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ENDING CHAPTER 

OFFBEAT STEPS UNDER THE MOONLIGHT 

—The dignified great hall’s appearance had changed into something completely at odds with what Subaru remembered. 

A number of candlesticks lined the red carpet covering the floor. The flickering of the red flames lent the chamber a solemn atmosphere that caused those in attendance to unconsciously straighten their backs. 

Familiar, nostalgic faces were lined against the walls in orderly fashion. It was because those were familiar, nostalgic faces that they looked amusing while dressed in solemn, ceremonial outfits. 

Particularly hilarious were Garfiel, locked in a brutal struggle with his formal garb, and Otto, who looked every bit the pampered nobleman. The contrast with their normal appearances was really something else. Were they deliberately trying to make him laugh…? 

Frederica and the other servants treated their work uniforms as their ceremonial clothing, so it made sense that Ram was in her maid outfit as they walked in unison. Subaru drew in his breath when he realized there was someone right beside Ram. 

—There, sitting in a chair, a blue-haired Sleeping Princess was also in attendance. 

Perhaps this was Ram’s idea of being considerate. Ram was glancing at him with an expression that feigned ignorance. He was so grateful that it hurt. 

Petra was standing beside them, attending the ceremony with a dignified demeanor, wearing a dress that glimmered so much, no one would ever think she was a simple village girl. He could only let out a strained smile. No stage fright for her. 

Standing beside Petra was Beatrice, whose normal clothing was plenty elaborate to begin with. She relaxed her lips slightly and stood straighter, feeling reassured at the sight of her partner, Subaru, keeping an eye out for her. 

Then, when he shifted his gaze from the participants, turning his head toward the innermost part of the great hall— 

“?” 

Waiting for Subaru was Emilia, looking his way as she wore ornaments beautiful enough to make him tremble. 

Her silver hair looked like glistening moonlight. Her violet eyes seemed like inlaid gemstones. Her expression was faintly tense with such an important ceremony before her, but that only brought her mysterious beauty into sharper relief. 

Her attire differed from that for everyday rites, emphasizing purity befitting a formal ceremony. It seemed much like a priestess’s attire; the fabric, thin enough to let the color of her skin shine through, made it look like the raiment of a celestial maiden. 

Before Emilia, all feelings of tension seething within him instantly dissipated. 

The profound thoughts about the other participants but a moment before became distant. Everyone but Emilia flew off to the far corners of his mind. This was by no means belittling those who were there to watch over the ceremony—he was merely putting his heart where it rightfully belonged. 

“?” 

No one had indicated he should, but Subaru stepped forward as if someone were guiding his hand. 

He was wearing unfamiliar ceremonial attire with a brand-new knight’s sword on his hip. Otto and the others did not laugh at how awkward he looked, but the occasion made him forget such trivial things regardless. He strode over to Emilia, his heart as calm as an ocean breeze. 

He knelt before the slightly raised platform upon which Emilia stood. He was on one knee, head bowed. 

Subaru was barely aware of even his own breathing as he focused all his attention on Emilia, who stood before him. Bathed in the audience’s comfortable yet seemingly tense gazes, Subaru removed the knightly sword from his hip, drawing it from its scabbard. 

The steel blade reflected the flames of the candlesticks, causing the same light to reside in Subaru’s and Emilia’s differently colored eyes. Burning the beauty of the sight into his mind, Subaru presented the knight’s sword to Emilia. 

With graceful fingers, Emilia gently accepted the sword, which was presented to her like an offering. Her violet eyes were filled with deep emotions as she pointed the tip of the knight’s sword skyward, seemingly as heavy as the feelings that permeated it. 

Before Emilia, Subaru bowed his head once more, closing his eyes. 

A knight’s sword was his pride. A knight’s body and head constituted his loyal spirit. Here, he offered both. 

—A knight offering his life to his liege. 

“?” 

Silence befell the great hall—No, the great hall had already been filled with silence throughout. But the silence so far had been suffused with faint excitement, the tranquility laden with quiet zeal. 

This time was different. It was true silence, with excitement, zeal, and expectations left far behind. 

The right to break that silence had been granted to but a single one among them. 

“—O sun watching over the dazzling world beneath. O stars watching over the sleeping world. O wind, O water, O earth, O light, O spirits that fill all.” 

