Hum—
Gazing at the sapphire-blue crystal that had lost the protection of thunder, Pandora's eyes resonated with it, emitting a beautiful sapphire glow. She slowly stepped forward, intending to reach out and touch it.
Tap...
But the person beside her caught her hand.
"...?"
She paused and slowly turned her head, a faint trace of confusion in her eyes.
"Be careful..."
Seeing her expression, the Shogun sighed helplessly and reminded her.
"...Mm, please rest assured."
Pandora smiled gently at her in reassurance.
"Haa..."
Just as the Shogun was about to release her, she felt her palm suddenly empty. Pandora's solid touch vanished instantly, replaced by a phantom-like transparency, as fragile as smoke about to disperse.
"...It seems time is almost up."
Yet Pandora herself showed no panic. From beginning to end, she had remained as calm as drifting clouds. Looking at her body, now nearly half transparent, she let out a soft sigh.
"...Are you alright? Your body..."
The Shogun looked at her with concern, reaching again for that translucent hand.
"Mm... it seems 'she' has decided to erase me completely. My magic is dissipating."
As if sensing her intention, Pandora raised her hand in response. Their palms met—only to pass through each other without the slightest resistance.
"...Are you leaving?"
Her expression dimmed slightly.
It was strange. They had known each other for less than a day, and yet she already felt reluctant to see her go.
"Then... does Miss Raiden wish for me to 'leave'~?"
Pandora asked unhurriedly, ignoring her increasingly transparent state.
"Don't say such sarcastic things. You know the answer, don't you?"
She replied coldly, exasperated.
"Mm~ Of course I know~ That is your answer~"
Pandora smiled at her fondly, then suddenly reached out and grasped the floating Heart of Sylvia in the distance.
Hum—
In an instant, a dazzling sapphire radiance burst outward from its core, scattering the clouds in the sky. A purifying glow spread across Pandora's entire body.
"...!"
The Shogun lifted her naginata to shield her eyes, narrowing them at the luminous figure before her.
When the light finally faded, only the intact girl remained. Her once-transparent limbs had returned to solid form. Yet unlike before, her entire body now emitted a pure, angelic glow. Raising both hands, she revealed the sapphire crystal resting in her palms. It resonated with her eyes, shining with the same clear sky-blue brilliance.
Hum—
As the surrounding glow was fully absorbed into the crystal, Pandora exhaled softly. Lifting her gaze to the violet-haired woman staring at her in a daze, she smiled faintly and stepped forward.
"Miss Raiden has already helped me so much... how could I possibly just leave like that? I certainly won't disappear before your eyes. After all, I have already given myself to you~"
Tilting her head slightly, Pandora smiled like an angel. Her silver-bell voice remained calm, yet now carried a hint of sweetness.
"Was all of this part of your plan? Even what happened to your body just now..."
She deliberately changed the subject.
"Mm. That is precisely why I sought you out. This crystal shares the same magical nature as my own. Keeping it with me ensures a stable supply of magic."
She lifted the crystal between her slender fingers, partially covering her right eye. Her left sapphire pupil mirrored the crystal's color exactly, the two resonating in unison.
Moreover, as mentioned before, the crystal also concealed the leakage of her magic, preventing the other 'her' from detecting her presence. It was truly a life-saving object she had to obtain. After all, without one's life, what future could there be?
Crackle!
She brought the girl with her, transforming once more into lightning and flashing back to the snow-covered plain, returning her to the original cave.
Pandora raised her hand and relit the oil lamp on the wall, then relaxed and sat back down at the edge of the bed. The crimson bloodstains remained, though now dried.
Looking at the sapphire crystal in her palm, she slipped it into a pocket hidden within her skirt. Dressed only in a thin one-piece dress without lining, the loose collar fell open for a brief second, revealing a fleeting glimpse of pale skin—though the curve left something to be desired. Much like her slender body, she was 'modest' in more ways than one.
"What do you plan to do next? Remain in this desolate place?"
The Shogun sat beside her and asked.
At some point, the wariness in her tone had disappeared. It now sounded like casual conversation between companions. Perhaps... they had grown familiar.
"I have not thought that far ahead. Perhaps... I will simply remain as I am. I will hide for as long as I can. Sometimes, one cannot control one's own fate. Just like me—held in 'her' palm, unable to escape."
Pandora folded her hands neatly over her thighs, her voice calm, as if narrating someone else's story. A faint longing shimmered in her blue eyes. Her presence was peculiar. No matter how restless one felt, sitting beside her inevitably brought a quiet calm.
"..."
She silently studied the girl's doll-like profile.
