Chapter 97 - c

—From a plateau with a view of the entire lake, Emilia stood, gently caressed by the wind.

" "

She was closely watching the intimate couple on the distant shore at the other end of the lake with her violet eyes, which her mother always praised so much.

Geuse said something without realizing the impact of his words; Fortuna went red in the face as she refuted him. Emilia pursed her lips as she watched the lightly amusing scenes. And then—

"Emilia, isn't it dangerous for you to be here all by yourself?"

—hearing a familiar voice call out to her from behind, Emilia looked back. She was standing atop a sheer cliff with the lake spread out below it. Facing her was a handsome young man with golden hair and green eyes— Archi Elior, one of the elves living with them in the Great Elior Forest and, to Emilia, practically her own brother.

"Archi…"

"—Somehow, your voice and face seem different, Emilia. Did you leave your usual head-in-the-clouds-ness off by the wayside? You're starting to worry me."

"Hmph. That's a terrible thing to say. Stupid Archi. I don't know you. Go away."

"Sorry, sorry. If you're seriously worried about something, then I'll seriously hear you out, all right?"

Faced with Emilia's sullenness, Archi flashed a pained smile as he raised both hands in surrender and walked in her direction. Then he stood alongside Emilia upon the cliff. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Today Lord Archbishop was supposed to come to the forest, yes? Weren't you with…? Ahhh, isn't that him over there? Er, did you give them some time alone, by any chance?"

"…Mm, that's right. What do you think of them, Archi?"

"I think they're a good match. Everyone in the forest thinks so, too. Lady Fortuna is so strict with herself, even though we would prefer it if she thought of her own happiness more…"

As he shared those thoughts, Archi reeled in shock, for he had caught sight of Emilia's wet eyes and the tears ready to spill out from them.

"Ah, um, Emilia, it's not… It's all right! Even if Lady Fortuna and Lord

Archbishop were joined together, they would never forsake you!"

"…It's not that, stupid."

"Not that, huh…? Ahhh, then, er, how about this? Certainly, it might be difficult right now, and I do not know how many years must pass in the meantime, but someday, both of them will—"

"—Time."

As Archi hurriedly tried to comfort her, Emilia lifted her head, lips quivering.

If they'd had time, the distance between Fortuna and Geuse would have narrowed. To be blunt, the current speed of progress seemed no faster than a snail's pace, but eventually, the day would surely come when they would be together.

When that day came, everyone in the forest would celebrate. Of course, Emilia would celebrate most of all, and if possible, she wanted not only the people of the forest but the people of the entire world to celebrate the couple.

That would be a world of peace, of tranquility, of freedom in all things, where everyone could smile together— "—But that world doesn't exist."

Lowering her eyes rimmed with long eyelashes, Emilia touched her hair ornament as she murmured—the floral hair ornament she had inherited from her mother, of which two should not exist in that world.

Her mother, all dressed up and waiting for her on the lakeshore, wore the very same hair ornament.

In other words, this was a place apart from the forest that had already met its snowy end, an unknowable, idealized future—

"…Looking at this unknowable present, have you not thought, I want to live here?"

"Archi…"

"Here, I, Lady Fortuna, Lord Archbishop, and everyone else are living safe and sound. No tragedy will ever befall this place. It is a happy world. Emilia, you could have a good life here, too, free of worry and hurt."

To Emilia, who had realized this was a false world, Archi raised a gentle plea for her not to make such a sad face. That he found nothing suspect with his own theory was proof itself that this world was a sham.

It would have been a lie to claim his plea, Archi's plea, didn't sway her heart.

"Surely, you want the two of them to be happy. Surely, you want to live here to see it. After all, this is your ideal present…the future you yourself desired."

"The future that I… Yes, I think you're right. I'm sure you are."

She wanted Fortuna to be happy. She wanted Geuse to make her mother happy.

If only everyone in the forest could smile together, if only she could get along nicely with Archi, to always be in such a world of happiness.

—If only she could pretend not to know, to somehow forget her mother's tragic demise and Geuse's unspeakable grief.

"Lady Fortuna has already passed away. Lord Archbishop's well-being or lack thereof is unknown. Everyone in the forest has been turned to statues of ice."

"…Yeah."

"Our homeland has been frozen over, blocked off to all outsiders, and now you have even parted ways with the spirit who was like family to you."

" "

Emilia closed her eyes as she digested the words Archi was speaking to her.

It would have been easier for her if that voice reproached her.

It would have been easier if it had blamed her for her errors in judgment, berating her for her poor thinking, to insult her for her shameful lack of gratitude—but Archi had puffed out his chest and said he would do no such thing.

What infused his voice was not anger. Instead—

"Even though you could be happy here… Even though you wanted this world… You poor thing…"

—all he wanted was for Emilia to be happy, to be at peace.

It was exactly as he'd said. This was a world that existed for no reason other than to make Emilia happy…

"…Sorry, Archi."

"—Why do you desire a future that will hurt you so much?"

"I don't want to be hurt. I'm searching for a future where I don't have to be hurt, where I don't have to run, hide, or push things away, where I can hold hands with others."

"And the wounds you suffer? The pain? What you have lost will never return. Will you search for such a thing even so?"

" "

Even Emilia had thought of what it would be like to have no one think of her as detestable. Many times over, she'd wanted to cast all the pain and suffering by the wayside.

The earnestness in Archi's words gently and deeply touched upon scars that covered Emilia's weak heart.

"…I want people to think I look cool."

"Emilia?"

Doubt crept into his voice. Archi seemed like he did not believe his own ears.

Emilia lifted her head, staring straight at her kin, at the man who was practically a brother to her, and spoke with the determination she felt.

"I want to be like Mom, who I look up to so much. I want to be gentle and strong, like Geuse. I want to be like Granny Tanse and the others, who were never mean to me even once. I want to be like Archi, who smiled to the very, very end so that I wouldn't get scared."

" "

"I want to be like Puck, who kept protecting me so I wouldn't be alone. I want to be like Ram, who wants to work harder than anyone else for the person she holds dearest. I want to be like Otto, doing his utmost for the sake of his friend. I want to be like Garfiel, who refuses to speak one timid word or complaint."

"Emilia…"

"And I want to be like Subaru, who suffers and gets all beat up, who's always reckless—who told me he loves me."

Emilia was weak and pathetic and always failing, but even so, she wanted to do everything she could for the people she wanted to be with—for the people inside and outside the forest, for those who once walked alongside her and for those who would stand by her from now on.

"I want those people to think I look cool. I want to reach my hand out to the others the way so many people assured me that things would be all right."

It was time for the girl who had always been saved by others to start saving them.

The boy who always endured so much for Emilia's sake had put his trust in her, promising that everything would turn out all right in the end.

—That was why Emilia would live in the outside world.

"I'm all right. I'm not afraid of the outside world. I'm not afraid of the future."

" "

"Thank you for worrying about me. I'm…all right, Big Brother."

Being called that made Archi open his eyes wide. Emilia smiled, seeing his surprised face.

She'd always thought of him as a brother, but shyness and her defiant heart had kept her from calling him that even once.

But now there was no reason to be embarrassed by those sunny feelings. She could boldly say what she had always felt.

In Emilia's forest homeland, she had a mother, a father, and an older brother—she had a family.

"—You…"

Faced with Emilia's charming smile, Archi kept trying to say something. But the flood of complicated and mystifying emotions within him dissipated without taking any definite shape. After all—

"Emilia, you're so stubborn. Once you've decided on something, you never listen to anyone. I wonder if you have any idea how hard that was on

Lady Fortuna and the rest of us?"

"Wahhh… I'm really sorry about that."

"It's fine. I mean…"

Then Archi's words trailed off as he smiled. His face contained not worry but a beaming smile.

"It's an older brother's place to indulge his little sister's selfish ways."

" "

The way he spoke with a smile on his face made Emilia truly feel the depth of his love. Just how many times had she been protected, and just how much love and tranquility had she received?

"Thank you, Big Brother."

All of Emilia's and Archi's feelings were encapsulated in the smiles they exchanged.

Then she turned her back to him, standing atop the cliff once more. From that vantage point, she could see Fortuna and Geuse in the distance, as well as the surface of the lake immediately beneath her.

" "

Suddenly, the two noticed Emilia in the distance and waved to her. She waved back.

Burning the sight of them happily together into her eyes, her mind, her soul, and her memories, she left it all behind.

"—Thank you for showing me this world, Echidna."

She was speaking to Archi, standing behind—No, this was not Archi. She spoke to Echidna the Witch.

" "

Including Archi, who was aware of far too many details that he should've never known, this entire world was an illusory space to begin with. Remembering the Trial, Emilia understood this was not reality.

Perhaps the mother, father, older brother, and everyone else she saw here were all nothing but fabrications.

Even if that was true, Emilia still felt gratitude in her chest.

"Maybe this is a world that could never exist, but I never thought I'd see the day that Mom and Geuse…that Mom and Dad could be together like this, smiling side by side. So thank you."

It scared her to acknowledge this as an unreal, fleeting dream.

However, even if it was a world that would never come to pass, Emilia had gotten a chance to see the happiness that had been possible.

In this world, she had felt joy, love, and a happy sadness that sent shivers through her whole body.

She was glad from the bottom of her heart that she got the opportunity to bear witness to everything she had seen here.

"…You…"

Responding to Emilia's words of thanks, Archi—No, the voice was feminine; it was the voice of the Witch.

