Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 

AT THE PLACE OF RETURN 

1 

To Subaru, the cloudy sky above seemed to be an accurate reflection of his mind. 

“This place shall feel emptier without you.” 

As Subaru stood in front of the mansion’s gate, a woman in a dress spoke those lonely-sounding words. 

The woman was distinctive, with long, flowing green hair and amber, almond-shaped eyes. 

Subaru still couldn’t set aside his unease at the delicate way Crusch Karsten faintly lowered her eyes like a stereotypically proper young lady. 

All in spite of knowing full well why this was happening. 

“Crusch, I’m grateful to hear you say that, but…” 

Subaru scratched his head as he averted his gaze, looking straight ahead instead. 

Multiple dragon carriages lined the grounds of the Karsten estate; aboard were the villagers who had evacuated to the royal capital to escape from the cultists under Petelgeuse’s command. The Archbishop of Sloth had since then been defeated, meaning it was safe to return to the mansion and Earlham Village now. For that reason, they were scheduled to traverse the highway back to the village—with Subaru accompanying them back to Roswaal Manor. 

Put bluntly, a mountain of problems lay before them, even setting aside the Witch Cult. Crusch’s sudden change was one of them, but— 

“I hate leaving at a time like this, but nothing’s gonna get solved if I stay here. I don’t want to abuse your hospitality, either.” 

“If it is Master Subaru Natsuki and Lady Emilia, I hardly mind if you stay at my residence as long as you desire… But it seems that is not an option.” 

“I’ll accept your kind words and leave it at that. We both have a lot of issues to face right now, yeah? Especially you, since there’s that greedy merchant’s crew to deal with. If you don’t handle it well, they’ll steal all the credit for the White Whale and Sloth right out from under you.” 

Shaking his head at Crusch’s request, Subaru urged her to be wary of Anastasia’s followers. 

It would be most accurate to call the victory over the White Whale and the Archbishop of Sloth a joint operation by the forces of three royal candidates. However, at the moment, Anastasia was the only one to have emerged as a clear victor. 

The Crusch faction had established supremacy over enemies who had gone undefeated for over four centuries—but the price their leader Crusch had paid was not low. Subaru and the rest of Emilia’s supporters who had led the way to Sloth’s defeat had taken casualties as well. Subaru wouldn’t say that his loss was as critical as what Crusch and her people were enduring, but at the very least, Subaru had suffered a grievous wound that agonized him at that very moment. 

Meanwhile, Anastasia’s faction had both candidate and knight intact even after playing a large role in dispatching both foes, taking minimal damage while reaping great rewards. 

Accordingly, everyone would need to keep an eye on Anastasia’s movements from then on. That was simply one more reason to maintain the secrecy around the alliance between Emilia’s faction and Crusch’s faction. 

“We need to head back and get our ducks in a row before we discuss anything. We gotta have a little talk with Roswaal, Emilia’s sponsor, and I wanna bring the worried villagers back home, too.” 

“It must be a trying time for the families that have been separated. It would be best if you could help them.” 

Crusch showed him a slight, fleeting smile as she turned her gaze toward the villagers aboard the dragon carriages. 

Half of the village had been evacuated to the royal capital; the other half had been evacuated to another safe area by a separate route. Just as Crusch had mentioned, families had been separated in the commotion. Subaru wanted to reunite them as soon as possible. 

“I’ll come back to the capital once we have that settled. I guess this is goodbye for a little while, then.” 

“Yes, I shall be waiting. When that time comes, I will be pleased to finally repay the great favor I owe to you.” 

“Aw, you’re making a big fuss over nothin’. We’re helping each other out, that’s all. Plus, I already have my reward.” 

Subaru put on an awkward smile for Crusch as he pointed to the dragon carriage at the head of the column. This carriage seemed of a higher class than the rest, and a beautiful, jet-black land dragon was hitched to the front. 

The black land dragon was what Subaru had received as his reward for his part in the hunt. 

“You ask for too little. To think you would ask for a single land dragon as a reward for defeating one of the three great demon beasts.” 

“Hey, I owe this dragon my life. I haven’t been with her for long, but I’ve been on the brink between life and death with her more than anyone…and maybe the reason for that is ’cause I’m one hell of a nuisance to Patlash, but…” 

“An unnecessary concern, I believe.” 

As they spoke, Subaru and Crusch watched over the land dragon, Patlash. That was the moment the aged swordsman, Wilhelm, walked over and gently voiced his disagreement. 

Having finished checking on the state of the carriages, the Sword Devil bowed as he joined the conversation. 

“The Diana breed is said to be the most temperamental of all land dragons, and few grow this fond of someone in such a short time. It would seem Sir Subaru and this land dragon are most compatible.” 

“I suppose you’re right about that. When I was picking a mount before the fight with the White Whale, I only picked her on gut instinct, but…” 

The compatibility part was likely a fact. Subaru felt like it was a match made in heaven. He didn’t think he could have made it past both the White Whale and Sloth with any land dragon besides Patlash. Subaru had been saved by that wise dragon so many times he was convinced. 

“In other words, I won’t be satisfied with any land dragon other than you…!” 

When Patlash nestled close, Subaru stroked her neck with renewed gratitude. As he did so, she rubbed the side of her proud face against him, which unfortunately made her hard scales feel like a file sliding against Subaru’s hand. 

“Guaaah! Those scales hurt more than I figured! Now I know what radishes must feel when run against a grater!” 

“Hmm, land dragons find such playing to be quite pleasant. This is simply another way to deepen mutual trust.” 

“Are you serious?! Won’t that make the power in this relationship like when a cat keeps toying with a mouse?!” 

Perhaps, even with the land dragon shaving away his hand, this was mere child’s play to Wilhelm. The Sword Devil’s pleasant composure made Subaru scratch his head with a guilty expression. 

“Well, setting aside the issue of how Patlash and I should get along for now… Wilhelm, it’s sad, but I have to say goodbye to you for a while, too. Take good care of that wound, okay?” 

“Thank you for your concern—judging from how the bleeding has now largely ceased, it would seem that I am farther away now. It is difficult for me to speak about that as a fortunate thing, but…” 

They were discussing Wilhelm’s left shoulder—the spot where his wife, the previous Sword Saint, had wounded him. 

The fact that his old wound had opened up filled the Sword Devil’s eyes with a maelstrom of complex emotions. As to what it meant, there was no way to find out except through questioning the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins who had attacked Crusch. 

The Archbishop of Gluttony—if something other than the White Whale had been responsible for the death of the Sword Devil’s wife, that archbishop was the prime suspect. And considering the doctrine of the Witch Cult, Subaru and his friends were sure to clash with them again someday. The cultists were the true enemy of their alliance. 

They had to defeat the Witch Cult and take back what had been lost: Crusch’s memories, and more— 

“Subawuuu, I’ve secured Rem to the bed. Come see for yourself.” 

His thoughts interrupted by the calling of his name, Subaru turned toward the speaker. It was Crusch’s knight, Ferris, his iconic flaxen-colored kitty ears visible as he leaned out of a dragon carriage. 

Obeying his beckoning hand, Subaru walked over and peered into the interior. Upon examination, he realized that seats had been removed from within the wide carriage and replaced by a simple bed. 

A lone girl slept in it. Seeing her made Subaru’s heart ache. 

Instead of her usual maid attire, the blue-haired girl’s body was wrapped in a thin, water-colored blanket. She had been left unconscious by a slumber from which she would never awaken, her very existence forgotten by the people around her— 

“Rem isn’t going to fall out the back or anything while we’re moving on the road, right?” 

“I’m telling you that I made preventing that a priority already. Believe it or not, Ferri is a genuine healer, so I’m kind to all my patients… Though I’m not sure if calling Rem a patient is…accurate.” 

He gazed at the girl’s face as she seemingly slept in peace, and Ferris’s shoulders sank. 

Though his tone of voice was lighthearted, Ferris’s face bore deep, unconcealable grief and disappointment with himself. Subaru wasn’t the only one who resented being powerless. Here was another who felt great pain at not being able to do anything to help. 

Ferris still regretted his inability to protect his master when it mattered most. 

“You’re really returning to the mansion?” 

“Yeah. It’s not like Rem’s going to be cured by staying in a place like this… Uh, I didn’t mean that to sound rude.” 

“It’s okay, Subawu. I get it. You’re just that terrible of a person, meow.” 

Ferris forced a smile when Subaru tried to explain his poor choice of words. After that, his eyes immediately grew more serious as he thrust a finger at Subaru. 

“More importantly, it’s not just Rem who needs rest. You do, too, Subawu.” 

“I do?” 

“Yes. Did you forget why you came to the royal capital in the first place? This time, all the commotion with Sloth that made you abuse your gate… Does your body feel…sluggish at all?” 

“No, not especially, but…” 

When Ferris posed the question, Subaru stretched his neck and shoulders as he replied that there were no apparent problems. His external wounds had already been treated, meaning his body felt fine. As for Ferris’s concern about his gate… 

“In the first place, I didn’t rely on magic for day-to-day life, so I’m not really gonna miss it.” 

“Something only a non-magic user would say. Speaking for myself, I think using magic is a good thing, including for emergencies… Well, if you’re not concerned about it, that’s fine.” 

Ferris sighed with a look of resignation at Subaru’s indifference and his lack of a sense of danger. 

“But I will say that nothing has changed. You must not abuse your gate by using magic. Mark my words, the poison inside the gate has been cleanly drawn out, but that doesn’t mean it’s healed. Let’s see. You should rest your gate for…two months.” 

“Two months, huh? Pretty low hurdle for a human being who’s lived for seventeen years of his life without any magic.” 

That was when Subaru remembered that technically not even two months had passed since he’d been summoned to this new world. Though he’d personally experienced something like four months’ worth of time, chronologically speaking, it was right around two— 

When he reflected on all that had happened during those months, he wasn’t sure whether two months of rest was a low hurdle or a high one. 

“Well, there’s no way incidents like that will just keep on happeni— Wait, was that an event flag just now?!” 

“Unfortunately, healing the inside of your head is outside of Ferri’s specialization, meow.” 

While Ferris was verbally laying into him, Subaru shuddered. His physical reaction made Subaru realize that they needed to bring the chitchat to an end. He reached out a hand toward Ferris. 

“Meow?” 

