"What do you mean?" Ram shifted her stance, hostility seeping from every pore of her body.
Leandro looked at her as if he was bothered by her excessive adoration for the magician.
"You know exactly what I mean. He has a Gospel."
Rem jumped. She was familiar with the term.
Otto also recognized the name and couldn't contain his curiosity.
"You mean the Bible that members of the witch cult use? Why would the marquis have something like that in his possession?"
"Can't you imagine?" Leandro never took his eyes off Ram, ready to react if she decided to attack him.
As for Rem, she was deeply disturbed. She didn't understand why her master, the person who saved her from death and gave her a second chance at life, would be associated with something as vile as that.
No, in fact, she could think of a reason. After all, although she hadn't questioned it much at the time, she knew Roswaal didn't come into Ram's life and hers by chance.
If he had been involved with the attack on the oni village, then...
"Is Master Roswaal part of the cult?" Rem asked stiffly.
"No!" Ram quickly denied it, but her voice trembled as she saw the transformation in her sister's face. "He would never be like those people. He rescued us, he protected us..."
"He used you." Leandro corrected. "The Gospel showed him the future, and he did nothing to stop the attack on the Oni village, or the incident that led to Ram's lost horn. He let it all happen that way to get what he wanted without getting his hands dirty."
"Shut up! You don't know anything!" Ram lunged at him, but Leandro stopped her with his authority, weakening her body until she couldn't exert any strength.
Rem still hadn't recovered from her stupor. Unlike her, Otto wasn't as affected by the revelation (since he barely knew Roswaal) and had no trouble interrogating Leandro.
"What do you mean when you say it showed him the future?"
"The Gospel is not an ordinary book. Its writing is visible only to the owner, and the text is not predefined. It functions as a guide that gives you information or instructions to obtain what you desire. In a way, that thing can see through time, for greater convenience."
"If that's true, what are his plans? What does he want?"
"Since I'm not close to Rossie, I'm not sure... Oh, I know. How about we ask Ram? She knows him better than all of us combined." Leandro pointed at her brazenly.
Very slowly, Rem turned to look at Ram.
"Sister... Did you know this?"
The pink-haired girl was hurt to see the betrayed expression on her sister's face.
"... I've known it for a long time."
"Why didn't you tell me anything!? What is Master Roswaal hiding? What are you covering up, sister!?"
Ram bit his lip, but he knew he couldn't keep the truth hidden any longer.
"Master Roswaal wants to revive the witch resting in the Sanctuary."
"The Witch of Greed herself, Echidna," Leandro added. "Roswaal loves her so much that he's made his entire life revolve around her."
Obviously, this information was not well received by the girl who was traumatized by the witches and their followers.
"Why did you stay silent all this time if you knew that!?"
Ironically, the pink-haired maid responded with silence. In reality, Rem wasn't angry with Ram; rather, she was afraid of what Roswaal might do to her, knowing that he only saw her as a tool. The worst part was that even knowing this, Ram didn't care. That was how unhealthy her love for Roswaal was.
"At least say something, Sissy..."
Distressed, the sisters fell completely silent. Otto looked at Leandro and was horrified to see a strange, satisfied smile on his face. However, the gesture lasted only a second, because the dark-haired man coughed and broke the silence with a serious tone.
"Roswaal knows I have a special power. He wants me to use that power to help him accomplish his goal. The problem is, if I don't do things his way, he'll retaliate against me. Plus, he's been pressuring me to test my resolve and abilities."
"What is this power of yours?" Otto swallowed. Judging by his expression, Leandro could tell what he was thinking. If someone like Roswaal needed him so much, it was because he had something really good to offer.
"It's something similar to what Roswaal's Gospel does, but much better." Leandro raised his hands. "I can't go into details because Satella gets angry with me when I do."
"You mean...?" Otto couldn't continue. The butler nodded in confirmation.
"The Witch of Envy, yes."
Suddenly, Rem pulled Leandro's arm to get his attention. Her eyes were red, a clear sign of stress.
"Master Roswaal... What kind of bad things has he done?"
Leandro quickly understood Rem's intention. She wanted to know if it was possible to justify or forgive Roswaal's actions and avoid hating him, all for the sake of her sister.
