Seeing Puck fall asleep, Emilia felt helpless. Natsuki Subaru walked over at that moment, seeing the worry on her face, and offered comfort.
"It's okay, Emilia. Satoru knows what he's doing; no one's going to get hurt."
Subaru didn't know why Gojo, who had gotten along so well with Beatrice in the previous two loops, had suddenly fallen out with her now, but his confidence in the man was absolute.
While Subaru and Emilia were talking, the twin sisters arrived with Roswaal. With such a major disturbance occurring in the mansion, the master could hardly sit idly by. When Ram had come running to report that Gojo and Beatrice were fighting, even Roswaal was caught off guard.
"Lady Emilia, do you know what caused this?" Roswaal asked in his peculiar, rhythmic cadence upon arrival.
"I'm not entirely sure. I only heard Satoru mention something about a book..."
A book?
As the owner of a Tome of Wisdom himself, the first thing that crossed Roswaal's mind was the Tome held by Beatrice. The only thing that could make Beatrice this agitated was likely that very book.
Recalling Beatrice's Tome, Roswaal couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. No one knew better than he how Beatrice's heart had shifted over these several hundred years—how she had moved from hope to disappointment, and eventually, to despair. In that long stretch of waiting, the only thing she had left to cling to was that Tome of Wisdom, even if it no longer revealed any content.
But now, Gojo Satoru had destroyed it. It wasn't surprising at all that Beatrice had reacted this way.
"If it truly is as I suspect, this is quite a troublesome matter," Roswaal sighed, sounding somewhat helpless. "However, since he is a guest I invited, I cannot simply stand by and watch."
Roswaal took to the sky, flying toward Beatrice and Gojo.
"Beatrice, Gojo Satoru is my guest. There may be some misunderstanding between you, but I hope you can sit down and talk it over properly instead of—"
"Step aside, Roswaal!"
Beatrice waved her hand sharply, cutting him off. "This has nothing to do with you. He destroyed the only memento Mother left me. I will not let him off!"
Gojo scratched his head and flew directly behind Roswaal, using him as a shield. "But Beatrice, you were the one who told me to destroy it."
"That was different!" Beatrice glared at him.
In truth, she knew the primary cause lay with her. If she hadn't spoken those words with a hint of mischievous intent, Gojo wouldn't have done it. But the deed was done.
The destruction of the Tome meant she could no longer confirm if "That Person" would ever arrive. The last shred of hope for leaving the Forbidden Library was gone. To her, this was no different from being dead. She truly... truly...
As she thought about it, an invisible fear began to spread in her heart. Looking at Gojo and Roswaal, her eyes grew slightly red, though it was hard to see clearly in the glow of the setting sun.
"Beatrice, I am sorry this happened. But as I said before, Gojo Satoru is a guest of the Mathers family, and I must ensure his safety."
Standing behind Roswaal, Gojo's eyes flickered. Ensure safety? That was hard to say. However, looking at Beatrice, he keenly noticed the redness in her eyes and the swirling emotions deep within.
"I don't know what that book meant to you, or what you were thinking when you said those words earlier," Gojo's voice rang out from behind Roswaal. "Let's settle this privately, not here. It would be a headache for me if we trashed someone else's house while visiting. Roswaal, thanks for the offer, but let me handle this myself."
"But..." Roswaal frowned, appearing worried.
"It's fine. It started because of me, after all."
"I suppose there's no helping it then. Everyone is becoming so willful," Roswaal sighed with a shake of his head. "I shall wait for your return here. I hope nothing tragic occurs."
Roswaal's tone shifted instantly. Once Gojo made the suggestion, he agreed without much further persuasion or hesitation.
"Let's go, Beatrice."
Gojo gestured to her with his chin. After tossing Subaru a reassuring look, he and Beatrice flew away from the mansion, one after the other. They moved with extreme speed and were soon far from the estate.
"This should be far enough. How long do you plan on running? Or are you afraid your death will be too unsightly?" Beatrice spoke up, stop Gojo's movement.
"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about some things." Gojo came to a stop.
"Prepare yourself. Betty will not forgive you!"
With a wave of her hand, countless purple crystal arrows appeared in the sky. Yet, looking at her attack, Gojo felt no tension. This wasn't just because of his own strength or his Limitless technique; it was because he didn't sense a single shred of killing intent from Beatrice.
No matter how fierce her words or how grand the display, she lacked the heart to kill. It felt more like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Yes, I understand," Gojo said seriously, pulling down his sunglasses and looking at her.
In an instant, the crystal arrows shot toward him. But at the final moment, seeing Gojo standing there without a single defensive measure, the red-eyed Beatrice hesitated. That split second caused many of the arrows to veer off course, while others exploded before they even reached him.
