After greeting Arifureta and the others, Eriri stood up and, together with Shizuka Marikawa, headed toward the villa's garage.
Before long, the two arrived at a massive garage spanning over a thousand square meters, filled with cars of every brand and type.
There were regular sedans, SUVs, and business cars—but most were sleek, elegant sports cars.
All of them shared one common trait: not a single one cost less than fifty million yen.
None of these vehicles had been modified by Eriri; they were simply luxury cars in their original form.
They were mainly provided for the maids in the villa for daily use. Of course, besides the maids, others also used these unmodified cars—Shizuka Marikawa being one of them.
Aside from her, the one who used them most often was Irisviel.
For the car-loving Irisviel, it was common for her to pick a different model every time she went for a drive. In fact, every sports car in the garage had been taken out for a spin by her at least once.
Shizuka Marikawa led Eriri with practiced familiarity to a white Ferrari sports car. Without a word, both opened the doors and slipped into the driver and passenger seats.
...
On the way to school, Eriri sat in the passenger seat, chatting casually with Shizuka Marikawa.
"Shizuka, how's the world reconstruction going over there?"
"It's pretty much back to normal! After all, it's been almost two years now~"
Shizuka laughed cheerfully as she glanced at Eriri, then quickly turned her gaze back to the road ahead.
Though, with her current ability, she could easily drive without even looking.
"Yeah, two years already. Time really flies."
Even though time was something Eriri could freely manipulate, experiencing two full years pass firsthand still filled her with a strange sense of nostalgia.
Compared to her past sixteen years, the last two had been far too eventful—she had traveled through dozens of worlds.
Not to mention, she had gained over a hundred close family members during that time.
Still, Eriri merely sighed softly before smiling sweetly again and resuming her light conversation with Shizuka.
Before long, ten-odd minutes passed, and Shizuka parked the sports car in Toyogasaki Academy's parking lot under the casual gazes of students already used to seeing such scenes.
However, when Eriri stepped out from the passenger seat, it still caused quite a stir among the students nearby.
After all, no matter the time or place, Eriri was always the center of attention.
...
Time passed quickly, and another week soon went by.
During that week, the chat group once again refreshed its designated invitation slot.
Unfortunately, Ruri Gokou failed to grab it yet again.
This time, the invitation ended up in the hands of Kanae Kocho, making Kanao Tsuyuri the twenty-fifth new member invited into the group.
It wasn't long until Toyogasaki Academy's winter break.
However, instead of spending the last week before the break at school with Arifureta and the others, Eriri had gone to the Re:Zero world.
The reason was simple—she had received an invitation from Echidna the previous day.
It had been a full year since Echidna joined the chat group, and she had grown from Level 3, Stage 9 to Level 5, Stage 5.
In the Re:Zero world, there was no longer any being capable of threatening her—not even the Witch of Envy, Satella, who in the original timeline would have devoured half the world.
Echidna's invitation to Eriri had nothing to do with fighting enemies; she simply wanted Eriri to visit, to witness the moment she created artificial spirits.
Yes—Echidna was about to create Puck and Beatrice ahead of time.
...
Inside a secluded ancient castle far from the bustling cities, Eriri—who had just arrived in this world—was now standing beside Echidna in the castle's workshop.
Although Echidna held the grand ideal of creating a world where everyone could truly understand each other, she herself was still only sixteen years old.
However, due to the experiences she had gone through and the influence of the Tome of Wisdom, she possessed extraordinary intellect—her demeanor was nothing like that of an ordinary teenage girl.
A person with such an ideal was undoubtedly both kind and wise, and despite carrying the Witch Factor of Greed within her, she showed no signs of corruption.
In the original timeline, the reason she eventually became so twisted must have been due to numerous external causes.
Now, with the help of the chat group, the Witch Factor of Greed could no longer influence her at all. Moreover, with Eriri and the others by her side, there was no chance her personality would ever take such a dark turn in the future.
Before Eriri's arrival, Echidna had already completed all preparations necessary to create artificial spirits. She was merely waiting for Eriri to arrive so she could begin the process immediately.
Just as she was about to begin creating the first great spirit, Eriri suddenly spoke, stopping her movements.
"Echidna, what form are you planning to give Puck? The same as in the original timeline?"
"That's right. I don't intend to change its appearance or attributes. As for its power level... I can only do my best with my current ability."
Echidna nodded, her face filled with anticipation at the thought of seeing Puck and Beatrice come to life.
To her, any life she created was like her own child. When she had seen Puck and Beatrice through the memory visions, she had already grown fond of them.
That was precisely why she wanted to create them ahead of time.
"That won't do."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Echidna blinked in confusion, unsure why Eriri would say such a thing.
"I think it'd be better if Puck's gender were set to female. What do you think?"
Eriri smiled as she spoke. Though her tone sounded like a suggestion, it carried an unquestionable certainty.
Hearing Eriri's words, Echidna instantly understood the reason.
After a year of knowing each other, she had come to understand Eriri quite well. She would often visit the Saekano world just to spend time with her.
She knew that Eriri didn't like having males around her—regardless of whether they were human or animal—so she immediately nodded in understanding.
