A Stir in the Ballroom
...Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us at this year's charity gala.
This evening has treated us to one brilliant performance after another.
As we behold the elegant steps of tonight's distinguished dancers...
They evoke the legendary ball where the Star Savior and the heirs of noble families once danced in a pledge of harmony.
And among them all, the evening's most remarkable couple!
The honor goes to...!
Lady Asherah of House Stranis and the Journey Captain who accompanied her, Sir Captain!
...Incredible. To think that troublesome girl could look so beautiful.
There were a few rough edges, but... their dance had a curious charm.
We did it, Captain! They chose us as the evening's finest couple!
Why are you saying it like that?
You're making it sound like I did this alone.
We won this together as a pair, remember?
This prize doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to both of us.
Come on, hurry!
Asherah took my hand and led me onto the stage.
...Well done, Lady Stranis.
Hehe, what did I tell you? Hard work pays off.
Still... none of this would've been possible without you, Epindel.
I really appreciate it.
...Well, naturally. You did have an excellent teacher.
Very touching. Now would you kindly stop clutching the Captain's hand?
Must you keep your hands clasped so tightly in front of the entire ballroom?
Hm? Ah?! R-Right...!
Ahem... Well then. Here is the relic you went to such lengths to obtain.
Honestly... I can't see what makes this worth all that effort.
Granted, it's remarkable that the pages remain pristine despite its age, but that's all.
Epindel carefully handed Asherah an old notebook.
Beaming, Asherah opened the notebook to find page after page of white paper without a single word written on them.
You seem awfully pleased. Are you really that happy just because you got what you wanted?
No, Epindel. That's not it.
...What do you mean, that's not it?
It isn't the relic itself that's making me happy.
What do you mean? You only joined the gala because of the relic, didn't you?
I had my doubts before, but now I'm certain.
Of course I'm happy to have a relic left by someone I admire. But more importantly...
What makes me happy is knowing that we challenged something that looked beyond us and made it through together.
Just like the Star Savior would have!
*Sigh*... As ever, my lady, your reasoning is beyond me.
Hehe! Maybe one day it'll make sense to you too.
You do realize I didn't mean that favorably, don't you?
Asherah quietly gazed down at the notebook's blank pages.
...To tell you the truth, I expected there might be some amazing secret written inside.
That the blank pages were just a disguise concealing an incredible power...!
Ahaha! But now that I have it, turns out it's genuinely just blank.
The weird thing is, it doesn't feel disappointing at all.
Perhaps I was wrong about what I was really looking forward to.
It wasn't the relic I was looking forward to. It was everything we went through to obtain it!
And that's why this feels so rewarding!
I couldn't have done this without either of you. Thank you, Captain. Epindel.
...Well, I certainly didn't help you for the sake of receiving credit.
I only helped because I was afraid you'd ruin my gala.
So what are you going to do with that worn-out notebook? Have it preserved in a museum?
Well...
Whoa... Captain, that might be the coolest thing you've ever said.
A relic of the Star Savior will carry the story of the Savior Party that follows in his footsteps!
Then you should be the one to keep it, Captain!
Delighted by the idea, Asherah clapped a few times and placed the relic into my hands.
The instant I touched it, a sickening pulse surged through my entire body.
Asherah... Something isn't feeling right.
An ominous feeling crept over me.
Stop! I told you that you can't just barge in like this!
Pardon the interruption!
Please excuse us.
This is urgent, so I hope you'll forgive the disruption!
May I speak with the person responsible for organizing the gala?
...That would be me. What is this about?
We understand you're currently holding an item known as a relic left by the Star Savior.
The Orbital Search Team will be taking temporary custody of it for emergency containment and examination.
Where is the relic?
Um... Well...
Huh? Captain? Asherah? I didn't recognize either of you in those outfits.
Seems we caught you at an awkward time. My apologies.
We'll be gone once we retrieve the relic, so bear with us for a moment.
No, it's not that...
You mean... this relic?
...!
C-Captain, something's wrong...!
What's wrong with this thing?!
The relic in my hands was shaking violently.
A massive shockwave tore through the ballroom.
