Prompted by Subaru's words, Wilhelm lifted his face, his blue eyes opening wide.
Subaru had arbitrarily drawn comparisons between what he felt and what he imagined Wilhelm felt. He didn't think his brief words from just then could convey that, and for Subaru to speak as if he understood probably didn't amuse Wilhelm.
But Subaru couldn't restrain his desire to say it anyway—words to thank Wilhelm for his love for his departed wife still burning fourteen years on, and for his labors, continuing to fight Fate day after day until they led him to victory…
"—I thank you."
Briefly, and with a quavering voice, that was how Wilhelm replied.
After that, he leaned forward slightly, and after a silence of but several seconds, he rose to his feet. Then, he turned his gaze to Crusch, and when she nodded, he said, "I have received Lady Crusch's permission. Sir Subaru, I place this body in your hands. Please use it to the fullest for your objective."
"That's super-helpful, but you're serious?"
When he glanced at Crusch to make sure, she drew her chin in and nodded affirmatively. When he looked Wilhelm over in all seriousness, he felt both the dependability and the fearsomeness of the man, his antagonism undiminished in spite of having one arm wounded.
—To Subaru, Wilhelm's cooperation was a wish come true.
In the current situation, where every bit of fighting strength was desperately yearned for, he wanted the Sword Devil's strength enough that a hand might sprout from his own throat. But even an amateur like him could see that Wilhelm's injuries were grave.
In the face of Subaru's doubts, Crusch shook her head.
"That is not a problem… Ferris!"
"Yes, Lady Crusch!"
When Crusch called sharply, Ferris seemed to instantly glide into view in response.
With a skip in his step, he lined up alongside Crusch, and as the kitty ears on his head made a little flutter, he said, "What is it, Lady Crusch? Ferri's in the middle of going all around and doing a big job, but of course I'll
prioritize anything Lady Crusch has to ask before everything else!"
"Hey, don't drop your responsibilities halfway through the sentence!"
Ferris, the butt of Subaru's comment about easily casting aside all sense of duty as a healer, made a sour face. He was still like that when Crusch gazed at the expeditionary force and asked him, "How many of the wounded are in mortal peril?"
"I'm treating gravely wounded people, but I can clearly say the number in peril is zero. Other people's field dressings were excellent, and I'm a
capable kitty, so it's okay to praise me, meow."
With Ferris flirtingly touching a finger to his cheek, Subaru put a hand to his chest in relief. At the very least, Rem didn't seem to be in any serious danger. The exchange after the battle had been decided had put him at ease, but hearing all over again that she was safe was a relief nonetheless.
In the meantime, Crusch nodded as she stroked Ferris's head. "Understood. So the remaining wounded can be transported. Ferris, you can leave the existing healing as it is, then. Afterward, you will accompany Subaru Natsuki and fulfill the role of his ally."
"—Eh?!"
It was Subaru who raised his voice in surprise at the order Crusch issued.
She was splitting Ferris off and making him accompany Subaru. That order meant nothing less than prioritizing her ally, Subaru, over her own camp's wounded.
Of course, Ferris would object to Crusch's decision to split him off from the Crusch ca—
"Understood. Ferri will accompany Subawu from here. I'll have to heal
Old Man Wil on the road anyway, meow."
"Quite the trouble for you."
"Old Man Wil's the one swinging his sword, so that makes it about even, meow?"
There was no beating these people.
Ferris accepted the order like it was a matter of course, and Wilhelm betrayed no expression of surprise at the order, either. Subaru couldn't conceal his bewilderment at the interplay between the two servants and their master.
With Subaru in such disarray, Ferris glided his eyes over to him and said, "So that means half of the people left in the expeditionary force look all right…? About twenty people, give or take? They'll be coming to cooperate with you, Subawu. Take good care of us."
"That's putting it pretty lightly! You're okay with this…?"
"Okay with what, meow?"
"Whaddaya mean, what…? Lots of things. Can you trust my judgment…?"
As far as he could remember, back in the royal capital, there had been none he'd come into contact with that had acted to gouge more wounds in him than Ferris. No matter how friendly a smile came over his face, no matter how adorable the attitude he dressed it up in, Subaru somehow understood that he harbored a deep disdain for Subaru's weakness.
Subaru naturally thought that he'd feel reluctant to follow such a person, but…
"It's not that I trust you, Subawu. It's that I have faith in Lady Crusch's decision that Subawu is to be trusted. It's not like she's wrong, meow?"
"O-oh…thanks."
Ferris laughed loudly, as if rubbing Subaru's thoughts into his face. That behavior made Subaru feel guilty, and while his words caught in his throat, he somehow expressed his thanks. Ferris's smile deepened when he added in a little voice, "…It's a bit like…you're disgusted by the one most like yourself."
"—? Did you…say something just now?"
"Not reawwy? Nothing— Ah, that's right." Leaving the unclear statement hazy, Ferris deliberately clapped his hands together and said, "I forgot to mention this, but Rem's holding the fort—or rather, she'll go back to the capital with Lady Crusch and get some rest. Understand, meow?"
"—Why?!"
When Ferris made that declaration with a wink, a strong voice of protest arose. It came from a line of wounded, from which Rem had overheard the exchange. She glared powerfully at Ferris as she asserted:
"I—I will be all right. Why, why would I not be with Subaru when he is heading into such danger from here on…?"
"That's what you say, but your body won't move, meow? You pretty much took out one White Whale all by yourself, and you fired off high-end magic back-to-back on top of that… Rem, your body's really depleted right now, scraping the bottom of the barrel, meow. As a healer, I cannot allow you to push yourself any further. Understand?"
