CLOSING CHAPTER
MEETING EACH OTHER HALFWAY
1
“—Okay, it’s finished!”
Picking up a pair of twigs, Subaru thrust them into the mass of snow before his eyes and wiped off the sweat on his brow.
It was constructed in a short time with amateur workmanship, but he was quite proud that it had come out fairly well. Even the onlookers admired his handiwork and went “ooh” in praise.
“This really does make me feel like I’m a genius at this stuff. If we’re ever short on food money, I can have Emilia-tan make the snow fall, and I’ll be a living national treasure as a snow artist.”
“Goodness, don’t say such ridiculous things… But you really did a good job, huh?
Sitting on the stone steps, Emilia let out a white breath as she watched Subaru’s handiwork.
Displayed in her violet eyes were Subaru and the horde of snowmen—no, snow-Pucks he had finished. He’d gathered up the snow left in the clearing and had made a dozen snow sculptures. Even to Subaru himself, it was a mystery where he’d mustered the passion to craft Pucks of every emotion and for every occasion.
It was probably something like thanks, given how Subaru had heard of Puck’s bravery in his absence.
“I am sure this was not his aim, but I think Barusu is indeed an idiot.”
In contrast, Ram, her head propped up on Emilia’s lap, gave Subaru’s actions a quite harsh assessment.
With her burned maid outfit stripped away, Ram’s white garment gave her a very different impression. That was probably because it somehow felt like she had finally left behind something that had been haunting her. Of course, her poison tongue cut as sharply as ever.
“Hey, I’m the guy who worked hardest during this whole mess. Aren’t you praising me too little?”
“Mm, I guess that’s true. I’m really grateful toward Subaru. But while you were gone, I was the one working hard, so I think it’s only natural I would want some praise for it.”
“Emilia-tan’s suddenly gotten a lot more direct, huh…?”
Perhaps this was the influence of her having overcome the Trials. There was a type of confidence blooming from Emilia’s demeanor and expression. It was a good trend for Emilia, long prone to putting herself down and understating her own worth.
Subaru had been unable to deal with all the problems of the Sanctuary with his own power no matter what he tried. Now that he had others to help cover his weaknesses and deficiencies, enabling this miracle that allowed them all to be together, he wanted to thank her.
“If nothing else, though, I meant to take on the toughest job and stuff…”
“I won’t allow something so thoughtless. If Subaru runs around and does everything, we won’t even have a reason to be here. If anything, Subaru has been running around a little too much.”
“Er, but I’m way short on firepower, so running around is about the only tactic I have.”
“But that will not be the case going forward, will it?”
Emilia was stroking Ram’s head atop her lap as she spoke, smiling at how they were both understating the other’s worth. Deducing exactly what her words were getting at, Subaru rubbed under his nose with a finger as he replied, “Ahhh.”
He’d overlooked a lot of things and had ended up being saved by many people around him, but he’d also gained pretty much everything he needed. He probably would never be worrying about things alone ever again.
“?”
Lifting his face, Subaru turned his gaze from the snow sculptures in the clearing in front of the tomb.
Now that the Trial system had vanished, a pair of individuals had stepped inside.
He had some idea of what they might be talking about.
“Well, even I can read the mood enough not to intrude on that.”
They’d had untold opportunities to speak to each other, yet they’d never taken advantage of them.
All the words left unspoken must have piled high enough to become a mountain.
2
—The Witch sleeping in the transparent coffin was just as beautiful as the day she’d died.
“Mother…”
In the small room in the deepest part of the tomb in which the coffin was placed, the remains of Echidna the Witch rested in silence.
In front of those remains, Beatrice was stricken with such worry that her feet felt like they couldn’t stay grounded. She felt neither the sense of elation from during the battle nor the sense of loss and liberation from losing the archive of forbidden books—she felt guilt.
The Witch had long, beautiful white hair and a comely face that spoke of intellect and tolerance. Though the instances were rare, her memories of the Witch regarding her with soft smiles came rushing back.
There and then, the memories of how her mother looked, which she had been on the verge of forgetting after four centuries, were fresh once more, digging their way into Beatrice’s chest.
“Has Betty managed to uphold her promise to Mother, I wonder? …I am sorry.”
Stroking the edge of the cracked coffin with her finger, Beatrice began their first meeting in four centuries with an apology.
Beatrice had lost both the intellect of the Witch and the book of knowledge given to her upon their parting. She had deigned to come crawling back, her promise unfulfilled.
“Betty never met That Person…and the book has been burned away. Are the words I am sorry enough to make up for it, I wonder?”
Beatrice judged herself to be a poor daughter.
She was a foolish girl who’d been unable to fulfill Mother’s last request with four centuries on hand to do it. She could not help but regret that from the bottom of her heart as she reunited with her mother, who by rights she should have been unable to even face.
“…For all that, you have quite a relieved look upon your face, do you noooot?”
The man on the other side of the coffin—Roswaal—easily guessed how Beatrice truly felt.
As always, the man was disgustingly good at pointing things out. However, Beatrice could not help but put her discordant feelings aside. It was hardly unrelated to the man having taken off his makeup and exposing his bare face.
“You look most relieved of all, Roswaal. It is not like you to stand before Betty without your makeup on… Truly, is it like you at all, I wonder?”
Roswaal said nothing in response to Beatrice’s words. All he did was make a lonely smile.
That was even more unusual. Lowering her eyes at his reaction, Betty continued:
“Besides, you must have your own things to say to Mother. To you… To your family, meeting Mother again was your long-cherished desire, I suppose.”
More than anyone else, Beatrice witnessed the changes four centuries had wrought upon the House of Roswaal—founded by the first Roswaal who apprenticed under Echidna.
In the battle against Hector the Devil, Roswaal had lost all his capacity to use magic rather than his life. After Echidna’s passing, he had entered the archive of forbidden books and immersed himself in search of something, and then he died, entrusting his dream to the next generation.
For each and every generation since, the head of the household inherited the name of Roswaal. The genius of the first Roswaal was rediscovered time and time again, and the House of Mathers grew.
Roswaal L. Mathers was the living compilation of all that had come before him.
Beatrice was actually quite bewildered that his talent surpassed even that of the first Roswaal, who Echidna herself had considered remarkable. The likes of him had never been seen in the past; none other could claim to be the world’s mightiest magic user.
“Yet, even with all that talent, you could not escape from the curse that binds the Mathers family. You are ghosts, dreaming of reuniting with my dear, departed mother… I sympathize with you, if only slightly.”