The silence was broken. 

Emilia wove the ceremony’s prayer like a song. 

“—O great world that has accepted you, raised you, and now sends you forth.” 

It trembled. His heart trembled. 

The borders of his mind collapsed. His chaotic soul churned. That moment, all he wanted to do was drown in her blessing. 

“—O pride, that which supported you, protected you, nurtured you.” 

He endured the mania rushing through him. He withstood the searing heat pounding at his heart. He waited for the question to come. 

“—May you become someone worthy of all that protects you, of the world that has raised you, of the pride that sustains you. May you live without shame. Fear not, cower not, stray not. May your heart remain true.” 

The prayer was over. 

The question was coming. 

The set structure of the ceremony ended there. Not even Subaru knew the answer to the final question to come. 

“—Just as you have aspired to until now, just as you have done for everything and everyone around you, do you swear to protect me from this moment forth?” 

—But his heart already knew the answer to the question Emilia posed. 

“On the sun, on the stars, on the spirits, on the world, on my pride—and—” 

That moment, he listed everything in the prayer to express his conviction and his gratitude. 

And before he put the vow on his lips, Subaru recalled in the back of his mind the images of those to whom he truly needed to convey his gratitude. That was why his lips wove the words seemingly on their own. 

“—on my father and my mother, I swear.” 

“?” 

“I will protect you. I’ll make your wish come true—My name is Subaru Natsuki.” 

He lifted his head. 

The radiance of the raised sword overlapped with Emilia’s. But the light of mere steel meant nothing to him. 

All he could see were the dazzling violet eyes gazing back at his own. 

“Emilia—I am your knight and yours alone.” 

“—Yes.” 

When Emilia responded to the words he spoke, an irresistible wave of emotions brought tears to her eyes. 

Yet, even then, Emilia somehow managed to maintain her composure as she gently brought down the sword she had raised. She returned to Subaru, who continued to kneel, the symbol of a knight’s pride. 

Reverently accepting it with both hands, he returned the sword to its scabbard. 

Completing the ritual, Subaru looked up. With Emilia nodding in assent, he stood on the spot. 

And then— 

“Emilia-tan, it’s a bit late to mention this, but you look cute and superhot in that outfit.” 

“Idiot.” 

—with the solemn atmosphere of the ceremony shattered, Emilia stuck out her tongue at him with a reddened face. 

A great variety of food was arrayed atop the table that was being brought into the great hall. 

At this buffet-style feast, none of the participants in the ceremony paid much attention to stuffy manners and merrily helped themselves in any which way they pleased. 

“Everyone sure is having a good time. I’ve never been so tense before in my life, though.” 

Subaru was out on the terrace, showered by the nighttime breeze as he watched the festivities with distant eyes. 

A dinner plate and drinking glass had been placed on the handrail, but he hadn’t touched either. The burning sensation shooting up his neck made it unlikely he would manage to get anything down his throat. 

Inside the manor, Petra was doing a little dance performance in her dress in the middle of the hall. It looked like a sort of dance that was often performed at festivals in Earlham Village, but Petra seemed to have arranged this one herself; the dignified way she carried herself meant she didn’t look out of place even at a nobleman’s court. 

Dragged along by Petra and dancing with matching steps was a red-faced Beatrice. She desperately tried to maintain her composure, but Subaru couldn’t help but notice her ears and the tip of her nose were trembling with bashfulness. 

Mysteriously, Beatrice seemed unable to act headstrong whenever Petra was concerned. Petra seemed to have taken Subaru’s words to heart and had somehow managed to make a friend out of Beatrice. 

The heartwarming scene made Subaru feel more at ease when— 

“—Watching something like that makes you deeply appreciate having brought Beatrice out, does it noooot?” 

“Ugh.” 

A tall body abruptly cut into Subaru’s peripheral vision, coming beside Subaru to rest its weight against the handrail. He glanced over to see Roswaal wearing a formal, long-sleeve dress outfit that differed from the norm. 

With his long hair in proper order and wearing clothing with minimal pomp, he would be very much a handsome aristocrat at a glance. However— 

“…All that kinda clashes with the clown makeup.” 

“Oh my, how harsh. But if I don’t have this on, it just isn’t me. Is that not sooooo?” 

