My body felt light.
Those were the first words that crossed my mind when I opened my eyes.
I pushed myself up and took in my surroundings.
Just a moment ago—maybe five minutes back—I had been on the verge of death.
I tested my hands; they moved without issue.
It felt as though I had been completely released from all pain.
In fact, I hadn't felt this good in a long time.
"O-Oh, you're awake, are you?"
I turned toward the voice.
Standing there was a stuffed animal-shaped... huh?
"The poison's been neutralized. I fixed up all your busted cells too, you know."
Some weird little critter was talking.
Was it supposed to be a hamster with a squirrel's tail?
It stood on two short legs, sporting a blue bowler hat and a blue cape.
There was even a bowtie fastened at its chest.
It looked like a familiar straight out of the pages of an old fairy tale.
"You're good to move around now."
Its baby talk aside, the thing was far too sophisticated to be an alchemical automaton. I couldn't even begin to fathom the mechanics behind whatever was standing before me.
"...Did you... save me...?"
"Yep. Lou treated you. You'd better be grateful, you know."
We were holding a perfectly normal conversation.
It didn't feel like a remotely operated puppet, either.
"Well then, Lou is taking off now."
"Huh? Ah, wa—"
I hooked my fingers around what could loosely be called the shoulder of the stuffed creature... of the thing that called itself Lou. Its limbs were stubby, and the whole body was about the size of a small dog. Its tail, on the other hand, was larger than the rest of its torso.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Ah, no..."
I had stopped it on reflex.
No, this was the right call.
After all, this "Lou" thing might have just saved my life.
"Lou has things to do now, you know. I'm going to announce Lou's revival to the world and get showered with praise. It's totally gonna go super viral on Insta, you know."
"Huh?"
A sentient stuffed animal was jarring enough, but that last line threw me for a complete loop.
"H-Hold on a second. What did you just say?"
"Hm? What's your problem? Don't go pawing at Lou's fluffy body so casually, you know. Beat it."
"No, I mean, that's not vocabulary from this world, is it? Where'd you learn that?"
Lou froze.
Its large, round eyes locked onto mine.
"Are you... Asterism?"
Now I was entirely lost.
"Aste... what?"
As I cocked my head, Lou's mood instantly flipped, and it burst into hearty laughter.
"Kyah-kyah-kyah! That was just Lou's mistake, you know! Feel free to forget it!"
Man, I really can't get a read on this creature.
Maybe it's safer not to get involved.
"By the way, what year is it right now? Looks like I overslept a bit, so Lou's got some jet lag, you know."
"The year? It's June of the year 2026 of the Dragon King Calendar."
"..."
Lou went silent again.
Only this time, the silence carried a very different weight.
"Is that so. Well, either way, Lou will take leave here."
Lou spun on its heels and waddled away, its stubby little feet making strange, squishy sounds against the ground.
And that was when she appeared.
"It seems... the antidote was unnecessary after all."
The moment I saw her, a brief wave of relief washed over me.
That was how uncannily identical she looked.
To Filiestra Adinson, who had just been taken away.
The one Zectromeo had called No. 206 was standing right there before me.
"You..."
As I tensed and threw up my guard, she raised both hands with a completely blank expression.
"I bear no hostility. Will you hear me out?"
I'd had more than my fill of talk just moments ago.
And look where that got me... Wait, right. The situation was rushing back to me.
First, I need to get word of what happened to Amae-san or someone and call for backup.
"Hm?"
Before I knew it, Lou was repeatedly poking at my leg.
"What's up? Uh, Lou?"
"Who's that? That one over there?"
Lou tugged at the hem of my trousers, pointing toward the woman. Its voice sounded noticeably stiff.
"What do you mean, who..."
How was I supposed to explain her?
Besides, even if I explained it to this thing—
"Why is there an isotope of Anastatia here? Explain yourself."
Lou's sharp demand threw me into even deeper confusion.
I didn't understand this creature in the slightest, but it clearly knew something about the situation.
Just what the hell was it?
"Do you know each other?"
The woman identical to Philie-san gave a quiet shake of her head.
So you don't know it either, huh.
Things are getting messier by the second.
"Tch... Lou changed its mind, you know! Hey, you!"
"It's Brendan."
"Brendan! Is this Dravena!?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Explain what's going on! Knowing you lot, you're definitely up to no good again, you know!"
The one who answered Lou's demand before I could was the woman.
"Allow me to explain."
"Why you? You're the enemy, aren't you?"
"I am not an enemy."
I couldn't buy it.
The stuffed animal that saved my life was far more trustworthy than her.
"You're the one who backed Philie-san into a corner."
"That was the arrangement. I had no right of refusal. As you heard back there, I have already been slated for disposal. Even before that, from the moment I gained awareness, I held no attachment to Löwenthal."
Wearing Philie-san's exact face, yet speaking with a cold detachment completely unlike her, the woman went on.
"I wish to save Lady Filiestra and put an end to Zectromeo's outrages. To achieve that, I require the strength of Lord Walker, an imperial mage under direct state administration. Please, I humbly beg for your assistance."
She bowed deeply.
It felt far too rehearsed and mechanical to be convincing.
Still, going by her tone, this wasn't an impulse that had just crossed her mind five minutes ago.
"...Do you know where she is?"
"Yes. I will guide you and explain everything along the way. What Lady Filiestra and I truly are. And what Zectromeo intends to do with her. I entrust all of it to you."
Her speech patterns were entirely different, but seeing Philie-san's face say those things made me sick to my stomach.
Whatever.
I'll take her words with a grain of salt.
If she ends up betraying me, that's fine too.
It just means I won't have to show any mercy next time.
"Hey, you! You'd better explain it all to Lou in detail too, you know!"
"Of course. To you as well, Lady Lou."