“You’ve been a big help. I don’t think I’ve ever addressed that properly. You healed my wounds and my gate, but more than that, I never would’ve made it past the White Whale and Sloth without you… Thanks for Rem, too.” 

“…You probably didn’t mean that in a mean or sarcastic way, but that’s what it sounds like, meow.” 

“The moment I said it, I thought it totally came off that way, too.” 

But he genuinely felt grateful. Certainly, Subaru had his differences with Ferris, and each had posed an existential threat to the other at some points. But when Subaru added it all up, his gratitude to Ferris far outweighed any hard feelings. 

For a while, Ferris remained silent, looking down at the hand Subaru had offered. Then— 

“…Your fingers are thin! Your hand’s super-small! Guess I can’t say, ‘Oh, your fingers are the only manly thing about you!’” 

“Ferri is adorable, so why would you be hung up on something like that?!” 

After a moment’s hesitation, they shared a handshake that left Subaru surprised by the feel of Ferris’s hand while Ferris wore a suspiciously charming smile. It was adorable. When you added in his slender limbs and light skin, Ferris seemed like the ideal beautiful maiden— 

“But, you’re still a guy. Damn it, what the hell…” 

“Hey, it’s Lady Crusch who wanted Ferri to wear this. She said the outfit suits me and makes me shine the brightest… Besides, it reflects my entire body and spirit.” 

“But that’s…” 

Subaru had been about to say, not something this Crusch knows, but he stopped himself midway. 

Ferris knew that without Subaru’s having to say it. It wasn’t something for which mere words sufficed. Subaru flapping his lips and acting as if he understood would only upset Ferris. 

“Regardless of what happens with the royal selection, I will protect Lady Crusch no matter what.” 

“…Huh?” 

The unexpected cold words that rang in Subaru’s ears drove him into silence. 

It was a quiet whisper, echoing emotions that had frozen over. Even though he had been talking with Ferris right up until that very moment, it took a moment for Subaru to fully realize who had spoken those words. 

Ferris’s head was lowered; Subaru couldn’t see his eyes past his hair. But the palm in Subaru’s grasp was very hot. 

“Ferris…?” 

“And thaaat’s why you have to keep your promise, right, Subawu?” 

However, that ominous presence lasted but a single moment. Subaru was still at a loss for words when Ferris’s head seemed to bounce back up, his demeanor the same as usual. His eyes had a mischievous glint to them as he continued. 

“You’d better, or I’ll make you suffer before killing you by making the mana inside your body go craaaazy.” 

“Could you stop saying stuff scary enough to kill people with such a cute voice and that pretty face of yours?!” 

Ferris pulled back his hand, laughed as he disembarked from the dragon carriage, then bowed. Subaru felt weary just watching him, though that brief instant where he’d seen an unknown side of Ferris still weighed heavily in his chest. 

Those intense words had to be how Ferris truly felt, an expression of both his tenacity and his resolve. 

And Subaru was no bystander in the matter—that was what both believed. 

“Ah, Subaru. Is Rem’s bed all ready?” 

It was just after Ferris hopped out of the dragon carriage that Emilia appeared at the front gate. 

When the dragon carriages were ready to depart, Emilia came over. Her silver hair was bundled into a triple braid. 

“Does everything seem fine? Will it hold up until we make it back to the mansion?” 

“No problemo. Patlash and I are pumped up and ready for some stunt driving. I’ll pop a wheelie.” 

“I don’t really understand why, but I have a reeeally bad feeling about this ‘wheel-ee,’ so I forbid it.” 

“Aww, that’s too bad. And I was planning to use some risky driving to set Emilia-tan’s heart aflutter with the suspension bridge effect.” 

Replying with typical jokes like he usually would, Subaru gave the dragon carriage a tap to knock on wood. His reply made Emilia’s violet eyes slightly worried, but she didn’t say anything. 

“Yep. Anyway, though with some lingering regrets, it’s time to get this show on the road, meow?” 

With a clap of his hands, it was Ferris who brought an official end to the awkward pause. When all eyes gathered upon him, attention immediately shifted to Crusch, standing right beside him. 

“Now, Lady Crusch. If you have any final things to say to Lady Emilia…” 

“Yes, I suppose I do.” 

With Ferris ceding the stage to her, Crusch took a step forward. With the men who served her—Ferris and Wilhelm—at her back, she stood at attention as she turned toward Subaru and Emilia. 

“First, though I have said this many times, I am deeply grateful to both of you. I may have lost my memories, but I believe it is thanks to your cooperation that our lives have been connected, intertwined with my desires from before I lost my memories. Thank you very much.” 

“N-not at all… There is nothing you need to thank me for with such words, Lady Crusch. I spent most of the last several days out of the loop rather than doing anything.” 

“It’s a fact that you were out of the loop for the main events. But, relax, ’kay? I got a lot of stuff done right. Any credit I earn belongs to you, Emilia-tan.” 

“All Subawu’s sins belong to Lady Emilia, too, meow.” 

“Don’t pick at my scars!!” 

When Subaru moved to reassure the apologetic Emilia, Ferris swiftly inserted himself into the conversation, poking fun at him for what had transpired at the royal palace. Laughter erupted in front of the gate the instant Subaru raised his voice. 

A few days prior, Subaru wouldn’t have even dreamed of laughing those events off. 

Of course, that didn’t mean he could just forget about how and why he had acquired those scars, but— 

“It’s all right. From here on, I have many things I need to properly talk about with Subaru.” 

“…” 

Emilia, the only one not to laugh, spoke those words with a sincerity in her eyes. 

They seemed to say that whatever the results of Subaru’s actions, she would face them head-on. This was proof she had truly accepted Subaru. In name and fact, Subaru truly stood by her side. 

“Let us be sure to meet again in the near future. Lady Emilia, Master Subaru Natsuki, I believe we shall maintain friendly relations for a long time to come.” 

Crusch smiled pleasantly as she offered those words, turning a gaze toward the pair that left no room for deceit. 

Even after she’d lost her memories, her nobility remained undiminished. Crusch, whose existence radiated honesty, did not deal in lies or conceits. 

Perhaps that had been conveyed painfully clearly. Emilia lowered her eyes, her lips trembling. 

“I…am a candidate in competition with you, Lady Crusch. Even with an alliance, we will someday become enemies again.” 

“Yes. I must strive to do my best so that I do not lose to you, Lady Emilia.” 

“Besides that, I am a half-elf, with silver hair at that… You’re not…afraid of me?” 

“Emilia, that’s…” 

Subaru tried to stop whatever she was trying to say, but when he saw Emilia’s expression, he said no more. 

Emilia had posed that question with a desperate, serious look in her eyes. At that point, no one who understood even a tiny fraction of her feelings could thoughtlessly intervene. 

Besides, Subaru knew Crusch—and knew that even now, her soul remained unclouded. 

“—The worth of the soul is determined by the worth of a person’s actions. Whether for themselves, or for others, we should all live in whatever fashion makes us shine brightest, to live in a way that brings no shame on our souls.” 

“…” 

“Or rather, I apparently used to say that often. Hearing it now…from the perspective of the listener, the words sound rather pretentious, do they not?” 

Unable to help herself, Crusch let a smile slip as she talked about her own past statement. While listening to the words, Emilia had pursed her lips in silence, likely considering them emblematic of a deeper truth. 

“Lady Emilia, do you believe the way you live now is shameful?” 

“…I…do not. I have lived this far believing that whatever others may think of me, at the very least, I must not hate myself.” 

“Then there is nothing for you to fear or regret. Hone yourself, strive harder, and walk straight and true on your own path—you possess a…wonderful soul.” 

Once she had finished speaking, Crusch unflinchingly offered Emilia her hand. 

“I am pleased to have had a chance to come to know you. I feel no fear.” 

“—!” 

As if she felt pain in her chest, Emilia’s cheeks stiffened as she stared down at Crusch’s hand. Crusch quietly awaited Emilia’s response without any attempts to hurry her. 

Finally, Emilia very, very gently touched Crusch’s hand, exchanging a handshake with her. 

“I hope you remain in good health. I look forward to meeting you again soon.” 

“I… No, I do as well. Most likely, I will be able to stand firm before you when that time comes, Lady Crusch. Until then, please be well.” 

The two royal candidates swore to do their best, exchanging promises to meet again. 

As he watched them share those oaths off to the side, Subaru’s chest was filled with a sense of accomplishment. Subaru had suffered, struggled, and endured much agony. This was the moment they had finally gained something tangible for it. 

He hadn’t been able to manage a perfect finish, but— 

“I don’t wanna regret anything I’ve done, or forget what I’ve accomplished and make you feel like it’s somehow your fault.” 

Subaru glanced back at the dragon carriage before he closed his eyes, imagining the sleeping Rem. 

This was a place for celebration. He couldn’t use Rem as an excuse to feel sorry for himself. She wouldn’t want something like that, either—or perhaps he was selfish to think that. 

“Master Subaru Natsuki, I hope you remain in good health as well. I pray from the bottom of my heart that…your future exploits help this girl recover as soon as possible.” 

“It’s not really a good thing if it requires my exploits in the first place… I’m a useless man except for extreme situations, when I’ll borrow anyone’s help to get things done… What happened to Rem, and what happened to you, Crusch, aren’t someone else’s problem. I’ll make sure to find a way.” 

Crusch smiled pleasantly, seeking a handshake from Subaru as well. Too embarrassed to place his hand over the one she offered, Subaru did not shake her hand; instead, he briefly met her palm with his. 

A small, dry sound rang out, and with that, the touch between Subaru and Crusch was over. 

“Let us certainly meet again.” 

These words spoken, Lady Crusch and retainers bowed, seeing Subaru & Co. off on their way. 

2 

A delicate, stifling atmosphere filled the dragon carriage on its way back to the mansion. 

“…” 

Crusch had added the large dragon carriage to Patlash as part of his reward from her. Wide enough to seat ten passengers, it was total overkill, with plenty of room to spare. 

At present, the only occupants were Subaru, Emilia, and Rem, who slept on the simple bed. With Subaru sitting beside the Sleeping Princess, and Emilia sitting a short distance removed in silent consideration for the unconscious Rem, a rather awkward air had spread throughout the carriage. 

“…Feels like it was a mistake to put the brats on a different carriage, huh?” 

The village children who had ridden in the dragon carriage with them on their way to the capital were in a different one for the return trip. He’d arranged it out of consideration for the villagers, thinking they wouldn’t want to hear talk related to the royal selection, but this had backfired on him. 

