Hikaru smiled awkwardly from the side.
The black hand behind the Spirit World's fracturing…
Indeed, Hikaru had always kept this matter in mind, yet had never uncovered even a hint of a lead.
He had tried asking Light of Ruin, whether it had any connection to this affair, but It had calmly informed him that the entity responsible for splitting the Spirit World was absolutely someone else entirely, and in all likelihood had no connection to the human world whatsoever, being some primordial, native existence from within the Spirit World itself.
This left Hikaru in a bind.
After all, the Spirit World was not some "single planet" or "single world." What people called the Spirit World was vastly larger than any "planet" in human comprehension, it even surpassed what humans conventionally understood as the universe.
Chaos Warriors, for instance, possessed the power to recreate chaos and birth entire universes. A single Spirit World was incomparably, incomprehensibly larger than anything in the human frame of reference.
Under such circumstances, if some "primordial" spirit suddenly decided to stir up trouble, to suddenly desire the destruction of the world, that was simply not something he could deduce through imagination alone.
Setting aside practical considerations, each and every one of these "Archetype"-level spirits was a world-ending, heaven-shattering force in their own right.
Just like the Witchcrafter Madame Verre standing before him now.
Though she was not a true original in the way the "Primordial Chaos Warrior" was within the warrior domain, how great the difference truly was between her and the original, that was difficult to say.
Yet, she was clearly still quite different from the archetype in many respects.
On one hand, though she slacked off and goofed around, she was evidently not someone who truly did nothing. When a real problem arose, she was quite responsible. On the other hand, while she would indeed handle things seriously when needed, the moment someone else could do the work in her place, she would immediately drop everything and do absolutely nothing.
Why else would she say something like "maybe I can finally sleep in every day."
Somewhat decent, but not by much. Still a deadbeat spirit.
In any case, after learning from Verre about the many trials and hardships the Spirit World faced, the dangers unknown to ordinary spirits, and even the coordinates of several "hazardous dimensions," Hikaru bid farewell and prepared to leave.
He hadn't gone far after departing when he suddenly felt the card case at his hip light up with a faint glow.
Somewhat surprised, he opened the case.
On the other side, Verre had been slumped across the workshop table for a long while when she suddenly called out: "Haine? Haine?"
But no matter how many times she called, there was no response, and a faint, uneasy feeling began to creep over her.
Bang
Suddenly, the workshop door was flung wide open, and two girls, one with red hair, one with purple, burst into the room, crying out in alarm as they rushed toward Verre: "This is bad, this is bad, Madame! Haine left this behind and disappeared!"
"Huh?"
Verre leapt straight up in shock, snatched the piece of paper, and quickly scanned it.
'To Madame, with respect, I secretly overheard your conversation with Mister Hikaru, and have come to deeply understand that you have not truly been wandering about aimlessly during this period, but have in fact been working diligently, profoundly reflecting upon your past mistakes and resolving to discipline yourself as penance.
You gave Mister Hikaru the coordinates to several other dimensions, which I imagine was your way of hoping he would explore those places and report back to you with his findings, yes?
If that is the case, as your apprentice, it is only right that I help you accomplish this task, and so I have decided to accompany Mister Hikaru on his adventure. This way, I may share your burdens! It shall also serve as punishment for my own doubts and distrust of you. Your apprentice, Witchcrafter Haine.'
The two senior Witchcrafters stood to the side, and having read the letter's contents, could not help but admire inwardly: "Haine really has inherited Madame's true teachings, she's even mastered Madame's signature move!" That's right, this was Verre's one and only, most closely guarded secret art: the art of slacking off and making a run for it.
Verre's mouth seemed to twist out of shape, her eyes drifting unfocused, as though she could already see Haine imitating her own habit of scratching the back of her head and sticking out her tongue.
She was furious.
'How dare you use my technique against me, Haine!'
But after fuming for a stretch, she suddenly grew calm again.
Fine then.
Little Haine, at the very least, this Duelist was genuinely fascinating. He used an extraordinary variety of Fusion monsters, and with the likes of Arles around too, it should give her plenty of opportunities to show what she was made of.
The child needs to grow up sometime…
"So then, Madame, about the orders…"
Verre turned to look at the towering stack of orders beside her, half a person's height of thick, heavy parchment, all accumulated on impulse from watching those Duels, and her pupils shook with dawning horror.
'All… all of this falls to me to manage? Me?'
'T-this… this is way too much trouble, I absolutely refuse to deal with this!'
Her mouth twitched slightly. After a long moment, she screamed at the top of her lungs: "Get back here! Get back here right now, Haine!!!!"
But at that very moment, Hikaru had already finished his conversation with Witchcrafter Haine and was warmly welcoming her to join his team.
He was already introducing her to the "workshop members." Who had time to think about Madame?
Madame?
Not a concern.
...
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