"And you, Miss Raiden? Have you ever felt that way?"
Pandora turned to her.
"Me? Haa... I once did. But not anymore."
She shook her head.
"Hehe~ I see. After all, you are so gentle. Surely many people love you."
Pandora reached out and gently stroked the Shogun's hair, her eyes filled with watery tenderness.
Her fingers were cold—not like Ayaka's coolness, but a thin, desolate chill. Almost piercing.
"...Would you like to come with me?"
The Shogun asked after a long moment of thought.
"Mm? Go where?"
Pandora blinked.
"Stay by my side. It must be better than suffering in a place like this."
She said quietly.
"You truly are gentle, Miss Raiden. But my existence may bring you trouble."
After all, she was the Witch of Vainglory. In this world, witches were despised.
"Haa... As long as you behave yourself, I doubt you will cause me trouble."
The Shogun smiled faintly.
"For example..."
Pandora's lips curved playfully.
"Mind your mouth."
The Shogun answered.
"Pfft... How blunt. Aren't you afraid of hurting my feelings~?"
Pandora laughed.
"If only you were the thin-skinned type."
She retorted smoothly, reaching out to tap Pandora lightly on the forehead.
Unexpectedly, Pandora caught her fingers and hand, sliding along her arm to wrap both arms around her waist, burying her face against her chest and leaning into her silently.
"..."
The sudden closeness froze her in place. That slender body carried a unique fragrance, causing her to avert her gaze shyly as warmth rose to her cheeks.
"This is the beating of a heart. A warm heart. Body temperature... like a dream one cannot bear to leave. To sink into it and never escape."
Pandora murmured softly, as though reciting poetry.
"Have I met you too late?"
The girl lifted her eyes to meet hers. Within those tranquil pupils shimmered gentle light.
"Nonsense. It is not 'too late.' It is 'just in time.'"
She embraced Pandora in return, smoothing her long hair as she whispered.
"Are you certain? That you wish for me to remain by your side, Miss Raiden...?"
Pandora asked again, her tone rare in its seriousness.
"Mm... Are you willing?"
She replied.
"Of course... I could not wish for anything more~"
The girl smiled sweetly, then leaned to her ear and whispered something softly.
...
In the blink of an eye, they returned to the second-floor balcony of the Mathers mansion. It was still the quiet darkness of early dawn, as though everything that had happened had been nothing more than a dream.
Because they had been seated before, upon returning they found themselves sitting on the ground in an embrace. The Shogun remained kneeling in an awkward posture, still holding Pandora in her arms.
For a moment, the air was filled with indescribable embarrassment.
...
"Damn it!! Why is she gone?!"
Boom!!
With the man's furious roar, the entire wall before him instantly turned to ashes, erupting into a cloud of dust.
"Damn it!!"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. With a wave of his hand, he flung the dust like bullets.
Boom!
The opposite wall was blasted into something resembling a honeycomb of holes.
"Tch... slipping away while I wasn't paying attention! That little brat!!"
Crack.
He strode into the cell and kicked the iron door to pieces, then spat on the ground, his face twisted beyond recognition.
Within this dim church, only his impatient roars echoed. He showed no regard for the sacred atmosphere, wreaking destruction without restraint.
The owner of that voice was a young man with white hair and pale skin. He wore a simple shirt and trousers, with a blue teardrop-shaped ornament hanging from his right ear. His features were proper but unremarkable. If mixed into a crowd, he would undoubtedly be easily overlooked.
"Always playing your little tricks in front of me! If I catch you, I'll kill you a hundred times over!"
He ground his teeth as he stared at the four loosened shackles, dried bloodstains still marking the floor where the prisoner had once been restrained.
"...How am I supposed to explain this to that person now? Damn it... all she does is cause me trouble!"
He paced back and forth uneasily, occasionally kicking the iron bars of the cage. Several harsh metallic clashes echoed through the space.
Tap... tap...
At that moment, delicate footsteps sounded behind him. Though light, the sound made his heart tighten instinctively.
"So she did manage to escape..."
A voice as delicate as silver bells filled the space with ethereal clarity. Yet beneath that airy tone lay a chilling coldness that drew a thin sheen of sweat across his brow.
"!"
He immediately turned around and saw someone identical in appearance to the girl who had escaped.
The Witch of Vainglory—Pandora.
"Archbishop Cornelius, you were the one responsible for watching her, weren't you?"
Pandora stepped gradually out of the shadows. Half her face remained obscured in darkness, lending her an unmistakable chill.
"...! I—I!"