Emilia's memory of being hated by her during the course of the first Trial was still fresh. She'd half given up on hearing her voice in that world, let alone seeing her face.

But there, the Witch appeared in that transient world at the very, very end, and her voice trembled.

"Echidna…?"

Turning around, Emilia faced the Witch head-on. That same moment, Emilia wished she hadn't. When she turned around, there stood Echidna, her expression so raw, it made Emilia regret seeing it.

—For Echidna was simply standing there, staring at Emilia with a face ready to break into tears.

"I hate you—I just…hate you."

" "

Emilia didn't comment on the hesitation she detected in the words Echidna wrung out.

Then, right before Emilia's eyes, Echidna's body became hazy. Like a ripple moving along the water's surface, her existence became distorted, and the Witch's form seemed to melt as she retreated from the world of illusion.

There was nothing left behind. With the one who had supposedly been Archi gone, wind and time began to flow once more.

"Echidna…"

Having instilled such bitterness that she had wanted to say nothing, Emilia clenched her own chest with her hand. From there, she put her breathing in order; then she turned back toward the cliff one more time, peering into the water below.

She saw her reflection on the distant surface of the clear, shallow lake. Her heartbeats grew stronger, faster.

Simultaneously, she instinctively understood how to bring the second Trial to an end.

" "

Between this world and the one she really belonged to, what part was different yet the same? The only answer was Emilia herself. She was the only foreign element in either world.

The way to end the Trial was for Emilia to find herself and seek out a way to acknowledge, accept, and understand that self.

Her memories of the past ended when her homeland froze over and she fell into a deep slumber. Until the present day, over a century had passed— and in all that time, Emilia had never once set eyes upon her grown-up self.

The reason was simple. She was simply…afraid. She was too afraid to look.

When she awoke, the aging her body had undergone conflicted with the memories she had lost. Her clumsy, unfamiliar body terrified her immature heart, and the way the people living close to the forest treated her drove that fear deeper still.

Her features inevitably drew comparisons to the Witch of Jealousy, and Emilia spent that time in misfortune. This made people uneasy, so they persecuted her, causing her to harbor even greater fear than before.

She deliberately avoided mirrors, and she'd trained herself to not even look at the reflective surface of water.

—As part of her contract with Puck, he picked how Emilia would groom herself each day.

Normally, he hid everything under his aloof, frivolous demeanor, but this, too, was actually all to protect Emilia's fragile heart from reopening old wounds.

"Truly, just how much have people been protecting me…?"

How much had she failed to notice while she'd been sulking all on her own?

The time she'd spent ignoring the love others gave her had finally come to an end.

"—!"

With resolve in her heart, Emilia closed her eyes, and moments later, her feet left the ground.

In an instant, gravity dragged her floating body downward, pulling her into a fall upside down. The rushing wind entwined her long silver hair around her body. Her figure was perfectly straight as she plunged headfirst— hurtling toward the water below.

She felt goose bumps on her skin. Sensing the surface of the water was close by, Emilia opened her eyes.

It was just in time for her to drink in the sight of the silver-haired, violeteyed girl reflected by the clear lake's surface.

It was as if she was resolved to greet the end of the world head-on. Then, quietly, she widened her eyes further.

"—Huh."

A disappointed voice trickled out.

Her face reflected in the water, the face of the little girl who had grown so big, drew nearer and nearer with every passing moment.

Emilia let out a soft sigh and muttered.

"That's too bad. I look less like Mom than I thought…"

An instant after that sulky murmur, Emilia crashed into the watery mirror.

She would never let go of the happiness she found. However, the world of dreams from which she had to depart had finally come to an end…

4

—Neither the cold nor the impact of breaking the water's surface receded when Emilia's mind returned to reality.

When she came to, the first thing she saw was the small, cold room in the dimly lit tomb. Lying upon her side, Emilia blinked again and again, thinking back to the Trial that had ended a moment before.

Perhaps it had been an illusion. The scene was one that could have existed, and that fact made her chest throb.

"My feelings for Mom, for Dad…for Big Brother and everyone else I hold dear—those haven't changed."

If anything, her feelings for them had only deepened and grown stronger. She kept these emotions stored away in her heart, and she would carry them with her forevermore.

Her resolve had crystallized. Both of Echidna's Trials had given her something precious.

The words of thanks she offered the Witch were not false in any way.

"…With this, the second Trial is over. That's good, right?"

As she rose to her feet, Emilia set aside her questions about Echidna's final actions for later.

There was a tangible sense of accomplishment, and judging from the look of the Witch as she departed, it was no mistake to think the second Trial had indeed ended. She had not so much overcome it as she had seen things through to the end.

" "

Even with the sight of her father and mother, an illusory emotional scene she'd supposedly put behind her, tugging at the back of her mind, Emilia turned her back to the room, heading outside the tomb to prepare to challenge the third Trial.

Just as it had been for the second Trial, exiting and reentering the tomb was no doubt a condition for switching to the next Trial to come. Even were that not the case, she had to inform Ram, who was waiting outside for her success or failure in the Trial, and put her worries at ease.

—Save him.

That was the plea Ram had stated to Emilia, when the strong girl had shown her what lay deep within her heart.

Emilia wanted to respond and act upon that from the bottom of her heart.

And for that sake—

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ram… Er, huh?"

Accompanied by that powerful resolve, Emilia tried to convey the results of the latest stage of the Trials, but she ended up cocking her head instead.

Under a night sky with the silver moon high above, waiting for Emilia at the entrance to the tomb was not a lone maid but a great throng of people. "Ah, she's come out!"

Someone noticed the surprised Emilia and raised a cry. Instantly, the crowd shifted their gazes toward her as one, and the sheer force of it made Emilia wince. But she recognized them instantly.

There stood the people of Earlham Village who had evacuated to the Sanctuary and taken shelter at the Cathedral.

Their return to their homes had been delayed, now hinging on the lifting of the Sanctuary's barrier. It was none other than Emilia who had promised she would definitely free them.

Still unable to make good on her promise just yet, Emilia held her breath. She fully expected them to accuse her of being all talk and no substance. And yet—

"It's good you are safe and sound!" "Were you hurt at all?" "Simply going in there put our lord at death's door!"

" "

The first words she heard were filled with nothing but reverence for Emilia, which made her brain seize up. However, Emilia immediately shook her head to clear it, and then from the stairs, she deeply bowed toward them.

For an instant, the people murmured. But they immediately fell silent as they awaited Emilia's words.

"…Thank you for worrying about me. I am completely fine and not hurt whatsoever."

"Ohhh, I'm so glad." "Good. That's what's important." "Master Subaru got all worried for nothing, huh…?"

"It's just…I am very sorry. I still have not completed all the required Trials…but everyone here must have already heard from Subaru and the others, right?"

Emilia kept harboring apologetic feelings toward the group of worried people as she continued:

"There is no longer any reason for you to remain in the Sanctuary. I will definitely lift the barrier, but it would be best for all of you to return to your families…"

" "

As part of the negotiations, the villagers were originally supposed to remain in the Sanctuary until its barrier was lifted. But now that Garfiel had rescinded his previous demands, there was not a single reason for them to remain.

The villagers already knew that. Emilia had heard from Ram that Subaru and company explained it to them prior to leaving for the mansion.

Therefore, there was no reason for them to await Emilia's success or failure in the Trials. However—

"Master Subaru? Hey, what did he tell us anyway?"

"Oh? I wonder. Lately, I have been quite forgetful. I simply can't recall."

"Goodness, the way you said that seemed so real that it honestly scared me for a minute. Well, not that it isn't true…"

Looking at one another's faces, the villagers began exchanging unbelievable words. It was not simply one or two people, either. Every last person had joined in on the act, pretending like they had no idea what Emilia was talking about.

Naturally, Emilia was agape at such transparent behavior. They were all clearly playing dumb, acting as if this was the first they'd heard of it. As for

the reason why, Emilia just couldn't understa—

"—And so, Lady Emilia, we will wait here as promised."

"—!"

"We cannot return to the village until Lady Emilia has lifted the barrier.

We're not budging from that one bit."

The old woman with a stooped hip who served as head of Earlham Village spoke those words with a smiling face. Emilia drew in her breath. By this point, even someone as slow on the uptake as Emilia could understand what their intention was.

All of them were waiting for her to fulfill her promise. No doubt they wanted to return to their families without a moment to spare, but they were suppressing that urge in order to honor their promise to her.

That was because Emilia had sworn to do the same for these very people.

"Besides, we are not the only ones expecting much from Lady Emilia's efforts."

"Eh…?"

As Emilia, deeply moved by the unexpected turn of events, felt her chest grow hot, the elderly woman made a mischievous smile as she nodded. When Emilia looked over, drawn by the gesture, the people of Earlham Village were all lined up—and behind them, with a swaying of the thickets, she saw even more people entering the clearing.

Somehow, the group seemed to be walking hesitantly, and at their head stood a girl with long pink hair, a black robe draped over her, and a staff in hand.

"Miss Ryuzu and…the people of the Sanctuary?"

"—From the looks of things, it would seem that you have returned after completing the second Trial."

Lining up beside the head of Earlham Village, Ryuzu sighed as if to say, We made it in time. Everyone present gathered together into two groups, dividing the open ground up between them.

Emilia, who had a view of the whole scene from her vantage point atop the stairs of the tomb, was deeply moved, letting out an "ah."

