in the first place, Mr. Natsuki, it is you who saved me when I was captured by the Witch Cult!"
" "
"But setting all these troublesome matters aside, I simply believe I am Mr. Natsuki's friend. There is the normal manner in which you treat me but also the sense of a friend's distance between us."
Scratching his head, Otto averted his gaze from Subaru, perhaps getting blushy midway. And having heard the entire story, Subaru made no reaction whatsoever. His silence drew a questioning look from Otto's face. There was a fair bit of concern in his eyes, for Subaru displayed no reaction to his words at all. Perhaps Subaru was reflecting upon the high-pressure friendship sales pitch.
Otto's pupils seemed to represent a hundred faces at once. And what this brought gushing up from Subaru's heart was— "—Pfft."
"Pardon?"
"Wahahahahah! F-friends? Friends, huh!! Ahhh, so that's it, that's it! Otto, you actually wanted to be my friend!"
"Wha—?!"
Unable to take it anymore, Subaru broke down laughing as he rabidly slapped the red-faced Otto's shoulder. Even so, the mirth had not vanished from him; Subaru stamped the ground and squirmed, still clutching his belly.
"Bwa-ha-ha, friend! Awww, damn it! Otto, damn you, you bastard!"
"Ow, ow! What was that for?! Ahhh, I was such a fool to say it! I can understand why you are laughing, Mr. Natsuki! But surely it is not that funny!"
"No, no, no, I have to laugh at it. You're not the weird one here… I'm laughing 'cause my foolishness is so huge and awful, I amaze even myself."
Wiping away with his left hand the tears surging up from his outburst of laughter, Subaru was still struck by it all as he straightened his posture. To his front, Otto wore a face that revealed regret that he'd spoken the word friend. But toward the sight of him like that, Subaru bore gratitude…and near-bottomless derision for himself.
—He couldn't understand Otto. He didn't know what to believe; and yet, here was Otto, coming to Subaru's aid for no more reason than being Subaru's friend. Faced with such a man before him, it was less that he trusted his feelings than he rued his own idiocy in suspecting what might lie beyond.
He'd been too buffeted by the situation, rendered too unable to understand the feelings of the people around him. He'd believed in malice so strongly, he'd forgotten goodwill even existed. He'd truly been an enormous fool.
He'd come to feel like having crossed through death to redo things a few brief times had taught him something.
—The battle wasn't over. He didn't have to abandon anything, not yet.
"Mr. Natsuki?"
A question mark floated over Otto's head. He did not understand the meaning of Subaru's self-derision and self-admonishment.
Subaru shook his head at the man's reaction and somehow feeling brighter, breathed in and spoke up.
"Sorry. You're my friend, Otto—Thank you for coming to help me."
To his friend, he conveyed the thanks that should have been the first words out of his mouth.
CHAPTER 4
THE VALUE OF A LIFE
1
The place Subaru had been confined was removed from the settlement, deep into the woods—a remote place where the Lost Woods of Cremaldi very much felt like they lived up to their name.
The instant they exited the structure, Subaru took deep breaths over and over as he felt his skin bathed in outside air for the first time in three days.
"Really have to say, though, what a stench… What's actually making that smell, anyway?"
"Who knows? It differs from the stench of flesh or rot, but its ill effect upon the nose is no different. It feels like some sort of oil or aromatic, but…"
"Considering how active a smell it is, maybe ammonia or something like that. Nah, let's think that one over later…"
As he looked back at the building in which he had been imprisoned, he set aside the issue of the scent that had made such a deep impression.
It was a white weathered stonework building. In terms of materials and apparent age, it felt akin to the tomb, but seemed far better preserved in Subaru's mind. That was probably a by-product of the environment…smell included.
"I felt this while I was captured, but man, there's not one bug or mouse here?"
"There is no mistaking it is a strange environment. I meant to use my blessing to search everywhere for you, Mr. Natsuki, but I would have been in dire straits if I had not noticed the ill feeling in this place." "Ill feeling?"
"When I am seriously employing my blessing, there are few places in this world untouched by the rhythmic voices of bird and insect. It is human nature to find such rare places suspicious, is it not?"
When Otto winked, Subaru crossed his arms in response. Then, quite earnestly, he said, "Hmm, you're a pretty useful guy. I seriously don't
understand why you come off like such a flake."
"Could you decide whether you want to praise me or insult me, and just pick one?!"
"Why are you such a flake? That's, like, an incredible, unspeakable flaw for someone?"
"Why did you pick insults?!"
When Otto grumbled about the insufficient praise for his exploits, Subaru responded with a wry smile and a sigh of admiration.
According to Otto, his blessing—the blessing of the spoken word— enabled him to achieve mutual understanding with any living creature. Thus, he was able to converse with the land dragon in his service, and contact birds and insects to tell him which routes were safe.
"So that blessing is how you searched for me and gave Garfiel the slip, then. You really are a hell of a convenient guy to have around."