There certainly was a lot they needed to talk about. But a trigger was nary to be— 

“—Um, by any chance, is the absence of a topic putting you in a bind? This oppressive silence, this heavy atmosphere, I simply cannot bear it.” 

“Why are you butting in all of a sudden? Wait, you were here?” 

“I was indeed! Of course, I have been here the whole while! In the first place, how do you think I ended up cooperating with you and getting abused by the Witch Cult, Mr. Natsuki?!” 

“Personal hobby of yours?” 

“Not even a cat has enough lives for that kind of hobby!!” 

Peering in through the intervening window from the driver’s seat and letting a grandiose amount of spittle fly was a young man—the merchant Otto Suwen, who had cooperated in the final battle against the Witch Cult. 

Subaru smiled mischievously at Otto, who’d volunteered to accompany them as their coachman for the return trip. 

“I’m kidding. Your objective is to talk with Roswaal and have him buy up all your cargo. I didn’t forget.” 

“I am truly counting on you. Truly, my very life depends on it!” 

Otto was all worked up for a big showdown, but Subaru could see no future for him save Roswaal leading him around by the nose. Having been aided by him, Subaru wanted to lend a hand, but… 

“I can’t speak for the man himself, but your odds are pretty slim…” 

“I can hear you, you know?! You meant to hide it, didn’t you?!” 

When Otto, eyes bulging, overheard Subaru speaking to himself, Subaru’s shoulders sank. When she witnessed this exchange between the pair, Emilia’s big eyes went wide as she spoke. 

“I’m so surprised. Somehow, you two reeeally get along with each other.” 

“I don’t get along with him at all. He’s just someone who saved my life, that’s all.” 

“You can’t deny it, so don’t explain it away!!” 

When Otto had been captured by the Witch Cult and was on the verge of becoming a human sacrifice, Subaru was the main person behind his rescue. Strictly speaking, it was the Iron Fangs who had saved Otto’s life, but that was something of a tangent. 

Either way, thanks to Otto, the awkward atmosphere inside the carriage had greatly abated. 

“And while I thank you for the current mood, it is time to bid you farewell for a while.” 

“Hey, wait a—! You keep treating me like a pest at the drop of a h—” 

Subaru closed the shutter, cutting off Otto midshout. With Well, that job’s done on his face, Subaru looked back. Emilia wore a surprised look as their eyes met. And then— 

“Pfft.” “Ha-ha-ha.” 

Unable to take any more, the two abruptly broke up in laughter. For a while thereafter, the pair’s laughing voices echoed inside the dragon carriage. When their laughter finally died down, Subaru said, “Reading the awkward atmosphere and keeping quiet, that’s really not like me, huh?” 

“No, it really isn’t like you, Subaru. The Subaru I know is more…a boy always full of energy and doing reckless things, stirring up trouble with almost no regard for my feelings at all.” 

“I feel like that translates to a braggart who can’t read the mood to save his life!” 

In point of fact, this was without doubt an assessment he could not refute. Laughing awkwardly as he scratched his face, Subaru slowly sat down beside Emilia. She narrowed her eyes toward him. 

“…Subaru, you sit next to me like it’s a natural thing.” 

“—? Huh? Something strange about that?” 

“No… At first, it made me nervous, but for some reason, it doesn’t now, so it’s all right.” 

Emilia shook her head as her thoughts on Subaru’s sitting beside her trickled out. 

For meals at the mansion and the conversations with minor spirits that were a daily ritual for Emilia, and in many other everyday settings, Subaru had stood and sat by Emilia’s side as was his wont, but… 

“All that hard, painstaking work finally paid off. I’m so moved…!” 

“There you go making light of things again… Even though I don’t want you to do that weird bluffing.” 

When Subaru clenched a fist and murmured, Emilia’s cheeks puffed up in dissatisfaction. Then, after ever so slightly moving her hips away, she turned her eyes to the simple bed at the back. 

“You’ve been thinking about Rem the whole time. You don’t need to hide it.” 

“Ta-ha-ha…” 

With Emilia’s sullen gaze sealing all avenues of retreat, Subaru conceded with a listless laugh. 

“Yeah, I have been. I’ve been thinking about her a huge ton. I think she’s been on my mind this whole time because I felt I’ve gotta do something. I want to think of Emilia-tan first and foremost, but…this time I just couldn’t keep things in the right order. Sorry.” 

“I’m not upset about that at all. I said it back at Lady Crusch’s mansion, too, didn’t I?” 

She’d said she wanted to understand all the concerns and worries Subaru harbored. 

Yes, he remembered Emilia had spoken those words to him. He had been so happy, he’d cried. 

Even so— 

“She’s very precious to you, isn’t she?” 

“Precious, super-precious. As precious as you are to me, Emilia-tan.” 

“…Do you realize that’s a reeeally selfish thing to say?” 

“I do. To be honest, I feel so bad about it I wanna roll over and die. But I’m super-serious, so…” 

He conveyed his honest, undisguised feelings to Emilia loud and clear. 

Scoundrel though it made Subaru, Rem’s presence inside him was simply that large. Without exaggeration, it was every bit as large as his feelings toward Emilia. 

Hence, he continued praying for Rem’s recovery, glad that he had not upset Emilia in the process. 

To find a way to make that recovery happen, Subaru Natsuki would take on any trial. 

“—I’m sure you’ll find it. A way to bring her back.” 

“Emilia-tan?” 

With Subaru engaging in that extremely selfish reasoning, Emilia gave a thin, charming smile and nodded. She ran a finger through her silver hair as she stared straight at Subaru’s raised face. 

“I think, in the sense of being motivated by selfish reasons, you and I are probably very alike, Subaru… I’m well aware I joined the royal selection for a selfish reason of my own.” 

“A selfish reason… You mean, a world of equality without any discrimination—that reason?” 

Subaru reminisced about the desire Emilia had spoken of when she declared her beliefs at the royal selection conference. 

As a half-elf, Emilia had been exposed to discrimination like few others. Was it not natural for her to want an egalitarian world? 

However, Emilia sadly shook her head in the face of Subaru’s understanding of the matter. 

“Not that. I started this with something that was reeeally personal…” 

“…” 

“…I’m sorry. I can’t really explain it with words. I don’t want to hide it from you, Subaru. But I’m not sure what I should say.” 

Emilia was at a loss for words, vexed that she could not speak well about what was in her head. If there was no tangible answer to be had, Subaru didn’t want to try to force her to give him one. 

If the details about the emotions welling in her breast were secretly related to why she had entered the royal selection to begin with— 

“—We’ll talk about everything after we catch up with Roswaal.” 

“You’ll forgive me, then?” 

“You haven’t done anything wrong, so I don’t need to forgive you. If anything, the stuff I talked about is more of a problem… Besides, Roswaal might know something about the Rem issue, too.” 

So far as Subaru knew, there was no one in that world better connected to both the top and the underside worlds than Roswaal L. Mathers himself. Considering the detail that the clown-looking eccentric had nominated Emilia for the royal selection, it was about time they got him to spill his guts. 

There was also the matter of what the hell he had been thinking, not even lifting a single finger during the Witch Cult attack. 

“But if we’re putting that off until after we get back to the mansion…” 

“Yeah?” 

“If you don’t mind, Subaru…I’d like you to tell me about Rem.” 

—For one moment, the suggestion sent pain running through Subaru’s chest. 

But this was not because he rejected Emilia’s suggestion. It was from pure worry and hesitation. 

Could Subaru speak words that could truly suffice about Rem, the girl who had saved him? 

“Ahh, yeah, that’s gonna get a bit long, but I’ll tell you all about it. To me, memories of Rem are as precious as my memories of you since meeting you two months ago, Emilia-tan.” 

Hiding his sentiments behind his words, Subaru began to speak of day-to-day life during those two months. 

When, after meeting Emilia in the royal capital, he’d awoken in the mansion, greeted by Rem and Ram— 

“?” 

Once he started telling the tale, he couldn’t stop. Emilia continued quietly listening to Subaru’s story. 

And in the end, he continued without pause until they arrived back in the Mathers domain. 

3 

“Hey, you two, we’ve finally arrived at our destination.” 

When Otto shared that news from the driver’s seat, it was evening, half a day since they’d departed from the royal capital. 

The report through the shutter made Subaru break off his story and turn his eyes to look through the side window. 

“Oh, really? Faster than I thought.” 

“It seems you were caught up in your story. We made excellent time down the highway as well. Perhaps, thanks to departing in the early morning and arriving before nightfall, everyone from the village will be that much more relieved.” 

“I’m so glad. Otto, thank you very much. It’s a relief we made it to the village safe and sound.” 

As Subaru leaned forward, Emilia was right beside him, gazing through the same window as she thanked Otto. 

“I am honored that you would say so, Lady Emilia… I wish Mr. Natsuki would praise my endeavors in a more straightforward manner.” 

“Hey, don’t be that way. My personality means I say a lot of things that don’t match what I’m actually thinking. Catch on already.” 

“How can those words come from your mouth after all the things you’ve said to date?!” 

Otto’s voice rose at Subaru’s poor treatment. “Now, now,” said Emilia, scolding Subaru for his attitude toward Otto. “I’m sorry, Otto. It’s Subaru’s bad habit to tease the people he is fond of…” 

“Wait, wait, you’ve got it all wrong! I don’t do that to you, Emilia-tan!” 

“But you do it to Beatrice, don’t you?” 

“Considering how much of a loli that girl is, that statement’s all kinds of wrong!” 

In terms of experiencing Subaru’s teasing, Beatrice and Otto certainly had something in common. But how he felt about either of them wasn’t related in any way to his being nice. It was simply an issue of the company he kept. 

“Mr. Natsuki, Lady Emilia.” 

“What? Right now, I’m busy clearing up Emilia-tan’s grievous misunderstanding…” 

“We’ve arrived at the village… But there seems to be something amiss.” 

“?” 

The abrupt call in a low voice made Subaru and Emilia make eye contact. When they hurried to follow Otto’s gaze, they were drawing near Earlham Village, their destination right down the road. 

The village was a familiar sight. The lack of human presence made this eerily similar to the last time Subaru had seen it: an uninhabited village, right after the villagers had been evacuated to flee from the Witch Cult. In other words— 

“—Ram and the villagers in the Sanctuary haven’t come back?” 