"But!"
I cannot accept it, Rem surely meant to get up and protest. But when she tried to even sit up, she could put no strength into her arm, and with it unable to support her shaking body, she threatened to tumble over on the spot. Subaru hurried close and gently supported her shoulder.
"It's too dangerous… I'm begging you, do as Ferris says. Don't do anything crazy."
"But—I do not want this. It hurts. I cannot bear it."
As Rem looked back at Subaru, now beside her, large tears filled her blue eyes. It was not being left behind that she feared. No, what she feared more than anything was—
"When you are in distress, Subaru, I want to be the one offering my hand faster than anyone. When you hesitate along your path, I want to be the one pushing on your back. When you challenge something, I want to be at your side, stopping you from shaking. That is—that is all I wish for. So please…" "You don't need to worry 'bout any of that stuff."
"Eh?"
Naturally, Rem's tearful-sounding voice weaving those lovely words brought a bashful expression to Subaru's face. Supporting her shoulder, he gently stroked her head as he said, "You've been holding my hand nonstop, and you've pushed my back lots of times. When I'm shaking, just thinking of you lets me manage somehow—you've been saving me all this time."
"…Ah…"
"It's all right, Rem. I'll manage somehow, all of it. I'm your hero. I decided this was the first step toward that. So you don't need to worry."
When her quivering eyes looked up at Subaru, her cheeks grew red and hot. With her like that, Subaru turned a smiling face toward her, baring his teeth as he smiled ferociously.
"The whale hunt's done already. Your hero's super-bedeviled, I guess."
"Suba…ru…"
Unable to restrain the emotions welling up inside her, Rem's call of Subaru's name faltered midway. From there, she seemed to anguish, as if restraining her impulses over and over, and after breathing in several times, the tears she could not hold back trickled from the corners of her eyes. "—Yes. My hero is…the greatest in the whole world." She cried with a smile on her face.
4
Crusch gathered up the wounded, Rem included, and the head of the White Whale, and departed for the royal capital.
Half of the remaining expeditionary force escorted Crusch and the others, and the other half went with Subaru, heading for the Mathers domain.
Headed by Wilhelm and Ferris, the expeditionary force accompanying Subaru amounted to twenty-four souls. It was somewhat below the numbers Subaru had hoped for, but it was reassuring fighting strength nonetheless.
Besides, it was not just people from the expeditionary force accompanying him but also—
"Captain! Mimi! Mimi worked hard, too! Worked incredibly super-hard!" Two beast people were riding ligers as they quarreled loudly.
One was Ricardo, recovered after withdrawing from the battle lines after being wounded shielding Subaru. The other was Mimi, who had not lost any of her childish extravagance, even amid a battle with her life on the line.
It was not only the two of them joining the battle but also the ten-odd surviving members of the beast-man mercenary band, the Iron Fangs.
Apparently, the other lieutenant, Hetaro, had taken command of the wounded, returning to the capital with Crusch.
"Come to think of it, how'd your little bro get that wiped out when you're that full of energy?"
"Hetaro's a little weakling! Goodness, so pathetic!"
Mimi cackled, laughing loudly as she made sport of her little brother's weakness. But Subaru judged that it was probably just the older sister's stupid amount of endurance.
She was the berserker type who couldn't help laughing in battle—or more precisely, an extremely positive thinker who saw fun in everything. Subaru couldn't help being envious.
"Welp, I didn't do much for the last half of the whale butt kickin', but don't worry. The Lady Anastasia asked nice an' proper. I'll be doin' plenty for the real job comin' up."
"The real job— Wait, you know what I'm trying to do…?" Subaru said.
"Tangle with the Witch Cult, right?"
The words Ricardo quietly spoke made Subaru's throat tighten.
Naturally, when he strongly gripped the reins of Patlash, the land dragon bearing his weight, he heard the pitch-black dragon make a little sound of concern for him.
Seeing the side of Subaru's tense face like that, Ricardo bared his sharp fangs and smiled.
"Go ahead an' look surprised. To merchants, fresh info comes number one, and the miss has us on the payroll for a reason. We don't have these ears for nothin'. They pick up lots of things, not just 'bout you."
"That's right! Mimi's awesome!"
"I wasn't talkin' 'bout you, runt."
Mimi's reaction threw Ricardo's joke off on a tangent, earning a strained smile from him. While standing on the side, Subaru scratched his head, feeling surprised at Anastasia's poor actions.
That said, now that they were sticking together thereafter, sharing info with Ricardo and the other Iron Fangs was inevitable. If possible, he'd love to sit everyone down, expeditionary force included, and properly talk things over. And along with them, the insurance Subaru had arranged before
departure, though he didn't know if it would work, or— "Oh, looks like we can link up."
"Ah?"
Beside Subaru, sunk in thought, Ricardo's eyes faced forward when he suddenly spoke those words. Subaru's gaze quickly followed suit, but he could see nothing through the darkness of the plains at night. Unable to see what Ricardo did, all he could do was tilt his head.
"You don't hafta strain like that; I can tell they're waitin' for us. Relax."
"So says the guy who can tell, sheesh. Showing off and all."
"Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it. —They're a bit far, but comin' from thataway is the other half of our band of mercs."
"Half?"
Subaru knotted his brows at Ricardo's words. The other half of the Iron Fangs ought to have meant the wounded withdrawing to the royal capital, but…
"By half, I mean exactly that. We put only half the members o' the Iron Fangs on bringin' down the White Whale. The other half had the other half to do."
"Doing what?"
"Had to make sure no other humans on the highway got involved in the fight, right? So they were shuttin' off the highway from the other side. They set out durin' last night, so ya never had a chance to meet any of 'em."