"There were this many people living in the Sanctuary?"

She'd heard there were maybe fifty Earlham Village evacuees who had taken shelter here. The residents of the Sanctuary in the clearing numbered just as many, about as much as a very large family, bringing the total number of souls gathered in this place to about a hundred.

Yet, despite that, in all the time Emilia had spent here, she had practically never come face-to-face with any Sanctuary residents beyond Ryuzu and Garfiel, let alone spoken to any of them.

"Please know that is no fault of yours, Lady Emilia. It was the residents' will… Really, it was my own stubbornness that prevented me from allowing you to meet the residents."

"Miss Ryuzu…"

"Lady Emilia, you have done well to have overcome the Trial. We are grateful for this. And…"

Bowing her head deeply, Ryuzu had said exactly what Emilia had guessed she would. Then Ryuzu glanced at the elderly woman standing beside her.

"…After hearing from Young Gar and the villagers here…listening to both the residents of this place and outsiders alike, I, too, have finally been able to rouse these old bones. I suppose you might fault me as an opportunist."

"…I'm not one to talk about anyone having doubts and being stuck in place. I spent about a hundred years dozing off, after all."

"Still, our obstinacy has lasted generation after generation across four centuries, so I will call us even."

Unable to bear the sight of that downcast face, Emilia offered some joking words, which seemed to help Ryuzu relax. She was acting like Subaru. This was how he usually lightened the mood during weighty occasions.

"I understand what Garfiel probably spoke about…but was everyone else able to hold discussions with the people of the Sanctuary as well?"

"Nothing quite so grand. Just living in the same place naturally leads people to build relationships. We elderly often have spare time to exchange words while doing the cooking and the laundry."

"And so we elderly with too much time on our hands spoke about various things. I have long lived in the Sanctuary…yet, I have never had a chance to exchange words with an outsider quite like this."

Musing out loud, Ryuzu and the Earlham Village head turned to each other, wearing little smiles. Externally, they didn't look even remotely the same age, but to Emilia's eyes, it seemed like an exchange between old friends.

And Emilia thought this was a powerful, deep, and most precious thing.

"Lady Emilia… May we have a few words with you?"

"Y-yes."

Then someone raised their hand and stepped forward. He was a resident from the Sanctuary, a man with a head full of bestial hair and ever-soslightly-canine teeth—as someone who lived here, he was undoubtedly a half-blood himself.

The man, whose age she would put at thirty thereabouts, bowed his head with a rather tense expression on his face.

"To be honest, I… No, we…still haven't decided in our hearts."

" "

"We aren't sure whether to trust you or not. We who know nothing about the outside world can't help but be scared of leaving the Sanctuary. That goes for me, too. I was born and raised here."

Just as Garfiel had asserted, this was the Sanctuary in its present state.

Many of the people dwelling here had undergone persecution for having blood that differed from both humans and demi-humans, causing them to seek this land as a place where they could find some peace. Others were born here, spent their entire lives in this place, and then returned to the soil.

That was the way of life that had continued since the establishment of the Sanctuary four centuries prior.

Lifting the barrier meant losing something that they had always taken for granted. How much did this mean to them? In terms of taking something for granted, Puck had been the closest comparison Emilia had.

To Emilia, his sudden departure was the last thing she wanted. It was only natural that the residents of the Sanctuary were just as reluctant to have such a thing imposed on them by others.

"If Master Roswaal is looking after us even on the outside, how would that be any different from us living here? I'd always thought maybe we don't need to change."

"…Yeah."

"However."

Lowering her eyes, Emilia took in the man's words. She awaited more with a gloomy heart.

When she looked back, the man had stretched and straightened his back, his tense cheeks hardening as he continued.

"However… All of us heard Garfiel's—heard that little kid's angry voice."

" "

"We know exactly how that hardworking kid feels…and it makes me feel pathetic."

When his face grew tearful and his gaze turned rueful and reproachful of himself, Emilia's chest tightened.

"He's still a child of fourteen. How many years has he spent stuck in his ways like that? He's…a good kid. And you are, too, Lady Emilia." "I'm not. Until tonight, I was a totally good-for-nothing girl…" It wasn't like she'd accomplished anything. Not yet.

Though Emilia denied she had anything to be proud of, the man said, "Even so," shaking his head. "Master Roswaal told us it was futile, and everyone was afraid, cowering from the Trial…but even so, here you stand.

You entered the tomb, and you came out. That's why…"

"—Yes?"

"…whatever happens in the end, what you are trying to do is already incredible and worthy of praise. I won't go so far as to say every last person here shares those feelings, and even I can't say I'm completely on your side just yet. But please allow us to watch over you to the end."

Emilia was silent as she received the man's—No, it was not the man alone, but the gazes from all the various people behind him were trained upon her. Receiving these, Emilia stood straight and strong.

"—I understand. I'm certain I will see this through. When that time comes, we can speak properly."

"Yes, it's a promise. Actually, for me and the rest to be shunning anyone based on their looks and position without even talking ain't exactly the best

—Wahyah!"

As the man deeply bowed, something sent him leaping into the air. When Emilia looked harder, the cause was Ryuzu, who was standing beside him and had suddenly dug her nails into his side. The man gave an objecting look as Ryuzu laughed at the top of her lungs.

"Too long, too serious, and midway through, you switched from us to me.

Shame on you, shame."

"…I-I'm very sorry, Elder."

"Either way, our current point of view is as he said just now. This, too…

Mm? What is the matter?"

Ryuzu was in the midst of lightly teasing the man when the wide-eyed Emilia tilted her head.

"Er… Miss Ryuzu, it's a little surprising to hear someone call you Elder like that."

"Ahhh—"

"And I was thinking, Wow, I really haven't seen her speaking with anyone except Garfiel, have I…?"

Think about that, went Emilia, sticking her tongue out. Ryuzu, taken aback, looked at the man's face, and he, hers. From there, they let up voices of "Kwa-ha-ha-ha!" and laughed.

The laugh was not merely between Ryuzu and the man; it spread to the various people of the Sanctuary and even the residents of Earlham Village. For a time, the entire clearing was filled with laughter.

"Somehow, it doesn't seem quite right to laugh…but, mm, Miss Ryuzu, thank you. Also, Miss Milde, it seems like you really put some work into this."

"—Lady Emilia, you remembered my name?"

As Emilia spoke words of thanks, the elderly woman beside Ryuzu— Milde Earlham—made a surprised face. Seeing this, Emilia went "mm-hmm" and puffed out her chest. "I may not look like it, but I am in the middle of studying to become king. Remembering names is the least I can do."

"I do not believe a king needs to remember the name of each and every subject, but…"

"You've probably been dealing with kings with poor memory. I'm very good at learning things."

Hearing Emilia's reply, Milde slightly narrowed her eyes; then she offered a deep bow.

Glancing sidelong at this, Ryuzu went, "Now then," indicating the tomb with her chin. "Lady Emilia, I am pleased that we could be of service to you… Next is the final Trial, but…"

"Yes, I intend to challenge it immediately. Well, I was intending to…

Miss Ryuzu, do you know where Ram is?"

The impact of being greeted by such a large throng the instant she exited the tomb temporarily forced it from her mind, but as far as her eyes could see, Ram was nowhere to be found.

Emilia had wanted to inform the girl who'd motivated her to break through the Trial that she had finally found some success, but…

"…Ram is attending to a duty she cannot afford to shirk. She left a message, praying for your good fortune. She said, Lady Emilia must do what only she can do, and Ram must do the same. Let us do our very best."

Ryuzu mimicked Ram's way of speaking, drawing a strained smile onto Emilia's face. It was just like her to say something like that.

Ram's duty was no doubt connected to the feelings that she had conveyed in her request to Emilia. And when she thought how Ram might fulfill that duty, there was a slight throbbing in her chest.

Pushing that feeling down, Emilia chose to trust Ram, just as Ram had chosen to trust Emilia.

"…I have to say, though, no one waited for me to come back at all. Not

Subaru, not Ram…"

"Oh-ho, I see how that would sour your mood. It is a pity those you care deeply for are not present. If this pitiful old face is good enough for you, I'll wait right here until you return again."

"Okaaay—I guess it's time."

Emilia had begun to pout, but after hearing Ryuzu's response, she smiled and then turned.

Right before her, the entrance to the tomb awaited. She entered without any hesitation.

"Well, I'm off."

Various voices, from the residents of the Sanctuary and Earlham Village alike, called out after her.

There were so many expectations pushing her forward—more than the first time and more than the second. Carrying these alongside the powerful resolve now residing within her, she walked toward the back of the tomb.

And then—

"—Face the calamity that shall come."

—the third Trial came. 

CHAPTER 3

—GILTIRAU, BLACK KING OF THE FOREST, STRIKES!!

1

—With every clash of steel against steel, there was a string of high-pitched sounds that seemed to be a woman's cries. "Gaaaaaa—!!!"

 "Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Marvelous! Marvelous!

Marvelousmarvelousmarvelous!"

Flipping her body around like she was dancing, she aimed a curved blade at his vitals with no fixed path, flashing from up, down, right, and left. It almost seemed like some sort of extreme training, but every blow landed without any warning, infused with enough power to instantly end his life.

The tip of the bent blade rent the air, surpassing sound as it swung with godlike speed.

The seemingly supernatural, murderous technique was being countered by Garfiel's own superhuman skill.

Using the silver-colored shields attached to both arms, he chose to deflect rather than block the incoming blade. He kept redirecting the force of the woman's attacks skyward, creating openings for counterattacks so he stood a chance at reeling in victory by force.

Even that very moment, he guided a powerful blow aimed at his neck off to the side before sending a kick straight into the woman's torso. Had Garfiel's kick connected cleanly, it would have undoubtedly ruptured all her internal organs. But—

"I've already seen that one."

—the woman's eyesight was truly frightening, surpassing all common sense.

Her whisper was not a joke or a taunt, either. Every technique she witnessed in battle did not work a second time. Having already foreseen this second straight kick, the woman avoided it with minimal movement as she lined up her next attack: a backward slash with her blade.

That blow, apparently intended to serve as punishment for foolishly resorting to the same technique a second time while fighting a powerful foe, hit its mark.

"Rrrrraaa!!"

In that same instant, Garfiel's foolish kick slammed right into the woman's face.

"—Ngh!"

She bit down to suppress the groan of pain that threatened to escape from the back of her throat. Her knife had entered his right foot, carving his flesh all the way up to his femur. If he'd been even slightly slower, she would've no doubt sliced off the entire leg. But for that price, Garfiel had landed a clean blow on the woman.

In the battle up to that point, Garfiel had grown to admire—and trust—the skill of Elsa, his foe.

The excellence of her technique, her overwhelming combat intuition, the physical abilities she'd honed, and the impossibly fine control over her own body—few could claim to be as strong as this woman. He was certain that if he showed her the same technique twice, she'd definitely see right through it. It was this absolute trust in her ability that allowed Garfiel to land a direct hit on her.

He was sure he'd torn the woman's sultry face. Even if it did not end her life, it would leave her gravely wounded and unable to continue combat. But

Garfiel did not let his guard down. After all—

"—Aaagh, that hurt, and quite a bit. Makes me appreciate being alive."

"Damn it, this ain't no joke. What is that body of yours made out of?"

As Garfiel sighed, Elsa let out a heated breath of excitement. She was touching her left hand to her face as if to suppress the bleeding, and when she slowly lowered it, anyone watching would have expected a wound underneath terrible enough to make the faint of heart avert their eyes. But it was not so.

When she removed her left hand, Elsa revealed her face didn't even have

a scratch, let alone any bleeding.

"The general called ya a woman who wouldn't die even if one killed her…but this is just messed up."

"I suppose it is. Even I feel slightly apologetic about my physical nature. It seems to be robbing everything you do of all meaning… I wonder, do you hate women like me?"

Hearing how disconcerted Garfiel was made Elsa slightly incline her head. The tone of the question made Garfiel abruptly furrow his brows.

It was slight, minute, but he felt some part of Elsa's tone of voice was filled with sadness.

"Even as I move about, my wounds heal, and I feel neither pain nor fatigue, allowing me to continue fighting without limit. Do you feel fighting such a woman lacks any meaning? I wonder, do you really think of me as

someone you can test the results of your training against?"

"—Hell if I care."

The throwaway tone of Garfiel's voice made Elsa widen her eyes in apparent surprise. She blinked hard, which momentarily made her seem much younger. Garfiel crinkled his nose as he spoke again.

"You're my enemy. And me, I'm the super-strongest shield who's been assigned the toughest enemy. I got the general and the woman I fell for expectin' a lot from me. I ain't givin' up from a little setback like this."

"You…"

"I'm gonna blow you away, Elsa Gramhilde. Don't matter how many times ya come back."

Baring his fangs and keeping his legs wide apart, Garfiel adopted a fighting stance as he howled.

Garfiel's caustic words left Elsa silent for a time. She let her refined eyelashes fall just a tiny bit as she touched a hand to her own mouth—he heard a laughing voice.

"Huh? The hell are you laughin' at?!"

"Tee-hee…! Ah, er, I am quite sorry. I heard some unexpected words, so I could not help but find them amusing… Yes, you seem to be a very good boy."

"Don't treat me like some little kid. Me, I'm a fine man. A grown male."

"Oh really now? You hardly look fully developed to me, either as an adult or a man…"

As Elsa relaxed her cheeks, her ridicule drew a sour snort out of Garfiel.

Garfiel couldn't read Elsa's emotions. To be blunt, he wasn't interested in them. That moment, what was important to him was fulfilling his role—by beating the opponent before his eyes to a pulp.

—In so doing, he would prove the Sanctuary's mightiest shield could fulfill that role even in the outside world.

"You truly are marvelous… But that makes this more the pity."

"The hell you talkin' about?!"

"Right now, your attention is directed toward me and nothing else. I wonder, how are your older sister and the others faring? You've been wondering the whole time, haven't you?"

Elsa's comment concerned Frederica as well as Subaru and Otto as they scurried across the mansion.

She wasn't wrong. Certainly, Garfiel was worried for his friends. He could not deny that they'd remained in the corner of his mind throughout the fight.

"I wonder, if the cause of your fear was cut away, would you look at me and only me? —In any case, your friends cannot escape from this mansion. You've realized this, too, haven't you?"

"…Seems like there are demon beasts crawlin' all over this place. The work of your little helper, huh?"

"My little sister. So long as her perimeter is intact, there is no way to escape. She worked hard and brought an entire horde of demon beasts. At this point, everyone could very well have been eaten down to the last morsel."

The entirety of Roswaal Manor was buried in disgusting scents and auras.

He'd heard beforehand of the existence of a Beast Master who controlled demon beasts. Subaru and company must have tried using that repel crystal for barriers as a countermeasure, but the beasts still remained in the mansion that very moment. He knew from the faint tremors reaching his eardrums and what he could pick up from their auras.

In other words, some kind of unforeseen problem had arisen. It no doubt had something to do with Elsa's little sister, the Beast Master he had yet to personally lay eyes on. The more he thought about it, the deeper he sank into worry.

"Really, you want to rush over to your friends this very moment, don't you? Not that I'll let you…but if the nervousness is dulling your fangs, that is very, very disappointing."

Garfiel, too, understood a warrior's desire to battle an enemy at their finest. But Elsa was different. She thought like a huntress, using every power at her disposal to take down her prey.

Considering her way of thinking, she probably thought the current situation put Garfiel at a disadvantage.

—But that was completely off the mark.

"Don't get the wrong idea, lady."

"Am I wrong?"

"You just don't get it. Demon beasts are wanderin' around, yeah? And what, you think I gotta go save 'em or somethin'? Stupid crap like that ain't gonna stop the general."

Garfiel, supposedly unable to fight at full strength out of worry for his friends, seethed with an uncontainable heat that blazed within him.

He boldly stepped forward, baring his fangs as he closed the distance between him and Elsa.

"The general and his crew are the ones who gave me a royal poundin'.

No matter how many demon beasts get in their way, they'll just laugh and kill 'em all!!"

2

"Nowaynowaynoway seriously no way seriouslynoway, we're totally done for…!"

Practically out of breath, Subaru collapsed as he rambled in a tearful voice.

He put Rem, who was on his back, over his knees, breathing raggedly as he lay low on the first floor of the mansion. Otto and Petra were right beside him, both completely exhausted.

—In that moonlit corridor, their group had encountered the demon beast Giltirau, and combat had ensued.

Combat was a poor word to describe it. There was no way that Subaru and his current companions could land a blow on such a beast, so there had been no option but instantly fleeing. They'd tumbled into the nearest room, and seizing the opportunity when the monster's huge frame got stuck in the entrance, they fled out the window into the yard, putting some distance between them and their hunter.

From there, they'd returned to the mansion via a different room, but—

"Th-that demon beast… Is it biding its time and patrolling the entire building…?"

"It may have been assigned to guard this position… When we poked our heads out earlier, it was right here in the main wing. Combining the magic stones I had on hand with a spell to muffle our footsteps allowed us to somehow get away, but…"

Even when resorting to such tricks to throw the monstrous guard off their trail, it would be difficult to avoid encountering the creature if they wanted to secure a reliable escape route.

In addition to the abominable Giltirau, there were numerous demon beasts milling about the mansion. These lesser creatures could be driven off with repel stones, but if they encountered any opposition, the Giltirau would undoubtedly notice—leaving them in a vicious cycle.

"This is what I get for operating separately from Garfiel, huh…?"

"Please do not speak such timid words. After all, this very moment, Garfiel may well be howling in high spirits that we must be all right. We

should at least respond with expectations equal to his."

"You're so big on returning favors. You really aren't cut out to be a merchant…"

Hearing these words from Otto, who was in the best physical condition among them, Subaru flashed a wry smile as he stood up with renewed resolve.

Returning Rem to his back, he found her body despairingly light. Carrying an unconscious person was a heavy burden, a fact that he'd personally experienced in this world several times over, but in her current state, Rem was the exception to the rule.

He couldn't feel her warmth or weight or much of anything at all. Her tenuous hold on existence even affected her physical body. Only the faint sounds of her heart and her sleeping breaths told him that she truly existed in her current state.

If she fell off his back, he probably wouldn't even notice. Fearful of this exact possibility, he put even more strength into supporting Rem's body. "Subaru…"

Petra moved closer to him, gently tugging on his sleeve with a somber expression.

Petra, still so very young, had resolutely raced alongside them throughout the night of their lives without a single word of complaint despite the great danger.

"A-are you all right?"

Her pink lips were pursed as she posed a question—not out of concern for her own life but with words of concern for Subaru, so earnestly bearing Rem on his back, even as his own breaths ran ragged.

Petra's feelings were like a healing salve to Subaru. Without such salvation, he would never have been even half as determined to go on.

Despair wouldn't get them out of their predicament. Subaru Natsuki rose back to his feet.

"Have you thought of something?"

Perhaps seeing something in Subaru's expression, Otto closed one eye and questioned him so. He didn't even consider disguising the expectations and trust in the tone of his voice and his gaze.

" "

When Subaru looked over, he noticed Petra's eyes, peering up at him, held the very same expectations and trust.

Feeling those gazes on him, trusting without doubt that he must have thought of something, Subaru's breath caught. Then he wore a pained smile.

"Hey, come on now… Just what do you two expect me to do here?"

After deeply exhaling, Subaru rocked his body, gently adjusting Rem against his back.

Expectations—if he was to invoke that word, it was Rem who expected more from Subaru than anyone.

That moment, he was carrying her on his shoulders. That moment, Otto and Petra were staring at Subaru, expecting something from him.

He breathed out. Then he decided with his gut.

"We were trying to run from this mansion, but that means blowing past that demon beast…that something-rau thing."

"However, it is difficult to defeat the beast with what we have at our disposal. What should we do?"

Otto posed his question. Considering the capabilities of each person, the resources and techniques they possessed, and the mansion that served as the stage, how could they meet all the required conditions? Think, think, think—

"We're short on martial and magical ability—so it's finally time for me to put my unparalleled modern knowledge to good use."

3

At first, the demon beast—Giltirau, the Black King of the Forest—picked up a faint noise.

" "

It was a quiet, seemingly fearful sound…the sort of sound prey made as it clumsily attempted to sneak around.

Hearing this, the Giltirau lifted its lion head upward, then almost seemed to sigh with raw disappointment.

To the Giltirau, hunting was the very reason for its existence. It could think of no greater joy than to catch fleeing prey with its claws, plunge in its fangs, and drain the life from its mark to sate its empty belly.

What mattered for the hunt was whether the prey was worthy of the fangs of the king.

Hunting strong, sturdy, able-legged prey, taking it down through brute force—the current hunt completely failed to live up to those standards. Having its expectations dashed put the Giltirau in the most terrible of moods.

Of course, it did not even think of defying the orders of its master. But it would obey those orders and nothing else. It simply owed a debt to the master, who had liberated it from the Curse of the Horn. Accordingly, it had listened to her request.

Moving its nose around, the Giltirau pursued the sound of the footsteps as its prey tried to slink away.

Defenseless. Thoughtless. Unrestrained. Futile. They were the footsteps of the weak, lacking any elegance whatsoever.

" "

The Giltirau sprinted with shocking agility that contrasted with its huge frame. Its four thick limbs did not make a sound as they trod upon the floor, a feat that brought into sharp relief why it was also called the Shadow Lion.

Like an assassin, the Black King of the Forest was a silent nightmare as it raced, seemingly leaping through the halls of the moonlit mansion. The footsteps it followed gradually became less guarded, betraying no sign of noticing the death stalking so very close.

The one making the footsteps was right around the corner. The king swung a claw just beyond that corner, a single blow that would rend the prey's back apart, throwing its corpse to the ground, and expose its humiliation in full.

However—

"—?"

Right after swinging its claw, the Giltirau paused, sensing something was off. The presence it was certain was there had vanished, and the only one standing in the corridor was the great and dignified king.

The foolish, fragile, disgustingly weak prey had vanished, nowhere to be found.

—A moment later, another sound of shoes reached its ears, and the Giltirau ferociously took up its pursuit once more.

Its target was using the stairs, heading for the floor below. The sound of fleeing, running footsteps made the Giltirau reassess its prey ever so slightly —it had gone from intolerably weak to a fool worthy of killing.

If its quarry had merely been running wildly, the beast would have settled for ending things with a single claw swipe, cruelly slashing the fool apart. However, this prey had refused the king's mercy, willingly rejecting a quick death—and so it would die a thousand deaths instead.

The Giltirau kicked off the wall of a landing, its huge frame seemingly dancing as it leaped down the stairs. The hulking monster gave chase, reaching the second floor before going down one more, pursuing its prey to the lowest floor.

In the distance, somewhere beyond the building, it heard the voice of its master trying to call it back.

" "

For an instant, the Giltirau pondered that voice, but it prioritized the prey right before its eyes. It was this very prey that had earned the master's ire. It would swiftly dispose of the fool and then rejoin her.

—Die, foolish prey. This is the greatest glory for those who defy the master.

Feeling a surge of emotion, the king forgot even to suppress its own sound as it sprinted. The thunder of its very powerful footsteps announced to its fleeing prey: The king, death itself, has come for you.

Go ahead. Try to run. Flee pathetically in a panic. Show me your back, so that I may flay it open for you.

Up ahead, it heard the sound of a door closing. The Giltirau did not hesitate to force it open by slamming its body home. This sent the door flying with great ease, and the Giltirau was greeted by a particularly spacious room.

It was not a small, cramped room like the stupid, ignorant prey had fled into earlier. It was a spacious room where the Giltirau could swing its claws and leap around with its giant frame to its heart's content.

Perhaps the prey was finally invoking the last of its spirit to challenge the Giltirau to a duel. However, the prey was nowhere to be seen, and at the back of the room, the monster heard the sound of yet another door closing— the door of an entrance separate from the one it had destroyed, and connecting the guest room to a smaller one, had shut.

In the end, that is all you have, thought the Giltirau, genuinely disappointed. The guest room came with a large table with a white cloth over it and, atop that, a row of lit candles. The flickering flames illuminated the king's red face as, with heavy steps, it headed for the little room in back.

Its vile tail, like a great serpent, sharply swung about, easily slicing the wooden door apart. Savagely springing its forelegs up, the Giltirau drew in its breath; it then pushed in with a roar.

" !!!"

Devastation. If there was a word worthy to describe what occurred in this sad tale, that was it.

Absolute devastation.

As the Giltirau swung its tail about, wildly raging with its bestial claws, the interior room was dominated by destruction worthy of the name. The cupboards storing foodstuffs and the cold storage were destroyed, while smoke erupted from the sacks and boxes lining the wall. The floor, struck by the heavy impact of paws, broke apart, and the carpet covering it was destroyed—a moment later, the Giltirau's vision was blanketed with white smoke.

A vast quantity of dust sprang up, clouding the air and irritating the great beast's nostrils. It was enough to rob it of its eyesight and even prevent it from breathing in enough to roar.

"You fell for it!"

Then a voice rang out, as if someone—as if the prey was shouting in victory.

Then it heard that voice, not from the small room but from the previous, wide room.

"Eat the power of science, baby—Dust Explosion!"

After a brief noise, it threw something into the small room.

Something flickered red within the Giltirau's nearly all-white field of vision—it was one of the candles from the guest room. The candle struck the wall, and for a moment, the reddish flame glowed brighter as it landed upon the floor.

"H-huh…?"

But…that was all that happened.

The candle remained on the floor, showing no further sign of change. The one who had thrown it was frozen in place and sounded like there'd been a miscalculation.

—The Giltirau's regal instincts screamed this was a golden opportunity.

Something had put its opponent into a disadvantageous state. Even if that had not been the case, surely this trick would have been insufficient to put the Giltirau in peril—Nay, it would not underestimate its foe further. It would utilize every store of power.

It would rend its prey apart, flay its skin, and feast in victory on the flesh and blood—

"Aghhh, that's why we told you! We shouldn't have tried this nonsensical method!"

"Normally, it's faster to do it this way!!"

The instant it leaped out of the little room, the Giltirau picked up a highpitched voice and an even higher-pitched voice. Clearly different from the prey it had spotted earlier—and the instant after it had that realization, a large quantity of something poured down from overhead.

It was a liquid. Certainly not water, and it felt slippery to the touch. Bathed in the yellowish fluid, the king felt its fangs trembling at having its proud black mane tarnished. However, it had the luxury to consider this for but a single instant.

"This is the personal merchandise of Otto Suwen—oil bought with the entirety of his life savings! —How do you like my wares?!"

As the prey shouted with joy, the king—the Giltirau—had no way to stop what came next.

—The candles ignited the oil that had drenched the entirety of its body, wreathing the king with abominable flames.

" !!!"

The Black King of the Forest had left the wilds, gaining a master, and, to the very end, wondered about the throne it had left vacant.

Still unaware of what had defeated it, the demon beast was enveloped by flame the same color as its burning humiliation, scorching its body black, torching it until it had been reduced to ash.

4

"So you can throw the sound of just footsteps, eliminate scents… Little tricks like that are all your magic can do?"

"…Having you belittle them weighs upon my mind, but I am impressed you remember such a thing. That said, will these spells prove useful? At most, they can make an opponent turn their head for but a single instant."

"Super-useful. We can use this to lure it into the trap… After that, I'll use the power of science to blow it away."

"You certainly seem extremely confident, but this so-called power of science…"

"A dust explosion, the strongest trick in the book. Using foodstuffs makes it really simple to boot. With a bit of flour and an open flame, it'll work great. From what I know, it's guaranteed to send a single monster flying."

"We went along with your plan because you sounded so confident, and now look at what's happened!"

"Oh, shaddap! Scientific progress comes with sacrifices, you know! Damn, why'd it fail? Not enough dust, not enough flame… Or do the laws of physics in this world just not work the same way?"

"Arghhh! Stop talking about that and keep up! Ack, it's no good! Nooo!!"

With Subaru and Otto angrily yelling at each other, Petra scolded them with a desperate look on her face.

The noisy trio was being illuminated by the brilliant light of red flames.

That was only natural, for at present, they were doing their best to put out the fire in the dining hall—however, the flames seemed to be only getting stronger.

"You used too much oil, damn it! You sure as hell spread it around enough. How'd you plan on putting it out?!"

"As if anyone can hunt down such a huge demon beast while holding back! In the first place, it'd be the same result whether I used it all up or not!

You're buying every last drop either way!"

"Both of you, this isn't the time!! We can't put it out! Let's run!"

With a frustrated look on his face, Subaru hurled the tablecloth, which had also caught on fire, into the quickly growing flames. There was no sign of the inferno in the pantry burning itself out. It had already spread to quite a bit of the dining hall, and black smoke began to seep out.

"We managed to defeat the demon beast, but the cost we paid is too high…"

The source of the flames was the black and charred demon beast—the Giltirau. Just as they'd planned, Otto's sneaky magic had led it downstairs, where they used a dust explosion in the pantry to bring it down—or not, since the dust explosion had failed. Instead, Otto had secured their victory by using his stock of oil to burn the thing to death.

The beast was a muscle-brain befitting its enormous frame, especially considering how it never suspected a thing as it fell into the trap. But because it flailed around wildly as it died, the flames had transferred to everything around it, completely setting the mansion on fire.

"This isn't a repair job anymore. It's a tear-down-and-rebuild job…"

"Is this really the time?! Let's run! Before we lose the stairs!"

"Quickly! Quickly!!"

Subaru found it surreal to watch the familiar sights and spaces catch on fire as the other two grabbed him by his sleeves and dragged him off. Pulled by the pair, Subaru readjusted Rem on his back as they ran from the burning dining hall.

Otto and Petra used repel stones to drive away any demon beasts that appeared along the way. There were also signs that demon beasts were fleeing the building, instinctively fearful of black smoke and fire.

"But what if Garfiel burns to death from this?!"

"Without the Giltirau prowling around, Garfiel can escape, too! Besides, surely he can send demon beasts packing and leap out of the building all by himself, even without using the escape route!"

Subaru was trembling from unwittingly wrecking the entire battlefield, but even in that situation, Otto remained as clever as ever. Thanks to that, they arrived at the upper floor in good order.

Fortunately, no other demon beasts immune to the effects of the repel stone appeared. Subaru and company fled into the study, and Petra operated the mechanism on the bookshelf on the wall—slowly, making a sound, the bookshelf moved, and the hidden passage heading underground, linked to the outside, revealed itself.

"We did it! Subaru! It's the hidden passage… With this, we can get out of here!!"

"Yeah, I suppose so… If you head down to the bottom of these stairs and follow the passage, you can escape outside. The exit will be well outside the perimeter. That just leaves…here, Otto, take Rem."

"Yes, I understand. I will take very good care of her."

Nodding to Petra, who was overjoyed they had made it, Subaru turned his back to Otto next. Then he slowly, gently passed Rem from his back onto Otto's. His movements were careful, so as not to let her fall.

"Do not drop her. Do not let her get hurt. And do not touch her in strange ways."

"Setting your concerns aside, your possessiveness comes across as quite bothersome!"

"H-hey, you two… Why are you…talking like that?"

With Otto now carrying Rem on his back, Subaru flippantly warned to be careful. Hearing this exchange, Petra raised a question with a worried face.

"From the way you're talking right now…it sounds like Subaru isn't coming with us…"

"—Mm, that's just how it is. Sorry, but I can't run with you. From this point on, I gotta go it alone."

"Why?!"

When Subaru confirmed her suspicions, Petra's face paled as she clung to him.

"Let's run already! The mansion's on fire, and it'll just make more trouble for Miss Frederica! There's still a lot of demon beasts, and it's not like you can beat them if you fight them, Subaru! So let's run!"

"Er, well, that's all totally true, but I can't run from this. I can't run… Not yet."

Even though he was happy seeing Petra try to stop him, Subaru gently took her fingers off him one by one. As he did so, the sadness in her big eyes spread even further.

In an effort to chide Petra, Otto, standing right beside her, tossed his voice her way.

"Petra. Mr. Natsuki still has something he needs to do. Until he accomplishes it, Mr. Natsuki will not falter. You understand this well, yes?"

"But…Subaru's weak!! It's dangerous! You should stay with him, Mr.

Otto!"

"The way you said that doesn't make it sound as if you have much faith in my strength, though!"

Otto's voice made Petra shake her head. There were tears welling in her eyes as she looked up at Subaru. Subaru got onto his knees so he was on her eye level and then gently stroked her head.

"Sorry, Petra. I'm getting you, Rem, and Frederica out of this mansion safe and sound. But it's not just you three. There's one more person I have to bring out of here."

"Y-you mean Lady Beatrice…?"

"…Even though she hates trouble and acts all lonely, she's a total busybody, always trying to do everything by herself, suffering 'cause of the dumb answers she comes up with and cowering 'cause she won't settle things herself."

When Subaru described the girl, the loneliness of her existence made Petra widen her eyes.

"I mean, Beatrice is pretty much the same age you are, Petra. Your heights might be a little different… Come to think of it, Petra, you might be a lot like her first friend."

"First…friend…?"

Beatrice's first and foremost friend had been Ryuzu Meyer. There had to have been a tangible friendship between her and Beatrice. If Beatrice carried the scars that remained all that time, then maybe…

"After I come back with Beatrice, you'll probably become friends with her. I'm sure you'll like her, Petra. She's awesomely fun to tease." "M-more than Mr. Otto?"

"Yeah. Fun enough that you won't have use for Otto anymore."

Judging from Otto's expression, he wanted to say something, but Subaru deliberately ignored him.

Then Subaru stopped stroking Petra's head and rose to his feet.

"I'll go look for Beatrice. I plan to try hard enough that I don't burn to death, but if I do, carve on my tombstone that I died because of the fire from Otto's oil, okay?"

"Inscribing tombstones being too much trouble, I will give you a smacking if you do not return safe and sound. Truly, I will."

Otto seemed to wince as he made his declaration. Then he tilted his back, turning Rem's sleeping face Subaru's way. The princess, still asleep as always, couldn't even bear witness to Subaru's resolve as he prepared to depart.

That was fine. It wasn't Rem's place to see Subaru off. It was Subaru's job to go to her.

"—Subaru! Be careful, okay?!"

Petra offered up her very own repel crystal. Accepting this, Subaru set off.

He did not reply to Petra's voice as she called out behind him. Petra didn't need him to do so, either.

Bit by bit, the flames were covering the mansion, and the place he had spent many days in was quickly turning to ash.

—Would the fire reach even the archive of forbidden books?

As he looked for the door to reach her, Subaru could not help but wonder.

CHAPTER 4

NEXT TIME, I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE TEA

1

Sensing that the Trial had begun, Emilia's mind instantly awakened.

This Trial felt closest to the first one. She was aware of her own existence and firmly conscious that she was undertaking a challenge. It wasn't like the second Trial, when her own existence was far more indistinct.

However, there was clearly one point that differed from before—here, Emilia had no body.

Her five senses had vanished, and her body had been lost. What was present was her consciousness alone—it felt like her consciousness was floating in the sky.

Perhaps this was what it felt like to have one's fickle soul cast into the water by its lonesome? In spite of this mysterious circumstance, Emilia felt no sense of danger as she strove to slowly grasp the situation.

Her nonexistent brain seemed to understand this place posed no danger and that her mind here was able to have such realizations.

Her surroundings were dark. A space of nothing save darkness spread forth, within which Emilia's body did not exist.

That she did not lose herself even so was due to the multiple lights that were floating in the darkness.

These faint lights of various colors were hovering around Emilia.

The glow they emitted resembled that of lesser spirits, but Emilia felt no life force coming from these lights. They were inorganic; perhaps they were closer to magical crystals that gave off light? Either way, she and the lights were the only things in that world.

" "

They continued swimming in that space, with nothing moving but the flow of time—Nay, in that circumstance, she could not firmly grasp whether even time was flowing or not.

The Witch who normally served as a guide had not appeared. In the darkness, Emilia hesitated over the unchanging situation into which she had been cast.

—The situation being what it was, her consciousness naturally ended up drawn to the lights.

" "

Selecting a silver-colored one from the multitude of lights, Emilia was just a tiny bit apprehensive when she tried to touch it. The very notion of touching assumed you had a body in the first place. Was that even possible here?

—Rather than ponder, it was faster to try it and see.

Reaching that conclusion, Emilia immediately tried it out. Her consciousness overlapped with the light, and this indeed was not touch. It felt more like she was intermingling with it—

"Hate, hate, I hate you. I really hate you. Really. All of it is true. Always, since the moment I met you…I have hated you. I cannot stand the sight of you."

The instant she came into contact with the light, a voice echoed directly into her consciousness. Simultaneously, a powerful, reddish scene leaped toward her.

She'd switched spaces, and a moment she had never witnessed played out before her.

The sun was unnaturally large. Smoke was rising from the scorched plains, and standing right beside an enormous, decrepit structure, bathed directly in the scarlet sunlight, was a silver-haired girl marred with blood— Emilia.

The grown-up version of herself she had only just seen in the second Trial was standing there, blood-ridden.

"I've thought this many times, and I've denied it many times…but the nightmare truly has come, so I will say it."

A smile came over her bloodied face. It was a smile toward the person she hated most in that world.

"Perhaps it is true—we should never have met."

At the corner of one of her purple eyes, a tear formed a single line as it gently fell.

The drop coursed down her cheek, and just before it fell from her chin onto the blood-marred ground, the world burst apart and vanished.

"—!"

Her consciousness, lacking a body, could not draw in its breath. All she could do was endure the desperate urge to do so with all her might.

As Emilia returned to the darkness once more, she found herself in a world with nothing but her consciousness and the lights floating around her.

What was that blood-ridden Emilia in the scene she saw beyond the light just then?

Thus far, she had seen her own appearance only twice, but she had definitely seen herself in that moment. The problem was that she had no recollection of anything like that ever happening. Or perhaps that was some kind of future that would never exist?

—No, Emilia instinctively thought.

Calming her chaotic consciousness, Emilia searched within her memories, turning back toward the very beginning.

The Trials had always indicated at the start what the challenger was to accomplish.

In the first, it was, First, face your past.

In the second, it was, Behold the unknowable present.

And this third time—it was, Face the calamity that shall come.

The calamity that shall come— Did that mean it was the future?

The Trials first showed a past linked to one's greatest regret; then they showed a present that did not and could not exist; last, the challenger was shown a future she would inevitably have to confront head-on. These were the entirety of the Trials the tomb had prepared for her.

Would that future, of a place enveloped with some kind of twilight, a future where she would tearfully hate someone, actually come to pass one day…?

" "

After a time, neither accepting nor rejecting it, Emilia's thoughts were interrupted as she realized something.

The light Emilia had touched earlier was gone, leaving only a palpable void. Even so, the lights numbered twenty, so there were still plenty to go. This was the moment she suddenly grasped the meaning behind the phenomenon.

The lights. Each and every one of the lights hovering in the darkness was a future that awaited Emilia.

This Trial probably would not come to an end until she had witnessed them all.

—Were the futures she would bear witness to all different from one another? Or would they be continuations of the one she just visited?

The answer would come once she touched another light and saw its future.

When she moved to the next light over from the blank space, it became a clear blue passage, like an azure sky—

"It's just like you said. That kid's our enemy, and our wounds run deep. I can't use healing magic, so even if we back out now, I might not be able to save you."

"Then…"

"But that kid's still a kid—Isn't this enough?"

The scene differed from the one before, with two figures standing atop sheer cliffs with a commanding view.

One of them had his back turned toward the deep forest behind him—she could not see his face. But she remembered his voice.

It was one of the people closest to her. Perhaps not as much as the other person, but she definitely remembered him…

The person atop the opposite cliff was on one knee, and as he knelt in this position, he was looking down at the other. Though she could not see his expression, Emilia could tell both of them were making terribly melancholic faces.

"You're…you're a hero. You can't be…anything but a hero…!!"

"I…"

"Thank you…for saving me, damn it!!"

When the other figure reached out with his hand, the figure with his back turned lobbed words of gratitude his way.

—It was a parting of nigh-unbearable sadness. It was a moment of parting marred by indelible despair.

" "

The projection had run its course. She returned to the world of darkness.

She had…pathos and melancholy both. But more than that, she held a question toward this Trial.

She did not see herself anywhere within the world she had just visited.

Neither of the people in that place was Emilia. She could guess who they were, but why had she witnessed a scene, a future without her?

Was she being shown a "future" that was the result of her own choices?

Then how was she supposed to face the calamity that would inevitably come?

" "

Amid that silence, the blue light vanished. Just like the initial silver light, a void had been born. Nearly twenty more lights continued to surround Emilia.

—Awaiting within each and every one was a tragic future that was the result of her choices.

Determined to accept them all, she stretched her consciousness toward the next one.

In one future after another, Emilia's choices, and the calamity they would invariably bring about, awaited her.

2

—She saw the future.

"—without that, have you not even a sword to swing, you damn thief?!"

"Subaru and Emilia are both tired, right? Sorry. And yet, even I've become a burden on you. I always, always wanted to say I'm sorry for never measuring up…"

"Mm, mm… My granddaughter, my pride and joy…has grown to be…a good child…"

As she touched the variously colored lights, Emilia continued to see different futures.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry I can't kill you because I'm weak. Sorry. Even so,

I'll keep you to myself—for all eternity. I'm sorry I'm so weak…"

"What, you feel like this is fulfilling your promise? If so…then you should have left me to die wrapped in a mat in that cave! If… If you were going to show me a dawn like this, it should all have ended there! Damn it! Damn it all!"

"I absolutely will not allow you to die for some nonsensical reason like a curse!"

There were wails. There were angry shouts. In different forms, they indicated endings, renewals, meetings, and partings.

"Oh look, I won again."

"To think someone I want to kill this much turned out to be such a gentle person…what a nightmare."

"You have bent your knees before irresistible despair, and you have lost even your sword… Just what is it you still cling to?"

She asked herself whether the things awaiting her, the futures at which she would arrive, were not some kind of mistake.

"Am I really that greedy? Do I really ask so much? I just don't want to be alone. I don't want to become alone… Is that so hard to understand?"

"I'll kill you, just as I promised!! Got that, Subaru Natsukiiiiii?!!"

Was there really nothing but despair in these futures? Was there anything beyond the sadness, beyond the suffering?

"I merely realized something… The days I've spent until now were by no means days I walked aloooone."

"In the end, 'twould seem we must atone with every last drop of our blood, does it not?"

What had gone wrong? Did she wish for the wrong things?

"Why…why won't the soul take?!"

"Whether it's with justice or villainy, ya can't solve every problem under the sun. That's what you just stepped in. If you block my…our path, I don't care if you're a Witch or a dragon. I'll crush you."

She was being shown untold tragedies and calamities. Amid that deluge of despair, which was enough to make her want to cry, she came to doubt everything she had done. If all that awaited the end of her journey was tragedy, that was simply—

"—I believe praying for one's desires is arrogance. Prayer is for seeking forgiveness."

In the future of the final light, a girl her waking self should never have set eyes upon spoke those words.

It was not fleeting enough to be hopeful and too bold to be despairing. Her nonexistent pulse quickened.

After all, she'd seen nothing, nothing but sad, agonizing futures in all that time.

—I want to have a proper conversation with you, no matter what the future holds.

She thought if a certain boy was with her, they could speak together and laugh about the futures they hoped for.

Even if all that awaited her were worlds of tragedy, she felt in her heart that if she could at least have that much—

3

—When her vision opened up, Emilia was standing right in the middle of grass rustling in the wind.

She had arrived immediately after the darkness, and the continually switching worlds had stopped. At first, Emilia thought she was being shown yet another future—but she immediately realized this was something else.

"I have actual hands and feet…and my voice is coming out. So this must be…"

Clenching both hands into fists, Emilia confirmed she possessed physical flesh. Then she surveyed her surroundings, realizing this grassland was unfamiliar and the presence of a little hill right behind her. Atop the hill, a large parasol was spread; naturally, this drew her to go closer.

Climbing up the hill, she found a white table and chairs under the parasol, and the faint whiff of warm tea wafted in the air. Naturally, she surmised Echidna might be here, so Emilia was on guard, but— "No one's here?"

There were six chairs arranged by the round table. Set atop the table were confections and cups, equal in number to the chairs, leaving the distinct sense that she had shown up right before some kind of tea party. Yet, it seemed as if everything had been abandoned midway without even cleaning up, leaving nothing of the participants but empty seats.

" "

When she touched a cup, which still had some tea in it, she felt a faint trace of warmth—it felt like anyone would be shaken if they saw what Emilia was up to.

"Echidna was having tea with someone. And then?"

She understood as much already, but for a dead person, Echidna sure had considerable freedom of action in this place. She was amazed that beyond her work as the administrator of the Trials, she'd go as far as to invite her guests to tea.

Here, the dead—or their ghosts—were, to the greatest extent, free.

Deeply moved by that fact, Emilia reached a hand toward one of the sweets without particular thought—

"—You might be trying to act like a Witch, but put so much as a finger on those, and you'll regret it."

"—?!"

Shocked by the unfamiliar voice suddenly calling out to her from behind, Emilia tried to instantly turn around—and her shock deepened further, for a finger touch to the back of her head rendered her body completely immobile.

"…Ah."

It wasn't that she was being restrained by force—she was held in place by the sheer overwhelming pressure.

The person standing right behind Emilia was a being beyond her comprehension. Gleaning this just from her aura and the touch of her finger, Emilia felt her entire body rapidly go numb.

She sensed if she turned around, or at the slightest whim of the person behind her, she would be instantly and utterly annihilated.

"Good girl. You are correct not to look back. For I…"

"Y-you are…?"

"I am, well, you know—A Witch so terrifying, she makes every hair on your body stand on end."

Witch—that single word entwined tightly around Emilia's heart, making it even harder to breathe.

Emilia, often slandered as a Witch because of her appearance, had complex feelings where the term was concerned. However, even so, the being she was standing in front of seemed completely beyond all her preconceptions.

Were all the beings worthy of being called true Witches shrouded in such immense miasma?

"…Hmph, I guess that's that, then. It really is the boy with the foul look in his eyes who's the strange one."

"Foul…look? Are you…talking about Subaru?"

"Heh…"

Letting out a snort, the Witch admired Emilia's ability to wring out her voice.

"The instant you hear that boy's name, you perk up? That's marvelous, but you don't really have a good grasp of the situation, do you? And…and what do you think of that boy anyway?"

"Subaru told me he loves me… He's a very precious boy to me, but…"

"O-oh…? Heh, hmm, so that's it. Well, really it's all the same to me!"

To Emilia, it was not at all clear why she would dismiss with ragged breath the question she herself had just posed.

However, at the same time, she felt her fear toward the Witch at her back faintly diminish.

She did not know the reason. Perhaps she could simply tell the being was not impervious to dialogue.

Relying upon that sense, Emilia swallowed once; then, hardening her will, she began to speak.

"You're a Witch, aren't you…? Does that mean you're one of the friends Echidna spoke of?"

"Hmph. It's not like that girl ever called us frie… Wait, I bet she did! And with a smug face, too, I'm sure!"

"I don't know about a smug look…but if you're here, where's Echidna?"

In the first place, Echidna had been in a foul mood every time she'd come into contact with Emilia. Therefore, she felt when Echidna had let slip about her "friends," it hadn't been with pride or with a boastful face at all.

Hearing Emilia's reply, the Witch went, "Now hold on," the tone of her voice lowering just a bit. "She said she doesn't want to meet you. It looked like she had a pretty rough time in the Trials."

"…It seems that way. Echidna seemed really hurt the last time I met her."

Emilia couldn't forget the hatred that filled Echidna's voice and expression at the end of the second Trial.

If that was truly the last time she would speak with Echidna, Emilia would be left with terrible regret.

Even so, the relationship between Emilia and Echidna had been one of accepting the results head-on without anyone else's intervention. Even if Emilia ended up being hated, she wanted to take responsibility for her choices.

"It's not that she doesn't care. It's that she's accepted the results… You're quite admirable, you know. Even though that rascal said nothing but mean things to you…"

"That's because Echidna spoke with me. I find it much harder to deal with the people who won't talk to me. If I could, I'd love to face you and talk with you, too, but…"

"—You absolutely cannot do that. If you do that, my fists, which have let so many people die, will cry out."

She spoke in a hard voice, but it was one that betrayed no hint of fabrication. Goose bumps broke out over Emilia once more.

The Witch's words truly did carry the weight of having let a great many people die. That weight remained as the Witch led off by saying, "One really should fulfill her duty, though. Echidna tossed the duty of administrator away, so I am taking it up in her place—What did you see in the third Trial?"

"I saw…many sad worlds. The voice said this was the calamity that would inevitably come. Are these…? Will everything I've seen really happen? Are they really the future?"

"In Echidna's view, it is possible they might happen."

The Witch made a heavy sigh as she replied to the question Emilia harbored. It was close to confirmation, yet vague enough that one could not say for sure. If they had been mere fabrications, it would have been easier on her heart, but…

"The futures you saw could all come true one day. Or you might not see a single one happen ever. However, they are not fabrications. That girl is very fair about these kinds of things. Well, the fact that she showed you only futures that'd leave a bad taste in your mouth is definitely because she has a bone to pick with you."

"Fair, but… Echidna is a really naughty girl, isn't she?"

"Does naughty even cover it…?"

The Witch offered a wry comment in response to Emilia's assessment of Echidna but said no more of the matter.

Also, from Emilia's perspective, the current Witch's explanation was good news.

"Why do you seem so relieved?"

"Eh?"

"I'm asking, how can you act relieved after what you just heard? That's strange, isn't it? I mean, you've been shown nothing but terrible futures, yet, in spite of that…"

"But they're not certain, right?"

Emilia had seen nothing but tragedies. It had been an unrelenting series of lamentations and tears of blood.

It had been enough to make her question whether she was making the right choices.

But—

"The futures I saw were a result of choices I've made. But there are also futures that won't turn out that way. Now that I know that, I'll be okay. I can clench my fists and fight."

" "

"Someone really insisted that I have to do that, you see."

They might have all been painful futures, but even then there was still hope. That was what she had learned.

If Emilia seemed ready to falter, her memories of her parents and her older brother would sustain her. And if she was ever inclined to give up, the feelings scribbled on those walls would ignite a fire in her heart.

"If sad futures await, I'll run around them. If that doesn't work, I'll leap over them with all my might. If people have fallen along the way, I'll pull them up. If I keep doing those things, I'm sure I'll wipe away all those tears from before."

"You say that so full of confidence, so recklessly… You might end up broken in no time flat."

"If it was just me, maybe—but I'm not alone."

Emilia puffed her chest out in response to the Witch's provocation.

Just as in the past and present, Emilia surely wouldn't be alone in the future. And she had a large group of dependable people around her.

That wasn't to say it was good to blindly depend on them.

But if they relied on her, and she on them, they would be together always.

Even as she depended on others, Emilia would develop her own selfreliance.

It was a choice she could never have made before, what with her lacking confidence and fear of the future.

"…You're strong. That part of you isn't like your mother at all."

"—! You know my mother?"

The unexpected connection surprised Emilia, leaving her voice slightly hoarse. Her reaction made the Witch hesitate for a time, after which she let out her breath.

"Yes, I know her well. But I will say nothing of her—I've promised not to."

" "

The depth of emotion and the echo of unhealed wounds infused into the Witch's voice made Emilia's words catch in her throat.

If she was honest, she did want to know about her mother. But…

"Mm, I understand. I won't ask anything, then."

"…You're fine with that?"

"I can tell it isn't that you don't want to tell me. It's that you can't.

Besides…"

For a moment, she paused and closed her eyes and pictured her mother.

"My mother…is Fortuna. The Trials helped me remember her. That's plenty for me."

In her younger days, she was proud of having had two mothers. Even in the present, she might be able to say she had two—no, three fathers. Even so

—

"I remembered Mom, I remembered Dad, and I remembered my big brother and everyone in the forest. That's plenty… This was all because of

Echidna's Trials, so…"

"I see… So even that girl's… Even Echidna's wicked deeds result in something good once in a while…"

As Emilia touched a hand to her chest and reminisced about her family, the Witch's voice seemed to almost crack for a moment. Perhaps Emilia had misheard, but it sounded like a sob.

"…Could it be that you're…crying?"

"…! I'm not…crying! I don't cry. I don't have the right to cry…not anymore."

"No one needs a right to…"

Cry, Emilia was about to say as she turned, wanting to wipe away the Witch's tears.

She no longer felt the grand, overwhelming presence that had dominated her first meeting with the Witch. She wanted to stand with her on equal footing.

But when Emilia tried to turn to face her, the Witch— "—Mnfff!"

As Emilia turned, an arm wrapped around her head, holding her face close against something soft. She immediately realized she had been pulled into a hug.

Her face was pinned against the Witch's chest, completely preventing her from moving.

"I told you…not turning was the right choice. What a badly behaved girl you are."

"…You hate the idea of me seeing you cry that much?"

"I don't want you to see me at all! I can't face anyone with… Ahhh, good grief! If only Echidna had taken care of things properly! And Sekhmet, and

Daphne, and Typhon, and Carmilla, too!"

The Witch's yelling made her ears tremble. It sounded like angry shouting, but it wasn't. Emilia felt undiluted love for each of the unfamiliar names spoken by her.

"Are you…done crying?"

"I'm angry; my tears dried up. But now I just feel indignant. I'm so furious, every hair on my head is shaking."

"That's really scary."

"I'm serious. We're done here."

Her voice was gentle. Emilia could feel no anger from it. But something happened that proved her words were no lie.

As the Witch hugged Emilia against her chest, Emilia realized a change had arisen in the place right behind her—where a tea party should have been set up—as a powerful wind blew through the space.

"That is the way out of Echidna's castle. Turn and walk forward, and you will be able to go back."

" "

"You don't have time to hang around in a place like this, do you? You… you still have things you need to do. Why not try taking the first step?"

She felt the Witch's voice right above her head fade. There was warmth within the arms hugging her and a faintly audible heartbeat coming from the chest her head rested against—which was strange, given that the Witch was dead.

"…Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Eh, ah, I'm sorry. I felt oddly calm just now…"

"That part of you is so…"

"—?"

I made her angry, thought Emilia, but the Witch's words softened. They felt nostalgic for some reason.

Before she could press the point, the Witch declared, "Okay, time to go!" "Wah!"

"Walk straight forward. With this, the Trials have ended… The barrier will open."

Something grasped Emilia's head and turned it right around with such swiftness and precision that she never got a look at the Witch's face— Instead, what she saw before her was a single door.

Standing right there atop the hill between her and the tea-party preparations was a door all by its lonesome.

"If I…leave through there…"

The Trials would end, and the barrier would be lifted. These were the results that Emilia had sought.

Then, whether they liked it or not, a choice would be forced upon the residents of the Sanctuary. She did not know how many of the people gathered in the clearing would leave in the very end. Nor did she know if doing so would bring uncertainty to their lives or if all this was truly in their best interests.

But just as Subaru had told Garfiel, Emilia had something to tell them, too.

Time was ever in motion. And amid that passage of time, everyone needed to come to terms with themselves.

And if no solution presented itself, Emilia wanted to join with them and search for one together.

If pulling people by the hand or pushing them forward was too difficult, she could still walk with them side by side.

—Even though she was unreliable, gutless, and had only barely begun to demonstrate she was suited for the throne.

"It's fine."

" "