Great booms echoed as the arrows detonated or slammed into the ground and forest. Thick dust billowed up, obscuring Gojo's figure. Beatrice stared at the smoke, her heart a void.
Was she angry? Certainly, seeing the Tome destroyed had sparked fury. But ultimately, it was her own words that had led to this. One could even say Gojo had done it to prove his trust in her. It was her own fault, yet she was taking her anger out on others.
In her daze, Beatrice felt hollow. Anger and blame seemed to vanish. Now that she had no future, what right did she have to blame anyone else?
"So... are you done being mad?"
As the dust settled, Gojo stood unharmed in mid-air, looking at Beatrice tentatively. Around him, an invisible barrier blocked everything; not even a speck of dust could touch him.
Seeing this, Beatrice realized the guy wasn't as defenseless as she had thought. The hollow feeling in her chest was immediately replaced by a fresh surge of emotion.
"Die!"
Following her shout, another sky full of arrows rained down on Gojo. While she didn't hold back as much as the first time, it was still more bark than bite. Gojo knew she was hurting and didn't intend to counter-attack. With his Limitless, it was virtually impossible for these attacks to harm him.
After enduring several rounds of bombardment, the sky finally went quiet. Seeing Beatrice stop, Gojo stepped forward, approaching the little girl who was radiating a low-pressure aura of total negativity.
"About the book... I'm sorry."
At Gojo's words, Beatrice reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "What does it have to do with you? Who asked for your apology? It was... it was Betty's own decision!"
Looking at the stubborn, tsundere little girl, Gojo thought for a moment. "So, you mean you forgive me?"
"Who said I forgive you?!" Beatrice snapped, her large eyes glaring at him as if questioning how he could be so shameless.
"You just said it was your own decision and had nothing to do with me."
"You...!" Beatrice was choked by his logic. She didn't know why—even though she had resolved to stop caring about everything—she felt a surge of irritation the moment she saw this man's face.
Gojo saw she was still fuming and pondered for a second. "How about you vent a bit more?"
Beatrice looked at him, not a speck of dust on his clothes, and lost the will to continue. To keep going would just be like a monkey jumping around for his amusement. Thinking this made her even angrier. She ignored him and flew back toward the mansion without a word.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Beatrice rushed back into the Forbidden Library and fell silent. The others came forward as Gojo returned.
"Satoru, you're okay—actually, looking at you, you don't look like you've had any trouble," Subaru said with a shake of his head.
Felt scrutinized him for a moment and, seeing he was fine, pouted. "As expected, still bullying little girls." Remembering Beatrice's face, Felt felt a sense of empathy, recalling her own "bullying" at Gojo's hands.
"It's a long story," Gojo said with a shrug, unable to easily explain.
"Is Beatrice alright?" Emilia asked softly, her voice laced with concern.
"Don't worry, Emilia. Satoru isn't a bad person," Felt chimed in. "I'm not sure what happened, but he'll handle it." She didn't argue further; Gojo wasn't an irresponsible person.
"Mr. Gojo, Lord Roswaal asks that you visit the study upon your return. He has something to discuss with you," Ram said, stepping forward.
"Looking for me? Got it." Gojo knew this would be about Beatrice.
"I will take you there now," Ram said, leading the way.
"Is it really okay?" Emilia asked hesitantly. "Should we go check on Beatrice?"
"Though I..." Subaru started to say he could find the door, but realized it was only their first day at the mansion and it might seem inappropriate. "I think we should help Rem. Isn't there a hole in the side wing? Satoru will handle the rest."
Emilia hesitated but nodded. Even if she wanted to comfort Beatrice, she couldn't find the door.
Meanwhile, Gojo arrived at the study.
"It seems you settled things peacefully?" Roswaal smiled as Gojo entered. He had watched them return from the window; neither looked injured.
"I wouldn't say settled," Gojo said, spreading his hands. "In fact, it's more of a headache now." If Beatrice had just let loose and vented, it would be fine, but her current state was clearly off.
Ram remained silent, poured Gojo a cup of tea, and left, closing the door behind her.
"It's only natural for Beatrice to react that way. After all..."
"It was a memento left by her mother," Gojo finished for him.
"That is only one aspect," Roswaal laughed. "It wasn't just a memento; it was her future, her hope, and everything she has yearned for over several hundred years. Would you like me to introduce you to Beatrice's story?"
Hearing the underlying meaning in Roswaal's tone, Gojo leaned back in his chair, finding a comfortable position.
"I'd appreciate that."
"This story begins several hundred years ago, involving Beatrice's mother—the former Witch of Greed, Echidna."