Hearing Ricardo's explanation, Subaru accepted it, drawing in his chin.
He wasn't exactly thrilled they hadn't devoted all their forces to subduing the White Whale, but they had lent Ricardo and Mimi, their main combat strength. Considering that the subjugation failing might have meant complete annihilation, Anastasia wasn't wrong to hedge against that risk. He just didn't have to like it.
It was Subaru's envy at work, for he had few cards in his hand and no options save tossing fastballs full force.
"So the ones coming now are the rest of your buddies. Who's leading 'em?"
"Mimi's younger brother TB! He can do combo boomies with Mimi just like Hetaro! Incredible!"
Mimi stuck her chest out as she proudly replied to Subaru's inquiry. Just from hearing her vague, energetic reply, he had some concerns about their remaining comrades.
"Er, but that younger brother was a straight shooter. Does this younger brother take after the sis, the bro, or is it fifty-fifty…?"
"I get why yer worried, but TB's the smartest o' the bunch. He handles our accountin' and negotiations, and he's the lady's right-hand man. He's an expert at handlin' Mimi, so he's a step up over Hetaro there!"
"Don't say that, I'm gonna feel bad for Hetaro…"
The various rankings the older sister and the captain had issued made Hetaro something of a tragic figure.
Either way, setting pity for him aside, Iron Fangs reinforcements was good news. It was surely best to link up with them, then talk to everyone and think about what was to come. A strategy session aimed at the awaiting Witch Cult—Wilhelm and the others from the Crusch camp had likely surmised the circumstances. The problem was how Subaru would explain it.
Just like with the White Whale, he had to explain things without touching upon Return by Death.
"But that's not an easy thing to do…mm?"
As Subaru's brain agonized, he saw a pack of ligers kicking up a dust cloud up ahead. Just as Ricardo had said, this was the other Iron Fangs group linking up with them. However, Subaru felt unease.
" "
With a corner of his head giving off an uneasy feeling, Subaru's eyes strained, and then, he discovered the source.
Among the pack of ligers, there was a single figure to the fore with characteristics differing from those around it. As the distance closed, and as those vague contours became better defined, Subaru understood that those characteristics were that of a land dragon.
And mounted atop that blue land dragon was…
"—Why are you here?"
"That is quite a thing to say to one's reinforcements. Most typical of you."
Both groups stopped, and Subaru, still on his land dragon, faced the individual.
His pale-violet hair was meticulously combed, his body was clad in the solemn, white armor of a Knight of the Royal Guard, and the corners of his handsome mouth were curled up in a thin smile.
Subaru stared at the elegant figure before him, connected to him by karma —Julius Juukulius.
5
As Patlash furled the folds of its nose, the blue land dragon before it screeched with a sharp glare. Subaru stroked its neck, trying to pacify the comrade that felt the same way he did.
Though they had not yet been together long, the bond between Subaru and Patlash had been strengthened by escaping the edge of death together. Subaru felt like Patlash's thoughts were conveyed straight through the reins.
"This might trouble you at an inopportune moment, but could you stop soliciting my land dragon? Your land dragon seems quite fine as well, but such invitation goes too far."
"Hey, Patlash! Why, you— You're flirting?! I go thinking we feel the same way and you betray me?! Chasing tail before a do-or-die battle?!"
"Hey, bro, that land dragon don't wanna hear that from ya. You were checkin' it out so much before we left and all. Besides, bro…your land dragon's female."
"Wait, you're a lady?!"
Patlash, the center of discussion, looked annoyed at Subaru's surprise over his partner's gender.
Seeing Julius shrug his shoulders at the exchange, his statement just earlier seemed to be an unfunny joke. Subaru was about to yell at him for it, but before he could, Ferris cut in.
"Why, it's quite something to meet you in a place like this, Julius. We were fighting for our lives until just a few hours ago, meow."
"I have nothing I can say in my defense. However, I must correct you, Ferris. I am not the individual known as Julius. Let us see… I shall call myself Juli."
When Ferris stared and offered sarcasm, Julius toyed back with a serious face. Everyone was giving him cold looks for his meaningless use of an alias, but he accepted their gazes with a slight, serene smile and said, "If, for argument's sake, an individual of knightly rank were to join a band of hirelings, it could only mean he had fallen to the station of mercenary. Thus, it is untrue that the knight named Julius Juukulius has joined the Iron Fangs, but rather the lone man before you named Juli."
"I see, meow. Typical, families with proper chivalry are so much twouble. Ferri's so glad to be from fallen nobility."
"I do not think of being a knight as troublesome at all. I believe the only problem lies in the willingness to help out a friend—coincidentally, I should also declare that the punishment by house arrest received by Julius Juukulius was last night, so whereupon the day has changed, it has been lifted."
"Puttin' up all those stupid distractions… Is there even a point to an alias, then?"
Listening to the conversation between Ferris and Julius, Subaru clicked his tongue and levied abuse. Averting his gaze with a twist of his lips, it felt like he was pouting, but given that this was actually the case, he could make no excuse for it.
Hearing such abuse from Subaru, Julius abruptly looked his way, advancing his land dragon forward to take a position directly facing Subaru when he remarked, "It is good you are in better spirits than I expected—I wondered about the condition of your body."
"—!"
Julius's statement of concern for his physical condition made something in Subaru's brain audibly snap.
Although Subaru's humiliation was nearly two weeks ago from his perspective, if only a few days from Julius's, the question, which could only come off as some kind of dry sarcasm, was more than enough to make him remember.
As a slap in the face, the statement delivered like nothing else could, and Subaru just barely managed to lock his jeers in his own throat, holding his anger in.