"It is hardly all a good thing. All it does is bring them to the table. The result of the negotiations is on my shoulders. If I put them in a sour mood, they shall lead me not to a road but to a cliff."
"Natural wildlife is scary!!"
He who had the blessing spoke, admonishing him who did not. Carving the words upon his breast, Subaru put his interest regarding the white building back on the shelf for the time being. The place tugged at him, but thinking about it wouldn't get him any answers no matter how long he spent. Right then, there was a more pressing issue in need of an answer.
"What if, for instance, we went back to everyone, and exposed what
Garfiel's done?"
"…Actually, I truly cannot recommend acting upon that thought."
"And why's that?"
"Ahh, I did not sufficiently explain during our earlier conversation, but your disappearance has caused even larger effects than are apparent on the surface, Mr. Natsuki…"
Averting his gaze as if he found it difficult to say, Otto brought all five fingertips from both hands together in front of his own chest. The feminine gesture gave Subaru a bad feeling that tore at him. Subaru began with the preamble, "Man, you're scarin' me…" and continued, "You're scarin' me,
but talk. Really, what's been going on while I've been gone?"
"Errr, it was a factual explanation, I assure you! Simply, the situation is a little more difficult, perhaps more extreme, than a dry explanation can convey…"
"Spill it already!"
"Lady Emilia has been backed into a corner, and the concerns from the evacuated villagers are coming to a head, so if they heard, at this point, Mr. Natsuki had been imprisoned, they might…explode!"
Raising both hands in an act of surrender, Otto seemed desperate as he revealed the current state of affairs.
The contents just exposed left Subaru opening and closing his mouth for several moments before he managed to get something out.
"It's that bad?"
"…Mr. Natsuki, it would be best if you gain a little more self-awareness of how much you are the mental pillar of support for the people around you. Though I do not know the details, Lady Emilia still has not heard from her contracted spirit, and you have saved the people of the village twice over, have you not?"
"That's, well, it's true, but…"
"A rather unreliable, halfhearted reply, yes?"
Goodness, seemed to say the slumping of Otto's shoulders, but Subaru couldn't just come out and nod his head.
He understood Emilia being worried. With Puck not there for her, Subaru was her only absolute ally. That said, if she could make it through the Trial, it probably wouldn't have been reason enough to shake her up that far.
For the people of Earlham Village, he'd resolved the demon beast uproar and the Witch Cult issue. He didn't mind the gratitude, but this was too much. Subaru had let them all die over and over. It was an extreme over-appraisal.
But if either part was true, it meant the situation was exceptionally perilous.
"If finding me means a huge explosion in the Sanctuary… Seriously, why'd you come looking for me? If it's like this, finding me doesn't solve a thing."
"Well, if I hadn't found you, you would have died! Is that not reason enough?"
" "
"Ow, ow, ow! What?! Why are you slapping me without a word?! Could you stop?!"
With rock rather than paper, Subaru punched Otto's shoulder, each blow packed with emotion.
At any rate, he kissed goodbye the plan to expose Garfiel's scheme. Subaru didn't want relations in the Sanctuary to worsen, either, naturally. Nor did he intend to cry himself to sleep…
"Exposing the truth here and now is a bad plan, huh? Can't be helped, then. Let's go with Plan B."
"What is this Plan B?"
"Ah? There isn't one. I was just trying to think one up while I said it."
In the first place, he'd been thinking of nothing but death until just prior to his escape. Even if he'd dragged his thoughts away from giving in to his fate, his head hadn't done much for thinking as of yet.
"But unlike me, you look like you have a proper plan. That's the friend who came to save me for you. It's not like you just charged in with an empty head, no thought about what comes next?"
"Uwa! Uwaaah! Goodness, you really know how to lay into someone out of the blue! Although it is not the case that I came without any thought, I assure you!"
Wanting to live up to expectations, Otto spoke along the same lines as Subaru had. An impish smile came over him as he lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Mr. Natsuki, your existence is a source of great worry to Garfiel. The fact he has kept you alive without any means of using you is proof enough…
Therefore, I wish to use that worry as a bargaining chip."
"Meaning what exactly?"
"Mr. Natsuki, you shall escape past the barrier. With the barrier still up, the residents of the Sanctuary, Garfiel included, cannot pursue you. When the barrier is lifted, the conditions shall stabilize, dousing the embers, yes?"
As things were, without the Sanctuary being liberated from the barrier, any explosion inside of it would be fatal.
Otto's proposal was simple. To avoid that explosion, Subaru, the ember
in question, would be sent outside it. This done, negotiating the release of the villagers held hostage would not be particularly difficult.
"The problem is whether we can do it. As they say, 'easier said than done.'"
"You say that as a quote, much like Garfiel. Either way, I shall state you need not be concerned about that matter. I already have a highly reassuring sympathizer."
"Sympathizer?"