Beatrice was speaking of Roswaal’s way of life, able only to obey the destiny laid out generation after generation. His family greatly resembled her, continually bound by a single pact made four centuries prior.
Ironically, the moments she had spent with the first Roswaal before the day of that pact four hundred years before remained fresh in her mind.
“—May I ask you one thing?”
It was as Beatrice reminisced that Roswaal raised but a single finger and posed that question. The low, earnest tone of his voice made her lift her face. Beatrice tacitly consented with her silence.
“I must wonder, did Young Subaru become That Person for you?”
The question made Beatrice’s breath catch for a moment. This was not surprise—No, there was surprise. It was just that she felt no impact from Roswaal’s words.
She was surprised by her own heart, which didn’t ache as expected at the words That Person.
“…Why do you laugh?”
“Ahhh, sorry about that, I suppose. I am not particularly laughing at you. Perhaps I simply find myself amusing at the moment. I truly am such a fool.”
How easy had it been for her to forget the proposition that had bound her heart so much the instant after she had let go of it?
It probably was not so. It was not that she had forgotten. She had said good-bye to That Person forevermore.
“That man… Subaru is not suited whatsoever to be Betty’s That Person.”
“Whatsoever, you say… That is a rather harsh assessment.”
“Is that really true, I wonder? Betty is strict. Is that why every opportunity in four hundred years came to nothing, I wonder? …Betty’s selfishness is why the idea of That Person controlled her fate for so long.”
Beatrice now understood just a little of the feelings of the people who had tried to bring her out of the archive of forbidden books.
By no means had all of them stretched hands toward Beatrice out of nothing but their own selfish ambitions. Among them were those who Beatrice had continually driven away with her own thoughts and words.
“Then how was someone like you able to come out? How did Subaru become That Person?”
“Did I not say it already, I wonder? Subaru is not suited to be That Person whatsoever. But that is fine. Betty has chosen Subaru. Not That Person—but Subaru, I suppose.”
Beatrice’s reply caused Roswaal’s breath to catch as he opened his eyes wide.
Perhaps it was an answer difficult for an adherent of Echidna’s like Roswaal to accept. Beatrice, standing in the same position just a short time prior, painfully understood just how he felt.
It was because she understood that she thought it necessary to elaborate.
“When I wanted Subaru to become That Person, he laughed it off. He prattled on with something like, I can make you happier than some guy whose face you don’t even know, I suppose.”
“That is…a most arrogant answer.”
“But I do not mind him being pushy.”
Compared with an array of polite words spoken to Beatrice to tell her what to do or a speech on how she should put Echidna’s intellect to use, he was akin to an unadorned blade.
“But is that really fine with you? No matter how you might struggle, you will never be Subaru’s first. One can tell just by watching how he lives… I know this to be true.”
“Roswaal, are you misunderstanding something, I wonder?”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Betty did not leave the archive of forbidden books because Subaru made her his number one. Did Betty not leave the archive because she wants to make Subaru her number one, I wonder?”
—Pick me. He had said that to her.
I’ll be too lonely to live without you. Those had been his words.
She thought them very convenient words. Yet, they had resonated within Beatrice, shaking her heart.
And the instant she took his hand and left the archive of forbidden books, she knew a feeling of liberation that brought tears to her eyes.
She was well aware that she was defying both Mother and Roswaal, committing a terrible betrayal against them.
But her heart was already set. Her hand had already joined with his.
“?”
Roswaal fell silent as Beatrice awaited his words. Even if he was to accuse her of betrayal, she could do nothing save gently accept them. Such was the resolve within—
“—No matter how much time passes, you never change, Beatrice. You are the same as you were then.”
“—?”
His words had an odd ring to them that made Beatrice faintly knit her brows. What he said made Beatrice suspicious, but the tone of his voice even more so. It felt so very gentle, soft, and nostalgic.
“Truly, you and I have not had nearly enough conversations. It has been so ever since we were at Teacher’s side.”
“Teacher…?”
When she heard Roswaal’s gentle word, a term that should never have been heard from his lips, a shudder ran through her.
Simultaneously, a possibility arose in the back of Beatrice’s mind from the very depths of the time she had experienced.
It couldn’t be. Yet, if it was so—
“—Roswaal, is that you?”
“I have always been Roswaal?”
“No…! That is not what I… You—you surely know what I meant!”
“I jest. It is precisely so, Beatrice. It is I—the very same Roswaal.”
The instant he changed how he referred to himself, Beatrice saw two Roswaals overlap.
A tall, handsome man with long indigo hair overlapped with a young man who possessed the same characteristic features. This was the young man who had once doted on Echidna, who had asked the Witch to mentor him, and who Beatrice had lived alongside.
“It couldn’t be… Are you using soul transcription, the theory of immortality that Mother pursued? But that failed.”
“The soul will not graft to an empty vessel. That issue was a temporary impasse…one that I overcame by force. If the issue is compatibility between vessel and soul, this can be eliminated through greater proximity of the two.”
Beatrice could not conceal her utter shock when she grasped the meaning of those words.
When Echidna’s research into immortality failed and led instead to Ryuzu Meyer becoming the core of the Sanctuary, the Witch attempted to make efficient use of the replication technique created as a by-product, yet in terms of her lust for knowledge, she had erred. In the end, unable to graft the soul of another to an empty vessel, the research was considered a failure—but Roswaal had succeeded where she had not.
The first Roswaal had transferred himself to the bodies of the Mathers children in an unbroken line, reaching all the way to the present generation.
“Are you going to denounce me as inhuman, Beatrice?”
Such was the question Roswaal posed to Beatrice. Unlike back then, Roswaal’s left and right eye colors differed; only half of the blue from his original form remained.
Beatrice felt like that tentative blue eye was waiting for her to unleash blame upon him.
Did Roswaal wish to be punished again? Just like how she had confessed her sin of breaking her pact with Echidna to her mother’s remains? —Did he want to be condemned for his own foolish actions?
Condemned by Beatrice, the one who best understood her mother, the woman who was the object of his tenacious, unrequited love that had caused nothing but trouble to others across four hundred long years.
“Roswaal. Would you squat down over here for a moment, I wonder?”
“—Here?”
When Beatrice pointed to the flooring to the side of the coffin, Roswaal closed one eye. When that blue eye saw Beatrice nod, Roswaal seemed dubious as he knelt there on one knee. Gazing upon this, Beatrice removed her right shoe, firmly gripping it with her right hand.
“Clench your teeth.”
“Clench my… Guh?!”