He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, put on a calm face, and gave his short forelocks a little flick.
"Yeah, well, it was just a scratch, right? Like, a little spit and polish and I was all better? Anyway, aren't you a little late to think of yourself as reinforcements? What? Were you busy writing apologies to the higher-ups because you got serious against an amateur?"
Subaru countered with his specialty, fanning the flames, using a guess based on the house arrest punishment he'd previously heard discussed. As he did so, Julius's face grew sterner, ever so slightly daunted.
"I did not wish to speak of that but rather, the valiant wounds sustained from the subjugation of the White Whale…but it is good that those scrapes have healed as well. In the first place, the wounds should not have been as severe as they appeared…though you rolled around in exaggerated pain, specializing in earning sympathy as you are."
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."
"Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu."
As the two exchanged dry laughter between them, the atmosphere began to feel like a powder keg.
When Subaru thought of how those around him were taking this, he saw that Ferris and Ricardo were watching with the look of amused bystanders, while Mimi mingled with the other group in search of her younger brother.
Naturally, the duty of calming things down fell to…
"It is good to warm over old friendships, but perhaps this is not an appropriate time?"
Advancing to the fore, riding a land dragon and making that argument, was an aged swordsman—Wilhelm.
Reproaching the two as they glared at each other, his calm, blue eyes reflected Julius within them as he said, "I cannot thank you enough for coming in aid. Our fighting strength is rather depleted from the battle with the White Whale… As a man coming along for his own self-satisfaction, I was concerned."
"Wilhelm, that's not…"
When Wilhelm lowered the tone of his voice and stated that, Subaru interjected.
To Subaru, subjugating the White Whale was the first must-clear hurdle on his list.
Subaru had intervened firmly out of his own self-interest, so he could not possibly think of Wilhelm as a burden. It pained him that he could not explain everything, but he at least wanted to wipe away that sense of being indebted.
But before Subaru could raise his voice—
"It is a fine face that you have become able to make, Master Wilhelm." In a quiet voice, it was Julius who addressed Wilhelm. Moved by Wilhelm's eyes, which no longer looked haunted, he nodded deeply and said, "It is as if you are a different man from the one I met previously… Surely, this shall also be some small comfort to Reinhard."
"I…suppose it might."
Wilhelm put a hand to his chin and lowered his eyes.
How deep, Subaru wondered, must the conflict within the old man's chest have been to give rise to that momentary hesitation?
The various people around them took their exchange in a variety of ways. Sympathy, relief—knowing the circumstances, many must have had those reactions. Subaru, the only one not to know, was left behind.
"Regarding that, I was unable to face up to it. Even if he did no wrong, even if he meant no harm, I could not forgive him—one day, I shall pay the consequences."
"Even those thoughts alone are surely enough to ease his heart."
Wilhelm held back something bitter in his reply, but Julius took his words well. Then he slowly turned a gentle gaze back toward Subaru, as if all was water under the bridge.
Naturally, Subaru girded himself for a resumption of the earlier war of words, but…
"I must give you my thanks."
"—Ah?"
In front of Subaru, unwittingly raising his voice, Julius lightly hopped off his land dragon onto the ground. Then, he looked up at Subaru, still riding Patlash, and went down on one knee.
"Properly speaking, this subjugation of the White Whale was the longstanding desire of the Knights of the Royal Guard. For bringing a final end to the disaster neglected by every nation for many years, I thank thee."
When he proceeded to display his gratitude with an elegant gesture, Subaru, who had held only enmity toward Julius to date, was unable to muster an immediate reaction.
Meanwhile, beside the perplexed Subaru, Ferris interjected.
"Now, hold on! Don't misunderstand, the subjugation of the White Whale was led by the Duchess of Karsten—so it's Lady Crusch's achievement,
meow. And importantly, Old Man Wil's the one who slew it."
"I understand very well that there is no power within him to directly slay the White Whale, having crush—having heard from Julius, who crossed swords with him directly."
Julius showed every sign of sticking to the notion that he was the mercenary Juli to the bitter end.
But having recognized Ferris's statement, he continued his words.
"However, there is no mistaking that his existence was a major impetus for the subjugation of the White Whale. Ferris, is it not right that you, too, acknowledge this?"
"Meow!! That's… Well, that may be so, meow…"
When that was pointed out to him, Ferris hemmed and hawed as he wilted. Having put those kitty ears in their place, Julius turned his gaze to Subaru once more.
"Thanks to you, people can forget the days they spent in fear of the mist—
Lady Anastasia shall surely be overjoyed as well."
"Even though I can accept the first half straight-up, it's a lot harder to accept that second half as is."
"And my friend can…begin to put his regret of many years behind him."
Subaru understood that by "friend," he probably meant a certain redhaired hero, but Subaru didn't know the fine details of what regrets that complete super-human had harbored for many years.
Did someone like him really have a past he needed to regret…?
At any rate, Subaru had no intention of fiddling with how to take all those words. It was right to be happy for Wilhelm having achieved his longcherished desire, and at the very least, he recognized that his own cooperation had been useful to that end.
But even so, Subaru felt extremely conflicted having Julius praise him so.
" "
He put on a strong front, but he couldn't wipe away his weakness, flinching and recoiling from the handsome man.
Even had he overcome his own weakness, all that awaited him was the unsightly image of a rebellious child having a tantrum. Even though he felt genuinely grateful for the reinforcements, the fact that it was Julius was hardening Subaru's heart, enough that deep down, he wanted to give his superior, Anastasia, a piece of his mind.
Taking pains not to let such negative emotions come out onto his face, Subaru exhaled at length.