"Yes. Thanks to this, I am able to learn many things even while on the run. Even if I hear things from other living creatures, complex human relations and changes in emotional states are a bit much, you see."
It was less—even blessings have their limits—than the difference in priorities between different living things.
However, he was a little surprised by the existence of a sympathizer. The Sanctuary apparently wasn't all on the same page. He could understand the sentiment, though—wanting to spectacularly hurl the ember away before it set off the powder house that the Sanctuary had become.
"Just escape, huh?"
"Yes, that is best, I think. I understand your wanting to tell Lady Emilia you are safe and sound in person, but…"
"I do feel like that, of course…"
He had no objection to Otto's plan. He could even endure Otto's worry and consideration for Emilia. However, the reason he hesitated to simply run for it was something else entirely.
"At any rate, I'd like to meet this sympathizer. If I'm gonna make a run for it, it has to be while Emilia challenges the Trial… In other words, it's now or never. That's the idea, right?"
"That makes it a short discussion, Mr. Natsuki…truly rare for you. The sympathizer is waiting for us outside of the forest. First, let us proceed that way. Please do not stray."
Acknowledging Subaru's judgment, Otto listened attentively as he headed toward the forest. He had no doubt activated the power of the blessing of the spoken word, lending his ears to the words of the living creatures in the area.
" "
From time to time, Otto's mouth let slip sounds of a sort that should never have come from a human being. The blessing seemed to function by matching his wavelength with those of the other parties when he spoke. It was like communicating with bats via ultrasonic waves, something that tugged at him a fair bit.
They moved to rendezvous with the sympathizer as he awaited Otto's negotiations. The thought of traversing a forest in the deep night, relying on the words of insects and small animals with very different points of view, depleted his morale far more than he'd expected.
"Don't tell me they're guiding us to burrows people can't pass through…" "Certainly they are not people. But this toil has come to an end."
As the tired Subaru took long breaths, Otto, his hair smeared with leaves, replied thus. When Subaru responded to the optimistic words by lifting his head, he saw a faint bonfire straight ahead of them—and made out the presence of the settlement.
If the bonfire was there, Emilia was conducting the Trial at the tomb. By rights, he wanted to race over there to be at her side, but—
"…Can't do that, huh. So where's this sympathizer you spoke of?"
"This is the rendezvous point. She is exceedingly punctual, so she should already be here…"
"—You certainly took your time. I thought I would become an old woman while I waited."
"—Eh?"
Subaru gasped when a voice suddenly interrupted their conversation.
He felt the grass part as a person approached. When he turned his face that way, a pink-haired girl emerged, pushing her way through a thicket that very moment. She brushed the hem of her short skirt. And then— "Though even an elderly Ram would be adorable, I am sure."
These words spoken, Ram turned toward Subaru and Otto, snorting in her usual manner.
2
When they arrived at the rendezvous point with the sympathizer, it was none other than Ram who appeared.
Stunned by that fact, Subaru was frozen in place as Ram's pink eyes narrowed. The dangerous look in her eyes made him swallow his saliva, whereupon Subaru quickly glanced at Otto, standing beside him.
"…Otto, on three, we split up and run. Your job's to cry out in a loud voice and draw her off. Mine's to be quiet, wordless like a snake. Any objections?"
"I have nothing but objections! For that matter, why are you taking such a guarded posture…"
"Idiot, you were followed. Look at Ram's eyes. She's planning to kill us, no mistake. Trust me. They're the same eyes as when I messed up back at the mansion."
"Trust you, because you're a man that people regard with bloodlust on a daily basis?!"
In a small voice, Subaru contrived to flee, but Otto's reaction was far too dulled. Against Ram, his poor intuition was a fatal flaw. Unfortunately, Otto would perish.
"And when you die, I will carve your dying will upon my breast and see that the people of the Sanctuary are freed…"
"May we set the games aside and advance the conversation? Wasted time leads to a wasted life."
"This useless treatment makes it sound like I am already dead either way!"
Otto persisted against Ram's bluntness, but her response to his behavior was a frighteningly cold gaze. Torn apart by that gaze, Otto tragically sank in an instant.
Watching the one-sided interaction, Subaru went, "At any rate," and continued his words with,
"Even with his life in extreme peril, I don't see Otto nervous…so what, you're the sympathizer?"
"I object to the ring of the word 'sympathizer.' I am the instigator."
"Man, Otto really comes off like a familiar here…"
The familiar concerned seemed dissatisfied with being treated as such, but Subaru took his lack of objection as assent. Whatever you wanted to call it, Ram apparently really was lending Otto a hand.
In other words, she didn't want an explosion in the Sanctuary either, and thus intended to let Subaru escape outside—
"I can't say I ever expected Ram and Otto to team up…"
"I suppose you did not. However, facts are facts. Accept them."
"I could do that, but it's more natural for me to see this from a different point of view."
" "
"You letting me escape, that's an instruction from Roswaal, isn't it?"
