A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 6 - Part 41

Without grasping the double meaning, she smiled nervously and looked so cute it hurt.

Then came the crucial moment. Garfiel had already finished his trial, and Emilia was next.

"It's time." She murmured expressionlessly.

"That's right." I replied while thinking about how I would accomplish everything I had set out to do today.

"Will you be here when I get out?"

Emilia's intuitive question forced me to concentrate in order to give an appropriate answer.

"There are some urgent things I need to take care of. You could say they're my own trials."

"I see..."

She nodded slowly. She asked no questions, complained, or expressed sadness. She simply understood and accepted the circumstances.

"I have to go." Emilia walked toward the entrance of the tomb and stopped to look at me. She wasn't serious or happy, but something in between. "Don't miss me too much."

I had said those same words to her when we said goodbye in the royal capital. The fact that she remembered it brought a smile to my face.

She was acting differently, but I couldn't quite tell what had changed. Was she more confident, more relaxed? In any case, it seemed like a good change.

"I'll try. See you later."

I waited until his figure disappeared inside the tomb, then I approached Otto.

"Prepare the carriage. We're going to the mansion."

***

The little maid wiped the sweat from her forehead with a satisfied expression.

"That's it! Cleaning is complete!"

The west wing of the mansion looked brand new. For Petra, achieving that on her own was quite a feat. In her first days as an employee, it would have been impossible: she would have been exhausted before finishing half the job.

"I'm one step closer to being as good as Rem..."

Secretly, when she wanted to assess how much she had improved, Petra would compare herself to her mentor: such was her admiration for her.

Inevitably, the memory of the blue-haired maid became linked to that of the young butler who had become so familiar in recent months. When she thought of him, Petra felt butterflies in her stomach and automatically put more effort into her work.

"I wonder how they're doing there... I hope they come back soon to the others."

Knowing Leandro, Petra didn't dare doubt that he would solve any problem and return victorious. She trusted him completely.

Because she was so engrossed in her thoughts, Petra didn't realize there was someone in front of her until she bumped into a slender female figure.

"Oh, did you hurt yourself, little one?" The woman asked, in a soft, gentle voice.

"Oh?!" Petra jumped when she saw her. She was a tall young woman, dressed in a somewhat revealing outfit. She had an elegant, and in a way, wild air about her.

The woman's dark eyes fixed on the girl, and her delicate face broke into a faint smile.

"Two maids and a spirit. I think I'll start with you..."

Elsa moved her hand to grab one of her knives, but was interrupted by the arrival of Frederica, who struck her with a brutal swipe, throwing her to the back of the corridor.

"Stay behind me!" The older maid told her junior, without taking her eyes off the enemy.

"That was a very rude greeting." Elsa said, licking the blood from the cuts on her face.

With terrifying speed, the gut-hunter appeared before Frederica and attacked her with her daggers. The blonde stepped back just in time to avoid a slash to her abdomen and launched a kick at Elsa's jaw, which took the full force of the blow, her head twisting upwards.

"Splendid. I can feel the bestial ferocity in each of your attacks."

"Who are you? What is your purpose?"

Instead of responding, Elsa unleashed a barrage of enormous needles. Frederica barely had time to react, shielding Petra with her body and taking dozens of projectiles from behind.

"Cough!" The half-human coughed up blood. Those needles hadn't penetrated deeply, but they had pierced some nerves. "Petra, you have to run away..."

Frederica pointed to the other side of the corridor. The path was clear. She just had to buy time for her junior, and with a bit of luck...

Suddenly, the wall facing the outside exploded. For a moment, the corridor was filled with dust, and when it cleared, the maids saw a blue-haired girl riding a beast resembling a chimera.

"Hi, Petra! It's been a while!" Meili greeted cheerfully.

"Meili?! Why are you...?!"

Petra didn't understand anything that was happening. Frederica, for her part, gritted her teeth in frustration as things worsened. There was no way out anymore, unless she created one.

"Let's play again!" exclaimed Meili. "Since it'll be the last time, I'll make it as fun as I can!"

"What do I do?! This is terrible!" Petra was panicking, but then she remembered what Leandro had told her before they left for the Sanctuary. "Oh, that's it!"

Suddenly, the girl raised her voice, shouting something quite curious.

"Hail Hydra!"

Upon hearing that, Meili raised her eyebrows and Elsa stopped moving.

"That's the code..."