"So in the end, what are you doing here? What'd you come for?"
"—You really pulled it off, didn't you?"
"Ah?"
Julius did not reply to Subaru's question, but somehow, Julius's murmur sounded like he was deeply moved. When Subaru prompted him, he commented, "Nothing," and shook his head before saying, "I wished to ask if you comprehend that the contract with Lady Anastasia lends the Iron Fangs to
Lady Cru— Rather, to you, only during the subjugation of the White Whale?"
"Huh? Was that the deal? But I'm sure the lady said that…"
"Big Sis, please be quiet."
Hearing Julius's declaration, Mimi tried to interject, but a little feline beast man with identical facial features sitting right beside her stopped her from doing so. That was probably the talented younger brother.
Glancing sidelong at the exchange, Subaru grimaced at Julius's words.
"What are you trying to say exactly?"
"It is a simple story. Having succeeded in subjugating the White Whale, we no longer have any reason to cooperate with you. The job is done—yet here you are, trying to take them somewhere this very moment?"
"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Julius, you're so forgetful! The lady said this and that before we left and everything! Mimi's forgotten what it was, though!"
"Be silent."
Though the kitten-sibling interplay tugged at his mind, Subaru finally grasped what Julius was trying to say. In other words, it went like this:
"You want me to choose, here and now, whether to let the Iron Fangs pull out or stay on as reinforcements."
"I am under instructions to sell our services at a high price, you see. Or perhaps our strength is not necessary at this juncture?"
Julius indicated the others watching from behind him, pressing Subaru to decide.
In spite of himself, Subaru could not easily permit his irritation to slip into the decision. It would be simple to give in to anger and chase them off, but that would be a fool's choice, diminishing his fighting strength while the tallest hurdle loomed ahead of him.
That said, readily accepting the "high price" Julius had invoked brought its own problems. It was a bad move in negotiations to make promises you couldn't keep, and moreover, Subaru's decision had numerous lives, and the future of a particular girl, hanging on it.
"..."
With Subaru pushed into silence, Wilhelm and the others beside him watched without saying a word. Even if Subaru had requested support from them at that juncture, it would turn the negotiation into the Iron Fangs entering the employ of the Crusch camp. But that would only serve to create one obligation to satisfy another.
At present, Crusch was lending support to Subaru from a position of equality between them; put bluntly, he didn't want to upset that balance.
"..."
When he looked next at the mercenary band under Ricardo's command, Ricardo was folding his arms, keeping his silence. Beside him, Mimi copied her captain, folding her arms as she twitched her ears.
When he thought back to Ricardo's earlier display of willingness to fight the Witch Cult, it all came together. He was getting in Subaru's good graces in anticipation of this negotiation with Julius.
"That's dirty. You Kararagi folk sure play dirty…"
"That's a harsh thing to say to someone, ya know. By the way, I ain't really into this whole 'takin' advantage of people's weaknesses' thing. I just like money more, so…"
"You're so shallow it's depressing! Not that I was expecting more to begin with!"
Even if he was boss in name only, he still had no intention to seek aid from Ricardo, part of the enemy camp.
At any rate, it was disgustingly obvious that the negotiation left Subaru no option but to say yes. Unlike the Crusch camp, lending him help so they could call it even, Anastasia was creating a one-sided debt. It was a painful decision, but there was no move to make save for grudgingly accepting the situation.
Declining reinforcements would be a far stupider decision.
If only there was some magical means to make the Iron Fangs fight the
Witch Cult under the existing contract—
"Magic, magic…? Mist, White Whale…and the contract for the highway…"
Subaru, searching for some kind of convenient means, suddenly lined up side by side what had been mere words in his head. Upon examination, they seemed to be unconnected terms, but that little nudge made his thoughts burn white-hot.
Bit by bit, a vague image began to take form inside Subaru's mind, turning into a coherent answer.
And then—
"…How about this: The subjugation of the White Whale…ain't over yet."
"—That is an…interesting statement."
Julius narrowed his eyes as he replied to Subaru's desperate-sounding words.
Subaru's statement unsettled not only the Iron Fangs behind him but the expeditionary force as well. Among them, Wilhelm's wide-eyed look tugged especially strongly upon Subaru's conscience.
But in a meaning separate from Wilhelm succeeding in his long-cherished aim, it was his idea for addressing a problem that could not be set aside.
"It's possible that the White Whale is a demon beast acting for the Witch Cult. I'm…aware of people in the Witch Cult saying something like that."
—It was the third time around, in other words, the final scene before that world came to an end.
Facing off against Petelgeuse in the forest, he'd lost to the madman's Unseen Hands. After that, Subaru thought Petelgeuse's kicking of Emilia's remains was like he intended to force Subaru to feel powerless.
At the time, as the madman's filthy mouth berated Subaru, he definitely ran his mouth to the effect of…
"—The highway is sealed by the mist, so there is no one to interfere with my love!"
How did he know that?
Why did he speak of it like it was his own doing?
And buttressing that was a word spoken afterward by the Beast of the End, freezing the world over with its breath.
"Someone who knew the White Whale called it 'Gluttony.' If I'm not wrong in thinking that means something to the Witch Cult, the cause of the demon beast appearing is where I'm heading."
If Petelgeuse had called the White Whale to the highway, obstructing entry to and exit from the Mathers domain, his objective could have only been to further his own mad ends.
In other words, covering the highway in the White Whale's mist was preparation for the attack on the mansion—and Emilia.
"The Witch Cult's got a chip on its shoulder, so we've gotta knock it off. With this added, that'll be four centuries of failure set straight. When we've done that, then we can say we've finished taking care of the White Whale."