“I wish you’d respect the time, place, and circumstance for self-expression. Not that I’m one to talk, but this is a formal occasion, y’know?” 

Subaru flashed an expression of exasperation at Roswaal, who was wearing his clown face without a shred of guilt. He was recalling his own barbaric actions that despoiled the royal-selection conference. This said, that hadn’t been a formal occasion, so his judgment was technically sound. 

“Speaking of this formal occasion, I gotta say… You sure went all out for this conferring-knighthood thing.” 

“I had reasons to hurry. However, I believe you have yearned for this for quite some time.” 

“Well, you’re not wrong about that, but I’m just not cut out for this stuff…” 

Roswaal had poked right at the crux of the matter, leaving Subaru with a wry smile on his lips without any words to refute him. 

—Subaru had craved knighthood ever since he found out about it. It qualified him to stand at Emilia’s side. 

Roswaal had a number of reasons for allowing Subaru this and holding a formal occasion for the event. 

The ceremony to confer honors on Subaru would play up his meritorious deeds in quelling the White Whale and dispatching the Archbishop of Sloth, spreading the news to even neighboring kingdoms. 

Ultimately, he wished to announce Subaru had become Emilia’s knight to foreign and domestic interests alike. For that, it was necessary to confer knighthood over any mere medal, and with appropriate urgency, pomp, and ceremony at that. 

“All that said, isn’t allowing a knighthood ceremony in a place we’re borrowing and staying at temporarily stretching our goodwill really far?” 

“When you put it that way, it is difficult to denyyyy. Well, the Miload family is a branch of the Mathers family, and its head, Annerose, is head over heels for Lady Emilia. If we must live away until the main estate is restored and can serve in the burned mansion’s place, should we not have a little fuuuuun with it?” 

“You sure say that so casually…” 

Roswaal tilted his glass as his lips loosened with amusement. 

Annerose Miload—this was the name of the head of the household where Subaru and company were staying for about a month after Roswaal Manor had burned down. Her being a distant relative of Roswaal’s and already being on good terms with Emilia beforehand made the place a perfect location for a temporary stay. 

Seeing how close Emilia and Annerose, age nine, were made Subaru just a little jealous, though. 

“Mentally speaking, Anne and Emilia are not as far apart as some might think. If anything, Anne puts on greater airs than Lady Emilia. She might very well be the more mature of the two.” 

“I’m still holding a grudge against her for planting the idea in Emilia-tan’s head that babies are made by kissing.” 

As the victim of that childish, adorable, and tragic misunderstanding, he absolutely would never forget. 

“?” 

He and Roswaal let the frivolities lapse. A silence fell over the terrace save for the passing wind. The sounds of music being played, dancing, and voices of delight conveyed the excitement of the feast. 

—And yet, the terrace seemed the only place apart from the tumult as a faint whiff of tension stretched across it. 

“Did you put some kind of people-repelling barrier around us or something?” 

“Your intuition has truly improved. Or perhaps to you, this evening is not…” 

Your first, he might have said, but Subaru’s gaze silenced those barbed words. 

It was an insult. He did not want that night, that ceremony, sullied by such slights. 

“You made sure it’d be just us at a time like this ’cause you have something to talk about, right?” 

“—Teacher was assuredly alone without a single relative. That of course includes any sisters. She had none save Beatrice she could call her own daughter. I know this better than anyone.” 

When Subaru sharpened his gaze and pressed the point, Roswaal cut straight to a rather uncomfortable topic. He was talking about Echidna—for the issue of the Echidna at the tomb concerned them both. 

Roswaal’s opinion was the same as Beatrice’s from back at the tomb. Namely, that the remains in the coffin were those of Echidna, and the being who had imposed the Trials on Subaru and Emilia was someone else. 

It was difficult for him to nod and accept the being he met was a fake. That Echidna—the Witch of Greed in the castle of dreams, along with the other Witches of the Deadly Sins—was unmistakably real. 

There was no way to decipher the mystery. The tomb had lost all functionality, and there was no way Subaru would ever meet her again. Besides— 

“So the woman inside the coffin was your goal. There’s that cursed seal, too. You…” 

“—My objective was to be reunited with Teacher, young Subaru. However, please do not misunderstand.” 