That was the conclusion they reached after Subaru and the others split up to check out Earlham Village. Concern stood out clearly on the faces of the returning villagers after they failed to find any sign of the others—the ones who had split off and fled to the Sanctuary midevacuation, and who should have long returned by now. 

“According to Ram, the Sanctuary is a seven-to-eight-hour trip from here. To not have returned ahead of us after we spent three days in the capital…” 

“We mustn’t be hasty. It might be simple prudence until they’re certain the village is safe.” 

“Would Roswaal act that passive once he heard the circumstances? During the demon beast incident a while back, he immediately ended it with brute force. It’s just weird that he hasn’t done anything this time.” 

Roswaal possessed magic that gave him the ability to fly through the sky. That was a simple and effective way to reconnoiter his own territory, even if he was being cautious. Even discounting that, Ram, with her Clairvoyance, would be right by his side. 

It was obvious he had already learned about their victory over the Witch Cult. The fact that he had not returned to the mansion despite that meant— 

“There’s a reason he didn’t come back… Did something happen in the Sanctuary?” 

Subaru and Emilia turned their faces toward each other, both having arrived at the same point of view. 

The pair’s concerns were shared by the remaining people of Earlham Village. They had hoped to be reunited with the family members who had returned to the village ahead of them. Considering the villagers’ mental state, they all had to find out what had happened as quickly as possible. They had to, but— 

“So, Emilia-tan…do you know where the Sanctuary is?” 

“Eh?! S-Subaru, don’t you know where it is?” 

Emilia’s surprise at Subaru’s question raised a fundamental issue. It was simple, and large: they didn’t actually know where this Sanctuary was actually located. 

“It’s kind of late to be asking this, but this Sanctuary, what sort of place is it?” 

“I don’t know… Roswaal said it was kind of like a secret hideout. Besides…” 

“Besides?” 

“…No, it’s nothing. Sorry, I wish I’d asked him more properly at the time.” 

When Emilia made that rather awkward-sounding apology, Subaru shook his head and reflected on his own sins. However much in a hurry they’d been to evacuate the villagers, it was Subaru’s fault a thousand times over for being careless. Worst case, they’d probably find some sort of clue about the location of the Sanctuary inside the mansion, but… 

“For that, too, we’d better go to the mansion for now. I want to put Rem where she can have proper rest… Otto, you don’t have a place to stay, do you? Come with us.” 

“Ueeeh?! T-to the marquis’s mansion?! I-I would be more at ease sleeping in the dragon carriage!” 

“Oh, shut up and play along. —Sorry, everyone! Just wait a little longer!” 

Squishing Otto’s tearful words flat, Subaru called out to the people of the village. His appeal to them could not wipe away all their anxiety, but they sent spirited voices back Subaru’s way nonetheless. 

With the villagers watching them go, they had the dragon carriage gallop once more—and ten minutes later, they saw Roswaal Manor in all its familiar splendor. 

“It is even larger than it appears to be when seen from afar… I feel even more out of place…” 

“Don’t chicken out after coming this far. Even if you do, you’ll never make it all the way back home.” 

With Otto struck by the majesty of the mansion, Subaru offered those words of persuasion as they headed through the front gate onto the manor grounds. They proceeded to stop the dragon carriage outside the front door, inside which, in a sense, the mansion of old times awaited. 

“It’s supposed to be three days for me, same as Emilia-tan, but…” 

When Subaru looked up at the mansion, deeply moved, he murmured as he felt complex emotions in his chest. 

As a matter of fact, Subaru had returned last to the mansion four days prior, engaging in an elaborate act to get Emilia to flee. However, emotionally speaking, he didn’t want to think of that as coming home. 

It was at this very instant that he felt he had finally returned. 

“Well, that’s what I think from the bottom of my heart…” 

“Mr. Natsuki, setting aside whatever you may have thought, shall I put the dragon carriage in the stables? As for Miss Rem sleeping in the bed in back… 

“—I’ll carry Rem. You don’t need to do anything.” 

Subaru closed his mouth, realizing he’d unconsciously let out a hard, barbed voice. Otto, who had no doubt his own suggestion had been a good one, appeared stern at the sharpness of Subaru’s reply. 

Subaru couldn’t help having an exaggerated reaction where Rem was concerned, even though he knew that Otto and Emilia had shown plenty of consideration for her to that point on their journey. 

“…Sorry. Please put Patlash and the dragon carriage in back of the mansion. I’ll get things ready on the inside.” 

“Understood. Think nothing of it, Mr. Natsuki.” 

Otto accepted the apology, heading for the stable without any sign of offense. Subaru disembarked from the carriage with Rem on his back, headed toward the mansion’s front doorway along with Emilia. 

“Come to think of it, I don’t remember locking the door when we left. Could burglars get in?” 

“Not that…it’s her job, but I don’t think we need to worry with Beatrice here. I wonder if she’d…come greet us at the door if we knocked?” 

Without touching on the exchange with Otto, Emilia voiced a very un-Emilia-like joke. 

It was rather difficult to picture that Beatrice greeting Subaru and Emilia at the door with a face full of joy, particularly considering the way she and Subaru had last parted. 

Even so, there was no harm in trying. 

“Maybe she’ll rush out to set eyes on Puck…” 

“It really would be odd of her, though.” 

Half-jokingly, Emilia smiled as she made the door knocker resound. The sharp, hard sound reverberated inside the mansion. Naturally, there was neither master nor servant in the mansion to repl— 

“—Yes, please wait a moment.” 

“Eh?” 

Subaru and Emilia were both dumbstruck by the reply that ought not to have existed. Then, before the pair could recover from being frozen stiff, the entry doors to the mansion slowly opened. 

“Welcome back, Lady Emilia. I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival.” 

Standing on the other side of the open double doors was a woman greeting the pair with perfect courtesy. 

She had long, gleaming blonde hair, and emerald eyes that seemed as transparent as gemstones. 

Her tall figure was clad in a classical maid outfit; she carried herself in a splendidly tidy, feminine manner. 

Her age was twenty years, more or less, and any way he looked at her, she was a maid through and through—the problem being, she was not either of the two maids who had been assigned to Roswaal Manor. 

Subaru was frozen solid at the sight of the unfamiliar maid. But his tension soon eased. 

Emilia, standing stiff at Subaru’s side, furled her refined eyebrows and said, “…Frederica?” 

She knew the other party’s name. When addressed, the woman replied once more. 

“Yes,” she said, and the woman—Frederica—released her hands from the hem of the skirt they had held as she said, “I am Frederica Baumann, returning to duty from leave granted by the master.” 

Slowly lifting her face, Frederica sent a warm, amiable smile the pair’s way. 

When that smile struck Subaru’s eyes, he opened his mouth wide. 

“You must be tired from your long journey. First, allow me to show you inside the mans—” 

“Scary face—!!” 

Subaru’s very, very loud shout echoed across the sky of Roswaal Manor. 

Frederica’s smile was completely ruined by the bizarre fangs filling her mouth. 

4 

When looking at her as a maid, Subaru found the woman named Frederica to be perfect. 

She dressed in a maid uniform that was not gaudy in any way, her words and gestures were exceedingly refined, and her behavior bore not a single trace of waste. Seeing her standing straight like it was natural made one’s own body straighten up. 

In all functional matters, she scored a perfect 100 as a maid—appearance-wise, too, that mouth excepted. 

“Subaru, you idiot! You can’t go saying that to a girl! Apologize properly!” 

“P-please cease, Lady Emilia. It is fine. I am accustomed to people being surprised the first time they meet me. I do not mind it whatsoever.” 

“No, I will not! When you do something bad you need to apologize, especially when you’ve hurt someone. Isn’t that right?” 

Frederica, the aggrieved party, had a conflicted look on her face at Emilia’s red, anger-filled expression. Emilia’s point of view was good and proper, something Subaru deeply acknowledged when he went down on his knees on the entryway’s floor. 

Subaru proceeded to bow his head deeply toward Frederica to show he had reflected on the error of his ways. 

“No, what Emilia-tan’s saying is right. I was completely in the wrong just now.” 

“Err…” 

“I’m sorry I said something terrible all of a sudden when meeting you for the first time. Boil me, fry me, do whatever you like…though I’d prefer it be as painless as possible.” 

Subaru apologized in a manner that was more effeminate than manly. After he’d said such rude words to a woman he’d just met, he couldn’t blame Frederica for any reply she might wish to make. 

“Um, Frederica, listen, Subaru’s not a bad child. It’s just, he has a bad habit of saying things without thinking from time to time…” 

Emilia added her own words to bolster Subaru’s apology. The oddly maternal words weighed on his mind, but Subaru was happy she’d spoken up nonetheless. 

Frederica fell into silence at the look of the pair for a time, but— 

“—Tee-hee. Lady Emilia, Master Subaru, you are both quite amusing…” 

“Frederica?” 

“I said I am not upset in the slightest, yet you did this anyway. And Lady Emilia, acting so maternal in making Master Subaru apologize like this… Oh, this has become so amusing.” 

Frederica forgave Subaru while hiding her mouth behind her sleeve as she smiled. Even with Subaru kneeling in proper Japanese fashion, she cut his feet right out from under him. “Besides,” she continued, “I cannot put off asking about the circumstances forever. There is the reason I have been recalled, the absence of the master…and that girl, the spitting image of Ram.” 

“?” 

Frederica’s gaze shifted toward a sofa—the sofa upon which Rem had been laid down to rest. The words she used—“Ram’s spitting image”—proved that she had a prior association with both sisters, Ram and Rem. 

“Oh, now I remember. There was a maid who quit a little before I came to the mansion.” 

“Quit is not quite accurate. I was given leave so as to attend to personal matters… It is just that I have ended up returning sooner than I expected.” 

“If it’s before Subaru came to the mansion… Three months ago, then? I’m happy to see you again, though.” 

Emilia and Frederica smiled at one another, pleased to be reunited. Even then, Frederica hid her mouth behind her sleeve; maybe Subaru’s rude words had given her something of a complex about it. 

Subaru was even more ashamed of his slip of the tongue, but Frederica spoke nothing of it as she motioned to the mansion with a hand. 

“After being called back, I found the mansion an empty shell… I was completely at a loss. Fortunately, I was able to grasp the situation from a letter in the master’s office.” 

“Letter?” 

“Yes, a letter penned by Ram. Even though she had called me back, this was the only word she left… Perhaps I am being too soft on her in saying it is just like her?” 