" "
Subaru looked Julius's way as he continued with a strong declaration, "The job of the employer is to give orders and dish out rewards. Don't cut out on me midway, merc. Or are you gonna pay compensation for cutting and running?"
The basis of his statement was so thin that, on the inside, even he was amazed. But Subaru was now able to maintain a bold, smiling exterior while saying such a thing.
He'd gathered scattered bits of information from each repetition, piling them together to hazard a guess. He'd had that experience several times before, but this time, the guess was on spectacularly thin ground. After all, the crux of the information was gleaned from things he'd overheard while his mind was clouded.
Even linking them together in some semblance of coherence, he had no idea if it would sway them. If it could not, at least it could be the thread leading to further negotiations—
"Mm, I think I shall grant you a passing grade."
"Huh?"
"You could make it sound a little better for our ears, but in general, your claim passes muster. Nor shall Lady Anastasia lose face."
"W-wait a minute!"
Subaru raised his voice in haste at Julius's know-it-all reply. In response, Julius casually looked at the agitated Subaru.
"What is it? You need not be concerned; the Iron Fangs shall continue their assistance in accordance with the collateral that has already been paid to Lady Anastasia. There is no problem, is there?"
"That easy…? I mean, what's with that know-it-all stuff! Why, you…!"
When Subaru began to voice the words that were to follow, he came to realize a very disagreeable part of himself.
Julius had considered Subaru's circumstances, cooperating by taking Subaru's guess at face value. Subaru just hadn't wanted to notice his benevolence.
Subaru wanted Julius to be a hateful person he could never see eye to eye with.
—He realized the vulgarity of his own feelings in wishing that it were so.
"Well, it ain't like we're doin' this for free. A dumb robber only takes from ya once, but a clever one gets as many chances to take from you as he likes."
"Doesn't change that in the end, you're getting hosed, huh…"
Ricardo wedged himself into the conversation, and fortunately, he was on Subaru's side. In so doing, the easy way became easier, and Subaru hated himself for running from it.
When Subaru's self-hatred mixed with the self-hatred of others, things only got worse and worse. But even Subaru knew that. He'd learned it long before.
"I'm…in the wrong… Crap, sorry. Aw, damn it, that's not even what I wanna say. Even back then, I knew I was…"
Putting a hand to his forehead, Subaru finally voiced the logical answer he'd agonized over. However, even though he understood in his head, it was hard to find the words for it.
This was where he ought to be thanking Julius for bringing reinforcements and committing to the fight. Now that he could look back at it calmly, he could understand just who had been in the wrong, and that the previous antagonism between them was the result of Subaru's quick temper.
Or perhaps even the reason Julius had done what he did at the time was—
" "
Julius simply waited, saying nothing to Subaru's difficult words.
He surely understood what Subaru wanted to say. If Subaru couldn't say it, and he wanted to get out in front and voice a reply, surely he could.
But he did not, and Subaru could not help hating him for not doing so. It would have been so much better if he could simply keep hating the man through and through.
"I…was wrong. Sorry. I apolo…gize."
To Subaru, they were abominable memories to think back upon, but he'd have had to face them sooner or later, and that was the place, in front of the man he'd have to settle things with someday.
Julius closed his eyes at Subaru's apology, slowly drawing in his chin.
"Allow me to apologize for my own rudeness. I do not take back everything I said and did in that place, but even so, I take back my belittling of you, from the bottom of my heart."
Those were the words with which Julius answered Subaru's apology.
Sincerity flowed from Julius's words, and Subaru knew that the resentful, hateful feelings inside of him had melted away with exceptional ease.
Understanding this, he dismounted, standing on the same ground as the knight before him, squarely facing him on a level playing field.
He was reflected in the other's yellow eyes, and Subaru's own black eyes reflected in the knight's as Subaru admitted, "I was wrong. But…"
"Mm."
"I really hate you—I think badly of you, and right now I'm thankful you came, but I really hate you. I truly, from the bottom of my heart, hate…your… guts!"
The last sentence of his rude declaration was broken up, with shakes of his head to the left and right for extra emphasis. And slammed in the face by all that hostility, Julius looked taken aback.
Then, his expression abruptly collapsed.
"That is well. After all, I am not very minded to become your friend, either."
With that, Julius snobbishly stroked his hair upward and laughed.
6
"Ahh, to be honest, this sort of thing really isn't my cup of tea. It's like, having people watch me with those serious looks is gonna make me blush…"
With the group of fifty sitting in a circle, Subaru stood at the center, embarrassed, as he let those words slip.
The place was the Liphas Highway; the time was before daybreak, and the participants were everyone in the expeditionary force.
The group that had persevered through the battle with the White Whale had been joined by reinforcements, the Iron Fangs under Julius's command, making them a rather large gathering, but the time had arrived when it was necessary to share the objective and information concerning it to all.
For that purpose, Subaru had proposed to sort out all their information in one sitting, but—
"I didn't think I'd be standing in the middle of all these people for it, though…"
Surrounded by veteran soldiers, beginning with the likes of Julius, Ferris, Ricardo, and Wilhelm, Subaru could not help flinching.
In the first place, he'd often anguished over his low interpersonal abilities since back in his old world. He was well aware that he lacked experience in standing before people like that, let alone the character to stand above others.
But even if Subaru was timid from having them look at him with a certain level of trust in their eyes, he didn't mind it at all. It just put him in quite a bind.
"Anyway, let's straighten this out. Ahh, from here on, we're heading to the Mathers domain…or rather, Roswaal Manor. There, the Witch Cult will probably—no—definitely show up."