“Misunderstand what? You and Beatrice… You met her… You met Echidna. Now you can…” 

“What I desire is a reunion with blood flowing through her, a soul resting in her—a living, breathing Teacher. It is all I desire. It is my greatest wish, and I cannot relinquish it.” 

Subaru blinked hard not only at Roswaal’s dreamlike speech but also at the content of his words. 

“But that means…bringing her back from the dead. Do you have a…way to do that?” 

“No, not a theory that would work upon ordinary souls. But because this is Teacher, a way remains. The liberation of the Sanctuary…the recovery of her remains…these are but preliminary steps.” 

So that was why he wanted the Sanctuary liberated. Roswaal had achieved his own objective. 

But as for a method to revive the dead, and one that would work only upon the Witch in the coffin… 

“So as to not give rise to misunderstandings, I wish to be clear about this one thing, young Subaru.” 

“…Say it.” 

“The book of knowledge has burned to ash, denying me my promised future. As I am bound by the cursed seal, I cannot continue any of the machinations I have attempted to date—however, I have no intention of giving up on Teacher because of this.” 

Tilting his glass to his lips, Roswaal spoke those implacable words without crossing gazes. It was more than enough to send a shiver of fear through Subaru, supposedly in an advantageous position now that Roswaal had given up on his secret plotting. 

“I really don’t mind you not giving up… Er, this might be gutsy to say to someone like you, but just do whatever you like. Thing is, what can you do to make that goal come true?” 

“It is a simple matter—I shall continue watching over you.” 

“?” 

—He’d keep watching. 

This ominous phrase left Subaru at a loss for words. Roswaal turned and faced Subaru with his differently colored eyes—and with the same fire burning in both, he continued: 

“Fortunately, your goal of placing Lady Emilia on the royal throne aligns your objective with mine. And so we shall continue our relationship as coconspirators just as before… It is merely that, just as before, I pity you for remaining unchanged.” 

“What the hell?” 

Subaru raised his eyebrows, unable to easily dismiss the word pity. His reaction made Roswaal pull back his shoulders. He’d deciphered the emotions resting in Roswaal’s eyes—sympathy and compassion. 


“You should have known loss. You should have felt loss so great that you would have become a Sage who would doggedly protect only that most precious to him—in my own way, I wanted to save you.” 

“What the hell’s wise about that? What does simply accepting loss get you?!” 

“You, who have rejected loss and have decided to carry everything in your arms, will continue to suffer. You will experience wounds that can never be undone, experience loss over and over, and you will rise up for the sake of regaining what you have lost, continuing to add to your invisible injuries. That is simply…too cruel.” 

“—!” 

Roswaal’s words carried too much weight to dismiss without a second thought, because the man knew. Even if he didn’t know it was through Return by Death, Roswaal knew Subaru repeated events. Accordingly, he was the only one who could realistically imagine just what a road of thorns Subaru walked. 

“And now that you have rejected the path of the Sage and chosen the path of the Fool, I will never allow you to compromise. Is this not natural? It is you who wished for this.” 

With Subaru unable to speak a word, Roswaal took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Then, reaching out with a hand, he grasped Subaru’s shoulder, gently pulled his face close, and whispered into Subaru’s ear. 

“—Hereafter, if you lose someone around you who you should have protected, I will swiftly burn the remaining others away without hesitation and, with the cursed seal, become ash myself.” 

“—?!” 

“You have decided to shoulder all. You must not abandon anything. I will not allow a lost world to continue into the future. I reject your compromise—now that I have lost the book of knowledge, I have only you to guide me to Teacher, young Subaru. You and the path you walk.” 

Pulling his face away, Roswaal gave Subaru’s chest a light shove. Even though it had little strength behind it, Subaru wobbled as if he had been thrust away, grabbing hold of the railing to support his body. 

—This was Roswaal L. Mathers, the man who lived for a wish that was four hundred years old. 

He would never seek to inflict undesired suffering upon Subaru and Emilia again. If Subaru wished it, he would no doubt cooperate to work toward Subaru’s objectives, even lending Emilia a hand with his full strength. 

But if Subaru miscalculated even slightly, Roswaal would flip the table over, rendering everything futile. 

This was no lie or deception. Roswaal absolutely would do it for the sake of his greatest desire. 

