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Penny scrutinized the rather unkempt man in front of her for a while, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't recognize who he was. "What's your name, mister? I'm very familiar with every single person scheduled to meet the princess today, and you… don't seem to be a part of that group, no?"
Not being recognized by the ponytailed girl was both relieving and disheartening, a testament to how far he had fallen, but the silver-haired boy knew that there was no point in dwelling on such thoughts now.
He had many questions that only Emilia could answer, and there was no way he was leaving this place without meeting her, regardless of the means he had to use.
"I—"
Just as he was about to put his rather reckless plan into motion, however, he was rudely interrupted once again, this time by a girl he really didn't want to meet at all.
"Penny!"
Crystal Miller.
The girl he used to love, the one who betrayed him, and worse still… the one who tormented him over and over, even when he was already at the lowest point in his life.
He didn't know whether she had been the one to plead with Emilia to spare his life in the end, and let him live in this meaningless way, but that hardly mattered now.
To say that any good feelings he had for her had long since faded away would be an understatement.
If he had a choice, Amos felt that he would rather have died at the peak of his life, with both dignity and respect.
The blonde girl whispered something in Penny's ear that made the shorter girl stare at him in confusion before nodding.
"I'll leave this to you, then."
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The silver-haired boy followed Crystal and another strange girl he didn't know silently for a while before he finally couldn't help but grumble. "How did you know I was here?"
With her ability, Crystal could obviously tell that what he really wanted to ask was 'how did you know it was me?', but even at this point, his pride wouldn't let him admit his inferiority so openly.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "You're the same as ever, aren't you?"
Even as his heart was filled with hate for her, he still sought her recognition, and desperately hoped that she had been the one to see through even this desolate version of him at a glance, even when no one else could hope to.
Unfortunately for him, his guess was way off the mark, and Crystal hadn't been the one to discover him at all, nor had she been the one to beg for him to be left alive.
"Well, if you have any questions, you can ask her yourself, though do keep your tongue in check… lest you lose it."
There was no hint of nostalgia or regret in her tone, but surprisingly enough, Amos didn't react much to her mockery, and only gave her a faint nod.
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Crystal and the other girl who escorted him left reluctantly after getting a look from Emilia, and in the oppressive silence that followed, the only two people left in the office stared at each other.
The only difference was that while his heart was about to burst out of his chest in anticipation, Emilia's gaze remained as calm as the surface of a frozen lake.
In the end, it was the crimson-haired girl who broke the silence with a smile. "I was quite curious about what you had to say now, so I agreed to meet you. But it doesn't look like you have any particular goals in mind, huh?"
Of course, she wouldn't miss out on the chance to observe the changes in the hero after he'd lost the influence of the world will. That was why she had left him alive and alone, after all.
Amos took a deep breath to calm himself before shaking his head in denial. "I-I… I have several questions for you… I don't know if you will answer me, but I have to ask… I know only you can answer them."
Emilia leaned forward, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "Oh…?"
The silver-haired boy nodded solemnly. "When… did you stop liking me?"
It was not a question that he ever thought he would ask. After all, he used to detest this girl so much in the past. If she'd just stopped bothering him, that would already have been a cause of celebration in his book. But… things were no longer the same.
Now, he had nothing, and the girl who used to obsess over him… was at the top of the world, envied and admired by more people than he'd ever thought possible.
Emilia chuckled, but instead of responding to his question, she put one of her own forward instead. "Who told you I ever did?"
For a moment, Amos felt his heart freeze as if he had been dumped in the depths of a frozen lake, but soon, he shook his head in denial. "I-Impossible. I knew you before, y-you—"
"That wasn't me."
Looking at the silver-haired boy's stunned face, Emilia grinned. "That… was my little sister Danielle."
"…!"
Realization dawned on him, and all of a sudden, numerous pieces of the seemingly indecipherable puzzle in his mind started falling into place.
Amos couldn't help but point his finger at Emilia in disbelief. "T-There were three of you?!"
The crimson-haired girl only giggled in response. "There's only one of me, but yes. I just hate being in the limelight. It was only because I couldn't watch you ruin Danielle that I had to make a move."
Amos collapsed back on his seat, his expression completely collapsed.
From the beginning, everything he thought he knew was wrong.
Thinking about it all from the point of view of Danielle's vengeful sister… all of her actions suddenly made sense.
'She left me alive so I could regret everything…' He thought bitterly.
What else could he ask her?
Pushing the chair back with whatever was left of his strength, Amos dragged his seemingly numb feet to the door, and left without looking back.
Up until then, he'd thought that the most shameful moment in his life had been when Crystal loudly proclaimed her love for another to his face. But… he was wrong. So very, very wrong.
Some time later, when the news of Emilia permanently 'retreating' from the public eye was declared, and the existence of 'Danielle' was once again brought back to the limelight, he would be one of the very few who couldn't be surprised or shocked even if he wanted to be, and could only stare at the sky and laugh.
In the end, even that little girl who used to obsess over him all the time only hid in the dark and watched as he was driven to despair step by step, didn't she?
He, who thought he had everything in his life once upon a time, truly had nothing and no one of his own at all.
Of course, Emilia didn't stop him, and only watched him leave with a neutral expression. 'In a way, he's also quite pitiful. Well, kind of. Maybe...'
"You're gonna let him live?"
The raven-haired girl obviously didn't care much about what happened to this world now that they'd already obtained all the harvests that they could have. However, since her partner was spending so much time and effort properly arranging things before she left, Cynthia felt that leaving behind such a thorn was a little strange.
After all, she'd killed people who hated her far less much more decisively, hadn't she? Even if the boy didn't seem to have the energy to hate her anymore, it wasn't like killing him would do her any harm, right?
In response to Cynthia's question, Emilia just sighed. 'Isn't it obvious that he won't live for long? It looks like every passing week is taking a year's toll on his body. Plus, since I won't be able to assist her anymore, his short life and death will serve as a good reminder for Danielle… if she bothers looking for him.'
Cynthia grinned. "Ahhh, so it's like a final test for that girl, huh? That's cool. Since you're leaving so much good stuff for her, she has to at least be worthy of it."
Emilia didn't refute her partner's words, and only smiled.
There was no point in letting Cynthia know that Danielle would only really be getting what she deserved as the daughter of her parents, or that a few of her knights would be watching over them even after she left… just in case.
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