"The Witch Cult, you say…"
When he invoked the name of the Witch Cult, conflicted emotions came over the expressions of various people. Given conversations to that point, there were surely many among them resigned to where it would lead, but even so, it was a different feeling knowing for sure who you were up against.
Though, Subaru did not know exactly what this world understood of the Witch Cult or how they would act on his information.
"As far as I'm concerned, though, they're the worst of the worst."
Based on everyone's reactions, they all seemed to share that thought.
When Subaru took comfort in that, Julius addressed him casually.
"Subaru. How did you come to realize the White Whale and the Witch
Cult are connected?"
Ever since Subaru aired his real feelings about their quarrel, Julius's demeanor had softened considerably. To be frank, that transformation left him conflicted in and of itself, but at the moment, answering the question took precedence.
"Burns me to say it, but I had a run-in with disciples of the Witch Cult. I didn't get out unscathed and I have a pile of bad memories from it…but there was one guy who ran his mouth," Subaru explained.
"I see… It would seem the knights' guess was not in error."
"I suppose not, meow. The research Old Man Wil put together seemed to come to the same conclusion."
"Wait, you knew?"
Julius accepted Subaru's words, and Ferris nodded and concurred. Their behavior surprised Subaru, but Wilhelm gently shook his head and said, "It was mere chance that I noticed the connection. I thought it was unnatural how often the distribution of the White Whale's appearances coincided with records of the Witch Cult's activities—it was nothing firm enough to call concrete evidence, but…"
"To Old Man Wil, the White Whale was the main course, and the Witch Cult is like dessert, meow. Ferri wasn't sure to believe it or not when hearing about it the first time, either…"
"There has been similar talk among the knights. Though to be precise, they were never considered anything but old wives' tales, tales to amuse one another with."
As Julius shrugged his shoulders, Wilhelm replied, "That is a small wonder," and exhaled.
Listening to their exchange, Subaru roughly scratched at his head and said, "For starters, it's lucky for me that there's a foundation for you to believe what I'm saying. Either way, if we believe what that Witch Cult guy was saying… Er, that might not be very trustworthy, but I think it's almost certain they're connected to the White Whale. The Witch created the White Whale to begin with, right?"
"So it is said. The existence and origins of demon beasts are mysteries to us. Some propagate in the same manner as ordinary living creatures, but some suddenly appear out of nowhere like the White Whale. Though, properly speaking, the only exceptions on par with the White Whale are the
Black Serpent and the Great Hare."
"Feels like some words I shouldn't just let go are flying around, but they scare me, so is it okay if I move on?"
Everyone nodded as if to say no problem. Seeing this, Subaru cleared his throat and advanced the conversation.
Now that everyone knew that they'd be facing the Witch Cult, there were things that had to be known to all.
"The Witch Cult's target is Emilia. They intend to burn away the mansion, the nearby village, and everyone inside. That's why we have to drive the bastards off somewhere."
"Drive off? Subawu, you're saying a really naive thing, meow."
Ferris narrowed his eyes in a flirtatious manner; there was a suggestive inflection to his words as he looked at Subaru. It was a sensual gesture that sent a cold shiver up Subaru's spine. However, it still came from a guy.
"Whaddaya mean, naive?"
"Shouldn't you just cut down every last one of a bunch like that? Given what they've done until now, isn't that the proper and just way to deal with them?"
" "
Hearing Ferris unflinchingly propose slaughtering the lot of them, Subaru's mouth opened in surprise.
It was not the extreme statement that surprised him but the statement that he himself was naive. He, who had gone over and over in his head that they ought to die and had to be killed, was surprised at the change in his mind-set that had made him use such soft words.
That was probably because the order of what ultimately mattered most had changed inside of him.
"Right now, to protect the people in the mansion and village, that's fine. Whether it's driving out the Witch Cult, blowing them away, crushing them, beating them to death, twisting their heads off, turning them into mincemeat, roasting 'em, pounding 'em to little bits…"
"I…understand. I see that you're very angry toward them, so…!"
"—Er! Darn it. No, you're wrong. I didn't go picking a fight out of anger and hatred. And it's unjust to say I got close to Emilia-tan just on account of that!"
"No one said anything like that, meow!"
Subaru's anger was gradually rekindled as he spoke, with Julius and Ferris ending up calming him down. However, he also gathered that it was unnecessary to smooth such things over. During the previous go-around, people had tended to distrust Subaru, but apparently, this time people didn't feel even a hint of suspicion about him. That's wrong somehow, thought Subaru, wrapping his head around it, but…
"After bringing down the White Whale at so much risk to yourself, no one's saying anything unjust like that, meow? Subawu, you're surprisingly untrusting of people."
"I'm not being untrusting…"
In fact, he'd experienced Ferris and Crusch doubting him in just those words. But he hadn't just frivolously smiled and acted to hide his misgivings from them. Perhaps that transformation, too, reflected a change in Subaru's way of thinking and acting.
"In any event, surely there is no room to doubt that the Witch Cult is on the move. Given their faith and their past activities, it was anticipated given the fact that Lady Emilia has publicly declared herself a royal selection candidate."
Separate from Subaru's internal thoughts, everyone seemed to be concurring with Julius. Their knowing reaction made Subaru finally voice a question he'd neglected to ask at previous opportunities.
"I've wanted to ask this for a while. How did you go from Emilia's name going public to accepting that the Witch Cult is on the move? It's a bit weird to me how everyone just accepted that so easily… I thought the Witch Cult was pretty much a mystery to everyone?"
"You're saying that considering you know which way the Witch Cult is moving?"
Subaru had expected to be laughed at for his ignorance, so he paid no mind.