“My, there is no need to be so frightened. So long as you remain true to yourself and continue in your duty, I shall cooperate with you fully—this is simply the new pact between you and I.” 

“…I’ve learned that for pacts, you have to check not just the fine print but the guy you’re signing it with, too.” 

Subaru’s sarcasm and anguished sigh made Roswaal widen his eyes. Immediately after, he put his hand to his mouth as he began to laugh. He laughed for a while before saying, “Ah, yes,” and lifting his face. “I only just said I would cooperate in full, so there is something of which I must properly inform you.” 

“You’re still holding on to secrets to shake me up?” 

“In the royal capital and this time, that makes it twice that I have hired the Bowel Hunter. But the girl in bonds underground…this Beast Master, I had nothing to do with either of her attacks.” 

“—Huh?” 

Subaru, on guard for what more might come, could only drop his mouth wide open. 

The girl held in bonds underground meant Meili, captured at the mansion and kept prisoner since. At present, the death of her partner in crime, Elsa, had left her too uncooperative to deal with in any other fashion. 

That had hurt his head enough, but Roswaal’s next words were a thunderclap out of the clear blue sky. 

“This time, my contract only targeted Beatrice. In accordance with the book of knowledge, I was to liberate that girl from her twisted fate… But if I heard correctly, those girls had plans that went beyond my request, did they not?” 

“Yeah, Elsa and Meili were part of the same group, I figure, so Meili was helping her out with her contract. Because if that wasn’t the case, who could’ve tipped them off about the mansion’s interior like that…?” 

“—In other words, there was another culprit who planned this attack on the mansion besides meeee.” 

“?” 

“Your troubles shall continue. Truly, that is where you shine. You really are cut out for struggling, are you not?” 

Letting those words of sarcasm dangle, Roswaal inverted his now-empty glass over his mouth. A single droplet of alcohol fell and struck his lips. With that, he departed from the terrace, advancing in the direction of the great hall. 

“Congratulations, young Subaru. Take this as praise from a Witch’s apprentice—you have won…today, at least.” 

Leaving those final words behind, Roswaal left the terrace. 

A cold wind blew. The chill from wind and his sweat sent a small tremble through Subaru’s body. 

The traces of the fire continued to smolder. Subaru felt the heat of those lingering flames as he let out a very deep breath. 

“—So this is where you were, Subaru.” 

Subaru was resting his weight against the handrail and gazing at the stars in the night sky when a voice called to him. When he lowered his gaze, the moonlight only increased the beauty of the silver fairy standing before him— 

“Emilia-tan? I thought an angel or a fairy had come for me.” 

“There you go saying strange things again. Don’t tell me that you’re drunk?” 

“I messed up bad before, so I’m really careful about alcohol. This time, I’m just drunk on the atmosphere.” 

“So you really are drunk.” 

Emilia shot Subaru a smile as she leaned on the handrail right beside Subaru. The white flesh poking out from her pure ceremonial garment, the nape of her neck, and her cheeks were ever so slightly reddened as she made a small, amused-looking smile. 

“I’ve been looking for you this whole time… Where did you run off to, Subaru?” 

“Setting aside the location, event-wise, it sure felt like a long, drawn-out battle against the final boss. Somehow, I got through it, but I feel like it shaved years off my life span. Emilia-tan, will you console me?” 

“Yes, yes. Today, Subaru is drunk on the mood as well as himself.” 

Mysteriously, he returned to his normal state after talking with Emilia. Now that he was freed from the weighty mental state left by his exchange with Roswaal, the feeling of exhilaration over the ceremony came rushing right back. Setting that aside, standing in front of Emilia was making him feel awkward, so Subaru put his glass to his lips to conceal his blush. 

“By the way, did you manage to make up with Roswaal?” 

“Geh! Ack! Th-that’s one hell of a timely question…!” 

“From the looks of it, Roswaal really teased you quite a bit.” 

She touched a sore point for him. Her use of the word teased was so cute that it bothered him somewhat, but Subaru made no effort to refute the point. “A bit, yeah,” he straight-up admitted with a nod. “After all that, it almost feels like nothing changed from before…or if anything, it got even worse.” 