When Subaru's question pressed further, Ram was silent as her expression froze over.
Ram independently cooperating with him would have made his chest heat up quite a bit, but Subaru knew intimately that she wasn't prone to acting in such a convenient manner. Ram's actions were fundamentally based on her loyalty toward Roswaal. Accordingly, it was proper to think that Roswaal's intentions always rested behind her every action.
" "
"No denial, huh? Not sure if Otto knew that, though."
"I have made a deal regarding you, Mr. Natsuki. She shall not send your head flying."
"Meaning it's Ram who approached you, huh? If that's Roswaal's instruction, too, did he tell you to do anything else? What's his thinking behind sending you?"
"…For Barusu, blood flows through you rather quickly, doesn't it?"
Accepting Otto's defense of himself, Subaru's certainty deepened, which caused Ram to sigh deeply. He thought the sigh contained a whiff of both exasperation and exhaustion.
"This behavior really ain't like you."
"That is Ram's line. It is strange that you can be this calm after being confined somewhere beyond everyone's knowledge…or rather, quite creepy."
"Don't say creepy; that hurts. Besides, I can only look at it calmly 'cause it came after a big, hard laugh."
He had to grudgingly admit that the exchange with Otto just prior did much to restore his spirits. Between pep and bravado, Subaru was without doubt on the pep side of the coin at present. So while the pep lasted— "I want an answer to my earlier question. I'll base what I decide on that."
"What to do? Here, is not fleeing the only option? Mr. Natsuki, to put it bluntly, if someone spots or finds you, the situation becomes worst case, does it not?"
"I get what you're saying. I'm incredibly grateful that you came to help me. But I'll never win anything if I let things end with only the other guy landing a punch."
Otto's opinion hadn't changed since the outset: He should wholeheartedly flee. However, Subaru knew the situation would only deteriorate. He had to gamble in order to break the deadlock.
And, as dealers for wagers went, the Ram standing before him worked just fine.
Faced with the resolve in Subaru's gaze, Ram's long-lashed eyelids gently fell. And then—
"…Yes, it is as you say. Assisting Barusu is Master Roswaal's instruction. Setting eyes upon Otto for that purpose was Ram's own personal judgment, however."
"So he fit the bill in your eyes, huh."
"I merely reasoned that without a competent handler, Otto would die for nothing."
"Ugh… Can't deny that!"
"Well, deny it anyway!!"
Otto shouted in anger, but in light of the background circumstances, Ram's guess was correct. Having blown off Garf's demand, he saw no path for Otto to survive without Ram's cooperation.
In that case, prolonged confinement would have probably left Subaru crippled.
"It would seem Ram's greatness has sunken into you."
"Accepting it is off in another dimension, though… Besides, I want to ask you something more. If you're obeying Roswaal's instructions, were they to get me outside?"
"…His instructions were, Aid him. But, in the present Sanctuary circumstances, you understand that getting you outside is the optimal plan,
Barusu?"
"You're certainly right about that— How did you plan to get me out?"
If the powder house was on the verge of an explosion, just how did you plan to carry the ember out? At Subaru's question, Ram folded her arms. "It is simple," she prefaced before saying, "Garf cannot leave the tomb during the time Lady Emilia challenges the Trial. We need to simply mount Barusu on his land dragon and get him beyond the barrier while still outside of Garf's sight."
"That really is simple. Sure you want to pull that without a double for me or something?"
"Do not complain. At times like this, simple is best."
Immediately turning her back on him, Ram meant to lead Subaru in the direction of his escape. Obeying her instructions and breaking away from the Sanctuary as soon as possible was the right call—if the Sanctuary was the only issue, at least.
But it was not so. Therefore, to arrive at other correct solutions— "—Ram, change of plans. Running comes later."
"Mr. Natsuki?! What are you saying?!"
"I'm not saying I won't run. But with Garfiel at the tomb, it's a chance to do something besides just running, ain't it? A chance to do something else without anyone butting in."
When Otto let out a shriek, Subaru strongly thrust a finger toward him. The gesture pressed Otto into silence; in his place, Ram looked back toward Subaru.
"And just what do you intend to do?"
With a calm, collected tone of voice and eyes betraying no emotion, she questioned the intent behind Subaru's statement.
Subaru exhaled deeply at that gaze, and the corners of his mouth twisted as he replied.
"—I want to pick up where we got interrupted three days ago."
3
"—Roswaal, this time, let's talk without you hiding anything."
Subaru was the first to open his mouth, letting those words fly. Roswaal narrowed his pair of heterochromatic eyes.
His injured body resting on the bed in his bedroom at the Ryuzu residence, Roswaal betrayed no sign of surprise at the sudden arrival of this rare guest. It was almost as if he knew Subaru would come.
Indeed, his deep nod seemed only to support that conclusion as he spoke in greeting.
"A reunion after three days—a miraculous return at that—there is a rather dangerous air about you, is there nooooot?"
