Hikaru was, of course, happy to welcome Haine.
Not only was she a long-overdue new member of the Cosmo Workshop, but setting aside the divine spirits who couldn't be shown to just anyone, Haine was one of the few spirits to join Hikaru's team in the past several months.
She could not only Fusion Summon Witchcrafter Vice-Madame, a relatively powerful Fusion Monster, but her own on-field effect was extremely valuable to Hikaru as well. As long as Witchcrafter Haine was on the field, other Spellcaster monsters he controlled couldn't be targeted by effects.
That was actually quite impressive, because Hikaru's most commonly used Spellcaster monster was El Shaddoll Winda. While effect-targeting protection alone wasn't overwhelming, a 2200 ATK monster that couldn't be destroyed by effects, couldn't be targeted by effects, and even locked down Special Summons? That was an entirely different beast.
Not to mention, Haine herself also had the ability to discard a Spell Card from her hand during the opponent's turn and destroy one card on the opponent's field.
Hikaru's Deck, whatever else it might lack, certainly didn't run short on Spell Cards.
As for her Fusion form, Witchcrafter Vice-Madame could also destroy cards and even recover a Witchcrafter Spell. Although Hikaru only had one copy of Witchcrafter Confusion Confession on hand, that actually worked out perfectly.
Because Witchcrafter Confusion Confession wasn't restricted to summoning only Witchcrafter Fusion Monsters. It only required one Witchcrafter monster as Fusion Material during the Fusion Summon, so the possibilities for Fusion were quite broad.
For instance, directly fusing into El Shaddoll Winda, or doing what he'd just done and fusing Magnum the Reliever. Both were entirely feasible.
Beyond the card effects themselves, Haine was also the officially recognized "Deputy Representative" of Witchcrafter Bystreet and the second-in-command of the entire Witchcrafter faction. And since Cendrillon perpetually neglected managing the faction, the work, and the projects, Haine was actually the one best at coordination.
On top of that, her Witchcrafter artisanship was superb. She could help with many tasks inside Hikaru's workshop.
However, considering that she seemed to have deliberately left home, wanting Cendrillon to properly fulfill her duties as Master while also secretly trying to snag herself a little vacation, Hikaru didn't ask her to help out just yet.
Let her relax first. There'd be time for work later.
He didn't mind having someone coast for a while, especially since Haine was actually wonderful with people, had excellent talent and craftsmanship, and her gem-working skills could even help Crystal and Lapis fine-tune gemstone performance. That was seriously impressive.
As expected of a spirit faction that specialized in gemstone research.
In any case, though Hikaru hadn't asked for her help, Haine still took it upon herself with a diligent, responsible attitude to run a diagnostic check on Lapis's condition.
Crystal paced back and forth nearby, looking extremely nervous.
Her physical condition was absurdly good. Haine took one look at the data and left it at that, because she could tell Crystal's development was perfectly stable.
But Lapis was a different story.
Compared to the tall Crystal, Lapis's body appeared very small. Many spirits living in the Cosmo Workshop didn't even know that the El Shaddoll Construct in Hikaru's hand was actually her Fusion form.
But beyond Construct, there was absolutely nothing.
Yes, it sounded strange, but that was precisely what made it eerie.
Because, up until now, Hikaru had never obtained any of the Gem-Knight Lady series Fusion Monsters!
It was as if something was missing!
In her daily life, unlike other spirits, Lapis was not only poor with words but also extremely shy around strangers. Apart from occasionally treating injured spirits, she almost never left the workshop grounds. She was remarkably quiet, even reclusive.
Crystal likely felt Lapis wasn't comfortable with the outside world, so when they'd found the Duel Terminal Spirit World some time ago, she had considered finding the Gem-Knight Order and bringing Lapis back there.
Hikaru never quite understood what Lapis was thinking either, but he never forced his spirits to follow his own train of thought, so he didn't mind.
Her body should have been fine. After all, Hikaru had asked Tierra about it several times, and every time, Tierra would impatiently reply that there was nothing wrong.
After a simple examination, Haine, as a professional in gem craftsmanship, slowly nodded. "I see."
She and Lapis locked eyes. Lapis gently shifted her gaze.
Haine hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Lapis and whispered something by her ear. Only after receiving Lapis's permission did Haine nod and share the specifics of Lapis's condition with Hikaru.
It was actually quite simple.
