"And... what about Trisha? Where is the real Trisha?" Olga Marie asked, her voice trembling, her face on the verge of tears.
Everyone present more or less had an answer in their hearts regarding the fate of that attendant.
"..."
Seeing the fragile expression on the girl's face, none of the others knew what to say.
Even though she came from a Lord family, she was only about eleven years old. Moreover, the one who had disappeared was an attendant who had been by her side since her childhood.
"Why..."
As if finding her answer in everyone's silence, Olga Marie's breathing grew increasingly rapid.
She gasped for air, her breaths coming in large, ragged gulps as if she couldn't get enough.
The next moment, Olga Marie fell asleep.
Aesc had used magecraft.
"Habetrot, please look after her."
The tiny Habetrot gave a salute and wobbled off to wash a towel.
After checking that Olga Marie wasn't injured, Aesc began to treat Gray's wounds.
Lord El-Melloi II watched Gray with concern.
"T...Teacher."
It seemed that because Lord El-Melloi II was staring so intently, a shy Gray stubbornly refused to lift her clothes.
Thus, after receiving a fierce glare from Aesc, a chastened Lord El-Melloi II turned and went to inspect the crystal ball.
Aesc lifted Gray's clothes, revealing a footprint in the middle of her slender abdomen. The fair, tender skin had already turned a bluish-purple.
"I reinforced myself with magecraft during the fight, so it doesn't hurt much anymore. It should be fine, right?" Gray couldn't help but feel a bit worried as she looked at the footprint on her stomach.
It wouldn't be good if that Servant from earlier had secretly cast some spell.
"Mmm, it's nothing serious." Aesc's fingers gently traced over the footprint, and the bruise gradually faded. Gray's little stomach returned to its fair and tender state.
As her fingers withdrew, she gave a playful pinch to the soft flesh at Gray's waist.
This then earned her a super combo of consecutive punches from Gray.
As they playfully scuffled, the atmosphere in the room gradually began to lighten.
The tiny Habetrot came back, carefully holding a towel, and placed it on Olga Marie's head.
Having finished his inspection of the crystal ball, Lord El-Melloi II also let out a soft sigh of relief.
"This was my lapse," Aesc said, holding Gray's hand, her voice soft as she looked at Lord El-Melloi II. "I should have detected her disguise much earlier."
"No, I believe no one would have imagined that the attendant beside the daughter of the Lord of the Department of Astromancy was an imposter." Lord El-Melloi II was pondering the identity of that Servant.
Just as their conversation started, Olga Marie opened her eyes on the bed.
Holding the towel on her forehead, she slowly sat up. Having sorted her thoughts somewhat, she turned and got out of bed.
"Thank you, Lord El-Melloi II. I'll be returning now." She put on her shoes and socks and bowed to Lord El-Melloi II.
She didn't say anything like 'maybe Trisha is okay' or such.
Everyone knew that was impossible. This was the world of mages.
Olga Marie looked stubbornly at the people around her.
Her small face was pale, her legs trembled slightly, and her eyes were bloodshot.
Wasn't this just pure stubbornness?
Aesc stepped forward, took the towel from Olga Marie's hand, and led her to sit down.
Surprisingly, Olga Marie didn't react strongly to this action.
"If you still wish to achieve any results from this train, you should rest here for a while." Seeing Olga Marie's current state, Lord El-Melloi II spoke up.
After a moment of silence, Olga Marie looked up at Lord El-Melloi II. "Is this an attempt to use this incident to put the Animusphere family in your debt? It's not that I'm ungrateful."
"I have no such intention," Lord El-Melloi II gently shook his head.
"...Are you really a Lord?"
"Consider it a whim."
"...You should press your advantage. Even if the Animusphere family doesn't involve itself in political struggles, a Lord is still a Lord."
Olga Marie frowned, her tone forceful, almost angry. "Shouldn't you be imposing more favors on me right now? Isn't that how it's done?"
"Thank you for the guidance." Lord El-Melloi II bowed courteously, his manner utterly without sarcasm, genuinely respecting the girl's words.
"However, for me, this is a creed."
"A... creed?"
"When I was still immature, someone told me: Willing or not, you will eventually find your path. A time will come when you must fight for it."
Lord El-Melloi II looked up with a reminiscent smile. "Therefore, I cannot allow someone who hasn't yet found their direction to throw their life away for nothing."
"Was it the Servant you summoned in the Holy Grail War who told you that?"
"Yes."
Olga Marie glanced at Aesc.
"Wasn't me," Aesc whispered, leaning close to Olga Marie's ear.
"...What a strange person." Olga Marie tightly hugged a cushion, sat in a daze for a moment, then turned to look out the window.
A faint smile touched Aesc's lips as she raised her hand to gently stroke Olga Marie's head.
Olga Marie puffed out her cheeks in anger and pushed Aesc's hand away.
"Don't just..."
"Olga Marie is truly remarkable."
Her pushing stopped.
"To adjust so quickly after being attacked by a Servant is truly remarkable."
"To remain calm when something happens to a family member who grew up with you is truly remarkable."
Aesc's soft voice murmured by Olga Marie's ear.
"A lady's fragility is permitted. The time for a child to force a brave face has passed."
Olga Marie clenched her skirt, her small face lifted stubbornly, refusing to let the tears spill over.
"The remarkable Olga Marie, it's alright to rest now."
"Wah..."
Tears traced down her cheeks, the stubborn line of her mouth finally softening.
The strong-willed girl finally let her emotions go.
Aesc gently drew the girl into her embrace.
For a time, the room held only the soft sound of muffled sobs.
After composing herself, Olga Marie struggled free from Aesc's embrace.
"...I need to go back for a bit," the girl said, the corners of her eyes still red, her voice hoarse.
Just then, the train came to a stop.
"Gray, please look after her," Aesc nodded, then looked at Lord El-Melloi II, pointing outside the window to suggest they talk outside.
A train attendant was outside checking the corridor. Seeing Aesc and Lord El-Melloi II emerge, they showed no intention of approaching.
It seemed the passengers' battles were already considered commonplace.
Olga Marie remained inside the room, putting her appearance back in order.
Outside on the grassy field, many people had already set up tables and laid out food.
Aesc and Lord El-Melloi II stepped off the train, a gentle breeze brushing their faces.
"We'll go to the rendezvous tonight, though I don't know if the other party will still show," Aesc said bluntly to Lord El-Melloi II.
"Of course," Lord El-Melloi II inclined his head. "Having come this far, we must accept this invitation."
"Don't worry, nothing else will go wrong," Aesc revealed a confident smile. "Because I'll be taking action."
"Eeeek—!"
No sooner had she spoken than a girl's scream tore through the slightly relaxed atmosphere.
Aesc's confident smile froze on her face.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.