Archbishop Cornelius stammered, unable to find an excuse.
"And yet, you allowed her to escape. Although I knew she would one day slip away through your negligence... you seem to have been even more... efficient than I expected."
Her tone carried unmistakable mockery. Though her expression remained calm, even faintly smiling, he understood better than anyone what lay beneath it.
"Are you being unreasonable?! You were the one who handed her over to me! And you knew better than anyone what she's like! You already knew she'd escape someday, and now you're blaming me?!"
Besides, it wasn't as if she didn't know how troublesome that girl was. He had done his utmost to guard her, hadn't he?!
"You share responsibility in this! Don't pin it all on me!"
Archbishop Cornelius roared at the girl before him.
"Hehe..."
The girl merely laughed softly. Then she stepped fully out of the shadows, revealing her doll-like, exquisite face. She walked into the shattered cell and cast a casual glance around.
"She cannot alter the causality I imposed upon her. Therefore, she could not have used her Authority to walk out of this cage. Which means..."
She cast a sidelong glance at the pale-faced man beside her. He instinctively stepped back.
"She opened the door through ordinary means. Where was the key before?"
She asked.
"...O-on me!"
Archbishop Cornelius answered loudly, awkwardly.
"Then this is still your dereliction of duty, Archbishop Cornelius."
Pandora turned and walked away, leaving behind her cold rebuke.
"Uh... I—"
"I once told you, did I not? She is no fool. She is far sharper than your solid brain. Though she separated from me and her Authority is incomplete, her mind is identical to mine. Even without using her Authority, she can run circles around you."
"You—!!"
Unable to endure her sarcasm, he clenched his fists.
"You should have engraved my words into your heart. Yet you did not. Worse still, through your incorrigible arrogance and sloth, you allowed her to escape right under your nose. And now I cannot even trace her magic."
Pandora's voice gradually grew colder.
"I—"
"I have grown accustomed to your incompetence, yet each time you somehow manage to lower the threshold of my disappointment~"
Her merciless mockery, combined with that placid expression, further provoked the man before her.
"Shut up! You bastard!!!!"
Whoosh—!!
Archbishop Cornelius flung the gravel from the ground like bullets toward Pandora.
Splurt!
Under the torrent of sand and stone, the girl's body instantly burst apart. Blood and organs splattered outward, her corpse shattered beyond recognition.
"How many times have I told you?! Don't interrupt me! You dare humiliate me like this, you wretched woman!!"
His face twisted grotesquely as he trembled with rage, bloodshot veins visible in his eyes. However—
"And yet, I am not unreasonable. Your violence, your offense... I forgive them all."
Before he could react, Pandora's voice echoed beside his ear like a spell.
"!!!"
He hurled another wave of sand at her.
Splurt!
The girl once again dissolved into a spray of blood.
"This will be your opportunity to atone. So... do try harder in the future, Archbishop Cornelius."
Before the blood even touched the ground, Pandora's voice rang out again. This time she stepped from the corner's shadow, her speech uninterrupted.
"I said shut up—!!!! You—!!"
Splurt! ×N
Archbishop Cornelius stared wide-eyed, frantically scattering dust in all directions. Pandora's body was destroyed again and again, yet each time a new one appeared, as if endless.
"Since she has escaped, your assignment is temporarily revoked. You may return."
This time Pandora descended lightly from above, landing gracefully with a serene smile. In the blink of an eye, she appeared directly above Archbishop Cornelius and gently placed her palm atop his head.
Bang!
After a thunderous crash—
"...!!"
When he came back to his senses, he realized his body was restrained. Looking down in disbelief, he found himself buried in the earth like a plant, only his head left exposed.
Watching his ridiculous posture, Pandora's lips curved into a faint smile. She withdrew her hand from his head and looked down at his twisted expression from above.
"What?! You were the one who mocked me first! And now you're telling me to go back?! You really don't take me seriously at all, you damn woman!"
He shouted up at her.
"Is that so? Then I shall do it myself."
Pandora gazed at him calmly, completely ignoring his rant, and spoke:
"Archbishop Cornelius should not be here..."
"!!"
At the beginning of that sentence, cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"...He should be in his own room, surrounded by his 'wives,' basking in the warmth of their 'love.'"
"Wait—"
...
His shout was abruptly cut off. As though he had never existed in that place, he vanished completely, leaving not even an echo behind.
"..."
Pandora silently walked back into the cell and looked at the dried pool of blood on the ground. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward.
"It seems you've already found someone to rely on... In that case, you had better not appear before me again, Pandora~"
Hum—
In the next second, the girl vanished from the spot.