“Roswaal’s probably afraid of everyone forgetting what he’s done. That’s why he’s doing that to draw everyone’s attention to himself. He’s really childish deep down, you know.” 

Subaru was taken back by how Emilia put her hands on her hips, speaking those words with the faintest hint of anger. 

He was not taken back by her cuteness—it was because Subaru, too, believed this was the truth. 

The instant he had the thought, his interpretation of Roswaal’s earlier admonition changed considerably. 

“…You’re really something, Emilia-tan.” 

“Is that so? Tee-hee, thank you. I think Subaru’s really something, too.” 

“Hmm, I wonder.” 

“Yes, you are! Goodness, Subaru… Hey, look over there.” 

Emilia irritably walked over to Subaru, whose face showed scant appreciation for everything he’d done, and then she spread both arms wide to indicate the scene in the great hall. 

—Inside were all their companions and the visible result of Subaru’s, Emilia’s, and everyone else’s efforts. 

“Everyone’s having fun, aren’t they?” 

“…I suppose you’re right. It’s like an at-home banquet, kind of the ideal for my small-time, common-man sensibilities.” 

“Mm, I think so, too. This is a really nice scene.” 

Her violet eyes contained affection and envy in equal measure. Glancing at them from the side made Subaru’s heart tremble. 

—This was the scene Emilia had wanted to see. In a broader sense, this was the ideal she was seeking to make a reality. 

The atmosphere offered tranquility for nobles, merchants, commoners, humans, demi-humans, and mixed-blood people, without any discrimination of social standing or race. 

“—Subaru, you’re making a really gentle face.” 

“Guess that figures. I think I’m just happy watching the same scene as Emilia-tan and also thinking how nice everything is.” 

“Ahhh, I get it. I’m happy Subaru feels the same way I do, too.” 

“Hmm, I wonder. I might disagree with you on that. Sometimes, it’s fine to be different.” 

Even though they were looking at the same thing and sharing the same feelings of happiness, they were still looking at the scene before them two different ways. 

It wasn’t necessary for lovers to be the same in anything and everything. The thought he had that moment was, It’s fine to be different. 

“?” 

Emilia narrowed her violet eyes, gently gazing at Subaru. 

He didn’t know if the entire meaning of his words had reached her. But the important part had been conveyed. 

If they could share this much, it was plenty. Beyond that was not just extravagance but arrogance. 

“…Hey, Subaru. After this, there’s something I want to discuss with my knight.” 

“What a coincidence. I have plenty of things I want to ask Emilia-tan, too.” 

The words Emilia spoke in a show of courage left Subaru shrugging and flashing a smile back at her. Emilia breathed out in relief, gently offering him the pinkie finger of her right hand. 

“It’s a promise, then. You did this with Petra. This is a tradition from Subaru’s homeland, yes?” 

“Ohhh, it sure is. What sharp eyes you have. Break this promise, and your meals will be needles for breakfast, lunch, and supper.” 

“Oh no, so scary… You better keep this promise, then.” 

Nervously, Emilia wrapped her slender finger around Subaru’s right pinkie. 

“When the celebration is over, let’s have an important talk in my room. Don’t break our promise this time, okay?” 

“I’m a serial promise-breaker and all, but is it even an option to not keep my word to go to Emilia-tan’s room at night after I’ve been summoned? I’m thinking no.” 

“I’m sorry—I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.” 

The two engaged in such typical banter as they formed that promise between them. Missing the touch of their joined pinkies as they parted, Subaru went, “Now, then,” as he winked. “I’ll have fun finding out what this talk’s all about.” 

“…I need to talk to you about…me. One night might not even be enough to finish.” 

“If it’s that important, I’ll be with you as many nights as it takes. I’m your one and only knight, okay?” 

“O-okay.” 

She did her best to mimic Subaru’s usual jesting tone. Emilia’s nervous behavior reflected her underlying concern. She felt uneasy talking about herself. 

If this was connected to the past she saw in the Trial, Subaru could understand her unease. He understood, but he wanted to tell her it was an unnecessary concern nonetheless. 

“It’s all right, Emilia-tan. No matter what happens, you’ll never disappoint me.” 

“Subaru…” 

“It’s just like I told you at the tomb. I love you, so everything’ll be okay. That’s all there is to it.” 

