Phenomenon Collapse
All done. Yeah.
Perfect. Mm!
Tanya handed Rosaria the freshly fried potatoes.
Unacceptable.
You didn't even try them.
Why...?! These fries are perfect! There's no way they could be unacceptable...!
True. Even I, with my refined palate, must admit they are impressive fries.
Then that means...!
But these are fries!
I ordered potato chips. POTATO CHIPS!!
This variety tastes bad when sliced thin. Mm.
So this is the correct choice.
Correct? Who cares about that?! Slice them thin and fry them this instant!
After the play ended in great success, Rosaria began filling the remaining days of the Journey with activities chosen purely for her own amusement.
Today, apparently, she decided she would eat the perfect potato chips... or something like that.
...Huh?
That smells good...
Um, is that food for sale?
We're not selling it, but do you want some?
Yes! I do!
Since you seem ignorant, I shall graciously explain, foolish mortal.
These potatoes are ingredients meant as offerings to my esteemed—
Oh! You're the lady who performed at the New Year's festival, right?
Huh?
I saw it! You went swoosh with your sword and bam-babam, the monster disappeared...
It was amazing! I'm a huge fan!!
A fan of my script, you say...?
...
Well. Indulging in a whim once in a while is not so bad.
I'm ready anytime. Yeah.
Hmph. Why should I entrust ingredients to someone who doesn't even understand the greatness of potato chips?
Watch carefully. I shall personally demonstrate the perfect potato dish.
Floating the potatoes in midair, Rosaria fried them evenly with flames.
Perhaps carried away by the children's applause, she kept overdoing the flames and ended up burning more than a few potatoes...
But judging by the continued excitement, it seemed to have been an enjoyable time.
...Though Tanya looked a little sad as she stared at the burnt potatoes.
We ran out of potatoes.
Were they not paid for with the commission fees anyway?
I handled most of the requests myself, though.
So what? The Fallen Hawk Private Eye belongs to me.
Naturally, any profits from it belong to me.
You crooked boss! You didn't even pay me!
You're quite greedy for someone so insignificant.
Very well. If you insist on compensation for your devotion...
I suppose I could promote you from acting whatever to acting servant.
Gimme my money.
Hmm... I see.
You're actually going to pay me?
It seems I have been far too lenient with someone who dares call himself my servant.
Perhaps it is time I properly educate you on your position.
Being by your side is happiness enough for me, Master Rosaria.
I'll serve you forever without a coin to my name.
Of course. That is how it should be.
Rosaria reclined in midair, clearly pleased.
Doesn't your neck hurt when you do that?
You worry about the strangest things.
I am sturdy. Concern yourself with your own frail body—
...Hm?
Acting servant. Doesn't it look like the rift in the sky has grown larger?
...I don't see anything.
Is something wrong?
Of course. Do you think a rift could ever expand while my power is suppressing it?
Then you must have imagined it.
What?! Are you saying I made a mistake?!
Then what am I supposed to say?!
Ah, I see. So that is what it was.
You have committed something rather grand, despite how you look.
...Hm?
What are you talking about?
What do I mean? Well...
What you summoned through the magic circle caused that [tear] to grow.
...
What...?
What did you just say?!
I see. I understand now.
Originally, the Demon Lord's authority should have sealed the tear that formed in Lavistar...
But if what the magic circle summoned was actually a [passage] connecting two distinct dimensions?
In that case, sealing this side alone would not resolve the fundamental issue of the worldlines being connected.
The Demon Lord's power slowed the process, but still, the entangled worldlines must've affected the tear.
So what the magic circle summoned...
It wasn't Rosaria...?
Ahaha! You think a mere mortal could summon me?
Had such blasphemy occurred, you would already be drowning in the rivers of hell.
Come to think of it, Alicia said back then that Rosaria was "observing" this world.
So believing she'd been summoned by the magic circle was just my own assumption...!
Calm yourself. Let us organize the situation first.
The issue is that the method chosen to ease the phenomenon ended up backfiring.
Just as the Demon Lord, a being beyond all norms, has been observing Lavistar using the Star Piercer as a signpost...
Power beyond conventional bounds can intrude upon different worlds with even the slightest trigger.
And if the worlds remain connected while the Demon Lord's authority seals the tear...
Her power spreading from the tear would pass through the [passage] and disrupt causality in both worlds.
In simpler terms, it means the end of your world.
Don't say that so calmly like it's not your problem!
Ahaha! The fate of your world is none of my concern.
...However.
The [world on the other side] would be a different matter.
Hmph. Typical of a sly witch. Always adept at ruining the mood.
But she is right. The seeds I sowed to the [Wolf] have yet to bear fruit...
So just this once, I shall step in personally.
It was not my original objective, but I did obtain a rather fine script here as well.
Yes. Given the urgency, the Council will prepare to contain the situation.
Operation will begin on the day of the final trial.
We will observe the power maintaining the [passage] at Dirac's Well and manifest it as a projection.
Once the projection is destroyed, the [passage] will lose its essence and disappear.
Then... the final trial has changed?
...No.
You won't need to participate in the final trial, Captain.
...What?
The purpose of the final trial is to prove the value of the Journey through strength.
But... in her case, such proof is meaningless.
The fact that the Journey progressed smoothly is proof enough of your ability, Captain.
So there won't be a final trial?
The Journey's just going to end like this?
Though we refer to it as a passage, dimensional intersections are lawless zones where causality is distorted.
Perhaps you glimpsed the [possibility of catastrophe] they contain.
At Alicia's words, memories from the very beginning of the Journey came flooding back.
It seemed impossible now, but if there was even the slightest chance it could come true...
...
Hmph. Have you finally realized what an honor it is to devote yourself to me?
From the start, your abilities were never enough to serve me for a lifetime.
Use the time you have left thinking of ways to please me, provisional servant.
Despite Rosaria's playful tone, something didn't sit right with me.
Is this really how it's going to end...?
The Journey, ending just like this...?