Frederica gave a strained smile. From that smile, Subaru felt the weight of years of familiarity and trust between her and Ram. Likely, she’d had a similar relationship with Rem. 

“And the reason Ram called you back, Frederica?” 

Subaru brushed aside the budding sentiment in his chest as he prodded Frederica onward. That said, the question had an obvious answer. The mansion had been on high alert with the Witch Cult aimed straight at it only a few days ago. 

In other words, Ram had called Frederica back as emergency reinforcements for battle. 

“By the time I returned, the mansion’s kitchen and garden were in a rather terrible state.” 

“There was a compelling reason for that! Right, Emilia-tan?!” 

“Wait, Subaru. It’s not like this is Ram’s fault. It’s just, an odd breeze seemed to blow through the mansion for some reason, more as time went on… I wanted to help, too, but…” 

“A-ahh, that’s okay, it wasn’t anything you could have coped with, Emilia-tan…” 

“Yeah… And Ram said, ‘This is nothing. Leave it to me. I shall manage somehow.’” 

“Man, she really isn’t all she makes herself out to be! …No, when she said she’d manage somehow, she meant to throw it all onto Frederica’s shoulders from the start, didn’t she?! Ram, not that your self-assessment is wrong, but geez, try, damn it!” 

It was a decision so like her, Subaru could practically see her snorting “Ha!” in the back of his mind. Emilia gave a pained smile at Subaru’s reaction and said, “But it’s so strange. Ram should have been working hard all the time you were gone, Frederica. I wonder why she was all a mess for only those d— Ah…” 

After speaking about it that far, Emilia found her own answer. She’d surmised what had been happening at the mansion during Frederica’s absence. 

That there was “someone” working with Ram to maintain the mansion. 

“And without that, Ram couldn’t keep the mansion going by herself, so she…asked Frederica for help?” 

Subaru sadly accepted the natural conclusion. The very fact that Ram had gotten into contact with Frederica was proof she didn’t remember Rem. 

—No, he had more than enough reason to deduce as much. He didn’t need direct confirmation. 

“I’ll take Rem to her room and explain to Frederica along the way. Emilia-tan, Otto’s waiting outside… Can I get you to go invite him in?” 

“Mm, understood… You’ll be all right?” 

“If Emilia-tan shows me a smiling face, I’ll give even a Archbishop of the Seven Deadly Sins a butt kicking.” 

Emilia had a downtrodden expression on her, but Subaru spoke flippantly with a little smile. She proceeded to do as asked, heading out of the room to invite Otto, most likely waiting at the mansion’s entrance, inside. 

Watching her back as she left, Subaru said, “Now, then…” and turned back toward the sofa as he said, “This is Rem, Ram’s little sister… You probably don’t remember her, right?” 

“Unfortunately, I do not. However, there really is no room for any doubt.” 

When Subaru, adjusting the sleeping Rem’s position on his back, posed that question, Frederica drew in her chin. Subaru sighed at her reply, indicating the corridor with a motion of his chin. 

“We’ll talk on the way. I want to let Rem…sleep in her own room.” 

“I understand. This way, please.” 

Keeping her words to a minimum, Frederica opened the door as if to lead Subaru out. Together with her, Subaru headed to the mansion’s east wing—toward Rem’s bedroom. 

“As far as I could tell, Rem and Ram are sisters that really get along…” 

On the way to that room, Subaru told Frederica about facts lost to her: what kind of girl Rem was, what she’d been doing to that point in her life, just how lovely she was. 

He spoke much like he had to Emilia on the road back to the mansion— 

“?” 

As Subaru spoke to Frederica, he stated, and replied to, a number of thoughts inside his own head. 

There had to have been a better way. 

During the battle, he’d thought I’ve done the best I can. Somewhere, though, there had likely been a better, a more perfect outcome, one with the greatest possible results. And yet, Subaru had let it slip through his fingers. 

If only he was smarter, surely Subaru would have noticed it. 

As one example, the letter of goodwill that Crusch’s envoy had brought to Emilia. Subaru had concluded that this letter, the root of much misunderstanding because it was blank, was a plot by the Witch Cult, but in that, he had been mistaken. 

At that point the Witch Cult surely hadn’t caught on to Subaru’s actions, and no opportunity had presented itself to swap one letter of goodwill for another. In the first place, sleight of hand such as swapping missives wasn’t the Witch Cult’s style; it favored more direct acts of violence, something Subaru knew better than anyone. 

In that case, there could only be a single truth behind the blank missive. 

“The contents of the letter of goodwill were written by Rem. I’m the one who asked it to be sent, so if Crusch handed it to the messenger…only the fact that it was handed over stayed the same, and only the contents were erased.” 

That was the sloppy adjustment to the erasure of the memory of Rem from the world. 

If only he’d noticed, if only he’d stopped to think more seriously about why the letter of goodwill was blank, if only he’d seen the truth behind it, he would have realized the tragedy that had befallen Rem. 

Even if it was a tragedy occurring at a time when there was no turning back. 

“That is a rather difficult story to believe.” 

He arrived at the usual answer to his own question at the same time that Frederica, having finished listening to his story, quietly spoke those words to him. The words held no ring of denial behind them. She looked around the area. 

“So this is her…Rem’s room. It is completely tidied up, but…” 

When the two entered the room—Rem’s bedroom—it looked like a guest room, with all personal possessions removed. It was the same sight Subaru had seen previously, on the go-around when he had returned powerless after the White Whale had stolen Rem from him. 

That time, too, Rem’s existence had been forgotten. Her bedroom had been just as clean and empty then as it had now become. 

“Ram was probably dealing in her own way with the unnatural gap left by Rem being erased.” 

The faint hint of her breath and the warmth of her body were the only proof that she was alive. The symptoms of a Sleeping Princess were to require no food or water—simply to breathe and to sleep. 

“Master Subaru, if she must be cared for in any way, I shall…” 

“I want to do it. Let me do it. It’s Rem’s first return to the mansion like this, so I have to…no, I want to do it. Sorry to be so selfish.” 

Subaru put on a brave face and tucked Rem in bed, determined to do whatever he could for her. Subaru’s words made Frederica pull back the outstretched hand she had offered him, narrowing her eyes. 

“No, it is not selfish in the least. If anything, it makes my chest get a little tighter. For someone with eyes like a murderer, you are very kind, aren’t you?” 

“Hey, don’t casually dis me like that, it really wounds my heart!” 

When Frederica pointed out the look of Subaru’s eyes, his voice went shrill as she smiled mischievously. He immediately realized that she was paying him back for the rude words he’d spoken to her earlier. In a true sense, the exchange just then had fulfilled the conditions for reconciliation between them. 

“To begin with, you won’t need to care for Rem. She doesn’t need food or even baths… But please, pay her as much mind as you can. That’s the only thing I ask.” 

“I shall take that to heart. If she is Ram’s little sister, she might as well be my own. I wonder what kind of reaction the master and Ram shall have when they return?” 

“I can’t read Roswaal’s… I don’t really want to think about how Ram will react.” 

The sisters truly got along well. The older sister doted on the younger; the younger revered the older. It was a relationship filled with love. 

He didn’t want to see that scene fracture before his eyes, even if its fracturing was a fact from which there was ultimately no escape. 

“I understand about the master and Ram. As for the reason for their absence from the mansion, if it was the Witch Cult going on the move due to Lady Emilia’s entry into the royal selection…it is the natural decision to make.” 

“Did you hear about the royal selection stuff before you stopped working?” 

“Lady Emilia came to the mansion about half a year ago. I was still here at the mansion at the time. My being given leave was related to it as well.” 

While Subaru put things in order at Rem’s bedside, Frederica continued preparing everything besides the bed. Subaru knit his brows, sensing that something was off about the conversation he was having with her. 

“What do you mean by, your stopping working and taking a leave of absence was related to the royal selection…?” 

“My duty was essentially to tidy up the master’s personal affairs for the royal selection.” 

“Personal affairs?” 

“It was clear that nominating Lady Emilia, a half-elf, as a candidate would invite troubles. Before that, the master sent those around him away. Even here at the mansion, he left only Ram, capable of defending herself… Ram and most likely Rem, making two.” 

That answer accounted for the weird feeling Subaru had experienced upon first arriving at the mansion. 

Considering the sheer size of Roswaal Manor, it would be nigh impossible to keep only the sisters Ram and Rem as servants. In actuality, Rem’s skill kept the mansion afloat, but still. 

“Upon the master’s instructions, many servants were sent off to perform duties elsewhere. As a senior staff member, I assisted in this. In the end, I, too, left the mansion…though I ended up returning, as you can see.” 

“…” 

Frederica’s return to the mansion had been an effect of losing Rem. Subaru had already arrived at the answer to that question, but at the same time, hearing her words then and there made doubts sprout inside his chest. 

Namely, Roswaal’s steps to prepare for the royal selection had been a far cry from his actions ever since. 

“Hey, Frederica. How much has he actually told you?” 

“Master Subaru?” 

“From what you’re telling me, Roswaal made all kinds of preparations for the royal selection. It’s common sense that half-elves and the Witch Cult are connected, so he had to know it’d be dangerous. In spite of that…” 

There, Subaru’s words trailed off as he continued to stare at Frederica. 

“Where are his countermeasures against the Witch Cult, then? Rem and Crusch both said he had to have ’em. But I don’t think he was relying on me. And if not, why’d it come to…” 

The sights of the people of Earlham Village, slaughtered and tormented by the Witch Cult, and Rem and Ram, casualties in the battle against the cult, came rushing to the forefront of his mind—such was the tragedy that had befallen the Mathers domain. 

Where were the countermeasures in those scenes? Roswaal wasn’t anywhere to be found. 

“If you know there was something, then…!” 

“Unfortunately, I have no way to know the master’s thinking in its entirety. There are most likely only two people in this world that he deems worthy of trust.” 

“Two people…? Who? Who are these two people Roswaal trusts?” 

“—Ram, and the Great Spirit in the archive of forbidden books.” 

According to Frederica, as far as she knew, there were two people who might know Roswaal’s intentions. He had no room to doubt the first. Ram, offering Roswaal her undivided fealty, was surely worthy of that trust. 

However, the second possibility was a bolt out of the blue. 