She slammed the shoe in her hand into the side of his face, currently at just the right height.
She made a very pleasant sound as Roswaal’s head reeled, eyes wide open. Glancing at him, Beatrice put the shoe in her hand back on her foot once more.
The refreshed look on Beatrice’s face brought Roswaal, now with a red and taut cheek, back to his senses.
“W-was that something like your very own mark of disdain just now?”
“Not really. Do I even know why you want me to be angry at what you have done, I wonder? …Your actions are unworthy of praise. But is there anyone who has the right to blame you save the children whose bodies you have made your own, I wonder? Ugh, is all that Betty thinks of the matter.”
“Ugh, is it…? Then what was that blow just now for?”
It seems a poor reason to strike me, Roswaal seemed to be trying to say. Beatrice stuck her tongue out at him.
Certainly, Beatrice took no issue with the soul transcription. But—
“Is it not obvious this is payback for the archive of forbidden books burning down, I wonder?!”
“—About the mansio—”
“Betty is very generous and therefore will leave it at that… If Subaru forgives you, then perhaps I can, too, I suppose.”
Interrupting Roswaal, Beatrice let the words pour from her lips, preventing further discussion of the matter. The demonstration of her intent made Roswaal fall silent.
Enumerating Roswaal’s schemes would require far more than the fingers on both hands. If he counted every single one of them, Beatrice would probably be unable to forgive him anymore—hence, she would not let him speak them.
Besides, if Beatrice’s eyes did not deceive her, Roswaal had lost his book of knowledge.
“?”
The mystical tome that was the basis of all his schemes was in his grasp no more. Just like hers had been to Beatrice, Roswaal’s mystical tome had been the embodiment of his hopes.
He had clung to it, relied on it, yet after walking across four centuries, nothing had changed.
At the end of their journey, Beatrice and Roswaal found themselves reunited back at the Sanctuary.
Therefore, Beatrice had only one thing to say to him.
“Roswaal.”
“…What is it?”
“Welcome home.”
That brief phrase made Roswaal’s breath catch.
To Beatrice and Roswaal, to Echidna, to Ryuzu, this place represented the old days—
That was why Beatrice’s words faintly made Roswaal’s lips tremble.
“Yes, I suppose I am. I’m back, Beatrice—welcome home.”
3
“They’re not coming out, huh? I’m sure they had a load of things to talk about, but isn’t this excessive?”
Growing impatient due to the lack of any new developments after returning from making his thirtieth snow-Puck in the clearing, Subaru turned toward the tomb. It had been just short of an hour since the pair had entered, yet they still had not emerged.
“I understand you’re worried, Subaru, but I think you’re the one being a little excessive.”
Subaru appeared unable to calm down as Emilia stood beside him, stroking a snow-Puck with what seemed like exasperation.
Incidentally, Ram, who’d been borrowing Emilia’s lap and making Subaru envious for quite some time, seemed largely recovered by that point as she gently sat upon the steps, looking like she was also waiting for the pair to return from the tomb.
With Beatrice now enlightened, the possibility that Roswaal would slip into despair didn’t even register as a concern to Subaru.
“Maybe I’m just deluding myself that it’s all going to just work itself out…”
“Hee-hee, you’ve become quite a believer in Beatrice…but you two have always gotten along so well, haven’t you? I can really understand how you two formed a pact.”
“Now and again, I wished she’d talk like we get along a little more… Also, is that Puck?”
Scratching his cheek after hearing Emilia’s honest opinion, Subaru then gestured toward the blue crystal on her neck. This had been his trump card in the battle against Garfiel, the same thing that had bolstered Ram’s resolve in the Sanctuary, and now served as the icon of the Great Spirit who slumbered in tranquility at Emilia’s side.
Having broken his pact and pushed himself several times over, this was the sealed bed in which Puck had fallen into a deep sleep.
“I wanted to tell him, Thanks for the assist, but that’s not happening in his state, is it?”
“Mm, no, it’s not. Seems he pushed himself a little too hard; there’s no way… Even this stone isn’t strong enough to wake Puck up. Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to talk and joke around with him just yet.”
“But he’ll definitely be back someday, right?”
Closing one eye, Subaru confirmed something that didn’t even need to be said aloud. For one moment alone, Emilia closed her eyes and said, “Yes,” nodding back. The conviction of her expression was exceedingly dignified and beautiful.
“…You’ve sure changed, Emilia-tan. It’s like you’re still every bit as cute, but you’re stronger now.”
“If that’s so, it’s thanks to you and everyone else, Subaru. I’ve always been on the receiving end before. I need to hurry up and give back to everyone in all kinds of ways.”
“When it comes to just taking, I feel like I’ve done a lot of that, too…”
Subaru and Emilia both keenly felt their own powerlessness. That did not mean they would be licking each other’s wounds, for they also took pride in having become more dependable.
“Incidentally, Subaru… Um…”
Subaru was immersed in deep sentiments when Emilia abruptly tossed her voice his way. That voice made him go “ahhh” and come back to his senses, but Subaru’s eyes bulged as he turned toward Emilia.
“E-Emilia-tan?! Your face is super red all of a sudden—are you all right?!”
“I-I’m all right. Completely fine. More importantly, there is something we need to discuss.”
“R-right. I guess, um, please go right ahead…”
When for some reason Emilia broke into formal language, Subaru stumbled into a formal reply of his own.
Emilia, red to the tips of her ears, made no comment about his response, staring straight at Subaru before continuing.
“Um… Subaru, you said you…l-love me, yes?”
“Er, ah, yes. I did say that. I love you. I super love you.”
“—! That…that makes me really, really happy, but…”
Subaru got a bad feeling as Emilia, blushing hard, trailed off—if he had to put it into words, he was afraid she was about to say, Let’s be friends instead.
“W-wait! Wait a sec! I-I’m in this for the long haul, so to speak!”
“Th-that’s… I understand that already. But…if I don’t do this properly… Back when we were in the dragon carriage and the time at the tomb, I never gave you a proper reply, Subaru…and…”
Even as an unbearable anxiousness shot through him, Subaru lent his ears to Emilia. The present situation didn’t necessarily seem like the worst-case scenario, but his chances didn’t seem too great, either. If anything, it was like the status quo ante.
As long as she didn’t find his repeated confessions of love terribly intrusive, Subaru was ready to bounce back as many times as it took.
However, it was about to become crystal clear that they were on completely different pages.
“It’s just—I think we need to have a proper talk about the baby in my belly!”
“…Excuse me?”