Just as the Witchcrafter artisans could harness gemstones, extract different energies, and then craft corresponding accessories and weapons to prepare spirits for evolution or transformation, Lapis had also undergone such a process.
Only, it hadn't been voluntary!
Forced to absorb an enormous amount of Shaddoll power, she had been involuntarily converted into El Shaddoll Construct. Later, all that pain and torment was absorbed by Crystal, who then evolved into El Shaddoll Grysta. But Lapis's own body had long since stabilized in the direction of "Shaddoll."
Hearing this, Tierra rubbed her chin and looked at Hikaru.
Hikaru met her gaze and nodded, the realization clicking into place.
In fact, after previously crafting components for Tierra's body and creating Infernoid Devyaty, it hadn't taken Hikaru long at all to then produce an El Shaddoll Anoyatyllis. At the time, he'd assumed it was simply because Devyaty had been born into this world, and therefore the Shaddoll series could now include an additional El Shaddoll Fusion. He hadn't thought much of it.
Looking back now, the reason it had gone so smoothly was actually connected, at least in part, to Lapis.
It wasn't that she didn't acknowledge or accept Hikaru's Fusion. On the contrary, she had been quietly supporting him all along. She simply had no capacity to do anything more beyond that.
These were the kinds of things only a specialist spirit could recognize. Even Tierra hadn't known beforehand and could only shrug in the dark. If not for Haine's arrival, Hikaru might have gone a long time without ever understanding the reason.
After consulting Lapis's wishes, Haine thumped her own chest and gave Hikaru and Crystal her assurance. This sort of thing was exactly her professional specialty, and she would absolutely design a plan everyone could accept.
"Thank you so much." Captain Crystal bowed respectfully to the witch.
Hikaru also smiled and thanked Haine, praising her for solving a major puzzle the moment she arrived.
"Oh my, compared to the messes Master dumps on me, this is nothing..." Haine clasped her hands behind her back a little bashfully, head lowered, tracing circles on the ground with the toe of her shoe. After about seven or eight seconds, she added that she would work with Lapis together to study the issue.
All in all, Haine was responsible, professionally skilled, pleasant to be around, and as one of the few approachable-looking spirits on Hikaru's side, she was exactly what Lapis needed to feel less alone and to have someone to talk to.
It was clear that Lapis actually had plenty she wanted to say. She just hadn't had anyone to confide in before. Crystal hovered over her like a protective guardian, so within no time of getting to know Haine, Lapis was already spilling all sorts of little secrets about the Cosmo Workshop.
Like the ancient god hidden in darkness, or the fierce-looking dragon from the Synchro Dimension that was actually a Fusion creature, or the evil god disguised as a toy, and this and that and the other...
Most importantly, of course, was her.
The "Winda" at Hikaru's side.
Her outward appearance was just a disguise. In truth, she was an incredibly powerful existence, a God of Star Creation, and the real overseer of the entire Cosmo Workshop. Even Flame Swordsman and the rest answered to her!
Before, all these spirits had only known to address her as "Your Highness" or "Lady Winda." It was only recently, when they witnessed Hikaru Fusion Summon her true form, that they finally learned her name.
Lapis whispered it to Haine in secret.
All these things that outsiders and ordinary spirits had no idea about, Lapis had been quietly observing all along. But since she'd had no one to talk to before, it had all been bottled up inside.
Now that she had a new friend, everything came tumbling out at once, earning her those wide-eyed, awestruck looks of admiration from Haine.
Seeing them getting along so happily, Hikaru felt at ease.
As the Cosmo Workshop continued to grow in numbers, and as its cooperation with the Allied Forces deepened and its direct link to the Frightfur Dimension opened up, the workshop had become increasingly lively.
From time to time, spirits with special connections and referrals even made their way to this dimension to trade cards with the Cosmo Workshop's "Master of All Fusions."
It was precisely because the number of spirits kept growing that Hikaru had started worrying whether newly joined spirits would have trouble adjusting.
The Earthbound Gods were fine, honestly. They were just looking for a new place to settle down and didn't even mind the noise. Being awake and unshackled was the greatest gift they could ask for.
And the Sacred Beasts had finally gotten their revenge, so they weren't asking for much either. They and the Earthbound Gods were brothers in hardship, and peace of mind was all that mattered.
But for an ordinary spirit like Haine, it was genuinely hard to say.
Fortunately, she seemed to be getting along just fine.