“The Great Spirit, in the archive of forbidden books…” 

“A room inside this mansion separated from the rest via magic. Exactly how the Great Spirit separates the archive of forbidden books from the outside world via her own magic is…especially secret.” 

Frederica’s respectful explanation left Subaru wide-eyed and at a loss for words. It was too far removed from his own recollections. But, unable to form any other reply— 

“Her name is?” 

With decisive certainty, Subaru posed that question to Frederica. Perhaps the reaction was not what she had expected, for Frederica seemed taken back for a moment. Finally, she replied: 

“Lady Beatrice. That is the Great Spirit serving as the librarian of this mansion’s archive of forbidden books.” 

5 

The instant he turned the doorknob, somehow, he was sure. 

As he walked around the mansion, his attention was abruptly drawn to the presence of the door. When he walked over and touched the doorknob, the suspicion that something was off about it instantly changed to certainty. 

When he reacted to the open door that was simply “there,” peering inside it— 

“Heya. Been a while.” 

As Subaru lightly waved a hand, the archive of forbidden books spread before him, not changed whatsoever from before. 

The large room packed with bookshelves was filled with the aroma particular to old books. Neither the thin gloom of the windowless room nor the serenity of the air had changed one iota. That applied not only to the room itself, but to the girl who guarded the archive as well. 

The girl—Beatrice—sat on a stool instead of a chair, eyes lowered to the book resting on her lap. 

“—Considering the ruckus in the mansion, is it from your return, I wonder?” 

Beatrice glanced upward, beholding Subaru in her blue eyes as she murmured in apparent boredom. Then the girl seemed to lose interest, her eyes returning to the book once more. 

“If you have returned, I should presume that the uproar of late has finally abated.” 

“Yeah, thanks to y— Or rather, you sure gave me a hard time. Do you have any idea how scared I was to have you not listen to me and run during the operation?!” 

“Do I know or care, I wonder? I never asked you to worry about me in the first place.” 

“I’m pretty sure I said I have a reason to worry about you. I don’t think I’m wrong, then or now.” 

Beatrice’s words were unapologetic. Nor did Subaru retreat a single step with his reply. 

When, on the eve of the Witch Cult’s onslaught, Subaru’s words urged Beatrice to evacuate, she had rejected them. As things turned out, the mansion had not incurred any damage, but going by that would be nothing more than argument by hindsight. 

“A lot of people worried about you, Emilia and Ram in particular. You can do it later, but you should give them a proper apology.” 

“Apologize? Betty should apologize? Am I at pains to understand why it is necessary to do such a thing, and to whom?” 

“Don’t get all stubborn for nothing… If you’re gonna be that stuck up about it, I’ll go apologize to everyone in your place. I’ll tell them you were bawling your eyes out with tears of gratitude when you told me to thank them.” 

“Do not speak such falsehoods! Do my tears truly flow for that long, I wonder?!” 

His provocations with a flippant tongue raised the volume of Beatrice’s voice, just like usual. Oddly, this filled his own chest with deep emotion, which made Subaru narrow his eyes. 

There he was, exchanging words with Beatrice like that once more. Even after they’d parted ways in such a deeply meaningful manner, even though he still had a mountain of things he desired to ask her, things were as boisterous as before. 

Exceedingly relieved by that fact, Subaru let out a listless sigh. 

“You can dial back the drama a notch. It’s not a bad thing to bawl your eyes out once in a while, you know?” 

“Coming from a man who cried like a little baby on the lap of the woman he likes, those words do bear a certain weight.” 

“Can’t you just forget about that already?!” 

Once that had happened, when impassable hurdles piled higher and higher, sending his emotions crashing against a dam until they smashed apart. When he thought back to that time, his face burned so much he felt like it might catch on fire. All the same, though, the glow of the precious memory burned in his chest just as much. 

Trying to paper over those complex emotions, Subaru loudly cleared his throat and changed the course of the conversation. 

“…Anyway. I’m glad we’re both safe and sound. Now is the time to come to an understanding.” 

“Understanding? Were you not the one to speak on your own, I wonder? Always so self-serving.” 

“Yeah, I suppose I always am self-serving. Most of the times I talk to you go like that. Do you remember? When we played tag here in the mansion, when we had the snow festival…” 

Beatrice narrowed both eyes as Subaru began talking in a whimsical fashion. As her blue gaze shot through him, Subaru made various gestures as he reminisced out loud. 

It was as if he was choosing his words with great care, diving deeper and deeper into their memories so that they touched upon the truth. 

“It was like that during the demon beast uproar, too. Back then you helped me a ton when you lifted that curse.” 

“Stop it.” 

“As a result, I sucked up an even bigger curse, which backed me into a seriously bad corner. After that, to heal me it’d take going after the Urugarums in the forest, so—!” 

Subaru’s rapid-fire speech was powerfully cut off by an explosion of dry sound. 

When he looked, he saw that the source of that sound was Beatrice’s lap—or rather, the open book upon it she had so sternly closed. 

Sensing Beatrice’s irritation from that gesture, Subaru awkwardly pursed his lips. 

With Subaru falling silent, Beatrice glared at him with a sharp glint in her eyes. 

“Would you get to the point already, I wonder? Spineless coward.” 

“…Sure.” 

He couldn’t summon a rebuke for the insult. That itself was proof the girl had judged him correctly. 

He’d used this trick and that to prolong the conversation, keeping it lukewarm while putting off the conclusion, for which Subaru could only blame his weak heart. 

He already had the words he ought to ask inside his chest. He required nothing more than the courage to put them on his tongue. 

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and took pains to listen to his beating heart. After that, he opened his mouth. 

“How much do you…do you and Roswaal know about what happened this time around?” 

“…” 

Upon receiving the question coming from Subaru’s lips, Beatrice concealed her eyes under the edges of her long eyebrows. 

The resulting silence weighed heavily. When it felt very long, Subaru exhaled as if he were breathing hard. 

“…Beatrice.” 

She made no reply. Even as that fact burned him, Subaru realized his own hypocrisy. 

What exactly did he want Beatrice to say? Even within himself, no answer was forthcoming. 

Did he want her to be a mastermind with a grasp of everything? An ignorant girl who knew nothing about it? Someone who was neither of those things? Even he didn’t know. 

Finally— 

“For the sake of argument…what reply do you desire from Betty?” 

“Th-this ain’t some what-if! Besides, it’s got nothing to do with what I want you to say. What I want is an answer to my question. I want an answer deeper than just yes or no!” 

The unexpected counterattack made Subaru unintentionally coarsen his voice. But Beatrice’s cool demeanor toward Subaru did not falter. 

“Betty finds it unfortunate you are so worked up, but perhaps she does not understand what you mean? Betty is not your instructor. If you expect her to politely educate you on every topic, you are sorely mistaken.” 

“Ugh…! Don’t gloss this over! Someone told me that if I want to know what Roswaal’s thinking, I should ask you. Sorry, but seeing the attitude you’re giving me, I agree.” 

“Who said such a… Ahhh, you saw the half-beast girl who recently returned?” 

When Beatrice spoke the word half-beast, a word he could not unhear, she made an adorable face as she clicked her tongue. The girl proceeded to close one eye, pointing a finger at Subaru. 

“That girl’s opinion might have some merit, I wonder? But though Betty and Roswaal are certainly connected, that has nothing to do with this latest affair. Might Betty know nothing of it at all, I wonder?” 

“But he left you in the mansion. Here, in this mansion, alone, without any plan to deal with it.” 

“He left Betty because she is at least capable of protecting herself. Is that unrelated to Roswaal, I wonder? …But Betty does not think that he did so without a single thought.” 

Beatrice’s reply made Subaru go over his memories once more. But when he thought back, he could not recall any countermeasures by Roswaal whatsoever during the battle. 

Rem, Crusch, Frederica, Beatrice—they’d all said there must be some, yet he couldn’t find any. 

“It’s not just that you, me, and everyone thinks too much of Roswaal? Everyone says a guy like that had to have a plan against the Witch Cult… Right, that’s it!!” 

That instant, he remembered something as if the very heavens had spoken. In accordance with his revelation, Subaru rummaged through his pocket in great haste, presenting to Beatrice the other thing he wanted to ask her about. And that was— 

“Beatrice, here. Look at this.” 

—a black-bound book, its pages and contents sullied with blood. 

Subaru had the worst history possible with its original owner. He figured that some kind of weird enchantment kept the contents illegible, making it little more than a paperweight unless the reader shared the owner’s personality. 

“This should be deeply connected to what that Witch Cult bunch is thinking. If you’re not gonna show me what Roswaal’s really thinking, at least you can tell me something about this b—” 

“—A Gospel?” 

Increasingly nervous about the lack of response, Subaru spoke rapidly until his words caught in his throat. Beatrice’s dramatic reaction when she stared at the Gospel in Subaru’s hand included a look of fright in her eyes. 

Her lips trembled weakly, almost as if she could not believe her own eyes. 

“…A war trophy I took from the ringleader of the Witch Cult bunch that had the mansion surrounded.” 

“And…the owner?” 

“—He’s dead. Crushed by a carriage wheel. I killed him.” 

When Beatrice posed that delicate question, Subaru spoke the truth firmly without averting his eyes. 

Strictly speaking, Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti had not been a person. He had been an evil spirit employing the bodies of others as hosts under his control. Accordingly, the cause of death Subaru gave might not have been precisely accurate. 

But it was Subaru who had dealt Petelgeuse the final blow, robbing him of life. 

Knowing in his soul that nothing short of that would defeat him, Subaru had calculatingly killed him. 

Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti was the first being Subaru had personally slain— 

Subaru wouldn’t claim he’d never hesitated, or that he had no regrets about sullying his hands. He had not bluffed about it to anyone else because he couldn’t lie to himself. 

The fact he had killed Petelgeuse and the fact he had been killed by Petelgeuse were engraved into his own heart, never to be forgotten. 

“…” 

However, though Subaru had poured many thoughts into those brief words, Beatrice had given him no reaction. Still staring at the book in Subaru’s hand, she seemed to whisper to it instead of responding to his words. 

“Geuse…have you also…left Betty behind, I wonder?” 

“—? Who’s that?” 

“…No one at all. More importantly…if you killed him, what happened to the Archbishop of the Seven Deadly…to Sloth’s Witch Factor?” 

“Witch…Factor…?” 

The words Beatrice mentioned meant it was Subaru’s turn to show his incomprehension. 