“I don’t know if it will be a boy or a girl, but we need to give it all the love and attention it needs! Still, I don’t know anything about these things… That’s why I have to discuss it with the child’s father…”
“Emilia-tan, wait, hold on, like, seriously, please wait a second…”
Emilia’s face was red and teary, but Subaru’s mind couldn’t keep up.
Calm. He needed to be calm. A baby in Emilia’s belly? Emilia was the mother? Subaru was the father? He didn’t know what any of that meant. Subaru was positive that he had not climbed the final stairs of adulthood yet.
“Emilia-tan, by baby, you mean a little kid, right?”
“Th-that’s right. It’s a really big deal in the middle of the royal selection…but it isn’t the baby’s fault it’s going to be born, so I want to give the child all the love I can. I just wanted to tell you that.”
He admired the nobility of Emilia’s resolute heart. He could even appreciate the beauty in her kind words.
But they were talking past each other. It was almost as if people had children differently in this world.
“Emilia-tan, you know babies aren’t delivered by birds or harvested from cabbage patches, right?”
“But babies are made when a man and a woman kiss, aren’t they?”
Subaru was in shock.
Emilia’s lack of knowledge was a part of it, but he was mainly astounded by how adorable her misunderstanding was.
“Subaru? Um, Subaru? What’s wrong?”
As Subaru fell silent, Emilia seemed worried as she peered into his face with the look of someone who had accepted her impending motherhood. That was commendable. However, her misunderstanding inflicted a grievous wound upon a pure heart.
He couldn’t help but wonder if it was better to simply declare himself the father of the nonexistent child.
“Subaru, could it be that you regret kissing me…?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, I’d love to do it again and again!!”
“Oh…okay…”
The misunderstanding deepened further still. Her blushing face made Subaru regret how he had replied reflexively.
Given Emilia’s mindset at the moment, Subaru’s words were tantamount to saying he wanted to have lots and lots of children with her. Certainly, there was a part of him that did wish for that, but his top priority was setting Emilia straight.
“C-curse you, Puck…!!”
Subaru directed an angry murmur toward the absent kitty spirit, who continued to sleep deep inside the magic crystal.
—In the back of his mind, he felt like he could see the kitty spirit putting a paw on his head and sticking his tongue out with a thbpttt.
4
The instant the blow landed, his cheekbone groaned under the impact. His tall body was easily flung into the air and slammed into the wall. It did not end there. The momentum sent him right through the fragile wooden wall, blowing his body into the snowy outdoors.
“?”
At the end of his somersault, he finally came to a stop, spread-eagle on the snowy plain, unable to move a muscle. The silence that descended made it tempting to assume he had actually expired then and there.
Subaru’s eyes went wide as he stared at the wall that had been punched clean through, the tall, slender man sent flying through it, and the one who had sent him flying to begin with.
During that time, the attacker let out a satisfied breath.
“Phew… Man, I really sent the bastard flyin’, huh?”
With an audible clack of sharp, canine teeth, the blond boy Garfiel spoke those words with a sunny, beaming face.
Watching as Ram rushed toward Roswaal, who had been the victim, Subaru scratched his head.
“Y-yeah. Sure did.”
That was all the reply he could manage.
5
“Errr, so now that we’ve formally settled some outstanding business, I think it’s time we had a mutual discussion about the things that happened this time around and the various events going into the future.”
Taking the reins like an MC redirecting a conference’s agenda, Subaru surveyed the faces of the people packed into the Cathedral.
Those assembled inside were the principal actors involved in the latest incident. That said, it still amounted to quite a large number of people, which made Subaru deeply appreciate just how greatly their proverbial family had grown.
The mansion team had caught up on the dawn after Emilia’s imaginary pregnancy crisis.
Fortunately, everyone who had been present at the mansion fire was safe and sound, with Garfiel and Frederica, Otto and Petra, and Ram all returning in one piece to the Sanctuary via a dragon carriage drawn by Patlash.
After, with Subaru plus Emilia and Beatrice of the Sanctuary team, as well as Ryuzu in attendance to represent the Sanctuary, the participants amounted to a whole eleven people.
“From the perspective of the royal selection, this might seem like one small step. But it’s one giant step for the Emilia camp…!”
“Wow, that sounds really impressive… But you’re absolutely right. That means I’ll have to work even harder now.”
Taking Subaru’s silly talk completely seriously, Emilia earnestly sought to repay the trust in her. Setting the whole baby-in-her-belly thing aside, her genuine, forward-looking nature was one of the things that made her beautiful.
Indeed, she was a little too serious, which made relieving her of the baby misunderstanding quite an arduous chore.
“Ahem, I’d better straighten myself out before the conversation goes off the rails. Let’s get right to the point. Should I assume everyone here knows everything that happened already? What comes after is the jury’s verdict in regards to the accused…”
To be perfectly honest, it was a difficult issue to broach, yet there was no means to avoid it.
Subaru scratched his face as he moved the conference forward, making all the other Cathedral attendees shift their glances to the rear—toward Roswaal, lying limply on a couch as Ram offered her lap to his head.
“…Oh my? Could it be, you have not yet made enough sport of me in my defenseless staaate?”
“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy. That was settling things. Well, some of it was what some might call excessive, though…”
Roswaal’s abrasive words made Subaru recall the violent scene that had taken place not long ago.
In summary, it was a ceremony where Roswaal, the mastermind behind many of their troubles, was punched once by every one of his victims. What had begun with Garfiel’s bare fist was followed by Frederica’s beastly fist, Patlash’s charge, and so on and so forth.
Personally, the one Subaru liked most was Petra swinging a wet towel right into Roswaal’s face. The moist slap had a really nice echo to it, instilling force and exhilaration that went beyond what the eye could see.
“Not to trivialize all that, but it’s what brought everyone to the same table so we could talk. That said, there is one little thing I wanted to say about your standpoint…”
Cutting off his words there, Subaru looked not at Roswaal but at Ram as she let him rest his head in her lap. Accepting his gaze, Ram said, “What?” as she narrowed her pink eyes.
“Even if you’re not at full health, you just stood back and watched while people settled things with Roswaal. I was sure you’d flip out seeing him get smacked around that much.”
“What a foolish thing to say… Even Ram does not think Master Roswaal is someone who is never mistaken. If being punched is the natural course of events, he must accept what he deserves. But Ram is free to treat him with great gentleness after the fact. To not comprehend such a thing is the height of foolishness.”
Subaru grimaced hearing her call him a fool at both the head and the tail of her remarks. Beatrice heaved a hearty sigh at Ram’s obstinacy in Subaru’s place.
“Goodness, does this girl love trouble, I wonder? Even after incurring such severe burns to her belly… Had Betty not been here, scars would have remained for certain.”
“I am deeply grateful to Lady Beatrice for healing me. However, that does not mean I care to be lectured as to how I may love someone with this life of mine and a body that is alive and well.”
“…I don’t intend to be quite that kind, I suppose. I will merely say it is a difficult life you choose.”
As always, Ram fearlessly pursued her love. During her fierce battle to halt Roswaal’s schemes, she had suffered wounds so grievous, they had put her on death’s door, but apparently, they were not nearly bad enough to get in the way of her feelings.
Since Ram was by no means blinded by her love, Beatrice could only breathe a hearty sigh.
Naturally, there was someone else present who couldn’t accept things just like that.
“—Figures Ram ain’t bendin’ one bit. But, General, you serious about this?”
Speaking this with a noise from his fangs was Garfiel, standing between Ryuzu and Frederica. He was giving Roswaal a sharp glare in contrast to the smiling face he’d had right after settling prior business.
The glint in his eyes held blatant hostility within them.
“You’re seriously gonna have this bastard be on our side? Just don’t sit right with me.”
“Garfiel…”
“Maybe we haven’t smacked him enough? Ahhh, yeah, we definitely ain’t smacked him enough! How much has that bastard done up until now? If it weren’t for the general, the village’d be rabbit food, and the folks at the mansion would’ve been toyed with and killed by the belly woman! All ’cause that bastard planned it. Ya don’t know when he’ll come chop our heads off in our sleep!”
Garfiel howled and took a step forward that made the Cathedral faintly tremble. But there was no one present who could immediately refute his words. Garfiel’s opinion had sound logic behind it. Roswaal had simply done that much.
He’d exposed many lives to danger for the sake of his own objective. As a matter of fact, Subaru had personally and repeatedly witnessed a great many deaths with his own eyes, present company included.
—It had taken a miracle to set this situation right.
Subaru shared the same anger Garfiel had. He also shared the feeling that Roswaal could not be among them.
“But even so, we need Roswaal’s power.”
“General…!!”
“There’s no replacing Roswaal’s cooperation if Emilia’s gonna fight her way through this royal-selection business. If we lose him as her sponsor, Emilia will be forced to drop out. Of course he’s got to pay compensation…but we can’t just go okay, see ya and leave it at that.”
“Are ya tellin’ me to forgive the guy who tried to kill family of mine?!”
Garfiel’s words were emotional, yet the terrible pain in them struck Subaru.
Even if Subaru tried to suppress them with words and logic, Garfiel still probably wouldn’t accept it. Garfiel had nearly lost Frederica and Ryuzu both.
To him, having fiercely fought as a one-man army to protect his family for over a decade, it was a betrayal most difficult to forgive.
“I…forgive the master.”
“Sis?!”
But it was none other than Frederica who refuted Garfiel’s assertions. His elder sister’s words made Garfiel blink hard before powerfully clacking his fangs.
“What are ya sayin’?! This bastard tried to kill you and everyone else at the man…”
“Yet, even so, I am alive, thanks to you, Garf.”
“That’s just lookin’ at things in hindsight, damn it!! This bastard almost killed my sis and my granny! But I’m supposed to just forgive him?!”
“…The master has taken care of me for more than ten years.”
Frederica narrowed her jade eyes in the face of Garfiel’s ragged voice. The deep affection that could be felt from her gaze showed she was deeply moved by the indignation of her younger brother, who had grown so much in the years they spent apart.
“I have borrowed from the master’s power for the sake of my own goal. And I have arrived at this point having learned a great deal in the process. Put another way, I shall use the master’s goodwill for the sake of my own goal. In one sense, does lending and borrowing not amount to the same thing?”
“You’re gonna put life and debts on the same playin’ field?! Sis, that’s how you and Ram get used like tha…”
“Ahhh, I am sorry to intrude at such a passionate point, but may I have a word?”
Garfiel was still choking on Frederica’s words when Otto urged a pause. “Ahhh?” went Garfiel, making a sour noise at the intrusion, but Otto deftly ignored it.
“For the moment, let us leave emotional arguments for later and speak of matters pragmatically. In other words, we must discuss to what degree the marquis intends to yield to us.”
“…Another thing out of the blue. Feels a bit like we can’t just drop this, though.”
Otto sought to advance the conversation in a measured, businesslike tone, but Subaru knit his brows, unable to read what his intentions were. At that point, Otto said as a preamble, “It is a simple matter. To put it plainly, Garfiel’s anger is justified. I am quite vexed myself, and by any normal standard, one punch is hardly enough to lay everything to rest.”
“Gotta say, I feel like you sure put your hips into the one punch you gave him…”
“I was merely collecting the interest on my losses. At any rate, it is clear to anyone’s eyes that this cannot be simply forgiven, yes? I am certain the marquis understands this as well. In other words…”
“—The issue is therefore to what extent I intend to swallow the terms you offer.”
At the end of the explanation, it was Roswaal who sat up and picked up where Otto left off. Closing one eye, he gazed back at Otto with his yellow eye.
“It would be poor of me to accept your terms before you have spoken them, I beliiiieve.”
“Then I shall take my revenge with all interest accrued.”
Otto was quite collected as he faced the marquis with a great deal of nerve. Roswaal made a pained smile.
“You say that so calmly. Now, returning to the previous subject, Garfiel is concerned that you do not know when I might become your enemy again…but this is an unnecessary worry.”
“…How can ya be so sure? Ya think we’d believe a promise outta your mouth even a little?”
“Unfortunately, that would be impossible. So I shall prove it in a form visible to the eye.”
Roswaal slowly shook his head before Garfiel’s wariness. He stood up and proceeded to open his tunic, brusquely stripping away the bloodstained bandages wrapped around his upper body.
—Everyone held their breaths when they set their eyes upon Roswaal’s exposed flesh.
It was known to all that Roswaal’s body had been injured when the tomb had rejected him. But it was not those wounds that attracted their eyes now; rather, it was the pale, glowing symbols carved into his flesh.
Realizing at a glance that the symbols were vestiges of a magical ritual, Beatrice looked at Subaru.
“—Is this a vow sealed with a curse, I wonder?”
“A vow sealed with a curse? The hell? I’ve never heard of that one.”
However, the malevolent ring of the words certainly fit the symbols perfectly.
Beatrice nodded as if to bolster Subaru’s impression of them.
“Oaths come in various forms, such as pacts, vows, and covenants. Pacts, like the ones with spirits, are two-party oaths. Covenants extend across bloodlines. And vows bind a single party.”
“Bind a single party?”
“Perhaps the one taking the vow expects to gain compensation commensurate with the oath that must be fulfilled, I suppose. As for carving a cursed seal into one’s body like this, the effect would be…”
“—I have lost the battle. In accordance with my vow, I can inflict no harm upon you.”
Receiving Beatrice’s words, Roswaal divulged the vow he had taken.
“Should I renounce this vow, my soul shall be tainted and my flesh enveloped and burned away by purifying fire. And my soul shall fall into the void, never to return to Odo Ragna again. That is what I have sworn.”
“S-somehow, that sounds really ominous…”
“Why? This is only appropriate. Did we not make a wager, you and I?”
He let out a wry laugh, or perhaps a muted, spontaneous laugh. The sentence that had come from Roswaal’s loosened lips made Subaru sink into thought, immediately locating the answer—he was speaking about the final bet between them.
This was the result of the bet Subaru had made when he’d told Roswaal this would be his last attempt.
And should Roswaal have been triumphant, Subaru had said he would do Roswaal’s bidding—
“My terms were that you’d genuinely come on board if I won.”
“And so this cursed seal brings those terms to fruition.”
“…In other words, if I’d lost…?”
“Then I would have carved this cursed seal into you. Had you defied the vow, you would have been reduced to cinders.”
“Scary—!!”
He felt as if he’d unwittingly signed away his soul with no memory of the act whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it was precisely so, but the better way to view it was that there probably were no loopholes in the process.
Besides, whatever the possibilities, the fact remained that Roswaal himself had carved the cursed seal into his own body.
“Roswaal won’t betray us so long as that’s on him. How about it, Garfiel?”
“?”
“Like I said, Roswaal’s power is necessary and indispensable for the royal selection. It’s on a level that even if we don’t want his cooperation, we’re tied to him so much that we need it anyway.”
“…General, that ain’t the same as comin’ to an agreement.”
“Yes, it is. We’ve gotta look for some point of compromise. Roswaal won’t betray us. What do you wanna do to Roswaal on top of that? Sorry, but I can’t let you actually kill him.”
He was essentially indicating Garfiel’s short temper was blocking their path. Of course, if Garfiel was minded to push the issue, he could knock Subaru out of the way easier than a bowling pin.
But Garfiel’s nature prevented him from being emotional enough to go that far.
“Garf…”
Ryuzu tugged on Garfiel’s sleeve with a worried look on her face. The sensation brought Garfiel back to his senses as Ryuzu slowly shook her head.
“Shima chose her own fate. No matter what Young Ros did, it would have always been one of us who needed to serve as the key to lift the barrier.”
“?”
“Surely, she believed she had been relieved of her duty, yet it was she who saved us by fulfilling her role as administrator at the very end… That is how we think of it.”
Ryuzu Shima had offered herself as the key to lift the barrier.
If there was one person who could be called a sacrifice for the Sanctuary and the mansion, it was Shima herself. It pained Subaru’s chest to think of how it hurt Garfiel to learn of this after the fact.
It was Subaru’s earnest wish to take back everything he could take back, to carry everything with him. But Shima’s sacrifice had been the unavoidable key to liberating everyone trapped within the Sanctuary. Subaru couldn’t help but be annoyed at how the design of this system seemed emblematic of the rotten personality of the Witch who had crafted it.
Of course, Garfiel was angry about that, too. He couldn’t help but look for a place to slam that anger into.
“Shima said she has not been lonely these past ten years. She said that was because of…”
“…I know that already. Don’t make a sad face like that, Granny.”
But Garfiel interrupted his grandmother’s words, replying with a coarse yet gentle voice. Surprisingly calm, he let out a deep breath before pointing straight at Roswaal.
“Swear it, Roswaal. I don’t care what ya swore before. I want ya to swear it again here and now.”
“?”
“Y’all never pull this crap on us again—swear it.”
Roswaal’s breath briefly caught when Garfiel spoke these words, which were every bit a compromise. Then, tracing the cursed seal carved into his flesh with a finger, he nodded.
“I shall never sacrifice anyone present in this place, nor use you as pawns to achieve some greater goal—I swear this upon the soul of my cherished teacher.”
From Roswaal’s point of view, just how weighty were those words? Probably only Subaru, Ram, Ryuzu, and Beatrice fully appreciated the significance of that promise.
But the depth of his resolve had been conveyed even to those who could not comprehend it in its entirety.
“—If ya break your word, I ain’t lettin’ no fire get ya. I’ll crush your head with my own damn fangs.”
It was not swelling, overwhelming bloodlust that made Subaru shudder but fighting spirit. This spirit was being sent squarely toward Roswaal, but just the wake of its passing made the skin of everyone else present feel ablaze.
Having made that vow, Garfiel let out a heavy sigh. Then he extended a hand.
“…For now, that’s enough for me. Looks like this kid here agrees, too.”
With that, he placed a hand on the head of Petra, who’d been glaring at Roswaal the entire time. The sensation made her grip Frederica’s hand tightly. “But,” he added, letting out a long breath before continuing, “talkin’ to your parents and friends about this ain’t gonna make no one happy.”
At present, the fact that it was their own liege behind the current uproar had not been divulged to the Earlham villagers or the residents of the Sanctuary. Nor did Garfiel think they needed to know it was Roswaal.
Petra wasn’t in attendance as a representative of the village but because Frederica insisted Petra should be individually recognized as a servant of Roswaal Manor. She also did so partly out of faith that Petra was a clever enough girl to eventually arrive at the truth from fragmentary information alone.
“No matter how much…Master Subaru says so…I don’t want to. The master… The lord did terrible things to the village, didn’t he, even though everyone trusted their lord? I did, too. I thought he was a good person.”
“…Those words do wound me deeply.”
The blame levied by the little girl made even Roswaal frown.
Cutting out the interests of the faction and the finer circumstances, Petra’s feelings as a direct victim were the most appropriate of all. That wasn’t because she was a child. It was a straight and honest assessment of just how much faith Roswaal had accumulated as liege lord and just how deep his betrayal had cut.
“But…but I don’t want to make things hard for everyone by running my mouth like some ignorant little girl. But that’s exactly why I absolutely won’t forgive this. Still, that’s all I’ll do.”
“?”
When Petra spoke the words with tearful eyes, Roswaal closed his own.
Then, as large tears began to spill from her eyes, Petra clung to Frederica and squeezed. Frederica gently embraced her, telling her, “You did very well.”
“This is ’cause Sis, Granny, and the girl there allowed it. Better not forget.”
Accepting Petra’s tearful voice, Garfiel warned Roswaal to uphold his vow.
“But of course—I have been an expert in upholding my oaths for a very long tiiiime.”
That was Roswaal’s reply. Everyone’s anger had been settled for the moment.
“That’s right. Petra’s a good girl, and you’re shit. So aside from the burned-down mansion, all the trouble caused to the people of Earlham Village and the Sanctuary and other assorted stuff…does anyone else have something to say?”
Subaru waited for Petra to stop crying before seeking a consensus anew.
In one sense, the present situation had come about from everyone in their camp scowling at Roswaal all at once. If this meant the end of the first stage of the meeting, they could move on to the issues the future would bring—
“Yes, I do.”
It was then that a sole figure broke the silence and raised her hand.
It was Emilia, leader of the group, yet to offer her opinion on how to deal with Roswaal.
“Okay, Emilia-tan. This is the right time, so say whatever you want.”
“Then I’ll indulge myself and say this…”
Thus recognized by Subaru, Emilia stared straight at Roswaal. Receiving her gaze, Roswaal awaited Emilia’s words with a meek expression. It was unclear just what thoughts lurked beneath.
“All of you are being really strange. Roswaal still hasn’t done the most important thing, has he? We can’t end this conversation until he does.”
“The most important thing…?”
“When you’ve done something wrong, you have to say you’re sorry.”
Emilia’s statement left absolutely everyone taken aback, eyes wide open.
“Earlier, everyone was telling you to prove you’ve reflected on this and that, and Roswaal swore on his teacher, but there’s something he should have said before that, isn’t there? Roswaal, have you said it to everyone even once? I sure didn’t hear you.”
Emilia was flushed and in a huff as she spoke perfectly bluntly to Roswaal.
The contents of her words sounded astoundingly childish, leaving everyone at a loss for words. But Emilia was not speaking in jest. She was expressing her genuine anger.
This, she did to make him do the obvious, natural thing that everyone had forgotten about.
“—Apologize, Roswaal.”
“Eh?”
“It’s the least we can expect from a person who’s gonna be with us from now on.”
Roswaal looked thoroughly taken aback at Subaru following Emilia’s example, boldly speaking those words.
Subaru’s intentions were conveyed to everyone in the Cathedral. All eyes gathered upon Roswaal. Then Roswaal, consternated at the situation he found himself in after coming this far, drew in his breath, and—
“—Yes, that will do.”
After watching Roswaal apologize, Emilia flashed an impressive smile.
6
“That is quite a miserable-looking face.”
“…So it’s you, huh, Beako?”
Subaru raised his eyebrows as a cute face poked over his shoulder, peering intently at him.
He’d been sitting on the floor, deep in thought. Subaru made a pained smile as he realized he hadn’t noticed someone had approached him. He dusted his pants off as he rose to his feet.
They were in the coffin room in the deepest portion of the tomb. No one else was here, so he’d come to think things over.
“What are you doing in a place like this while staring so intently at the corpse of Betty’s mother, I wonder?”
“I was just thinking of the future like a normal person, but your phrasing is gonna land me in a heap of trouble!”
“Not really. If Subaru has an unspeakable hobby, I shall not reveal it. I will think ugh, however.”
“Seriously, if you ever think ugh as soon as I come to mind, then I’m never gonna recover!”
Though they bantered much like before, their intimacy was incomparable to anything prior, even including that exchange. Mysteriously, ever since their pact, Beatrice was just too cute for Subaru to resist.
It wasn’t romantic love, but it was undoubtedly affection. He wanted his stomach filled with it full-time. That was simply how he felt.
Thinking about it calmly, he seemed to have had quite a bit of that feeling even back when he first met her.
“Does your face reveal yet another worthless thought in your head, I wonder?”
“It ain’t worthless at all. I was thinking about you, Beako. You’re so adorable, it puts me in a bind.”
“R-really, now…? Certainly, that would be a problem. But perhaps I prefer to continue doing so, I wonder?”
That was so cute that Subaru picked Beatrice up without a word of warning. This surprised Beatrice, then made her angry at him in turn. She smacked him, but it didn’t hurt, so he let it slide.
Then, after getting their fill of messing around, Beatrice’s demeanor became serious as she shifted her gaze toward the coffin.
“…This is your mother, right?”
“More importantly, this is Echidna, Subaru. Not the ‘Witch of Greed’ you are familiar with.”
Subaru echoed a question first hailed by Emilia, wondering about the two different Echidnas. At present, neither she nor Subaru had found a suitable answer to what that actually meant.
Subaru, too, had been surprised the first time he’d encountered the Witch’s remains inside that room. For Beatrice’s sake, he was simply grateful from the bottom of his heart that it truly was her Echidna sleeping there.
He was glad Beatrice had been reunited with her mother, even if only Echidna’s remains were left, though there were other reunions that could never take place.
“It’s…really too bad that Miss Shima and your…friend from the crystal couldn’t make it.”
“…Has it not been four centuries since we parted, I wonder? There is no helping it now.”
Beatrice’s halting murmur felt like she was mostly putting on a brave front. Subaru turned his face toward the sky.
Echidna’s old laboratory site was within the Forest of Cremaldi. When the Sanctuary had been liberated, Ryuzu Meyer and the crystal sealing her, both of which formed the core of the Sanctuary’s barrier, had vanished together.
He’d been told the coffin where the Witch slept, along with the magic crystal sealing the girl within, had been the keys to the barrier. Shima had sacrificed herself to open these, granting them true liberation.
Albeit, perhaps she would be angry at having what she did referred to as a sacrifice—truly, it would be just like her to say she’d done her duty, cutting a path open for the youngsters’ future.
He had little doubt that deep down, it was for the sake of her beloved Garfiel, though.
The day was surely approaching when they could match her proud way of life. At the very least, he wanted to swear he would live up to it all, bringing no shame to what she had bequeathed to them.
“Well, even if I made a lofty-sounding vow like that, it wouldn’t sound very convincing coming from me.”
“—? Subaru, what are you smiling to yourself for, I wonder? It feels creepy.”
“Er, nothi… Wait, creepy?!”
“Ah, maybe not, I suppose! I did not mean you are extremely creepy! Only a little, I suppose!”
