“Vera? Vera, it’s your turn to make the announcement.”
Even though the two of them weren’t far apart, Lian’s voice sounded as faint as if it came from a distant horizon.
By the time Vera finally managed to make out the words, this was what she heard.
Announce what? What am I supposed to announce? Is there anything I need to declare? Announce that we’ve won the war? Here and now?
Vera stood there in a daze.
She watched as Lian walked over and reached out, intending to shake her shoulder.
“…!”
She shoved the person in front of her away with all her might. “Lian” clearly hadn’t expected her to react like this, and couldn’t respond in time, stumbling backward.
“Tsk.”
A crack appeared out of thin air within the space atop the platform, and Sephy emerged from it.
She caught the falling Meliya, and in the blink of an eye, teleported in front of the absent-minded Vera, snapping her fingers right before her eyes.
“Wake up, Vera. What are you doing?”
“Sephy… Meliya?”
Only then did Vera clearly see the two before her, and realize where she was. Instantly, the realization of what she had just done hit her, and her face turned deathly pale.
“S-sorry… I… I…”
“Calm down, control your expression. Take a good look—do you realize where we are right now?”
Sephy’s gaze guided her to look down at the crowd beneath the platform—where chaos had broken out.
The Princess had just forcefully pushed away the approaching Duchess, leaving everyone bewildered and confused.
“What was that just now?”
“Why did Her Highness the Princess push away the Duchess? Are they arguing?”
“No way… They’re our Duchess and our Princess! Their relationship is supposed to be as close as sisters, isn’t it?”
“Did you see the look on the Princess’s face… How terrifying. Was she trying to push the Duchess down?”
The crowd burst into a flurry of whispered discussions. Those closer to the platform, who could make out their expressions, even started making negative speculations.
“Can you do it? If not, I’ll have to cast a spell on you.”
Sephy stared intently at Vera. The Calm Mind Spell was already prepared in her eyes.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Then do you remember what you’re supposed to say?”
“……”
“Forget it.” Seeing Vera freeze up again without a word, Sephy had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.
She and Meliya exchanged a few quiet words, then Sephy herself walked to the very front of the platform to face the ocean of people in the city square.
“Um… ahem—”
To make herself heard across the square, Meliya had previously used an Amplification Device when she spoke.
But Sephy and Vera, both wielders of immense magical power, didn’t need such things—if they wished, their voices could ring out through the entire square.
“Um, is that the Sage? Is she the one speaking now?”
“That’s a projection, right? Look, there’s another one standing next to me… Let me get a picture.”
“Please do not touch, citizen. You will interfere with the Sage’s Work Number 8872.”
“But she’s standing together with the Duchess and the others… Could this be her real self?”
“…”
All the muttered comments from the crowd, carried by her projections scattered across the square, reached Sephy’s ears.
She ruffled the hair under her hat, once again reminding herself that she really wasn’t cut out for occasions like this…
To be precise, she didn’t like them at all. But since Vera had ended up in this state, only Sephy herself, who had appeared so suddenly, could announce the start of the festival.
“You all know who I am, right? So I won’t bother explaining. This year’s Crown Festival begins now…”
Sephy! Sephy! Say a few more words, please!
She glanced at Meliya, who was giving her increasingly frantic looks from the side, and let out a deep, deep sigh.
“And also, I am the real one. I wish you all a joyful Crown Festival. Enjoy the celebration.”
“Pa!”
With that crisp snap of her fingers echoing throughout the square, Sephy vanished from the platform.
The crowd was silent for a brief instant, then erupted in a thunderous cheer.
“I knew it! That was the real one! Ever since the great war, she hadn’t left the Sage’s Tower, and now she’s shown herself at this year’s Crown Festival!”
“So it really was just a performance? That scared me…”
“Pinch me, Work Number 8872, please. I need to check I’m not dreaming!”
“Citizen, your request may pose a threat to your personal safety. Are you sure you wish to proceed?”
Ignoring a few muffled groans of pain mingled among the thunderous cheers, Meliya finally let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the atmosphere return to normal.
With a worried look, she reached out to touch Vera—
“Vera… are you alright? You look terribly pale.”
This time, Vera didn’t push her away. She kept up the forced smile she had tried so hard to manage—one uglier than crying—and looked up at her.
“……”
She opened her mouth to say something, but Sephy’s voice boomed directly in her mind, interrupting her train of thought.
“Come to the Office with Meliya and see me, immediately.”
…
……
………
“Alright, explain yourself. What exactly were you doing just now?”
Sephy sat with her legs propped on Vera’s desk, questioning her with a stern face.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that…”
Vera stood before her like a child who’d done something wrong, stammering in confusion. Sitting on the sofa to the side, Meliya saw Vera’s panicked state and couldn’t help but defend her with a pained expression:
“Sephy, don’t be so harsh with her. She’s clearly not well. It’s my fault for not noticing…”
“Nonsense.” Before she could finish, Sephy cut her off. To her eyes, Vera’s physical condition was as clear as day: “Other than her rapid heartbeat, she’s fine. Why would you do something like that to Meliya? If I hadn’t been watching you, there would have been real trouble. Do you understand?”
“I’m sorry, Sephy…”
“What’s the use of apologizing? You’ve been saying sorry non-stop since just now… I want to solve the problem! You and Meliya still have to attend other events in the city. If you lose control like that again, how am I supposed to save the situation for you?”
As Sephy tapped her fingers—thud, thud, thud—on the desk, Vera started trembling all over.
“Hey… what’s going on? Something really seems off with her. What are you so nervous about?”
“Vera!” Meliya couldn’t stand it any longer. She rushed over and hugged Vera tightly.
A biting cold pierced through their clothes and seeped into Meliya’s body. She stiffened, but still didn’t let go.
“Her… her body just turned so cold!”
“I see it. Let go of her now!”
With Sephy’s command, a gust of air forcefully separated the two, sending them both tumbling to the floor.
Vera lay there, shaking uncontrollably, while Meliya got up and tried to run to her, only to be blocked by the Air Wall Sephy had raised with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t go near her. This is the after-effect of the Frosted Demon Sword. But why is it flaring up now? It should’ve been cured already…”
Touching Vera’s body, which was growing colder and colder, a look of anxiety finally appeared in Sephy’s eyes for the first time.