Sir Osvalt gave Master Hildegard an apologetic smile. He’d probably intended to take her side before things unfolded as they did. Given his sincere nature, he was bound to feel guilty.
Even after hearing his words, my master said nothing. I couldn’t tell what was running through her mind.
“Uh, Philia? I was wondering… Would it be okay if I put my life on the line with you?”
“What are you talking about, Mia?”
Mia gently took me by the hand. It was trembling slightly, and her anxiety was palpable. I found my eyes drawn to her face, only to discover that her expression was brimming with determination.
“I want to go with you to find the Moontear Flower. I won’t regret it, even if it costs me my life. I want to help you achieve your goal, Philia.”
“I don’t want to put you in danger, too.”
Mia’s proclamation took me by surprise. Our master’s stories must have shown her how reckless I was being, and yet she wanted to join me.
“I think I’m ready,” said Mia. “With two of us on the case, it’ll improve our chances of finding the flower and making it back safely. Maybe Mother would have succeeded if she had a friend with her.”
“Well… Perhaps.”
Mia made a sound argument. Two heads were better than one. Even a child would understand that logic. However, this was a decision that I had made. I couldn’t drag anyone else into it, let alone a beloved member of my family.
I couldn’t allow myself to put my sister in danger, but on the other hand, I couldn’t bring myself to turn her down. I knew she was acting out of concern for me.
“Come on, Philia. You’re not going to tell me to give up, are you? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical when you’re pushing forward with your own self-serving goal? On some level, you must understand how Mother and Prince Osvalt feel.”
“How Master Hildegard feels? Oh…”
If the worst were to happen to Mia, it’d hurt more than my own death. When Hildegard and Sir Osvalt heard me insisting on doing something reckless, they must have felt the same way.
“Anyway, Philia. I want to help you finish what your dad started. That’s my selfish wish. Call me naive if you want, but now’s the time to get Mother to indulge you. Ask her to let us go… Go on.”
Mia smiled, encouraging me to express my selfish desires to Master—no, to Mother Hilda.
“M-Mother,” I began. “Mother! Please let me go! I want to cure the disease that stole my father’s life. I want to create the cure that he dreamed of making for so many years!”
My words flowed more easily than expected—and I surprised myself with how loudly my voice rang out.
As I pleaded with my mother, I prayed my feelings would get through to her.
Mother Hilda let out a cry of astonishment. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting that. You might need Prince Osvalt’s permission, since he’s the prince of Parnacorta, but I don’t see why you’d need mine. Do as you like.”
She seemed genuinely surprised.
“It’s only natural for me to ask your permission. I’m your daughter. Your approval means more to me than anyone else’s.”
“Do you really want me to be your mother, after all this time?”
“Yes. I want to be your daughter. It doesn’t have to happen immediately—I don’t mind if it takes time—but could we be mother and daughter?”
I mustered the courage to make this plea. If I wanted my mother’s approval, there was no better time to express my true feelings.
Hildegard fell silent, lost in thought. She must have stayed quiet for less than ten seconds, but to me, it felt like an eternity.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
She casually rejected my request.
I’d been prepared for it, but it still came as a shock.
“Philia, when you get to my age, it’s not so easy to change your way of life. But if you insist on going to search for the Moontear Flower, I’ll lend you my full support—albeit in my own, special way.”
With that, my mother gave me a gentle smile.
I was so happy that tears almost spilled from my eyes, but I managed to keep them at bay. If I started crying, I doubted I’d be able to stop.
“Thank you so much.”
That was all I managed to say. If I said anything more, the floodgates would open.
“I have to ask, Lady Hilda,” said Sir Osvalt. “How are you going to help them?”
“It’s simple, Prince Osvalt,” said Mother, looking a little taken aback. “I will tell Philia and Mia as much as I can about my experience in that danger zone.”
Her response confirmed her previous decision. Maintaining our student-mentor relationship felt more natural to her, so that was how she would support me.
“You don’t mind me calling you ‘Mother’, do you?”
“I don’t mind it. It’s just that I’ve been your teacher for far too long. Being called ‘Mother’ all of a sudden will take some getting used to.”
So, that was what bothered her. Her reactions made more sense now. It had struck me as strange that she looked so stone-faced whenever I called her “Mother.”
“Should I switch back to ‘Master,’ then?”
“You can call me whatever you like. Do as you please.”
It didn’t seem like we’d be breaking out of the mentor-student mode anytime soon.
“Now then, Philia,” Hildegard continued. “What’s your next step? You may have my permission, but you still need approval from Girtonia and Parnacorta to enter the restricted zone.”
“I know. I think I’ll start by speaking to Prince Reichardt. Sir Osvalt can help me.” I glanced at Sir Osvalt as I said this.
My mother’s advice was important, but getting into the Volcanic Miasma Zone was my first priority.
“Going to ask a favor from my brother, huh?” Sir Osvalt pondered this. “You managed to steamroll me into agreeing to help, but winning over my brother will be even harder than convincing Lady Hilda.”
“I’m sorry. I know I’m making an unreasonable demand.”
“Haha. I’m used to it by now. We just have to be prepared.” Face grim, he gave me a distant look.
Knowing Prince Reichardt, he would definitely oppose my idea. I had to find a way to convince him.
“In that case,” said Mia, “I’ll go get Prince Fernand on our side. It’ll be a piece of cake. When I say jump, he asks how high.”
“Isn’t that an extremely rude way to talk about your fiancé?”
“But it’s true! Just leave it to me.”
Looking totally unfazed, Mia declared that obtaining permission from Prince Fernand would be simple. Yes, she was his fiancée, but didn’t negotiating with a prince make her at all nervous?
“It’s okay, Philia,” said Sir Osvalt. “Let’s trust Lady Mia.”
“Understood. Mia, I’m counting on you.”
Mia flashed me the cutest smile I’d ever seen. “Heh heh! I’ve got this.”
With that, I focused on the task ahead. I would never let Mia die. And I wasn’t about to die, either. I was going to do whatever it took to get my hands on the Moontear Flower.
“All right,” said Sir Osvalt. “Now that we’ve decided what to do next, we need to ask Lady Erza for her assistance again. She and Mammon can get us back to Parnacorta.”
“Yes. I appreciate your cooperation and understanding, Sir Osvalt.”
“Come on, quit being so formal. I’ve made a promise. Obviously, I’ll do everything in my power to fulfill it.”
Sir Osvalt smiled, showing his gleaming white teeth. Hand in hand, we left my mother’s mansion.