"Alright, I understand. I'll make Puck female, and from now on, she'll be Beatrice's big sister."
"Now that's better."
Eriri nodded in satisfaction.
Echidna smiled softly in response, then without any further hesitation, she began the process of creating the artificial spirit.
In an instant, a brilliant magic circle appeared around her. Dazzling light illuminated the entire workshop, and an immense surge of mana began to converge within it.
Thanks to the enhancements provided by the chat group, Echidna's current ability far surpassed that of her future self. Thus, the creation of an artificial great spirit posed no difficulty for her.
After some time, as the magic continued to operate, a feline-shaped artificial being gradually took form in Echidna's hands.
Even before its creation was complete, the creature's body was already radiating a strong fire-elemental aura, which grew increasingly powerful by the second.
Watching Puck's imminent birth, a bright smile spread across Echidna's beautiful face, making her already exquisite features even more radiant.
At that moment, Eriri suddenly extended her right hand toward the nearly completed Puck and lightly pointed a finger. A stream of cosmic energy surged forth under her control, flooding into Puck's body.
Instantly, Puck's aura intensified severalfold.
If before, Puck's power had been at the peak of Level 3 and on the verge of Level 4, then now her aura had risen to the Level 5 range—only slightly below Echidna herself.
Echidna, of course, noticed Eriri's intervention, but she didn't feel even the slightest hint of displeasure. On the contrary, she was deeply grateful for the assistance.
After all, if her child could become stronger, it was something she could only welcome with joy.
Once the strand of cosmic energy had fully merged with Puck's body, the creation was finally complete. Echidna then dispelled all her active magic.
"This is... Puck?"
Staring at the feline spirit before her, Echidna's lips parted slightly in astonishment.
The artificial spirit's creation had succeeded, and its appearance was almost identical to the Puck from her memory visions—save for one unexpected detail.
Puck's fur wasn't the same color as in her memories. Instead of the usual hue, it had turned pink, and her facial features had become even cuter and more delicate than before.
Echidna clearly remembered crafting the spirit exactly according to the image in her memory, and up until the very last stage, the coloration had remained as expected.
Yet somehow, after completion, the coloration had suddenly changed.
The only one capable of such a spontaneous modification... was Eriri.
As Echidna instinctively turned to look at her, Eriri's amused voice sounded beside her.
"So? What do you think, Echidna? Isn't a pink kitty adorable?"
"Mhm, it's actually quite beautiful," Echidna admitted with a soft smile.
She had no complaints about the change in color—on the contrary, she thought the new look was even more charming and adorable than before.
In her mind, there was only one thought—well done!
At that moment, the fire-elemental great spirit—whose existence had already deviated from the original timeline—finally opened her slightly dazed eyes. A pair of sapphire-blue pupils gleamed as she looked at Eriri and Echidna.
The next second, memories from deep within her soul surfaced, filling her mind with instant understanding.
She now knew about her own power, her race, her name... and the two mothers who had given her life.
"Mother!"
A bright, bell-like girl's voice came from Puck's mouth as she spread her little paws and leaped—not toward Echidna, but toward Eriri standing behind her.
Seeing this, Eriri didn't hesitate and opened her arms to catch the pouncing Puck.
"Good girl," Eriri said warmly.
Echidna froze mid-motion, her hands still half-extended to receive her child. A moment later, she turned stiffly toward the sight of Puck snuggling into Eriri's embrace like a spoiled little girl, three large question marks practically floating above her head.
Though she didn't mind Puck acknowledging Eriri as a mother as well, wasn't it a bit much for her to skip over her own creator entirely?
Pouting slightly, she walked up to Eriri and tapped Puck's head with her slender finger.
"Hey now, little one. I'm the one who made you, you know. Aren't you even a little worried that I might be sad?"
Feeling the gentle touch atop her head, Puck looked up from Eriri's arms, her cute feline face forming a human-like smile.
"Hehe, you're my mother too! And besides, I know Mother isn't really angry~"
"Hmph, such a smooth talker!"
Echidna pinched Puck's fluffy cheeks, a fond smile naturally appearing on her face.
"Hehe, Mother, hug~!"
With a playful giggle, Puck wriggled free from Eriri's arms and leaped straight into Echidna's embrace.
Just like that, after some affectionate play and chatter, over an hour quietly passed.
Since it was still early, Echidna decided to take advantage of the momentum and proceed with creating Beatrice as well.
Standing at the center of the workshop, she summoned a large array of magic circles around her, while Eriri held Puck a few meters away, watching.
The process unfolded just like before. After some time and the consumption of vast amounts of rare materials, Beatrice's petite figure gradually took shape in the workshop.
As she had done with Puck, Eriri extended her hand and infused a wisp of cosmic energy into Beatrice's body.
This time, however, she didn't alter Beatrice's appearance, so when the creation was complete, she looked exactly as she did in the memory visions.
Twin golden drill-shaped ponytails, an ornate frilled dress, a dainty height of only 140 centimeters, and an irresistibly cute, doll-like face.
Her power, just like Puck's, had already reached the realm of Level 5.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven