up at the hand drawing closer and closer, the hand about to bring her death, the thoughts Yuuma Tokoyogi had barely managed to gather went blank in an instant.
A hand without the slightest roughness, one that could even be called somewhat warm and smooth, came to rest over Yuuma Tokoyogi's short hair. It seemed like an affectionate touch, but in that instant, Yuuma Tokoyogi lost all control over her body.
Her senses were magnified, as if she had been stripped bare in that instant. Through the sensations on her skin, she could feel things she normally would never notice.
If this had been any other time, Yuuma Tokoyogi might have felt pleased by it. But now it was terrifying, because she had lost all control over her body.
How is this possible?!
Her heightened consciousness could feel the man's Magical Power locking onto her head and nothing else. Yet Yuuma Tokoyogi saw the Guardian connected to her consciousness actively breaking away. This time, it was not just an impulse, but actual movement. But how could that be possible?!
This was the Guardian that accompanied every Witch for life, only turning against its master when the Witch violated the contract. Even if there were a way to strip away its restraints, how could it actively betray its master? Unless… she was the third party…
!!!
It was as if lightning flashed through her mind. Sometimes, a person's ability to make connections really was powerful. Looking at the young man crouching before her, Yuuma Tokoyogi came up with an idea whose odds of being true were almost zero. But when she remembered the vague, ambiguous attitude her mother had shown after Yuuma reported the Witches' Guild's possible betrayal, she felt that no matter how absurd it was, she had to try.
"Ne…"
Cid blinked, watching the gallant young girl on the ground struggle to speak, only for her words to come out so unclear. Then he looked at the phantom Knight that had inexplicably flown toward him, only to be slapped back by him and accidentally knocked in front of those memories. Considering how Yuuma Tokoyogi's emotions had shifted several times in a single second, Cid pondered for a moment before finally releasing his Magical Power control.
"Netheril!"
Feeling the pressure on her body ease, Yuuma Tokoyogi said the word. In the next second, an even greater pressure descended. Her body, still lying on the ground, was pulled upright almost instantly, and her purple eyes met the deep gaze of the man before her.
"She told you that too…"
A low voice questioned her, but Yuuma Tokoyogi knew she had been right. From the information the other party had revealed just now, he came from the Netheril Empire. In that case…
"Mm."
She nodded and admitted it.
Cid narrowed his eyes at her, his mind full of questions. This was no longer something he could solve through brute force. Whether she was an enemy or an ally had become very hard to determine.
Ask her directly who she is? No, I can't expose the fact that I know nothing. I'll probe first.
"Interesting, isn't it? It looks like she really does trust you, enough to tell you my identity. Then you can tell me what's become of the Witches' Guild now, can't you?
After all, it has been some time since I last saw them."
"Unfortunately, I don't know…"
This is a trap.
Yuuma Tokoyogi took a deep breath, then exhaled, smiling at Cid, who froze for a moment as if surprised by her answer.
After the Library was absorbed, those Witches who had switched sides, cleaned up their records, and gone legitimate seemed to have long since forgotten her mother. There was no way they would agree to take the risk of saving her. So this was a trap.
"You should know that she and the people from the Witches' Guild are no longer on the same side. In fact, there's even a little friction between them…"
That part was true. When Yuuma Tokoyogi had gone to ask whether they should proceed according to the original plan, basically none of them had cared about old ties. They had all kicked their former boss while she was down without hesitation.
"Oh? If that's the case, then why would you say I come from Netheril? Don't you know that the Netheril Empire has basically been hollowed out by the Witches' Guild now?"
Cid spoke with a light laugh, sending a look of amused interest toward Yuuma Tokoyogi. But this time, no powerful pressure bore down on her, which successfully let Yuuma Tokoyogi breathe a sigh of relief.
"You must be joking. Isn't that exactly why she told me to begin moving?"
Yes. That was it.
Although Yuuma Tokoyogi had never met her mother, the occasional messages that came from the Prison Barrier had still given her a decent understanding of her.
Her mother was definitely not the type to quietly swallow such a loss after being betrayed by her own subordinates. But why she had not ordered her daughter to take revenge was another interesting question.
Yuuma Tokoyogi knew that her mother had once been the Chief Librarian of the "Library." If she wanted to leave a backup plan, she would only have left it in the Library. In other words, when the Library was absorbed by the Lord of Netheril, whose hands had that backup plan ended up in? That was a very interesting question.
The Netheril Emperor's protection of the Witches, combined with her mother's ambiguous attitude toward the Netheril Empire, and the way the man before her spoke of the "Witches' Guild," made Yuuma Tokoyogi feel she might have uncovered an incredible truth.
Could her mother have… been connected to the Emperor of Netheril all along?
"It seems she really does trust you…"
Cid said this with a sigh. He had not expected "her" to tell Yuuma Tokoyogi even that.
"After all, the relationship between her and me was not built on my identity as a Witch…"
"If that's the case, then it isn't strange at all for you to know me."