"No jokes. Right now I don't have any time for foolin' around. I don't care how badly you're hurt. I'm ready to use force if I have to."
"I see. I suppose three days of suffering will do that to someone. No, no, noooo, even if I speak words of praise for this, it shall only disgust you, I am sure. Let us get to the point, shall we?"
The sight of Subaru clenching his teeth with no margin for error made a smile come over Roswaal as he shook his head side to side. After that, his eyes shifted to the closed door behind Subaru as he said,
"Ram let you through, yes? I did give that girl instructions to aid you, but…"
"Yeah. That's why she brought me here without any fuss. If you ask me if I wanna run, I'd probably tell you yes, but I pushed that choice down the road."
"—Really."
Roswaal closed one eye as he replied. Under the gaze of his open yellow eye, Subaru lightly moistened his lips.
—He'd come to speak with Roswaal, putting fleeing the Sanctuary on the back burner.
Naturally, Otto had objected vociferously, asserting that it would only put Subaru in greater danger, but Ram had set the stage at Subaru's request. Paying due attention to the fine details, she had brought him there, to the stage built for a conversation with Roswaal—beyond the Sanctuary residents' prying eyes.
"I'll ask you this, Roswaal. It's three days late, but are you gonna claim you changed your mind about your promise?"
"Strictly speaking, I had intended for the promise I made to be effective for that night alone…but it is fine. I am not a spirit mage, after all. I have no interest in nitpicking the fine detaaaails."
Originally, Roswaal had promised to speak no lies in the discussion they were to have had that night. He had sworn that, though he might remain silent about matters inconvenient to him, the words he spoke would be the truth.
He'd make use of that. Ironically, it was just like the Roswaal from the last time around had said.
"I understand the situation in the Sanctuary, and the danger of me being here. That's why I want to ask you about the mansion as a major precondition of my leaving here."
"Hmm, about the mansion, you ask? If it is something within my understaaaanding…"
"More like you're the only guy who can give me an answer— What I wanna ask about is Beatrice. Why is she in the mansi— No."
There, Subaru cut off his own word, interrupting his question. He couldn't ask it that way. Roswaal had already given a similar question the slip once before. He hated to follow Roswaal's words of advice once again, but he needed to pose his questions "well."
Things were decisively different than the last time around. He needed a question Roswaal couldn't gloss over—
"…I'll change how I phrase the question. Is she, is Beatrice…a Witch
Cultist?"
Choosing his words, Subaru paused, endured the palpitation of his heart, and posed the question.
The decisive difference from the previous time around was that Subaru knew Beatrice possessed that magic tome. Namely, he harbored a suspicion that she might be connected to the Witch Cult.
" "
Roswaal, receiving Subaru's question in silence, sank into thought for a time.
That silence felt detestably long, further accelerating Subaru's heart.
Finally, before the nervous Subaru, he exhaled and said,
"Why do you think that Beatrice be a Witch Cultist?"
"…Because I've seen her room."
"And by seen, you mean…?"
"Because! She… The book! Because she has a Gospel…!"
Subaru's voice was tinged with anger. He was angry at having to say aloud even the part he did not wish to speak. The raw bitterness in his shout revealed the real reason Subaru wished to pose that question.
Beatrice, clutching the Gospel to her chest, shouting that she obeyed its notations as she rejected Subaru; if she was truly a mad devotee of the
Gospel, instigator of the tragedy at the mansion— "—If that time comes, she'll be our…my enemy."
He'd see Beatrice as an enemy, as an obstacle that had to be removed.
"Strong words. Truly words of resolve."
Roswaal nodded deeply at Subaru's declaration. Then, he closed his open eye.
"…Though the pain upon your face makes such words less convincing." "—!"
"You having to be pitted against the girl is such a terrible tale. Certainly to me, having seen you two smile and play together so. Therefore, I wish to extend a hand of salvation."
"A hand of salvation? You, to me? …That's like, top-level worldwide fishy."
Feeling something raging inside of him, Subaru's cheek twitched as he wrung out his voice. Roswaal no doubt saw right through the bluff, yet he said not one disparaging word, merely raising a finger as he said, "Certainly, the book you saw is very similar to the Gospels that Witch Cultists possess. It is no fault of your own that you suspect Beatrice as a result. But I guarantee this—"
"Guarantee…?"
"That girl is not a Witch Cultist. She has nothing to do with those hurling themselves over the Great Waterfalls in search of love that does not exist.
Though it is true that the book is of a similar nature."
"—!! Not the Witch Cult…! You mean it?!"
Gazing with eyes open wide, Subaru leaped at Roswaal's response.
It was pretty much the first piece of good news for Subaru that time around. Though the fact that it was Roswaal's guarantee bore its own whiff of concern, his vow to speak the truth made up for that.
