"If it's not too much trouble."
Reinhard wanted nothing more than to see his mother open her eyes again. Years had passed without a single breakthrough, without so much as a lead. But the power Gojo wielded was unlike anything he'd ever encountered. Different rules, different principles entirely. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough.
"Relax. We'll go check on her as soon as we get back." Gojo clapped him on the shoulder. "And tomorrow, go find your father."
Reinhard nodded.
The rift between him and Heinkel had never healed. He understood the reasons well enough, understood that beneath all the silence and distance, his father had spent years chasing every rumor and remedy that might wake her. If he'd learned about this before, he might have let it go. But now that he knew where Heinkel was and what he was searching for, ignoring it felt wrong. Even a slim chance was worth pursuing.
"Let's head out! Back home. I'm finally getting some rest tonight." Gojo stretched his arms wide. "We're celebrating."
The group climbed aboard the Dragon Carriage, laden with the day's considerable earnings, and made for the Astrea estate.
Once home, after dinner had been cleared away, Reinhard led Gojo and Betty to the topmost room in the mansion.
"This is where my mother rests."
Gojo stepped inside. On an oversized bed draped in soft linens lay a woman who looked no older than her mid-twenties. Golden hair fanned across the pillow, luminous and smooth. Her face was strikingly beautiful, the kind that made it hard to believe she was Reinhard's mother rather than his sister.
She'd fallen into her slumber when Reinhard was two. In all the years since, she hadn't aged a day. Hadn't eaten. Hadn't changed at all.
"Pardon the intrusion."
He said it softly, almost to himself, then removed his sunglasses. The Six Eyes opened fully, scanning every detail of the woman before him.
No injuries. Nothing for the Reverse Cursed Technique to latch onto. His only hope was that the Six Eyes might catch something others had missed.
He studied her carefully, methodically.
Nothing.
No trace of Mana. No residual signature resembling an Authority or any external influence. The reading came back perfectly, impossibly clean.
Which was exactly what made it so unsettling.
"I'm sorry." He slid the sunglasses back on and shook his head. "I couldn't find anything."
"You don't need to apologize. The fact that you came to help at all means more than you know." Reinhard's voice was steady, but gratitude ran beneath every word.
"Betty, can you see anything?"
Gojo turned to the small Spirit beside him. She'd spent centuries at the side of the Witch of Greed, then more centuries buried in the books of the Forbidden Library. If anyone might spot something different, it was her.
"No." Betty's brow creased, frustration plain on her face. "Her condition is strange. It isn't time suspension. It's more like her entire state has been locked in place through some unknown method."
"I've heard there are quite a few others with this same Sleeping Beauty Disease?"
"There are," Reinhard said. He reached over and gently adjusted the blanket covering his mother, smoothing the fabric with careful hands. "But to this day, not a single person has been cured."
"What a miserable problem." Gojo exhaled. This wasn't an enemy you could see, couldn't grab hold of and overpower. The invisible kind were always the worst. "Don't lose hope. I'm sure someone will figure it out eventually."
"Thank you."
With nothing more to be done, Gojo and Betty left the room.
He'd barely made it back to his own quarters and pushed the door open before the scene inside stopped him dead.
Felt had covered his entire bed in Holy Gold Coins. She was rolling around on top of them like a dragon wallowing in its hoard, radiating so much joy she practically glowed.
"You've got to be kidding me." He strode over and lifted her off the mattress by the scruff of her collar. "If you want to play dragon, do it in your own room."
"So you're saying I can take all this money back to my room?"
Not an ounce of anger. Her eyes lit up like lanterns.
"In your dreams."
A sharp flick to the forehead knocked that fantasy right out of her skull.
"Cheapskate." She rubbed the spot, then jabbed a finger at the gold spread across the bed. "Counting what we got from Crusch's group, that's three hundred and forty Holy Gold Coins total. You barely lifted a finger today, so the bigger share should be mine."
"Right, because that sounds like me."
Felt shot him a withering look, then pointed at the coins again. "I already split them. Count for yourself."
Gojo glanced down. Out of three hundred and forty coins, Felt had taken a handful. The rest were his.
"Well, well. I'm impressed. Didn't think you could resist temptation like that."
"Don't insult me. I like money, but I'm not a thief anymore." She paused. "Well. Not from allies."
"Good girl."
He was reaching to gather the coins when Betty materialized in his path, arms crossed.
"You didn't do much today either. Betty handled most of the fighting. So..."
She scooped up the remaining three hundred-plus coins in one armful and left him a pitiful handful of change.
"These are Betty's. Those are yours."
"That's robbery..."
"That's what you get for trying to swindle Betty earlier."
She stuck her tongue out, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
"Fine, fine." He raised both palms in surrender. "Adults don't bicker with children."
"In front of Betty, a teenager like you is the real child."
Gojo shrugged and let it go. He plucked two Holy Gold Coins from what little remained and tossed them to Subaru, who'd been sitting quietly in the corner the entire time.
"What's with the long face?"
Subaru caught the coins and managed half a smile, but before he could answer, Felt cut in.
"Oh, come on. What else could it be?" She didn't bother hiding her disdain. "Emilia. Who else makes him mope like this? Ever since Crusch mentioned the Witch Cult might target her, he's been a nervous wreck."
"Ah. That tracks."
Subaru laughed awkwardly, caught red-handed.
"If you're worried about her, go see her." Betty fixed him with a look that could wilt flowers. "Sitting here looking pathetic accomplishes nothing."
