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The Downing Trading Company—one of the continent’s preeminent mercantile organizations—maintained its headquarters in the capital of the Hitia Duchy.
Within one of the building's private rooms, Shion lay in a deep, silent slumber.
Her attendant, Teruche, sat by her side, unusually wearing a pair of spectacles as she tended to her mistress.
“How is Shion doing?”
As Teruche sat in the bedside chair, watching Shion’s sleeping face, a voice echoed directly into her mind.
Through the lenses of her glasses—crafted from Seirei Eyes—Teruche’s vision locked onto the owner of the voice: Titania.
“There is no change; she remains asleep. Though, shouldn't you be more knowledgeable about her condition than I? The Fairy Queen is supposed to be able to see the future, is she not?”
Teruche answered with a small shake of her head before throwing a question back at the spirit.
“It’s true that I can see the future to a certain degree. However, this girl has become a Transcendent. She has already moved beyond the scope of what I can perceive... She wielded magic on a scale that interfered with the entire world immediately after touching the ‘Outside.’ She must have pushed herself to the absolute limit. Even I cannot begin to guess when she’ll wake up.”
At the beginning of this year, Amunzaas had launched a large-scale operation.
Based on information provided by Titania, the plan involved simultaneous, multi-pronged raids on Cyclamen Cult bases across the continent.
On the western side, the operation had proceeded largely as planned. The Cult only had two executives stationed there—the "Guide" and the "Doctor"—and their forces were preoccupied with the war between the Nohitant Kingdom and the Saubel Empire.
Conversely, the eastern front faced obstruction from one of the Cult's executives, "The War Ogre," leading to significant casualties even on the Amunzaas side.
In the midst of that chaos, Shion had conducted a solo raid on a "Farm," a location believed to be a vital stronghold for the Cult. There, she had been forced into a confrontation with a "Mana-eater" Majin—a creature that could be described as her natural enemy.
During that battle, Shion had touched the "Outside the Principles of Magic," ascending to the status of a Transcendent.
However, the act of touching the "Outside" had cast her into a vast sea of information. Between that mental strain and the physical tax of interfering with the world’s mana on a global scale, Shion had reached her breaking point and lost consciousness.
Teruche, who had been executing a separate mission nearby, finished her task immediately and rushed to Shion's side. Finding her collapsed on the ground, Teruche had transported her back to the Hitia Duchy.
Shion had not opened her eyes since.
“Was this development also according to your ‘expectations’?” Teruche asked, her gaze sharpening as she stared at Titania.
“That is a misunderstanding. It’s true that Shion’s ability has become the single greatest variable in his plan. However, both he and I moved forward on the premise that Shion would eventually intervene. I ask that you believe at least that much.”
“I see. If that is the case, then very well.”
“...I’m surprised. I expected you to be much angrier.”
Titania did not know Teruche particularly well, but she understood that the woman prioritized Shion above all else. She had expected Teruche to press the issue much more aggressively.
“If this was the path Lady Shion chose for herself, then I will simply respect her choice. That being said, I will show no mercy to anyone who dares to object to her decision.”
“...I see. I once had a master as well, so I suppose I understand your feelings a little. It is for that very reason that I will never forgive those humans who seek to deny the world my master chose. Even if it costs me my very existence, I will cast them into the depths of hell.”
Usually, Titania maintained a superficial emotional front, rarely revealing her true intentions.
But as she spoke those words, they were heavy with genuine, raw emotion.