Cid nodded as if it were perfectly natural, already mostly convinced of the girl's identity. After all, it fit too well. At the same time, he was glad he had not actually acted earlier. If he had really wrecked her soul, he would have had no idea how to explain it to "her."
"I'm truly sorry. Since you are her companion, I really shouldn't have startled you so soon."
Yuuma Tokoyogi spoke with deep apology, taking a step back on her own initiative and placing the blame on herself.
"Companion? So that's how she described me? Personally, I prefer it when she calls me the fallback."
Cid was quite satisfied with Yuuma Tokoyogi's tact. He had been excitedly preparing to rob the robber, only to find out she was one of his own. That really left him embarrassed. No matter how heartless he was, he could not sacrifice one of his own.
"I don't think she meant it that way. She holds you in great respect."
"That's true. Forget it, I won't disturb you anymore. Hurry up and carry out your mission. Call me if anything comes up… I'll give you some compensation. I'll cover what you're missing, or you can just call me by name."
It had to be said that once Cid discovered Yuuma Tokoyogi was one of his own, his desire to mess with her plummeted. After condensing another Magical Power seed and tossing it to her, he prepared to leave immediately.
"Wait. What should I call you?"
"Roland Augustus. Just call me Roland. After all, Yuuma, you're one of her people, and with her current identity, calling me by that name is appropriate."
Cid did not stop when the voice came from behind him. He simply said that and then vanished, leaving Yuuma Tokoyogi frozen in place, her eyes widening the moment she heard the name.
Roland Augustus. That was the name of the current Emperor of the Netheril Empire, one of the world's strongest, who had entered the world's top five after only making a single move.
"Hah…"
"Mother, you really gave me one incredible surprise. No wonder you weren't worried about those people from the Witches' Guild at all…"
Yuuma Tokoyogi could not help swallowing, her throat bobbing before she finally processed the fact that she had just spoken with one of the world's strongest and survived.
After coming back to herself, Yuuma Tokoyogi sensed the boundless Magical Power inside the Magical Power seed within her body. The Guardian behind her had also returned. No, it was even better than before. It could truly be controlled as easily as her own arm.
Looking down at the Island Guard below, Yuuma Tokoyogi fell into thought. With the measures prepared against Natsuki Minamiya, it seemed she could now try to kick the Cult of Diablos aside and attack the Prison Barrier alone.
"Forget it… I'll stick to the original plan, just to avoid any complications."
As she murmured to herself, the last remnants of the girl's moral bottom line stopped her from doing something so ungrateful. She gave up on the idea of cutting out the Cult of Diablos and acting alone. Instead, she controlled the Magic Circle authority that had returned to her hands and began fine-tuning it, making sure nothing went wrong and sent everyone on the island into the Dimensional Gap.
...
"I really didn't expect Yuuma Tokoyogi to be her subordinate."
As he walked down the road, Cid could not help feeling embarrassed when he thought about how he had fooled around for so long, only to discover she was "her" subordinate, and that he had nearly killed her.
Who was "her"? Who else could it be? Epsilon, of course. The conditions fit far too well.
Not on the same side as the Witches' Guild, even having a bit of conflict with them, that meant Epsilon wanted to crush the Witches' Guild and use her friendship with him to climb to the highest position in Netheril.
She knew he had been sidelined, so Epsilon had begun taking action to help him regain power, then use his authority to take the back door.
As for the identity of a backup plan, a fallback, he really did often help when his companions ran into problems. Whenever they put together some plan in the past, they would also call him along.
And Epsilon was on the island right now. No wonder she had come here. She had come to carry out a mission.
So the matter was simple. Epsilon was probably trying to stage some kind of terrorist attack, leaked his existence to her subordinate, and bragged that he was the fallback she had prepared… though that was not exactly wrong.
"Sigh…"
Cid sighed. Since it was Epsilon causing trouble, he could not be bothered to rob the robber anymore. He would leave it alone and just enjoy the show.
To be fair, Cid had always known his companions were not exactly clean, but he had no right to criticize them. After all, he had been the one to teach them how to kill back then. As long as they did not go too far, he could not be bothered to interfere. If he could let it slide, he would.
"Still, Epsilon staging a terrorist attack…"
Looking at the Magic Circle that had started gathering wildly after losing his control, Cid felt he might need to move his treasury somewhere else.
"Yo, Asia, Ophis, Lilith, Astarte, I'm back."
Cid pushed open the wooden door and greeted them cheerfully. But what he saw was Lilith crouched in the corner as if she had shut herself off from the world, with what looked like a big bump on her head.
"Cid-san…"
"What happened to her?"
Cid looked puzzled as he asked Asia and Astarte, who was standing blankly to the side.
"Over there."
Asia indicated the sofa with her eyes. Cid looked over and saw Ophis lying on the sofa, her expression extremely relaxed and comfortable, her belly round and bulging.
"What is this…"
"Order acknowledged…"
The corner of Cid's mouth twitched, and Astarte, having accepted the order, took a step forward.