"That asshole Olba!"
Emerada gritted her teeth in frustration.
She was stuck here, unable to pass on the most critical intel to Emilia.
Emilia was all alone in that unfamiliar world—
and still had to face Olba and Lucifer's twisted scheme.
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she got.
Her emerald-green eyes were filled with worry and helplessness.
Then—a voice she'd never forget, one she'd dreamed of hearing again, rang out quietly behind her, trembling ever so slightly:
"Emerada…"
Her body went stiff on the spot.
No way. Was she just hearing things?
Or had the stress finally pushed her into hallucinating?
"That voice… no way…"
She slowly—painfully slowly—lifted her head and turned around.
Under soft lighting, three figures stood quietly at the door.
At the front was the one she'd been worried sick about—Emilia Justina.
Silver hair flowing like a waterfall, radiant silver armor, and the holy sword on her back glowing with intense, pure power.
Her crystal-clear eyes shimmered with a mix of joy, disbelief, and something far more complicated.
Standing beside her was Suzuno Kamazuki, dressed in her sharp, formal auditor's uniform, face stern and serious.
Emerada recognized her instantly.
She was the Inspection Bureau's no-nonsense chief enforcer—by the book, no exceptions.
What the hell was she doing with Emilia?
And then there was the man standing a step behind them—dark hair, blue eyes, ridiculously good-looking, dressed… oddly.
But it wasn't his looks that made Emerada uneasy.
There was something off about him. Deeply off.
He was just standing there casually, but she, a former top-tier mage, felt a chill run down to her soul.
He was like a living black hole.
The sacred energy and magic that filled Ente Isla seemed to go still around him—gentle, almost reverent—then just… vanished. Swallowed up without a trace. Transformed.
She'd never felt a presence this terrifying.
Emerada blinked once, then again, harder.
She pinched the inside of her arm.
"Ow—!"
Yep. That hurt.
This wasn't a dream.
Or a hallucination.
"E-Emilia? Is it really you?"
Emerada jumped to her feet, her chair screeching loudly against the floor.
Her green eyes widened in disbelief and wild joy—like a bunny caught between shock and glee.
She ran straight to Emilia, grabbing her by the arms, voice cracking with emotion:
"You're back! How? How did you even get back?! Olba—what about Olba?!"
"Emerada!"
Emilia gripped her arms back, her eyes instantly welling up.
"I'm back. I'm okay—don't worry."
"I know everything now. About Olba's plot."
She nodded firmly, her voice burning with anger.
"He and Lucifer were working together. They tried to trap me and the Demon King in that world, but…"
She stepped to the side, her eyes locking on the man behind her with total trust.
"Rei Ao caught them. I came back with him to take care of the rot in the Church—once and for all."
"Rei Ao…?"
Emerada's eyes snapped to the man, now full of caution and disbelief.
This guy.
She remembered the name. The man who'd been with Emilia the last time she made contact.
She studied him closely—
—and the more she looked, the more her instincts screamed.
To her magical senses, Rei Ao felt like a cosmic singularity.
He stood right there, but everything about him clashed with reality.
There were no energy waves coming off him, but somehow, she could feel the flow of holy magic and power being gently drawn into him like a tide.
Calm. Unstoppable.
He wasn't a person—he was an entire universe.
The sheer depth of power was unlike anything she'd ever witnessed—ancient dragons, gods—none of them even came close.
"Nice to meet you, Emerada Edward-san."
Rei Ao, clearly aware of her stare, smiled warmly and spoke politely.
"I'm Rei Ao—Emilia's husband."
He dropped the bomb with absolute calm.
"…H-HUSBAND?!"
Emerada and Suzuno blurted out at the exact same time!
They both stared, eyes wide, looking back and forth between Rei Ao and Emilia, expressions completely blown away.
This was the first time Emerada had even heard of this.
As far as she knew, Emilia had always been laser-focused on defeating the Demon King. She didn't have time for romance, let alone—
She'd only been in the other world for how long?!
And now she was… married?
To a guy this powerful and mysterious?
Suzuno had suspected something was up between them—but this?
And Emilia confirmed it herself?
It hit as hard as when Suzuno discovered the corruption festering inside the Church.
"U-Uhh…"
Emilia's cheeks flushed bright red.
Under their shocked stares, she shyly lowered her head and murmured in a tiny voice:
"Y-Yeah… it's true. Rei Ao helped me a lot… back in that world."
Her voice trailed off, soft and bashful like a girl with a secret crush.
Seeing her like that—
Emerada and Crestia both froze in shock for different reasons.
Emerada's expression screamed "My sweet girl just got stolen."
Crestia's was more like "What the hell is this guy?!"
"Ahem!"
Emilia cleared her throat loudly, trying to shake off the awkwardness.
"Okay, okay, we can catch up later—right now, the Church comes first!"
Her face was still red, but her tone had shifted.
"Olba might be in custody, but the Church is still full of corruption. We have to tear it out from the roots."
Emerada quickly snapped back into mission mode, her eyes narrowing.
"Exactly."
"Olba was just the start. There are still plenty of his allies—and other parasites just like him—inside the Church. We're burning them out. Every last one."