"If Beatrice isn't part of the Witch Cult…then…"
Then, there was no reason it was an irreconcilable conflict. He didn't have to give up on her—
"W-wait! I don't wanna get happy over just that. The problem isn't what flag she's under. If she's not part of the Witch Cult, what is that book? Why does she have a Gospel?"
"I suppose saying it is from an archive of forbidden books where numerous magic tomes are gathered…would be too much of a stretch. So I
shall reply plainly… That book is not a Gospel."
"It's not…? But she definitely called the book a Gospel."
"Because it does not have a proper name. Hence, she called it via the name used for the inferior product."
Even then, Beatrice's rejection lingered in his ears. Subaru refuted Roswaal with that difficult-to-forget shout in mind. With a knowing look, he said to Subaru, "If I may?" and continued his words with,
"I do not know how much of which you are aware, but the Gospels possessed by Witch Cultists are incomplete. The number of notations is limited, their contents vague, varying depending upon the interpretation. To have such an unfriendly tome determine the path of the possessor's fate…is rather arbitrary, is it not?"
"…You're crazy detailed about this. All I'd heard was that it was holy writ that prophesized the future."
"Witch Cultists can gush forth from anywhere, particularly Sanctuaries connected to a Witch such as that which I administer. It is not merely once or twice that I have skirmished with them. I have found traces of their tomes amid the cinders of their corpses. However, I know they are frauds because only the possessor may read their contents."
"I've had that experience once…"
Subaru, too, possessed a single Gospel, but he wasn't able to understand its contents. It was like staring at cursive handwriting from a foreign land; the character information wasn't being conveyed to his brain. Even at present, when he tried to remember the single page he had seen, not even a portion floated into his head.
"It feels a lot like the ID-blocking robe's effect… In other words, it might not be common, but books like that aren't super-rare either. So, you're saying it's not strange that Beatrice has one, too?"
"—No, the tome Beatrice possesses is a complete edition. It is a magical tome that records the true future, of which only two volumes exist in the whole of the world. It is the closest thing to a Tome of Wisdom that currently exists."
With his eyes closed, Roswaal spoke the name of the book, which Subaru didn't recognize.
Then, a moment after it became clear exactly what book Beatrice possessed—suddenly, Subaru's body stiffened, feeling like the air in the room had suddenly gotten colder.
The cause was Roswaal, head hung just before him. The ghastly aura emanating from him made Subaru draw in his breath.
"Ros…waal…?"
"Sorry. It seems I was recalling an amusing memory for a short while." "…I-if that just now was a funny memory, slipping up and asking about old stories seems like a really bad idea."
"There will be other opportunities to speak of unamusing old tales. At present, time is limited, is it not?"
Abruptly, his mood seemed to soften, his smile dispersing the strained air about them.
The relaxation of the atmosphere made strength drain from Subaru's body as well, but his horror at the abnormal demeanor did not vanish. However, Subaru bit down the persisting horror with his back teeth, forcing his mind to right itself.
Every moment that passed brought the Trial closer to an end, and so, too, Garfiel's return.
A sense of duty to finish the discussion before that happened burned within Subaru as he turned to face Roswaal once more.
"I'd really like to ask for the details about this Tome of Wisdom, but right now the gist will do. What I need to know is how do I convince the Beatrice with that book to back down?"
"Perhaps if you broke into tears and begged, she might listen to you?"
"I said no joking around! I'm not asking you to be funny. This is a serious question."
"I did not intend it as a particularly frivolous reply, mind you…"
Bringing the obstinate Beatrice around was an absolutely irreplaceable component of breaking through the calamity arising at the mansion. Even if the option of taking her and fleeing had vanished, he'd be at a marked advantage if he had her cooperation.
They could shelter the noncombatants, Rem and Petra, in the archive of forbidden books and jump them to Earlham Village.
"Beyond that, even if Frederica were to become hostile, that girl would surely fend her off without difficulty."
"…I don't particularly suspect Frederica as an enemy."
"Oh my, you seemed to suspect her due to the crystal incident. Your opinion changed at some point?"
"…Yeah, that's right, it did."
"A rather uncertain reply, no? If you are concerned, take Ram. Surely she will not refuse."
Subaru had only cleared up his suspicions of Frederica based on the memories of the Subaru who had returned to the mansion. From Roswaal's perspective, Subaru's two worries for his return to the mansion surely appeared to be Frederica's rebellious intent and Beatrice's possession of a certain book.
Accordingly, proposing that Ram accompany him was a natural decision.
Aside from the point that Subaru had already tried that and failed— "—Roswaal said, 'Ask your questions.'"
"…Huh?"
As Subaru sank into thought, the abrupt statement made his jaw fall open. Roswaal sat up from lying on his side in bed, looked up at Subaru, and repeated himself.
"If you remain concerned about the matter, upon your return to the mansion, tell her, 'Roswaal said, Ask your questions.' When Beatrice hears this, she will surely respond."
"That's…"
He blinked. Subaru remembered hearing those weighty words before.