He remembered having heard the term Witch Factor several times to date. However, the term had come from Petelgeuse’s mouth each time; he’d never thought it would retain any meaning after the man’s death. 

Subaru’s bewilderment made Beatrice lower her face, confusion resting in her eyes once more. 

“Hey, you can’t just toss jargon onto a guy who doesn’t understand the circumstances. What the heck is that Witch Factor stuff? Honestly, I have a feeling it’s nothing good.” 

“You do not know? Could you truly not? If that is so, for what purpose did you kill Sloth…? Furthermore, what was Roswaal doing…?” 

“All I did was smother the embers someone tossed my way! As for Roswaal, that bastard’s in the Sanctuary! What’s he thinking? That’s what I wanna ask you, damn it!” 

Subaru shouted, practically bellowing in impatience as they talked past each other. When his fierce emotion slammed into Beatrice, all emotion was instantly gone from her face. The resulting silence threw Subaru off. 

Her expression was shorn of ferocious anger and sadness, and perhaps confusion and everything else. The sight made Subaru’s breath catch as if he were out of air; Beatrice gave a long, deep sigh. 

“—Are all the answers you seek…in the Sanctuary, I wonder?” 

“What?” 

“Roswaal’s scheme, the meaning of the Gospel, even about the Witch Factor…if you desire answers to all these, go there. Will the half-beast girl show you the way, I wonder?” 

“Wait a sec! What’s this all of a sudden? You were acting so high and mighty all that time, what made you decide to talk all of a sudden? Besides, even without going to the Sanctuary, you could…” 

“—Betty shall not speak of it. Betty has a right…not to speak of it.” 

The obstinate answer silenced Subaru. He remembered her adopting a stance of rejection like this previously. It was the exact same rejection she’d given him when she shook off the hand he offered when he wanted to lead her out of the mansion to safety. 

In other words, the result was exactly the same. 

“—?! You’re planning to push me away again?! Again, just like before?!” 

From behind, in the direction of the door to the archive, he felt a supernatural force twist the air to create wind pressure. The distortion became a wind that took Subaru into its grip, dragging his body toward the portal to shove him outside. 

It was an exceedingly compelling use of the magic power known as Passage. 

“The path to your answers has been made clear. Will Betty stop indulging you any further, I wonder? Your high-handed arrogance is truly irritating.” 

“Beako… Beatrice!!” he shouted, stretching out his hand. But, with rejection in her gaze and posture, Beatrice rebuffed the gesture. 

The girl atop the stool closed her eyes, weakly shaking her head from side to side. 

“Perhaps Betty is not a tool for your convenience.” 

“…” 

“I am not such a convenient being…that is here to say what you want to hear, at a time you wish to hear it, in the manner that you prefer.” 

Beatrice seemed to wring her voice out. Subaru could not offer any denial or complaint. 

It was not that her words had resoundingly hit the mark. What he felt was shock, as if he’d been smacked from a completely unanticipated direction. 

The gaping hole in his thoughts robbed Subaru of his power to resist. He would soon be sucked into the door, hurled beyond, and locked out: from the door, from the archive of forbidden books—and from the heart of the girl known as Beatrice. 

“Why…are you making that crying face again?” 

Eyes lowered, there was no reply from Beatrice to Subaru’s final question. 

“—Daa!!” “Gyaah!!” 

Shot out from the open door, Subaru spectacularly toppled backward. The place was a corridor in the mansion, the result of his having been indiscriminately teleported via Passage. 

But this time it was not Subaru alone who was wrapped up in Passage, but— 

“M-Mr. Natsuki, how did you come out of the washroom I just left…?!” 

“?” 

“A-and how long do you intend to sit upon me?! Could you please move?!!” 

Otto pleaded with a pathetic expression on his face as he lay on the floor with Subaru’s butt upon him. However, the only thing in Subaru’s head that moment was the final instant with Beatrice. 

Why had she made such a sad face? Perhaps that answer, too, was— 

“—If I go to the Sanctuary, will I find that out, too?” 

“I do not know of what you speak, but I would truly like for you to move as soon as possible!!” 

When Subaru murmured thoughtfully, Otto raised his voice from below, bitter at Subaru’s continuing to ignore him. 

6 

“But really, why did you tumble out of the washroom? Please do not tell me something frightening like there is a hidden door or a hidden passage connected to it…” 

“That’s not it, you moron. It’s a one-time miracle brought about by my wanting to do a two-man comedy routine with you.” 

“That’s not an answer, though for a reply that is not an answer, it is quite frightening!” 

Having been reunited with Otto via Passage, Subaru bit back his feelings of futility over the fruitless conversation with Beatrice as he engaged in suitable conversation with Otto on their way to the guest room. Just as Beatrice had said, she had made his path to arrive at answers clear. 

Though the forceful manner in which she had done so had only added to his worries and misgivings. 

“Haa… Grim prospects, huh?” 

“What is with that sigh…? Is that sigh suggestive of good fortune slipping from your grasp?” 

“Your prospects are just that grim. I’m sighing in your stead.” 

“Then it is my good fortune you have let slip?! Could you not do such things behind my back?!” 

Unable to clear up the complexities inside his chest, Subaru’s flippant tongue could still pull the wool over Otto’s eyes just fine. At any rate, the pair arrived at the guest room over the course of such trivial conversation. 

“Oh my, I see Master Subaru is with you. I shall immediately prepare tea.” 

Frederica, who had thought Otto alone would be returning, began pouring a fresh cup of tea when she noticed Subaru was with him. Subaru, making a sound with his nose at the warm aroma of the tea leaves, sat down beside Emilia on the sofa at the back of the room. He glanced sidelong toward her, just in time for their eyes to meet. 

“Subaru, I see you were with Otto. You two really do get along.” 

“I keep having to say this, but you have it wrong. My relationship with him ends as soon as I fulfill my promise to buy up all his oil. So don’t make anything more out of it!” 

“What, you cannot remain forthright till the end, so you add an insult? What a futile performance.” 

Otto was tired and dispirited at Subaru’s averting his face and engaging in tsundere comedy. During that time, Emilia brought the tea that had been poured for her to her mouth, taking a sip and giving Subaru a little smile. 

“Subaru, you must be reeeally stubborn to act like this even though you became friends with Julius after everything that happened.” 

“Boys should be stubborn. I’m kind of old-fashioned about that. Also, allow me to point out, Julius and I are not friends. I will hate that guy forever.” 

“Yes, yes.” 

Subaru’s lips tapered as a certain handsome young man arose in his mind’s eye, but Emilia saw things differently. He grasped with a certain reluctance that the more he said about the matter, the deeper the misunderstanding became. 

“Is it quaint to think that the more you argue, the closer you are?” 

“No one says quaint anymore… Besides, I thought people who argue a lot get along poorly, with pretty much no exceptions?” 

“Well, Subaru, when you and I had a big argument, did we end up getting along worse?” 

“…Emilia-tan, you’ve gotten good at this.” 

Subaru had an awkward look on his face; Emilia had him dead to rights. Subaru’s reaction made Emilia narrow her eyes, her voice practically a whisper as she continued. 

“—So, were you able to speak properly with Beatrice?” 

Emilia had not asked if he’d met her. She’d asked if they’d spoken. 

She posed that question because she had no doubt Subaru had arrived at the archive of forbidden books. He wasn’t sure he should call that trust, but one might say he would only respond to her trust halfway. 

“I met her. I met Beatrice. But as for speaking properly with her…I’m not really sure.” 

“…I see. But you were able to meet her, Subaru. In the time I’ve been at the mansion, Ram and I hadn’t managed to go meet Beatrice even once. I’m just a little miffed about that.” 

Emilia spoke it with the air of a pout, adorably sticking out her tongue. But the lack of strength in Subaru’s voice had apparently conveyed something, because her violet eyes seemed hesitant about her continuing her words. 

In place of Emilia, a response came in the form of the faint sound of ceramics. 

“So you truly are able to enter Lady Beatrice’s archive of forbidden books…” 

“What, you doubted me?” 

Subaru’s shoulders sank as he acted just a little wounded at Frederica’s deeply moved murmur. She shook her head. 

“Considering the very few encounters I have had with Lady Beatrice during over ten years of service under the master, I could not but doubt. When you told me, ‘I’m gonna go chitchat with Beako for a bit. I’ll be back soon!’ or the like and rushed off, I had no way to confirm for myself.” 

“Ahh, err, can’t really excuse myself for putting it that way, huh?” 

“To be honest, I thought it would take hours until you would be able to meet Lady Beatrice…” 

Subaru, remembering how he’d given a threadbare explanation and rushed off, cringed and reflected on the matter. As Subaru did so, Frederica put significance behind the look she gave Emilia as she continued her words. 

“However, afterward, Lady Emilia took the time to speak exhaustively about how reliable Master Subaru had become, so I awaited you half in expectation and half in concern.” 

“Huh?” 

“Wait a— Frederica?!” 

Frederica’s unexpected statement left Subaru bewildered and Emilia beside herself. Emilia jumped to her feet, cheeks red, vigorously waving a hand back and forth toward Subaru. 

“Errr, it wasn’t like that. Certainly I spoke to Frederica about you, Subaru, but she’s blowing it out of all…” 

“No, I heard her speak as well. To be honest, I was thinking Mr. Natsuki, you lucky scoundrel…” 

“Even Otto now!” 

Sold out not only by Frederica, but also by Otto, Emilia was red to the tips of her ears. Then she slapped her hands against her flushed cheeks, furtively glancing in Subaru’s direction. 

The reaction from Emilia, one she rarely permitted to be seen, made Subaru strongly clench his fist. 

“Why don’t you talk like that when I’m around…?” 

“I can’t talk like that in front of you, it’s embarrassing… Sheesh, Frederica! Move on already!” 

“Oh my, even though you glossed it over previously, that childlike charm of yours is falling by the wayside.” 

Frederica hid her mouth as she smiled, shifting her gaze from the eyebrow-twitching Emilia toward Subaru as she said, “Master Subaru, I heard plenty about you from Lady Emilia… No, more than plenty.” 

“Fred—er—i—ca!!” 

“Yes, yes, I understand— So let us speak, Master Subaru, so that whether you found the archive of forbidden books or whether you did not, it does not become a roadblock.” 

“Become a…roadblock?” 

Unable to get the gist of the mystery phrase, Subaru knotted his brows in incomprehension. As he did so, Emilia gently touched Subaru’s shoulder, nodding as she continued. 