"Well, he met Echidna four hundred years ago, and he refuses to die without resurrecting her first. As far as I know, he uses soul transfer magic to switch vessels, using the bodies of his descendants to contain his essence. By possessing them, he takes their place, which is basically like killing them."
Both Rem and Otto were disgusted by this revelation. But Leandro didn't stop there.
"Besides, sponsoring Emilia wasn't a purely charitable decision. He makes his decisions based on the instructions in the book. For example, a while back Roswaal hired a mercenary to steal Emilia's insignia, knowing I was looking for it, and thus giving me the perfect opportunity to get close. If something had gone wrong and Emilia had encountered the mercenary, she would have died."
He paused before continuing, letting the information sink in for his companions.
"Then he left everything in my hands by failing to take any security measures against a possible cult attack, which actually happened. If that went wrong, everyone in the village and the mansion would be dead, not to mention Crusch and her people in the capital."
Otto recalled those days with a shudder. He had been close to dying as a sacrifice. He didn't want to go through something so dangerous again. He clenched his fists and looked up, determined to thwart Roswaal's plans.
"So trapping us in the Sanctuary is also part of his strategy? What's his intention with that?"
"Freeing the villagers and residents is a good enough excuse." Leandro explained. "But that's not all. Roswaal is trying to force me to think like him: to sacrifice whatever is necessary to protect one thing. That's why he sent assassins to the mansion, to kill Frederica and Petra."
"Kill them?! That's too cruel!"
"On the other hand, he also wants to cast a powerful weather-changing spell, gathering so much mana that it will draw the Great Rabbit to the Sanctuary, turning this place into a living hell. All of this will happen simultaneously, of course. The goal is to make me choose who to save and who to let die."
"He wants to bring one of the three great mabeasts!? That marquis is a..."
Despite his indignation, Otto didn't want to finish the sentence. At that moment, he realized he'd had a very similar reaction to Rem's earlier. He looked at Leandro and saw a fleeting smile on his lips again.
"It doesn't seem like Leandro is lying, but he steered the conversation in such a way that it forces us to agree with him. You have to be cynical to manipulate your own allies..."
"Heh, Otto already knows what I'm doing. Although if I could restrain my gestures, it might have taken him longer to realize."
Leandro was happy to have a perceptive companion like Otto. He knew he could count on him when there was trouble, which would greatly help avoid possible deaths. In fact, that was why Leandro was determined to reunite Otto with Frederica: that would be a worthy reward for his valued friend.
But there was still time for that. There were many other matters to attend to first.
"Ram, I'll let you go if you promise not to tell Roswaal about this."
Ram looked like a statue. Her dull gaze ignited with a pink fire when Leandro spoke to her.
"What will you do with Master Roswaal? If you're going to kill him, you'd better take my life now, because I'm not going to stand idly by while you murder him."
Leandro chuckled, making a gesture with his hands.
"I'm not that extreme. Killing him is out of the question."
"So how do you plan to stop him?"
"I'll beat him at his own game and get rid of the damn book. What do you think? Do you want to join, or do I have to chain you to a wall until I'm done?"
Ram sighed. She didn't much like the idea of conspiring against her beloved lord, especially if she had to follow Leandro's orders. But she understood that the situation warranted it. Roswaal needed to stop living in the past, and she couldn't save him alone. Besides, the last thing in the world she wanted was to turn against Rem, her beloved sister.
"Okay, I'll participate."
"Great." Leandro deactivated his authority, returning Ram's mobility. "Now, let's talk about the plan."
***
Emilia couldn't sleep well that night. Her nightmares tormented her with images of what the test had shown her. Although she didn't fully understand those memories, her heart acknowledged them with fear and guilt, as if the past had been preserved within her, like a fossil in an ice floe.
But when her anguish reached its limit, she felt a warm, comforting hand comfort her, calming her emotions and allowing her to rest a little. When she fully awoke, it was already dawn.
The half-elf's vision was blurry at first, so it took her some time to focus. As she did, she saw someone sitting beside the bed, watching her with a gentle smile. She didn't have to look at his face to know it was her would-be knight.
"Good morning, Emi."
"Good morning..."