The first time around that loop, just before setting out from the Sanctuary to return to the mansion, Ram told him those words, hailing from Roswaal after their relationship had worsened.
The shock of death had caused him to forget them, and he had not remembered the words on the last, and second, time around, but—
"…I see. You do not believe these words are sufficient."
"W-wait. Insufficient, that's… Nah, before that, it's just…"
"Then I shall continue. Or perhaps, this way of speaking it would be surer footing?"
Roswaal ignored Subaru's confusion; indeed, a smile came over him. Then, in his usual manner, he closed one eye, seeing right through Subaru with his yellow eye and speaking thus:
"—Simply tell her you are That Person."
"That Person…?"
"Make Beatrice ask this of you, and affirm that it is so. Do this, and she will most certainly be your ally, sure to lending you her power without reservation."
He firmly declared this, his words infused with powerful conviction. When that conviction caused Subaru to look back into Roswaal's eye, the tranquil yellow glint therein betrayed none of his thoughts.
Still, if that all turned out to be true, then the words he'd been told to speak were simply that powerful.
"What's…up with that? How can you say that so confidently?"
"Because to that girl, to Beatrice, it is a pact she is unable to defy."
"—A pact."
When the word made his eardrums tremble, Subaru felt his smoldering anger rekindled once more.
Pact, vow, covenant, promise—just how much, how far did these bind one's heart?
"Her staying in the mansion…in the archive of forbidden books, was all due to a pact, I heard? What kind of pact did you two form…?"
"You misunderstand, Subaru. No pact has been formed between Beatrice and me whatsoever."
"…What?"
To Subaru's question, posed as he trembled with anger, Roswaal refuted with a sideways shake of his head. Then, as Subaru stood dumbfounded,
Roswaal touched the bandage wrapped around his chest as he said,
"I shall repeat myself. No pact-based relationship exists between Beatrice and me. She is under the same roof because our mutual interests coincide… Her pact to protect the archive of forbidden books was formed between her and a different individual."
"Someone else…?! Then, who the heck was it!"
"It is best you ask her. That is a question for Beatrice herself. It is not for me to speak of."
Roswaal's reply, in contrast to Subaru's rage, gradually caused the latter to lose its heat. Roswaal's demeanor and reply made Subaru go "Shit!" as he strongly kicked the floor.
"This again! She tells me to ask you; you tell me to ask her! Stop making me run around in circles! I want to know the answer, damn it!"
"I have handed you the key so that you may arrive at your answer. All that remains is for you to place it into the keyhole and turn it. I shall not permit crudeness such as peeking into the box…rather, the archive, on the sly."
Unexpectedly, Roswaal asserted his own view in a most straightforward manner.
Clenching his teeth at the obstinate stance, Subaru forced his resentment down to the bottom of his belly.
"…Based on the state of affairs up to yesterday, Lady Emilia should finally be exiting the tomb…regardless of her success or failure. So what shaaaall you do?"
Perhaps he'd consciously put a lid on it up to that point, but now, Roswaal spoke in a blatantly jester-like tone.
It annoyed Subaru, but he had a point. Timewise, he was right on the edge, a half day left until the deadline when the mansion would be attacked. Any longer, and he wouldn't make it even with Patlash running full-speed.
The forces available for repelling the calamity of the twin raiders consisted of Frederica back at the mansion, Otto and Subaru set to return to it, and if they added Ram—
"…Is it true that Beatrice will go along with what you said just now?"
"I made a vow that I would speak no lie. At the very least, it is what I believe."
"If it doesn't work, I don't care what anyone says, I'm punching you in the side of your face. Remember that."
For once Subaru's one-sided promise made Roswaal's eyes go round. Of course, if Subaru failed, his life was forfeited. It was a promise that would be gone the next time around.
But Subaru would remember. That was what he was declaring, then and there.
"Understood. Do as you like. Should you and Beatrice pair together, it shall likely be of great aid for the issues enveloping the Sanctuary as well."
"Don't lay deep stuff like that on me when I'm leaving. Not like you plan on talking anymore either way."
"Surely you can allooooow me this much— After all, it seems I am not up to the task."
Averting his gaze, the tone of Roswaal's voice fell slightly as he whispered. When Subaru, unable to clearly make out the latter half, prompted him with "What was that?" he shrugged his shoulders.
"I was speaking to myself. Ah, please set your reluctance aside. If you fail due to being late, you cannot fulfill your promise to punch me?"
"…Roswaal, let me ask you one last thing."
"—Please do."
Subaru refused to go along with the jesting demeanor, straightening his back as he stared right at Roswaal. Receiving that sharp gaze, Roswaal beheld Subaru in his differently colored eyes.
Beholding Roswaal in return, Subaru posed the final question of the evening.
"You're not…our enemy or anything, are you, Roswaal?"
" "
After a pause, Roswaal answered…
"Of course not— You are all…my allies."
4
With the secret talks concluded, Subaru headed for a rendezvous point outside the Sanctuary.