The relic floated into the air, shrouded in a dark crimson aura.
Asherah! Captain! Are you two all right?!
The shockwave contains traces of a familiar energy source. This is...
...Void energy...?
A terrible sound tore through the air as space itself cracked open, forming a rift.
Chains rattled out beyond it, wrapping tightly around the relic and dragging it toward the opening.
Everyone, move!
Roberta shot forward like a flash of light and caught the relic in midair.
Ominous energy still writhed across its surface.
*Sigh* Damn... Looks like we were one step too late.
What's going on?
Tch... We were certain we'd finished analyzing it.
Oh, nothing too exciting. We're just doing a general inspection of everything related to the festival.
There's just one particular item we need to take a closer look at.
Ohoho! You see, it has something to do with the Star Savior—
Naru? Didn't I say that was confidential?
We'd concluded it was nothing more than an ordinary antique with no unusual properties.
But our trainee, Naru... apparently noticed something that bothered her and conducted further research in her own way.
She warned us of a potential large-scale incident connected to the relic, so we requested another review from Polaris...
Then Lady Alicia ordered us to secure it as quickly as possible.
I was told that its pages are completely blank.
...If so, that may be all the more reason to suspect that something lies hidden inside.
...She believes it's likely an object sealing away a dangerous ancient entity.
Then why did the seal break now of all times?
We don't know for sure, but there was probably some trigger we weren't aware of.
Something must've set it off unintentionally.
Assuming Roberta was right, the trigger could only have been...
...Me?
This is bad. We need to get everyone out of here first.
Lugh, you're with me. We'll secure an evacuation route and clear all civilians within the affected radius.
Tell Naru to call for backup from HQ immediately.
Captain, take everyone and move somewhere safe. It's too dangerous here.
As for this relic...
Roberta passed the relic in her hand to Epindel beside her.
...
I'm leaving it in your custody until the situation is under control.
And since we don't know what might happen, keep it as far away from that rift as possible.
I managed to interrupt it, but... whatever's on the other side clearly wants it.
That rift's getting bigger by the second.
...At this rate, Voidborns might break through before everyone has time to evacuate!
Damn it...! It's getting bigger and bigger...!
Voidborns will break through any second! Lugh, focus on protecting the civilians while we hold them off!
Understood!
There's no way you two can manage everything alone.
We'll handle the rift!
!
Everyone okay with that?
Absolutely.
Come on! After speeches like that...
Now I'd look terrible if I said we should get out of here!
Well, fine by me! Guess we'd better work off that free food!
Agreeing with Luna.
This opportunity may also yield valuable data on Void energy.
...No. Leave this to me.
Epindel...?
Get everyone to safety. I'll handle the rift on my own.
You don't have to do this alone—
This gala was organized under House Orlan's name!
Whatever the cause, everything that happens here is House Orlan's responsibility.
...It should have been a flawless evening! And now those filthy, wretched creatures have dared to ruin it...
Their crime is unforgivable... and House Orlan shall pass judgment!
(Yikes... Now that's frightening.)
(...Agreed.)
All of you are here as guests. Therefore, do not involve yourselves—
No, miss. You cannot do that.
...I beg your pardon?!
Your greatest responsibility as host is not fighting whatever lies beyond that rift.
Your priority must be evacuating your guests swiftly and ensuring their safety.
You must not allow emotion to cloud your understanding of that duty.
...Kgh!
...He's right, Epindel.
We'll handle things here somehow. You focus on leading the guests to safety.
...
...! The rift is expanding! Get ready, they're coming!
Epindel, go!
...All right!
...Lady Stranis, I shall trust you to handle this.
I'll oversee the evacuation. Lead the way.
This way.
Captain. Prevent anything from escaping the ballroom until the evacuation is complete.
I know it's a lot to ask, but hold out for us.
We'll join you the moment the evacuation is complete!
A lot of Voidborns are about to pour through. Captain, you and I take the main hall.
Luna, Smile! You two take the hallways. Don't let a single one get through!
Got it!
Happy End, preheating complete.
...Captain.
Let's do this.
Here they come...!