Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“…So, well, that’s how it went. Long story short, we managed to get out safely.”

Coppelia wrapped up her story there, beginning to brew another pot of tea. The group who had been listening intently—Luke, Eren, Bruno, Jesse, Eleanor, Laika, Pryui, Ashimi, Chaton, and even Pope Theodoros, every one of them a character with quirks to spare—let out a collective sigh and relaxed their shoulders all at once.

“…I mean, that princess really manages to stir up drama no matter where she goes,” Jesse said, shaking her head in exasperation.

“That’s a hidden corner of history, nya. I wonder if our boss already knew about this, nya,” Chaton mused, running the numbers in her head to see if there was profit to be made.

“I don’t really get it,” Eleanor said. “Neither do I,” Bruno agreed, both of them looking a bit lost.

“The Spirit of Time is a rare one,” Ashimi observed.
“I had no idea such a being even existed. My narrow experience has never encountered it,” Pryui added, showing that the elves’ interests lay in a completely different place.

“—Hmm. Eren, you seem unfazed, but as her maid, what do you think about the fact that your princess was also the Shrine Maiden Princess?”

Laika suddenly asked Eren, who had remained silent throughout the conversation.

“Huh? Oh, nothing in particular. Lady Jill is Lady Jill, and she’s always been a princess to me from the start!”

Eren’s straightforward and cheerful response left Laika looking a bit disarmed.

“I see… Well, I suppose that makes sense.”

Realizing the source of Eren’s strength—the same strength that had kept her from uttering a single complaint during their journey here—Laika’s lips curled into a wide, satisfied grin.

What came to their minds then were the many events of the past year, spent literally running east and west in search of clues about Jill. After all those trials and hardships, they had finally arrived here—at the foot of Mount Clorinda, a sacred peak near the Holy Capital Thera Maryth, the capital of the Eunice Theocracy—and it was there, beyond conquering the Clorinda Flame Labyrinth, that they had reunited with the maid standing before them just an hour ago.

♦♢♦♢

Luke and his companions somehow managed to conquer the Clorinda Flame Labyrinth without losing a single member—but standing in their path before that had been a bizarre army.

“Fuhahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”
“…………………………”

The one laughing loudly—an enormous host of hundreds of Güllens and Stone Golems. And behind them, a carefree girl’s voice rang out. The group fixed their eyes on her with the same cool gaze one gives a magic trick after figuring it out.

“Fuhahaha! Well done, you band of elite survivors!”

Before the speechless party, a girl with bright orange hair, clad in her usual miniskirt maid outfit—Coppelia—appeared with great flourish, raising her voice theatrically.

Faced with such an overly cliché turn of events, Eren nearly toppled over.

“What the hell are you doing, you useless maid?!”
“…Excuse me? I don’t see why I should be criticized by someone shameless and outlandish enough to show up in a maid outfit in the middle of a mountain.”

With her lips jutting out in a pout, completely forgetting about the group, Coppelia stood imposingly atop the shoulder of a Stone Golem—wearing a maid outfit for some reason—as Eren unleashed her barrage of words.

“Don’t you dare talk like you’re any better! And seriously, you don’t remember me?! It’s me! We met underground at Lake Quartz!”
“Ahh… Got it. This is a scam call, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s not! It’s me, Eren! Lady Jill’s maid!”
“Eren… Eren…? Hmm…”
“Are you seriously using the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ in that head of yours? Or is your memory getting worse?!”
“How rude. I just had a little mental lapse—oh! I remember now!!”

Coppelia clapped her hands with a pop. Apparently, she’d been running a memory search in parallel while talking. This was a feat impossible for simple golems that only follow basic commands, or for childlike artificial spirits.

Indeed, even in such casual behavior, one could catch a glimpse of her advanced intellect and abilities. And yet, precisely because her craftsmanship was so impressive, the ridiculousness of the final product stood out all the more. It was truly, sincerely unfortunate.

Watching the exchange between the two, Luke couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain someone—someone with flawless beauty and extraordinary ability, yet an oddly low sense of self-worth.

“Wait, you’re that Senior Eren who wet herself and passed out underground!”
“Don’t you dare bring that up!!”

Eren turned bright red, shouting in a mix of embarrassment and fury, while Bruno grinned smugly and teased her, saying, “Huh, that’s good to know.”

“Bruno. Forget it. If you tell anyone about this, or even bring it up again… I’ll rip it right off.”

Awakened to a murderous aura, Eren’s glare made Bruno falter. “R-rip what off…?” he asked nervously.

“What do you think? Obviously that.”

Turning her gaze away from the lighthearted exchange between the boys and girls,

“And you, the handsome young man with the blond hair—you must be Prince Lucas of the Graviol Empire. I have heard about you from Lady Clara… Lady Jill. She instructed me to guide you if you should arrive.”

With a sudden shift to a solemn expression, Coppelia sank to one knee before Luke and bowed deeply.

Coppelia… you’re actually capable of a proper greeting?! The group was stunned, while Coppelia calmly gave orders to the gathered Gyurinuses and Stone Golems, instructing them to stand down and return to their posts.

“So then, um… Coppelia—”
“I understand. You’re asking about Lady Jill’s whereabouts, aren’t you?”
“Yes. If you know, please tell me.”

Seeing Luke looking like he might dash off at any moment, Coppelia furrowed her brows in a troubled expression.

“I do know. But she isn’t here yet.”
“…? What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure how much Your Highness is aware of the situation, but first, I think I should tell you what happened back in that era.”

And thus, the story circles back to the very beginning.

♦♢♦♢

“Seems to me you’ve been living somewhere much nicer than my ramshackle hut, eh? Every time I asked, you’d say things like, ‘I built a treehouse up in the branches,’ or ‘I stuff hay inside a hollow tree to sleep,’ or ‘I’m wandering the mountains’—and I’ve been put off like that for thirty years! Why didn’t you ever tell me the truth?”

The group had been led to Coppelia’s laboratory: a fairly spacious, tidy, three-story underground facility disguised as a cave deep in the mountains.

As Coppelia began preparing something—later joined by Eren to help—everyone sipped the fragrant tea they’d been served, while Pope Theodoros grumbled openly, looking thoroughly exasperated.

“Because I didn’t want some senile old man barging in all the time if I told him where an artificial human lives alone. Besides, this place was originally built in secret by my previous master as an emergency refuge. I was strictly ordered not to reveal it to some unrelated clergy.”
“Excuse me!? That place was built with research funds embezzled from the Church in the first place!”
“Oh? I don’t know what you’re talking about. My memory’s been short lately, and I just can’t seem to recall the past…”

Luke had been patiently listening to the comedic back-and-forth between the irate Pope Theodoros and the unflappable, willow-like Coppelia, but finally decided it was going nowhere.

“So… what happened after you escaped?” he prompted, steering the conversation forward.

“—Ah, yes, that’s right. So, after we blew a hole in the north gate of the ‘Sanctus Angelus Castle’ and made our escape, the castle was already in total chaos thanks to the earthquake and the explosions that followed. Taking advantage of that confusion, Lady Clara, High Priestess Teresa, Cardinal Callisto, and the others showed up at the scene, all looking like they’d just calmly rushed over with swords at their sides, and helped settle the uproar.”
“Hey! I was the one leading at the front, you hear?! It was I, the Pope, who restored order!”
“Oh, yes, you were there, weren’t you? A once-in-a-lifetime final blaze of glory, like a candle flickering out at the end.”

Luke silently thought how this conversation really wasn’t moving forward at all, and Bruno, speaking for everyone, prompted:

“—And then?”