There, the arrangement was for Subaru to meet Otto and Ram, with Patlash in tow, other preparations for his escape already at an end.
Sometimes sneakily, sometimes boldly, Subaru hurried along his path.
"Haaa… Shit, my side hurts…"
However, it was a stretch to say Subaru's hurried gait was in good form.
His three-day imprisonment was the cause. Both the environment and the food were poor, leaving his debilitated body more weakened than he had thought. But he'd save his sob stories for later. If he returned to the mansion, a far harsher situation awaited him.
"Even if it's as Roswaal said…"
Even if Beatrice responded to Subaru's call, it was incalculable whether she could truly oppose Elsa and company. Either way, Subaru's duty wouldn't come to an end just by getting back to the mansion. If anything, there he could finally begin to fight.
" "
When he looked at his right wrist, there was a handkerchief tightly tied to it. Never having been removed during his confinement, the handkerchief had been blackened, and the fraying and bloodstains really stood out. Even so, his promise to return it remained unblemished. Strength surged within him.
Once again, the effect of that promise lent him strength.
"…Just from that."
Even as pacts and vows rubbed his mind the wrong way, Subaru's own promise was a pillar of strength to him.
According to the talk with Roswaal, Beatrice was bound by her own pact. To her, not a human but a spirit, a pact likely held far stronger, weightier meaning than it did to Subaru—
"What the hell are 'pacts' to me anyway…"
The various promises that had reached Subaru's ears to date rose in the back of his mind: the pact between Emilia and Puck, the pact binding Beatrice to the archive of forbidden books, the vow Roswaal had made that very evening, the Covenant between the Kingdom of Lugunica and the
Dragon, the promise between Subaru and Petra—
And what Subaru had said to Rem, and what Rem had cast upon Subaru like a curse— "—Mr. Natsuki!"
The voice hurled at him from the side brought Subaru, running like a madman, to a halt.
When he looked over, out of breath, Otto was waving him over, and Ram was standing beside him. Apparently, he'd gone past the rendezvous point while astray in his own thoughts.
Wiping off his sweat, he headed over to them, and between them was Patlash, too, with luggage on her back. When Subaru saw that preparations were already in order, he let out a long breath.
"What is wrong? When I thought, he's finally here, I was concerned when you ran right past us."
"…S-sorry. A lot on my mind. My bad."
"Barusu not playing mischief upon Otto? It is worse than I feared."
"I would like to object to the basis of that judgment!"
When Subaru linked up with them, the pair greeted him in their usual manner. But with no time to spare, Subaru did not play along, which made both knit their brows in suspicion.
"You were speaking with Master Roswaal, were you not? Why, then, is your face so clouded?"
"Can you quit it with the assumption everyone's happy to talk to
Roswaal…?"
"But you are making a rather dissatisfied face. You resolved to meet with the Marquis in spite of the danger. Can you please stop acting as if nothing was gained?"
"There was a lot gained. There was, but…"
Is what I dug up a good thing? he pondered belatedly. But when he thought about it, there had been gains, too.
Of course, one was the possibility of breaking open the stalemate. Now that he had gained a countermeasure plan, Subaru wouldn't have to face giving up without being able to accomplish anything like the last time around.
He might be able to prevent the calamity at the mansion, rescue Rem and Petra, and even fulfill his goal of improving relations with Beatrice. And yet
—
"…Why does my chest feel this queasy?"
If he made an ally out of Beatrice and saved Frederica, they could deal with the Sanctuary's issues, too. If she exposed the mastermind behind her actions, all they had to do was beat the Trial to take care of the other problems.
"The logic's sound. So why am I…"
"Sorry to interrupt when you are so troubled, but time is an issue. We cannot wait any longer."
Mercilessly, Otto sliced Subaru's indecision apart. His judgment was heartless, but his words were correct. Subaru hesitating at that juncture wouldn't resolve anything.
Everything else hinged on first slipping out of the Sanctuary and returning to the mansion.
"Bringing the dragon carriage would attract too much attention. This means I shall be riding Patlash with you, Mr. Natsuki. You do not mind?"
"It'll be real bad for you if you stay, so no obje…ah, wait."
When Otto was ready to beckon Patlash by hand to adopt a mounting posture, Subaru made him wait. Then, when Subaru looked behind him, Ram, standing right there, asked "What?" as she narrowed her eyes.
"When we get out of the Sanctuary, we're heading straight for the mansion. We can't leave Frederica as things are. But Otto and I aren't really…"
"You're really lacking in combat capacity— In other words, you want Ram with you?"
"I talked to Roswaal about it. He said you'd come…which is very reassuring."
If he managed to persuade Beatrice, and Frederica lent him her strength, and he added Ram on top of that, Subaru was fairly confident that would be the maximum possible fighting strength he could prepare.
When Subaru made his request, portraying it as the best option, Ram fell into thought briefly, immediately exhaling.