"Well, there's no time, so let's get on with it. So how'd you get there?"
"Ain't it weird for the one not knowin' to put it like that…? …Well, ya know to the Witch Cult that the Witch of Jealousy, Satella, is more important to them than life itself. Y'know that, right?" Ricardo said.
"More or less. To be honest, I've only touched on that. I read it in a picture book, that's about it."
"Well of course, it ain't like there's anyone left who's actually seen her. I've only heard of 'er, too. Well, if y'know that the Witch Cult disciples worship Satella, it's all good. So ya knew that Satella witch is a half-elf, right?"
"That, too, kinda."
That information hadn't been written in the picture book, but he'd heard it when Beatrice had explained the Witch of Jealousy to him. Besides that, even in the royal capital, the issue of Emilia's appearance compared to that of the Witch of Jealousy had come up time and again.
Each time, Subaru had indignantly insisted that it was no reason to put her down, but…
"Emilia's outside appearance is a dead ringer for the Witch, right? So back to the Witch Cult… It's simple to them—a half-elf is in the way, y'see." "What?"
Subaru, beside himself, unwittingly let his voice jump out of his throat. But from the reactions of those around him, no one else thought anything special of Ricardo's attitude. In other words, it seemed to be a shared opinion.
"Why's that? By any normal thinking…not that I'm sure these guys think normally… But normally, why would you persecute someone who's a halfelf, the same as your dear, precious Witch…?"
"It's 'cause they worship her and think there ain't nothin' better than her, that they can't allow someone else that's the same kind. That she's kind of the same but not the same—an imposter."
The voice was exceedingly cold, infused with bloodlust down to its frigid core.
Subaru blinked hard and instantly looked toward the individual who had let that voice loose. As he did so, that individual turned to Subaru as well, and the two ended up staring eye to eye.
Subaru flinched from that gaze, as if it could see everything inside of him, when the individual said, "Well that's the guess Ferri just wanted to try and see, meow."
The expression easily crumbled as he stuck his tongue out, acting like the atmosphere just then had never existed.
Subaru couldn't form the words to follow up on that virtual about-face in his demeanor, but with him so rocked back, Ferris put on an innocent look and leaned forward as he said, "In the first place, the Witch Cult guys being weird in the head isn't a recent thing, so is it a big deal, meow? With the Cult after Lady Emilia, the real problem is who's leading them."
"An Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins, I reckon."
"—?! Wait, you know that name…?"
When Ferris changed the subject, Ricardo concurred, and Subaru bit on the term that came out.
Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins—that was the position Petelgeuse had claimed to have, though he had also babbled about being charged with
Sloth on top of that…
"The Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Witch Cult, are they pretty famous?"
"Well, at least enough people figure they exist. Plus, way back before the Witch of Jealousy went on her big rampage, the titles belonged to witches besides Satella."
"Pride. Wrath. Sloth. Greed. Gluttony. Lust. Six witches bore the names of those deadly sins, it would seem. Either way, it is said that once Satella claimed the mantle of Jealousy, she swallowed all of them."
In other words, "Witch" meant Satella, the Witch of Jealousy, and other witches of the deadly sins no longer existed within that world.
"But—and I do not know if this is the proper wording—I have heard that those in the Witch Cult acting as leaders have taken the names of those deadly sins in place of the lost witches. Satella is the symbol of Jealousy, which is what they worship. In other words, besides that, there are six—six Archbishops of Sin."
"Six…"
Listening to Julius's explanation, Subaru's breath caught at how little was known of the Cult they were facing.
Since Petelgeuse had claimed to be Sloth, he'd expected that there were others charged with different deadly sins. To Subaru, they were wonderful, familiar words straight out of rich middle school subculture. That said, what stopped the term from making his heart flutter was that his first-hand impression of sloth was just too awful.
—Were there really five more people like that?
"But we brought down the White Whale that was supposedly Gluttony, so the other Archbishops of the Seven Deadly Sins should show their faces in the Mathers land where we're headed. It's our chance to take 'em all out in one shot."
"Whoa, so stwong~! But Ferri agrees with the view that this is a chance to squish those Witch Cult weirdos. They've really underestimated Lugunica, huh?"
"As with the White Whale, they have inflicted damage the world over. The knights have also long suffered at their hands. Many other knights are surely as grateful as I for this opportunity."
Ferris and Julius concurred with Subaru's view, and Ricardo made a belligerent smile as well. Wilhelm responded with merely a solemn nod.
That being the case, what Subaru needed to do was make good use of his future information to draft a plan using the fighting strength currently on hand —though really, the plan itself was exceedingly simple, for all the necessary pieces were already on the board.
"Worst case, I'd have to pull this plan off with half the people we have now, but with Julius and them linking up, no more worries about being short on people. I think we can do this."
"I would like to correct you about one thing. My name is Juli. Certainly, I am on close terms with the eldest son of the Juukulius family, but I would prefer you pay that heed."
"In a nonpublic setting, that's just in the way, you know! It's holding back the conversation!"
"The key to not slipping up at a critical juncture is to pay heed even during normal times."
"If you wanna warn people about normal, don't come dressed as a Knight of the Royal Guard! You're out of character!"
After yelling at Julius for his thin commitment to the ruse, Subaru breathed raggedly while looking at everyone's faces. Then, he cleared his throat.
"All right, let's start this—Witch Cult Hunting Made Simple, so that even a monkey can do it."
With a twist of his mouth and a villainous laugh, Subaru laid out his plan.
The moonlight waned, and one could begin to see daybreak over the Liphas plains.
It was a quiet beginning to the morning of the last day of that loop.