The naked insult and guileless poison thrust several times deeper than anything preceding it. When Subaru fell to his knees, Beatrice hastily and earnestly tried to cheer him up.
It took a little while after that for Subaru to recover, at which point he let out a long sigh.
“Whew, I was in danger of dying from shock. I understand a little of how Puck felt…”
“You have grown quite conceited if you think you can understand Puckie’s feelings, Subaru. But could you not forget that feeling of devotion, I wonder? If you do not, you will become a fine spirit mage in no time.”
“Yeah, yeah… Er, hearing the words spirit mage made me remember just now, but you were seriously awesome. I’ve never been able to let loose with magic like that before. Sure was one heck of a ride!”
He hadn’t had the time to calmly think back upon it, but Subaru’s manly heart had danced during that battle against the Great Rabbit.
He’d gone with the flow during the collapse of the archive of forbidden books and formed a pact with Beatrice. Subaru’s original objective was to bring Beatrice out of the archive, so forming a pact relationship, as a spirit mage was nothing but a by-product of that goal. Even so, it had been an incredible experience.
Subaru’s honest appraisal made Beatrice’s cheeks stiffen. Her gaze wandered about.
“Subaru, about that… In other words, I may have something important to say about spirit mages, I suppose.”
“Oh? Why all the formality?”
“This is a matter between Betty and Subaru that cannot be put off.”
Beatrice seemed rather subdued as she sat Subaru back down on the floor. He had a bad feeling about this, having barely finished hearing Emilia get similarly formal before talking about her imaginary pregnancy.
That said, now that she’d stated it concerned the pair’s future, all he could do was quietly listen.
“First, Subaru formed a pact with Betty as a spirit mage…but Betty is somewhat different compared to a regular spirit, I suppose. Therefore, there are certain things that differ from what would be common sense for other practitioners.”
“Well, you don’t usually see humanoid spirits, and I know you’re especially cute.”
At present, Subaru knew exactly two spirit mages: Emilia and Julius.
Emilia had a pact with Puck but also had formed pacts with lesser spirits besides him. In contrast, Julius had pacts with multiple quasi-spirits more powerful than lesser spirits, which meant he was a powerful practitioner himself.
Technically, the evil spirit Petelgeuse had been something similar, but that was a case best left forgotten.
“Betty is an artificial spirit created by Mother. Did you know this, I wonder? Mother infused Betty with special power…but in turn, she has certain flaws.”
“Flaws, huh? What sort?”
“Betty’s flaws… First is that she monopolizes a contractor, I suppose.”
Betty was red-faced as she explained her own shortcomings. Subaru, girded for whatever issue might come flying out, let out a silly-sounding “huh?” at the detail thereof.
“Monopolize—you mean you’re a greedy girl? Don’t worry. Relax, you’re the only spirit for me.”
“That may be so, but that is not the point! The short version is that a spirit mage contracted with Betty is unable to contract with other spirits and lesser spirits, I suppose. There are no exceptions whatsoever.”
“…Ahhh, that’s what you meant. In other words, I’m all out of contracts.”
The gist was that the cost of maintaining Beatrice as a spirit was high, chewing up a spirit mage’s entire capacity. No free room remained to employ other spirits because of that.
“So there’s no using lesser spirits depending on circumstances or anything like that. Well, that’s slightly disappointing, but I’ll just take it in stride. No way I’m letting you go so I can pick up other spirits.”
“…W-well, that’s only natural, I suppose. Of course you would not. Might one even call that ordinary sound judgment, I wonder?”
Beatrice was unable to hide how happy Subaru’s reply made her. Subaru gave her head another few circular strokes. Beatrice was letting Subaru do so when she cleared her throat with an audible “ahem.”
“Actually, there is still more. But compared with the matter just now, is it no great issue whatsoever, I wonder?”
“So the hurdles got a lot lower. Okay, hit me. Tell me anything.”
“Er, this is mildly embarrassing… However, Betty is rather…fuel-inefficient.”
“Now you’re talking like you’re some kind of car.”
In video games, powerful magic and summoning spells consumed a lot of MP. Efficiency was calculated by comparing the usage cost to power, but he had no idea how hard it was for Beatrice to say something that was probably incredibly difficult to admit.
“Er? You say that, but you hurled huge spells into the Great Rabbit one after another, right? You even let me use your mana, ’cause it’s not like you were sucking it out of me.”
“Was that mana not what Betty stored away over a long period of time, I wonder? Draining Subaru thousands and thousands of times would not be sufficient to suddenly use that much mana in our first battle.”
“That figures. Incidentally, by stored over a long period of time, you mean…”
“…I—I suppose I was helping myself to mana from everyone at the mansion a little at a time.”
Beatrice was red-faced as she divulged the information, perhaps embarrassing from a spirit’s point of view. Subaru didn’t have a very clear idea at how unladylike using some kind of mana drain was.
“Beako, it seems like you’ve done some deep reflection about it, so I won’t poke fun at you. Well, as your contractor, I’ll just have to put up with whatever you’re going to take from me. How much is stored in this vault anyway?”
It hardly needed to be said that Subaru’s mana capacity was lower than that of the average person. If he was to work around Beatrice’s poor fuel efficiency, he needed to break down how to make good use of what had been stored to date.
Naturally, he had to get an idea of just how much magic energy was left, but—
“—Nothing.”
“…Hmm?”
“Did I not say nothing, I wonder? What was stored across four centuries flew out the door during our first battle. Though I still held on to a majority of it despite the loss of the archive, the Al Shamak that served as the finishing blow…might have depleted it completely, I suppose.”
“?”
Beatrice’s explanation left Subaru silent. He sank into thought. After pondering the matter, he arrived at an answer.
In other words, it went something like this.
Beatrice’s stored mana was zero. It would take all of Subaru’s mana just to keep her corporeal on a day-to-day basis. Beatrice could not employ fuel-inefficient high-powered spells, and his pact with her left him unable to rely upon other spirits.
“You’re telling me…a duo between a spirit who can’t use magic and a spirit mage who can’t use magic has just been born?!”
“W-well, I suppose you could put it in those terms.”
“How else would you put it?! Eh? No way—you’re serious?!”
In conclusion, Subaru had become a spirit mage, winning the hand of a little girl—and that was pretty much it.
“Should I say, Eh-heh-heh, thbbt, I wonder?”
“I’m not laughing!”
And that was how an incredibly ill-prepared team of spirit mage and spirit was born.
Thereafter, the pair’s quarreling voices continued echoing within the tomb for a long, long time to come.
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