“Subaru, we didn’t doubt you’d meet Beatrice, but whether that girl would answer your questions is another matter, yes? I mean, both you and Beatrice are reeeally stubborn…” 

“The excessively cute way you put that bothers me a little, but you have a point. So?” 

“I made a promise to the villagers, and I have a lot of things I want to ask Roswaal about myself—so I asked Frederica to tell me about the Sanctuary.” 

“?” 

Subaru’s throat caught over the fact that Emilia had acted for the sake of achieving their original objective. 

The Sanctuary Emilia sought was the very same Beatrice had revealed as his path to answers. With such a sad face and voice, she had told him that the answers to all his misgivings were there in the Sanctuary. 

So, too, had she said the “half-beast girl” would show him the way, namely— 

“And did Frederica tell you about the Sanctuary?” 

“I lost to Lady Emilia’s persistence. I had been told to disclose as little about that as possible…but it seems strange to conceal it from the two of you.” 

“Um, I happen to be here as well…” 

“It seems strange to conceal it from the two of you.” 

“Would you please correct that line?!” 

Setting Frederica and Otto’s remarks aside, Subaru was surprised the issue had moved forward in his absence. As he had the thought, Emilia kept her hand on Subaru’s shoulder, lowering her brows. 

“Subaru, was that all right? You’re not upset I decided without you?” 

“N-nah, I’m not upset at all. I whiffed it on my end, so if anything it’s a huge help.” 

“Really? I’m so glad. So, Subaru, there’s a favor I wanted to ask of you…” 

Subaru was still off balance as Emilia looked relieved, lowering her eyes as she continued. When he heard the word favor, Subaru suddenly felt a bad premonition. 

The word favor had precipitated something once before in precisely the same fashion— 

“Wait! Don’t tell me that favor is…me staying here at the mansion?” 

“Eh?” 

“If so, time out! Let’s talk this over! Certainly, I can’t call myself in tip-top physical condition, and Ferris stopped being my doctor, but it’s not like I live a life of combat alone! If anything, fighting with the mind is where I really shine, well no, that’s a little off, too, but…!” 

Emilia’s eyes went wide as Subaru desperately tried to make his case. But it was a place where such fervor was necessary. The situation certainly resembled when they’d headed to the royal capital for purposes of the royal selection. However, what was decisively different from then was the readiness in Subaru’s heart. 

He wasn’t following Emilia without a plan or a care. This time was different from what had taken place before. 

“Don’t even try to stop me. I’m going with you. I can’t let you just leave me…” 

“Of course I’m not leaving you here. Come with me.” 

“If you tell me you’re leaving me, just no, no way, no h— What did you say just now?” 

As Subaru’s ferocious emotions reduced the breadth of his vocabulary, her words seemed to slap his face, knocking him back to his senses. As that sank in, Emilia took the hand in contact with Subaru, touching it to her own breast as she spoke. 

“I told you, come with me. I’d be worried sick on my own.” 

“…” 

“Subaru, I’m…relying on you. Subaru, I…need your strength.” 

—Subaru could not put into words the impact of Emilia’s quiet plea upon his own heart. 

His mouth hung open. With Subaru unable to say a word, Emilia’s expression clouded over with concern. Her violet eyes wavered as she stroked her own long, silver hair and said, “Err…did I say something strange?” 

“…My motivational switch is all yours, Emilia-tan. Whether you’re flipping it on or flipping it off, one word from you and everything’s on auto. I seriously can’t get enough of you.” 

Covering his face with his palms, Subaru extolled Emilia’s graces with a deep sigh. “Eh? Eh?” went a confused Emilia, buffeted by the deeply meaningful statement, to which Subaru replied, “Back at you,” sticking out his own tongue. 

After all, Emilia was throwing Subaru for an even bigger loop than he was throwing her for. 

“It would seem you have put your differences in order.” 

“Yeah, sorry for the lovey-dovey stuff. I just couldn’t help myself.” 

“Lovey-dovey…?” 

When Frederica tried to revisit the topic of conversation, Subaru turned to face her once more. Off to the side, Emilia seemed to have a question mark floating over her head, but she immediately regained her composure and gazed Frederica’s way. 

Frederica nodded toward their gazes, and her emerald eyes beheld the pair as she spoke. 

“As has been conveyed to you, I have no objection to speaking about the route to take to the Sanctuary. It is just, a little time is necessary to prepare… Two days, perhaps?” 

“Prepare… Ah, that figures, it’d be leaving the mansion empty. That shouldn’t take…” 

“No, I shall be remaining here at the mansion. It is Lady Emilia and Master Subaru’s duty to head toward the Sanctuary. Managing the mansion is mine.” 

“Wait, you won’t come with us?! How are we supposed to get to the Sanctuary, then?” 

Subaru was taken aback, never having expected her to refuse to go with them. 

Frederica’s cooperation was limited to her telling them about the Sanctuary rather than actually leading them to it. Now he understood the source of Emilia’s worry during the earlier exchange, but Subaru simultaneously noticed something else. 

Namely, the sight of Otto Suwen leaning back, arms crossed, exceedingly confident, even cocksure. 

“Hey, you over there, what’s with that self-confident, puffed-up look? We’re in the middle of an important conversation.” 

“Ho-ho-ho. You are a poor guesser, Mr. Natsuki. In the first place, should you not have wondered just why I am in attendance during such an important conversation?” 

“You have a point. This isn’t something an outsider should hear. Say, does this mansion have a dungeon?” 

“Such statements are not where I meant to steer the conversation, you know?!” 

“The mansion has a cell, yes. I can assure you that it is reasonably comfortable.” 

“Miss Frederica, could you please leave such questions unanswered?!” 

Subaru had meant it as a joke, but it had brought the existence of a cell, and Roswaal Manor’s dark underside, to light. 

Either way, Otto’s shoulders sank in dejection at his being tag-teamed when— 

“Hey, cut it out, both of you. You mustn’t treat Otto like some kind of outcast.” 

In Otto’s stead, it was Emilia who rose to her feet in righteous indignation. Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at the comedic combo in question, Subaru and Frederica both. 

“What a terrible thing to say to someone who went out of his way to offer his cooperation. And without Otto’s help, it’s going to be reeeally hard going to the Sanctuary, won’t it?” 

“Ohh…! Did you hear, Mr. Natsuki? Now this is how you should have reacted!” 

“Ahhh, it’s been a while since I’ve said E M D, so I’ll say it now. E—M—D—!!” 

“E, M…eh?” 

When, in high spirits, Subaru invoked the old phrase, Otto registered the highest bewilderment score of that day. Setting his confusion aside, Subaru had grasped the circumstances from Emilia’s statement. 

“In other words, Otto said he’d go with us as far as the Sanctuary. To be blunt, I’d have had to leave all the dragon carriage driving to Patlash, so it’s a huge help, but…” 

“But what? That method of speaking implies something. Does my goodwill sit ill with you?” 

“Sorry, the only merchant I expect freebies from is a guy with a fruit store and a scary face. That might be nicer on a human level, but it’s a lot simpler to believe a merchant wants more than goodwill for collateral.” 

Cadmon, Anastasia, Russel—names and faces of merchants he’d come into contact with in the capital came to mind. In terms of personality, Otto was the closest to Cadmon, but in terms of mercantile tendencies, he was closer to the last— 

“I can read your ulterior motive. The gist is, be cooperative with Emilia to get as close to her as possible and make a good impression on her backer Roswaal. Even more than getting your oil bought up, the point of coming with us is to get close to Roswaal, right?” 

“Er, um, having my deepest secrets brought out into the light is a little…” 

“Otto…is that true?” 

“Lady Emilia’s sincere eyes are painful, painful, painful! I am very sorry! It is for the most part exactly as he said! But believe me, I did not mean for any harm to come from it whatsoever, so please forgive me!!” 

Though Otto tried to be defiant, he did not quite manage it, confessing as he conceded defeat to her sincerity. Subaru wearily shook his head at Otto’s demeanor; this time it was his turn to pat Emilia on the shoulder. 

“Well, let’s not be too hard on Otto. You make it look easy, Emilia-tan, but it’s really hard for people to act on someone else’s behalf out of goodwill from the heart alone.” 

“I don’t think I’m really such a good person…but doesn’t that go for you, Subaru?” 

“I exhaust all my efforts for Emilia-tan for my own personal reasons. Hmm, if it’s one hundred percent impure, does that make it pure…?” 

You want other people to think well of you. When you boiled things down, that was the starting point for actions taken in the course of interpersonal relations. That said, human life was not so dry that you could declare it an iron rule. It was merely a matter of degree. 

Human beings were simply too complex to express in a single sentence. 

“Even with your ulterior motive plain to see, we actually think pretty well of you. So relax already.” 

“That does not sound very reassuring coming from you, Mr. Natsuki, but…” 

Subaru responded to the dejected Otto with a teasing smile before turning back toward Frederica. 

“OK, Otto’s helping. So the three of us get to hear you talk about the Sanctuary.” 

“Understood. Incidentally, has the master spoken to either of you about the Sanctuary?” 

With Subaru & Co. sitting side by side on the sofa, ready to listen to her speak, Frederica posed them that question. Upon receiving it, Subaru and Emilia glanced at each other’s faces as she said, “To be blunt, he said almost nothing about it to me. From the snippets I heard, it sounded like some kind of secret base several hours away… The fact that it was the first suggestion for evacuating people makes me think I wasn’t wrong.” 

“Once…Roswaal told me that it was a place that would someday be…necessary for me…” 

“Necessary for you someday…?” 

The unexpected statement left Subaru looking toward Emilia with surprise in his eyes. That gaze sent Emilia apologetically lowering her own eyes. But before Subaru could ask a follow-up question: 

“It sounds like something the master would say.” 

Frederica closed her eyes, her tone sounding faintly amused. Then she grasped the hem of her skirt, curtsying deeply. And then— 

“I shall now speak of how to enter the place called the Sanctuary of Clemaldy. You must not speak a word of this to anyone else. Also, upon going to the Sanctuary, there is one name you must not forget.” 

“…” 

“Garfiel. You must pay heed to the individual by that name. In the Sanctuary, that individual is the one you and Lady Emilia must approach only with the greatest of caution.” 

Complex emotions resided in Frederica’s open emerald eyes as she put that name upon her lips.