"But... even if I went, I don't know what I could actually do to help."
He scratched the back of his head, the words trailing off into something helpless.
"Besides, I said I wouldn't go off doing that kind of thing again until I'd helped Felt finish her..."
"Yeah, yeah, enough." Felt waved him off. "You staying here doesn't help me at all. What, are you going to fight the knight order for us tomorrow?"
She and Betty wore matching expressions of exasperation as they stared him down.
"If you don't want to see Emilia, just say so. Stop hiding behind me as an excuse."
"Look, you heard them." Gojo offered Subaru a helpless shrug. "I'm not about to take a bullet for you on this one."
The words were blunt, even harsh. But Subaru understood what they were really doing. In their own prickly way, Felt and Betty were telling him to go. To stop letting guilt over the plan weigh him down.
A knock at the door interrupted them.
"Mr. Gojo, the Margrave has come to visit. He's asking to see you."
Carol Remendis's voice carried through the wood, polite and clear.
"Roswaal?" Gojo's eyebrows rose. "Speak of the devil. No idea what he wants, but hey, this works out. We can send you back with him to see Emilia."
He turned to Subaru with a grin already forming.
"Emilia in her nightgown. Knowing you, that'd make your heart skip a beat or two."
"Wh... what are you even saying?!" Subaru's face flushed crimson. "It doesn't matter what she's wearing! My heart's always... I mean, I always..."
He trailed off, flustered beyond recovery. The way Gojo put things, he sounded like some kind of creep.
"Come on, let's go see what Roswaal wants this late at night."
Gojo opened the door and smiled at Carol.
"Would you mind showing us the way?"
A few minutes later, Carol led them to the reception room.
Roswaal was already waiting, cradling a steaming cup of tea between his painted fingers. The moment Gojo and the others walked in, a brilliant smile spread across his face.
"My sincerest apologies for calling so late. I do hope I haven't disturbed your evening."
That strange, lilting cadence of his hadn't changed one bit.
"This is unexpected." Gojo strolled across the room and dropped himself onto the armrest of Roswaal's chair, propping an elbow on the Margrave's shoulder with zero ceremony. "Showing up at your rival's doorstep in the middle of the night? Emilia might be hurt if she found out."
"Which is precisely why I slipped out in secret. She'll never know."
"Having a supporter like you... Emilia's luck is something else." Subaru glared at Roswaal, not bothering to mask his displeasure.
"Now, now. I'd argue it's quite the opposite. She's fortunate, in fact." Roswaal's smile didn't waver. "Because in this entire kingdom, you won't find another person with both the ability and the standing to support her who'd actually be willing to do so."
That shut Subaru up. He wanted to argue, opened his mouth to try, and found nothing to say.
A silver-haired Half-Elf. The reaction at the Royal Assembly had made it painfully clear. The distrust, the open hostility toward a girl who bore any resemblance to the Witch of Envy. In a twisted way, finding someone like Roswaal willing to back her was a stroke of luck.
"You didn't come all this way at this hour to chat." Felt leaned back in her chair, arms folded. "What do you want?"
"Perceptive as always." Roswaal chuckled softly. "I came tonight to ask whether there's anything you might need. Any support I can offer."
"Lady Felt is also a candidate I've pledged to support. Emilia has my territory and connections behind her, but I could hardly neglect Lady Felt."
"Huh. Coming to us with gifts. I figured you were here with bad news." Felt's expression softened, a smile creeping onto her face.
"How hurtful, Lady Felt."
"We were actually planning to come find you in a day or two," Gojo said. "You know how it's been. Busy schedule."
"Of course." Roswaal nodded. "Lady Felt's attendant single-handedly intimidated every noble and official in Lugunica at the Royal Assembly. Even the knight order proved no match, forced to watch helplessly as a Sage and a government official were put in their place."
He took a measured sip of tea.
"Word has spread to every noble house. Even the wealthier merchants have caught wind of it. And after today's events, I expect Lady Felt's name will travel even further."
"As someone who supports you, Lady Felt, I couldn't be more proud."
Subaru, who'd been listening quietly, suddenly perked up. "So that's why you're being so proactive. You saw Felt performing well and figured now's the time to double down on your investment."
"I wouldn't phrase it quite so crudely. I'm a nobleman, not a merchant." Roswaal offered a gentle correction. "My commitment to Lady Felt was decided from the very beginning."
"Sounds like the same thing with extra steps," Gojo muttered from his perch on the armrest.
"So how much support are we talking?" Felt leaned forward, all business.
"One hundred Holy Gold Coins." Roswaal spread his hands. "Modest compared to what you earned today, I know. But support is a long-term affair, wouldn't you agree?"
"Two hundred."
Felt licked her lips, unsatisfied.
"You drive a hard bargain." Roswaal sighed. "I'm not sure Lady Felt is aware, but my territory has run into some trouble recently. It requires my personal attention, and it's made the flow of funds rather... inconvenient."
"So that's the real reason you showed up tonight." Gojo's eyes sharpened. The intelligence from Crusch clicked into place.
"Indeed." Roswaal nodded. "I'm leaving tonight to deal with the situation in my domain. Emilia will be heading back to the mansion tomorrow. As for the gold, I've already made arrangements with Rem. She'll deliver it after they return, though it would require Lady Felt to make the trip."
"I see." Gojo straightened up, cutting in before Felt could accept. "Mind telling us what kind of trouble we're talking about?"
...
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