Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

Deal with Ella

“Chirp chirp.”

“Mmm… mmh…”

“Good morning, Lumia.”

At that moment, Ella suddenly panicked as though something had just struck her.

“Ah—u-um, Lumia… were you okay? When I woke up, you were lying on the bed, so… does that mean you were alright? The bookshelf that had fallen over, the closet I completely trashed… everything is perfectly clean now…”

Ella hurriedly looked around the room in distress.

“Ella, calm down. I’m okay.”

“I see… that’s good. But Lumia, I’m sorry. Back then, I was conscious the whole time. But… I just couldn’t control myself.”

Her voice gradually weakened, and before long, her eyes began to shimmer with tears.

“It’s okay. El told me everything, so don’t worry. You were suffering too, weren’t you? I’m really fine.”

At last, tears spilled from Ella’s eyes.

And just like that, she began crying again.

For a little while, I gently stroked her back—

As though I were gathering up the tears El had shed the night before.

“What did El say… about last night?”

Ella asked anxiously.

So I carefully told her everything El had said the previous night.

But I did not tell her that El had cried.

I was sure it would only make Ella sad.

And besides, I didn’t think El would want that either.

“I see… so that’s what happened.”

Ella lowered her gaze weakly.

“I’m hopeless, aren’t I? Without El, I can’t do anything. The El inside of me… I wonder if El wishes for us to become one. I don’t understand anymore. How can I protect El…?”

“Ella…”

Come to think of it, I still hadn’t told Ella about the agreement I made with El…

I might not be able to fully carry the burden El bears, but—

The only connection between El and Ella… is me.

Ah.

That’s it.

If I became the messenger between El and Ella—

“Ella! I have an idea!”

My voice came out louder than I intended.

That was how excited I was.

“What if I become the bridge between you and El? I mean… I can pass along your words to each other. Like a messenger pigeon between El and Ella.”

Ella looked at me uneasily.

“Lumia… are you really sure?”

“You’re worried?”

When I asked that, Ella gave a small nod.

“You’ll end up with even more work. Most of the servant duties already fall on you…”

“It’s okay. I’m confident in my stamina.”

The moment I said that—

“Hehe…”

Ella let out a small laugh.

Relieved to finally see her smile again, Ella and I began getting changed for the morning together.

During that time, Ella kept apologizing over and over, so I made another suggestion.

“Then… maybe you can help me learn more about this world.”

And when I also told her about my agreement with El, Ella softly said,

“I want to make an agreement with you too.”

So I replied,

“Didn’t we already make one just now? I’ll act as the messenger between you and El, and you’ll help me understand this world.”

“You’re right. It’s a promise, Lumia.”

As she said that, Ella gently pressed her forehead against mine.

The sudden closeness tickled me so much that I burst out laughing.

And then Ella laughed too.

“Take care of me, Lumia.”

“Yeah. You too, Ella.”

And then, suddenly—

I realized something.

Wait… what time is it?

I glanced toward the clock sitting in the room.

Ella and I reacted at the exact same time.

“Eh?!”

“Eh?!”

“It’s already this late?!”

“This is bad—really bad!”

Panicking together, we hurriedly rushed through getting ready for the morning.