Chapter 10. Re-engagement
"Actually, I am being taken care of by Mister Kiritaka while I'm in this city. I will lead the way for you."
The moment he regained consciousness, he heard Liliana's voice full of enthusiasm, and saw the brown-skinned girl clumsily batting her eyelashes at him.
"Ugh!"
"Ouchie! That hurts, Subaru!" Subaru froze for a moment, then looked at his right hand.
What he was gripping with all his strength was not the hilt of his beloved sword, but Beatrice's soft little hand. Beatrice, whose small hand was distorted from the squeeze, looked at him with teary eyes, while unreservedly kicking his shin. The pain brought Subaru back to his senses. He quickly released Beatrice's hand and simultaneously took a few steps back.
"Wha, what were you planning? Suddenly wanting to destroy a little girl's hand...
"such cute hands are pitiful, you see. Please let me lick them, hiss hiss."
"Don't suddenly come near me with such a creepy feeling!"
Beatrice frantically pulled her hand away from Liliana and hid behind Subaru. Clearly, Subaru's recent violence had not affected his relationship with Beatrice.
Subaru inwardly let out a sigh of relief. He then looked around; the only familiar faces he saw were Beatrice and Liliana.
"No way…" Subaru's eyes widened in surprise.
He instantly understood the current time point: it was less than thirty minutes since the Archbishop of Sin of Wrath had ambushed the Muse Trading Company. The desperate reality laid out before him even made Subaru feel as if his vision dimmed.
But this was understandable. Because the starting time of "Return by Death" had never been so short in the past.
Previously, "Return by Death" would at least give Subaru a buffer period of a few hours to several days. Natsuki Subaru's task was to utilize this time to change the dead end of the future.
"That damned Witch!"
Subaru, understanding the significance of Return by Death, instantly realized the reason for the short time: the Witch had not included Kiritaka on the list of people to save.
—Only half an hour, and he would have to waste most of that time traveling. His opponent was an Archbishop of Sin. What could he possibly do?
The thought of abandoning Kiritaka even flashed through his mind for a moment.
"Crystal?" Subaru looked at the worried Beatrice, and then at Liliana, who was excitedly watching him from not far away, and suddenly slapped himself across the face.
"Am I an idiot? No, I am an idiot.
The more the enemy wants to achieve something, the more I must find a way to stop her.
A buffer period is a luxury. A normal life doesn't get a second chance." Subaru spoke these firm words to steel his resolve.
"Subaru, are you okay?" Subaru waved his hand to signal that he was fine.
He hesitated when looking at Liliana. The events of the previous loop had shown Subaru how exaggerated Liliana's importance was in the current Kiritaka's mind, but at the same time, Subaru knew that the person before him was a potent poison.
Finally, considering the battle that might occur soon, Subaru took a deep breath.
"Actually, I know where the Muse Trading Company is, so we'll just go by ourselves. Liliana, please continue your performance here."
"Rejected! I've definitely been rejected! This is the first time I, Liliana, have experienced such humiliation! This is just too… Ah-la-la-la!"
Liliana, who was tearfully lamenting as the ground shook, bit her tongue again. Her expression of sadness was contorted by pain.
This comical sight almost made Subaru retort, but the violent shaking of the ground made Subaru realize the urgency of the situation. To quickly get closer to the trouble, he said directly.
"As compensation, when I get back, I'll give you a fantastic exclusive story."
"That means!…"
Subaru looked at Beatrice. Beatrice paused for a moment, then grabbed Subaru's hand and flew up. Thanks to this, Liliana's attempted pounce missed, and she fell completely onto the ground. However, the intensity in the eyes of the Songstress, who looked up, did not diminish in the slightest. The two people in the air, feeling guilty, shivered.
"Subaru?"
"Over there, there's a massive stone-built structure."
The two began to move rapidly, ignoring the excited Liliana. Beatrice looked at the grim-faced Subaru and hesitated.
"So? It's about time you explained what's going on, I suppose."
Beatrice cast a barrier to block the strong winds and then asked.
"Sorry, I need to organize my thoughts. You'll know when we get there."
After saying this, Subaru continued to recall every detail of the previous loop.
—When I died, the people around me all died the same way. That means not only were emotions shared, but physical conditions were shared as well. The most important thing is whether Sirius is included in this sharing list. If she is, killing her would cost the lives of everyone around her.
Reviewing what had just happened, Subaru fully grasped what led him to the dead end, and at the same time, he instantly sensed the hidden malice.
In that moment, Subaru felt a shiver down his spine, because if his theory was correct, then Sirius Romanée-Conti, the Archbishop of [Wrath], was undoubtedly a nightmare-like existence.
"Beatrice, do you have any way to isolate an ability that directly affects the soul?"
Beatrice froze for a moment, then adopted a thoughtful expression.
"A fine curtain? No. If it acts directly upon the soul, then it's a curse, I suppose. If that's the case, only the Spatial Isolation Magic I recently refined can prevent its effects, I suppose."
"That's the one that lets you use your fighting power next to Reinhild. If you use it on me, how long can it last if I leave your side, and how many people can you use it on without affecting your fighting ability?"
"With Betty's mana, an hour is no problem, I suppose. The number of people is likely seven, I suppose."
Subaru's expression darkened. Although time passes quickly when one is focused, he still believed that the time he had been away from Beatrice was less than an hour, because he did not think Beatrice and Sirius had fought for that long, nor did he believe he could survive an hour without bleeding to death.
—It was broken. Was it because I myself generated an intense feeling of rage? Or was it because the number of affected people was so great that the Authority was amplified beyond the limit of Beatrice's barrier?
"We're here, I suppose." Before Subaru could reach a conclusion, Beatrice suddenly began to descend. The stone-built structure of the Muse Trading Company appeared before Subaru. Subaru took a deep breath, then picked up Beatrice and quickly walked into the building.
"Excuse me, sir, who are you?"
The reception lady blocked Subaru's path with a confused expression.
"I am Kiritaka's friend. I received intelligence that an Archbishop of Sin from the Witch Cult will attack here shortly."
"Um, sir, is what you just said true? You're not just making it up, are you?"
Subaru now understood the earth-shattering gravity of the names "Witch of Envy" and the Witch Cult in this world; even the reception lady immediately sensed the criticality of the situation and her expression changed drastically.
"I am Natsuki Subaru, a Knight under Felt-sama." Subaru took out the emblem proving his identity.
"The person who vanquished the Archbishop of Sin of [Sloth]! I understand. Please follow me." The reception lady showed a serious expression, then quickly turned and led Subaru upstairs.
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