Instinctively, she reached out to touch Leandro's arm. It wasn't a romantic gesture, but one seeking warmth and security. Without her father figure, Emilia felt alone and smaller than ever. But when she became aware of herself, she regretted having forced that level of intimacy with Leandro.
"Oh, no! I'm sorry!"
She wanted to withdraw her hand, but he held it.
"It's okay. You don't have to hold anything back from me. I know you had a rough night."
The girl blushed a little at the ease with which her friend read her. However, she didn't complain when he insisted on serving as her emotional support. In the time she had known him, she had convinced herself that Leandro was a trustworthy and honest person. He was also a bit of a psychopath and narcissist, but nobody's perfect.
A little reluctant, Emilia gave in to Leandro's demand, relaxing in his grasp like a little girl. He smiled and stroked her hand. There was an underlying tension, because even though Leandro acted like an older brother or a father, his heart pounded at the closeness of the girl who stole his breath away. It was difficult for him to contain himself.
"How long have you been here?"
"I came to see you as soon as I could. You seemed restless, so I stayed. I didn't get any sleep, though. I must say, you snore pretty loud for such a delicate lady. Not even Patrasche sounds like that."
"Huh!? Are you serious?"
"Nah, just kidding."
Emilia pouted, causing the black-haired boy to laugh.
"Even if you did, it wouldn't be unpleasant. Pretty girls look good doing anything."
"Stop making fun of yourself, you dunce!" Emilia squeezed his arm lightly.
"Stop being so cute and I'll think about it."
He gave her a playful wink, causing another blush, but this one was one of happiness. Somehow, Leandro was able to flatter her shamelessly without sounding exaggerated or fake.
The jokes improved Emilia's mood, soothing her troubled heart. However, she would have to repeat the ordeal, and temporary consolation would be of no use. Ram was right in saying that Leandro had a heart of stone, but that didn't change things: Emilia needed to confront her traumas, no matter how painful or cruel it was to force her to do so.
"Hey... Let's talk about what you saw at the witch's grave, okay?"
"..."
Emilia looked at him with surprise and anguish. Leandro was serious, but his voice and gestures denoted gentleness, a combination that made the half-elf feel cornered. She wanted to hide, run away from the problem like a scared little girl, but she knew it wasn't right. If she rejected her friend's proposal, she would only disappoint him and herself.
"I think I saw what happened before I got trapped in the ice..."
For several minutes, Emilia described the scenes she witnessed: a nebulous and fragmented past, a veil of darkness that prevented her from accessing the early years of her life. When she reached a memory related to "Mother Fortuna", she was on the verge of breaking down, but Leandro calmed her and steered the conversation to another topic.
Then she told him what he already knew: according to Roswaal, Emilia could undo the ice in the forest if she became queen. Leandro didn't believe it, at least not entirely. First, he had no idea if that was possible, even using the Holy Dragon's blood or something like that. Second, he didn't trust Roswaal. Of course, Leandro didn't express those thoughts in front of the half-elf.
"I'm sure you can rescue those people."
"Don't you think it's selfish of me to want to be queen because of that?"
"Saving lives isn't selfish. You're too self-critical."
"And you're very lenient with me... But, thank you for always supporting me."
Emilia closed her eyes: the lack of sleep had caused her to fall asleep again. Leandro ran his hand over the porcelain skin of her face, smoothing down the loose strands of her hair.
"So kind, so innocent... It's a shame you were born into such a cruel world."
With that, his hand moved down; his fingertips traced lines on the half-elf's white neck and curled to pick up the thread of her pendant. Leandro's brown eyes fixed on the magic crystal he held.
"I know you're there, Puck."
Soon, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Of course I'm here. I can't allow my daughter to be left alone with a creepy guy like you. Oh, and keep your hands off her if you don't want to lose them."
"Whatever you say, father-in-law."
Leandro mocked, but it cost him dearly. A powerful chill erupted from the magic crystal, freezing the boy's testicles.
"SON OF A BITCH!"
"You deserve it."
As feeling returned to his groin, Leandro mentally bit his tongue to stop himself from arguing further. He knew he was at a disadvantage if he did.
"Anyway. Why did you call me?"
"I want you to help me with something."