No matter what she’d tell him, no matter what it triggered, nothing would change. 

“—What’s important isn’t where you start or what happens midway but how it ends.” 

Led to his parents and the thoughts they’d conveyed to him, this was the answer he’d arrived at in the tomb. 

—He really couldn’t hold a candle to his mom. Or his dad, either, for that matter. 

“Besides, even if there are issues, it’s not like it’s a big deal now, right?” 

“…How can you tell?” 

“It was the way you looked at the great hall with gentle eyes just now. I can already tell from that.” 

The scene spread forth in the great hall of Miload Manor was one without discrimination between human and demi-human, noble and commoner. When Subaru called that his ideal, Emilia accepted it with a look of longing. 

Whatever ideals might be raised high in Emilia’s heart, Subaru had no doubt he could believe in them. 

“If you want to make this happen everywhere, I’ll help. I think this is a good cause. If that scene becomes a part of why Emilia-tan always works so hard, then I’ll be first in line to help you.” 

“Subaru, can I…really depend on you?” 

“What do you think that oath I swore to you earlier was all about? Go and depend on me before anyone else. I’ll do anything I can do to help, and if I don’t understand something, we’ll think about it together.” 

“?” 

Emilia’s eyes trembled more than at any point before, almost like the reply wasn’t the one she had expected at all. 

She was searching for something appropriate to say. But she couldn’t find anything. 

“—Okay.” 

Hence, Emilia murmured that single word, nodding. 

Then she made a small, lovely, captivating smile. 

—That was the best answer. It was plenty. 

“All right, all doubts cleared up.” 

Saying this, Subaru took the glass standing on the handrail and went bottoms up. Then he grasped the now-cold meat pie and stuffed his cheeks, chewing it down. 

The delicious taste was undiminished by the temperature; he savored the texture as the pie crumbled in his mouth. The flavor was the final product of a rather large commotion involving Garfiel, Frederica, and Ryuzu, but that was another story. 

Either way, to Subaru, the pie formed by those familial bonds was exquisite. 

“Oh. Subaru, if you eat it so fast, you’re going to choke on it.” 

“Well. I’m hungry. I’ll savor the taste more if Emilia-tan says aah for me, though.” 

“I feel like I’ve done that before when Subaru was all tired…” 

Emilia wore a slight, strained smile as she replied. 

“Now then,” said Subaru, leading her by the hand toward the great hall. 

As she was led by the hand, Emilia looked up at the sky but once. Then she smiled and let Subaru escort her, entering the hall at his side. 

The pair’s return in the middle of the banquet only served to heighten the excitement. 

Maybe Otto had imbibed too much; his clothes were all disheveled as he stumbled around in a drunken stupor. Garfiel was right there with Otto, but when he tried to bring alcohol to his mouth, he received a lecture from Frederica about it. 

Petra and Beatrice had reached the climax of their disparate dancing. Petra had sweat on her brow as she smiled like a flower; Beatrice was putting on quite a passionate performance of her own in her desperation to not be beaten. 

Ryuzu and Roswaal sat beside each other, lightly tapping their glasses together and exchanging words a little here and there, like old acquaintances rekindling their relationship. 

Subaru spotted Ram nearby, watching the scene from a distance, her lips relaxing in apparent relief. Instead of staying at Roswaal’s side, she stood by the younger sister she had lost all memory of and yet still felt a tangible, lingering bond between them. It was almost like she knew Rem would have wanted her to be close. 

Others partaking in the festivities included various associates of the Miload family. Numerous demi-human servants busily hurried about, while their mistress, the young lady of the household, was venting in annoyance at a rather courteous butler. 

Later, Subaru would have to celebrate that special night with his favorite dragon, waiting patiently for him outside the manor. 

—It was with various such thoughts that he spent the evening of festivities with everyone. 

“It’s a really nice atmosphere, Emilia-tan.” 

“Yes. This really does represent everything I’m trying to achieve. I’ll never forget this.” 

They began by entering the great hall at the most prominent place, suddenly joining the two dancing girls. 

They didn’t know the first thing about dancing, but the feelings of enjoyment would probably be the same regardless. 

Even if the steps were haphazard and offbeat. 

The knight and the witch—now officially master and servant—stepped forward amid a mix of bewilderment and laughter. 



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